Boldwood Books – Page 4

I’m sharing my review for The Atlantis Covenant by Rob Jones #actionandadventure #blogtour #bookreview

Here’s the blurb

The greatest mystery of all time is about to be revealed.

When world-famous archaeologist and ex-soldier Max Hunter finds a mysterious artifact in a tomb beneath the Gates of Nineveh, his lifelong dream of finding Atlantis comes one step closer.

But he’s not the only one looking for it…

His discovery unleashes a high-speed hunt for the lost civilization between a mysterious Swiss foundation, the FBI, and the world’s most secretive society.

From the dangers of the Iraqi desert to Cuba and the jungles of El Salvador to the enigmatic Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Hunter faces a race against time and murderous enemies who will stop at nothing to claim the greatest prize in history. As he fights for his life, it soon becomes apparent that his enemies are searching for something altogether more sinister than the lost city…

Hunter must use his unique ingenuity and knowledge to decipher the clues and find Atlantis – and its lethal treasures – before they fall into enemy hands.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/AtlantisCovenantbook

My Review

The Atlantis Covenant is a rollercoaster of a ride, through the ruins of many of the worlds ancient civilsations, bringing us, hopefully, to the discovery of the mythical Atlantis, via a lot of guns, helicopters, ‘bad guys and gals,’ and the involvement of a number of government agencies.

While this is one of The Hunter Files, there are many more characters than just Max, and we get to hear from most of them with a little bit of head-hopping (alas, not my favourite literary device), discovering their back stories and working out how they all came to be hunting for mythical items in a modern-day adventure story.

It’s a lot of fun, if a little silly in places, filled with mostly irreverent characters who are very devil-may-care, but with some of those good old National Treasure vibes, which do certainly appeal to me. I love a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, and if it involves the Illuminati and some ancient Egyptian treasures, then all the better.

Meet the Author

Rob Jones has published over forty books in the genres of action-adventure, action-thriller and crime. Many of his chart-topping titles have enjoyed number-one rankings and his Joe Hawke and Jed Mason series have been international bestsellers. Originally from England, today he lives in Australia with his wife and children.

Connect with the author

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It’s the first day of the blog tour for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing a recording of me ‘trying’ to say the character names correctly #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s the first day of the blog tour for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing a recording of me ‘trying’ to say the character names correctly #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

How do you say that?

You can follow the Warriors of Iron blog tour

Bookish Jottings Review

Sharon Beyond the Books Review

Scrapping & Playing Review

Amy McElroy Review

Let us Talk of Many Things Review

Ruins & Reading Review

TBHonest Review

StoriedConvo Review

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #non-fiction

Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book — The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Links (click on the images)

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter

Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

Posts

I’m sharing my review for Death at the Village Christmas Fair by Debbie Young #cosycrime #newrelease #blogtour #DeathAtTheVillageChristimasFair

Here’s the blurb

It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.

But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum’s knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he’s found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there’s more to his murder than meets the eye. She’s determined to solve the mystery – including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for.

With the help of her charming neighbour Robert Praed, can Alice find the killer before the bells ring out this Christmas?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/VillageChristmasFair

My Review

Death at the Village Christmas Fair is the third book in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries by Debbie Young. I’ve read the previous title in the series.

Our main character, Alice, is gearing up for a quiet Christmas with her new beau and her mum, until a Santa is discovered, wounded on the school playing field, and Alice immediately suspects foul-play. From here, the storyline moves fairly quickly (it takes a while to get to the actual ‘death’ at the Village Christmas Fair, but the same happened in the previous book, so readers will be used to this), as we follow Alice and Robert as they endeavour to determine why the man met his death. They also have to convince the police the man’s death was indeed murder.

This is an engaging, light-read, stuffed with Christmas events and activities, in a picturesque location. The author does an excellent job of portraying a village gearing up for Christmas.

Meet the author

Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village, where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing.

Connect with the author

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Bookbub profile

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It’s cover reveal time for Shield of Mercia. Return to the world of young Icel. #covereveal #preorder #histfic #EasterEggs

Mercia is triumphant. Her king is safe. But Wessex was never Mercia’s only enemy.

Tamworth, AD836

Following a brutally cold winter, King Wiglaf of Mercia is in the ascendancy. Even Wessex’s Archbishop of Canterbury extraordinarily ventures to Mercia to broker a religious accord. But, can the hard-won peace prevail?

Viking raiders threaten Wessex. These blood-thirsty warriors are fast, skilful and have no reticence about killing those who stand in their way. Their aim isn’t to rule but to overwhelm, slaughter and take ill-gotten wealth.

King Wiglaf is no fool. As the Vikings push to overwhelm Wessex, Mercia’s lands look insecure. King Wiglaf needs the shields of Mercia’s warriors to prevent the overwhelming advancement of their deadliest enemy yet.

To save Mercia, Icel must first prevail over the two men who mean to end his life; King Ecgberht of Wessex and his son, Æthelwulf of Kent and only then the marauding Viking army for whom boundaries have no meaning.

https://amzn.to/4lg5sLP

Did you realise my Saxon stories are filled with Easter Eggs? Let me know if you find one.

Check out the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles series page

Check out the Gods and Kings series page

Sign up to my Boldwood Books newsletter to keep up to date with all things Icel… https://bit.ly/MJPorterNews

Or, you can preorder a signed paperback copy directly from me. Check out my bookstore.

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Today I’m reviewing Kelly Oliver’s fabulous new Golden-Age crime mystery, The Case of the Body on the Orient Express #newrelease #cosycrime #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

Paris, 1928: Agatha Christie and fellow writer Dorothy L Sayers board the Orient Express, bound for Constantinople. Christie in particular is looking forward to a break from recent dispiriting events in both her work and private life – the finalisation of her divorce from her philanderous husband Archie, and the miserly reception of her latest book.

But before the duo can settle in to enjoy the luxuries of their first-class journey, their journey is derailed when a fellow guest drops dead during the dinner service. And as the last person to speak to the victim, Dorothy finds herself a prime suspect in his murder.

As the train hurtles East, Sayers’ resourceful assistant Eliza and her friend Theo must navigate a maze of suspects. But with each passing mile, the stakes rise, and when another body is discovered, their search to find the killer before they reach their destination becomes increasingly complicated.

Can Eliza and Theo stay one step ahead, crack the mystery and clear Dorothy’s name? Or will this be one journey too far for the amateur sleuths?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/CaseBodyOrientExpress

My Review

The Case of the Body on the Orient Express is a fun murder mystery, reuniting us with outspoken and headstrong Eliza, and her fellow sleuth, Theo, who, in true ‘tormented writer’ guise, has spent the last two years in France, roughing it in an attempt to escape the object of his torment, Eliza. What could be better than throwing them together on the Orient Express, with a host of mystery writers on their way to a writers convention?

As their journey gets underway, Eliza is aware of undercurrents from Dorothy, her employer, and she’s alert to the other passengers as well. She’s not about to accept that Ivan died of a heart attack. And so begins her sleuthing, with the aid, sometimes unwillingly given, of Theo. And the case becomes curioser and curioser as the train finally reaches Istanbul/Constantinople.

Another fab addition to Kelly Oliver’s sleuthing mysteries. I do love the little connections between this series and the Fiona Figg books. But, of course, you don’t need to have read them. I also enjoy the addition of the real-life mystery writers. Fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy Eliza and Theo’s new escapade.

Check out my review for The Case of the Christie Conspiracy.

Check out my reviews for the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery books Chaos at Carnegie Hall, Covert in Cairo, Mayhem in the Mountains, Arsenic at Ascot and Murder in Moscow by the same author.

Meet the Author

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee

Connect with Kelly

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KellyOlivernews

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It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing some photos from my visit to Sutton Hoo #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

Sutton Hoo

As part of my research for the trilogy, I visited Sutton Hoo in July 2024. While it was a fascinating place to visit (see the images below of the surviving grave mounds), it was actually something else my Canadian guide told me that resonated with me for the series. It was that while this area gets a lot of interest, a further gravesite has also been found under where the car park for the visitor centre is now. This gravesite contained thirty-six graves (I think I’ve got the figures correct), twenty-nine of which were burials while the rest were cremations. The car park burials are believed to date to between 510 and c.600, and so before the Sutton Hoo burial of such fame. Fourteen of the graves were warrior graves, buried with shield and spear.

You might wonder why that intrigued me so much, and you’d be correct to do so. But, of course, I wanted to write the series before the advent of what we know as Saxon England, and this was therefore where I needed to be researching. The ‘shiny’ helmet and sword (reconstructions, I know), have a strange allure for us as we live in a time where we don’t need such things (hopefully), but did the earlier warriors have the same? This trip to Sutton Hoo certainly influenced the way I wrote about Wærmund and his fellow warriors. And the trip to the Norfolk Broads reminded me of how pesky bugs can be, and how much they like to nibble me. I came straight home and added that to the storyline. It always pays to remember the little elements that make characters feel very real to readers.

Board showing the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo
View of one of the burial mounds
View of one of the burial mounds from a distance
One of the other burials
View from the viewing platform
Another view from the viewing platform
The viewing platform over the Sutton Hoo Burial Mounds
Research photo dump with the Sutton Hoo Helmet and image of the burial mounds

Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by author MJ Porter. The cover shows three mounted warriors and also a sword, all with a blue fiery background. The tag line is 'deceit threatens even the strongest.'

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction

Purchase Links

https://books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

https://books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Posts

It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #histfic

Listen to me waffle about it.

Listen to me read ‘The Story So Far’ from Warriors of Iron

Curious? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

https://books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Posts

I recorded myself introducing the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #histfic

Listen to me waffle about it.

Listen to me (almost competently) introduce you to the Dark Age Chronicles and my two main characters, Meddi and Wærmund, or Wærmund and Meddi (you’ll have to listen to find out:)

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog post for more details below (or the really nerdy one below that)

The Dark Age Chronicles

To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction

Purchase Link for Men of Iron

books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

Warriors of Iron (book 2) Coming 13th July

Preorder Link (releases 13th July)

books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Here’s the blurb

During Britannia’s tribal age only the strongest prevail…

Britain AD541

Seeress Meddi has been restored to her rightful position of influence within the Eorlingas tribe. But a heavy cloud hangs over the tribe’s survival with the escape of the treacherous Elen who seeks to exact a bloody vengeance following Meddi’s reinstatement and her downfall.

Meddi knows Elen will return to settle the blood feud and the tribe must be ready to face this deadly threat with iron. They must toil day and night to harness the power of the lost magiks to make the weapons needed to overpower Elen.

Meanwhile, Wærmund, a warrior of Saxon descent, has escaped his enforced captivity and vows vengeance against his captors. He too hungers for the promise of sharp blades and travels West to find those who can fashion iron into blades sharp enough to kill. But when a lone woman befriends the band of warriors, promising him even more than that, he’s beguiled by her tale of deceit amongst her own tribe, so reminiscent of his own.

Unbeknown, Meddi and Wærmund share a common enemy and one who is just as belligerent as they are…