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The Tenth Century #3
Kingmaker
This is the tenth century in Anglo-Saxon England between the reigns of Alfred the Great, and Æthelred the Unready.
As England’s first Viking Age grinds to a halt in a war of attrition that will see Jorvik finally added to the kingdom of the English, one woman will witness it all.
Seventeen-year-old Eadgifu knows little about her new husband; he’s old, he only wants to marry her because she’s so wealthy, he already has ten children, and he’s Edward, King of Wessex. He also hopes to claim Mercia as his own.
That he’s the son of King Alfred, the man credited with saving Wessex from the Viking Raiders adds no mystique to him at all.
Many say he’s handsome, but Eadgifu knows they speak of the man twenty years ago. Her mother won’t even allow her to be alone with him before their wedding.
But an old man will not live forever. The mother of his youngest sons can be more powerful than the wife of the king of Wessex, especially in the newly made kingdom of England where king’s lives are short and bloody, and war with the Viking Raiders is never far away.
Lady, wife, queen, mother, king’s mother, grandmother, ally, enemy, amenable and rebellious.
Lost to the mists of time, this is Queen Eadgifu’s story, Kingmaker.
The Tenth Century Series suggested reading order:
The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
Kingmaker
Praise for The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
"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
"This brilliant fictional -,or maybe true - account about events in England's dark ages gripped me for hours." 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!
As England’s first Viking Age grinds to a halt in a war of attrition that will see Jorvik finally added to the kingdom of the English, one woman will witness it all.
Seventeen-year-old Eadgifu knows little about her new husband; he’s old, he only wants to marry her because she’s so wealthy, he already has ten children, and he’s Edward, King of Wessex. He also hopes to claim Mercia as his own.
That he’s the son of King Alfred, the man credited with saving Wessex from the Viking Raiders adds no mystique to him at all.
Many say he’s handsome, but Eadgifu knows they speak of the man twenty years ago. Her mother won’t even allow her to be alone with him before their wedding.
But an old man will not live forever. The mother of his youngest sons can be more powerful than the wife of the king of Wessex, especially in the newly made kingdom of England where king’s lives are short and bloody, and war with the Viking Raiders is never far away.
Lady, wife, queen, mother, king’s mother, grandmother, ally, enemy, amenable and rebellious.
Lost to the mists of time, this is Queen Eadgifu’s story, Kingmaker.
The Tenth Century Series suggested reading order:
The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
Kingmaker
Praise for The Lady of Mercia's Daughter
"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
"This brilliant fictional -,or maybe true - account about events in England's dark ages gripped me for hours." 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
389 pages, ebook
First published August 29, 2019
About the author
M.J. Porter
114 books263 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 historical fantasy/romantasy? Dragonbound, the first book in the Ice and Fire series, will be avalable from August 2026.
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 historical fantasy/romantasy? Dragonbound, the first book in the Ice and Fire series, will be avalable from August 2026.
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!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2021
I recommend
This was a good book. Not much written in this time period and I really enjoyed it. I've read so many MJ Porter's books, they are well researched & author does great job with describing the setting. The downfall is that I cannot get immersed into the the book as I would like, this is mainly because I felt I was lacking the characteristics, & descriptions of the characters and how they fit in the particular scenes. The transition of time passing by was hard to grip as well. I would stop and have to re-read it until I realized that it was 5 years later. But other than that, & it is minor b/c I was excited 2 keep reading to find out what happened next throughout every page. I loved the book and I love all of the booke by this author that I have read so far. I have lost count!! I recommend this book for people who love getting lost in a very old time period!
This was a good book. Not much written in this time period and I really enjoyed it. I've read so many MJ Porter's books, they are well researched & author does great job with describing the setting. The downfall is that I cannot get immersed into the the book as I would like, this is mainly because I felt I was lacking the characteristics, & descriptions of the characters and how they fit in the particular scenes. The transition of time passing by was hard to grip as well. I would stop and have to re-read it until I realized that it was 5 years later. But other than that, & it is minor b/c I was excited 2 keep reading to find out what happened next throughout every page. I loved the book and I love all of the booke by this author that I have read so far. I have lost count!! I recommend this book for people who love getting lost in a very old time period!
January 11, 2025
This is a bit of a big beast. Can't wait to share!
August 31, 2019
Interesting read about a forgotten woman of history who witnessed a great deal of change throughout her life.
A fast, quick read involving schemes and plotting at the court of the Wessex king.
A fast, quick read involving schemes and plotting at the court of the Wessex king.
sff-ok-bx
June 16, 2025Bx,Rokp
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews