Two For Tuesday: Finished Copies @T_J_Newman @Sabah_K @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours @Audrey_Burges @panmacmillan @chlodavies97 #TheMinisculeMansionOfMyraMalone #AudreyBurges #Drowning #TJNewman #TwoForTuesday #FinishedCopies #NewBooks

Good afternoon everyone. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring 2 finished copies that I’ve recently received.

⭐ The Minuscule Mansion Of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

⭐ Drowning by T. J Newman

These are both for blog tours, and although very different, I’m looking forward to reading them both soon as they sound fantastic!

Huge thanks to the publishers for sending me these copies.

Are either of these on your radar?.

The Miniscule Mansion Of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

Audrey Burges’ The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a charming and magical debut novel, with a love story at its heart, woven across multiple periods and perspectives, about a mystical dolls’ house.

Once upon a time there was a house . . .

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four year-old recluse Myra Malone blogs about a miniature mansion – a dolls’ house – which captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by a strange magic she can’t understand – there are rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the thirty-four year-old heir of a furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room from her stories. Alex is shocked to recognize his own bedroom in minute scale.

The Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds – big and small – and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.

Falling by T. J Newman

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent – Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife – who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them – against impossible odds.

#BlogTour: The Forgotten Garden by Sharon Gosling @sharongosling @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #TheForgottenGarden #SharonGosling #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

A novel of second chances and blossoming communities from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop

Budding landscape architect Luisa MacGregor is stuck in a rut – she hates her boss, she lives with her sister, and she is still mourning the loss of her husband many years ago. So when she is given the opportunity to take on a parcel of land in a deprived area, she sees the chance to build a garden that can make the area bloom.
 
Arriving in the rundown seaside town of Collaton on the north-west coast of Cumbria, she realises that her work is going to be cut out for her. But, along with Cas, a local PE teacher, and Harper, a teen whose life has taken a wrong turn, she is determined to get the garden up and running.
 
So when the community comes together and the garden starts to grow, she feels her luck might have changed. Can she grow good things on this rocky ground? And might love blossom along the way…?

My Review:

The Forgotten Garden is an uplifting read about community, love and second chances.

Firstly I loved the idea of the community garden and I wish there was something similar near by as I’d happily volunteer there. It was lovely following the process of the garden and see if transform from a derelict piece of land to the beautiful garden it becomes. The author does a great job describing it so I felt I could imagine it perfectly in my mind and sometimes felt that I was actually there, walking in the garden with the volunteers.

The characters are all wonderful creations that I loved following throughout the book. They all touched my heart as I read and I enjoyed getting to know more about them. It was lovely to see how the community garden managed to help them all and bring them together into a close knit group. My favourite character was Harper who I really felt for and admired her trying to keep everything together at home. Her little brother Max was another favourite and I often wished I could reach into the book and give him a huge hug.

I thought this book had a lovely pace to it and I felt quickly absorbed into the wonderful community the garden creates. It was wonderful to see how the garden helped the characters and see the characters develop as the story continues. There’s a bit of surprise drama but overall I felt this was just a lovely, heartwarming read that I’ve continued to think about long after reading.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

I’ve been writing since I was a teenager, which is now a distressingly long time ago! I started out as an entertainment journalist – actually, my earliest published work was as a reviewer of science fiction and fantasy books. I went on to become a staff writer and then an editor for print magazines, before beginning to write non-fiction making-of books tied in to film and television, such as The Art and Making of Penny Dreadful and Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film.

I now write both children’s and adult fiction – my first novel was called The Diamond Thief, a Victorian-set steampunk adventure book for the middle grade age group. That won the Redbridge Children’s prize in 2014, and I went on to write two more books in the series before moving on to other adventure books including The Golden Butterfly, which was nominated for the Carnegie Award in 2017, The House of Hidden Wonders, and a YA horror called FIR, which was shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year Award in 2018.

My debut adult novel will be published by Simon & Schuster in August 2021. It’s called The House Beneath the Cliffs and it’s a story set in a very small coastal village in Scotland. The idea for it had lodged in my head years before. I have a love for unusual dwelling places and I came across a tiny house that completely captured my imagination. My adult fiction tends to centre on small communities – feel-good tales about how we find where we belong in life and what it means when we do. Although I have also published full-on adult horror stories, which are less about community and more about terror and mayhem…

I was born in Kent but now live in a very small house in an equally small village in northern Cumbria with my husband, who owns a bookshop in the nearby market town of Penrith.

New Books! #NewBooks #Tbr #BookRecs @EmilyMCritchley @ZaffreBooks @GenevieveCogman @torbooks @bwpublishing

Good morning everyone. I’ve been tempted by a few more books this week as these all came into the bookshop and, as I’d heard lots of good things about them, I knew I had to get them. Scarlett I nabbed from the box as it came in as I’d just read @mylittlebookhome’s review that morning. They all sound amazing and I can’t wait to read them soon.

We’ve had a busy weekend. Our local library had lots of clubs on Saturday so my youngest two went to the reading group and my eldest to the STEM club they had on which he absolutely loved. I was proud of my daughter as she was brave enough to read out loud to a load of strangers which I was very impressed with. We discovered she had another food allergy yesterday so I spent the day looking after her though I did manage a few hours reading in the garden with my eldest which was lovely.

What did you do this weekend?

One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley

On a suburban street filled with secrets, 84 year old Edie Green must look back into the past to discover what happened to her friend Lucy, who went missing years before . . .

I kept your secret Lucy. I’ve kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother – who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community – she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-two and still living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There’s a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

Revolution’s a bloodthirsty business . . . Scarlet is a thrilling reinvention of the tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem.

Revolutionary France is no place to be, especially for aristocrat vampires facing the guillotine. But the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel are determined to rescue them. And they have an ace up their sleeve: Eleanor, a lowly maid from an English estate with a striking resemblance to French royalty.

For Eleanor, the League and their legendary deeds are little more than rumour – until she’s drawn into their most dangerous plot yet. The mission? Travel to France in disguise, impersonate Queen Marie Antoinette and rescue the royal family. If they succeed, it’ll be the heist of the century.

But there’s more to fear than ardent Revolutionaries. For Eleanor stumbles across a centuries-old war between vampires and their fiercest enemy. And they’re out for blood . . .

Scarlet is the first book in the Scarlet Revolution trilogy, set during the turbulent French Revolution, and featuring all of Genevieve Cogman’s trademark wit and fast-paced plotting. It’s perfect for fans of The Invisible Library series, Kim Newman and Gail Carriger.

The Last Witch Of Scotland by Philip Paris

Being a woman was her only crime.

Scottish Highlands, 1727.

In the aftermath of a tragic fire that kills her father, Aila and her mother, Janet, move to the remote parish of Loth, north-west of Inverness. Blending in does not come easily to the women: Aila was badly burned in the fire and left with visible injuries, while her mother struggles to maintain her grip on reality. When a temporary minister is appointed in the area, rather than welcome the two women, he develops a strange curiosity for them that sets them even further apart from the community.

Then arrives a motley troupe of travelling entertainers from Edinburgh, led by the charismatic but mysterious Jack. It is just the distraction Janet, and particularly Aila, needs: for the first time in a long while, their lives are filling with joy and friendship, and a kind of hope Aila hasn’t known since her father’s death. But in this small community, faith is more powerful than truth, and whispers more dangerous even than fire.

Haunting and deeply moving, The Last Witch of Scotland is a story of love, loyalty and sacrifice, inspired by the true story of the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Britain.

#BlogTour: Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards @medwardsbooks @soph_ransompr @HoZ_Books #SepulchreStreet #MartinEdwards #RachelSavernake

Book Synopsis:

How can you solve a murder before it’s happened?

‘This is my challenge for you,’ the woman in white said. ‘I want you to solve my murder.’

London, 1930s: Rachel Savernake is attending renowned artist Damaris Gethin’s latest exhibition, featuring live models who pose as famous killers. But that’s just the warm-up act…

Unsure why she was invited, Rachel is soon cornered by the artist who asks her a haunting favour: she wants Rachel to solve her murder. Damaris then takes to the stage set with a guillotine, the lights go out – and Damaris executes herself.

Why would Damaris take her own life? And, if she died by her own hand, what did she mean by ‘solve my murder’?

There are many questions to answer, and the clues are there for those daring enough to solve them…

Rachel Savernake faces her most puzzling murder yet in this glamorous gothic mystery from the winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Richard Osman.

My Review:

Sepulche Street is another fantastic, intriguing detective story from one of my favourite series.

Firstly I loved the premise of this book which seemed unusual and I wasn’t initially sure how it would all work out . What I found very interesting was the book isn’t about finding the murderer as it was a suicide but more about what causes the character to commit suicide which was a fascinating idea. It was great to follow the detectives into Damaris’s past and find out the secrets that lay there.

It really enjoyed being back with Rachel and Jacob solving another mystery with them. They make such a good team, with Rachel as the brains of the team but Jacob is very brave and willing to put himself in risky situations to try to find answers – which Rachel often has to rescue him from.

This book has a great pace to it and I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I thought the book was quite hard to put down as there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. The author drops lots of clues throughout the book so you have to pay attention to everything. There is also a clue finder at the back, popular in crime fiction between the wars, so you can go back and see where all the clues were. I loved this idea and enjoyed going back to see the (many) clues I missed. This book is the fourth book in the series and while I do think it could be read as a standalone, I would urge you to start at the beginning as this is a fantastic series!

Huge thanks to Sophie for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Martin Edwards has received the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in British crime writing, given for the sustained excellence of his contribution to the genre. His recent novels include Mortmain Hall and Gallows Court, which was nominated for two awards including the CWA Historical Dagger. British librarians awarded him the CWA Dagger in the Library in 2018 in recognition of his body of work. His eight and latest Lake District Mystery is The Crooked Shore and earlier books in the series include The Coffin Trail, short-listed for the Theakston’s prize for best British crime novel. Seven books in his first series, featuring Liverpool lawyer Harry Devlin, starting with the CWA John Creasey Dagger-nominated All the Lonely People, have been reissued by Acorn in new editions with introductions by leading writers including Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid.

Martin is a well-known crime fiction critic, and series consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics. His ground-breaking study of the genre between the wars, The Golden Age of Murder won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards. The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books won the Macavity and was nominated for four other awards, while Howdunit, a masterclass in crime writing by members of the Detection Club, won the H.R.F. Keating prize and was nominated for five other awards. His long-awaited history of the genre, The Life of Crime, will be published in May 2022.

In addition Martin has written a stand-alone novel of psychological suspense, Take My Breath Away, and a much acclaimed novel featuring Dr Crippen, Dancing for the Hangman. He also completed Bill Knox’s last book, The Lazarus Widow. He has published many short stories, including the ebooks The New Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and Acknowledgments and other stories. ‘The Bookbinder’s Apprentice’ won the CWA Short Story Dagger, for which he has been nominated for three other stories.

He has edited over 40 anthologies and published diverse non-fiction books, including a study of homicide investigation, Urge to Kill. An expert on crime fiction history, he is archivist of both the Crime Writers’ Association and the Detection Club. He was elected eighth President of the Detection Club in 2015, spent two years as Chair of the CWA, and posts regularly to his blog, ‘Do You Write Under Your Own Name?’

#BookSpotlight: The Illusions by Liz Hyder @LondonBessie @ZaffreBooks #TheIllusions #LizHyder #OutJune2023

I was a huge fan of this author’s first book so I was very excited to win a giveaway for a special sprayed proof of The Illusions her next book. I love books that include magic so this sounds brilliant and I can’t wait to read it. The book also came with some special playing cards (pictured) and the kids want me to teach them how to play round the clock solitaire!

Thanks so much for my competition prize Manilla Press.

What book release are you most looking forward to?

Book Synopsis:

At a time of extraordinary change, two women must harness their talents to take control of their own destiny

Bristol, 1896. Used to scraping a living as the young assistant to an ageing con artist, Cecily Marsden’s life is turned upside down when her master suddenly dies. Believing herself to blame, could young Cec somehow have powers she little understands?

Meanwhile Eadie Carleton, a pioneering early film-maker, struggles for her talent to be taken seriously in a male-dominated world, and a brilliant young magician, George Perris, begins to see the potential in moving pictures. George believes that if he can harness this new technology, it will revolutionise the world of magic forever – but in order to achieve his dreams, he must first win over Miss Carleton . . .

As a group of illusionists prepare for a grand spectacle, Cec, Eadie and George’s worlds collide. But Cec soon finds herself facing the fight of her life to save the performance from sabotage – and harness the element of real magic held deep within her . . .

THE ILLUSIONS is the captivating new novel from the much-lauded author of THE GIFTS. Inspired by real-life illusionists and early film pioneers, this astonishing story of women and talent, magic and power, sweeps you into a world where anything is possible and nothing is quite as it seems . . .

About The Author:

Liz Hyder has been making up stories for as long she can remember. Bearmouth, her debut young adult novel, won a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award, and was chosen as the Children’s Book of the Year by The Times.

The Gifts, her acclaimed debut novel for grown-ups, was published in the UK in 2022 and in April 2023 in the US. The Illusions is out in June 2023 in hardback in the UK. Liz has a degree in drama from the University of Bristol and was, once upon a time, a member of the National Youth Theatre. Originally from London, she has lived in Shropshire for over a decade.

Latest Library Haul! #LibraryHaul #NewBooks #Tbr

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I actually had time to visit my local library this week and have a browse without the kids. I actually only went in for one book (which I found) but was tempted by two more on my way out.

The Marriage Season is a book club read that I’m really enjoying so far. It’s giving me Pride and Prejudice vibes which I always love. The Other Side Of Night is a book I had on my #12in12challenge which I’ve not been very good at keeping up with and I’ve been hearing lots of good things about The Theatre Of Marvels so I knew I had to get it when I saw that one.

Today I’m going into my kids school to hear some of the kids in year 1 read, then I have lunch with my mum which I’m looking forward to as I haven’t seen her much this week and then I’m working this afternoon!

Do you use your local library? What was the last library book you got?

#BlogTour: The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel @Harper360UK @RandomTTours #TheRoyalCorrespondent #AlexandraJoel #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Success would depend on taking a dangerous risk.

When Blaise Hill, a feisty young journalist from one of Sydney’s toughest neighbourhoods, is dispatched to London at the dawn of the swinging sixties to report on Princess Margaret’s controversial marriage to an unconventional photographer, she is drawn into an elite realm of glamour and intrigue.

As the nation faces an explosive upheaval, Blaise must grapple with a series of shocking scandals at the pinnacle of British society. Yet, haunted by a threat from her past and torn between two very different men, who can she trust in a world of hidden motives and shifting alliances? If she makes the wrong choice, she will lose everything.

Inspired by real events, The Royal Correspondent is a compelling story of love and betrayal, family secrets and conspiracy that takes you from the gritty life of a daily newspaper to the opulent splendour of Buckingham Palace.

My Review:

The Royal Correspondent is an absorbing and entertaining read which was perfect to read over the Jubilee weekend.

Firstly I really liked Blaise and I enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a strong lady, who isn’t afraid to reach for her dreams despite lots of opposition. It was nice to see her grow from the very bottom of the ladder to one of the top jobs though hard at times to see people’s attitudes towards her because she was a woman.

The author does a great job of setting the scene in this book and I loved how she manages to transport me from Australia to London. There are lots of fashion and music references which really helped to bring the swinging sixties to life for me. As someone who’s unlikely to step into a newspaper office I especially liked all the little details the author includes about working there. I’d never considered how noisy it might be and how sexist it was for the women who worked there, with women only being able to work in certain areas.

This book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. I enjoyed going on the journey with Blaise and read the book in a couple of days. This was the first book I’ve read by this author but I’d definitely like to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Authors:

I began my media career while I was still a student at the University of Sydney, performing voice-overs for TV and radio commercials (I hereby confess to being the “We Try Harder” Avis Girl).

After graduating with Honours in Government, I spent six months as an international intern on the staff of a Congressman in Washington DC. I returned to Australia to work as a reporter and newsreader on a regional television station in Queensland.

Back in Sydney, possessed by a long-term fascination with fashion and a passion for writing, I became a regular contributor of feature articles, interviews and reviews for major national and metropolitan publications including The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine, Cleo and Harper’s Bazaar.

I then wrote the landmark book Best Dressed: 200 years of Fashion in Australia followed by Parade: The story of Fashion in Australia (both HarperCollins Australia). This led to my appointment as the Editor of Harper’s Bazaar, then Portfolio, Australia’s first magazine for working women.

A mid-life career change, inspired by my role as the President of The Royal Hospital for Women Foundation, saw me undertaking postgraduate studies in Applied Psychology and the establishment of a successful psychotherapy practice.

A decade later, I found I was once more unable to resist the lure of the written word. My memoir, Rosetta: A Scandalous True Story, has been optioned for the screen by a major studio.

My first novel, The Paris Model (2020) was not only an Australian bestseller (thank you, lovely readers) but was published in the United States and Canada with Europe to follow in 2021.

Even better, my latest novel, The Royal Correspondent was published in Australia in February 2021 and has already been sold to North America. A dream come true!

I have two beautiful children and live in Sydney with my husband.

I’m also a keen student of art, fashion, history and politics and am exceedingly fond of Paris.

(Taken from the author’s website)

Green TBR Book Stack! #Tbr #GreenStack #NewBooks

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. I’ve been lucky enough to receive these stunning green books in the post recently.

⭐The Memory Of Animals by Clare Fuller
⭐The Dive by Sara Ochs
⭐Death Of A Bookseller by Alice Slater
⭐Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen
⭐More Confessions Of A Forty Something F##k Up by Alexander Potter.

I’m really excited to read these soon and actually hope to read Death Of A Bookseller as one of my next reads. Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers for sending and to @always_need_more_books for the inspiration. Do go over to her page and see her beautiful green stack.

Are any of these on your radar?

#BookSpotlight: Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber @kwebberwrites @doyle_cat @EMTeenFiction #CursedCrowns #CatherineDoyle #KatherineWebber

Good morning everyone. I received my copy of this beautiful looking book in the post yesterday. I’ve been hearing lots of great things about the Twin Crowns series so when I saw this on the Waterstones website, complete with beautiful spredges, I knew I had to get it. I’m looking forward to starting this series soon.

What’s your favourite Fantasy series?

Book Synopsis:

Bestselling authors and real-life sisters-in-law Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber join forces on a compelling YA fantasy bursting with high-stakes adventure, romance and humour. Two queens, one throne. What can possibly go wrong . . .?

Twin queens Wren and Rose have claimed their crowns . . . but not everyone is happy about witches sitting on Eana’s throne.

Cool-headed Rose sets off on a Royal Tour to win over the doubters, but soon finds herself drawn to the Sunkissed Kingdom. Here secrets are revealed about those closest to her, and Rose finds her loyalties divided.

Meanwhile rebellious Wren steals away to the icy north to rescue their beloved grandmother, Banba. But when she accepts King Alarik’s deadly magical bargain in exchange for Banba’s freedom, the spell has unexpected – and far-reaching – consequences . . .

As an ancient curse begins to arise from the darkness, the sisters must come together and unite the crown. Their lives – and the future of Eana – depend on it.

Break the ice to free the curse,
Kill one twin to save another . . .

About The Authors:

Catherine Doyle grew up in the West of Ireland. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Publishing.

Her award-winning and bestselling middle grade début, The Storm Keeper’s Island is set on the magical island of Arranmore, where her grandparents grew up. The sequel, The Lost Tide Warriors, was published in July 2019, with the third to follow in March 2021. Catherine’s modern re-imagining of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, titled The Miracle on Ebenezer Street, was published by Puffin books in October 2020. She is also the author of the Young Adult Blood for Blood trilogy (Vendetta, Inferno and Mafiosa), which is often described as Romeo and Juliet meets the Godfather.

Katherine Webber is originally from California but currently lives in London. She has also lived and worked in Hong Kong, Maui, and Atlanta.

She loves an adventure, whether it is found in a book or in real life.  Travel, books, and eating out are her favourite indulgences.

Her debut YA novel WING JONES/THE HEARTBEATS OF WING JONES is published by Walker Books in the UK and Penguin Random House/Delacorte in the US. Her next YA novel will be out in August 2018. Katherine also writes the young fiction series SAM WU IS NOT AFRAID as Katie Tsang with her husband Kevin Tsang. 

#BlogTour: Eagle Of Mercia by M. J. Porter @coloursofunison @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #EagleOfMercia #MJPorter

Book Synopsis:

A mercy mission in the heart of Wessex is beset with deadly, bloody dangers.

Tamworth AD831

Icel’s profile continues to rise. Lord of Budworth and warrior of Mercia, he’s acknowledged by King Wiglaf and his comrades to keep Mercia safe from the ravages of Wessex, the king-slayer of the East Angles, and the Viking raiders.
But, danger looms.  Alongside Spring’s arrival comes the almost certain threat of the Viking raiders return.

When Lord Coenwulf of Kingsholm is apprehended by a Viking and held captive on the Isle of Sheppey in Wessex held Kent, Icel is implored by Lady Cynehild to rescue her husband.

To rescue Lord Coenwulf, Icel and his fellow warriors must risk themselves twice over, for not only must they overpower the Viking raiders, they must also counter the threat of Mercia’s ancient enemy, the kingdom of Wessex as they travel through their lands.

Far from home and threatened on all sides, have Icel and his fellow warriors sworn to carry out an impossible duty?

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author, and this series, so I was incredibly excited to learn there was a new book in the series. Once again the author has written an exciting and thrilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly the author does a fantastic job of bringing the Saxon period to life so that the reader feels like they are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I felt like I was one of the warriors joining in their banter one moment and then fighting alongside them the next.

It’s been lovely following the characters throughout the series and being able to watch them grow. There were some characters that I really loved and others I loved to hate. Icel is a particular favourite of mine and it’s been great to watch him grow into his warrior role and start to feel comfortable in it. It’s been especially nice to see him keep up his healing skills as well as his warrior skills and become more comfortable in using them.

I thought this book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something exciting happening to keep me reading. Even in the slower moments I just found myself enjoying hanging out with everyone which is always a sign of a great book on my opinion.

This is the fourth book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone I feel you are best to read the books in order as you build up more of a relationship with the characters.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. They were raised in the shadow of a building that they believed housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia –so their writing destiny was set. The first novel in their new Anglo-Saxon series for Boldwood Son of Mercia was published in February 2022.