Tag: Blog Tour

Blog Tour: An Argument of Blood by Matthew Willis & J. A. Ironside

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An Argument of Blood_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for An Argument of Blood by Matthew Willis and J. A. Ironside.  An Argument of Blood is the first in the two book Oath and Crown series dramatizing the life and battles of the man who would come to be known as William the Conqueror. You can read all about the book below.

WinI’m pleased to say there’s a chance to win a signed copy of An Argument of Blood.  Visit the tour page here to view the giveaway rules and enter the giveaway.

Entries close at 11:59pm EST on February 7th 2018.

Via the tour page you can also visit the other great bloggers on the tour and read their reviews of An Argument of Blood.

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An Argument of BloodAbout the Book

William, the nineteen-year-old duke of Normandy, is enjoying the full fruits of his station. Life is a succession of hunts, feasts, and revels, with little attention paid to the welfare of his vassals. Tired of the young duke’s dissolute behaviour and ashamed of his illegitimate birth, a group of traitorous barons force their way into his castle. While William survives their assassination attempt, his days of leisure are over. He’ll need help from the king of France to secure his dukedom from the rebels.

On the other side of the English Channel lives ten-year-old Ælfgifa, the malformed and unwanted youngest sister to the Anglo-Saxon Jarl, Harold Godwinson. Ælfgifa discovers powerful rivalries in the heart of the state when her sister Ealdgyth is given in a political marriage to King Edward, and she finds herself caught up in intrigues and political manoeuvring as powerful men vie for influence. Her path will collide with William’s, and both must fight to shape the future.

Format: eBook, paperback (369 pp.) Publisher: Penmore Press
Published: 19th June 2017                    Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Barnes and Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find An Argument of Blood on Goodreads

J A IronsideAbout the Author – J. A. Ironside

Jules grew up in rural Dorset, surrounded by books – which pretty much set he up for life as a complete bibliophile. She loves speculative fiction of all stripes, especially fantasy and science fiction, although when it comes to the written word, she’s not choosy and will read almost anything. Actually it would be fair to say she starts to go a bit peculiar if she doesn’t get through at least three books a week. She writes across various genres, both adult and YA fiction, and it’s a rare story if there isn’t a fantastical or speculative element in there somewhere.

Jules has had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies, as well as recorded for literature podcasts. Books 1 and 2 of her popular Unveiled series are currently available with the 3rd and 4th books due for release Autumn/Winter 2017. She also co-authored the sweeping epic historical Oath and Crown Duology with Matthew Willis, released June 2017 from Penmore Press.

Jules now lives on the edge of the Cotswold way with her boyfriend creature and a small black and white cat, both of whom share a god-complex.

Connect with Jules

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Matthew WillisAbout the Author – Matthew Willis

Matthew Willis is an author of historical fiction, SF, fantasy and non-fiction. In June 2017 An Argument of Blood, the first of two historical novels about the Norman Conquest co-written with J.A. Ironside, was published. In 2015 his story ‘Energy’ was shortlisted for the Bridport short story award.  Matthew studied Literature and History of Science at the University of Kent, where he wrote an MA thesis on Joseph Conrad and sailed for the University in national competitions. He subsequently worked as a journalist for Autosport and F1 Racing magazines, before switching to a career with the National Health Service.

His first non-fiction book, a history of the Blackburn Skua WW2 naval dive bomber, was published in 2007. He now has four non-fiction books published with a fifth, a biography of test pilot Duncan Menzies, due later in 2017. He currently lives in Southampton and writes both fiction and non-fiction for a living.

Connect with Matthew

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Blog Tour/Review: Court of Lions by Jane Johnson

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Court of Lions PB blog tour

I’m delighted to be co-hosting the first stop on the blog tour to celebrate the publication in paperback of Court of Lions by Jane Johnson.  I really enjoyed this book when I read it last year and I love its gorgeous new cover (although the previous cover was pretty special too).  Below you can read my review of this fascinating story which moves between the city of Granada in the 15th century and the present day.

Oh, and do pop over and visit my co-host I’ll Be Fine Alone Reads to read an extract from Court of Lions.

COURT OF LIONS_PBAbout the Book

Kate Fordham, escaping terrible trauma, has fled to the beautiful sunlit city of Granada, the ancient capital of the Moors in Spain, where she is scraping by with an unfulfilling job in a busy bar. One day in the glorious gardens of the Alhambra, once home to Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed, also known as Boabdil, Kate finds a scrap of paper hidden in one of the ancient walls. Upon it, in strange symbols, has been inscribed a message from another age. It has lain undiscovered since before the Fall of Granada in 1492, when the city was surrendered to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Born of love, in a time of danger and desperation, the fragment will be the catalyst that changes Kate’s life forever.

Court of Lions brings one of the great turning-points in history to life, telling the stories of a modern woman and the last Moorish sultan of Granada, as they both move towards their cataclysmic destinies.

Format: Paperback (448 pp.)                                    Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published in paperback: 11th January 2018        Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Court of Lions on Goodreads

My Review

The story of Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed, known as Momo, is related through the eyes of Blessings, a slave brought as a young orphan from a desert tribe to be companion to the then Prince.   Despite their different status, Blessings and Momo quickly form a deep and lasting friendship although for Blessings, the relationship becomes more than friendship. Their relationship will be tested over the years of political turmoil and war as Granada fights for its survival against the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and to protect the Muslim faith of its people.

I found the story of Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed utterly compelling and admired the way the author brought it to life in such vivid and colourful detail.  For me, there was a perfect balance between the intimate, personal story of Momo and Blessings and the wider story of the historical events of the time – the plots, alliances, treaties, battles and, ultimately defeats.     In the end, both Momo and Blessings are forced to make heart-breaking compromises.

In the contemporary story, Kate’s troubles are domestic in nature and gradually revealed throughout the novel.  For her Granada is a refuge and a chance to leave behind unhappy memories and traumatic events.   The scrap of paper she finds in a crevice in the walls of the Alhambra and a chance encounter eventually provide the opportunity for her to move on in her life but not before she is forced to confront her traumatic past.  I was slightly less drawn to Kate’s story than to the parts of the book set in the past but that’s a personal thing because the modern day story is expertly told.  There are subtle connections between the two story lines: secrets, religious fundamentalism and discrimination.

I received a review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Compelling, well-researched, intimate

Try something similar: Secrets of the Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

JaneJohnsonAbout the Author

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for over 20 years, as a bookseller, publisher and writer. She is responsible for the publishing of many major authors, including George RR Martin.  In 2005 she was in Morocco researching the story of a distant family member who was abducted from a Cornish church in 1625 by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa, when a near-fatal climbing incident caused her to rethink her future. She returned home, gave up her office job in London, and moved to Morocco.  She married her own ‘Berber pirate’ and now they split their time between Cornwall and a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. She still works, remotely, as Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

Connect with Jane

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