Review: The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick

In the year 1002 thirteen year old Emma of Normandy is taken to England and given in marriage to AEthelred the king, who is an old man of thirty four. Like women down the ages, she had no choice in the matter and she instantly dislikes her new husband, a weak man with violent tendencies. She herself is distrusted from the start for her blood ties to the Vikings that habitually raid the English coast.

But Emma surprises herself, the stress of her situation results is something she didn't expect...turns out she is strong, feisty, brave in the face of her husband and the yes-men he surrounds himself with. While she can't quite bring herself to care even for her children, she grows to love the English people and they love her in return.

A weak king can only hold out for so long, especially against a strong, determined enemy like the Scandinavian king, Swein Forkbeard. With the Viking victory comes another sweeping change for Emma, her life and her future. She is equal to the challenge.

Helen Hollick

Those of you who have long been readers of this blog will know that Helen is one of my very favorite authors (and it isn't because she sends me Christmas cards, though I will say that receiving hers is the highlight of my holiday cards!!!). I picked up The Kingmaking in London in the early 1990's and that trilogy is still right at the top of my favorite books list. (Click on the titles for my reviews: The Kingmaking, Pendragon's Banner, Shadow of the King.) The Forever Queen is another fantastic historical fiction novel. It is classic Helen: meticulously researched, beautifully written, and with the intricacies of ancient politics simply and fascinatingly related so the reader feels completely at home in that time period. If you love historical fiction and have never read a Helen Hollick book, pick up The Forever Queen! By the time you finish you will be putting all the rest of them on your wishlist!

The Forever Queen is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-4068-3

For more information about Helen and all of her wonderful books, please visit her website and blog. She was recently featured in an interesting BBC radio program about Harold, the last Saxon king, you can listen to that here (but the site says it will only be up for four more days, so hurry!)

Here's a list of blogs participating in the Sourcebooks Fall Reading Club event for The Forever Queen:

1-Nov

http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/

http://calicocritic.blogspot.com/

2-Nov

http://www.passagestothepast.com/

http://lifeinthethumb.blogspot.com/

3-Nov

http://www.luxuryreading.com/

4-Nov

http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/

http://historicallyobsessed.blogspot.com/

5-Nov

http://booksbythewillowtree.blogspot.com/

http://www.historyandwomen.com/

8-Nov

http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/

http://www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/

9-Nov

http://debsbookbag.blogspot.com/

http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

10-Nov

http://literatehousewife.com/

http://carpelibrisreviews.com/

11-Nov

http://web.me.com/quirion/Bookaddict/Welcome.html

http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com/

12-Nov

http://www.brokenteepee.blogspot.com/

http://www.read-all-over.net

15-Nov

http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com/

http://celticladysramblings.blogspot.com/

16-Nov

http://www.jennylovestoread.blogspot.com/

http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/

17-Nov

http://bookalicio.us/

http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/

18-Nov

http://pushersink.blogspot.com/

http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/

19-Nov

http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/

22-Nov

Book Club Chat on http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/

Review: Axe of Iron: The Settlers by J.A. Hunsinger

By the year 1008 the warm temperatures of the previous two hundred years had melted much of the ice in the northern seas, allowing the Vikings the opportunity to expand and explore. Their success as a people had led to overpopulation of their native lands, the oldest son would inherit the family land and no additional land was available for younger sons. The land that was available had become over-used and could not feed the large population. So groups of Northmen, or Norse, left their ancestral homes in search of new lands where they could settle.

This is the fictional account of Halfdan Ingolfsson, his second in command Gudbjartur Einarsson and their group of 315 settlers searching for a new homeland. They leave Greenland in six large wooden ships and sail south, headed for the outpost of Leifsbudir on the east coast of North America. During a ferocious storm they are blown off course and end up in the previously unexplored Hudson Bay.

They have brought with them everything they need to start life in a new place. They have livestock and provisions, tools and craftsmen. They are a hearty people well used to the hard work of daily life. And Halfdan is a leader with revolutionary ideas. Though the Northmen are renowned for their battle ability, Halfden wants to befriend the native people and live in harmony with them, avoiding the wars that have been the downfall of previous attempts at settling new lands.

This novel is extremely well researched and provides great historical detail about the daily life of the Vikings, their sources of food and methods of cooking, toolmaking, hunting and sailing. I enjoyed the story and the character development, the author did a good job of portraying the social tapestry of this hearty group of people. Packed with fascinating information about this little known time period, readers of historical fiction, nautical fiction and adventure novels would all enjoy this book.

Axe of Iron is the first book of a planned five book series. It is published by Vinland Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9801601-0-9.

For more information, please visit the author's website and blog.

Some other reviews in blogland:

Cafe of Dreams

Divine Caroline

World of Books & eBooks

The Review from Here

Many thanks to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for sending me Axe of Iron for review!