Blog Tour Review: Warrior and Protector – Peter Gibbons

  1. Hello everybody and welcome to today’s blog tour review of Warrior and Protector by Peter Gibbons.

I am a big fan of historical-fiction set in this time period. If you read my blog, you will know that I am currently working my way through Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories series and M.J. Porter’s Wolf of Mercia series. I have also read and enjoyed The Abbot’s Tale by Conn Iggulden as a standalone. So, when Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources was looking for a reviewer for Warrior and Protector, I would have been daft to pass up the opportunity! I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ahead of the tour – and I have plenty of reasons why you should read this book to share with you!

Before we jump into my review, here are some details about the book itself: –

 

Warrior and Protector – Peter Gibbons

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 316

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 31 Oct 2022

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

 

Goodreads – Warrior and Protector

The start of a brand NEW series – an unputdownable fast paced adventure, filled with unforgettable characters.

989 AD.

Alfred the Great’s dream of a united England has been forged by his daughter Aethelfaed and grandson, King Aethelstan.

The Vikings have been expelled from York following the death of Erik Bloodaxe, and for two generations there has been peace between Saxon and Dane.

A new Viking warlord Olaf Tryggvason seeks revenge for Bloodaxe’s death and the slaughter that followed, and has set his sights on a fresh assault on England’s shores. With Skarde Wartooth they set sail for Saxon lands, hungry for glory, conquest and vengeance.

Beornoth, a brutal and battle-hardened Saxon Thegn, is called to arms to fight and protect the Saxon people from the savage Norse invaders. On a personal crusade, he joins the army of Byrthnoth, Lord of the east Saxons in a desperate fight against the bloodthirsty Vikings.

Beornoth must lay his own demons to bed, survive vicious attacks and find redemption for his tragic past.

If you like Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, and David Gemmell you will love this epic Saxon adventure packed with battles, Vikings, and adventure.

 

Purchase Link – Amazon

 

My Thoughts

If you enjoy fiction based on English history, then Warrior and Protector is an approachable fictional novel exploring 10th-century Britain. It is a turbulent period; conflict is rife and political instability has made England ripe for plundering. At just over 300 pages, Warrior and Protector is a comfortable size novel for somebody wanting to explore the genre. Or, as I found, it’s great to pick up and delve into a quick palette-cleanser read. I temporarily set aside a more dense dark-academia novel to read this. The pace and tone make for easy reading and a refreshing change.

One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this book is the pace. There is plenty of action driving the narrative forward at all times. Beornoth is a man who wants to be in the thick of the fight. Scarred by his past, he jumps at the opportunity to take vengeance for the wrongs against his family. But, in order to do so, he has to fight his own personal battle in the first place. After the attack that devastates his family, he will do anything to blunt the pain. Only when the Vikings return does he clean up his act and vow to do what he can to protect others from the same fate.

Of course, this is not easy, and something he struggles with throughout the book. It might be easy to assume that Beornoth is a shallow character, hell-bent on vengeance and war, but otherwise hollow. That is not the case at all. He is a man who does not shy away from taking up a blade, but he does so in the defence of others as much as for vengeance. Beornoth is actually a well-rounded and developed character, and I expect we can see more from him in subsequent books.

Naturally, you can expect a lot of violence and all the unpleasant things that go along with it from this narrative. The book is easy to pick up and read. However, there are some difficult subjects broached within the text. In particular, death, abuse, and references to torture are themes that come up throughout the book. If this is something that would be difficult for you to read, then perhaps this book is not for you. I would say that the content isn’t really unexpected in a novel of this type and setting.

The books are set a little later than Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, (aka The Last Kingdom). Even if you have read these books before, you are not going over well-trodden ground in Warrior and Protector. The overall setting is familiar. References to significant individuals in that period of history ( Alfred the Great and his daughter Ethelflaed for example) help give some grounding. Otherwise, this is a unique story in its own right; it is well worth a read if you are a fan of the genre!

I can’t wait to read further into this series. Peter Gibbons also has another historical fiction series already published. I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to end up on my TBR!

If you want to find out more about warrior and protector, there are details at the beginning of this post about other bloggers who have taken part in the Blog Tours.

If you want to find out more about Warrior and Protector, here are details of other bloggers who have also taken part in the blog tour. Please go and check out their thoughts on the book as well!

 

Author Bio

 

Peter Gibbons is a financial advisor and author of the highly acclaimed Viking Blood and Blade trilogy.

He comes to Boldwood with his new Saxon Warrior series, set around the 900 AD Viking invasion during the reign of King Athelred the Unready. The first title of the new series, Warrior and Protector, will be published in October 2022. He originates from Liverpool and now lives with his family in County Kildare.

Social Media Links

Facebook: Peter Gibbons Author – Home | Facebook

Twitter: Peter Gibbons Author (@AuthorGibbons) / Twitter

Instagram: Peter Gibbons Author (@petermgibbons) • Instagram photos and videos

Bookbub profile: Peter Gibbons Books – BookBub