Tag: fiction

I’m sharing my review for The Ruffler’s Child, the first book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Thomas Finbow #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview #blogtour

I’m sharing my review for Death of a Stranger, the first book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Matthew Cutler #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview #blogtour #TheRufflersChild #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @theboldbookclub

Here’s the blurb

BE YE HUNTER OR PREY?

Introducing Thomas Finbow – falconer to Sir Robert Vicary and Lady Margaret of Petbury, Berkshire. He keeps his mind sharp and his body primed as he goes about his duties with the diligent confidence of one who once served Queen and country.

When Nathaniel Pickering, Lady Margaret’s older brother is found murdered, Thomas takes her away to London, in search of gryfalcons. Lady Margaret being a keen lover of the sport of falconry herself, Thomas hopes it will help distract his mistress from her grief, however once they reach the city it becomes apparent that much bigger things are at play – and the murder of Master Pickering was just the beginning…

Thomas’s astute mind is unable to ignore the clues, and in uncovering some dark secrets, he places himself – and his mistress – in grave danger. Now a target himself, Thomas must face some of London’s most notorious criminals, in a battle of both brain and brawn.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/TheRufflersChild

My Review

The Ruffler’s Child is an atmospheric Elizabethan mystery, set around the time of Mary Queen of Scots’ trial and subsequent execution. It is a time of unrest, and Thomas finds himself, a good country lad, thrust into the murk of a busy London. There are many unsavoury characters, and the mystery itself is quite complex, and not without peril for him.

I do love a good historical mystery and this one really intrigued me. Thomas and Lady Margaret have an unusual relationship, and he does seem to be trusted with a great deal of familiarity with the lords and gentry he comes into contact with, while also being just about able to hold his own in London’s Elizabethan underworld of crime, trugging houses and petty theft.

I really didn’t guess the resolution for this one, and very much enjoyed journeying along with Thomas as the elements of the mystery slowly clicked into place. The start of the series, I’m looking forward to reading my way through the books featuring Thomas the Falconer.

Check out my review for Death of a Stranger.

Meet the author

A writer for over forty years, John Pilkington was born in Lancashire and worked at many jobs including laboratory assistant, farm worker, weaver, shipping clerk, picture frame-maker and cabaret musician before taking a degree in Drama and English and finding his true 2 vocation. He has since written plays for radio and theatre, television scripts for a BBC soap, a short-lived children’s series and numerous works of historical fiction, concentrating now on the Tudor and Stuart eras. He also ventured into speculative fiction with his biography of Shakespeare’s famous jester, Yorick.

He now lives in a village on a tidal estuary in Devon with his long-term partner Elisabeth; they have a son who is a psychologist and musician. When not at the desk he walks, swims, listens to music and tinkers with d.i.y. projects, and is enjoying being a grandfather.

Connect with the author

Bookbub profile: @jpscript

Newsletter Sign Up: bit.ly/JohnPilkingtonNews

Posts

Stay up to date with the latest from the blog.

I’m welcoming The Falconer’s Lost Baron by Susanne Dunlap to the blog #blogtour #RegencyRomance #bookreview

I’m welcoming The Falconer’s Lost Baron by Susanne Dunlap to the blog #blogtour #RegencyRomance #bookreview

Here’s the blurb


A sweeping Regency tale of identity, devotion, and unexpected romance.

Lady Antonella thought she knew who she was—until a shattering family secret strips her of her name, her place in society, and her future. Cast adrift in Cornwall, she finds an injured goshawk in a poacher’s net and begins to nurse it back to health. But the hawk belongs to the war-scarred Lord Atherleigh—a man haunted by loss, determined to dismantle his mews, and certainly not expecting a spirited young woman to upend his solitude.

In London, her twin sister Belinda—radiant, poised, and newly on the marriage market—has only one goal: to find a worthy match… for Antonella. But when Hector Gainesworth, a charming rogue with laughter in his eyes and secrets of his own, turns his attention to Belinda instead, her heart begins to spin in an altogether unexpected direction.

As the sisters navigate betrayal, desire, and the demands of their hearts, two men must decide whether to risk everything for love. And Antonella’s goshawk may be the wild, winged thread that binds their fates.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falconers-Lost-Baron-Forgiveness-Double-Dilemma-ebook/dp/B0FPBG1P54

https://www.amazon.com/Falconers-Lost-Baron-Forgiveness-Double-Dilemma-ebook/dp/B0FPBG1P54

My Review

The Falconer’s Lost Baron is the third of Susanna Dunlap’s Regency romances I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed all of them (see my reviews below for the previous two books). Every book offers something a little different, while still delivering on what we all expect from a Regency romance.

This new title will delight fans of the genre (there is no need to have read the previous two titles, although you will be missing a treat.)

Check out my review for The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl and The Soprano’s Daring Duke

Meet the author

Susanne Dunlap is the award-winning author of over a dozen historical novels, as well as an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. Her love of history began in academia with a PhD in music history from Yale. Her novel THE PORTRAITIST won first prize in its category in the 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and was a finalist in the CIBA Goethe Awards and the Foreword Indies Awards. THE ADORED ONE: A NOVEL OF LILLIAN LORRAINE AND FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, won first place in its category in the 2023 CIBA Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction. Today, she lives, coaches, and writes in beautiful Biddeford, Maine.

Connect with the author

https://susanne-dunlap.com

Posts

Stay up to date with the latest from the blog.

I’m sharing my review for Pilgrim’s War by Michael Jecks #newrelease #histfic #blogtour #bookreview

I’m sharing my review for Pilgrim’s War by Michael Jecks #newrelease #histfic #blogtour #bookreview

Here’s the blurb

The tale of a journey that will shape the world for centuries to come…

France, 1096. Crowds gather in Sens, Northern France, to hear the Hermit speak. He talks of a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a quest filled with promise for those Christian soldiers who march with him.

Sybill knows the perils of the road ahead, but follow it she must. Her husband is a reckless gambler, easily swayed by the Hermit’s words. For Odo, the pilgrimage provides the chance to demonstrate his unshakeable piety, while his brother Fulk craves adventure and excitement.

Jeanne and Guillemette have been mistreated by the men in their lives and are desperate for this chance of redemption and a brighter future – but for the two women alone on the journey, life on the road will be full of perils…

As the lines between love and hate, virtue and sin, good and evil become blurred, each must survive as best they can. Who will live to reach the holy city, and will the sacrifices they make to get there be worth the price they all must pay?

Book cover for Pilgrim's War by Michael Jecks

Purchase Link

 https://mybook.to/PilgrimsWarBook

My Review

Pilgrim’s War is a multiple-character story of the First Crusade, told through the eyes of those seeking something on their journey to the Holy Land. Some are swept away with the promise of better things to come, some by the promise of redemption, others are simply leaves in the wind, taken on the way by events outside their control. Not many of them, admittedly, are actually ‘in it’ to serve their God. As a result of this, few of the characters are actually very ‘nice’. Indeed, quite a few of them are quite awful as the journey begins – but of course, if they’re to suffer any sort of epiphany, they need to be bad eggs from the beginning. The narrative doesn’t shy away from depicting the hatred between Christians and any other faith encountered on the journey to the Holy Land, and the hypocrisy of these seemingly ‘holy’ knights as they venture towards their destination.

Two main journeys are undertaken: one heading towards Rome, featuring a collection of knights, and another towards Byzantium, which follows Sybill, Odo, Jeanne, and Guillemette. That way lies peril. But so too is the route through Rome, where politics are once more at play. The cast is vast and from all reaches of society. It will not end well for them all.

The Crusades are far from an easy topic to cover, and the author is at pains to reveal the motivations behind the actions of those the story follows. It’s not always an easy read, or a particularly fast-flowing one with so many characters, but it shouldn’t be an easy read. I do appreciate the determination to show the event for what it was – a war perpetrated in the name of religion, but really, at the heart of it, something else altogether.

Meet the author

Michael Jecks is the author of over 50 novels inspired by history and legend. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, and has served on the committees of the Historical Writers’ Association, the CWA and he Detection Club. He was International Guest of Honour at the Bloody Words festival in Toronto, and Grand Master of the first parade in the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

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

Bookbub profile: @michaeljecks

Posts

Stay up to date with the latest from our blog.

I’m delighted to share my review for Murder at the Wedding by Anita Davison #bookreview #blogtour #historicalmystery #newrelease

I’m delighted to share my review for Murder at the Wedding by Anita Davison #bookreview #blogtour #historicalmystery #newrelease

Here’s the blurb

Hannah Merrill is about to marry the love of her life…

The couple are determined their low-key celebration will go without a hitch, but there can’t be an ‘I do’ while the vicar is missing. And when he’s found dead – a victim of a poisoning – in the crypt behind the church, Hannah knows only she and Aunt Violet can find out who did it.

Hannah’s beloved thinks she shouldn’t interfere. But if he fails to remember that an independent woman in 1918 doesn’t do what she’s told to by a man, the dead vicar may be the least of his worries…

Then the vicar’s own fiancé appears on the scene, even though nobody knew he was engaged. And suddenly it becomes clear someone has a secret, one shocking enough to kill for.

Will the intrepid pair of amateur sleuths catch the murderer before they kill again? Or will it be til death parts them all?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/MurderattheWedding

My Review

Murder at the Wedding is a fabulous new mystery in the Miss Merill and Aunt Violet mystery series.

Hannah is finally married but no sooner has she said, ‘I do,’ than she finds a body. (What a horror on her wedding day). What they determine is a matter of suicide becomes something much worse as murder is soon suspected. Hannah and her aunt determine to find the solution because the new police inspector isn’t up to the task.

It’s good to see Hannah and Violet working together in this book. They’re a great team (I felt in the previous book that there wasn’t quite enough of Aunt Violet). The mystery is well structured, seemingly impossible to solve for much of the novel and I didn’t guess the resolution, which I always appreciate.

This is another enjoyable read in the on-going historical mystery series.

Check out my reviews for the earlier books in the series, beginning with Murder in the Bookshop, Murder in the Library, Murder at Midwinter Manor and Murder in Covent Garden.

Meet the author

Anita Davison is the author of the successful Flora Maguire historical mystery series.

Connect with the author

 Newsletter Sign Up

Bookbub profile 

Posts

I’m sharing my review The Wordsmith’s Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot by Elizabeth M Hurst #blogtour #nonfiction #writingadvice

I’m sharing my review The Wordsmith’s Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot by Elizabeth M Hurst #blogtour #nonfiction #writingadvice

The Wordsmith’s Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot

* DO YOU STRUGGLE TO FINISH WRITING A NOVEL?
* DO YOU RUN OUT OF MOMENTUM BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOUR STORY IS GOING?

The Wordsmith’s Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot is your trusted companion for turning story ideas into structured, compelling narratives. In this fourth instalment of the Wordsmith’s Guides series, Elizabeth M. Hurst takes you through popular plotting methods—including the Snowflake Method, Save the Cat Beat Sheet, and The Inside Outline—helping you choose the right approach for your writing style. You’ll also find practical advice on troubleshooting common pitfalls, crafting satisfying endings, and keeping your plan adaptable as your story evolves.

Inside, you’ll discover:

  • Clear explanations of proven plotting methods
  • Guidance on choosing the right structure for your novel
  • Tips for overcoming plot issues and staying on track
  • Advice on writing satisfying, well-rounded endings
  • A practical appendix full of tools and templates to support your planning process

Whether you’re a planner, a pantser, or somewhere in between, Planning the Perfect Plot will help you shape your novel with clarity and confidence.

Purchase Link

 https://geni.us/PlottingAmazon

My Review

Planning isn’t something I really do as a writer. But I was certainly curious to see how others might go about writing their stories. Elizabeth M Hurst gathers together many different techniques for planning a novel, and it is interesting to discover how I could be writing a novel, if my mind worked in that way. Mine, alas, does not. It thrives on the chaos. But, I do think the book is an excellent resource for those who plan before writing, and perhaps worry too much about sticking to their plan and the plot they thought they’d be writing when it goes awry and things starts to misbehave. I found it intriguing to read how people use ‘beats’ to craft their story as well as arcs and other techniques. I’m in awe of anyone who can think that far ahead:) I’m not a planner because I ‘feel’ my way through a story – but the author certainly nails my writing style in her explanations.

The author readily acknowledges that most people will use a variety of these techniques, and I was pleased to see that through it all, the delightful chaos of characters and plot misbehaving was never far from her thoughts.

The idea behind writing the novel, was, the author says, to encourage writers to finish their drafts using whatever techniques work for them. This is a worthy endeavour. Many people start writing a story and falter when things start to feel ‘off.’ This should provide opportunities to get writers writing again by thinking of their plot in different ways. I suspect it could be used as an effective diagnostic tool to discover where a plot is faltering, and once that’s been done, writers will learn what works and doesn’t work for them and in future, potentially, avoid the traps waiting to choke off the creativity.

A concise and interesting summary of the way writers write, providing suggestions for breaking free from processes that might not be working. I’m sure all writers will find their ‘type’ in the explanations.

Meet the author

Elizabeth was born and bred in the picturesque harbour town of Whitehaven in the northwest of England, where the long, wet winters moulded her into a voracious reader of fiction to escape the dismal weather.

She graduated with a degree in Business Studies and a string of jobs followed, after which she finally settled in the automotive industry, where she spent twelve happy years.

Having already started writing around the age of 40, she had begun to dream of a more creative lifestyle and set about creating her freelance editing and proofreading business, EMH Editorial Services. In 2018, she quit the corporate world and concentrated her energy full-time towards her love of the written word.

Elizabeth now lives with her husband in the warm and sunny south of France, where the wine is cheaper than the water, and the cats spend their days hunting lizards and dreaming of the birds that roost on the roof.

Connect with the author

https://elizabethhurstauthor.com/

Posts

Come with me to Great Witcombe Roman Villa #locations #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic #nonfiction

Come with me to Great Witcombe #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

Great Witcombe Roman Villa

Great Witcombe Roman Villa is no longer open to the public, but it is managed by English Heritage, and it’s possible to get a glimpse of it, although you do need to be careful. I think it’s currently closed due to safety concerns, so be mindful, and stay behind all the barriers, especially as the location is pretty remote.

From what I could see of the remains of Great Witcombe Roman Villa, it does seem to have been set in a beautiful place, and it quite appealed to me. I relied heavily on the idea of the location when devising the home for one of the tribes that features in the Dark Age Chronicles. (It probably helped that I visited on a lovely sunny day.)

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out the Dark Age Chronicles page or the blog posts 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

What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain? #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain? #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain?

As with everything to do with this period of the ‘Dark Ages,’ much was in flux. It’s believed that many languages were spoken by the inhabitants of the island of Britain. From the native Brythonic (also often termed British) who would have spoken a version of Welsh, to the Latin of the Christians, the Old Norse (or even older versions of Old Norse) being spoken by those emigrating to Britannia, as well as Pictish, and potentially other languages as well.

Our only written source commonly believed to be from this period, that of Gildas’ On The Ruin of Britain, was written in Latin, but then, he’s said to have been an educated Christian, raised in the ways of both Rome and Christianity. If he spoke Latin on a day to day basis, I’m unsure. I know scholars complain about his grasp of the written Latin language being somewhat convoluted, but whether that’s due to him, or the way his writings have been transmitted to us through the years, I’m unsure.

How then might these people have communicated with one another if so many different languages were being spoken? There must have been translators who could facilitate trade between the tribes. It would be amazing to discover one of these individuals in the archaeological record, but it seems unlikely.  

I’ve worked hard to find names for my characters which feel authentic for the period. The Eorlingas have Brythonic names, Meddi has been shortened from Meddiwysti for fear it was impossible to pronounce, whereas Wærmund and his warriors, while having names that feel very Saxon, are, I hope, ones I’ve not used before, and according to the resource I used, are deemed as ‘early’ Saxon names. Other characters also have Latin names, and some have slightly made-up Latinised names i.e. Terricus who was named after one of my readers, who wanted to be a warrior, but became a blacksmith instead. I think he’s still one of my readers:)

I’ve also used different names for the settlements, again to reflect the mix in language. The Eorlingas, Gyrwe and other tribal names are from the Tribal Hidage a contentious (later and difficult to date) source but one believed to document the very small tribal affiliations that might have existed at this time. Uriconium/Viriconium has its Latin name, although I used a version of the name I found that’s not the most commonly used one. Corinium (Cirencester), Glevum (Gloucester) and Verulamium (St Albans) have their Roman-era names. The River Severn, has its Old Welsh name, Habren, and so, as I was writing the trilogy I was being mindful of reflecting the hodgepodge of names and languages my characters might have known and heard being spoken. 

It also added to the drama to make it difficult for my characters to easily communicate with one another.

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out the Dark Age Chronicles page or the blog posts 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 reviewing A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour #bookreview

I’m reviewing A Very Murder Murder by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour #bookreview

I’m reviewing a Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells

Here’s the blurb

Mistletoe, mince pies… and murder

When Jude Gray inherited Malvern Farm, she never thought she’d become so used to farm life, let alone be good at it! But now a beloved national TV show is coming to film their Christmas special on her land, celebrating the charm of rural living and all Jude’s achieved so far.

At least, that’s the plan… until one of the crew is found dead in suspicious circumstances.

At first, it looks like a tragic accident, but when alibis start to crack, it seems like anything but. With a growing list of suspects and enough behind-the-scenes drama to rival anything the cameras are capturing, Jude must dig deep to uncover the truth.

Because someone on her farm is hiding a deadly secret – and this year, the season of goodwill may come with a killer twist…

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/VeryMerryMurder

My Review

A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells is the sixth book in the Malvern Farm Mystery series and I’ve read five of them (see my reviews below). The series is very dependable, and each book is very well written with a good mystery for Jude to unravel. It’s a favourite series of mine.

A Very Merry Murder sees Jude playing host to a film crew on the farm, while also preparing for her sister’s wedding. It’s a busy time for her, and a real strength of these books is that the author rarely forgets Jude is a farmer first and only a sleuth second. We get a good idea of the relentless nature of farming, even though Jude loves it.

The film crew, of course, quickly start causing problems, from the slimy director to the acerbic runner to the two hosts. Are they happily married or not? When the first body is found, Jude immediately senses not all is as it seems, and she works with a recovering Binni to unravel the tangled threads of lies and misdirection from the suspects. And all while preparing for Christmas.

A Very Merry Murder is a festive treat, complete with some snow, and while I’ll be honest and say I did work out the twist in this one, it was still very enjoyable. I highly recommend this series to those who like a contemporary mystery without too much gore.

Check out my reviews for Murder on the Farm, Death in the Hills and Killer at The Country Show, three earlier titles in the fab series.

Meet the author

Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up. 

Connect with Kate

Newsletter Sign Up 

BookBub

Posts

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

#TheLastHorse is 5 years old, and for one day only, it’s FREE on Amazon Kindle. #bookbirthday #histfic #TheLastKing #Coelwulf #Mercia

https://amzn.to/4mzHQDd

https://amzn.to/4n5Eqbj (the less sweary version)

Limited hardback editions

There are also special edition hardback formats available directly from me for The Last King and The Last Warrior. Follow this link to discover them.

Check out all the details for The Mercian Kingdom: The Ninth Century.

Posts