The Cold Hearth by Garth Pettersen
The Atheling Chronicles #3

This princely tale set in the early eleventh century continues the tale of Harald Harefoot, the son of Cnute, as he and his wife Selia settle into their new home in Mercia...a place that they believe will provide them the future they both richly want and deserve. The story has assassins, brothers and stepbrothers that do not trust one another, a throne up for grabs and plenty of people thriving for power willing to spend money to remove those standing in their way.

What I liked:
* Harald: a good man that rules with fairness, loves his wife truly and wants the best for those in his care.
* Selia: a good woman who sincerely loves her husband, has empathy, strength and wisdom that complements that of Harald’s.
* Ravya: able to kill or heal – whichever is needed. A stalwart friend and one who can also woo a maiden
* Erral: a better man than his father – loved his wife and loves his children. He wants to do what is right and is given the opportunity to do so
* The convoluted history of Cnute’s family
* The sussing out of the assassins and how they get their just desserts
* The look into what life might have been like long ago
* The well-crafted plot and story telling that made me feel it took place long ago but also told in a way that makes it relevant today
* The romances...there were more than one
* The glossary of terms and character list
* Everything really...except…

What I did not like:
* The assassins and those willing to pay them
* The fact that the sons of kings felt they should kill relatives to assume the throne
* Knowing that the lifespan of people living in this time period was not long

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

The Cold Hearth by Gareth Petterson

Published: April 2020

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction, Vikings,

pages: 236

available: paperback, ebook

Sex: 💖 some, lots of references to sex and male body parts

Violence: 😱😱😱 lots of violence, fights, killings

Reviewers Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Authors bio (from Amazon): Garth Pettersen is a Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. When he's not writing, he's riding horses and working with young, disabled riders.

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, and his fantasy novella, River Born, was one of two runners-up in the Wundor Editions (UK) Short Fiction Prize. His debut novel, The Swan's Road (Book #1 of the Atheling Chronicles) published by Tirgearr Publishing, was released in 2017, Book #2, The Dane Law, in September of 2018.

The Plot in brief (no spoilers) : This is book three in the story of Harold Harefoot, son of King Canute, and his wife Selia and their band of friends and misfits. Harold wants nothing more than to settle down to a life of domestic bliss with his lovely lady. His new home, a long neglected homestead, the site of a brutal massacre, is just the place. But there are those that want him, a potential heir to the throne, out of the way and are willing to pay for his death. Harold must uncover their plot and discover the identity of his potential killers and keep his wife and his dependents safe.

The History: The author has done a superb job of painting a realistic vision of Saxon/Danish England. He has clearly done copious amounts of research and gets the important details right. This is one of the best things about this book. As a history lover, I appreciate such attention to not only the physical conditions of the 11th century but also the customs, religious beliefs and the blending of cultures as England transitioned from Anglo-Saxon to Norman French with a heavy dose of Danish thrown into the mix.

Overall: This is a fast paced book and I enjoyed reading it despite the fact that I am probably not the target audience. The characters are pretty simplistic and the focus of the story is on the action. There is a fair amount of violence and some fight scenes ran on a bit longer than I cared to read.

Recommendation: Lovers of Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and the violent world they inhabited will enjoy this book. I think it will appeal to young men, not sure about the women.

I give this book: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( )