I managed to both miss the fact that the book is not the first one in the series AND attempted to read it during the pandemic. I wish I could not leave any stars as I did not finish the book - but it was a me-problem and my inattention and the fact that the book is further on in the series.

Good read. Believable storyline & characters. I'll look to read more from this series. I definitely enjoy reading stories from the medieval period.

Sarah Hawkswood gives a Hostage to Fortune in the latest medieval Bradecote and Catchpoll mystery. Christina, betrothed to Undersheriff Bradcote is kidnapped with monks close to the Archbishop of Canterbury while on pilgrimage to a local shrine. The anarchy in the wars between King Stephen and Matilda bring a renegade knight to Worcestershire who plans to destabilize things with tainted currency; his moneyer is taken by the sheriff. Lady Christina and Undersheriff Bradcote get caught between the two men. 1144 is brought to life with its squalor and courage.

Hugh Bradecote, is the Undersheriff in Worcester in 1144. Christina his betrothed is making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Edgyth before they will be wed. On the journey Christina is escorted by The Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy and his clerics. When the journey goes wrong and Christina’s life is in peril Hugh will need his Sergeant Catchpoll’s expertise as he struggles to cope.
Hugh and Catchpoll have been called in by the Lord Sheriff to investigate forgery of the Kings coin they will find this mystery will connect with Christina’s kidnapping. Christina is a strong character and you will connect with her plight as the story progresses.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This invites comparisons to Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael Mysteries, and while it isn't quite on that level for me, it was an enjoyable story with engaging characters and a solid plot. My favourite character was Christina, and I would have liked to see more of her. Hugh was a little colourless, except when he was thinking about her, when he suddenly came to life in my imagination. Catchpole is well-realised and a nice contrast to his superior. A good read.

A medieval mystery with much action, chivalry and love. Nicely written with a good plot. This is my first book by this author, and I will definitely read more written by Sarah Hawkswood! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

*Many thanks to Sarah Hawkswood, Allison & Busby and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A good example of Historical Fiction, with a mystery and characters that differ in personalities and motives.
Set in the 12th century (1144), the novel evolves around a mystery of fake coins in circulation that needs to be solved by Hugh Bradecote with a little help from his sidekick Catchpoll. The intrigue is engaging, and the social background of those times well-presented: the descriptions of the places, clothes and customs, which I always find a plus while reading HF. The main female protagonist, Christina FitzPayne, is uniquely portrayed as a rather independent woman of her times, possibly following the example of Empress Mathilda.
This is my first book in the series, but now I am interested in other medieval mysteries.

This is one of my favorite historical mystery series, the stories are always interesting and keep me guessing until the end. I highly recommend

An excellent historical mystery, engrossing and entertaining.
The plot is complex and flows, the historical background is vivid and realisti, the cast of characters well thought and interesting.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
It's the first book I read in this series and won't surely be the last. It can be read as a standalone.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A nice breezy, light hearted historical story.
Worth a read.
Thank you to netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review
#netgalley #hostagetofortune

Hostage to Fortune by Sarah Hawkswood is a mystery novel set in England during the Middle Ages. The heroes are undersheriff (Worcester) Hugh Bradecote and Constable Catchpoll. Bradecote is young a relatively new to his post. Catchpoll is older and has been in his post for years. Catchpoll likes Bradecote much more than he liked his predecessor, who was lazy and not all that bright. Hugh works hard and sees things and puts them together to solve crimes. Bradecote has just become betrothed to a two-time widow with whom he is totally in love. As a widower with a small babe who needs a mother, it is convenient timing as well as making him happier than he has ever been. Christina FitzPayne has just come to tell him that she will be joining a party of monks to travel to the Shrine of Eadgyth at Polesworth to pray that she might be able to have a child with her new husband. Hugh is less than enthralled with the ideas as he is knee-deep in an investigation surrounding the drowning of a young journeyman and catching a counterfeiter. He promised to take her later but that didn't fit in with her plans at all. So off she went. All was well until later the first day they were all kidnapped by a group of rascals.

This is the second of this series I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. The language is very formal, evoking the time period. There is a little romance, plenty of blood, and lots of chasing around trying to capture the criminals. The plotting is good and appears to be fairly accurate for the time. The characters are endearing, even some of the bad guys. Evil has always existed and it certainly did in the story, right along with stupidity. There are always those who follow blindly, no matter who the leader, and it is always sat because the leader rarely turns out to be a good person. There was criticism of the Church, which was probably pretty accurate as the Church is made up of people with human traits. All in all, Hostage to Fortune was an enjoyable read. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Hostage to Fortune from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #hostagetofortune

1143 December. The journeyman of Master Osbern, moneyer, has been found dead in the river. While debased coinage has been found in Worcester. Coincidence?
Meanwhile Christina FitzPayne, betrothed of Under-sheriff Hugh Bradecote decides to go on a pilgrimage accompanying Brother Samson and his escorts. Plans go astray when they are captured and the leader wants a prisoner out of gaol in exchange. Can the hostages be saved. William de Beauchamp, Sheriff of Worcestershire directs the proceedings.
An enjoyable well-written thriller, my first in the series which can be read as a standalone story. The series has a cast of likeable characters, my favourite in this book is probably the Sheriff.

I know it’s a little unusual to give four stars to a book that I didn’t finish, but I find myself in this position. There’s much to like about Sarah Hawkswood’s Hostage to Fortune — very much to like — but I just couldn’t get into it. The reason is me, not the book. We live in worrying times and I was looking for something just a little more cosy, a little less gritty, from a historical mystery than I actually got. So when I got to the umpteenth violent murder of an innocent and the severed hand stuck on the city gate, I put it down.

I’ll say it again. It’s not the fault of the book. It’s beautifully written and nicely observed, though I admit I found it a little slow in places, and felt that some of the more dramatic scenes could have been a little pacier (some of it seemed rather distant). The historical detail is terrific and the setting, in a period when political loyalties had to be balanced against the realities of staying alive, intriguing. I suspect, if I had read on I would have found the strings of the plot drawing tighter and with them my interest in the characters would have grown.

I would definitely recommend this book, though all its strength weren’t quite enough to keep me reading something I wasn’t in the mood for. But that’s all it was, the right book at the wrong time. A lot of people will love it and who knows — one day I may go back to find out whodunnit.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Today's Fangirl Friday is another NetGalley ARC, Hostage to Fortune by Sarah Hawkswood. I requested this from NetGalley and was accepted to read this in exchange for an honest review. This is the fourth book in a series, and I have not read the other books in the series; I cannot be sure if this review contains spoilers for previous books. There might be some spoilers for this book in my review.

​Trigger warnings
Violence, violent death, kidnapping, attempted rape

Synopsis
​Medieval England sees a string of murders, and at the heart of it is a money launderer. The under sheriff's wife-to-be goes on a pilgrimage but ends up kidnapped along with some monks. The historical mystery unfolds.

Characters
I'm very fussy with characters, and while this does have some brilliant moments, I do feel some of the characters fall a little flat. This could be because they are existing characters - Christina, Hugh, and Hugh's team all feel like they have been in past books (which, again, I've not read) - but even the villains seemed a little... predictable in a bad way. Sometimes predictable can be a good thing; this means the author has been foreshadowing well, dropping clues to guide the reader. Predictable doesn't immediately mean it's bad. The issue I have is that the villain here did typically evil things just for the sake of doing them.

Christina was definitely the most interesting character. She is a victim, for sure, but she remains defiant as much as she can. In a way she reminds me of Evie from The Mummy movies, in that she isn't a passive victim, just waiting for her husband-to-be to save her. She actively tries to help herself, while knowing the risks.

Plot
This was a classic good v evil story, with a beautiful background of Medieval England in winter. The writing style is very clean, nothing is unnecessary, and the plot reflects that. There's nothing that happens in the book that is unnecessary, or purely for character development. Everything has a purpose and I love that. Despite it being third person narrative, you really get deep into the minds of the narrative characters, including the villain.

Overall
I'm not sure if I'd read the rest of the books in the series, just because 12th century England isn't my favourite period of history. That said, if the author writes some historical fiction set in a period I'm more fascinated by, I'd look into reading it. Reading this as a standalone book, I think it holds well, but I would be interested to see it's context within the series. I gave it three stars on Goodreads, because it just didn't fill me with awe, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Enjoyed with: peach tea
Time it took to read: just under an hour and a half
Would recommend to: mystery and historical fiction fans
Bechdel test: fail
Goodreads: review

E

I really enjoyed this book! I often find that books set within the 12th century can be a little dry, but this one had enough adventure to keep me intrigued!

We enter on the discovery of a dead man, who is identified as a Moneyer, responsible for minting coins. It's discovered that his presses for coins are missing, and that there are fake coins circulating throughout the district. This crime becomes the catalyst for a kidnapping that inadvertently involves the undersheriffs wife-to-be and a group of monks.

I found this book to have a thrilling side, but not overly so. There wasn't anything disturbing really - it could be described as more of a mystery. As the undersheriff and his men follow the trail of the kidnappers, they piece together clues as to who they are pursuing, and just what the man in capable of. It was enough to keep me turning the pages, wanting to find out what would happen.

The main aspect of this book I truly enjoyed was the strength of the only woman within the story. While she is a Lady and unused to hardships, she holds her own and uses quick thinking and her wits to ultimately lead to their rescue. Her growth was enjoyable to watch, and it really made me enjoy her as a character.

Overall, really interesting novel.

3.5

It is midwinter 1143 and Hugh Bradecote, undersheriff of Worcestershire, has brought his soon to be wife, the widow Christina Fitzpayne, to his manor on the feast of St. Stephen only for William de Beauchamp, lord Sherriff of Worcestershire, to call him back to Worcester. De Beauchamp has trouble brewing. Poor quality counterfeit coins are in circulation and the merchants and artisans in the city are unhappy. The moneyer, Osbern, whose dies have been copied, has been arrested and his journeyman has been found dead, floating in the River Severn. Bradecote and his sergeant, Catchpoll, have been given the task of hunting down the forgers.

Hugh Bradecote’s task becomes considerably more difficult though when Christina feels compelled to make a pilgrimage, to the shrine of St Eadgyth, at Polesworth, before her marriage. Hugh tries to dissuade her but, despite his opposition, she arranges to accompany Father Samson, an envoy of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, when he and his entourage of monks leave the next morning. Hugh’s misgivings are proved justified when a group of bandits, led by a cruel and ruthless outlaw, attack Father Samson’s party and takes them hostage to force the release of Osbern the moneyer.

For Bradecote and Catchpoll there follows a frantic hunt for the hostages across the frozen countryside around Worcester. The author admirably creates a sense of how grim it is for the hostages to be dragged across the snow covered tracks, woods and fields in the worst of winter weather knowing that shelter must be found by the end of the day if they are to survive the night. While Bradecote and Catchpoll and their men-at-arms are in cold pursuit, as it were, de Beauchamp and Catchpoll’s protégé, Walkelin, set about appeasing his burgesses and merchants by confiscating the counterfeiter’s dies and silver which are hidden in the city.

While there can be little doubt as to the ultimate fate of the cruel, and increasingly unstable, leader of the band of outlaws this novel engages the reader well as it moves inexorably to its conclusion. The main characters are well defined and seen to be sympathetic even where they display attitudes more like those, we imagine were prevalent in the twelfth century. The reader is shown how hard life must have been for ordinary folk at that time, especially in the middle of a harsh winter when they must rely on stored food and supplies to survive. Though these were brutal times, the author also shows us how there could still be love, humour and compassion in the lives of people at that time.

This is the fourth book in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series of novels and if this, intricately plotted and enjoyable novel is anything to go by the others in the series are well worth seeking out.

I would like to express my thanks to Net Galley and Allison and Busby for making a free download of this book available to me.

I missed the others in the series, but I'll have to circle back. This is not high action, and the pacing sort matches life in the 1100s -- pretty slow. Nicely crafted characters and some humor and a mostly engaging plot. Recommended for historical mystery fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

My first in this series. I read a lot of historical detective novels but these seem to be largely set in Tudor or Restoration times so it is refreshing to read something based in the 1100s. Hawkswood writes well and captures something of the spirit of the times in her use of language and tone. I found parts a little slow but overall this is an enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

I'll say this, Hawkswood's novel is a shorter read, but it will leave you confused. I found myself having to backtrack a lot to differentiate different characters from one another and if someone asked me today what this novel was about, I would not be able to answer them. I honestly can't remember a thing about this book. Not the characters, not the plot... nothing! That is not a good thing for a novel. The only thing I remember is that I thought it took an awfully long time for an actual crime to happen?

Since I can't remember anything about this book, I cannot really give any advice on how it would, perhaps, benefit from an edit.

"January 1144. Hugh Bradecote does not want his betrothed heading off on pilgrimage to the shrine of St Edgyth "..and then.. The entourage of important monks and Christina, Hugh's betrothed, are in very grave danger by a renegade knight who loves to kill.

This is my first Bradecote and Catchpoll book but it surely won't be the last ! I do love the era ( Similar to Crowner John, Ella of Salisbury etc) and the history of that important point in time.It was a bit bloody but the main characters came out fine and the ending was very satisfactory.

The author does a fine job with well developed and engaging characters, who fit their times with some added more up-to-date humor. My only worry is do I order book #1 or proceed to book 5 and see where the newly married couple take me.

Recommended for Medieval Historical Mystery fans, like myself.