Birthright

Mercia Blakewood #1

by David Hingley

The treacherous times of the Restoration are brought to startling life in an exciting new historical crime series.
1664. Four years after Charles II is restored to the throne, Mercia Blakewood stands to lose everything: her father to the executioner’s axe, her freedom to her treacherous uncle, her son to his resentful grandparents. But when her father leaves her a cryptic message in his last speech, she seizes her chance to fight back. With would-be lover Nathan Keyte and unlikely new friend Nicholas Wildmoor, Mercia must unravel her father’s mystery to find a great prize long thought lost, striving to recover the King’s stolen birthright in the hope of reclaiming her own. From London’s bulging metropolis to the forests of Manhattan she will contend with murder, intrigue and lust, fighting for her future and her life as the town of New York is born.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Crime, Audiobook, Royalty

415 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2016

About the author

David Hingley was born in the English Midlands. After a Spanish and Russian degree at the University of Manchester, he headed south to London to work for a decade in government. In 2013 he moved to New York, where he wrote his debut novel Birthright. He has also lived in Paris, on the literary Left Bank. In addition to his love of history, he has a passion for travel, including a number of road-trips through over forty American states. In 2016 he moved back to England and finished writing the second book in the Mercia Blakewood series, Puritan. His third novel, Traitor, was published in January 2018.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced read with great characters. The historical backdrop was interesting and I enjoyed finding out more about the founding of New York. I have read quite a lot of historical fiction set in England, so it was refreshing to read a book partly set in America- the history of which I know little about.
This is a great first novel. I am thankful I was lucky enough to win a copy. I will be passing it on to friends, who I hope will appreciate the story as much as I did. I will also be keeping an eye out for future works, as I would be keen to read more from this author.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining historical adventure set in 1664 that divides its time between Restoration England, a sea voyage and the Americas.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out really good , but near the end it kind of lost its intrigue.

[Barbara Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a debut novel by David Hingley and it did not disappoint. Set in the early days of the Restoration of Charles II. A young widow, Mercia Blakewood, suffers the execution of her beloved father for treason and then loses the right to her home which her Uncle and Aunt, have by devious means taken the house and lands from her, the lands she holds in trust for her young son. Her father leaves her a clue as to the whereabouts of some of Charles I's most favoured paintings which have reportedly been lost/destroyed/ burnt but her father has left clues to the whereabouts of the the supposed lost paintings. She sees that this could be a way to regain her property and vows to find them and return them to Charles II in the hope that he will return her property to her. She manages to obtain an audience with the King who commissions her to find the missing paintings and so begins a "detective" story which crosses from England to the New World and the settlements of what would become New York, Brooklyn and Harlem, to name but a few.

[Peter Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, full of action and plenty of intrigue. A very well written, and researched, first novel. There were a few places where literary licence was obviously in place but it added to the overall enjoyment of the story. The characters were believable and well cast with interesting and very individual personalities and the historical facts were both enlightening and interesting. Looking forward to moving on to the next book in the trilogy, strongly recommended read

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out liking this one a lot. Even jumped the gun and recommended it to someone. But my enthusiasm did not continue unabated. I enjoyed it overall, and I'll continue with the series because the historical context was fun, but I feel less rah-rah about it. There was some language (Anglo-Saxons gonna Anglo-Sax) and a fair bit of violence (including sexual assault, but nothing too graphic). I thought the story rambled a bit too much in the middle, but it picked back up again. And "I'm doing this for the sake of my child (whom I shall pretty thoroughly neglect throughout the whole course of the book)" is always a peeve.

[Jo Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the author as a contestant on Pointless and downloaded a book. I like a good period drama, and the story was good and the locations interesting but the language let it down. For example there was no such thing as a ‘teenager’ in the 1660s, and ‘hello’ wasn’t a greeting for another 200 years. Also the female protagonist wouldn’t have wandered the streets of London alone, or be able to get an impromptu audience with the king.
Anna Castle does a much better job of the niceties of the beginning of the 1600s (Francis Bacon series) in terms of language and behaviour and she’s an American!

[M.E. Aster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so much. In fact I’m still giving it three stars because I do believe it’s a great read it was just not right for me at this time.

I did attempt to fall into this book twice and both time I was unsuccessful. The premise is so interesting and the writing is very well executed but something in my brain would not let me enjoy this story like I wanted to.

But I do recommend this book to any fans of historical fiction. Just because I am in a reading slump doesn’t mean this isn’t a great story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical setting of the story was very interesting, but I am afraid that I was not convinced by the plot. Too many things happened that I could not believe. I liked Mercia, but doubt whether many of her actions would have been possible, especially at that time.
The book is beautifully produced, a very attractive volume, which makes it a pleasure to read.

I received the book as a Goodreads giveaway.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing setting in an era that I know very little about (the Restoration). The characters are okay, but not particularly credible. The plot got a little involved, with some leaps of logic that didn't really ring true. But I may read further in the series.

[Jayne Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction always makes it go in a lot more easily.. overall enjoyed it though it felt a bit long probably make a good movie. Lots of historical setting and background but a rather more fictional storyline.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lol

[David In · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book I have ever finished. The language is stilted and historically inaccurate, and the narrative completely misrepresents the era.

Shudder. Why did I do this to myself?

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good historical novel set in the time of Charles 2 and the Reformation of England

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read. But not out of this world.

[Bill Cripps · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Mission Impossible than historical fiction but fast paced and a fun read

[Patrick Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first book, easy to read, fast paced and a no brainer. Interesting historical facts mixed in, eg., how New Amsterdam came under British and changed its name.

[Mattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

thought it was about witches and was very mistaken, but still enjoyed it.

[Sammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read from start to finish with well-developed characters and the most amazing story! I loved being transported back in time to follow the story of Mercia, experiencing the trials and tribulations that befall a Tudor lady!

Cannot wait to read the following two in this series!

[Stéphanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a giveaway and it was a delight to read - I would not have regretted buying this book myself.

The story takes place in the 17th century, and while it is mainly a fiction, the historical background makes for interesting reading.

The book is a mixture of whodunit and action and mystery. The main character is a woman who has to fight against the then manly views of what women can achieve.

Having now finished the book and having a full view of the plot and the writing, I think I may have liked to read more historical features, but this is first a fiction, and I found myself really taken by the pace of the investigation and not wanting to put the book down. Most importantly, when the plot was finally revealed, it was a surprise - I cannot say I didn't think of this party guilty earlier in the book as I ended up considering all characters as guilty at one point - and it was twisted and believable to make sense, so it was enjoyable.

I enjoyed the writing style too, which obviously brought a lot to the overall enjoyment.

All in all, a very good first book and I would be quite happy to read another one by David Hingley!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book by Goodreads but this opinion is my own.

I thought that this was a really great book. The story tells of Mercia, a widow with a young son, who is trying to trace paintings (The Oxford Section) that were thought to have been burned long ago. If she can find out what really happened to The Oxford Section she may be able to reclaim her family home which has been taken from her by her dastardly uncle upon the demise (beheading) of her father. Her uncle is also trying to take her son away and wants her to embark on an affair with a rich and influential friend of his.
Mercia’s father had always made sure that she was educated and had an open and enquiring mind, which was almost unheard of in the 1600’s as it was not seemly for women to think! During her short life Mercia lost her brother, her mother retreated into herself (almost mad) and as I mentioned her father was beheaded. She also lost her husband.
Mercia has a great friend in Nathan who lost his wife and child and they are able to rely on, and have empathy, for each other. Nathan accompanies Mercia to witness her father’s death who before he dies gives a speech, this speech contains clues for Mercia about who the enemy is and about the paintings. Anyone else listening would not have known that the clues were there.
Mercia decides that she will not be dictated to by her uncle who will not let her return to the family home – he has rented it to her sons grandparents, who do not like her, and she embarks on a mission to find The Oxford Section thereby gaining favour of the King (Charles ii) who could, if he desired, force her uncle to give her the family home back.
Mercia’s meets Nicholas who helps her in her quest but she quickly dismisses him (to her cost later). She regrets this and re-engages him to help her further and along with Nathan they set about finding the paintings. Various clues are solved and Mercia finds herself in some very dangerous situations as she meets people she would never have met in normal circumstances. They go to places in London Mercia didn’t even know existed and ultimately to New Amsterdam in America where they discover what happened and who did it…
I was taken back in time with this book. It was really easy to imagine that I was there following in the background. This book kept me enthralled and I couldn’t believe that this was David’s first novel.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note- This review is being written a few months after finishing the boom due to me not being as active on the site. Therefore my initial opinions may have changed and I may have forgotten some of the details and initial ideas I had. That being said...
This book may just be one of my favorite reading discoveries of the last few months. I brought the book from a bookstore in Newquay which sold books for relatively cheap prices. The cover drew me in and as a result of the discounted price I ended up saying screw it and adding it to the pile of books I brought that day. If I could go back now and pay the fu;ll price for the book I would because this book was honestly fantastic.
The story of 'Birthright' is set in the late 1600's and the author has represented this world artfully and skillfully. As a lover of history myself, period pieces are always ones I hold close to my heart and this book is no exception. The atmosphere, mannerisms, language and 1600's felt vivid and real throughout the book and from the first page immersion was never a problem. The descriptions of the locations, scenes and events have left vivid images in my head that I can still visualise despite writing this review a short while after reading the book.
The characters are just as artfully crafted as the world. Mercia is a heroine that I was rooting for from the start. Her story and cause feels meaningful, deep and emotional and I found that I connected to her fairly soon into the book. She felt very three dimensional, something that was even further emphasized by the chemistry between her and her potential love-interest Nathan. The chapters where these two characters were off investigating together were some of my favorites from the entire book and I definitely felt like I was rooting for the both of them right from the very beginning. Despite being largely absent from the first quarter of the book, Nathan probably remains my favorite character from the book, next to the protagonist herself.
The actual mystery of the book was gripping and intriguing and the final twist was satisfying. I definitely felt like the answer to the main mystery of book made sense and wasn't salty at the ending.

[Anita H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Regina Cattus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads giveaway!!! Beautiful cover, though sadly too tall for my bookcase.
If you're looking for a badass yet believable heroine, look no further (or at least pause to look at this one). Mercia is like an early and relatively passive feminist. I'm actually quite impressed by how Hingley handled the character - whenever I see a guy's name on the front of a book in which the main protagonist is female, I can't help but be on my guard for a thoroughly unbelievable character, but Mercia wasn't too ridiculous at all. Much as I think her quest is a little insane, it does spice the story up nicely. I must admit that I feel pretty sorry for her rather neglected son, after all, he spends half the book being looked after by- No, no spoilers. Still, I like the little snippets of real history, which only slightly have the taint of "oh, look what I found out when I was researching for this book, isn't it interesting", because it actually is interesting. Unless those tidbits are fictional, in which case I would be very disappointed. In any case, certainly worth a read for anyone who likes historical fiction.

[Alison Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in England in the atermath of the English Civil War and the early days of the North American colonies, the setting had intrigue and adventure aplenty, and felt historically sound. Mercia is a likeable protagonist, although perhaps stretches seventeent century convention a tad past bellievability for a gentlewoman. Sometimes the pacing of the narrative wasn't quite right - a storm blows up out of nowhere without foreshadowing, for example. Similarly the romantic tension wasn't well-maintained - there was definitely room for more tantalising, and more of Mercia's vacillating thoughts eg about betraying her husband's memory, whether it's love or friendship etc. But enjoyable overall - I'll read the next one sometime.

[Mia-rosa Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange read because I found myself hooked to the storyline however constantly cringing at the dialogue and writing style. I like Mercia and I think she's a strong character, however, her interactions with Nicholas and Nathan were just a bit wet. I was also rather bored with the attention to random detail that didn't have anything to do with atmosphere or plot. But I did enjoy the story and wanted to finish it so I knew how it ended.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous historical fiction. I loved the detail which made the time period come alive. I loved the main character. It was brilliant to have a really awesome female lead. I also loved the mystery element to the story.

[nikkia neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always good to have a women as the lead in a historical mystery!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on a goodread giveaway. Brilliant first novel he twisted facts with fiction
magnificently and held the storyline. Bring on more I'm intrigued. Many thanks