Under the Approaching Dark by Anna Belfrage
Publication Date: April 28, 2017
Matador
eBook & Paperback; 424 Pages
Matador
eBook & Paperback; 424 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Adam de Guirande has cause to believe the turbulent times are behind him: Hugh Despenser is dead and Edward II is forced to abdicate in favour of his young son. It is time to look forward, to a bright new world in which the young king, guided by his council, heals his kingdom and restores its greatness. But the turmoil is far from over.
After years of strife, England in the early months of 1327 is a country in need of stability, and many turn with hope towards the new young king, Edward III. But Edward is too young to rule, so instead it is his mother, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who do the actual governing, much to the dislike of barons such as Henry of Lancaster.
In the north, the Scots take advantage of the weakened state of the realm and raid with impunity. Closer to court, it is Mortimer’s increasing powers that cause concerns – both among his enemies, but also for men like Adam, who loves Mortimer dearly, but loves the young king just as much.
When it is announced that Edward II has died in September of 1327, what has so far been a grumble grows into voluble protests against Mortimer. Yet again, the spectre of rebellion haunts the land, and things are further complicated by the reappearance of one of Adam’s personal enemies. Soon enough, he and his beloved wife Kit are fighting for their survival – even more so when Adam is given a task that puts them both in the gravest of dangers.
“The writing is impeccable. The story has everything. Under the Approaching Dark is just perfect in every sense” – Sharon Bennett Connolly, History The Interesting Bits
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo
About the Author
Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she’s multilingual and most of her reading is historical- both non-fiction and fiction. Possessed of a lively imagination, she has drawers full of potential stories, all of them set in the past. She was always going to be a writer – or a historian, preferably both. Ideally, Anna aspired to becoming a pioneer time traveller, but science has as yet not advanced to the point of making that possible. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career Anna raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive…
For years she combined a challenging career with four children and the odd snatched moment of writing. Nowadays Anna spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she’s still there.
Other than on her website, www.annabelfrage.com, Anna can mostly be found on her blog, http://annabelfrage.wordpress.
Review
"Edward III was King of England from 25 January 1327 until his death; he is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Edward III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. His long reign of 50 years was the second longest in medieval England and saw vital developments in legislation and government—in particular, the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death."
In Under the Approaching Dark, Edward III is a lad of just 14, too young to rule, or so his mother Isabella of France, and her lover Roger Mortimer say, so they rule for him. His father, King Edward II was deposed by Isabella.
Adam de Guirande and his wife Kit are returning characters in this fictionalized account of England in 1327. There are numerous enemies of both the young King and Adam. With having to go back and forth from their home to court can take its toll on their marriage but they persevere. Through death and despair, the love they have for each other is tested by their loyalty and love for the young king.
Author Anna Belfrage always keeps me interested in whatever she writes. The history is well researched and her ability to blend fact and fiction, love and hate, always makes me eager to read another of her stories. I have read all of the books that Anna has written in this series and her previous series, The Graham Saga, a time travel romantic historical series.
If you enjoy a well-written historical fiction novel, then you can't go wrong with Under the Approaching Dark. Nice job Anna!
My review is voluntary.
Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, May 16
Review at Back Porchervations
Guest Post at Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company
Review at Back Porchervations
Guest Post at Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company
Giveaway
To win a copy of Under the Approaching Dark by Anna Belfrage, please enter via the Gleam form below.
Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 30th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Under the Appraoching Dark
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
No comments:
Post a Comment