Iron Canuck Reviews & More: Review Tour: Ravens Hill (The Atheling Chronicles #5) by Garth Pettersen with an excerpt, a giveaway, and my review

RAVENS HILL

by Garth Pettersen

GENRE: Historical Mystery

BLURB:

When Harald, the second son of King Cnute, returns from fighting the king's enemies in Northern Wales, he expects his life to return to normal farming in the Midlands, overseeing his few tenants, evening walks with his beloved Selia an idyllic life, far from the power-mongering of King Cnute's court. But the king has other plans for Harald and his wife—he grants them a large landholding, a gift they cannot refuse.

On arriving at their new holding, Ravens Hill, Harald and Selia receive a tepid welcome from belligerent housecarls, a conniving steward, an uncompromising abbess, bitter at not adding their estate to her abbey lands, a priest with roaming hands, and a grieving daughter of the previous landholder, who has entered the nunnery.

Harald and Selia wish to improve the lot of their tenant farmers but they face obstacles at every turn, and Harald’s generosity is seen as weakness. They also learn the lands come with an unexpected millstone—an unsolved murder.

And then the trouble begins.

Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Ravens Hill—part of the award-winning Atheling Chronicles series.

EXCERPT:

The old church was roofless and only a portion of each wall remained, lichen and moss-covered, half-hidden by brambles and bracken. At one end of the ruin, Raedwulf and the other three túnland retainers ringed the monk who stood with his back to me. He wore a brown woolen tunic with a hood hanging at his back. His head was tonsured, though the bald spot needed shaving. Raedwulf released his hold of the hermit’s garment on my arrival.

Raedwulf scowled up at me. “Tún-lord.”

“Leave the monk be,” I ordered. My housecarls rode up to join me. Selia and Ricmann came just behind.

While the other men stepped away from the monk, Raedwulf stood his ground. “Steward Ricmann told us to turn him off the lands.”

“And I am telling you to leave the man be.” I dismounted and handed over my reins. I joined the monk and faced Raedwulf. “I have different ways than Thegn Wulfrun, and Steward Ricmann will soon get to know them. If you find you cannot manage change, then you are welcome to find hiring elsewhere.” I held Raedwulf’s gaze, then shifted my attention to the other carls. “That goes for all of you. Do you understand?”

The three housecarls nodded or muttered, “Aye.”

“Raedwulf?” I said, still facing him.

I had given not half a glance at the monk who stood beside me. Before Raedwulf could answer, the monk said, “Harek? It’s you, isn’t it?”

I turned to face the hermit. A familiar gaunt face, heavy brows, and sad, gray eyes. To my mind came a hazy memory of care received in a hermit’s cave many miles to the north.

“Brother Widuc?” I grasped his upper arm. “So good to see you again, my friend.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Garth Pettersen is a Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, BC. When he's not writing, he is riding horses or working on his acreage. Garth's short stories have appeared in a number of anthologies and in journals such as Blank Spaces, The Spadina Literary Review, and The Opening Line Literary 'Zine. His story, River's Rising, was awarded an Honourable Mention for the Short Story America 2017 Prize, his fantasy novella River Born, was one of two runners-up for the Windsor Editions (UK) Short Fiction Prize, and his novel The Sea's Edge won a first place Incipiere Award in 2024. Garth Pettersen's historical fiction series, The Atheling Chronicles is published by Tirgearr Publishing and is available on most online outlets (The Swan's Road, The Dane Law, The Cold Hearth, and The Sea's Edge). The fifth book, Ravens Hill, will be released in April, 2025. Print editions are available on Amazon.

Buy Links:

Tirgearr Publishing: http://www.tirpub.com/gpettersen

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Hill-Atheling-Chronicles-5-ebook/dp/B0DZPGNVXZ

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/author/garth-pettersen/id1292516225

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ie/en/series/the-atheling-chronicles

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Garth%20Pettersen

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/gpettersen

Website: https://www.garthpettersen.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writeandride/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/garpet011

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GIVEAWAY

Garth Pettersen will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f5127/

My Review - 5 of 5 stars -

I enjoyed this tale. As Selia and Harald came to know their new home, they showed caring, respect, and friendship to those around them. There was much in the way of danger, death, secrets, and more. The journey to the truth was interesting and touching. Selia and Harald were now parents to orphans, making Selia happier. I loved the connection/love between Harald and Selia, and the trust and respect they had for each other.