This is not my typical book to read but it sounded interesting. It was a very descriptive book, lots of shock and awe. The story was good and kept me turning the pages. Definitely recommend to historical fiction fans! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Wolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy is an AMAZING read. It’s a masterpiece of historical fiction set in 9th century Wessex, and brings to mind the writings of Bernard Cornwell. I was expecting this to be a book about werewolves based on the title and description, but I was pleasantly surprised to find my initial expectation to be quite wrong.

I love a good historical fiction book. The author had me hooked from the first page, and I felt like I was immediately transported back to the 9th century. While the old English spellings of words were used, I felt as though it made the reading feel more authentic, and it was still understandable. The writing was easy to follow, and the book was FULL of action. It was a little gory at times, although I do feel that this period in history was a very difficult time to be alive. The most difficult part of the book for me was reading about the animals that were hurt, since I am such a huge animal lover. I loved the way the story unfolded, and especially the dynamic between Dunston and Aedwen. I really enjoyed this book, and if you can handle the material presented, I’d strongly suggest reading it.

Really enjoyed this. Set in 9th C Britain and following reluctant hero and recluse, Dunston, The Wolf of Wessex takes us on an action packed adventure with plenty of mystery, while the Danes threaten both the kingdoms of Cornwall and Wessex. This has clearly been meticulously researched but the author never bogs the reader down in excessive historical detail. The characters are engaging. The plot is fast paced and thrilling. And best of all, the author has not made the classic error of assuming all women were meek little subservients. A mark of great histfic is the author’s ability to show a different mindset but still make the story and characters plausible to a modern audience. This is definitely the case here. A well told story with plenty of fight scenes.

Wonderful tale of medieval Wessex with an old warrior.being forced back into violent action to protect himself and a young girl from dastardly villainous characters. Beautifully atmospheric descriptions of the forest abound as the tale of the chase builds with extra interesting people introduced into the story all cleverly building to a blood soaked finale but no the tale still has more twists until an ending that hopefully leaves an opening for more adventures from these fascinating characters.

I was fortunate enough to be granted the privilege to read advanced copy of this grand historical saga covering the year 838 when plots were uncovered against Wessex, where King Ecgberht reigned. The Danes had eyes on Cornwall and the story begins with brutal killings in trying to prevent a monk to deliver a message of warning to the king.

The author provides the reader with a helpful guide at the beginning with definitions such as: Cornwalum= Cornwall, the westernmost part of the older kingdom of Dumnonia...and the people were known as the Westwalas (West Welsh)", etc.

Our hero in this tale is an older former warrior, Dunston, who prefers living quietly in the woods with his dog. He served the king for many years in battle but promised his deceased wife he would stop killing. One day, however, he finds the body of a man brutally killed close to his home. Soon after the frightened daughter of this man appears. The plan becomes one of transferring the body on a cart to the nearby Reeve.

The challenge of being accused of the murder and jailed after finding there was "a new sheriff in town" is just one of the many hurdles Dunston along with Aedwen, the daughter of the murdered man, must face in this action filled and moving story.

There are many well described combat scenes including axes, swords, spears and arrows. Now that I have had a taste of this author's writing and commitment to historical research I will be reading more of his books.