Mercenary

Longsword Saga #1

by R.J. Connor

1513

Richard Longsword is a Mercenary. By day he works the desolate orange groves but by night he is in the paid servitude of the Grand Duke of Gandia, serving as captain of the Guardians of Guadalest, an elite group of warrior knights who defend the fortress of Guadalest. When the fort is attacked by men who claim to be enemies of Richard's father, it threatens to spiral into a whirlwind of events that will change his life forever. He is left with no choice but to embark on a perilous journey to not only uncover the truth but to save the lives of his family. A tale of love, loss and ultimate betrayal. Richard Longsword is a Mercenary, but this time its not for money, this time its for revenge.

Genres: Historical Fiction

339 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2014

About the author

R.J. Connor studied Writing Contemporary Fiction at Southampton Solent University where his love for writing flourished. He has a fascination for all things historical but particularly the medieval age. He lives in Hertfordshire, UK.

Reviews

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercenary took us on an interesting tour through much of early 16th century Europe. Although the protagonist Richard Longsword was Spanish, his quest took him through France, the Netherlands, England, and even Scotland in an effort to track down his antagonists. Plagued by a 300 year-old feud that he knew nothing about, Richard is carried along by events that helped shape his destiny. In proper historical-fiction fashion, the plot introduces us to major characters and conflicts of the period. We meet the great General Cordoba who had taken Richard into his service in his youth, giving our hero the opportunity to make a name for himself. We see the Battle of the Spurs and meet Henry VIII as well as the wicked King Louis XII. We see the chivalrous but ill-starred James IV and witness the carnage at the Battle of Flodden field.

Richard Longsword was betrayed and outlawed early in the novel, and the plot took a great many turns before we could put the pieces together. His wife and daughter were kidnapped and he threw caution to the wind, vowing to track them down regardless of his own risk. Although he suffered great loss in the course of this novel without even knowing why he was targeted, Richard's resourcefulness and reputation won him many followers until he had a small company of skilled fighters willing to champion his cause. With their aid he discovered the mystery of his origin and the legacies of his family, both good and evil.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I love a good historical fiction book and I love a book that begins with a cracking line (read it to find out what it is!), so I knew I would enjoy this from the first page.
There's non-stop action, plenty of blood and guts, and a twist I would have never seen coming in a million years.

There are a few problems with punctuation that, if corrected, would smooth out the reading experience... and also a lot of spelling issues: "passed/past", "then/than", "off/of", etc.

All-in-all, pretty good!

[Andy Crank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fantastic read. I am not usually a typical fan of History novels but I decided to give this one a try and I was not disappointed.

I found myself creating my own unique picture of 16th Century Europe helped by R.J Connor's descriptive language and ability to bring characters to life.

Fully reccommend giving this book a try even if History is not your typical choice

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I don't usually read historical fiction, not really my bag, but this was recommended to me so why not?
So glad I took that recommendation, this is a fabulous read. Non stop action, you can't help but root for Richard, the hero and loathe Grenwick, the very bad guy. There's blood, there's gore, there's some bonkers battle scenes that are brought to life so vividly. It also made me shed a tear, surely the sign of a good book, that it can bring so many emotions.
Read it, you won't regret it.

[Janetallan_7hotmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband has just finished your book and found it a great read and
a captivating medieval story.My turn now to read it.

[Joe Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant