#WWWWednesday – 28th December 2022

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

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Currently reading

Bellatrix (Legion XXII #2) by Simon Turney (ARC, Head of Zeus)

Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion…

Egypt. 25 BC. Titus Cervianus marches into the unknown as he and the Twenty Second Legion contend with the armies of the Bellatrix: the Warrior Queen of Kush.

The Kushites and the Egyptians have united against the Roman presence in their lands – but there are complex political and military forces at work. Marching deep into the deserts of north-eastern Africa, Cervianus and his comrades must contend with the perils of unknown territories, ever wary, as they brace themselves for a furious onslaught.

Under blazing skies, Cervanius and the rest of the legion approach their destiny as they prepare to take on the might of the Bellatrix. Will the alliance against the armies of Rome prevail, and will the men of the Twenty Second survive – or perish in a distant land? 

The follow-up to The Capsarius which I really enjoyed. Nearly finished it which is just as well because I’ll be reviewing it as part of the blog tour in January.

The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman (eARC, Zaffre via NetGalley)

They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn.

Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it’s not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardø, to be tried and condemned as a witch.

Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren – herself the daughter of a witch ­- whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark’s mistress, who has been sent to Vardø in disgrace. What will she do – and who will she betray – to return to her privileged life at court?

These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King of Denmark. In an age weighted against them they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.

The description reminds me a little of The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (no bad thing).

My Mother’s Shadow by Nikola Scott (Headline)

Hartland House has always been a faithful keeper of secrets…

1958. Sent to beautiful Hartland to be sheltered from her mother’s illness, Liz spends the summer with the wealthy Shaw family. They treat Liz as one of their own, but their influence could be dangerous…

Now. Addie believes she knows everything about her mother Elizabeth and their difficult relationship until her recent death. When a stranger appears claiming to be Addie’s sister, she is stunned. Is everything she’s been told about her early life a lie?

How can you find the truth about the past if the one person who could tell you is gone? Addie must go back to that golden summer her mother never spoke of…and the one night that changed a young girl’s life for ever.

This book was on my list for the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge but I didn’t get to it. Dual time novels are always a bit of a gamble for me but I’m hoping the mystery element will bind the two timelines together convincingly.

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Recently finished

The Girl From Simon’s Bay by Barbara Mutch (Allison & Busby)

Resurrection by David Gilman (Head of Zeus)

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What Cathy (will) Read Next

The English Führer by Rory Clements (eARC, Zaffre via NetGalley)

Autumn 1945 – Off the east coast of England, a Japanese sub surfaces, unloads its mysterious cargo, then blows itself to pieces.

Former spy Professor Tom Wilde is enjoying peacetime in Cambridge, settling back into teaching and family life. Until a call from senior MI5 boss Lord Templeman brings him out of retirement.

A nearby village has been locked down by the military, its residents blighted by a deadly illness. No one is allowed in or out.

There are rumours the Nazi machine is still operational, with links to Unit 731, a notorious Japanese biological warfare research laboratory. But how could they possibly be plotting on British soil – and why?

What’s more, Wilde and Templeman’s names are discovered on a Gestapo kill list. And after a series of assassinations an unthinkable question emerges: could an Englishman be behind the plot?