The Secret Sauce is on blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources hosts. Check out the reviews, blog posts and Q & As below #histfic #historicalmystery
Here’s the blurb
Birmingham, England, November 1944.
Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is summoned to a suspicious death at the BB Sauce factory in Aston on a wet Monday morning in late November 1944.
Greeted by his enthusiastic sergeant, O’Rourke, Sam Mason finds himself plunged into a challenging investigation to discover how Harry Armstrong met his death in a vat containing BB Sauce – a scene that threatens to put him off BB Sauce on his bacon sandwiches for the rest of his life.
Together with Sergeant O’Rourke, Mason follows a trail of seemingly unrelated events until something becomes very clear. The death of Harry Armstrong was certainly murder, and might well be connected to the tragedy unfolding at nearby RAF Fauld. While the uncertainty of war continues, Mason and O’Rourke find themselves seeking answers from the War Office and the Admiralty, as they track down the person who murdered their victim in such an unlikely way.
Join Mason and O’Rourke for the third book in the quirky, historical mystery series, as they once more attempt to solve the impossible in 1940s Erdington.
I’m delighted to welcome The Bookseller of Kathmandu by Ann Bennett to the blog for a publication day blog post and competition #blogtour #historicalfiction #newrelease #blogpost
Inspirations for The Bookseller of Kathmandu
The Bookseller of Kathmandu is set in two different locations and two time-zones and the inspirations behind the story came from many different sources.
I’ve wanted to write about Kathmandu since I first travelled to Nepal in 1987 when I was on a long trip round India and Southeast Asia. I was enchanted by Kathmandu, especially the narrow old streets of Thamel and the ancient heart of the city, Durbar Square. Thamel was a maze of pedestrianised streets and alleys, lined with medieval buildings, thronging with people. It was crammed full of shops, temples, cafes and street vendors.
Durbar Square, 1987
The atmosphere, especially during the smoke-filled evenings was magical. My friend and I arrived by bus from Pokhara after a long trek through the Annapurna Range and spent several lazy days there. We stayed at the Kathmandu Guest House, in those days a backpacker hostel, eating in the many cafes and visiting all the sites of the Kathmandu Valley.
Since then, Nepal suffered a devastating earthquake in 2015, destroying many of the ancient temples and streets in Thamel. Some of these have been rebuilt, but for a long time, Thamel and Durbar square were badly damaged, and even now, ten years on, the effects are still apparent.
I first wrote about Nepal in The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu, published in 2023, which tells the story of Chloe, a thirtysomething British woman, who travels to India and Nepal to retrace the footsteps of her grandmother, Lena. Lena worked for a Gurkha recruiting officer during World War II, travelling to the forbidden kingdom of Nepal with him to recruit men for the front in Burma.
The Bookseller of Kathmandu, although a standalone story, is in part a follow-up to that book. Chloe is married to Kiran, a Nepalese tour guide, and has bought a quirky old bookshop in Thamel. The inspiration for Paradise Books, was Pilgrim’s Book House in Thamel. A narrow old shophouse, with three stories packed full of books of every kind.
In the story, Chloe is approached by Rajesh Desai, a distant cousin of Kiran’s. His father, Anil, has just died and Rajesh asks Chloe if she will take his father’s old books from him.
Pilgrim’s Book House, Kathmandu
Chloe is surprised to discover that Anil’s home is a crumbling Rana palace. When she starts looking through the books, she finds a cache of fading letters. They are from a British woman, Alice Lacey, living on a mining estate in Malaya, to Anil, who was serving with the Gurkhas during the Malayan Emergency of the 1940s and 50s. The inspiration for Anil’s home is the hotel I stayed in while researching both books. It is called the Shankar Hotel, itself a restored Rana palace. Full of panelled rooms, chandeliers and sweeping wooden staircases, it seems to belong to a former era.
Hotel Shankar, Kathmandu. A former Rana palace.
The book is partly set in British Malaya of the late 1940s, where Alice Lacey is living with a volatile husband through a time of danger. Her developing friendship with Anil provides some light during those dark days.
I have also travelled to Malaysia several times, the first time in 1985 on an overland trip between Bangkok and Bali, staying in Penang and Malacca en route for Singapore. I was first inspired to visit because my father served in the British Indian Army in the Malaya Campaign during WWII. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese at the Fall of Singapore and transported to work on the Thai-Burma railway. I have travelled there since, to research his story, on several occasions.
I set my first book, Bamboo Heart, partly in British Malaya in the lead up to the Japanese invasion, mainly in Penang, and my second book, Bamboo Island, on a rubber plantation near Kuala Lipis and in Singapore. I’ve written several books subsequently about WWII in Southeast Asia and during my research I began to read about the Malayan Emergency. Chinese communists, trained by the British as guerillas to wage war against the Japanese, turned against their former allies in an attempt to oust British rule and impose communism on Malaya. The resulting conflict lasted twelve years and has often been compared to the Vietnam war.
British Army patrol during the Malayan Emergency. Photo – British Army Museum.
When I did start to read about the decline of British rule in Malaya and the Emergency, I began to wonder how it had affected the lives of ordinary people. So, I created the character of Alice, a naïve British woman, living on an isolated tin mine, caught up in those turbulent events, who is thrown together with a Gurkha officer assigned to protect her home.
I hope you enjoy The Bookseller of Kathmandu and that it transports you to the backstreets of Kathmandu and to the jungles of 1940s Malaya.
If you are interested in finding out more about my books, please visit my website.
Here’s the blurb
A sweeping tale of secrets and survival set against the mystical backdrop of Nepal, and the tropical heat of 1940s Malaya.
In the heart of bustling Kathmandu, Chloe Rai’s quaint bookshop is a sanctuary for those seeking solace within the pages of timeworn stories. But when she discovers a collection of letters hidden within the crumbling walls of a forgotten Rana palace, her world begins to intertwine with a narrative from a different time and place.
Penned in the 1940s by a woman named Alice Lacey, the letters tell the story of the Malayan Emergency, a time of turmoil and conflict. As Alice’s life becomes intertwined with that of Anil, a Gurkha officer, their bond is tested by the chaos and violence surrounding them. Chloe’s discoveries not only reveal family secrets, but also mirror her own struggles in the present. As she delves deeper into Alice’s story, she begins to understand the power of the past in shaping the present.
With a rich cultural backdrop and a poignant exploration of friendship, resilience, and truth, ‘The Bookseller of Kathmandu’ is a beautifully woven tale that showcases the enduring power of storytelling. Join Chloe on a journey through time as she uncovers the truth and learns to navigate the complexities of her own life.
If you enjoy captivating storytelling, then you won’t want to miss ‘The Bookseller of Kathmandu.’ And if you loved ‘The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu,’ then you will be enthralled by Chloe and Alice’s intertwined stories…
Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest, was inspired by researching her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia – Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife, A Daughter’s Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter’s Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.
Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection – The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina.
The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August this year) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.
A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details, please visit her website http://www.annbennettauthor
*Terms and Conditions –UK and Europe entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
I’m delighted to be sharing the cover for Magical Beginnings in Little Beaubrook by Bella Brightside #romance #newrelease #blogtour #coverreveal
Here’s the blurb
Some places are special enough to heal hearts… Welcome to Little Beaubrook
In a tiny English village hidden away for decades, the mists are parting to reveal a manor which glows gold and tumbledown thatched cottages that have been waiting for the right people to rebuild them.
On moving in day, a diverse group of new neighbours have only two things in common. Their hearts have been broken in some way, and they’ve all signed a contract with some very strange stipulations, including buying one of the cottages for a pound. As Chair of the commonhold association, Albie Curville hopes that by sharing his late wife’s rules for living he can bring these reluctant strangers together to fulfil her dying wish before he runs out of time… and before they discover his secret.
When their newfound community – built on kindness, friendship and a manor with a long history of helping those in need – is threatened by an outside source, can they finally overcome their pasts to save Little Beaubrook and seize the second chances they deserve? Come and visit this magical lost village for a cosy, feel-good story about love, found family, new beginnings and the healing power of community. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson, Jenny Colgan, Evie Woods and Phaedra Patrick.
Bella Brightside is a multi-published, award-nominated romance author who writes under several pen names and had commercial success with her novel The Last Charm. Owned by a husband, large family and two naughty beagles, she drinks too much coffee, buys far too many books and spends her nights wondering how a sentient village would behave.
You can find her on Instagram at @authorbythesea1207.
She is represented by the literary agent Rachel McMillan.
I’m delighted to welcome Heidi Eljarbo and her new book, The Dutch Muse, A Fabiola Bennett Mystery, to the blog. Here’s the Blurb A ruthless thief leaves a private Dutch gallery with a coveted seventeenth-century painting. The owner lies unconscious on the floor. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is on vacation in Holland and takes on…
I’m delighted to welcome S.P. Somtow and his book, Nero and Sporus, to the blog with an excerpt. Excerpt “Can you not posture in such a boyish manner, domine? You’ll ruin the effect.” “What effect?” “My dear domine, can you turn that wrist more daintily? Can you not stampede about the room like a raging…
Here’s the blurb A daring young lady and dashing lord At Prebbles Flying Circus, the daring Eliza Gray captivates audiences with her breathtaking feats on horseback. Yet beyond the applause, she harbours a longing to find the family she lost as a child and discover who she truly is. Fate, however, takes an unexpected turn…
It’s cover reveal day for Don’t Forget the Crazy by Lucy Kaufman #coverreveal #blogtour @rararesources @kaufmanlucy @sepiainkpublishing
Here’s the blurb
Her lists are life or death. “If it’s on the list, I have to do it.”
Milli Morgan lives by her lists. Groceries, goals, organising her boss – nothing escapes being ticked off her ever-growing to-do lists. Order brings her comfort; control keeps the chaos at bay. Everyone can rely on Milli.
Until the day new items start appearing on her list in red ink.
At first, she blames stress. A prank. Someone playing mind-games. But one instruction on the list refuses to be erased and demands to be completed.
A command so terrible she would have to be crazy to tick it off.
Don’t Forget the Crazyis a dark psychological suspense short story about obsession, perfection, and the dangerous pressure of always being “the good girl.” Fans ofGillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell, Patricia Highsmith,andShirley Jacksonwill devour this chilling portrait of order unravelling into darkness.
Lucy Kaufman is an award-winning author, playwright, audio dramatist and poet. 40 of her plays have been performed professionally around the UK and Australia, to critical acclaim. She has lectured in Playwriting and Screenwriting for Pen to Print and Canterbury Christ Church University and is a mentor at The Writing Coach. Originally from London, she now lives by the sea with her husband, sons, dogs and cats.
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark.
I’m delighted to welcome Heidi Eljarbo and her new book, The Dutch Muse, A Fabiola Bennett Mystery, to the blog. Here’s the Blurb A ruthless thief leaves a private Dutch gallery with a coveted seventeenth-century painting. The owner lies unconscious on the floor. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is on vacation in Holland and takes on…
I’m delighted to welcome S.P. Somtow and his book, Nero and Sporus, to the blog with an excerpt. Excerpt “Can you not posture in such a boyish manner, domine? You’ll ruin the effect.” “What effect?” “My dear domine, can you turn that wrist more daintily? Can you not stampede about the room like a raging…
Here’s the blurb A daring young lady and dashing lord At Prebbles Flying Circus, the daring Eliza Gray captivates audiences with her breathtaking feats on horseback. Yet beyond the applause, she harbours a longing to find the family she lost as a child and discover who she truly is. Fate, however, takes an unexpected turn…
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?
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.
It’s cover reveal day for The Entrepreneur’s Almanack by Robin Bennett #newrelease #covereveal #entrepreneurship
Here’s the blurb
A new kind of yearbook has arrived for founders, dreamers, and doers. The Entrepreneur’s Almanack is a funny and deeply personal chronicle of what it feels like to start a business from scratch. This third in a series of short yearbooks celebrates the underrated art of entrepreneurship and a key aspect of the same: namely, success in business has more to do with intangibles than we care to admit.
The guesswork and the gut, divine providence, even dumb luck are all players and should be welcomed round the table, not ignored at the fringes.
The Entrepreneur’s Almanack is the cosmic crutch you never knew you needed in business, but shouldn’t be without.
When Robin Bennett grew up he thought he wanted to be a cavalry officer until everyone else realised that putting him in charge of a tank was a very bad idea. He then became an assistant gravedigger in London. After that he had a career frantically starting businesses (everything from dog-sitting to cigars, tuition to translation)… until finally settling down to write improbable stories to keep his children from killing each other on long car journeys.
I’m sharing my review for The Atlantis Covenant by Rob Jones #actionandadventure #blogtour #bookreview
Here’s the blurb
A mission like no other, will test the team to the limit ⚠️
Dr Max Hunter, Special Agent Amy Fox and the rest of the HARPA Team are on the most important mission of their lives to rescue their teammate Quinn Mosley, HARPA Director Jim Gates and his wife Susanna, and Hunter’s UNESCO manager Professor Juliette Bonnaire who have all been kidnapped by a mysterious organisation claiming to be the Illuminati.
The group’s leader, Oriax, says he will trade their friends’ lives for the Sword of the Archangel Michael and gives them a 24 hour deadline to meet his demands. 🗡️
In a race against time, from Europe to Moscow and beyond, Hunter leads his small team on a high-speed rollercoaster ride, attempting to track down Oriax before the deadline expires and rescue Quinn and the others as well as keeping the ancient sword out of Oriax’s depraved hands, but will they succeed in this most lethal of challenges?
This new installment in the Hunter Files starts with a bang, and the reader is thrown straight into a worrying situation for the team (I’m not sure if this carries over from the previous book, but I suspect it might). This time, members of the team are in peril and Max Hunter and his fellow team members resolve to outwit the person holding them captive in exchange for St Michael’s sword, and with very little to go on in terms of leads.
Tracking down every potential lead, the team make their way from Cornwall to London, Paris and then beyond, their destination not quite where they think it will be, as the tension ramps up in this fun action and adventure story, where the ‘baddie’ is definitely quite bonkers, powerful, and seemingly, able to do anything he wants with his captives.
Like The Atlantis Covenant, the story is fast-paced and fun, the interactions between the characters flippant and somewhat light-hearted, considering the peril they’re in. The series will certainly appeal to those who like National Treasure (as I’ve said before) and their history with a little bit of conspiracy.
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.
I’m reviewing Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano #blogtour #romance #bookreview #funny
Here’s the blurb
Nestled deep in the countryside lies Starlight Croft – population small, gossip levels high, and secrets harder to hide than a cow in a phone box.
Jen Armstrong thought she had life more or less under control – marriage ticking along, teenagers on the right side of the law – until hubby Peter unexpectedly demises leaving Jen suddenly single, hugging a secret, and trying very hard not to fall apart in front of the entire village.
Just when things couldn’t get messier a For Sale sign appears. The community centre – the only place big enough to host Pilates and the local psychic’s séance nights – goes up for sale.
Cue The Starlight Society: a mismatched crew of locals with hearts of gold, questionable strategies and Jen reluctantly roped in to assist. Their mission? Raise the cash to save the hall before a charming-but-infuriating property developer named Liam Lancaster possibly turns it into a boutique hotel with mood lighting and tufty towels.
Can they pull it off? Will the hall survive? Might a secret be unwittingly revealed? And can Jen resist throttling an enemy who has the most annoyingly twinkly eyes?
A feel-good romantic comedy where love, lies, and livestock collide.
Saving Starlight Hall is a humourous romance, very much in the mould of Debbie’s previous books. They’re always a delight to read, (even for someone who doesn’t normally read romance). They sparkle with the quirky characteristics we all have and make our main character, Jen, feel extremely human and relatable.
It’s always a delight to read one of Debbie’s books, and I thoroughly enjoyed this new release, and any one who likes the promise of a bit of romance, with some drama and a lot of humour along the way, will love this story. This is the first time I’ve read one of Debbie’s books connected to another book, and it was lovely to meet the characters again, although I want to assure readers you can read this as a standalone, although you will be missing out on Starting Over at Starlight Cottage:) Enjoy.
Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy… apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!
I’m reviewing Woden’s Storm by Donovan Cook #blogtour #newrelease #historicalfiction the second book in the First Kingdom series
Here’s the blurb
A storm is coming. A storm that will banish the old and deliver the new.
450AD Britain
Octa has the spear of Woden, but the redemption he sought is out of his grasp. With his banishment and the death of his father, he can no longer return to his Saxon homelands. His only salvation is to join forces with Hengist and Horsa, and their Jutish army that beaches itself on Brittania’s shores. But can he trust their motivation or are there greater plans afoot?
The Gods have their own plans, though, and Octa’s fate is not his own to control as Friga, the mother of the Saxon gods, battles to avoid a war with the gods of the Britons and Saxons using Octa as her weapon.
Prince Vortimer, the son of High King Vortigern, is angered by his father’s agreement with Hengist and Horsa as they remain unchecked and their numbers swell. He suspects treachery and encouraged by some well-placed words of a stranger, he rebels against his father and gathers his army to attack the unwelcome visitors.
War is coming to Britannia and as Octa struggles to understand his role and fate, he knows he has one question to answer. Will he run or will he stand and fight?
Woden’s Storm is the second book in The First Kingdom series by Donovan Cook. We’re once more in a recreated Britain of the middle fifth century, where everyone’s actions are guided by their Gods. And there are a lot of Gods who want to have a say in what’s happening, and not all of them, on the ‘same side’ as it were, hope to achieve the same ends. Octa, Vortimor, and the rest of the characters are constantly being tested by their deities, told half the story and left to work the rest out for themselves. Will they interpret their meetings with the Gods correctly, or will they make everything more chaotic by muddying these messages with their own intentions?
I do enjoy the element of the Gods walking amongst the characters and interfering in what’s happening. I mean, I doubt it would be peaceful without them, but with them, it certainly isn’t:) It adds a new dimension to this period and perhaps helps to account for some of the more eccentric decisions the characters make as they all endeavour to accomplish their goals. There is still much to play for and the series will continue.
An entertaining and intriguing series with a whole host of ‘named’ characters, people who love the era will recognise.
Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology. He was born in South Africa and currently lives in Lancashire, UK.
I’m delighted to share my review for Adam Lofthouse’s War Lord: Scourge of Rome #historicalfiction #blogtour #Roman
Here’s the blurb
And so we have reached the end of my tale. But what are endings if not new beginnings?
Alaric has been home for a year. He went north and saved the Cimbri, just as he said he would. But the cost has been higher than he ever thought. A shadow of the War Lord he once was, he now trades in amber and dotes on his children.
A simple life. And with it, contentment. But he knew this couldn’t last forever; peace isn’t for someone like him, and sure enough trouble finds him once again. A routine journey south turns into a new and unknown wave of danger as red-cloaked legionaries attack, causing confusion and carnage.
Warriors dressed as Romans have been scouring the country, slaughtering innocent people, and leaving Roman footprints wherever they march. But things are not what they seem, and it falls to Alaric to don his armour once more, and march his Ravensworn in pursuit of a mysterious enemy that could destabilise his world beyond repair.
War Lord, as the blurb states, is the end of Alaric, or is it a beginning for him?
Once more, we’re thrust straight back into the action, and Alaric, while accepting he’s an old man these days, does indeed not seem to have ‘grown up’ at all, as he’s so fond of reminding himself. From one hairbrained scheme to another, Alaric realises that perhaps, after all, there is a great deal at stake, and he is, of course, the man to solve everyone else’s problems, for all he likes to pretend he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, his children and his wife.
Adam writes fabulous books. I do love Alaric. He’s a bad egg, and yet, we all can’t help liking him, as indeed, does everyone who comes into contact with him. There’s no end of action and adventure, no end of peril, and through it all, Alaric sails with his usual charm and determination. But, is this one quest too much for our epic second-century hero, living on the outskirts of the Roman empire, but admiring them all the same? Has he finally found an enemy he can’t hope to beat, even if he unites the tribes? Or will he have to prove as quick-thinking as ever?
While all this is happening, there is also an intriguing backstory, reliving a moment in Alaric’s life when everything changed for him. It adds a certain poignancy to our character, making his wild ways more understandable.
This is a cracking finale for Alaric’s story. Enjoy it. I know I did.
Adam Lofthouse is the author of action-packed historical thrillers. His brand new series for Boldwood, ‘Enemies of Rome’, will focus on the boundaries at the edge of the Roman Empire. The first book Raven, will be published in February 2025.
MJ Porter 