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The Tenth Century #1
The Lady of Mercia's Daughter: England: The Tenth Century
Betrayal is a family affair.
12th June AD918. Æthelflaed, Lady of the Mercians and daughter of Alfred the Great, is dead.
Ælfwynn, the niece of Edward, king of Wessex, has been bequeathed her mother’s power and status by the men of the Mercian Witan but knows she is vulnerable to the North of her kingdom, exposed still to the retreating world of the Viking Raiders from her mother’s generation.
With her Mercian allies: her cousin Athelstan, Ealdorman Æthelfrith and his sons, Archbishop Plegmund and her band of trusted warriors, she must act decisively to subvert the threat from the Viking Rognavaldr, grandson of the infamous Viking, Ivarr of Dublin, as he turns his gaze toward the desolate lands of Northern England, with the jewel of York, seemingly his intended prize.
Inexplicably she is also exposed to the south, where her cousin, Ælfweard, and uncle eye her position covetously, their ambitions clear to see.
This is the unknown story of Ælfwynn, the daughter of the Lady of the Mercians and the startling events of late 918 when family loyalty and betrayal marched hand in hand across lands only recently reclaimed by the Mercians. When kingdoms could be won or lost through treachery and fidelity and when there was little love, and even less honesty and the words of a sword were likely to be heard far more loudly than those of a king or churchman, noble lady’s daughter or Viking rogue.
The Tenth Century suggested reading order;
The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
Kingmaker
Praise for The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
"M.J. Porter has delivered a genuinely un-put-downable story about a real heroine whose fate you will not guess an I will not tell. This brilliant fictional -,or maybe true - account about events in England's dark ages gripped me for hours. It is essential reading for lovers of epic tales about warrior princesses." Amazon Reviewer
"An excellent book , intrigue, action, betrayal it has it all. It took me 3 days to read this book, I had difficulty putting it down ." Amazon Reviewer
"I loved the historical background and the way the Author describes scenes. Very engaging story I found difficult to put down." Amazon Reviewer
MEET THE AUTHOR
Author of historical fiction (Anglo-Saxon/Viking) and fantasy. I write A LOT, you've been warned.
Find me @coloursofunison or at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.earlofmercia.wordpress.com where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing!
12th June AD918. Æthelflaed, Lady of the Mercians and daughter of Alfred the Great, is dead.
Ælfwynn, the niece of Edward, king of Wessex, has been bequeathed her mother’s power and status by the men of the Mercian Witan but knows she is vulnerable to the North of her kingdom, exposed still to the retreating world of the Viking Raiders from her mother’s generation.
With her Mercian allies: her cousin Athelstan, Ealdorman Æthelfrith and his sons, Archbishop Plegmund and her band of trusted warriors, she must act decisively to subvert the threat from the Viking Rognavaldr, grandson of the infamous Viking, Ivarr of Dublin, as he turns his gaze toward the desolate lands of Northern England, with the jewel of York, seemingly his intended prize.
Inexplicably she is also exposed to the south, where her cousin, Ælfweard, and uncle eye her position covetously, their ambitions clear to see.
This is the unknown story of Ælfwynn, the daughter of the Lady of the Mercians and the startling events of late 918 when family loyalty and betrayal marched hand in hand across lands only recently reclaimed by the Mercians. When kingdoms could be won or lost through treachery and fidelity and when there was little love, and even less honesty and the words of a sword were likely to be heard far more loudly than those of a king or churchman, noble lady’s daughter or Viking rogue.
The Tenth Century suggested reading order;
The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
Kingmaker
Praise for The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
"M.J. Porter has delivered a genuinely un-put-downable story about a real heroine whose fate you will not guess an I will not tell. This brilliant fictional -,or maybe true - account about events in England's dark ages gripped me for hours. It is essential reading for lovers of epic tales about warrior princesses." Amazon Reviewer
"An excellent book , intrigue, action, betrayal it has it all. It took me 3 days to read this book, I had difficulty putting it down ." Amazon Reviewer
"I loved the historical background and the way the Author describes scenes. Very engaging story I found difficult to put down." Amazon Reviewer
MEET THE AUTHOR
Author of historical fiction (Anglo-Saxon/Viking) and fantasy. I write A LOT, you've been warned.
Find me @coloursofunison or at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.earlofmercia.wordpress.com where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing!
- GenresHistorical Fiction
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2017
220 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Porter
114 books264 followersI'm an author of historical fiction (Early English/Saxon, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest, as well as five 20th-century historical mysteries) and historical fantasy.
I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Not sure where to start your journey through Saxon/Early England? The Dark Ages trilogy will take readers back to the very beginnings of Saxon England before the creation of Mercia and the other kingdoms. The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles featuring our reluctant hero, Icel, will introduce you to the best Saxon kingdom of all, Mercia! Storm of Mercia is the latest release.
Looking for my 20th-century mysteries? The Erdington Mysteries, and Cragside, a standalone 1930s murder mystery, are the titles for you.
My first non-fiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England, is now published by Pen and Sword in hardback and ebook.
Happy reading:)
Find me at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.mjporterauthor.blog where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing! I also have an online store for signed paperbacks and a few others goodies at mjporterauthor.co.uk.
https://linktr.ee/MJPorterauthor
https://mjporterauthor.sumupstore.com
You can join my monthly subscriber newsletters and gain access to the restricted page on my blog at the same time.
https://BookHip.com/MGWHLDC (Saxon stories)
https://BookHip.com/THPKCKP (mysteries only)
(I have odd reading tastes - there's no need to notice though!!) I'm also exceedingly anti-social - that you may notice but must accept!
I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Not sure where to start your journey through Saxon/Early England? The Dark Ages trilogy will take readers back to the very beginnings of Saxon England before the creation of Mercia and the other kingdoms. The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles featuring our reluctant hero, Icel, will introduce you to the best Saxon kingdom of all, Mercia! Storm of Mercia is the latest release.
Looking for my 20th-century mysteries? The Erdington Mysteries, and Cragside, a standalone 1930s murder mystery, are the titles for you.
My first non-fiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England, is now published by Pen and Sword in hardback and ebook.
Happy reading:)
Find me at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.mjporterauthor.blog where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing! I also have an online store for signed paperbacks and a few others goodies at mjporterauthor.co.uk.
https://linktr.ee/MJPorterauthor
https://mjporterauthor.sumupstore.com
You can join my monthly subscriber newsletters and gain access to the restricted page on my blog at the same time.
https://BookHip.com/MGWHLDC (Saxon stories)
https://BookHip.com/THPKCKP (mysteries only)
(I have odd reading tastes - there's no need to notice though!!) I'm also exceedingly anti-social - that you may notice but must accept!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 29, 2020
Enjoyable
I did enjoy the book, historically fascinating to read of women in power in this country. We often forget about England before William the Bastard.
My main problem with the book is the editing or lack there of. It's very frustrating when
There, they're and their are in the wrong place or when a sentence has and extra word or two thrown in. So please more editing before releasing.
I did enjoy the book, historically fascinating to read of women in power in this country. We often forget about England before William the Bastard.
My main problem with the book is the editing or lack there of. It's very frustrating when
There, they're and their are in the wrong place or when a sentence has and extra word or two thrown in. So please more editing before releasing.
July 23, 2021
Excellent read, great entertainment.
I found this to be well written and far superior to a lot of books written about the people and places in the tenth century. Story, moved at a good pace and there was plenty of action. It ended too soon. The characters are believable and likable. I was genuinely interested in what happened to the main character. I will be buying the next book in the series
My only bone of contention was the use of the f-word. Not needed in the story. So many other words or phrase could have been used. I'm one of the many who find it offensive, but even more importantly, the f word had not been in use in the tenth century. The first record of the word was in the late fifteen hundreds. From the quick research I did it would be more accurate to use the word bloody. If the f word was around earlier than the 16th C, it did not have a sexual connotation. It meant to strike or hit.
I found this to be well written and far superior to a lot of books written about the people and places in the tenth century. Story, moved at a good pace and there was plenty of action. It ended too soon. The characters are believable and likable. I was genuinely interested in what happened to the main character. I will be buying the next book in the series
My only bone of contention was the use of the f-word. Not needed in the story. So many other words or phrase could have been used. I'm one of the many who find it offensive, but even more importantly, the f word had not been in use in the tenth century. The first record of the word was in the late fifteen hundreds. From the quick research I did it would be more accurate to use the word bloody. If the f word was around earlier than the 16th C, it did not have a sexual connotation. It meant to strike or hit.
Read
April 7, 2020A weird book to read.
It was readable, and in places the plot did keep the reader moving on. There was a little too much reference to women fighting (don't get me wrong, I am all for equality but when reading a historical fiction it is difficult to believe that it would have been as easily assimilated as the narrator and other characters suggest).
I really enjoy this period so this book has encouraged me to read the next in the series and learn more about England in the 10th Century (The Last Kingdom comes to mind!).
It was readable, and in places the plot did keep the reader moving on. There was a little too much reference to women fighting (don't get me wrong, I am all for equality but when reading a historical fiction it is difficult to believe that it would have been as easily assimilated as the narrator and other characters suggest).
I really enjoy this period so this book has encouraged me to read the next in the series and learn more about England in the 10th Century (The Last Kingdom comes to mind!).
December 22, 2020
I've also reviewed this on Amazon, and commented there that I'd review on here, hope I get a few more followers!
I loved the writing, it took me back in time, the author managed to recreate a believable tenth century atmosphere, filled with betrayal, love, hate, rivalry... all the same things we have today! Technically people don't change, and this story of Æthelflæd's daughter, the second lady of Mercia, does show the freedom the rich women could have if they fought for it. Obviously the poor had no power, and many rich women were as badly treated as later centuries show. Still, the author took me back a thousand years and I could almost smell the streets and feel the hatred and friendships in this book. I hope the next is as good!
My review on Amazon is better, I'm just tired atm!!
I loved the writing, it took me back in time, the author managed to recreate a believable tenth century atmosphere, filled with betrayal, love, hate, rivalry... all the same things we have today! Technically people don't change, and this story of Æthelflæd's daughter, the second lady of Mercia, does show the freedom the rich women could have if they fought for it. Obviously the poor had no power, and many rich women were as badly treated as later centuries show. Still, the author took me back a thousand years and I could almost smell the streets and feel the hatred and friendships in this book. I hope the next is as good!
My review on Amazon is better, I'm just tired atm!!
October 27, 2018
An excellent read - Aelfwynn is an enjoyable character. I look forward to reading more about her.
February 14, 2022
Aelfwynn is the daughter of the famed Aethelflaed, raised a warrior like her mother. When Mercia is threatened, she sets out to protect her borders and her people. This was a great novel set in the 10th century and it was brilliant to see a little-known woman from history being given a voice.
November 6, 2021
A heroine of perfection
A true grit novel of intrigue and guise speckled with a heroine you can't help but be enamored with and her bold and vivacious style
A true grit novel of intrigue and guise speckled with a heroine you can't help but be enamored with and her bold and vivacious style
June 16, 2023
2.5 rounded up to 3.
sff-ok-bx
June 11, 2025Bx,Rokp
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews