Posted as part of the blog tour!

After the events of the last instalment we see Beobrand is sent on a mission by his Queen. This journeys target is Rome!

Although this will take him far from home his oath is ironclad and he will see Wilfrid safely to his destination. Oh Wilfrid.. this man had my life ha ha.. He has a wandering eye and things very highly of himself.. he’s going to cause some trouble.. you can feel it.

Nothing bad will happen on the journey though will it…Yeh right… it’s not going to go smoothly is it? Ha.

Beobrand and his warriors meet a group of individuals being attacked by wolf’s heads.. but these aren’t your average individuals, and this chance encounter sets Beobrand and his men on a different path that ultimately leads to betrayal & bloodshed….but there may be a chance for retribution.

I really enjoyed the latest instalment, Beobrand is older now, his eyes are not once what they were but he’s still just as deadly, but it was a real joy to see Beobrand share the limelight with his men, and you can really see the connection he’s made with each and everyone of them as they offer up their lives for him… to fight for what’s right.

The author spent a lot of time ensuring the development of Beobrand flowed well throughout the story, he still mourns the loss of his wife, he’s conflicted over his difficult relationship with his son and the shadows of the past walk with him daily…

… but not all of these shadows are in the past…and not all are friends either.

These insights help you envisage Beo, he’s not the young man we first met any longer.. the past has changed him.. is it his fate to survive while others die?

I particularly enjoyed the growth of Cynan, you can really see some of Beobrand in him and he has his own worries too.. he’s rash and impulsive at times.. just like his lord… but god I love him.

The twists in the plot quite honestly had me on tenterhooks.. There’s one moment I won’t spoil but the author sets the tense atmosphere perfectly and you can feel something is about to happen but when the story plays out it’s like a punch to the guts that you didn’t see coming.. it knocks the air out of you it’s that amazingly breath-taking.. and very bloody clever of the author too.. I knew something was brewing but could never have guessed what they had in mind.. wow.

Beobrand and his Black Shields are as powerful as ever as they band together chanting “Death”, the image of these men advancing is enough to scare most foes and those who don’t run will live to regret that choice…but will everyone make it back home.. time will tell.

Forest of Foes is the perfect addition to the series, the plot is strong and the characters have soo much depth and there’s plenty of detail and action just when you need it. It’s quite honestly the only series I feel like I want to start again with so I can enjoy this from the start all over again!

I’m more than eager to see what the author offers the readers next.

As with previous novels a pacy tale and well written. Always enjoyable, if rather too violent for my personal taste. I accept however that his core audience is looking for the masculine approach to a warrior novel. Overall excellent.

Forest of Foes by Matthew Harffy is the 9th book in the Bernicia Chronicles. I've read nearly all of the books to date, but I know I've missed one or two out, and in this book, there are a few scenes where that comes home to roost - but not enough that I didn't get the general idea and neither did it distract from the rest of the story.

Forest of Foes starts with a really exciting fight scene, in which Beobrand and Cynan are thrust into the heart of a skirmish. This very much sets the scene for the rest of the book, with a great deal of added political intrigue until our hero finally manages to exact revenge at the end of the book.

This book takes our characters to Merovingian France, and as readers of the series will know, this isn't Beobrand's first trip there. As such, we meet new and old characters, as Beobrand endeavours to fulfil his promise to Queen Eanflæd that he'll get the monks Wilfrid and Baducing to Roma. Sadly, Beobrand hasn't quite factored in the weather or the strong will of Wilfrid, or indeed the conniving members of the nobility in Merovingian France, or indeed, the queen, Bathilde.

Forest of Foes is an entertaining addition to the Bernicia Chronicles. I enjoyed the split narrative between Beobrand and Cynan although it is a little unevenly done. There are also occasions where Wilfrid is our narrator, perhaps pointing to future developments for this character, who historically, is a bit of a wildfire. Time will tell. The beginning of the book is particularly exciting, and the ending is satisfying, There are some elements in the second quarter that slow down the pace of story, perhaps unnecessarily. There are also some inconsistencies in how well Beobrand can and cannot understand the language of the Franks, which detract slightly from the story.

However, I enjoyed my trip to Merovingian France. The characters there are well drawn and the peril to Beobrand is genuine and resolved particularly well. I did think the loss of one of the main characters towards the end of the book was a bit of a waste, and anticlimactic. We all knew that they'd be rescued! After all, this is Beobrand.

I'm intrigued to see just how much trouble Beobrand and Cynan can get into as they finally resume their journey towards Roma.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

The Bernicia Chronicles are always a fast paced, action packed, and highly entertaining read. You're never bored and I'm usually on the edge till the end
It's great to catch up with the characters and the historical background is well researched and vivid.
Another good story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Forest of Foes sees Beobrand in Frankia far from his beloved Ubbanford, longing for his homeland but constrained by a promise he made at the end of the last book to a woman he feels drawn to but who is seemingly out of reach. Beobrand is starting to feel his age – he’s about to become a grandfather – but, although he may be battle-scarred, he remains a formidable warrior and a leader whom men will follow unerringly into battle. However each victory comes at a price and the faces of the men he has killed, of fallen comrades or of people he was unable to save often haunt him. It’s at times like these he needs his friend Cynan to rouse him from despondency.

Actually I liked the introspective Beobrand the author gives us in this book. We really get an insight into Beobrand the human being, not just the man of action. He’s a leader who carries the burden of responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of a community, and for the lives of the men who follow him. And he’s keenly aware he may not be able to save them all. He’s also, at times, a rather lonely man who regrets the breakdown in his relationship with his son, and mourns the woman he loved and lost. Of course, Beobrand the fearless – and to be feared – man of action is pretty brilliant too and that side of him is never far away. As one character observes, ‘Beobrand is no normal man. He is like a storm, or a raging tide. A force of nature’.

If you love the action scenes that have become one of the trademarks of the series, then you needn’t wait long for Beobrand’s cry of ‘To me, my gesithas’ as he summons the famed Black Shields to his side to embark upon yet another bloody encounter. There are plenty of bone-crunching, skull-splitting, shield-shattering encounters involving sword, spear and axe. However, Beobrand and his comrades find themselves in some pretty sticky situations, with the odds seemingly stacked against them. As Beobrand observes at one point, ‘We are far from home. We are but few, and we are surrounded by a forest of foes’. He is also reunited with a ‘monster’, a ruthless enemy from his past with whom he has scores to settle – and he’s not the only one. What’s more, as Beobrand will discover, your deadliest enemies may not be those you face across the shieldwall.

As always the meticulous detail really immerses the reader in the period. The author’s Historical Note provides fascinating information about the events that underpin the plot and also about the character of Wilfred who plays a key role in the book. It also contains a tantalising promise of ‘more action, adventure and intrigue, and just maybe, love and peace’. To borrow Beobrand’s favourite curse, by Tiw’s cock, I’ll be disappointed if there isn’t.

I love this series of books.
If you like The last Kingdom and cannot wait for the next instalment I would highly recommend Beobrand.
He is a great leader and an even better fighter. The books glide along at a pace and the story never gets boring.
I can't wait for the next book.
Matthew get writing !

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the ninth book in this excellent series and while there are numerous references to our heroes previous escapades, it can easily be read as a standalone novel, in fact in my case it made want to read the series from the start, and as a result I have several in my to be read pile. Quality writing and research atmospheric descriptive with characters who leap of the page so you feel a part of the story. Engaging and entertaining from first to last page, with plenty of at times gruesome action.
Completely and utterly recommended.

I have read and enjoyed every title in the Bernicia Chronicles by Matthew Harffy so I was so excited to return to Beobrand and this book did not disappoint. This is the ninth title in the series and we join Beobrand and his gesithas through a dangerous and unfamiliar land, while trying to not only survive and keep his men alive, but uncover the true enemy.

Matthew Harffy has a real talent for pulling you into the time and place he's writing about and holding your attention from page one. The action/battle scenes are fantastically written as always with enough detail to really paint the scene but not so much that you feel bogged down.