Book of the Week: The King's Earl by MJ Porter

* Book of the Week *

The King's Earl: England: The Second Viking Age

The Earls of Mercia, Book #5

by MJ Porter

The story of the Ealdorman of the Hwicce, Leofwine, continues in book 5 of the epic Earls of Mercia series.

Ealdorman Leofwine, bereaved and betrayed by the new Danish King of England, hides away from the politics of the Witan, desperate to forget his past links with Cnut and his father, Swein, only Cnut won’t let his most trusted ealdorman go quite so easily. He knows that for his fledgeling kingship to survive, he needs the old guard from the previous king’s reign to add legitimacy to his own. His new men, the men who’ve followed him from Denmark, know how to rule, but not how to rule the English. And Cnut has his eye on an even bigger prize than England alone.

Leofric, left reeling by the murder of his older brother and with an ageing father, and dying mother, tries to hold onto his family’s position against the sudden and magnificent rise of Earl Godwine, the newly promoted Earl of Wessex. As much as he despises the new king, he knows his family’s position needs to be upheld. His father has sacrificed too much to allow a usurper to claim the position that is rightfully his.

With Cnut’s view increasingly focused on conquering and ruling the Scandinavian lands, with bloody arguments between the Scandinavian men threatening the stability of the Crown, can the House of Leofwine survive the kingship of the new Danish king and keep their place at the heart of early eleventh-century politics whether they want it or not?

Covering the years from 1017-1025, The King's Earl is the fifth novel in the Earls of Mercia series.

Praise for The King's Earl:

'Love these books, so close to historical fact, they make you feel like your almost transported there to the time and place! Cant put it down just want to read it every few minute that I have!'

~ Amazon Reviewer

'I loved it, well written, and an education about Cnut and the Viking rule in England'

~ Amazon Reviewer

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