Dan Renfrew, a sixteen-year-old, is going about his daily life until he unintentionally sends himself back in time to 1066 England. His first realization that he is confined there is not his only startling finding. Dan discovers that he comes from a long line of time jumpers—mysterious heroes who go back in time to fix problems in the time stream that might change future history. Dan can only return home by reversing the path of history to the Anglo-Saxon era. No simple task, this. While a Norman army prepares to attack from the south, a Viking horde is wreaking havoc in northern England. The freshly minted English king, Harold Godwinson, stands in the middle and is valiantly attempting to maintain his position. Dan finds himself caught up in an even more deadly war as he fights to ensure that everything goes according to plan. Dan must fight a group of evil time jumpers whose thirst for riches and power threatens the whole future of the globe to preserve history.

This book was tough to put down because of the characters and historical realism. Adventure, mystery, suspense, and comedy are all present in the novel. This book teaches history by having an alternate series of events begin to take place, forcing Dan to recall what was intended to happen and then choose how to correct things. I loved watching Dan develop as a person. He was protected by his father all of his life, so at first, he is unprepared and unable to handle the challenges, but as the chapters go, he realizes what he is capable of and his actual skills. He also accepts his duties and develops into a hero.

This narrative has so many wonderful aspects. I enjoy the supporting cast, especially Sam, and Dan is a terrific guy to cheer for. Dan has a dry sense of humor and is witty. He needs to act swiftly since he has been thrust into a new environment. The author’s attention to historical detail pleased me. There is a lot of information regarding how troops and commoners moved around, fought battles, and formed alliances and hierarchies within the system, but it is usually done in a lighthearted and fascinating way. The writing is of a professional caliber, the editing is excellent, the storylines are compelling, and the characters are well-rounded. Ages 13 and above are appropriate. After midnight, I finished this book. I am very eager to read the other books in the series and see what happens! Young adult readers will pick up a lot of information about this era that will help them relate to and comprehend the characters.

Interesting and entertaining. A bit like Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court only in 1066 Northern England

Daniel Renfrew thinks that his life is boring. He’s homeschooled and spends most days learning random in depth history facts his dad is teaching him as well as combat training and medieval weapon training. . All useless to Daniel or so he thinks. But one day a man shows up at his house and confronts his dad about some sort of device that his dad has and joining him. It’s a strange rod, a rod Daniel is instructed to hold and say a bedtime rhyme hid dad taught him. As his dad lies there Daniel obeys and is transported. He opens his eyes and is in a forest seemingly far from home not just in distance but in time. Daniel realizes with the help of a new friend named Sam, that his device is a jump device that gives the user the ability to travel through time. His family, his dad, is part of a long line of time travelers that right wrongs throughout the timeline of history. The only way for Dan to get home is to figure out what is wrong in medieval Europe. Unfortunately for Dan, there is a ban of time travelers who are tired of saving the world and have banned together to take over the world. Dan and Sam and the friends they make along their journey are determined to right history and this restore themselves to their rightful time in history. Battles are raging, few people can be trusted but all the training Dan’s father instructed him in comes in handy in navigating this new medieval world he finds himself in. The story moves quickly there are some key medieval battles mentioned which is a nice springboard into other topics to cover through this time period.

The Last Saxon King, by Andrew Varga, makes history exciting, adventurous, perilous, and suspenseful! Time jumper Dan ends up in 1066 not even realizing he IS a time jumper. Fortunately for the 16-year old, Sam is also there and protects him at the start of his journey. As they try to "fix" history (the main reason they time jump), Dan also must avoid those time jumpers trying to murder him like they did his dad in modern times. As he and Sam (pssst....SHE is an experienced traveler), struggle together to find the traitors, they also form the close bond only those in life and death situations can. This exciting YA novel never lets up. Will Dan end up being a knight in (chain mail) armor, or will he end up dead? The Last Saxon King works for all ages, as long as adventure and mystery are your thing!

Although I am mostly over YA novels, I’ll still give one a shot from time to time. I’m glad I did in this case. Varga has written an interesting story that digs deep into actual history and writes fiction around it. There was grit in the telling and one quote that sort of sums up the book: “So Leofrick. You drank well, you slept well, and you even got a kiss from the comely maiden. Ready to die now?”

Four stars for “The Last Saxon King.” The narration was good and the ending was satisfying. I’m looking forward to the second installment. My thanks to Imbrifex Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This series is going to become one of my favorites. I love the charcters and the deep bonds they form. I have not read much historical fiction but I find these books so engaging and entertaining. Dan is honest and raw and strong. He is faithful to his friends, even those he has to leave behind. The last time I felt that type of connections with a book was Harry Potter.

Parts of the story make me laugh and cringe with that teenage nostalgia and that relateablility is what draws me in.

I have already read The Celtic Decption and I can't wait to see the next adventure for Dan and Sam.

I received this complimentary e-ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A fast action, suspense history novel that makes you keep turning the pages
I certainly enjoy the plot, the action, the atmosphere of Anglo-Saxon England and the fights.
I m looking forward to read the next one of the series now that i got into the characters and the plot.
It may be suitable for younger readers than me and i have never read a time-jump novel but i still fully enjoy it

My thanks to NetGalley, Imbrifex Books, and Andrew Varga for an ARC

One of the best books I have recently read, and I have already recommended to someone. I couldn't put it down. The story is well paced, engaging, and simply enjoyable. The characters are likable and I look forward to reading the next book in this new series.

What a fun romp through history! I loved this time traveling story. The characters were very relatable. It was easy to imagine what I would do in a similar situation. I’m excited to read more adventures from this young adult series.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Imbrifex Audio and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The last Saxon king is the first in the A jump in time series. The book follows the story of Dan who is homeschooled by his dad and lives a secluded life away from his peers. He spends his free time wandering around the mall and one da when he comes back home from one such trip, he finds his dad injured and attacked by a man who he did not recognize. While trying to do what his dad asks him to do, he end up time jumping to the anglo-saxon age. As he struggles to fit in and find a way back home, he realises the only way that can be done is by finding out the break in history and fix it.

I will be honest I picked up this book, only and only because I am a huge fan of Legends of Tomorrow and the blurb gave off the same vibes. The story was fast paced and happening. However, some parts of it just did not make sense to me. Now I am not an expert in anglo-saxon era or the languages or the way they spoke, but I am pretty sure they would not start a conversation with 'hey, dude'! I am not kidding, when I heard that in a dialogue, I couldn't stop laughing. Such inconsistencies in dialogue did effect my reading experience a tad bit. Other than certain impossibilities in dialogues, like that, the rest of the story was very enjoyable. It was highly dependent on history as our MC's are obviously tring to fix it, so I guess if I was more aware of the said history I would have enjoyed it much more.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Dan's adventures.

TW: Death, war, blood, gore, assault, sexism, misogyny, sexual assualt

This a fun time travel romp with lots of historically accurate details. This will appeal to the King Arthur set along with the fantasy and sci-if fans. We’ll-paced and engrossing.

This book is addicting. Although aimed to the Young Adult genre, it speaks to anyone who enjoys time-travel and historic fiction. From the first page, I cared about our hero and wanted to continue with his through his early confusion and growing confidence. Choose this book and enjoy the adventure.

I accepted a free copy of this book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun young adult story! Even as a person far too old for most YA, I enjoyed this very much.

The characters, pacing, arc, and overarching plot were engaging, the writing is plain but good, and familiarity with the historical period in which much of the book is set did not sour the enjoyment.

I’m looking forward to future installments. This is the sort of book series I’d buy for the young people in my life.

The audiobook is well narrated. I split my read between text and audio.

Fantastic upper MG/younger YA time travel romp that appeals to my stuck-in-2010 brain! There's a ton of room for expansion into a series - I think seven books are planned. Dan and Sam aren't overly interesting, but they're easy to project yourself onto. I'm no expert on this period of history, but from what I know, the historical aspects were correct. The only thing I would add is a pronunciation guide.

A fast-paced time-slip young adult historical fiction fantasy with a dash of romance sprinkled in. Strong female second lead compliments the male lead well with age-appropriate snark. Fantasy is not usually my wheelhouse, but I've been pulled to time-jumping novels recently. This was a better written one with well-rounded characters and plenty to build on for a blossoming series. Can hardly wait for the next in the series coming September 2023!

4.5/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great mix of history and fantasy! Good character development and a really fun ride. I think this Jump In Time series is going to be fascinating.

Sixteen year old Dan Renfrew is a time jumper, descended from a long line of secret heroes; too bad no one explained this to him. Instead, his Dad prepared him by home-schooling him with a large emphasis on history, fighting with a variety of medieval weapons, horseback riding, etc. Then one day, Dan is transported back in time without knowing what is happening. He bumbles around, but eventually figures out where he is, and when. He meets another time jumper, Sam, and it is explained to him that they are there to fix a glitch in the time continuum leading to their present.

Dan & Sam’s adventures are gripping. At first, Sam wants nothing to do with this “newbie”; but ends up saving him a few times. They realize that working together will help them both meet their objective and Sam reluctantly agrees to pool their experience and resources. Sam points out that the rod Dan’s Dad threw at him at the last moment is Dan’s way home; when it gets warm, he is to recite the rhyme his Dad taught him.

The time jump devices are not given much of a background; they are very old, hexagonal, rod-like devices which have sections that can spin. These devices also conveniently act as universal translators when touching the skin. They are passed down within families, father to son. Where they came from and how they work are not explained at all; perhaps fodder for future books in the series.

The history is accurate, the fantasy aspect is not very detailed; but the story is very entertaining. Why it is that their particular present is worth fighting for is not explained. What is causing the time glitches is hinted at, but also not really explained. I am really looking forward to learning more in subsequent entries of this series!

Perfect YA book for fans of historical fiction with fantasy elements. Overall, the book is an easy read, even the historical aspects. I did not struggle to keep up with the fast-paced action. Dan was a solid character. His emotions and reactions felt realistic, or as close to realistic as one can get with time travel. I would have liked to see Sam’s character expanded on a little more. The end “twist” was a little unexpected, but I expect it to be fully expanded on in future books, so I wasn’t too bothered that it ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger. The premise of traveling in time to fix glitches is interesting and I definitely can’t wait to see how it is expanded on in future books. By far my favorite part of the book was the historical elements of it. The more accurate the history, the better and this book definitely strived for accuracy. I look forward to the same accuracy in future books.
I found this to be a solid YA book. It’s easy to read and blends history and fantasy in a satisfying way that perfectly sets the stage for the series.

This book is a page turner for sure. By just reading the subtitle A jump in Time Novel you can tell that the will traveling involved to the past.
Daniel 16 who is currently living in present times quickly jumps back into 1066 with a idea to change history.
I loved the interaction between Daniel and Sam because there was a little bit laughing while same was trying to find out what he will have to do to stay alive.
I really enjoyed reading the first book of the series The Last Saxon King by Andrew Varga and can’t wait to read the second book next year.

Note: I listened to an ARC of the audiobook through NetGalley

In the audio version, Mark Sanderlin's narration convinces you that you are listening to a 16 year old's tale of accidental time travel, In this book by Andrew Varga, after seeing his father viciously attacked, sixteen year old Dan Renfrew unexpectedly finds himself in England in 1066, Between the Vikings, the Normans, and the everyday threats of life in the 11th century, Dan has a tough time staying alive. Fortunately, he encounters another time jumper who helps him out. Sam also comes from a time jumping family and fills him in on some of the intricacies of the experience.

Dan and Sam need to figure out and fix the time glitch to ensure that they can return to an unchanged present. Things are complicated by the rogue time jumpers that are trying to break history. Dan is eager to get it fixed so he can get back to home to check on his father.

The sequel in this six book series is due to be released in September 2023. It will be a long wait!

Recommended for those who enjoy light romance, sci fi/time travel, and young adult books.

I adore a good time travel story and this one did not disappoint.

You have plenty of tension as things are bound to go horribly wrong when thrust into unfamiliar settings. Being displaced in time only makes it more likely something will happen.

Thankfully, Dan has been trained by his father. He just didn't know why his dad pushed all those lessons for fighting and history. He also has the good fortune of meeting another teen who is displaced and has a better idea of what is needed.

The author has a wonderful command of history that he expertly weaves into the storyline of Dan the time-jumping teenager.

I can hardly wait for the next title to be available!