Tag: Enemies of the Crown

Sunday Summary – 6th April 2025

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Today’s belated Sunday Summary post can only mean one thing. It’s the end of yet another week, and I’m with you today to share my latest reading updates.

Today’s post comes a little later than usual, given I had a blog tour obligation to share on Sunday. So as not to steal the thunder of that post, I’m scheduling this live first thing Monday morning local time. That way, I can give the tour the priority it needs. Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked that out yet, here’s a link for you to do so.

Other posts I’ve shared so far this week include my monthly wrap-up for March and my TBR for April. If you want a quick recap of the books I picked up in March, the monthly wrap-up is where to go. Overall, March was a significantly better month than February; I didn’t DNF any of my reads. I didn’t quite get to all the books on my reading list. But, then again, I never do. If anything, I prefer to set too many because it gives me an aim to work towards.

Similarly, if you want to find out which books will feature in the next few Sunday Summary posts, April‘s TBR is where to look. I don’t have any particular reading plan or theme that I’m working towards. Instead, I’ve decided to try and get those books I didn’t get to earlier this year.

 

Books Read


Calamity

I said in last week’s Sunday Summary post that I only had 50 minutes of listening time left of Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. As you can imagine, I listened to this last portion of the audiobook very quickly, so I started the week with an early win.

Calamity was every bit as good as I expected it would be. Whilst I am sad that this is the end of a trilogy, I’m really happy with the resolution. I may not be able to look forward to more books in this series, but I have plenty more Sanderson’s to crack on with…


The Weight’s Over

An impromptu listen I picked up at the beginning of this week is Sandra Roycroft-Davis‘ The Weight’s Over.

I pre-ordered this book a few weeks ago in anticipation of it coming out last month. I picked it up to understand the science behind weight loss and why it’s actually so difficult to do. In fact, Sandra outlines the ways in which our bodies set out to defy our best attempts.

The Weight’s Over was an informative listen, and I’m glad I picked this up. The audiobook is also relatively short. As a result, I both started and finished this book this week. I’d recommend this to anyone who is interested in the science behind how our bodies work – and why our bodies and brains are determined to prevent us from undertaking a successful diet.


Enemies of the Crown

Another book I picked up and read in full this week was Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons. There is a reason that this book was read so quickly, and that is because I had the blog tour post deadline. I had debated putting this book on the end of March’s list, but ultimately decided not to. Perhaps in hindsight, I should have, but what’s done is done.

Regardless of how quickly I had to read this book, I enjoyed it a lot. This is the fifth instalment of Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series, so I had a solid interest in picking up this book in good time anyway. Although I’ll generally be taking part in fewer blog tours in the future, this series is one I would make an exception for as I want to keep up with it anyway.

I really enjoyed the action and, in particular, the character development of the protagonist in this latest instalment. I could waffle on about the book here; however, as it had a whole post dedicated to that, maybe you could go and take a look there?

 

Books Discovered

Unlike the rest of this Sunday Summary post, I only have a small update in terms of new books — there aren’t any!

 

Coming Up…

I can take a bit of a breather this week in terms of the blog schedule. I don’t have any commitments, so I can post the content I want, when I want.

My first post of the week will be a discussion post. It’s been a good while since I did one of those. This week, I want to feature some authors whose books I will always buy – and why!

On Friday, I’ll return with my usual Friday feature post, First Lines Friday. It’s been a few weeks since I shared my last instalment to the series, and I’m looking forward to picking out a new book to feature with a captivating introduction.

Finally, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the last post I’ll share with you will be a Sunday Summary update! Be sure to check in and find out which books I’ve read over the course of the week to get a feel for where I’m up to with progress on my April TBR. Until then, I hope you have a fabulous week and I will see you around.

Have a great week!

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Blog Tour Review: Enemies of the Crown – Peter Gibbons

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It’s an absolute pleasure to bring to you the next instalment to Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series. I’ve featured several books in this series on my blog to date. I’ve had a sizeable break from sharing blog tour posts. However, reviewing Enemies of the Crown is a no-brainer. I want to keep up with this series anyway, so why not do that as and when books are published?

As always when sharing blog tour posts, I like to thank both the author and Rachel at Rachel‘s Random Resources for organising. The other important thing to note is that I am providing this of my own free will; the thoughts expressed within are entirely my own.

If you enjoy historical fiction, in particular books set around the time when Vikings came to Britain, read on to find out more about this fifth instalment to The Saxon Warrior series!


Enemies of the Crown – Peter Gibbons

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 338

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Original Publication Date:  02 April 2025

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – Enemies of the Crown

A weakened crown. A country besieged by Vikings, suffering under the oppression of a powerful church.

994AD

King Aethelred the Unready’s rule falters. Policies recommended by the controlling bishops invite more attacks upon his Saxon kingdom as Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking battle-king of the Danes, grows in power; bloodthirsty for conquest.

Beornoth, Viking-killer and kings thegn believed his days in the shield wall to be over until summoned by the king to enforce a policy of retribution against his enemies.

In a time of shifting loyalties, alongside a savage warband of cruel Norman warriors, Beornoth embarks upon a brutal quest to rid England of King Aethelred’s so-called Viking enemies.

However, when this murderous campaign leads to the door of an old friend, Beornoth must choose sides, as his loyalty to king, country, and his brothers of the sword are put to the test.

Can Beornoth triumph over insurmountable odds in this shield splintering battle for the future of England itself?


Purchase Link


My Thoughts


Plot

If you enjoy internal conflict present in the likes of Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom, you’ll enjoy Enemies of the Crown. Like Uhtred, Beornoth finds himself with conflicted loyalties. Between the King he is honour-bound to serve and a Dane he loves as a brother, who does he choose? It seems an impossible decision.

As with all books in the series to date, there is plenty of action to keep us readers engaged. Between Saxon, Norman and Danish factions, it’s hardly surprising there’s a constant power struggle.

The pacing of the storyline and events suited my preferences. I was able to read most of this book in a day. That’s very fast, but it doesn’t have to be read that way either. I guess what I’m saying is the plot and writing are so engaging that I was motivated to!

I can only hope there are more books to come based on the ending – because it sounds like the conflict is not yet over.


Setting

The setting of Enemies of the Crown spans much of England as we know it today. Even if you are unfamiliar with historic town and city names (e.g Somersaete), I feel confident readers can follow along well. As a big fan of the genre through books and television, I’m pretty versed in this knowledge. It’s certainly not a requirement though.   

From a political setting point of view, events have moved on since earlier books in the series. Aethelred’s mother is back in a position of influence, and this is not to Beornoth’s liking. Ælfthryth set herself against Beornoth in the past. So, he is naturally wary of her power and influence over the King of England.

There is a good deal of travel that takes place within this narrative, but the vast majority takes place behind the scenes. This keeps the action moving along and helps keep pace and readers engaged.


Characters

I’ve enjoyed seeing a more vulnerable side to Beornoth this time round. In the earlier books of the series, he was a younger man – better able and more physically fit to fulfil his duty in purging Britain’s soil of marauding Vikings. In Enemies of the Crown however, he is starting to show his age. He isn’t quite as quick as he was, and it does land him in danger.

Beornoth is also quite a different character to the man we met in the first book of the series, Warrior and Protector. He is more at peace with his past and emotionally he is far more mature. I have enjoyed his character arc and progression without the series to date, and that includes in Enemies of the Crown.

The final conflict in Enemies of the Crown is an interesting development and thorough it we see a lot about Beornoth. His past traumas come into play and I found his reactions and perspective in this almost repeat scenario interesting.


Narrative Style

By now, Peter Gibbons way of narrating the series is familiar and well-loved. It’s been very easy to get back into the series. Even though the book gets into action quite quickly, there is enough recap included to remind us readers of prior events. As somebody who reads a lot of books, I appreciate these hints being dropped in. It makes for a better reading experience when you can recall what’s happened rather than having to look it up.

With relatively short chapters and a punchy, action driven narrative style, there was always something going on and Enemies of the Crown. And, that’s true for the whole series. I’ve really enjoying the pacing of the storytelling-there’s plenty of action to keep us engaged, but not so much that it feels like we barely take a breath before the next big event is happening.


Summary

Fans of historical fiction, and especially Viking-era Britain will love both Enemies of the Crown and the earlier books in the series, starting with Warrior and Protector. If you have yet to read it, I strongly suggest you do! It’s a series I love and will be keeping up with as soon as the next book is out!


Author Bio

Peter is the winner of the 2022 Kindle Storyteller Literary Award, and an author based in Kildare in Ireland, with a passion for Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and of course writing! Peter was born in Warrington in the UK and studied Law at Liverpool John Moores University, before taking up a career in Financial Services and is now a full time author. Peter currently lives in Kildare Ireland, and is married with three children. Peter is an avid reader of both Historical Fiction and Fantasy novels, particularly those of Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, David Gemmell, and Brandon Sanderson.

His books include the Viking Blood and Blade Saga, the Saxon Warrior series, and the Chronicles of Arthur.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @PeterGibbonsAuthor

Twitter: @AuthorGibbons

Instagram: @PeterMGibbons

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/PeterGibbonsNews

Bookbub profile: @petermgibbons1

 

Monthly TBR – April 2025

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April comes with no set theme in mind. Rather, this month I’m looking to pick up books that I haven’t gotten to in the last couple of months, as well as pick up some reads geared around the Goodreads challenges. Shall we take a look at the books on this monthly TBR that I’ll be picking up in April?


Fixed Reads


Enemies of the Crown

The first book I’ll be picking up in April is for a blog tour review. It was a natural decision to sign up for this one, given that I’ve already read prior books in the series. That, and I want to keep up with the series anyway. I’ve really come to love Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series and I’m invested in the personal journey of the main character Beornoth.

As of this monthly TBR, I’m already making progress with this book. And it’s a good job —my review for this one is due on Sunday!

 

The Weight’s Over

I’m currently reading a newly released book called The Weight’s Over by Sandra Roycroft-Davis. I’ve seen a lot of adverts on Facebook for a slimming programme she’s developed, Slimpod. The reason I’ve picked up this audiobook is that I want to understand some of the science behind weight loss and why our bodies are designed for us to fail.

As of this monthly TBR post, I’ve almost finished listening to this book. It was only a little under 7 hours anyway, and I have just 45 minutes to go.


Normal Women

Normal Women is a carryover from March’s TBR. It’s a current read, and one I expect I’ll be chipping away at over the month of April.

As of this monthly TBR, I’ve already read a healthy 30% and I’m looking forward to reading more. I’m especially looking forward to seeing changes to women’s rights for the more positive— in what I’ve read so far… we’ve gone backwards!


Work Book Club

Although we have yet to christen the chosen book for this month, I’m keeping a placeholder here so that once we’ve selected a book, I’ve dedicated time to read it. At the moment, we have a poll going to choose the current book. The options are The Perfect Wife, The Anxious Generation, and All the Light We Cannot See.

Once we’ve christened the book mid-next week, I will let you know which we will be reading.


Mood Reads


The Poppy War

For a good few months now, I have been intending to start this series by R.F. Kuang. I originally received a copy of this book well over a year ago now. However, I received a special edition copy for my birthday recently. Receipt of that gift has inspired me and reminded me that I am really interested in picking up this fantasy series. So, that’s what I plan to do.

I have high hopes for this book given that I’ve heard a lot of good things. I’m also looking forward to reading something within the fantasy genre and going back to a genre I know and love inside out.


Elektra

Another genre I enjoy is Greek mythology, so Elektra seems a natural choice to pick up. It’s been a little while since I picked up a Greek-inspired story. I also like the idea of picking up Elektra because it follows on nicely from last month‘s theme that focuses on women.

Elektra is a powerful female character in Greek mythology. It’s also quite a short book, so Elektra should hopefully be a nice palate cleanser and give me a chance to pick up something a little different in between larger books.


Eve

I like to keep a non-fiction book on my reading list. This book is a non-fiction account about the biology of women’s bodies and how they shaped human society as we know it. On the off-chance The Anxious Generation isn’t picked for this month’s book club read, at least I have another non-fiction I’m already interested in on the list!


Summary

Am I likely to get to all the books on April’s Monthly TBR? Probably not. However, I may yet surprise myself! I prefer to set ambitious goals. If I finish a TBR or don’t set one, I find the lack of a goal demotivating and I tend to read less.

Are you planning on picking up any books in April? What are you reading?

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