Book review: ROGUE KNIGHT by Regan Walker

I enjoyed the historical background to this novel – historical romances that use actual historical events and characters to help drive the plot make for exciting reading.

Rogue Knight is set in the early medieval period, three years after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It is the second installment in the Medieval Warriors series, in which Norman knights end up falling for the charms of fiery, independent English women.

Rogue Knight is set in York, and the author has gone to a lot of trouble to bring the Viking roots of this city to life. Our heroine, Emma, is of proud Danish stock, and her father was an actual historical figure – a rebel who helped marshal the Danish help in retrieving York from the Normans. Our hero, Sir Geoffroi, is a Norman Knight who is part of the occupying force in York. He meets Emma on the battlefield, after a bloody exchange between the locals and the Normans. She is initially hostile towards him, but after he shows considerable kindness towards her, and her family, she gradually grows to trust, and love, him.

This novel had a lot of promise but what it provided in rich historical detail, it lacked in romance. Emma and Geoffroi’s love story is a gentle one, but as the plot is driven almost entirely by events out of their control, they both appear a little passive at times.

Geoffroi is a kind, decent man – the epitome of a gallant knight – and Emma is strong and brave, but apart from the obvious ‘enemy’ divide, there was little else keeping them apart. I would have liked to have seen a little more conflict between them – especially since Geoffroi so readily forgives Emma after he discovers her real identity, as the daughter of a rebel leader. Still, that said, it was an enjoyable read and I liked being able to take a peek into the Norman conquest of England.

FOUR STARS ****

Purchase a copy of Rogue Knight on Amazon.

Book review: THE KING'S MAN by By Elizabeth Kingston

I loved the grittiness of this historical romance.

It can be difficult to portray a ‘warrior woman’ in romance, without resorting to cliché or creating a parody or watered down character who could never have, in reality, survived. However, our heroine is a tough young woman who has been groomed by her mother to one day lead the Welsh against the English king.

Gwenllian of Ruardean learns early on how difficult it is to be a female warrior in a man’s world; in order to maintain her position as a leader of men, she had to prove herself to be stronger, faster and cleverer than any man – a struggle that exhausts her.

Our hero is Sir Ranulf, an English knight with a dark past. Gwenllian had been promised to marry Ranulf’s step-father, but that never came to pass as Ranulf murdered him. Years later, she is still bitter about the future she believes he took from her. They meet after Ranulf is badly injured by Gwenllian's men. Once he has healed, Ranulf is rude and dismissive towards Gwenllian and when she bests him in a physical fight his resentment grows. However, as the story progresses a tense but all-consuming bond develops between the two of them.

The romance between Ranulf and Gwenllian is intense and sexy. Gwenllian is strong and determined but secretly vulnerable and lonely, whereas Ranulf only lives in self-imposed isolation, as he is plagued by the terrible events of his childhood and the murder he committed.

This historical romance was refreshingly free of stereotype, was beautifully written and had memorable, flawed characters who both undergo considerable change throughout the story. If I had one issue (albeit a small one), I would have like to see our hero truly lose his self-protective shell at the end; he never really lets his guard down which prevented the resolution from being as intense as it could have been.

I recommend this novel to anyone who likes their historical romance with a bit of realism and grit.

FIVE STARS *****

Purchase THE KING'S MAN on Amazon.

New novel underway - THE BREAKING DAWN!

The Breaking Dawn

THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA

The first novel in an exciting new historical romance series, set in Anglo-Saxon England. From Jayne Castel, the author of the genre-breaking KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES series. Ten years after THE DEEPENING NIGHT ends, another adventure begins...

Available on Amazon in late 2014!

You cannot fight fate

641 A.D., Kingdom of Mercia - Britannia

Merwenna, a young Mercian woman, travels to Tamworth in search of her betrothed. She is naive and wary of the world beyond her remote village - but she is determined to know what has happened to the young man who blindly followed his king to war... 

Dylan, an arrogant Welsh prince, has helped the Mercia gain victory. Unfortunately, glory turns to ashes when it dawns on him that he has sacrificed his men for nothing... 

He is but a pawn in King Penda of Mercia's game of thrones.

The king returns to Tamworth, where Merwenna grieves for the man she has lost. A guest in Penda's Great Tower, Dylan's relationship with the Mercian king quickly sours. Events soon take a turn there is no way back from...

From the moment they meet Merwenna and Dylan's paths are intertwined.

They believe they understand the world, and their places in it...

They think they know what is worth living, and dying, for...

Yet the adventure that lies ahead will teach them that love is not at all what they thought - and that some battles are not worth winning.

Get NIGHT SHADOWS for FREE on Amazon

NIGHT SHADOWS is now available on Amazon to download onto your Kindle for free - just three days only (1- 3 April)!

Download NIGHT SHADOWS for free here.

NIGHT SHADOWS is the novella that begins the KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES series: three kings, three unforgettable love stories. Immerse yourself in the romance of Anglo-Saxon England - and step back into a world when only the strong survived.

"It does not matter how much we distance ourselves, how far we run - the past always shadows us."

In the spring of 609 A.D., in the village of Went, a young man comes to ask for the hand of the ealdorman's daughter.

Wilfrid is intense, takes himself a little too seriously, and is in love with Cynewyn - a spoiled young woman who has been promised to another. Spurned and humiliated, Wilfrid leaves the ealdorman's hall, never to return.

Ten years later, Cynewyn's life has not turned out as she had hoped. Her husband is dead, her village is under siege - and to make matters worse, she has just been told she has to abandon her village.

Among the men escorting her and the surviving villagers back over the border is her former suitor - Wilfrid.

The past decade has changed, and embittered, them both. Wil no longer believes in love, and Cynewyn no longer believes in happy endings. Yet neither are prepared for the passion that ignites between them, or its consequences...

Sounds like something you might enjoy?

Download NIGHT SHADOWS for free here.

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THE DEEPENING NIGHT - available now on Amazon

After months of hard work, THE DEEPENING NIGHT is now available for purchase - both in Kindle and paperback format! 

THE DEEPENING NIGHT is a gritty, historical romance adventure set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon Britannia - a time when only the strong survived. 

It was an era made for romance!

Read on to find out more

Spring, 630 A.D...

Annan of the Wuffingas is now King of the East Angles; following the kingdom's humiliating defeat to Mercia six months earlier.

He is attempting to make a new start for himself, and his people, when he receives an order from Penda of Mercia - the king he has sworn to 'bend the knee' to.

He must marry Penda's sister - the recently widowed, Saewara of Tamworth.
Saewara, free of one bullying husband, only to be promised to another, is filled with despair at the news.

Both Annan and Saewara are embittered by the sacrifice they must make for their kingdoms: Annan had been planning to wed another, a maid now promised to his brother; while Saewara, numbed by life, had planned to become a nun.

Wyrd, fate, has other plans for Annan and Saewara.

What begins as a forced marriage, develops into a slow-burning passion between Annan and Saewara; two proud individuals, who must come to terms with more than an unwanted marriage. THE DEEPENING NIGHT is a tale of adventure, love and courage that will change, not just their lives, but the course of history.

Read an excerpt from THE DEEPENING NIGHT:

Saewara blinked back tears and forced herself to raise her chin and walk with what little dignity she still possessed onto the dance floor. Fortunately, Annan did not look her way. His hand was warm and strong in hers. She did not want to admit it, but his warmth suffused her hand and forearm, and gave her strength. Her fingers tingled from contact with him; a sensation she had never felt when taking her late husband's hand. 

He had spoken to her harshly but there had been no roughness in the way he had pulled her to her feet. Despite all that had happened, Saewara felt a strange kinship with her betrothed. They were both humiliated by her brother's continuing delight in making sport of them in front of his ealdormen and thegns. 

There would be no respite until they left the Great Tower of Tamworth.

Saewara took her place, opposite Annan at the end of the row of dancers and fixed her gaze upon the center of his chest - easier than raising her chin to look him in the eye as he towered above her. 

The bone whistle and lyre, which had halted while Penda pressured them to dance, resumed their tune with renewed vigor. The watching feasters cheered and whistled. Ribald comments rose above the cheering and Saewara's cheeks burned even hotter at some of the filth her brother's men shouted out at them.

How I loathe this place, she thought, grinding her teeth in fury. She might have been going to a new home, one where she would be reviled, but the knowledge that she would only have to spend one more night under her brother's roof gave her a grim satisfaction.

The dancers exploded into movement, and Saewara had no more time to think on her humiliation, for suddenly, Annan had taken both her hands and was pulling her toward him.

Saewara's stomach dipped; an odd, dizzying sensation. 

I should not have drunk so much mead.

It had been years since she had danced. Egfrid had hated dancing, and once the obligatory courtship rituals had been taken care of, he had never taken part in dancing on feast days, or even at Beltaine or Yule. It had been just as well, since he had been a poor dancer, and his brutality that started soon after they were wed, made her loath to touch him.

A strange thrill went through Saewara when Annan's hand rested on her waist for an instant. Then, he twirled her away from him. Saewara's heart pounded against her ribs. The heat of his hand had reached her skin, even through the thick fabric of her tunic. 

Remembering the steps she had been taught as a girl, she dipped and curtsied before her partner, before circling coquettishly around him. 

The hall roared around her, but Saewara ignored them all, concentrating on the dance. She stepped back toward Annan, and he took hold of both her hands. Together, they ran down the archway of raised arms to the end, before raising their own arms together, while the next couple began their dance. 

Breathing heavily, Saewara finally raised her gaze to her betrothed's face. His gaze snared hers and for a few moments, under the privacy of their raised arms, they stared at each other.

Saewara stood, transfixed. A wave of need consumed her; a hunger that took her breath away. She had never experienced a sensation like it before in her twenty-five winters - the intensity of it frightened her. 

Intrigued and want to read more?

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Goodreads Giveaway - Nightfall till Daybreak

Enter to win one of three paperback copies of Nightfall till Daybreak in this Goodreads Giveaway!

A slave, a soldier and a king at war with his conscience...

Nightfall till Daybreak is a tale of duty, love and courage in Anglo-Saxon England.

It is the spring of 629 A.D. and the Kingdom of the East Angles is in turmoil. Ricberht the Usurper has killed the king and taken the throne - an act that will change the lives of three individuals forever.

The slave: Freya, red-haired and wild, meets an arrogant young man on the East Anglian shore. Days later, she finds herself torn from her old life and turned into a king's slave.

The soldier: Aidan of Connacht leads an army across the water to take the throne for his lord. It is a journey that will test more than his courage.

The king: Sigeberht, the exiled stepson of King Raedwald of the East Angles returns to Britannia for vengeance - but discovers that reckoning comes at a price.

In a world dominated by bloodshed and war, will any of them find peace?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Nightfall till Daybreak

by Jayne Castel

Giveaway ends July 05, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

BOOK LAUNCH: 'Nightfall till Daybreak' now available on Amazon Kindle

Wes hāl!” Greetings! (in Old English).

My latest historical romance, Nightfall till Daybreak, is now available on Amazon Kindle - and the paperback will be also be available in a couple of days on Amazon!

This love-story is set in 629 A.D. in Anglo-Saxon England, and is Book #2 of the Kingdom of the East Angles series. These three books are set around the lives of actual East Anglian Kings: Raedwald, Sigeberht and Annan, and spans eight years, from 624-631 A.D. - at a time when the East Anglian kingdom's power was beginning to wane under the threat of Mercia.

Nightfall till Daybreak (which can be read as a standalone novel) takes place five years after the first story, Dark Under the Cover of Night. This story is centered around King Raedwald's stepson, Sigeberht, who returns to Britannia from exile in Gaul to take back the East Anglia throne for the Wuffinga family. This is the tale of Freya and Aidan, a slave and a warrior, and of the king who rules their fates.

Although the lovers: Freya and Aidan are purely figments of my imagination (even if I'd like to think they really did exist), many characters within this novel are based on real historical figures. All of the following 'real people' play an important role in the novel: King Sigeberht; his co-ruler, Ecgric; the monks, Felix of Burgundy and Botulf of Iken; Sigeberht's step-cousin Annan; and the bloodthirsty Mercian King, Penda.

Of course, in the name of telling a good story I have stretched a few facts, embellished events and shortened timelines. Botulf set up his monastery at Iken a few decades later than in this story and Sigeberht actually ruled from 629-634 A.D; but for the purposes of my tale I pack his six-year reign into one eventful year.  

Nightfall till Daybreak is based around Sigeberht's actual life; in fact it was his story that gave me my first inspiration for this novel. The lovers came later - it was Sigeberht who initially caught my attention.

Sigeberht gets a mention in Dark Under the Cover of Night, the first novel in my Kingdom of the East Angles series. He was King Raedwald's stepson, who the king had exiled to Gaul when Sigeberht was still a youth, fearing that the young man might try to claim the throne over one of Raedwald's own sons. Sigeberht lived in Gaul for many years. Nightfall till Daybreak begins after the murder of Sigeberht's step-brother, Eorpwald, the current King of the East Angles. The 'usurper', Ricberht, had taken the throne and Sigeberht sailed across the water to Britannia, to take it back for his family.

Sigeberht killed Ricberht, took back Rendlaesham and was crowned. However, Sigeberht's new life did not sit well with him. In Gaul, he had dedicated himself to religious studies and he eventually left Rendlaesham to set up a monastery and Beodricesworth (now Bury St. Edmunds). He left a relatively unknown individual - Ecgric - to rule in his stead. Sigeberht eventually abdicated, took his vows and dedicated himself to teaching young boys how to read and write Latin - but, unfortunately, he could not throw aside his responsibilities so easily. When the Mercians, led by King Penda, attacked East Anglia, Sigeberht was dragged from his monastery and onto the battlefield. He refused to bear arms and went into battle carrying only a staff. The rest, as they say, is history...

Many years later, Sigeberht was sainted. His feast day is on 29 October.

In all my novels set in the Anglo-Saxon period, I enjoy using actual historical events and figures to drive the story forward. Although these are romances, with the love story as the enduring theme, there is something exciting about reliving (or rewriting) history. This period of British history is shadowy and not particularly well documented. The main source for this period came from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which was not completed until the 730s, and was written from a religious perspective - however I found this lack of detail freeing rather than constricting. The fate of the lovers, Freya and Aidan, is intertwined with Sigeberht's. Freya is his slave and Aidan is one of his most trusted retainers. Sigeberht's choices directly affect them; either driving Freya and Aidan apart or bringing them together.

Find out more about this story by clicking on the cover image below, or visit my website: www.jaynecastel.com

 Nightfall till Daybreak

Book #2 Kingdom of the East Angles

 Dark Under the Cover of Night

Book #1 - Kingdom of the East Angles

Coming soon! Book launch in 4 days...

The next book in the Kingdom of the East Angles series, Nightfall till Daybreak, will be available on Amazon Kindle on 7 June 2013. This novel takes place four years after Dark Under the Cover of Night (Book #1), but can be read as a standalone.

 During the research of this novel, I discovered the following fascinating facts about Anglo-Saxon England.

Did you know that...

• in Anglo-Saxon England, the main meal of the day was usually at midday. Most meals consisted of pottage - an unappetizing vegetable stew that was most likely cooked for hours in a pot over the fire pit.
• only noblemen could afford swords, and only freemen were allowed to carry a spear
• the shield wall was a purely Anglo-Saxon method of warfare, and not used in continental Europe
• Winterfylleth - Winter Full Moon - was the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Halloween. Folk would burn great bonfires and leave their doorways open to allow the dead to enter. Torches would be placed in doorways, guiding in the good spirits and deterring the evil ones. They would leave jugs of milk, mead or wine, and a offerings of food, on their hearths. Winterfylleth signaled the beginning of Blotmonath, Blood month. The day after the first winter full moon, folk would perform rites to Hela, the Underworld Goddess who raised the dead - and the day after that Woden - the father of the gods - would ride his eight-legged horse through the mortal world
• Winterfylleth heralded the coming of winter but Beltaine celebrated the spring. Beltaine was a yearly fertility festival dedicated to Bel - god of light, fire and the sun. Folk would sing and dance around the Beltaine bonfire, and would burn the Wicker Man, a giant effigy made from wicker and straw, upon it. Beltaine was the eve of life, fertility and joining, and as such, many couples would go 'green gowning' - running off into the woods to make love.

Nightfall till Daybreak is a tale of duty, love and courage in a world dominated by war.

Find out more on about the story here.