My Spotlight guest today: Rory Marsden and his Tales of Castle Rory

A GOOD READ SPOTLIGHT

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

About the Book

THE BOX OF DEATH

A box that should never be opened. A secret that could destroy them all.

In the year 1263, Lord Rory of Hambrig presides over a castle that towers above the treacherous River Hurogol. Beyond the fast-flowing waters live a Celtic tribe, who claim the right to live in Hambrig. The ancient treaty has vanished, and tensions simmer as the tribe yearns to reclaim their ancestral lands.

When the King and his son arrive unexpectedly at Castle Rory, the delicate balance of peace begins to unravel. The son bears a gift from the tribe's chief—a large, mysterious box, rumoured to contain a deadly lizard whose release spells doom.

But that is only the beginning. A strange minstrel appears at the castle, with an eerie knowledge of things yet to come and abilities that defy explanation. His warnings are cryptic and his presence unsettling. But the Box of Death cannot be ignored.

Lord Rory is torn between loyalty to the crown and whispers of inevitable death that follow the Box. With ancient grievances resurfacing and the lives of his people at stake, he must decide whether to open the Box of Death—or let the fate it holds remain sealed.

Will opening the box unleash unspeakable horrors, or is it the only way to prevent greater destruction? And who can be trusted when the line between prophecy and manipulation blurs?

THE AUTHOR 

My name is Rory Marsden, and I am not the Lord of Hambrig, even though we share the same name! 

Tales of Castle Rory grew from the first book, The Box of Death. How that book came about is a story in itself: 

I converted part of my house to a guest room between October 2017 and March 2018. When it was done, I launched it as a great place for long or short stays in Norfolk. 

But I didn’t want it to be listed as just a house number and street name; I thought that sounded boring! I wanted an unusual name, something that would stand out and that my guests would remember, and hopefully want to return to and tell their friends about.

So, I was thinking of names for my new guest room and running them past my mum. They all sounded good to me, but Mum rejected every suggestion – until I came up with “The Buttery”. She really loved that name! Of course, then I had to find out exactly what it meant, and I discovered that a “buttery” was one of three “service rooms” in a medieval castle. The other two service rooms were the kitchen and the pantry, and all three led off the Great Hall, the main feasting room in the castle. 

Naturally, I have a kitchen(!), and, by strange coincidence, I had long ago decided to call my utility room “the pantry”. To get to the kitchen, the pantry and the buttery you do indeed have to go through my “Great Hall”. And so there we were! All three service rooms now in place! 

The logical extension of this was that my whole home became a medieval castle. 

I realise you would have to stretch your imagination somewhat to see my 1970s bungalow as a 13th century fortress, but stick with it... 

The name of the castle was easy, as a house name in this format has personal and historical associations for me, so “Castle Rory” it became. 

I’d created a castle and I’d set it squarely in the high Middle Ages; now it needed a story behind it. That story became The Box of Death. 

This led to more writing, and there are now six books in the Tales of Castle Rory series, all set in the late 13th century in a country called Mallrovia. If anyone can work out the reason for the name “Mallrovia” (and how this led to my naming my house “Castle Rory”) there is a Big Prize waiting. Family in the know are excluded from this offer! 

I never thought to publish the Tales. My mum loved them, and she not only encouraged me to keep writing but she also urged me to publish the books. I resisted that though, because I’d written them for us, and I’d never had the intention of bringing them to a wider audience. 

Until last year. 

Last year my wonderful mum died, unexpectedly and suddenly, and I was left bereft. It took me several months to work out what to do in her honour, but it finally came to me: I knew I must publish my Tales of Castle Rory. I went back to The Box of Death and got it ready for the big, wide world. I hope you enjoy it, and the subsequent Tales as well. The World of Hambrig has been my world for a long time now, and I often reflect how strange these connections are and how differently things might have turned out – for example, if Mum had given the thumbs up to a different name for my guest room. I’m glad she didn’t, for then there would have been no Castle Rory and no World of Hambrig. 

read an excerpt

THE BOX OF DEATH – EXCERPT 

As Amie screamed out the last word of her song, there came a thunder of applause, amplified a hundredfold by pewter goblets banging on tables, booted feet stamping, everyone shouting, yelling, fists in the air. I held my breath. The noise went on and on, as Amie stood triumphant on the hearth and took a mocking bow. 

A mighty roar came from my left. Everyone turned to the high table, and an angry, edgy silence fell. The King was on his feet. With terrible strength, he lifted and overturned the mighty table itself, hurling dishes, leftover food and flagons of wine onto the floor. King Philip stood before us, our greatest warlord, his arms raised, his palms flat towards the people, while the firelight threw a huge shadow of his form onto the wall behind, making him look ten feet tall. Prince Barney had also risen, a stunned look on his handsome face. He ran furiously from the hall. 

I hadn’t realised the presence of the gecko in the castle was common knowledge. I should have remembered nothing is secret in such a close-knit circle of people. The distinction between rumour and fact is never a high priority among the gossips and the tongue- waggers. 

Amie had told them the Sacred Gecko was here among us, and she had mocked Prince Barney, also here among us. I was suddenly alert to the very real possibility of a riot, right here in my home. 

Instinctively I looked round for my steward and found him right beside me. Sir Patrick of Myrtile. Tall, spare, old enough to have served my father before me, a wise advisor and a man of few words, all of them to the point. 

‘At least nobody’s armed,’ he murmured. Which was indeed a blessing, but of course no one is allowed to bring weapons into the great hall. 

‘Patrick, close the castle. Lock everything and raise the drawbridge.’ 

‘Already done.’ ‘Where’s the Lady Joan?’ 

‘Gone. But she knows something she’s not telling us – something about Sammy, I believe.’ 

The huge iron-studded door at the other end was slowly closing. If the company noticed, if there were a stampede to get out, 

we would not be able to contain them. I looked over at Amie and found her eyes locked with mine. I beckoned to her. 

‘What the hell was that all about?’

Most lords would have bundled her straight into the dungeon, her harp snapped into pieces before her eyes. The King had already accused me of being too lenient. If Amie had taken advantage of me, she would pay for it. 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am an author and musician, passionate about the Middle Ages. I play the gittern, a beautiful medieval stringed instrument, ancestor of the guitar; and a thirteenth century recorder, a replica of one which was excavated from medieval ruins in modern-day Poland. I also play the piano, and there's nothing medieval about that!

Tales of Castle Rory are Medieval Fantasy Adventures, in which the demesne of Lord Rory of Hambrig is brought to life. 

Set in the latter part of the thirteenth century, these stories have adventure, mystery and magic at their heart. You'll also find relationships, romance, friendships and the forging and breaking of ties between people and nations. 

Running through the Tales are themes of family, loyalty, trust and resilience, together with the other sides of those coins: abandonment, betrayal, loss and disempowerment. 

To find out more about Rory's adventures, my books and my reasons for writing, sign up for my reader newsletter, The Household News, via

 www.talesofcastlerory.co.uk

When you subscribe, you'll immediately receive a free short ebook prequel: Mansurah: Jonny's Tale. It describes what happened when Jonny and Rory went on the Seventh Crusade. This story is only available to The Household News subscribers.

You can also contact me via the website to tell me your thoughts about my books and to ask questions. I would love to hear from you!

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

twitter: @Castle_Rory21

Links to buy Tales of Castle Rory: 

All books are available on Amazon, and all are available as ebooks and as paperbacks. 

amazon.com 

https://amzn.to/4gLzkPa

amazon.co.uk

https://amzn.to/3BocOf8

amazon.com.au

https://amzn.to/3zJGPWb

amazon.ca

https://amzn.to/4doi3IU

My Thoughts

For any reader who enjoys fantasy set against a possible 'real' landscape, this could be a series for you. The character-led action is engrossing, being a story of Medieval-style adventure and intrigue in a fictitious kingdom somewhere 'east of England'.

The author's imagination is immense, with detail of everyday life, weaponry, battles and such included to create a plausible other world where fiction is so entirely suspended that you forget this isn't a real place, real people or real events.

A good, believable, yarn, I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.

* * * * 4 stars

<PREVIOUS POST

*

Follow Helen On:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

(and I'm on Twitter @HelenHollick but for marketing only)

*

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

*

The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries

set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES

nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

*

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)
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' tales

*

The Forever Queen (US edition)
a USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A Hollow Crown (UK edition)

*

KING ARTHUR

The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy

 The Boy Who became a Man:

Who became a King:

Who became a Legend... 

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 

US editions

*

Historical Stories of Exile by 13 popular authors 

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, 

J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney 

Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, 

Marian L Thorpe, Annie Whitehead.

With an introduction by Deborah Swift

*

Amazon: FREE ebook!

*

*

NON-FICTION

*

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

website: www.helenhollick.net

*

SUBSCRIBE to Helen's

Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse newsletter

to receive an email reminder of each new post

(1st of every month)

subscribe@helenhollick.co.uk

*

Have you read the first in my Cosy Mystery Series...?

Set in the 1970s

and based around my years of working as a library assistant 

(although I wasn't involved in any murders - 

beyond avidly reading Agatha Christie!)

B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree - Award-winning Mystery Books

The first in a series of quick-read, cosy mysteries set in the 1970s

Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple. 

But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered... Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will romance survive and blossom between library assistant Jan Christopher and DC Laurie Walker – or will the brutal murder intervene?

"I sank into this gentle cosy mystery story with the same enthusiasm and relish as I approach a hot bubble bath, (in fact this would be a great book to relax in the bath with!), and really enjoyed getting to know the central character..." Debbie Young bestselling cosy mystery author

"Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She's also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character - the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period." Denise Barnes (bestselling romance author Molly Green)

“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale” Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)

“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!” Reader's Review

“An enjoyable novella with a twist in who done it. I spent the entire read trying to decide what was a clue and what wasn’t ... Kept me thinking the entire time. I call that a success.” Reader's Review

(image, courtesy Debbie Young)

READ AN EXCERPT 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Alone In The Kitchen

Laurie wanted me to sit in the car while he ran to the police telephone box situated beyond the cinema, on the island crescent where the buses terminated. I had refused.

“I can’t leave her on her own!” Tears were starting to prick my eyes, and I was shaking. He was right, the car would be a better place, but despite the obnoxious odour I couldn’t, just couldn’t, leave Mrs Norris lying on her kitchen floor with no one to – to, what? Comfort her? Protect her? She was beyond both, but I could not bear the thought of leaving her.

I think Laurie understood, because he took his jacket off and draped it around my shoulders, sat me in one of the wooden chairs next to the kitchen table and told me, firmly, to, “Stay there. Don’t move. Don’t touch anything.”

When I looked up at him, my face half-crumpled into grief, half into bewilderment. He kissed my forehead and said, “It’s a murder scene, love. The entire place will soon be crawling with coppers and SOCO – Scene of Crime Officers – looking for evidence of who did this.”

I nodded. I knew that, but until he’d said it, it hadn’t registered properly. “I know what SOCO means. My uncle is a Detective Chief Inspector,” I said unnecessarily tartly. I immediately apologised. “I’m sorry, that was very rude of me. I’ll stay put,” I promised.

“No need to apologise, you’re in shock.” He didn’t kiss me again, but he touched my cheek with a forefinger. “I won’t be long.” And he was gone.

I heard vomiting outside the open front door, partially rose as I guessed it was Laurie spewing his insides up, but thought better of going out to him. One: he had told me to stay put. Two: he would be embarrassed. Three: I would be embarrassed.

I was shaking again. I clutched my arms around myself and rocked back and forth, a sound between a groan and a sob leaving my throat, awful memories returning. It was not the first time for me. I’d seen my dad, my own dad, shot dead with three bullets right before my eyes. I’d been upstairs in bed, had heard someone knock, loud and insistent at the front door. Heard Dad answer it, exclaim, ‘What the...?” and then scuffling and shouting.

I had run from my bedroom and peered through the spindles of the banisters. There had been three very loud bangs, and Dad had staggered backwards clutching at his chest, knocking over the telephone table with the vase of fresh flowers on it, sending it crashing to the floor. Daffodils. Bright yellow daffodils that I had helped Mum pick from the garden that afternoon. The telephone itself tinkled as it, too, fell, the Bakelite casing cracking as it smashed on to the floor. Dad tried to grab the post of the banisters as he toppled onto the bottom two stairs. There was blood everywhere, all over him, on the carpet, up the walls, red splatters and dribbles spoiling the new floral wallpaper. The only other thing I remember of that night was screaming. I stood at the top of the stairs, and I screamed, and screamed, and screamed. I had been five years old.

I felt a scream crawling up from my stomach into my mouth now, but gulped it down and clutched Laurie’s jacket tighter around my shoulders. I swallowed, hard, again, suddenly desperately wanting the loo. I crossed my legs and squeezed my thighs together.

“Think of something else!” I murmured aloud.

I looked at the space where the mirror had been, a distinctive lighter patch against the cream-painted wall. The mirror must have been ripped off in anger, or frustration, for the nail, hook or screw – whatever it had been hanging on – had been yanked out of the wall, leaving the plaster cracked around a large hole. I looked again at poor Mrs Norris. She was facing away from where the mirror had been, had she turned from someone, not expecting such a vicious attack? Had there been an argument? Had she known the person who had killed her?

Unlike the dining room, and the front room, come to that, this kitchen looked lived in, bright and homely. There was nothing modern, most of the furniture and fittings reflecting the fifties: a cream-painted wall cabinet, and matching cupboard and drawers. A stove with a red kettle on one of the gas rings, its conical whistle in place. Corner shelves with three cream-coloured tins with green lids, labelled tea, coffee, sugar. A square, white metal bread bin. Pale blue chequered curtains, drawn across a window above the sink, with blue and white china on the draining board washed up and left to dry. A matching chequered curtain on a wire rod beneath the sink. The table I was sitting at had a blue Formica top and was pushed against the wall, the flap on that side folded down. Above, the doors of the serving hatch into the dining room. Apart from the washing up, and the blood on the floor, all was clean and tidy.

I felt beneath the striped, knitted tea cosy that covered a teapot sitting on its wooden stand on the table. Cold. Then I remembered that Laurie had told me not to touch anything. I sat back in the chair and folded my arms. It didn’t seem right that Mrs Norris was lying there, abandoned. Maybe I could cover her with something? I started to get to my feet, sighed, sat down again. Laurie would be back soon; he would take care of her dignity. Then I noticed something. I bent as far forward as I could without leaving the chair, to peer closer. Something was clutched in her hand. A piece of paper, the corner of the front page of the Daily Mirror poking through her clenched fingers. I could see its distinctive white lettering on a red background. Footsteps coming down the hall! I gasped, sprang to my feet. What if the murderer had come back? Felt stupid as I heard Laurie call out.

“Only me!”

He walked in through the door, and I ran to him with a gulped sob, throwing myself into his arms. I buried my head into his home-knitted, woollen cardigan and cried. For Mrs Norris, for me, for the memory of my dad? I don’t know, all I knew was that with Laurie’s arms round me, holding me tight, I felt safe.

The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries

set in the 1970s

BUY THE BOOK/s

1) A Mirror Murder https://getbook.at/MirrorMurder

2) A Mystery of Murder  http://mybook.to/AMysteryOfMurder

3) A Mistake of Murder https://mybook.to/MISTAKEofMURDER

4)A Meadow Murder: https://mybook.to/AMeadowMurder

5) A Memory of Murder: https://mybook.to/AMemoryOfMurder  

Website:

https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page:

https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Monthly newsletter
Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse
(posted on my blog - subscribe to a 'reminder' list)
Start Here: January 2024 https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/01/thoughts-from-devonshire-farmhouse.html

< PREVIOUS POST

*** ***

Follow Me On:

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - 

http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

(and I'm on Twitter @HelenHollick but for marketing only)

*

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: 

https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES

nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

*

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)
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' tales

*

The Forever Queen (US edition)
a USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A Hollow Crown (UK edition)

*

KING ARTHUR

The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy

 The Boy Who became a Man:

Who became a King:

Who became a Legend... 

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 

US editions

*

Historical Stories of Exile by 13 popular authors 

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, 

J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney 

Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, 

Marian L Thorpe, Annie Whitehead.

With an introduction by Deborah Swift

*

Amazon: FREE ebook!

*

*

NON-FICTION

*

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

website: www.helenhollick.net

*

SUBSCRIBE to Helen's

Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse newsletter

to receive an email reminder of each new post

(1st of every month)

subscribe@helenhollick.co.uk

*

Rachel's Random Resources Book Tours: A Highlander to Protect Her by Jeanine Englert

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
to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

A Highlander to Protect Her

A bodyguard and forced proximity await in the emotional final installment of Secrets of Clan Cameron…

The Highlander’s choice:

Protect her or his clan?

Every family has secrets. Kenna Hay’s? The mother who abandoned her is alive! Now Kenna must journey across Scotland to find her. After years of lies, she’s determined to keep Rolf Cameron, who’s tasked with escorting her, at arm’s length…despite their unexpected connection.

Highlander Rolf swore to Kenna’s father he’d keep her safe. Even though his own quest to uncover his family’s past could put both their clans in danger… But what’s more dangerous is the all-consuming attraction between them, which is becoming impossible to ignore!

Purchase Link - 

https://books2read.com/u/4Dnw2P

Author Bio – 

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. 

Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com

Social Media Links – 

FB: 

https://www.facebook.com/JeanineWrites

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/JeanineWrites

Website: 

https://www.jeaninewrites.com

Goodreads: 

A Laird without a Past by Jeanine Englert | Goodreads

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jeanine-englert?list=about

Instagram: 

https://www.instragram.com/JeanineWrites

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

(note: Helen has not yet read the book herself)

< PREVIOUS POST

scroll down to bottom of page

to leave a comment

*

Follow Helen On:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

(and I'm on Twitter @HelenHollick but for marketing only)

*

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

*

The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries

set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES

nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

*

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)
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' tales

*

The Forever Queen (US edition)
a USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A Hollow Crown (UK edition)

*

KING ARTHUR

The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy

 The Boy Who became a Man:

Who became a King:

Who became a Legend... 

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 

US editions

*

Historical Stories of Exile by 13 popular authors 

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, 

J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney 

Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, 

Marian L Thorpe, Annie Whitehead.

With an introduction by Deborah Swift

*

Amazon: FREE ebook!

*

*

NON-FICTION

*

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

website: www.helenhollick.net

*

SUBSCRIBE to Helen's

Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse newsletter

to receive an email reminder of each new post

(1st of every month)

subscribe@helenhollick.co.uk

*