Promotional Post: For King and Country by Charlene Newcomb #Review #Giveaway

Author: Charlene Newcomb
Book: For King and Country
Series: Battle Scars #2
Self Published
Publication date: April 27, 2016
Length: 579 pages


Reviewed by Meredith



Synopsis

England 1193
Civil war threatens as battle-scarred knight Henry de Grey returns from the Crusades. King Richard languishes in captivity, a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor. Traitors to the crown pit Henry and his friends against dangerous and unknown enemies.

Loyalties will be tested, families torn apart. Friend or foe? It is hard to tell one from the other.

The king’s brother John and his allies plot to usurp Richard’s throne. With the knights Sir Stephan and Sir Robin, Henry fights for king and country. But he must keep his feelings for Sir Stephan l’Aigle secret. Sure as arrow or sword, their forbidden love could destroy him.

War, political intrigue and passion… heroes… friends and lovers… and the seeds for a new Robin Hood legend await you…

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Review

For King and Country is book two in Charlene Newcomb's Battle Scars Series. Book one being Men of the Cross. After book one ended we were very much wondering what was going to happen to our MC's so I was looking forward to book two. My patience was rewarded brilliantly for it.

We continue the journey with Stephan and Henry. They are back in England after the Crusades, by no means is the war over. As a matter of fact the country is in pure chaos thanks to Prince John. King Richard is being held captive, the throne is being fought upon, there's traitors everywhere! There are many story arcs in this book and I was on the edge of my seat for so much of it. I had no idea who to trust, what words were truth, and what "next thing" Henry, Stephan, Robin, or John would do that might get them killed.

With new books comes new characters of course. We meet Henry's father and sister and Stephan's brother. I find secondary characters to be vital to any story. In this one I found myself muttering, "Oh look, more suspects."

The romance in this story for Little John was delightful. A little bit of fresh air through all the fire and ashes. I kept finding so many small joys throughout the intensity of the tale. On top of the suspense, intrigue, and romance, this book was filled with so much history. It's rich in many things. It is a very long book but I felt like I just glided along. There was no lag, the characters were brilliant, (even the evil ones) outstanding writing. This is truly a marvelous series. Especially if you're a history buff! You must read this in order. No book is a standalone. You're following a journey. I look forward to book three!

About the Author

Born & raised in South Carolina, I wanted a life of adventure and travel. I realized my dreams of hitting the big time with the all-girl rock band Liberation were just that - dreams. And becoming an astronaut wasn't in the cards. So I joined the Navy to see the world and spent six years as a communications technician/voice language analyst. I fit college into my life (BA in History, and many years later an MA in Library Science). That desire to travel in space translated into writing science fiction: I published 10 short stories in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I have written two novels, one a contemporary drama, Keeping the Family Peace; the other, Men of the Cross (book 1 of Battle Scars), allows me to share my love of history with readers. Book 2 of the series will be published in 2015

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Giveaway

Enter the giveaway to win a copy of this book and a $10.00 Amazon GC!

Contest will end February 28th!

Thank you!!

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Promotional Post: Men of the Cross by Charlene Newcomb #Review #Giveaway

Author: Charlene Newcomb
Book: Men of the Cross
Series: Battle Scars book 1
Publisher: Blue X Entertainment
Publication date: April 28, 2014
Length: 355 pages


Reviewed by Meredith

Synopsis

War, political intrigue and passion… heroes… friends and lovers… and the seeds for a new Robin Hood legend await you…

Two young knights’ journey to war at Richard the Lionheart’s side sweeps them from England to the Holy Land in this historical adventure set against the backdrop of the Third Crusade.

Henry de Grey leaves Southampton in high spirits, strong in his faith and passionate about the mission to take Jerusalem back from Saladin’s army. Stephan l’Aigle’s prowess on the battlefield is well known, as are his exploits in the arms of other men. He prizes duty, honour and loyalty to his king above all else. But God and the Church? Stephan has little use for either.

Henry’s convictions are challenged by loss and the harsh realities of bloody battles, unforgiving marches, and the politics of the day. Man against man. Man against the elements. Man against his own heart. Survival will depend on more than a strong sword arm.

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Review

Men of the Cross is book one in Charlene Newcomb's Battle Scars series. Men of the Cross is every historical fan's dream! It's a truly epic adventure. It's war, love, blood, sweat, tears, triumphs, and failures. 

This is told in the POV's of Stephan l'Aigle and Sir Henry de Grey, Knights in King Richard the Lionheart's army. They develop a friendship; which in war, so close to so much tragedy, is normal.

Stephan and Henry's love affair isn't an easy one to fold into. Stephan falls hard for Henry. Stephan being gay and Henry being religiously bound; presented moral questions and a tangle of situations.

We deal with so many political and religious battles in this book.. Written within a time when same sex relationships were forbidden. Where such relationships were a fatal crime. That always pulls at my heart. To have love be denied but it being so strong that the lovers involved would rather die than be forced apart *sigh*

When you take Stephan and Henry's personal and professional situations and meld them together, you get a very intense, rich, intoxicating story.

Charlene Newcomb's writing is exemplary. Her grasp on history is breathtaking; add in the fact she created a love story within history... I must applaud her.

This book, in no way, could have been easy to write, even though it's flawless. It was breath-stealing at times to read.

This is a book for everyone. One I highly recommend for those who love literature.

 About Charlene Newcomb

Charlene Newcomb, aka Char, is currently working on Book III of her Battle Scars series, 12th century historical adventures filled with war, political intrigue, and a knightly romance of forbidden love set during the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

While medieval historical fiction has her under its spell at the moment, her writing roots are in the Star Wars Expanded Universe where she published her first short story in 1994 in the Star Wars Adventure Journal. She has also dabbled in contemporary fiction - Keeping the Family Peace is a family saga/coming of age story centering on the lives of a Navy family.

Char was a Supporting Author at GRL2016. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society (HNS) and a contributor and blog editor for English Historical Fiction Authors. Her Battle Scars books are indieBRAG Medallion honorees; Book II is an HNS Editors Choice and also a finalist in the Chaucer Awards for pre-1750 Historical Fiction.

Librarian by day.

Mom to 3 grown, amazing children.

She lives in Kansas. Yes, Toto. Kansas.

Connect with Char:  website | Facebook | Twitter

Bonus: Sign up for Char's Mailing List and she will welcome you with a chapter from For King and Country (that isn't part of the Amazon sample). Her Mailing List will be used sparingly to offer exclusive content and to let you be the first to know about special offers.

 Giveaway

Charlene will be gifting one person a copy of Men of the Cross

AND a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card!

Be sure to enter the rafflecopter below.

Contest will end December 18th.

Thank you!

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