review

A fighting queen and her loyal scribe – a tale of two renaissance woman told by fab Amy Maroney

There is something refreshing about reading a historical novel set in a somewhat unusual place or country. Today’s guest, Amy Maroney, has written several such books (and she and I share a bit of a passion for the long-gone kingdoms that once straddled the Pyrennees) so it isn’t exactly a surpirse to discover The Queen’s …

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Deadly mistakes – welcoming Helen Hollick and her latest release A Mistake of Murder

Followers of this blog will notice that Helen Hollick is a relatively frequent guest. No wonder, as not only is Helen an author I admire (I am a bit obsessed with her 18th century pirate, Jesamiah Acorne) she is also a friend – one of those real friends who will, at times, be brutally honest …

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“Oh, a pirate’s life is a wonderful life” – maybe not, but Helen’s pirate Jesamiah is deffo wonderful!

I have waited. And waited. I have come with heavy-handed hints to Helen Hollick, telling her we (read me) need more Jesamiah. ASAP. And now, FINALLY, Helen has published the sixth book about Jesamiah, pirate extraordinaire and his white witch wife, Tiola. Did I like Gallows Wake? Read my review further down. Now, Helen isn’t …

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The hidden past – in which Christina Courtenay follows in the steps of the Vikings

Lately, my reading has included several books set in the 9th to 11th century, a period of time that comes to us as vague echoes through the mists of time. One of my recent reads is Hidden in the Mists, Christina Courtenay’s excellent dual time line book (more of that below) Her book made me …

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When Poppa met Rollo – Cathie Dunne gives us an insight into 9th century politics

Some weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of reading Cathie Dunne’s book about Poppa of Bayeux and her hubby Hrolfr, a.k.a. Rollo (To us Swedes, he is Gånge-Rolf, so named because he was so big and strong no horse could carry him, hence he had to walk. Gånge means walker) Anyway: I realised I …

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Move over pirate Acorne! Here comes amateur sleuth Jan!

It seems to me various of my writer friends are spreading their wings into new genres. Today’s guest, Helen Hollick, is doing it because she felt a need to refresh herself, do something entirely different to what she’s been writing lately. And while I am a big, big, big, big (need I go on?) fan …

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A new tough-as-nails heroine sees the light of the day!

Today, I am welcoming Alison Morton to my blog to talk about her latest book. Now, those of you who frequent my blog will know that I love Alison’s books about Roma Nova, fast-paced thrillers set in a beautifully built alternative world, one in which a small remnant of the Roman Empire has survived to …

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Mary, Mary quite contrary – except she wasn't

Today I’ve invited Tony Riches (more about him can be found at the end of this post) to pop by with a guest post about his latest book, Mary – Tudor Princess. And no, this is not a book about the Mary who would go on to become Mary I, but rather about Mary, younger …

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Sifting through history for interesting ladies!

Today I have the honour of welcoming Sharon Bennett Connolly to my blog. This is a lady with whom I share a common passion for all things medieval and I was fortunate enough to spend a day with her last year in Lincoln. Needless to say, we spent that time visiting Lincoln Castle and Lincoln …

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Of writing, Star Wars and home-coming Crusader knights

Today I welcome yet another fellow writer to my blog. Char Newcomb is a Star Wars fan who writes excellent books set in medieval times – maybe not so much of a contradiction as one might think, seeing as swords play a major part in both these settings. Anyway, having recently read Char’s latest release For …

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