Today is my stop on the blog tour for Enemies of Mercia by MJ Porter!

Here’s the blurg.

A King’s command. A warrior’s quest for the truth…

Tamworth AD835

Following Icel’s epic rescue of Lord Coenwulf’s children from their almost certain death, King Wiglaf is forced to call upon Icel’s loyal services once more.

Furious that the conspirators behind the audacious move to snatch the children have yet to face justice, he despatches Icel to hunt down the enemy of Mercia and discover who seeks to conspire against the throne.

The dangerous mission will take Icel into the heartland of enemy-held Wessex to Winchester and onto Canterbury. As the web of lies and deceit grows, Icel must battle to discover the truth whilst keeping himself and his allies safe.

But those who conspire against the King have much to lose and will stop at nothing to prevent Icel discovering the truth.
Once more, Icel’s life is endangered as he tries to protect Mercia from her enemies who threaten Mercia’s kingly line.

Review

Can this really be the sixth book in this cracking series? Wow.. so much has happened to Icel in that time.. he’s no longer a young lost boy trying to find his way in life… he’s now a man who has found a purpose.. learned his craft and has earned the eye of King Wiglaf.

You’d think Icel would deserve a little peace and quiet after everything that has happened but he’s not that lucky.. even while not fully recovered himself from recent events he can hardly say no when the King requests his service to find out the identity of those who played a part in the kidnap of Lord Coenwulf’s children.

I think what Enemies of Mercia brings to the table is the political landscape of the time, we see the bigger picture become clear and there’s tonnes of detail thrown in to help the reader but themselves right in the thick of the action standing side by side with Icel.

The details not for the faint hearted though.. it provokes a guttural reaction from the reader but really shows you how dangerous the time was and the importance of skill, and need for a lot of luck..

Icel, Oh Icel.. he’s been though so much but Enemies of Mercia is going to be his biggest battle yet both physically but also mentally and the scars must run deep by now.. how much more can his body take?

It’s a bit of a mental battle for Icel too.. is there anyone he can trust?

For the action fans there’s still some very good and gruesome scenes but what I really enjoyed was this instalment felt more like a chess match.. its not all about the battle.. sometimes you have to set the board up first and sometimes that means avoiding conflict. Someone has set the pieces up.. but can Icel figure out what the gameplan is… and who is pulling the strings..

There really isnt anything bad I can say about this series, it keeps just getting better.. adding more depth to not only the characters but also their motivations.

MJ Porter offers another solid 5* addition to the series, strengthening the readers love of their work.

Final thought… by god I love these books covers for the series!

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon

My thanks go to M.J. Porter, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I only accept ARCs to aid timely reviews but this will certainly be adding a paperback to the permanent collection.

---

Why not follow the tour?

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/EnemiesofMerciasocial

---

Author Bio –

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. They were raised in the shadow of a building that they believed housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia – so their writing destiny was set. The first novel in their new Anglo-Saxon series for Boldwood Son of Mercia was published in February 2022.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MJPorterauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coloursofunison

Instagram: MJ Porter (@m_j_porter) • Instagram photos and videos

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/MJPorterNews

Bookbub profile: MJ Porter Books – BookBub