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| 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! |
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| About the Book |
Book Title: Return to the Eyrie
Series: Medieval Hungary
Author: Katerina Dunne
Publication Date: 30 April 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Page Length: 404
Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance
Triggers: battle violence (moderate), love scenes (moderate), character suffering from childhood trauma (molestation)
Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice.
Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470:
Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat.
When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’.
Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through.
Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary.
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Author Bio:
Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin.
Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.
Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022).
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| Read An Excerpt |
In the early-morning mist, the soldiers gathered on the training field. For the first time, Margit could see the full size of her cousin’s mercenary forces: the men-at-arms and knights in well-polished plate armour; the infantry in mail shirts and open-face sallets, equipped with crossbows and halberds; and the brightly clad light cavalry made up of two distinct groups: the Serbian and Hungarian huszárok armed with sabres, lances and axes, and the Székely mounted archers. About a hundred and fifty men in total, ready to offer their services to the kingdom’s Judge Royal.
The news of the Turkish attack on neighbouring Moldavia had alarmed all Transylvania; but although Bátori was already trying to raise troops, he was facing delays. As Captain Dóczi explained, the king wished to keep the well-trained royal army with him and had ordered Bátori to muster any soldiers he could out of the local Hungarian nobility, the Székely Seats, the general population of Saxons, Wallachians and Serbians, as well as any mercenaries like those of Szentimre who were available within the province of Transylvania.
“I hope they don’t pick us,” Adnan said to Margit.
The two of them stood in a separate group of twelve new recruits.
She brushed off the notion with a shake of her head. “They will not. We are still new.”
Margit had a more pressing thought on her mind: Márton. After being away for a long time, he had only returned the night before to make this inspection. With the gold and silver mine in the king’s hands, Márton’s main source of income was the mercenaries. He would not miss the opportunity.
“Here they come!” Adnan’s words set her heart racing.
She raised her head to catch a good view of the six men, who stopped only a few paces away. Balog, Dóczi, the Serbian captain and the Hungarian captain were on foot; the other two men on horseback.
The first of the riders was middle-aged and wore a mail shirt with steel plates over his shoulders and arms.
“He must be the field commander, János Bocskai,” Margit whispered to Adnan. “And the younger one is Márton.”
Unlike the armoured figures around him, her cousin donned refined attire: a short-sleeved, apple-green brocade mente revealing a similarly coloured silk dolmány underneath. Gilded spurs adorned his knee-high, blood-red riding boots. Atop his shoulder-length chestnut hair rested a brown felt hat with a feather pinned on its upturned brim. His well-trimmed beard, ruddy complexion, upright posture and air of pride and confidence completed a striking image.
An involuntary grunt escaped Margit’s lips. Anger and envy pinched her heart. Her cousin had thrived on stolen wealth—hers…
“My lord!” Sergeant Bakó’s voice from behind drew her attention away from Márton. “You must administer justice!”
Dragging a barefoot boy by the arm, the sergeant brushed past her and approached Márton.
Barely six or seven years of age, the child wailed and pleaded for mercy. Blood and mud stained his face.
“Coward,” Margit hissed. “Find someone your size.”
Adnan dug his elbow into her side. “Shhh.”
In the meantime, Bakó shoved the boy to the ground in front of her cousin, making his horse shy backwards.
“What is the meaning of this?” Márton yelled, his shrill voice piercing Margit’s ears, while he struggled to steady his horse.
The sergeant stood upright with his chest puffed as if he were to announce a grand achievement. “This thieving urchin stole a fresh loaf of bread from your kitchen, my lord. But I caught him.”
Márton’s face creased. He leaned over and screamed at the child, “How dare you steal from me?”
“Mercy, my lord!” the boy squealed, in floods of tears and trembling like a frightened bird. “My sire’s dead. My poor mother has the fever and can’t work. My little sister is starving, but we’ve no coin.”
“That is not my concern. You committed a crime.” Márton straightened himself in the saddle. “Sergeant! Cut off his finger. And if he is caught again, he will lose a hand.”
Seeing Bakó unhook a small axe from his belt, Margit leaned forward, but Adnan held her back.
“Not here, you fool!” Márton shouted at the sergeant. “Take him away!”
“Yes, my lord.” Bakó bowed and retreated, tugging the boy behind him.
Searing pain ran through Margit’s heart.
How can you be so cruel, cousin? He’s only a child…only a child…
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https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/07/blog-tour-return-to-the-eyrie-by-katerina-dunne.html
(note: Helen has not yet read the book herself)
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Thank you so much for hosting Katerina Dunne today, sharing her fabulous new novel, Return to the Eyrie.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club