MORE to BROWSE - Pages that might be of Interest

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Rachel's Random Resources Book Tour of: Lords of Iron by MJ Porter


Rachel's Random Resources
Book Tours
Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
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About the Book
Lords of Iron
During Britannia’s tribal age, vengeance is brutal, bloody and will come for even those who think themselves invincible.

Britain AD541
Family feuds must be settled, whatever the cost. Both Seeress Meddi of the Eorlingas and Wærmund of the Gyrwe have old scores to settle. Meddi for her tribe to survive and thrive, and Waermund to cast himself from his father’s shadow once and for all.

But unbeknownst, Meddi and Wærmund share a common enemy who threatens them both – the elusive Elen and her ally is someone Wærmund has travelled the breadth of Britannia to outrun.

United in their hatred of Elen, Meddi and Waermund must defeat powerful enemies with the sharpest blades and the magik of iron to overawe them and gain much-needed vengeance for past wrongs inflicted against them.
In the stunning conclusion to the Dark Age Chronicles Meddi and Wærmund will finally collide in a world of iron and rust. Will they triumph or will their legacy be nothing but ash?


Author Bio – 
MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. Raised in the shadow of a building that was believed to house the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia, meant that the author's writing destiny was set.

Social Media Links –  
Facebook: @MJPorterauthor
Twitter: @coloursofunison
Instagram: @m_j_porter
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/MJPorterNews
Bookbub profile: @coloursofunison



my thoughts

An exciting finale to what has been a good series. Sometimes by a third book the interest for the reader starts to fade, and the writer, running out of ideas, becomes repetitive,  the shine fades and the pace slows...not so for this author however! If anything, the pace picks up from the previous steady canter to a fast gallop!

The characters are believable, the setting too. Even though very little is factually known about this period, the author creates a sense of factual reality, cleverly intertwined into the imagined fiction. As a horse-owner, I was pleased that M.J. Porter also writes about the horses very well - something which, sadly, all too many authors get wrong, and which completely spoils a novel. 

The events from the previous two books are skilfully drawn together to tie off any loose ends, and to satisfyingly conclude the overall story which adequately reflects the lives - sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyfull, tragic or inspiring of the characters we came to know - and in many cases, admire and even love.

Recommended.
**** 4 stars





https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/
@rararesources
#RachelsRandomResources




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Helen Hollick 

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Monday, 5 January 2026

My Coffee Pot Book Tour Guest: Poinsettia Girl by Jennifer Wizbowski


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!




About the Book
Book Title: Poinsettia Girl
Author Name: Jennifer Wizbowski
Publication Date: October 18, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press 
Pages: 336
Genre: Historical Fiction

Venice, 1710

Poinsettia Girl is based on the story of Agata de la Pieta, an orphan musician of the Ospedale de la Pieta.

Ten-year-old Agata's world is shaken at the sudden death of her mother. Left only with her egregious father, a working musician in Venice, her ailing grandmother sends her to the well-known orphanage, hidden from everything she's ever known.

Agata auditions for the conservatory style music school where music is both salvation and spectacle. Hidden behind ornate metal grates, adorned with poinsettias in their hair, the singers are veiled in mystery, their ethereal music drawing noble audiences, including gilded young men who see them as treasures -not only for their sound but as coveted marriage prizes.

Just as she reaches the height of her musical journey, a marriage proposal from someone outside the audience tempts her with the promise of a new life -a return to the old neighborhood she's longed for and a home she barely remembers. 

Torn between the music that has defined her and the hope of belonging to a family, Agata must confront the most profound question of her life: is her purpose rooted in the music that shaped her, or in the love that might free her?


Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mKQP8v 


Author Bio:

Jennifer Wizbowski spent her childhood days lost among the spines of her favorite books. Inspired by the daffodil fields of Wordsworth and the babbling brooks of Shakespeare, she earned her bachelor’s in English literature, a minor in music, and a secondary teaching credential, then wrote freelance for local business journals, taught in classrooms, and authored a Teen and Tween column for a parent magazine—all while raising her family.

As those years ended, she knew it was the right time to pursue her lifelong aspiration of bringing her own books to life. She now devotes herself to illuminating everyday women’s stories often lost in the shadows of history, revealing how they became heroines of their own time and place.


Author Links:

Website: 
Twitter / X:
Facebook: 
Instagram: 
Bluesky: 
Pinterest: 
Book Bub: 
Amazon Author Page: 
Goodreads: 



read an excerpt

It was often said that during Carnival, the entire city is in disguise. Agata had never known that before the man with the red jacket came that night to her Nonna’s apartment. The tucked-away neighborhood of San Canciano sheltered Agata from the strangers who descended upon Venice seeking out its famed excitement. She'd grown up observing it, celebrated by the neighborhood men, who regularly played table games in the square. They shook their same dice on the same rickety table night after night throughout the rest of the year—only during Carnival, they played those games with their Carnival capes and masks on. The extra candlelight, placed there for the celebration, coaxed their playing even later than usual into the night.

When their lonely wives would yell out the windows that it was time to come in, they'd respond with such comments as:

“Let me finish my cup!"

There was always a neighbor who would yell out from somewhere: “Aww, let them play their game.”

And then there were those wives who did not take well to being told what to do. “You mind your business while I tend to mine!" they would scream back at the neighbors. A smattering of giggles, alongside clamorous venting, often made its way in and out of open windows, bouncing throughout the square in response. The men’s cups never seemed to empty, but the barren bottles of grappa that rolled at the foot of their chairs told their wives what they already suspected. It would be another long night.


Follow the tour:
Twitter Handle: @JenniferWiz @cathiedunn
Instagram Handle: @jenniferwizbowskiwrites @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #PoinsettiaGirl #HistoricalFiction #RenaissanceFiction #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour

Tour Schedule Page:

via https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

(Helen has not yet read this title)



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scroll down to leave a comment

thank you!

*

You might also like books written by 
Helen Hollick 

2025 annual awards

*

*


The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures with a touch of supernatural
 set during the Golden Age of Piracy
If you enjoyed the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean movie,
you'll love these (much better!) seafaring voyages!

*
THE SAXON SERIES
The story of the events that led to
The Battle of Hastings in 1066

Harold the King (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US edition)
AND
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' 1066 tales


*
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... 

*
anthologies - short stories by award-winning authors




e-book only Free on Amazon



*
my monthly thoughts on an interesting topic
)

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW 

FOR YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS ON AMAZON! 


A 4 or 5 star rating and a brief 

 "I thoroughly enjoyed this book!" will make such a difference!

THANK YOU!