Review - The Secrets of Saffron Hall by Clare Marchant

 

The Secrets of Saffron Hall

 By Clare Marchant

 

Two women. Five centuries apart.
One life-changing secret about to be unearthed…

1538
New bride Eleanor impresses her husband by growing saffron, a spice more valuable than gold. His reputation in Henry VIII’s court soars – but fame and fortune come at a price, for the king’s favour will not last forever…

2019
When Amber discovers an ancient book in her grandfather’s home at Saffron Hall, the contents reveal a dark secret from the past. As she investigates, so unravels a forgotten tragic story and a truth that lies much closer to home than she could have imagined…

Review:

Hands up, this is not the usual genre that I read, but a dear friend of mine read this book and implored me to read it. I did so with a small amount of trepidation the Tudor era is not my go to era in history because I think the Tudors were a bunch of pretentious well, let’s leave it there. Anyway, I promised my friend that I would read this book, and so I did.

What I wasn’t expecting was to enjoy it as much as I did!

This novel really grabbed my attention from the opening and continued to hold it throughout the story. The duel timelines worked really well, and I never felt jarred or disjointed from the novel. Despite this period not being my thing, I very much enjoyed it.

 

Review - War Lord (The Last Kingdom Series, Book 13) by Bernard Cornwell

 

War Lord 

(The Last Kingdom Series, Book 13)

 By Bernard Cornwell

 

After years fighting to reclaim his rightful home, Uhtred of Bebbanburg has returned to Northumbria. With his loyal band of warriors and a new woman by his side, his household is secure – yet Uhtred is far from safe. Beyond the walls of his impregnable fortress, a battle for power rages. 

To the south, King Æthelstan has unified the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia – and now eyes a bigger prize. To the north, King Constantine and other Scottish and Irish leaders seek to extend their borders and expand their dominion.

Caught in the eye of the storm is Uhtred. Threatened and bribed by all sides, he faces an impossible choice: stay out of the struggle, risking his freedom, or throw himself into the cauldron of war and the most terrible battle Britain has ever experienced. Only fate can decide the outcome.

Review:

Guess who got a signed hardback edition? Yep, that would be me and it now has pride of place on my bookshelf along with the other 12 books in the series. 

I was both really looking forward to and dreading the final book in the series. I have invested so much time with Uhtred that the idea that his story was going to come to an end made my heart sore. 

This series has been amazing from beginning to end and this novel was no exception. I thought it was brilliant. I am just sad that there aren’t going to be any more books about Uhtred and his adventures. 

 

Review - Hunting the Eagles (Eagles of Rome Book 2) by Ben Kane

 Hunting the Eagles 

(Eagles of Rome Book 2) 

By Ben Kane 

JUSTICE , HONOUR, REVENGE

AD 14: Five long years have passed since the annihilation of three legions in the wilds of Germania.

Demoted, battle-scarred and hell-bent on revenge, Centurion Tullus and his legionaries begin their fightback. Ranged against them is the charismatic chieftan Arminius, determined to crush the Romans for a second time.

Convinced that the eagle belonging to his old legion is close at hand, Tullus drives ever deeper into enemy lands.

But with Arminius and his warriors closing in on the Romans, a murderous battle is about to begin…

Review:

I was really looking forward to reading the second book in the series. I did find this novel a little slow to start with, so it took me a while to get into it. But it turned out to be a wonderful story, maybe not quite as enthralling as book one, but still one that was worthy of the time I gave to it. Will, I be reading on? To be honest, I am not too sure.

Review - The Wolf Hunt (The Whale Road Chronicles Book 3) by Tim Hodkinson (october 2020)

The Wolf Hunt 

(The Whale Road Chronicles Book 3) 

By Tim Hodkinson 

 

When you can't protect everyone, who will you save?

Iceland, AD 935

Einar Unnsson is destined to be great. When he fights, a frenzy comes upon him. It makes him lethal in battle – so lethal he just defeated the man his own father sent to kill him.

Now, with Einar exiled from his kingdom, his father turns his vengeance on Einar's mother – his escaped former bedslave. Yet Einar is in no position to protect her. He's made an enemy of the powerful King Eirik and must fight for his own life before he can save her.

Einar depends on the Wolf Coats, a band of fearsome, bloodthirsty warriors, but they're convinced the fates have cursed them. Will Einar's skill in battle be enough to save his mother? Or will the Wolf Coats' superstition destroy them all?

Review:

I was so excited to get my copy of the third book in The Whale Road Chronicles. I have throughly enjoyed every minute of this series, and with each book the writing and the story just gets better and better. As I have mentioned before in my previous reviews of this series, Hodkinson depiction of the era is fabulous. I really felt like I had stepped back in time.

This novel kept me up well past my bedtime, but it was so worth it. I absolutely loved every minute of it. I really hope someone makes this series into a television drama, as then it would reach a new audience who I know would love it just as much as I do.

 

 

 

Review - Eagles at War (Eagles of Rome Book 1) by Ben Kane

 

Eagles at War 

(Eagles of Rome Book 1) 

By Ben Kane

 

AD 9, Germania. East of the river Rhine, tribes hostile to Rome prepare a deadly ambush.

Their leader is the charismatic chieftain and trusted ally of Rome, Arminius, whose dream is to drive out the brutal invaders of his land.

Pitted against him are veteran centurion Lucius Tullus and the Roman provincial governor, Varus.

Together with three local legions, they leave their summer camp to begin the march back to the Roman forts on the Rhine.

They have no idea that in the forests and bog of the Teutoburg, mud, slaughter and bloody death await.

Review:

I had this book on my to-read list for ages, but I have finally found the time to read it. I have always been interested in Roman History and as Ben Kane is a best-selling author, I assumed I was in good hands. I am sure you will be pleased to know that I assumed right. Kane has a way of making history jump from the page, and his characterisation was as amazing as the plot. 

This novel kept me turning the pages long into the night. I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2.

 

Review - The Raven Banner by Tim Hodkinson

 The Raven Banner 

The Whale Road Chronicles Book 2)

By Tim Hodkinson

 

Einar Unnsson will be a great warrior, whether he wants it or not.

AD 935 - Late Winter, City of Jorvik.

Einar Unnsson is destined to be a great Icelandic warrior. He has already defeated the men sent to kill him by his notorious father, Jarl Thorfinn, the 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He has a gift that makes him lethal in battle. Yet he has cast it all off to be a bard.

When three men attack him, Einar's poetry provides little protection. Luckily, the skilled archer and Norse-Irish princess Affreca saves him. She'd assumed Einar had left to raise an army, challenge Thorfinn and seize the Jarldom of Orkney. Now she's determined to set him back onto his rightful path.

Einar soon finds himself entangled on Affreca's own mission. She's seeking the Raven Banner for King Eirik. Legend has it that the banner is imbued with powerful magic. That it was a gift from the Norse God Odin and any army that marches behind it will be victorious. The quest sets events in motion that are beyond Einar's control.

Einar has no choice but to face his fate and swing his sword once more... 

 

Review: 

I throughly enjoyed book 1 of this series and I could not wait to get back to these characters. I am pleased to report that this book lived up to my expectations. In fact, it exceeded them.

This novel is so fast-paced, and there are many twists and turns which, for me, made this novel unputdownable. In fact, it is one of those books that once you have started to read is terribly difficult to walk away from. I found myself totally caught up in the adventure. If I could have stayed up all might to read it, then I certainly would have. 

If you enjoy believable historical fiction set in this era, then I think you will really enjoy this series.

Review - Odin's Game by Tim Hodkinson

 

Odin's Game

(The Whale Road Chronicles Book 1)

By Tim Hodkinson

 

Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all in Odin's game?

AD 915.

In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.

Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea, where warriors are the pawns of kings and Jarls and the powerful are themselves mere game pieces on the tafl board of the Gods.

Together they embark on a quest where Einar must fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior. As the clouds of war gather, betrayal follows betrayal and Einar realises the only person he can really trust is himself. 

Review:

The most important thing about historical fiction is authenticity, and this novel has it by the bucket loads. Not only is this book historical, I hate the word accurate, preferring believable, and that is exactly what the historical backdrop is, believable.

Odin’s Game has the essence of the old saga’s about it - the daring adventures and the scenery from the Orkney Isles, Ireland and Iceland, are wonderfully portrayed. It is very clear, for anyone who has any understanding of this era, that Hodkinson has really done his homework. I really certainly be looking out for the next book in what is promising to be an unputdownable series.