Book Review: Storm of Mercia By MJ Porter

I am pleased to be welcoming MJ Porter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for their book, Storm of Mercia.

Wessex has never been Mercia’s ally, neither has it been her only enemy.

Wessex, AD836

The Viking raiders’ devastation has been halted once more by the shields of Mercia as opposed to Wessex. But their whereabouts are unknown.

King Wiglaf of Mercia is keen to ensure the Viking raiders are swept from his shared border with Wessex but these Viking ships are quick and difficult to track and Icel is once more deployed with Ealdorman Ælfstan warriors to do his King’s bidding. However, Icel’s quest is beset with many more obstacles and it’s not all about the seax and shield.

Worrying news from home overshadows Icel’s every deadly encounter. Will the storms of war keep him away or has he time to make one more desperate journey back to Tamworth?

With raging seas driving him ever further from Mercia’s shores, and the threat of a new conspiracy against the Mercian kingship will Icel overpower the sands of time, or will he be defeated by his deadliest nemesis yet?

*****

Storm of Mercia is the ninth instalment of the Mercia Chronicles.

Once again, Mercia’s shields have stopped the Viking raiders at the border with Wessex—but the invaders have vanished without a trace. Icel is dispatched among Ealdorman Ælfstan’s troops with the task of tracking the raiders and ensuring that they have truly left.

Their mission takes many turns, facing unexpected obstacles and requiring Icel to put his trust in the most unlikely of people. Meanwhile troubling news from Tamworth sees him desperate to return to the woman who was the closet thing to a mother he ever had.

MJ Porter writes wonderfully. The storytelling is swift and engaging. One of the things I love about this series is that our protagonist, Icel, doesn’t want to be a warrior; he wanted to be a healer. So often historical fiction features characters who long to be warriors and coming from the other direction gives Icel a dimension what many other characters lack.

The plot unfolded well. What I will say though, is that it is obvious this book is part of a chronicles series. You can read this first but some assumptions will have to be made in terms of backstory. Reading the ones before will enrich this book.

When you read this book, be sure to read the author’s notes at the end. They are quite interesting.

Overall, this book is a great addition to this series. I look forward to the next book.

About MJ Porter–

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. Raised in the shadow of a building that was believed to house the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia, meant that the author’s writing destiny was set.

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Storm of Mercia is book 9 in the The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles and was released by Boldwood Books on  1st April 2026. Click to buy on Amazon, Kobo and Waterstones.

by

Chris Parish