Of Flaw and Scorn 

A JustRead Publicity Tour

About the Book Of Flaw and Scorn

Series: Gracefire #1
Release Date: April 28, 2026
Genre: Historical Inspirational Romance/Christian Fiction

Irish coast, 795 A.D. Caught between two clashing worlds, a Christian slave and a Viking raider must crush their forbidden love before it imperils her faith and destroys his claim to the jarl’s seat—but God’s plan is greater than either can imagine.

While gathering wild strawberries near her fishing village, thirteen-year-old Brigit stumbles into the path of a young Viking warrior, Reidar. A night terror come alive, the heathen boy is part of a Norse horde descended on Ireland beneath the cover of night. Eager for conquest and glory on his first raid, Reidar takes Brigit captive. But when her terror stirs an overwhelming compassion, he defies his father and saves her from his own people as they raze her village. This unexpected act of mercy sears Brigit’s memory into his soul and becomes his Great Flaw.

Seven years later, the Vikings storm the Irish keep where Brigit is trapped in a loveless marriage. Amid the raid, their young warlord sets his sights on Brigit. Her faith, once her anchor, has withered under years of loss and hardship, and her Great Scorn for Norsemen and all who wronged her has become her only armor. Yet her defenses crumble as she wrestles with a dangerous attraction to her enemy. Bound to her captor’s will and surrounded by savagery, Brigit fights to preserve her dignity and fading faith as she clings to the memory of the boy who once spared her. But the man Reidar has become a hardened warrior, sworn to vengeance and shackled by blood feud.

Both are doomed to ruin unless they open their hearts to the one power greater than the Flaw and Scorn that bind them.

About the Author of Of Flaw and Scorn 

Vera Bell is a Georgia Author of the Year nominee and a recipient of multiple literary awards. Though her faith journey began in childhood, a series of transformative events led her to embrace Christ, reshaping the stories she feels called to tell. After writing a secular historical romance trilogy, she now creates from a place grounded in deeper purpose.

Her new novel, Of Flaw and Scorn, is her debut Christian historical romance, where fate collides with faith against the backdrop of the first Viking raid on Ireland. A former commercial artist, Vera lives in Atlanta with her husband, two teenagers, and one fur baby. Her favorite place to write is on her porch, overlooking a pond lined with river birches and magnolias. The topics she never tires of are bygone eras, our universal human condition, and the deeper currents of love, hope, and redemption. You can get a FREE gift at verabellauthor.com. 

My Thoughts on Of Flaw and Scorn

Irish fiction.  Yes please.  I love all things Irish.  My gran was a WWII war bride from England, but half Irish/half English.  All of my children have been given either Americanized Gaelic names or actual traditional Gaelic names.  The more kids and the older I became, the more I wanted to use the traditional spellings and names that aren’t as common.  Imagine my surprise, though, when I’ve randomly had people tell me either they’re related to or know someone with my younger kids’ names!  It’s crazy!

Okay.  For the story.  

This is a slowly percolating romance novel with some fun danger and drama thrown in as well.  It takes place in 795 AD on the Irish coast.  

It’s Vikings and ancient Druid culture coming to a head, plus you’ve got Christianity coming to Ireland as well.  

Brigit is an Irish Christian taken into captivity by a Norse Viking.  They’re both young and impressionable.  Brigit at first clings to her faith in her captivity, but it’s replaced with other feelings as she’s held captive and entered into a loveless marriage.  Her soul and spirit are crushed.  But she remembers the boy who protected her from death. 

That boy was also changed by war, feuds and bloodshed.  He’s not the same.  

They’re full of emotions and clinging to what-ifs and have-beens.  

The cover is gorgeous.  The characters are amazing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Now, there are some Christian-type swear words like blasted, etc.  There is also violence and some hard topics like abuse, beheadings, lust, and out-of-marriage intimate relations.  

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.