The Huntress Series by Carrie Cotten

Can the truth-speaker’s promise of life from death really be for them? After a year in captivity, Isa Bjorndottir feels dead inside. Restored to her mother, the Shieldmaiden of Volfsby, Isa watches life happening all around her, yet wants nothing more than to avoid every look or touch, even from those she loves. With her plan for adventure gone horribly wrong, she lives locked away in fear and shame—and then a final secret destroys even her tenuous peace... moreCan the truth-speaker’s promise of life from death really be for them? After a year in captivity, Isa Bjorndottir feels dead inside. Restored to her mother, the Shieldmaiden of Volfsby, Isa watches life happening all around her, yet wants nothing more than to avoid every look or touch, even from those she loves. With her plan for adventure gone horribly wrong, she lives locked away in fear and shame—and then a final secret destroys even her tenuous peace. As the fatherless son of an outcast, Reider Gunnersen knows plenty about shame. An outlaw on the run, he hopes to escape this land that’s brought nothing but death at every turn. His chance for that new start comes after a harrowing rescue, when he is given an unexpected assignment to guard a young woman who wants to hide as much as he does. As one challenge after the next threatens his ability to protect Isa, Reider soon wonders if his presence is only putting her in greater danger. When his past catches up with him, will it destroy her only chance at a future? less

Her songs were her secret—until they became his deliverance. Tove Volfsbydottir is willing to do anything for the Shieldmaiden who redeemed her from slavery, even enter into a marriage alliance with a near stranger. But soon she finds herself homesick and heartbroken in her new village—and alone except for a little slave girl whose sorrows Tove understands well... moreHer songs were her secret—until they became his deliverance. Tove Volfsbydottir is willing to do anything for the Shieldmaiden who redeemed her from slavery, even enter into a marriage alliance with a near stranger. But soon she finds herself homesick and heartbroken in her new village—and alone except for a little slave girl whose sorrows Tove understands well. Dark forces are at work around her, including a mysterious army sweeping through the land, looking to rid every village of those who follow The Christ. The one man willing to help Tove is the last person she has reason to trust. Gerritt the Grimheart flaunts the most feared name on the northern sea, created one battle at a time in a desperate grasp at honor and atonement. But even after he abandons piracy, his attempts to live a new life result in havoc. When he loses Sanne, the child who means more to him than any treasure, his sole purpose becomes her rescue. Will the woman he knows only as the Songbird help him save Sanne, or will Gerritt end up destroying her life as well? Can the simple melody of truth break through their sorrows and save the Northlands before it’s too late? The Songbird is book 5 in The Huntress series, but can be read as a standalone. It is a closed door, kisses only, Christian romance. less