#Recensie : Het ibis hof – Ellis van Zijll @EllyGodijn

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds blog is een hobby, recensies en andere boekgerelateerde berichten worden gratis geplaatst.
Ik ben dankbaar voor het ontvangen van een gratis boekexemplaar van de auteur/de uitgeverij in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening. –

Vandaag ga ik ter promotie mijn recensie van ‘Het ibis hof’ met jullie delen, maar eerst wat informatie over

De Auteur :

Ellis van Zijll (1997) is geboren en getogen in het polderachtige Nieuwkoop. Vanaf dat ze op school bij de boekenplanken kan, leest Ellis. Sinds 2009 is schrijven haar passie. In 2010 rondt zij haar eerste griezelverhaal af. Geïnspireerd door de boeken van Paul van Loon, verschijnt er al snel een tweede griezelverhaal in 2012. Na het schrijven van griezelboeken voor kinderen en jongeren vervolgt zij haar pad naar duistere fantasy, met als resulaat: Abdij van de nacht.
Naast boeken schrijven en lezen houdt zij zich bezig met het recenseren van boeken en dit doet zij voor “A Book Bat”. In haar vrije tijd waant zij zich graag in de magische wereld van fantasyfestivals en -conventies. Zij verzamelt boeken en andere snuisterijen rondom het thema vampiers. Tevens heeft zij een opleiding afgerond in de ICT sector, waarin zij ook werkzaam is.

Het Boek :

Wat als goden daadwerkelijk bestaan?
Yanara leidt een rustig leven als dochter van de tempelpriester. Samen met haar tweelingzus, Asenath, assisteert ze bij de dagelijkse rituelen. Helaas komen er steeds minder mensen opdagen bij deze diensten. Het geloof in de goden verwatert en dit lijkt onomkeerbaar. Dan verschijnt er een boodschapper van de Oppergod Ra. Hij nodigt de mensen uit afgevaardigden te sturen naar het Hof der Goden. Hen wordt een kans geboden bij de goden in de leer te gaan.
Maar let wel, slechts enkelen zullen het Hof der Goden vinden, dat zich in de Raeb-woestijn bevindt. Zij die een ware toewijding aan de goden in hun hart dragen komen het tegen. Echter kunnen alleen zij die waardig bevonden worden, binnentreden,’ luiden zijn woorden.
Yanara en Asenath worden geacht zich aan de levensgevaarlijke reis te wagen en gaan op zoek naar het Hof der Goden. Zullen ze het vinden en wat zullen ze daar aantreffen?
Het ibis hof is een Young Adult verhaal waarin de genres Fantasy en Romance hand in hand gaan. In een wereld geïnspireerd op Oud-Egyptische mythologie spelen thema’s als onzekerheid, zelfvertrouwen en jezelf leren accepteren een grote rol.

Godijn Publishing

En dan is het nu eindelijk tijd voor mijn

Ik heb al lang geen Young Adult meer gelezen, maar wanneer het thema het Oude Egypte omhelst, laat ik me graag verleiden.
Ik was dan ook heel erg enthousiast toen ik begon aan ‘Het Ibis hof’ van Ellis van Zijll en moet bekennen dat ik meteen in het verhaal zat van Yanara en Asenath.
Het Oude Egypte leek reëel en de spanning was er direct toen de boodschapper van Ra verscheen en de zusjes hun levensgevaarlijke reis gingen ondernemen.
Echter was ik persoonlijk heel erg ontgoocheld in deze queeste, want hij was even vlug gedaan als hij begonnen was.
Hier had ik echt meer van verwacht na het lezen van de korte inhoud moet ik toegeven!
Toch bleef ik geïnteresseerd verder lezen, want de auteur vertelt heel erg beeldend over het hof, waardoor je het gevoel hebt dat je er zelf rondloopt.
Maar ook daar bleef ik wederom wat op mijn honger zitten qua verhaallijn, want ik had het gevoel dat het zo maar wat meanderde en het vooral ging over een bakvis verliefdheid.
Toen er dan uiteindelijk vaart, spanning en mysterie in kwam, was het, wederom voor mij persoonlijk, nogal vlug alles na elkaar en voelde het wat onwerkelijk.
Zo hadden, voor mij althans, Asenath, Djoser, Isis en Ra, wat meer aandacht en uitdieping mogen hebben, ook Yanara mistte dit op sommige vlakken.
Heel wat voelde daarom ‘deus ex machina’ aan en dat is heel erg zonde in mijn opinie, zeker met zo’n geweldig idee rondom het godendom van het Oude Egypte en de zeer vlotte schrijfstijl van de auteur.
Misschien ervaart de echte doelgroep het totaal anders, maar, helaas voor mij, was het niet 100% wat ik er van had verwacht.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn / #QandAs : The Last Great Saxon Earls – Mercedes Rochelle @authorRochelle #AngloSaxon #HistoricalFiction

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘The Last Great Saxon Earls’ blogtour, organised by The Coffee Pot Book Club.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing an interview between the author and me, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it’s coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story.
Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended!
Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

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About the Series :

Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine’s best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.

They showed so much promise. What happened to the Godwines? How did they lose their grip?
Earl Godwine had great plans for his children. But he didn’t understand his sons. And they barely understood each other.
This is England in the days of Edward the Confessor, when Godwine and his sons tower over the other great families. Harold emerges as the power behind the throne. Tostig rules the north. They control all the earldoms except one.
What could go wrong?
We see tumultuous events of the mid-11th c. through the eyes of Godwine’s sons. Harold’s story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things differently. Their remarks are tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism. Alas, Harold’s rise in fortune is not blameless and sometimes those closest to him must pay the price of his fame.

In 1066, the rivalry between two brothers brought England to its knees. When Duke William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066, no one was there to resist him. King Harold Godwineson was in the north, fighting his brother Tostig and Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge. How could this have happened? Why would Tostig turn traitor to wreak revenge on his brother?

This series is available on
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And now it’s finally time for the

Hi

First of all thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it. Here we go! 🙂

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I was an English Literature major in college and still didn’t perceive of myself as a writer. I owe that to my boyfriend at the time, who encouraged me to start a novel with him. Unfortunately for the boyfriend in question, we had totally different approaches and I continued on my own! Once I joined the SCA (a medieval reenactment society) and learned first-hand about living history, I discovered my vocation and have followed it ever since.

Which books did/do you love to read as a child/now as a grown-up?
As a child I loved animal stories; I even had a poster of Man O’War (a racehorse) on my wall. The Black Stallion, Lad A Dog stand out as my favorites. When I reached college I fell in love with 19th century authors like Alexandre Dumas and Walter Scott. I didn’t realize, even then, that I was reading Historical Fiction. Funny, isn’t it? It wasn’t until I discovered Sharon Kay Penman that I understood that Historical Fiction was a genre. And I could do it, too! To this day I prefer reading Historical Fiction over everything else. I have to force myself to pick up another genre (with the exception of Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe, for some reason. Oh, and Anne Rice.).

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Back to Sherlock Holmes. Actually, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote some amazing Historical Fiction. Did you ever read The White Company? I think this genre was his real favorite. His characters leapt off the page for me, and I’d love to learn how to capture that ability.

If you could, which fictional character (from your own book(s) or someone else’s) would you like to invite for tea and why?
Back to Anne Rice. I adored Vampire Lestat! He was so compelling. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be turned into a vampire or anything. But he had some great adventures to share.

Do you have some rituals or habits whilst writing?
I have learned to stop for the day while in the midst of an interesting scene. I often leave off in the middle of a sentence. That way, when I begin the next day, I’m off and running. I’m rarely at a loss the next time I sit down to write (I learned that from Ernest Hemingway). It helps fight writer’s block.

Where do you come up with your idea(s)? Do people in your life need to be worried? 😉
Ha! No, that’s one of the reasons I love Historical Fiction. I already know what’s going to happen. I do have to consider carefully until someone or something really calls to me, because I know I’m going to spend the next couple of years in that character’s shoes. Sometimes (like with Richard II), I carry that person around with me for ages before I get to him. I’m often inspired by Shakespeare.

Are you a plotter or do you go with the flow, as a pantser?
I’m definitely a panster. As I said, I know what’s going to happen and in my first draft I concentrate on the historical events. It’s the second draft that gives my characters motivations, relationships, and drama. Once I have the history down, it almost defines how a character is going to react. I usually read ahead on my research (with a series), so I know what to add in the foreshadowing, which might not even come to fruition until the next (unwritten) book. I’m working out that challenge right now in my current WIP about Henry V. His brother Humphrey turns into a monster in later years, but during Henry’s life he is a good guy. Somewhere along the way I’ll need to drop a hint, but where that happens I haven’t a clue.

Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
I know from my own experience how easy it is to give up. I managed to land an agent—actually two agents—for my first novel. This was well over thirty years ago, mind you. The second agent dropped me like a proverbial hot potato, and I was so crushed I put the book on the closet shelf and gave up writing for twenty years. I tried very hard to convince myself it didn’t matter, but I was totally unfulfilled. BTW, everything had changed in the interim. What’s an author’s platform? How did internet marketing come into play? I even had a hard time converting my old WordStar format on my 3.25″ floppy disk (WordStar was defunct). I bitterly regret those missing twenty years; I’d be so much farther ahead if I had just kept at it. Or would I?

What are your futureplans as an author?
I have about four more books or so in my current series about the Plantagenets. Maybe even more. Haven’t decided yet whether I should take it to the end of the Wars of the Roses. That’s a lot of fighting! Afterwards, I think I’d like to tackle James VI of Scotland (I of England) and see how far that takes me.

Last, but not least : Can you give my readers one teaser from your book, which is featured here on my blog, please?
Gladly! Here’s a little scene that explains why King Canute took Godwine into his favor:

They had to finish setting up the night’s camp first, and by the time they returned, three rabbits were merrily dripping from a skewer into a healthy fire. Ulf and Godwine ate hungrily, and Canute seemed to be in a rare mood, joking and telling stories. He’s trying to forget, Godwine said to himself, the formidable task before him. Only Canute’s eyes gave away a preoccupation.
Ulf consumed much more alcohol than the other two, and after a few hours, he laid his head happily upon a log and went noisily to sleep. Canute laughed, pointing at the Jarl. “He enjoys his drink,” he said, reaching behind them for a blanket, “but some day it might be the death of him.” (Foreshadowing… my note) He threw the cover over the slumbering Dane. “There. Now he is set for the night.”
Canute took a moment fidgeting with the blanket. When he turned back to Godwine, the smile was gone from his face. “However, I am glad for the chance to talk to you. I find you an interesting man, Godwine, and I would know more about you.”
Alone with him for the first time, Godwine found Canute’s manner different, more personal. It was as if the king had been laid aside, and the man was allowed to come out. His face was even less harsh, although Godwine wondered if that was just the effect of the firelight.
Yet there was no denying the allure of the Dane’s manner; Godwine found himself drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Canute’s voice was caressing, yet precise. Soft, yet unyielding. Although the man’s eyes were piercing, alert, even calculating, he still inspired a certain trust as if scrupulously bound by his own set of rules. One had only to determine what those limits were.
“I do not know what Ulf has already told you about me.”
A smile crossed Canute’s face, then was gone. “It is no matter. I would rather hear you tell me.”
“All right. I am the son of a Saxon thegn. From my childhood, my father pushed me toward bettering myself; a local monk taught me to read and write. All went well until a few years ago…” He paused, looking hard at Canute. Something had just occurred to him.
The Dane nodded. “I suspected as much. Let me finish your sentence. A few years ago, your father was accused of treason. Do you know the whole story?”
Godwine swallowed hard. This was totally unexpected. “I…um, no, not really.”
“Well, I think I can help you. Your father commanded several ships in the Royal fleet, did he not?”
“Yes,” Godwine answered in a hushed voice.
“I thought he might be the same man. I know that in 1009, Eadric Streona’s brother accused Thegn Wulfnoth of betraying King Aethelred. It is said that because of this Wulfnoth took twenty ships and resorted to piracy.”
Godwine was shocked, but things were starting to make sense.
Canute leaned forward, poking the fire with a long stick. “Why do I know this? Because Eadric didn’t have any trouble persuading Wulfnoth to join with him in supporting my own father.”
There was a long silence. Godwine finally let out his breath. “I see. So he went with the Danes, too.”
Canute let out a short laugh. “It seems that both you and I have reason to suspect Eadric and also to be indebted to him. Me, because I need his help with Edmund. And you, because through him, I have occasion to reward your father’s son.”

Isn’t that a great reason to pick up the book and read it?!
Thanks once again, Mercedes Rochelle, for this lovely interview!
Thanks so much for interviewing me! I really enjoyed talking with you.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn / #Excerpt : Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound – Paul Duffy @PDufaigh @CynrenPress #HistoricalFiction #IrishFiction

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound’ blogtour, organised by The Coffee Pot Book Club.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing an extract, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Paul Duffy, author of Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound (2022), is one of Ireland’s leading field archaeologists and has directed numerous landmark excavations in Dublin as well as leading projects in Australia, France and the United Kingdom.
He has published and lectured widely on this work, and his books include From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne—the Epic Deeds of Hugh de Lacy during the Cathar Crusade (2018) and Ireland and the Crusades (2021). He has given many talks and interviews on national and international television and radio (RTÉ, BBC, NPR, EuroNews).
Paul has also published several works of short fiction (Irish Times, Causeway/Cathsair, Outburst, Birkbeck Writer’s Hub) and in 2015 won the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Award. He has been shortlisted for numerous Irish and international writing prizes and was awarded a writing bursary in 2017–2018 by Words Ireland.

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About the Book :

On a remote Gaelic farmstead in medieval Ireland, word reaches Alberic of conquering Norman knights arriving from England. Oppressed by the social order that enslaved his Norman father, he yearns for the reckoning he believes the invaders will bring—but his world is about to burn. Captured by the Norman knight Hugo de Lacy and installed at Dublin Castle as a translator, Alberic’s confused loyalties are tested at every turn. When de Lacy marches inland, Alberic is set on a collision course with his former masters amidst rumours of a great Gaelic army rising in the west. Can Alberic navigate safely through revenge, lust and betrayal to find his place amidst the birth of a kingdom in a land of war?

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And now it’s finally time for the

Milesius

‘I am a refugee, a sinner, a simple country person, near sixteen when I was taken prisoner from Britannia. At that time, I did not know the true God. It was among foreigners that it was seen how little I was. I tended sheep on the mountainside everyday and it was there that I turned with all of my heart to God. Faith grew and my spirit was moved. I was like a stone lying deep in the mud. Then he who is powerful came and, in his mercy, pulled me out and lifted me up and placed me on the very top of his wall. My name is Patricius.’
Milesius recited these ancient words to me the following morning. He read them from an immense book of cowhide in the empty, sun-warmed scriptorium where his voice lapped against the walls. I sat, as I often had, among the frames of pinned parchment and the venerated books, watching through the narrow window, the brothers below at their tasks in the herb garden. My belly full of honeyed oatmeal and my head drowsing pleasantly.
Milesius read these words in sympathy, to soothe my young anger, my devouring frustration – to show me that at the dawn of time, the greatest of all saints was once in bondage like me. That through his belief he was elevated in life and became a leader of kings, beloved throughout Yrlande. And though Milesius had his own ends in sight, his words gave me power. A power which settled deep within the bole of my being and allowed me to draw upon a pool of strength when the kicks and lashes became too much, when the burden cracked my young joints and twisted my sinews. Over the previous years, he had furnished me with a spirit that became difficult to dim. A spirit fed by belief. A belief that there would be more for me on this earth and that I would be raised up by the grip of a firm hand. Though ‘he who is powerful’, when he made himself known, proved not to be the Christian God, nor was his beneficence eternal. De Lacy. That morning I would hear the name spoken of for the first time.
‘The world is changed Alberic,’ Milesius said, placing down the book and I waited to hear more as he bent his face to the studded cover, his lips kissing silently. ‘MacMurchada is dead and the foreign lords he brought home with him have taken more than was their due. The Engleis King – Henri, has crossed the sea with an army to lay claim to Leinster. Not only that, the king has promised Míde to one of his captains. The baron de Lacy. An outrage. Unspeakable in its wrongness.’
‘Henri here? In Yrlande?’ I spoke to quieten the tumult of feeling this news had caused within me. And to disguise the hope I felt deep within, I said ‘MacMurchada never had true claim over this land.’
‘Indeed,’ Milesius said, watching me closely, ‘this is why the Tiarna takes such rash decisions. Looking for answers in ancient mounds and placing his faith in heathen objects. The gaze of one of the most powerful kings of Christendom is upon us.’
‘Will Ua Conor meet his gaze?’ I asked.
‘Surely,’ he said, ‘And my cousin Ua Ruairc in the vanguard no doubt. And, as ever, the innocent will be trampled in the clash.’
‘The purpose of all war is peace a mháistir.’
‘Perhaps,’ he said, shrewd eyeing me, a thick, ink-stained finger pushing his lower lip into the gentle chew of his teeth. ‘What is certain – your worth has risen lad. The Tiarna will look to use you and your father to his advantage.’

*

Milesius – Máel Ísu in the tongue of the Gael – of the family of Ua Ruairc, was a great scholar and he enjoyed his role, bending me this way and that with the current of his thought. I could not discern at first why I warranted special interest, why I was so often granted access to the workings of the monastery. Many of the clerics presumed sodomy, though, despite long hours in the close dimness of the scriptorium, he never laid a hand on me in that way. The only time his touch lingered was in tilting my head to show the Abbot or some visiting deacon my birthmark saying.
‘Leag Dia lamh air’ – God has laid his hand on him.
This earned me much scorn from the community of monks and lay brothers – one as low as I within their sanctum. Though their scorn was a paltry thing and I learned to walk tall, uninjured by the bramble of their looks on the back of my neck. In time, they too forgot the outrage of it, and I sank into the background, becoming part of the life of the foundation, coming from the Tiarna’s farmstead on my due days to render service – invisible against the high banks of the enclosure, the painted crosses, the stone shrine.
Milesius had been to the realm of the Holy Father in Rome. An unspeakable journey across oceans and burning wastes and forests deeper than the blackest cavern and through heathen lands and mountains so high that snow laid ever on their peaks. Along this route, he passed the vastness of territories controlled by that Imperator of the west – king Henri of Anjou – and read in the stern faces and high walled fortresses of those Engleis and Normans of what was to come. Forearmed with this knowledge, Milesius fostered me in a way. He saw the value in a half-Engleis lad of reasonable wit. He crafted me, perhaps, as a worker of alder crafts a shield to hold out against future blows.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BookReleaseBlitz #RRBookTours @RRBookTours1 / #PromoPost : The Rebirth #TheRebirth – V. P. Evans #ThrillerBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘The Rebirth’ blogtour, organised by R&R Book Tours.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

V.P. Evans is the pen name of an average (and perhaps boring) guy who seems desperate to disappear into lands far away. You would probably find him lost in a secluded village in Estonia, wandering among the wild islands of the Azores, or backpacking across vague paths in Asia. And sometimes, as the fading lights and the thick darkness of this mysterious cosmos unfold before him, he has an idea and writes it down.

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About the Book :

A night where everything begins … and everything ends.
For the past decade, police homicide consultant Mark Gilliam has been wasting his life with corpses, drugs, and alcohol. Things weren’t always like this. Ten years ago, he was a soldier, a husband, a … father. But it’s what he deserves. He couldn’t protect his son from the monsters that took him away.
For the past decade, Jason Roneros has been living a reclusive life, forced to spend the rest of his days in isolation. Things weren’t always like this. Ten years ago, he was a well-respected author, a fighter, a … dreamer. But it’s what he deserves. He trusted these monsters.
For the past decade, Mark and Jason haven’t seen each other.
But everything is about to change …
A murder brings them together one night, trapping them in the streets of Chicago in search of redemption down a cryptic path that could unlock the darkest scandal in history. As the path unrolls secrets buried in great works of art and philosophical writings, the shadiest aspects of the human soul come to the surface. Soon, the two men realize that those hunting them, closing in with each passing minute, are equally dangerous as the ghosts of the past …
***Mature Content***

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The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RandomThingsTours @RandomTTours / #Review : The Venice Secret – Anita Chapman @neetschapman

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘The Venice Secret’ blogtour, organised by Random Things Tours.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing my review, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Anita Chapman enjoyed writing stories from a young age, and won a local writing competition when she was nine years old. Encouraged by this, she typed up a series of stories about a mouse on her mum’s typewriter and sent them to Ladybird. She received a polite rejection letter, her first.
Many of Anita’s summers growing up were spent with her family driving to Italy, and she went on to study French and Italian at university. As part of her degree, Anita lived in Siena for several months where she studied and au paired, and she spent a lot of time travelling around Italy in her twenties.
Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child.
Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.

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About the Book :

One hidden painting. Two women born centuries apart. A secret uncovered.
In 2019, Rachel is stuck in a rut when she discovers what appears to be a Canaletto painting in her grandmother’s loft along with a note addressed to Philippa in 1782. With help from Jake at the local art gallery, Rachel endeavours to find out if the painting is an original and uncovers a secret from the past.
In 1780, governess at Chipford Hall, Philippa is offered the role of mistress by Earl Rupert. She escapes to Venice as companion to bluestocking, Lady Cordelia who reveals a secret that changes both their lives. They do their best to keep the secret from Lady Cordelia’s social circle, but their nemesis is determined to reveal all and ruin them.

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And now it’s finally time for my

For me, ‘The Venice Secret’ by Anita Chapman was an enchanting book.
It was very well researched and perfectly plotted.
It had beautiful descriptions, fascinating characters and a captivating mystery.
An engaging dual-time, impossible to put down.
I can’t wait for a next one by this author.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RRBookTours @RRBookTours1 / #PromoPost : We Come with Vengeance #WeComeWithVengeance – H. G. Muralee #FantasyBooks #Steampunk #FantasybookSeries

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘We Come with Vengeance’ blogtour, organised by R&R Book Tours.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

H.G. Muralee was born and raised in North Carolina. She graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in Criminal Justice and works as a paralegal. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading far too many books, watching The Great British Baking Show, learning her husband’s native language, and playing with her dog, Oliver.

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About the Book :

The war has stretched on for twenty years, and the soldiers, civilians, and nobles are exhausted. Towns grow more desolate while war technology continues to advance, leaving the rest of Kaier behind.
Felix—heir to House Leigh-Van—harbors resentment for the war that has claimed his sister’s life and his father’s ethics. Regardless, he follows his orders and is content to remain equal among his fellow soldiers.
When a routine stop for repairs puts Felix at the epicenter of a brutal attack impacting civilians rather than soldiers, he struggles to continue separating his ethics from his duty. He’s privately ambivalent but publicly supportive of his uncle—the king—when whispers of an underground rebellion start to circulate. The rebellion is gaining traction and could soon make a serious play at ending the war.
But when even the tactics of the resistance begin claiming lives as quickly as the war itself, Felix starts to wonder who will survive to see the peace they’re fighting for.

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The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#Recensie : De diva en de demon – Guy Prieels @HoutekietBoeken

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds blog is een hobby, recensies en andere boekgerelateerde berichten worden gratis geplaatst.
Ik ben dankbaar voor het ontvangen van een gratis boekexemplaar van de auteur/de uitgeverij in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening. –

Vandaag ga ik ter promotie mijn recensie van ‘De diva en de demon’ met jullie delen, maar eerst wat informatie over

De Auteur :

Guy Prieels was kleinkunstenaar, vastgoedmakelaar aan de Belgische kust en in de Zwitserse Alpen en runde een gerenomeerde kunstgalerij. ‘De diva en de demon’ is de elfde roman van zijn hand, sinds zijn debuut als schrijver in 2007.

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Het Boek :

1976. Een moordend hete zomer. Een verstoten bruid, een bloedmooie griet als inzet op de pokertafel en twee vrouwen die met een kogel in het achterhoofd uit het water worden gevist. Ook de partners van de vrouwen zijn verdwenen. Van de ene wordt het hoofd teruggevonden. De andere wordt gezocht als verdachte, maar is verdwenen met de noorderzon. Het raadsel blijft onopgelost.
2001. De misdaden zijn verjaard. De dader voelt zich onaantastbaar. Maar de kroongetuige kent geen rust en wacht op het gepaste moment om eindelijk wraak nemen.

Houtekiet

En dan is het nu eindelijk tijd voor mijn

Men zegt wel eens dat het echte leven de fictie overtreft en na het lezen van ‘De diva en de demon’, gebaseerd op een waargebeurd verhaal, mag ik hopen van niet.
Als dit een werkelijke weergave is van hoe sommige mensen met elkaar omgaan dan ben ik zwaar onder de indruk van de mensheid.
Ik hoop dus oprecht dat Guy Prieels, dit anders zeer volkse verhaal, heel fel heeft opgesmukt en bijgekleurd, want het laat mij wat verbouwereerd achter.
Dit gezegd zijnde, geef ik graag toe dat ik, ondanks mijn ontsteltenis, toch genoten heb van het boek an sich.
De auteur heeft immers een zeer vlotte en toegankelijke schrijfstijl die er niet alleen voor zorgt dat je verder leest, maar dat je ook alles haast als een film voor je ziet.
Een echte vakman dus, die het aandurft om in de diepe krochten van het Vlaamse landschap te duiken en een boeiend, meesterlijk faction verhaal neer te pennen.
Voor mij dus misschien een onthutsende historie, maar daarnaast ook een aangename eerste kennismaking met deze auteur, waarvan ik zeker nog boeken wil lezen in de toekomst.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Review : Storm of War – Peter Gibbons @AuthorGibbons @BoldwoodBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Storm of War’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing my review, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Peter Gibbons is a financial advisor and author of the highly acclaimed Viking Blood and Blade trilogy. He comes to Boldwood with his new Saxon Warrior series, set around the 900 AD Viking invasion during the reign of King Athelred the Unready. The first title of the new series, Warrior and Protector, will be published in October 2022. He originates from Liverpool and now lives with his family in County Kildare.

Social Media Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
BookBub

About the Book :

The fight for a torn Kingdom rests in the hands of a few brave men…

990AD.
King Aethelred II, who men will one day call The Unready, rules over a land divided by the shadowy spin of his mother Queen Ælfthryth and the sprawling power of the Church.
The Viking Warlord, Olaf Tryggvason smelling the Kingdoms weakness brings the vicious Jomsvikings to the Saxon coastline ravenous for war and plunder.
Together Lord Byrthnoth, Ealdorman of the East Saxons and Beornoth his Saxon Thegn lead a force of oath sworn Viking killers, every bit as brutal and war-skilled as the Norse invaders to protect the Kingdom against enemies both from within, and from the cruel seas. They are pushed to the very limits of their bravery and endurance in a desperate fight for the very existence of the Saxon Kingdom.
In a riveting story of trachery, betrayal, vengeance and war, can Beornoth defeat his enemies and protect the Kingdom from destruction?

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for my

I really enjoyed this second book in this series as it not only read as one big adventure, but also showed the in depth knowledge of the period of the author.
The descriptions of the places and people involved felt so realistic you got the feeling you’re there yourself.
What a brilliant storyline, full of action throughout, which kept my attention from start till finish.
Fabulous way to learn something about history for sure!
If you enjoyed the authors previous Viking books you will not be disappointed, believe me.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #PromoPost : Where The Water Flows – Romola Farr @RomolaFarr @merlinwardcom

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Where The Water Flows’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

Romola Farr first trod the boards on the West End stage aged sixteen and continued to work for the next eighteen years in theatre, TV and film – and as a photographic model. A trip to Hollywood led to the sale of her first screenplay and a successful change of direction as a screenwriter and playwright. Bridge To Eternity was her debut novel, and Breaking through the Shadows and Where the Water Flows are standalone sequels. All three novels are set in the fictional town of Hawksmead.
Romola Farr is a nom de plume.

Twitter Romola Farr
Twitter Merlin Ward

About the Book :

It had been a long, hot summer followed by a very wet autumn. The River Hawk, lying to the north of a former little mill town, was in full flood but nobody imagined the catastrophe that lay ahead.
Not the elderly couple who created a beautiful memorial garden that would become a lake.
Not the opera singer who found a friend who would risk all to save her life.
Not the owner of Wax Polish who would battle to rescue her first love.
Not the new parents who would be overwhelmed and torn apart.
And certainly not two drama students whose lives would change forever.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#Recensie : Wie het eerst komt (Carl Edson #3) – Bo Svernström @HarperCollinsHL

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds blog is een hobby, recensies en andere boekgerelateerde berichten worden gratis geplaatst.
Ik ben dankbaar voor het ontvangen van een gratis boekexemplaar van de auteur/de uitgeverij in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening. –

Vandaag ga ik ter promotie mijn recensie van ‘Wie het eerst komt’ met jullie delen, maar eerst wat informatie over

De Auteur :

Bo Svernström (1964) heeft een PhD in Zweedse literatuur en heeft lang voor Aftonbladet gewerkt, een van de belangrijkste kranten van Zweden. Wie zint op wraak werd jubelend ontvangen en werd in tien landen vertaald. Svernström woont in Stockholm en werkt daar fulltime aan zijn boeken.

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Het Boek :

Wanneer de ontvoerde baas van een Zweeds mijnbouwbedrijf vermoord wordt aangetroffen in een zomerhuis, worden hoofdinspecteur Carl Edson en zijn team ingeschakeld. Drie extremistische klimaatactivisten worden verdacht van de ontvoering. Maar dan worden twee van hen ook dood aangetroffen in hetzelfde zomerhuis, terwijl de derde nergens te bekennen is…
Carl en zijn team ontdekken een getuige: een jonge blinde vrouw wordt besmeurd met bloed in een kast gevonden. Haar getuigenis is de enige aanwijzing in deze chaotische zaak. Maar wanneer de vrouw plotseling ontsnapt en de laatste ontvoerder wordt opgepakt, hoort de politie een heel ander verhaal. Wat is er echt gebeurd in het zomerhuis?

HarperCollins Holland

En dan is het nu eindelijk tijd voor mijn

‘Wie het eerst komt’ is voor mij een eerste kennismaking met Bo Svernström en zijn politieteam, dus ik was een beetje bezorgd dat ik niet optimaal zou kunnen genieten van dit verhaal.
Deze vrees werd gedeeltelijk bewaarheid aangezien ik tijdens het lezen het gevoel kreeg dat de dynamiek tussen het team iets was dat je enkel beter kon begrijpen wanneer je voorgaande delen reeds had verslonden.
Daarnaast werden, naar mijn gevoel, ook de hoofdpersonages oppervlakkig gehouden, want iedereen kent hen al door en door.
Echt jammer, want de zaak an sich vond ik wel interessant doordat het vanuit meerdere perspectieven werd verteld en je langzaam tot het besef komt dat iedereen zijn / haar waarheid verkoopt aan de rechercheurs.
Daardoor lijkt het soms of de zaak in een impasse zit en het verhaal maar wat verder meandert, maar gelukkig komen er toch, beetje bij beetje, dingen aan het licht.
Het einde heeft dan weer een zodanige stroomversnelling, die misschien tegenover de rest van het boek te snel aanvoelt, dat het er voor zorgt dat het mij niet helemaal tevreden achterlaat.
Maar misschien is dit wel vaak werkelijkheid bij de politie en ben je als agent niet altijd even happy met het waarom of de uitkomst van het gebeuren?
Ik vermoed van wel en daarom vind ik het dan weer een realistische inkijk in die wereld en iets waar de auteur dus een pluim voor verdient aangezien hij fictie schrijft.
Een leuke introductie dus met deze, voor mij onbekende, auteur, die me aanzet om de eerdere delen binnenkort ook eens te gaan lezen.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds