fiction – Page 3 – MJ Porter

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

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

Purchase Links

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

https://books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

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

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’m welcoming The Soprano’s Daring Duke by Susanne Dunlap to the blog #blogtour #RegencyRomance #bookreview

Here’s the blurb

A princess with a scandalous secret. A duke desperate for a wealthy bride. A debutante torn between duty and passion.

Newly widowed Princess Adelheid Kinsky thought she was free—until she learns of her abusive late husband’s final betrayal. The son she believed dead, the illegitimate child of a forbidden love, still lives. To secure his future, she must marry within a month—without revealing the truth. Her best prospect? The Duke of Hartland, a notorious rake drowning in debt.

Meanwhile, Hartland sets his sights on Olivia Fontenoy, an heiress whose fortune could solve all his problems. But innocent Olivia dreams of music, not marriage, and seizes the chance to perform in disguise at the King’s Theatre—unwittingly ensnaring everyone she knows in scandal.

As deception and desire collide, Olivia finds herself drawn to Hartland’s closest friend, the quiet yet passionate Marquess of Lewiston—a man who offers her something far more profound than mere security. And for Adelheid, an unexpected alliance may hold the key to her dreams.

With a surprising ending worthy of grand opera, The Soprano’s Daring Duke is a sweeping Regency tale of love, risk, and the courage to defy expectations.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DZHXZZ6H

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0DZHXZZ6H

My Review

The Soprano’s Daring Duke is a Regency romance with a difference. It starts with a bang as we’re introduced to Adelheid at her husband’s deathbed, where she reacts, not with grief, but rather delight, until the terms of his will reveal her dilemma.

Olivia is our second female lead, who, awkward and too tall, and not at all the Regency ideal wife, longs for something other than marriage, but is being pushed into the marriage market by her mother. The scene is set, and all the reader need do is wait for our male lead to appear with his own Regency problems and dilemmas.

This is the second of Susanna Dunlap’s Regency novels I’ve read and it will delight fans of the genre while placing our main players in situations a little different to those we might expect, and all with a delightful ring of authenticity and dilemma.

Check out my review for The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl

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

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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…

The all important map for the series

Posts

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

https://amzn.to/443P5MS

If you’ve been with Coelwulf, Rudolf, Icel, Edmund and Pybba since the beginning, then you’re probably with me in trying to work out how five years have gone by since the release of The Last Warrior, which from memory has a bit of a shocking ending (but no other spoilers here).

There are now ten books in all, as well as a short story collection, Coelwulf’s Company, and the prequel series featuring a young Icel, the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles (check out the stories featuring young Icel – if you know, you know, and if you don’t yet know, you’re going to want to find out.)

Fans of the series each have their own favourite, from the somewhat difficult Haden (Coelwulf’s horse), to Edmund, young Rudolf and the difficult-to-please Icel, as well as Pybba. I also think many love Edmund’s brother, Hereman, who is someone who thinks after the punches have been thrown:) The Viking raider enemy also have a few fans, and I did very much enjoy recreating these characters.

If you’ve not yet discovered The Mercian Kingdom: The Ninth Century series, then you’re in for a treat, as long as you’re not easily offended by foul language and violence – although if you are, there are Cleaner versions available without quite so much swearing. You’re never going to get away from the violence with this band of miscreants. Follow this link, as they can be a bit tricky to find on Amazon.

The Last King books are available in eBook, paperback, and hardback formats, and in eBook only for the version without the swearing. Or, check out the box set below, which also contains the versions with the language dialled down by a factor or about 450 (yes, I do run a check to ensure my characters have been as foul-mouthed as readers expect). You can hear me discussing the series and the swearing on the Rock, Paper, Swords podcast with Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay.

Limited hardback editions

There are also special edition hardback formats available directly from me. Follow this link to discover them.

You can also grab the first 3 books in the series for £1.99/$1.99 for a very limited time

https://amzn.to/4ifSdt1

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

Posts

I’m excited to share the cover for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #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.

Here’s the beauty

Preorder Link (releases 13th July)

books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Here’s the blurb

During Britannia’s tribal age only the strongest prevail…

Britain AD541

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

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

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

https://mjporterauthor.blog/2015/03/28/a-discussion-of-early-anglo-saxon-sources/

Purchase Link for Men of Iron, the first book in the trilogy

books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

Posts

It’s happy release day to Killer at the County Show by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

Foul play at the sheep show…

Tensions are high at the Three Counties Show when accusations of cheating add fuel to a longstanding feud. For Jude Gray, whose only hope was to not make a fool of herself showing her Kerry Hill sheep, farming life has never been so dramatic.

When a body is found, belonging to one of the competitors, there is no shortage of suspects. Every sheep farmer in this close-knit community has a motive and beneath their show-ready smiles, they all have something to hide.

Experience has taught Jude that when there’s a murderer at large, nobody is truly safe. And with secrets simmering beneath the surface, this may be her most challenging investigation yet. Can she unearth the truth before it’s too late?

A gripping new instalment in the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/KillerCountyShow

My Review

Killer at the County Show by Kate Wells is the fifth book in the Malvern Farm Mystery series and I’ve read four of them (see my reviews below).

It’s a delight to return to Jude and her farm and family, and hasn’t she just got involved in yet another murder mystery, all while attending the County Show to exhibit her sheep.

This is another welcome addition to the series. I always enjoy the fact that I never quite manage to guess who the murderer was in every book, and the plot is twisty enough to keep me reading. I will certainly be reading book 6.

Check out my reviews for Murder on the Farm and Death in the Hills, two 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

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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 read the intro to Men of Iron

(If you’re in my Facebook group, you can ‘see me’ but on the wider web my face is hidden:)) It is slightly filled with waffle.

Curious? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

https://mjporterauthor.blog/2015/03/28/a-discussion-of-early-anglo-saxon-sources/

Purchase Link

books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

Follow the Men of Iron blog tour

Posts

I’m sharing my review for The Hero Virus by Russell Dumper #blogtour #bookreview #thriller

Here’s the blurb

The Hero Virus tells the thrilling story of Chris Taylor, who is hanging on to life by a thread. Recently widowed, his only reason to carry on is his faithful Labrador, but even that doesn’t stop his willingness to gamble with death every day. When his companion suffers a violent demise, Taylor thinks he has nothing left to live for, until he discovers he has chanced upon a precious gift… when he gets very ill.

The sickness gives him powers and, fairly soon, the authorities are swooping on to the ever-increasing list of cases. The Hero Virus might be different to other illnesses, but it’s no less dangerous. The effect it has on the world, though, is wildly different to any other virus that has come before. The unique reaction of the human body to infection means that everyone wants it. And some will do anything to get it.

How do you stop a pandemic when there are people who will kill for the virus? How do you stop people getting infected when they’re willing to die for it? How do you stop the infected when they have abilities nobody has ever seen before?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hero-Virus-Russell-Dumper-ebook/dp/B0DYKN68M1/

https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Virus-Russell-Dumper-ebook/dp/B0DYKN68M1/

My Review

The Hero Virus by Russell Dumper is an intriguing novel. Our main character is miserable and alone, aside from his faithful Labrador, but alas, our poor grief-stricken main character is soon to be bereaved again (and slight trigger warning, because the scene is not an easy read), but days later, he wakes very changed.

What follows is an action-packed tale sure to appeal to fans of the genre and with a very interesting premise. The pacing is great and I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

Meet the author

The Hero Virus is the second novel from Russell Dumper, after releasing Britannia Rises to widespread acclaim last year, winning him three categories in the 2024 Bookstagram Awards, for Debut Author, Thriller and Historical Fiction. He lives in the east of England with his family and still has many more books in the pipeline. Next, he will be concentrating on The Britannia Series, more of which will be released in the near future.

Author photo for Russell Dumper, author of The Hero Virus and Britannia Rises.

Connect with the author

Posts

I’m super excited to announce the special 5th birthday edition of The Last King, available now

Back in 2020, I finally wrote a book I’d wanted to write for a long time – the story of Mercia’s last king, Coelwulf II (although, I think I should have spelt his name as Ceolwulf but hey ho). The book I eventually wrote has spawned my most successful series to date and has also given readers The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles, featuring a younger version of Coelwulf’s very outspoken fellow warrior Icel.

The book I wrote was also very different to how I thought it would be. Indeed, it’s not one book, but a series 10 books long, and featuring a cast of lovable, foul-mouthed rogues who are as loyal to one another as they are to the horses they ride. I’ve spoken before about why the characters are so sweary, and I know not everyone enjoys that element of the books, but hey, these men are who they are. But, thank goodness for Coelwulf’s aunt, who keeps a wary eye on them all and can occasionally make them a little more polite.

The first eight covers for The Last King series by MJ Porter — The Last King/The Mercian Ninth Century

I’ve long wanted to celebrate the occasion of five years since releasing the book, and I’ve had many thoughts about it over the last few years, but when it finally happened, it was very unexpected, and the cover design came from someone I’d asked to work on some sprayed edges to jazz the cover up a little. It is very understated, but I think that makes it all the more special. BookVault can incorporate sprayed edges, a design on the endpapers, super high-quality white printing paper, as well as a ribbon to keep track of your reading. There are also new chapter headings, but at heart, this is The Last King, as it was released on 23rd April 2020, at a time when we were all looking for the means to distract ourselves from the horrors of the Pandemic and distract us we all did, even me. I find writing Coelwulf and his allies (and enemies) enormous fun and also very comforting. I know these characters, and they do live in my head rent-free, and I really don’t mind at all.

The Ninth Century Mercian series covers for all 9 books

So, let’s check out the designs for this special edition, which will only be available directly from me. I don’t plan on releasing it widely, and depending on demand, I will limit it to 100 printed copies.

Image shows a pale blue and grey cover with the words The Last King and a stylised sword on the cover image. — The jacket

Mock-up of the front cover and sprayed edges design

The amended map to fit the endpapers of the book

What it looks like in ‘real’ life

Each book will be signed by me, and I’ll include some goodies with it as well. But to get a copy, you must order it via my SumUp shop. I will be offering discount codes to readers who order The Last King for The Last Warrior edition, too.