Victoria Walker joins me this week to share an excerpt from her new novel Dreams in Norway which was published on 2 June 2026.
It’s great to be back on Morton’s blog this week! My latest book, Dreams in Norway was published last week. It’s the first book in a brand-new series set in – you guessed it – Norway!
Here is an excerpt from the book. It’s Mats and Lotta’s first date. They’re in Oslo and Mats has chosen the perfect location for a romantic evening. There are a couple of photos of the real-life location at the end.
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Dreams in Norway Excerpt
They walked through the city, past the station and onwards until they came to Kongsveien, a road that began at the foot of the hill in front of them and wound upwards.
‘We’re going up here,’ Mats said, pointing to a string of lights that showed a pathway through the trees leading uphill.
Lotta grinned at him. ‘Okay.’
They headed up the path, the soft glow of the lights leading them up and away from the city streets.
‘This view is incredible,’ Lotta said, pausing to look down. They were already high above the rooftops of the nearby buildings.
‘It gets better.’
‘This is so cool. I can’t believe we’re in the middle of a city.’
They continued up the path and Mats couldn’t help but compare Lotta to other women he’d dated who would, in the first place, have worn shoes entirely unsuitable for this kind of walk and also would complain about how far it was. He smiled to himself. It was another sign that Lotta was different.
At the end of the path, several flights of brick steps led them to a huge, flat area with a curved edge, giving the most wonderful view of Oslo. It was bordered by a balustrade that was subtly lit to give people enough light to watch their step, but not to detract from the view. Typically, with things like this that were on one’s doorstep, Mats hadn’t been up here for years, so he was enjoying discovering it again just as much as Lotta was for the first time.
‘Okay, this is more incredible,’ she said, taking his hand and encouraging him to stand behind her. He didn’t need any encouragement, looping his arms around her shoulders, his chin just dusting the top of her head. She fitted into him as if they were always meant to find each other.
‘Tell me some things we can see.’
‘There is the Opera House with the roof that slopes. There is the cathedral.’ He pointed in the direction he was talking about. ‘Then over there are the islands of Oslofjord. The biggest is Høvedoya, that’s what those lights are.’
‘I think we went to one of those islands when I last came here. Something to do with my grandfather’s history, but I forget what it was. How big is your island compared?’
‘It’s longer and thinner,’ he said.
They stood in silence, the only people on the viewing platform at this time of day, and feeling like the only people in the world at that moment.
Lotta turned so that she was facing him. ‘Thank you, Mats. I love this. It’s an amazing first date.’
He bent his head to kiss her. This was how he’d imagined their first kiss. Somewhere they’d both remember, the lights of Oslo twinkling below them.
‘I hope it’s the first of many,’ he said. ‘Although I’m not sure they’ll all live up to this.’
‘You have set the bar very high for the first one,’ she agreed. ‘But really, I think any time we spend together will be just as wonderful wherever it is.’
He kissed her again, her perfect lips warm and soft against his. If they spent the rest of the evening doing this, that would be fine by him. But then he felt her shiver slightly. ‘Come on,’ he said gently. ‘Let’s get some food.’
The restaurant was a short walk from the viewing platform and was fairly quiet since it was a Tuesday in April, so they were lucky enough to have a table that overlooked the city.
‘Tell me more about your island,’ Lotta asked him when they’d ordered.
He told her everything, from how he felt when he first went there to how he’d had to persuade his family that it wasn’t a money pit. But he stopped short of sharing his fear that his father wouldn’t have approved. That was too hard to say out loud. He handed her his phone so she could see some photos.
‘But if it’s your money, what does it matter?’
‘It’s everything,’ he said with a shrug. ‘It’ll take every penny I have, and they worry that if it doesn’t work out, where will that leave me.’
‘It will work out,’ Lotta said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
‘I think you have more belief than me,’ he laughed. ‘And I believe it will, yes. But part of me also thinks that they’re right. It is going to be a money pit.’
‘A ridiculously stunning money pit,’ she said, looking through the photos. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘I’d love to take you. Maybe not on this trip, but as soon as we can organise something.’
‘I could tag a weekend onto the end of my next trip?’
He nodded, already imagining Lotta on the island. At the moment, he was trying not to think about Lotta at the house meeting Ida. He’d never taken anyone home before. Mostly because he couldn’t imagine them being part of that life, and they wouldn’t have wanted to be. Until now, it had always been best for everybody to keep things separate. Ida would have a field day.
After dinner, Mats had one more thing he wanted to show Lotta. He’d heard about it from Ingrid, who always knew about the latest cool trends, and it was what he’d built their evening around.
‘We can catch a tram just down there so we don’t have to walk back, but shall we walk our food off around here before we do that?’ He wanted it to be a surprise and felt stupid suggesting they might need to walk their food off as if they’d eaten a ten-course dinner, but what other reason was there to go into the woods at this time of night?
Luckily, Lotta was happy to go along with it.
‘I’m not ready for the end yet,’ she said, looking up at him, her blue eyes shining and sincere.
They held hands, and he led the way along the path he thought was right, seeing a slight glow through the trees up ahead, which told him it was. Lotta hadn’t noticed, and she was busy telling him about how much she’d enjoyed the Folk Museum.
Once they were closer, it was hard not to notice that something was glowing in the trees. It looked otherworldly the way the trees were glowing purple, which then changed slowly to orange.
‘What is that?’
‘Something cool,’ he said. ‘Magical.’ It really did look magical. They got closer and found a small clearing in the trees where strings of lights were hanging vertically from an invisible net overhead. You could walk between the lights and they changed colour not in tandem with each other but in phases, with one section changing before the rest, creating a gradual wave across the clearing. Sometimes they were all sorts of colours with no pattern, sometimes there was an order to them, and the whole time a gentle sound was playing, like wind chimes.
‘This is amazing!’ said Lotta, walking between the lights.
Mats had to agree. He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Lotta, watching the lights, wondering whether life could get any better than this.
She came over to him and took his hand, positioning him so that she could stand on an upturned log, giving her the perfect boost to her height so that she could loop her arms around his neck.
‘Thank you for tonight. Every single part of it has been amazing,’ she said.
‘You’re amazing,’ he said so softly that he wasn’t sure if she would hear.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she kissed him before pulling him into a hug and resting her chin on his shoulder.
‘Can we do it again tomorrow night?’
***
About Victoria Walker
Victoria Walker writes contemporary romance with heart, humour, and a love of the location, whether it’s Iceland or England. Her books often feature crafty heroines, small-town charm, and the kind of everyday magic found in cosy communities, all inspired by her own passions for dressmaking, knitting, and village life in the Malvern Hills.
A visit to Iceland in 2014 sparked her debut novel, Snug in Iceland, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. When she’s not crafting stories, you’ll find her reading stacks of romance novels (with the occasional thriller thrown in), or making something with her hands, a habit from her past life as a yarn store owner, and knitting and sewing tutor. These experiences have a funny way of appearing in her books.
Victoria lives in the Malvern Hills with her husband, where she’s always plotting her next story.
Social media and website links
Facebook – Victoria Walker Author
Instagram – @victoriawalker_author
Website – www.victoriaauthor.co.uk – sign up for Victoria’s monthly newsletter here!
About Dreams in Norway
Norway. Majestic fjords, deep winters, and a chance meeting that could ruin everything.
Lotta Jansen has spent years building her marketing business from the ground up, and it’s finally paying off. Landing a campaign to relaunch Snug, one of the biggest homeware retailers, is the opportunity she’s been waiting for. The last thing she needs right now is a complication.
Mats Larsen is an investment banker who is on the verge of walking away from everything. Trading his Oslo life for a remote island in the fjords and sinking everything he has into a luxury hotel is either the bravest thing he’s ever done or the most reckless, and he’s not sure which.
When their paths cross, the connection is immediate, real, and entirely inconvenient. Can they unravel the decisions they made before they met, or is it too late to dream about a future together?
Buying link for Dreams in Norway – here https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GX2ZTWMR
Thank you for the excerpt Victoria. And look what I just spotted on social media, so if you enjoy Dreams in Norway there is more to look forward to … Mx
This is the blog for Morton S. Gray, a writer of romance with a mystery to solve The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series set in the fictional seaside town of Borteen for Choc Lit Publishing an imprint of Joffe Books.
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