review

The king’s lady – of Nicholaa de la Haye, defender of Lincoln, as presented by Sharon Bennett Connolly

Today, dear peeps, we’re going to be spending time in medieval England, more specifically in the reign of King John. This time and place was a man’s world where women rarely got more than a passing mantion by the (male) chroniclers. There were exceptions of course, and one such exception was Nicholaa de la Haye, …

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When nasty things hide in the hay – introducing A Meadow Murder by Helen Hollick!

Frequent visitors to my blog will know I am something of a Helen Hollick fan. Partly because no one wears a hat like she does – at least not among my acquaintances. Mostly, it’s because of Jesamiah Acorne, pirate and scoundrel extraordinaire. Plus, there’s her depiction of Harold Godwinson and his sad end that I …

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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 …

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

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 …

Move over pirate Acorne! Here comes amateur sleuth Jan! Read More »

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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