The Errant Hours (Arrowsmith) by Kate Innes

by Kate Innes

A headlong journey through the physical and spiritual dangers of Plantagenet Britain, in all its savage pageantry. Welsh Marches, July 1284 - the uprising in Wales is over, the leader gruesomely executed, the dead are buried. But for Illesa Arrowsmith, the war’s aftermath is just as brutal. When her brother is thrown into the Forester’s prison on false charges, she is left impoverished and alone. All Illesa has left is the secret manuscript entrusted to her – a book so powerful it can save lives, a book so valuable that its discovery could lead to her death. When the bailiff’s daughter finds it, Illesa decides to run, and break her brother out of jail by whatever means. But the powerful Forester tracks them down, and Illesa must put herself and the book at the mercy of an unscrupulous knight who threatens to reveal all their secrets, one by one. Inspired by the seductive art of illuminated manuscripts, The Errant Hours draws from the deep well of medieval legend to weave a story of survival and courage, trickery and love. “Kate Innes’s glorious first novel is a lyrical joy. Up there with the best of Pat Bracewell and Elizabeth Chadwick, it offers utter immersion in an intricate, plausible world. A must read for the autumn.” Manda Scott

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Medieval, Historical, 13th Century

Paperback

First published November 30, 2015

About the author

I was born in London, of South African parents, and spent my early life in America. At eighteen, I returned to Britain and studied Archaeology and Teaching. Two years working in rural schools in Zimbabwe helped me to grow up very quickly!

When I returned to Britain, I worked as a Museum Education Officer around the Midlands, and began to write in earnest after the arrival of my three children.

I write about the deep past. My first historical novel- 'The Errant Hours' Book One of 'The Arrowsmith Trilogy' is based on real events in the 13th century Welsh Marches. It was inspired by the seductive art of illuminated manuscripts and the influential legends of the time. These themes weave together into a story of survival and courage, trickery and love.

“Kate Innes’s glorious first novel is a lyrical joy. Up there with the best of Pat Bracewell and Elizabeth Chadwick, it offers utter immersion in an intricate, plausible world.”
Manda Scott

'All the Winding World' Book Two of The Arrowsmith Trilogy interweaves old and new characters in a moving story about the savagery of war, the insistence of love and the power of illusion. 'Wild Labyrinth' completes the Trilogy following Lady Illesa on a journey into the heart of political and religious dangers.

My first children's book, 'Greencoats', is a historical fantasy set in WW2, exploring the forest folklore of Britain. It was shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award in 2022. In 2024 the first book in the Lily Ash Series was published - 'An Ancient Haunting’. It’s set mainly on Crete and explores the paranormal and ancient civilisations for readers age 10+.

Currently I mainly read history in order to get a proper frame of reference for my fiction. But I still enjoy novels when I am not working. Helen Dunmore, Barry Unsworth, Margaret Atwood, Anne Patchett and David Mitchell are profound recent influences, whereas my childhood was more in the fantasy realm, with Ursula Le Guin, Ann MacAffrey, Susan Cooper, Tolkien and CS Lewis.

I have been writing and performing poetry for many years, usually with a particular focus on animals, art or the natural world. These poems, associated research and thoughts are posted in my blog and through @kateinnes2. My poetry collection, 'Flocks of Words' contains poetry from 25 years of writing, and was shortlisted for The Rubery Book Award in 2018. The title poem won the 2016 Imagined Worlds Prize, from the Friends of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

I enjoy running writing workshops, collaborating with other artists, and undertaking commissions and residencies.

Reviews

[Nicky Moxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As authentic as they come

What an interesting tale, and I loved the scholarship that informed but never intruded into the story! I hope there's more in the making...

[Nicky Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the tale of brave and resourceful Illessa, a young woman more or less alone in Plantaganet England, as she struggles to save the life of her brother, and then her own life in the face of poverty, violence and corruption.

The historical details in this superb tale feel thoroughly authentic throughout, as perhaps you would expect from an author who is also a historian. The story is brought to life not only through real events from this time, and real geographical locations but also a wealth other beautiful details. This includes the foods eaten, herbs poulticed, clothing worn, songs sung and a million other evocative touches which help this book to be an immersive read, the sort capable of subjecting the reader to time-travel.

I enjoyed the two delicately related secondary stories, which give context to some of the key items and characters.

Illessa herself is a rounded heroine who is given an intriguing history, revealed to the reader, but which can only be pieced like patchwork by the protagonists as the story progresses. This slow burn is immensely satisfying with a nice twist or two at the end.

The cast of supporting characters are a joy; all of them fully-formed and delicious - the evil Forester, the miserable Anchoress, even William the orphan-horse-whisperer is captivating. From baddies to goodies and some inbetween, Illessa must dance between them to achieve her ends. (She's not so good at dancing but she makes up for it with a number of other superb qualities). There's also a memorable horse named Jezebel. Seriously, even the horses have personality in this book.

I especially liked the pace - the details are lingered upon, and its not a period I knew much about before so it was very much like looking through a window back in time.

A thoroughly compelling historical epic, elegantly woven and atmospheric - I loved it.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book with a compelling protagonist and an intruiging story. The setting feels genuine and lived-in, demonstrating Innes' research into the era and knowledge of Shropshire. As a Shropshire lass myself it's so nice to read stories set in locations I'm familiar with!

[Yasminespills · Rating 4 out of 5]

It 's a nice historical fiction which draws an interesting picture of Edward Longshank's England,although in my opinion the portrayal of people could be more complicated,and the personalities of some characters seems inconsistent.Anyway given that it's is the writer's first novel it is quite remarkable

[Michelle Berke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! I loved how the story pulled me in. Very well researched too. Excellent.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5? Good historical romance, interesting period and aspects, recommend, minus: first half is very exciting, second half is just will-they-won't-they, no chase or thriller elements. Very good at conveying how scary the period was - how life-threatening a small not-really secret could be, for instance - but then the heroine becomes more dare-devil than 99% of readers would be; but without that, no/dull book, so fine. Interesting attention to time perception, due to title volume? Good. It's a historical romance, not Great Literature, mark includes that (sometimes i mark down for that and sometimes in context... how helpful). Book bought by friend from the locality on local bookshop's recommendation, so i'm writing this review in case the author needs the publicity: totally recommend if you want an interesting historical romance that's also a good read and a great gripper!

[Helen Hollick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by the Historical Novel Society and selected as Editor's Choice - an utterly delightful novel that kept me reading into the small hours. Very Enjoyable
Helen Hollick
Historical Novel Society Managing Editor
selected as HNS Editor's Choice

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabbed me from the very first page. I was immersed in history, and very much involved in the character's lives. The historical accuracy and rich landscapes of this world made me want to keep reading far into the night! I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who loves history.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Devoured it in a weekend, despite not traditionally an avid reader of this genre. It changed my mind! Have now enjoyed the whole trilogy and bought it as gifts for friends and family.

[Karen Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this medieval romp. Ilessa is a great heroine.

[Juliet]

Lovely well written book.

[David Santiuste]

An engaging historical novel. At one level this is an enjoyable romantic adventure, but there's also a serious attempt here to convey a deeper sense of medieval life.

[Catherine Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent historical fiction. You don't always get rich historical detail and good characters but in this you get both.

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, but some plot elements were a little tenuously strung together.

[Ian Enters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tough time for a young woman seeking justice! The plot is complicated but strong. The history vividly and accurately evoked. The characterisation plausible and relationships well observed. Highly recommended.

[philip cleary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo!

A fact strewn journey, across centuries and continents, wrapped up in a thrilling novel - I cannot recommend this Author(ess?) more highly. She’s brilliant and on par with Robert Fabbri and Julian Stockwin. I look forward to buying her a pint in the 3 Fishes in Shrewsbury, sometime soon.

[Catriona Mackay]

This book was rather fabulous.

I am one of those terrible people who nitpick at historical inaccuracy, and I didn't find any. Or to put it more positively, 'The Errant Hours' is rooted well in its time and its place, grounded in excellent historical knowledge, and a deep understanding of and love for the Welsh Marches.

The characters are interesting and well rounded. The cover made me fear all those tropes around 'strong female characters', 'feisty' heroines or (God forbid) ladies being 'kickass'. I am allergic to that variety of character (see this excellent article for some of the reasons why: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/...), but this book was nothing like that.

Sorry - I should be telling you what the book is, not what it isn't. As you can perhaps tell, reviewing books isn't really my thing.

The portrayal of characters' medieval religious and cultural beliefs was neither inauthentic nor off-putting to my 21st century sensibilities - always a difficult line to straddle.

There was excellent disability representation: one of the main characters is disabled, but much more importantly, there are minor disabled characters just getting on with living their lives, without their disabilities being a plot point, and spread across the moral spectrum rather than being stereotyped as good or evil.

The prose style is delicious: lyrical when it needs to be, always flowing well, never getting in the way of plot or character.

I can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.

[Shwetha H.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Errant Hours by Kate Innes in a historical fiction, but in real it is not a complete fiction. Most of the characters are real and existed in the era when this story took place. Though the storyline couldn’t relate to the title, story is nevertheless enjoyable and manages to keep you reading it. Every character that has dialogues in the story is interesting and has its own perspective about the happenings.

The story is about Illesa Arrowsmith, a girl who has lost both her parents, trying to save her brother from being killed by cruel and deceiving forest keepers of the King. In the process of saving her brother, she meets a lot of people who are ready to help her and her brother. She is not happy, but you can say she was lucky in finding help wherever she went; it is another thing that she put herself in harm’s way too. The author has done a great job in depicting the lifestyle of that era, so it is not difficult to imagine Illesa and others busy in random chores. The story keeps moving ahead and every now and then it will be like “Ok, now Illesa will not be able to escape”, then there will come someone to help her. One of the main characters to help her is Sir Richard Burnel. He is there with her through thick and thin, whether he wants or not, and so does she. But sometimes it does feel like too much of coincidence, but the story has to go on. Even if the author tried, this story couldn’t have had unnecessary characters. Also, this book actually has one main story and three sub-stories, so it is something to look forward to.

A good story with good research about history related to 13th century Wales makes The Errant Hours a good one time read. If you read it again, maybe it is because you are not from that part of the country where the story takes place and you are confused with the names they have for different parts of the day. You see, the Errant Hours!

[Joy Margetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great medieval fiction, especially appealing as set in Wales and on the Welsh borders. Filled with well researched detail of the period, although I found the amount of detail detracted from the story in places. Will be reading more from this author though!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval Tale

A bit disjointed and hard to follow in places. The first part was very detailed and set over only a few days. We were then introduced to a whole new story set in the 6th century that came as a complete surprise. The ending felt rushed and I’m not surprised there is a sequel as it definitely feels like the story needs to continue. Impressive bibliography and references to follow up on.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their journey takes the reader on a fascinating tour of medieval culture and beliefs: the feudal legislature, the low status of women and the power of the church. The writing is rich with period detail, not only the sights and sounds but the smells.
Full review
https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecd...

[Caroline Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Errant Hours on audio is my first audio book, it is a book I have read previously and have enjoyed very much.
The main story focuses on a journey undertaken in the 12th century by the main character Illesa who overcomes the many obstacles that a young woman with limited resources would have encountered then. She loses the family’s tied small holding in her efforts to raise funds to free Kit her older and somewhat feckless brother. They are chased separately and together between Clun and Much Wenlock through the mysterious Long Forest that is known as the Wenlock Edge today. The pursuant is the powerful Lord Forrester and his henchmen who are determined to hang Kit for (allegedly) poaching the king’s deer.
They meet several characters who are sympathetic including Tom, the blacksmith at Much Wenlock who helps Illessa by loaning her his horse and helps her to disguise as a boy (a necessary move in these lawless times). Also the priest at Eaton who gives Kit sanctuary in the church tower of St. Edith’s. There he is protected from the Lord Forrester’s men for 40 days.
Eventually Kit escapes and finds work at a fair taking place in Rushbury where he is eventually given a hearing at the Pie Powder court and found not to be guilty of the crime he is accused of.
It’s at this point that they meet up with Sir Robert Burnel, nephew of Richard Burnel of Acton who was Lord Chancellor to Edward 1 and based on a real person. Sir Richard and Kit have a loose alliance based on help Kit gave to Sir Robert whilst fighting in Wales during the Second Welsh War.
As well as an exciting main plot, we are also treated to an additional layer of history which features Marina of Antioch of the 4th century. She was tortured as she disobeyed her father in a marriage contract he had arranged for her. She turned to christianity.
Her demise was a truly grisly affair that involved a fire cage and birth of a snake, hence her beatification and her importance as a symbol of the strength of women during the pain of childbirth.
Illesa carries a book which was given by her mother, a midwife, the origins of this rare book is key to the denouement of the plot.
The main characters then travel to Wales where they join the Royal procession to Bardsey Island. (An important destination of pilgrimage for medieval man). Sir Robert has been asked by Queen Eleanor to put on a play about the overthrowing of the welsh people by an English king and the conversion from paganism to christianity in Wales.
The back story is a fascinating one, in the 6th century, the welsh queen, Manon is required by custom to marry her husband’s murderer, the conquering English
king. Manon is a priestess who worships the spirits of the spring, she tries to put a curse on her new husband which fails, but ultimately, she accepts and learns to love him.
Further revelations are made to Illesa when the Lord Chancellor visits his nephew in Wales leading to a final twist in the plot and an ending that pleased me.
The writing is founded in the deep knowledge of the author who has a background in archeology and is a scholar of the medieval period, her enthusiasm for the period is infectious and she lead me to discoveries about the period and the area where it is written about that I would not have otherwise made.
The voice of the narrator took me a while to get used to, it is my first audio book and the voice sounded flat and monotone. However, as the story progressed, I found her well modulated tones clear and it was the perfect aural backdrop to various mindless jobs I was doing. It was extremely good value as I listened in chunks over the course of several weeks. I loved the various accents she used for the different characters and felt she had really expanded the story for me by the end, the courtly drama in Nefyn towards the latter part of the book was particularly dramatic I thought
So final thoughts? Well on the strength of Errant Hours on audio, I have ordered my second audiobook and look forward to several more hours of listening enjoyment.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It wasn't great, it wasn't terrible. It was marginally unbelievable. But all female led stories set in the medieval era are going to be rather unbelievable as long as the women has an ounce of agency. That's ok, because we can tell ourselves it's a story about one of the few women from history who manages it.

Still, there were problems with this book for me towards the end. I grasped the Marina storyline, it's the Saint. When she skipped to 557 Anglo-Saxon England I didn't even read those chapters. I skipped them entirely, all it did was annoy me. And you know what? It was irrelevant to the story completely, just like I thought it would be. It doesn't need to be there and it's just padding. A lot of the book at the end was poorly planned padding.

****SPOILERS*****

After they save Kit, the story kind of falls apart and I can tell she didn't have a good plan. Everything meanders after this and you can tell it was weakly thought out and outlined. All of it felt just like treading water til the "end" for a certain page count. Everything felt rushed. The entire book sort of felt rushed to me, in fact. The troupe of players, the tournament, it felt like the author was just trying to mash in everything related to medieval culture into the book for no rhyme or reason. Nothing had a reason, it was invented drama and conflict for conflict's sake. It just wasn't interesting - and I never actually cared about Illesa at all. And Kit was a downright annoying idiot.

On the plus side; it *was* well researched. I've quite a background in medieval history and she wrote about things most authors miss. It felt like actual historical fiction as opposed to someone who has only really read fantasy novels and then tries to write a historical novel, like most authors of historical fiction unfortunately. So this was refreshing.

I finished it, but I starting just skipping to get to the better bits. Hence, three stars.

[Lisa Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Innes' beautifully produced debut novel teems with the customs, intrigues, chivalric ideals, and bitter realities, of 13th Century Britain. Of mysterious parentage herself, Illesa is raised by a village midwife and has come into possession of a marvelous illuminated book, the Passion of St. Margaret, patron saint of childbirth.

To protect the book and reunite with her charming wastrel brother, Illesa flees pursuit, faces rapists and thieves, breaks into the Forester's jail, and enlists the aid of Richard Burnel, a battle-scarred knight of dubious reliability. Ultimately, Richard involves Illesa in a pageant out of the pages of Arthurian romance that he has been ordered to stage by King Edward I and his queen to celebrate the recent victory of Edward's troops over a rebel uprising in Wales.

As the story unfolds over one month in 1284, Innes creates a colorful tapestry rich in medieval detail (faires, falcons, jousting, dancing, court life and lowlife), weaving in pertinent scenes from the martyrdom of St. Margaret, alongside chivalrous romances from French and Welsh sources. The tone of Innes' story, her grasp of history, and the medieval mindset feel as authentic as possible to the modern reader. And while the second section of the book is less action-packed, I love that Innes takes the time to establish her characters and develop such satisfying relationships.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars is unfair really, but I'd describe this as an okay book and that's what 2 stars means so...

I'm a tad confused by this book if I'm honest, it's the first in a trilogy and doesn't rely on a shock twist in the last few pages to keep me wanting to read on (which I'm pleased about, I tend to deduct a star for that kind of writing). But also, there's no story left here that I can see. Illessa is married to Richard and living happily. What else is there? So yeah I'm confused. I own the entire trilogy and will be reading on, it's possible the next book will show this rating to be very harsh.

This is the author's first book and it shows. Some of the characterisation is typical of juvenile authors, it's a bit tropey, and the first act is stronger than the second. But I've also read first books by authors that are utterly terrible and this wasn't terrible at all. Just weak in places and in need of a little polishing.

[Rouchswalwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a year or so, this novel has been on my 'to-read' list. I was mistaken in thinking that the book was a fantasy novel, delving into Welsh mythology (the Mabinogion). The author does draw on a medieval welsh legend, yet the tone of the novel is a realistic one and the characters are richly developed. The setting is late 13th-century England, and included are spiritual dangers and descriptions of the muck and the gorier aspects of the characters' lives, which I appreciated. Ms. Innes anchors the story on historical events, and I can only applaud the result.

Immensely enjoyable read!

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly good self-published novel of mediaeval fiction set in South Shropshire and the Lyn Peninsula. I’ve asked the question for years ‘where can I find out what life was like for ordinary folk in Mediaeval times’, and though this is fiction, and covers the whole gamut of society from the King to carpenters, it comes closer to answering my question than anything else I’ve read. Knowing most of the places mentioned heightens the pleasure, and leaves me hungry to read the other two books of the trilogy.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book to listen to! I thoroughly enjoyed the story set in Antioch in 300 AD and the martyrdom of St. Marian, in Wales in the 500s AD and the battles there and England and Wales in the 12th century. Although historical fiction it was nice to find out that it was somewhat based in fact. It was well narrated and I would highly recommend.

[Pippi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this on a whim as the author had a stall at Shrewsbury and thoroughly enjoyed it. Knowing many of the places added to my enjoyment and made me want to explore some that I am less familiar with. I hope to read the rest of the trilogy.

[Karen Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A skilfully crafted insight into the largely overlooked medieval world. The Errant Hours is a fascinating story, meticulously researched, which leaves you wanting more. A wonderful read!