Book Review: Valour by Richard Cullen
I’m pleased to be welcoming Richard Cullen to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book, Valour – book three in the Chronicles of the Black Lion series.
Estienne Wace is forced to play a desperate game of cat and mouse, where the only way to win is to survive.
Burzenland 1223 AD
King András II of Hungary has invited the Teutonic Knights to secure his eastern frontier against the nomadic Cuman raiders, establishing fortresses along the Carpathian Mountains to quell the constant incursions by pagan clans.
Estienne Wace, has found purpose serving at the Order’s fortress of Rosenau, and he has earned respect through his unflinching courage. When a Christian mission, led by Fabrisse of Avallon, arrives determined to convert a pagan clan beyond the mountains, Estienne’s warnings of danger fall on deaf ears.
News soon arrives of Fabrisse’s capture and Estienne, along with a small band of knights, undertake a desperate rescue mission through hostile territory where Estienne will face trials beyond endurance.
In the ensuing crucible of violence, he must decide what price he is willing to sacrifice for survival, justice, and redemption, in a land where mercy is a luxury few can afford.
*****
Set in the 1200’s in Burzenland (a part of modern day Romania) Valour continues the tale of Estienne Wace, a young squire thrust into the house of William Marshal.
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Book Review: Eagle and the Flame by Adam Lofthouse
It’s exciting to be welcoming Adam Lofthouse back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Eagle and the Flame.
Rebellion is in the air at the far reaches of empire.
Wall of Hadrian, Britannia, AD 367. Tribune Sixtus Victorinus is scouting north of the Wall when he first sees the smoke. Riding south he finds a province in chaos, the local populace in flight, the soldiers absent.
Britannia is ablaze, overrun with barbarians and Valentia is the word on everyone’s lips. But no one seems to have the first clue what it means…
Victorinus may have let his life run to ruin and drunk his youth away, but now he must forge himself into the soldier he always wanted to be, the hero his children think he is.
Because his family are among the missing, and traitors lurk much closer than he could ever believe.
To save his family, he must first save an empire.
EAGLE AND THE FLAME will sweep you through the tumultuous years of the late Roman Empire.
*****
Having read books by this author before, I was intrigued by his latest book, Eagle and The Flame.
This book is the first in a new series and features Tribune Sixtus Victorinus, a man relegated to patrolling the lands north of Hadrian’s Wall. When the flames of rebellion start to burn around him he must pull himself out of the rut he has been living in and become the solider that Rome needs.
by Audiobook Review: Salt & Honey by Candi Miller
We’re pleased to be welcoming Candi Miller to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Salt & Honey, book one in the Koba series.
‘Hide!’ shouts her father. Then he breaks cover to draw the hunting party away across the blackened plain. The child sees them shoot him. And murder her mother.
It’s the 1950s but Koba is a hunter-gatherer from an ancient living culture. She’s a survivor.
Alone in a cave, she fends for herself, talks to her ancestors, breaks taboos. She gains healing power and tries to ignore the warnings she feels. She trades with the teenage son of the family who orphaned her – bushcraft for jive dancing, salt for honey.
But now she’s in the greatest danger she’s ever faced: she’s falling for a white boy in Apartheid South Africa, where love across racial divides is brutally punished. She hears the axe shatter the bedroom’s wooden shutters but Koba won’t run.
Book 1 of this fast-paced saga introduces a striking character into romance-writing, offering readers a fascinating glimpse into a forgotten way of life and into recent black history.
*****
Salt and Honey is the story of a black African girl, Koba, orphaned by white farmers and then subsequently raised by them. Struggling to reconcile her situation with her heritage, she find herself falling in love with a white boy.
I was given this novel to review via Audiobook. The narration was superb. There are a lot of native African names and dialects with clicks in it and the narrator brought those to life wonderfully.
by Book Review: Death at Fakenham Races by Ross Greenwood
We are so pleased to be welcoming Ross Greenwood back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book, Death at Fakenham Races.
When everyone is lying, how do you catch a killer?
A brutal attack at Fakenham Racecourse plunges DI Ashley Knight into the competitive world of horse racing, where fortunes are won and lost in the blink of an eye. As the investigation unfolds, a chilling discovery reveals a darker side to this glamorous sport. In these high-stakes arenas, where winning is everything and everyone has something to hide, a few are willing to cross the ultimate line.
Can Ashley, an outsider in a world of whispers and long-held grudges, unmask the murderer before they kill again?
Ross Greenwood is back with a brand new, heart-pounding case for DI Ashley Knight, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin and Peter James.
*****
A brutal murder in the depths of winter, a man beaten to death at a major racecourse. Newly promoted DI Ashley Knight has her work cut out for her to get to the bottom of things before the body count grows.
This is the 5th book in the Norfolk Murders series and it doesn’t disappoint. I read Death at Horsey Mere for review a few weeks ago and since then I have devoured the back catalogue. Ross Greenwood has an uncanny ability to keep you guessing right until the end, throwing in just enough information to keep multiple characters in the running for the spot as number one evil doer. While I confess I have read all the others in the series you don’t need to read them first if this is the first book you come across – it stands alone really nicely, filling in backstory as needed in a way which provides the information you need without boring people who already know the canon.
by Book Review: Killer at the County Show by Kate Wells
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Kate Wells back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Killer at the County Show – book five in the Malvern Mysteries series.
Foul play at the sheep show…
Tensions are high at the Three Counties Show when accusations of cheating add fuel to a longstanding feud. For Jude Gray, whose only hope was to not make a fool of herself showing her Kerry Hill sheep, farming life has never been so dramatic.
When a body is found, belonging to one of the competitors, there is no shortage of suspects. Every sheep farmer in this close-knit community has a motive and beneath their show-ready smiles, they all have something to hide.
Experience has taught Jude that when there’s a murderer at large, nobody is truly safe. And with secrets simmering beneath the surface, this may be her most challenging investigation yet. Can she unearth the truth before it’s too late?
A gripping new instalment in the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.
*****
When a farmer is murdered at the Three Counties Fare it rocks the small farming community and sets people to gossiping and suspecting their neighbours. Was it the annoying, do-gooder celebrity who bought a farm or one of the other farmers down on their luck? Jude, a sheep farmer and best friend of a local police detective has her suspicions and cannot help but get involved.
by Book Club
