Get ready to be transported to Wessex 878 A.D. with a tale of love, loyalty, and resilience in the face of relentless Viking invasions. Aisley's life was shattered by the loss of her father in battle and now 7 years later faces the looming threat of war as the Vikings once again approach Wessex’s borders.

I loved Aisley's strength and determination to protect her people as she tried to balance loyalty to her family and her king while dealing with her feelings for Brecc. I could almost feel the tension she felt between her duty to her family and her heart. Brecc also battled his loyalty to the king with his blossoming feelings for Aisley. I loved all the scenes with these two characters!

As much as I loved the budding romance between Aisley and Brecc, it was the battle between the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings that had me turning pages late into the night. The action scenes are thrilling, and will keep you on the edge of your seat as Aisley and Brecc fight not just for survival but for the future of their people

One reason I love Sian Bessey's historical fiction is the way she weaves historical events into her stories; I always learn something from them. I found it very interesting to see what herbs and things were used to help heal and treat ailments during this period in time. I liked that the author included a map of the area and a glossary of terms used in the book, and the author's note section has information about King Alfred the Great. This book is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and romance.

I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my own.

“For Wessex and our God,” King Alfred shouted. “For our homes and families. Hold the line!”

This book was EPIC!

This is only the second book I've read by this writer, but now I really want to go back and read every book on her backlist. Her writing style truly draws the reader into the story and makes the pages fly by!

As far as content goes, the romance was squeaky clean and oh so swoony.

The only negative language content was the use of "fool" a few times.

Trigger warnings: a few side characters die (in a war), but their wounds are not described at length, or in a gory or gruesome manner at all, which I appreciated.

I loved how Aisley (the main female character) was interested in herbology, and that she had a kind heart and desire to help heal people despite how self-centered her family was.

Brecc (the main male character) was just an awesome character- very masculine, strong and chivalrous with a heart of pure gold.

I'd recommend this especially to teens and adults who are looking for a clean medieval tale or magic free fantasy read. These are often so hard to find, and I'm glad to have found both those things in this book.

A Kingdom To Claim was a brilliant tale of adventure, history, and love that I definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing for the complimentary e-book I received to review through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

Oh this book was beautiful from start to finish! I loved the characters, the scenery, the obvious terror of the Vikings!! I love anything to do with medieval times and this just enhanced my joy in reading this time in history. I truly enjoy the amazing research that goes into something like this, as well as the vivid imagination that goes into a story like this! How does one dream up a story that brings war and true love to light? She does it every time! I also loved the light Christian element woven through it. Thank you and enjoy!

*Thank you to NetGally and Covenant Publishing for this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This uses the.Viking element perfectly to tell a story. I thought the world that was built worked perfectly for the time period and that the characters felt like they were vikings. It had relateable characters that I was engaged with and wanted their story to be told. Sian Ann Bessey wrote this perfectly and it left me wanting to read more from them.

A Kingdom To Claim is an epic Christian, historical fiction novel including a captivating romance. Set in Wessex in AD 878, it blends real historical figures with fictional characters, exploring details of Sussex, England, Vikings, and intense battles. The rich historical details so well-written by author Sian Ann Bessey, are wonderfully woven into this novel.

Aisley and Brecc form a fantastic couple with each showing bravery, strength, loyalty, and support to their relationship. Aisley's skills as a healer and Brecc's excellence as a warrior add depth to their relationship, and their romance unfolds in a natural and believable way.

The Christian themes of prayer and faith are beautifully shown at just the right moments. Bessey proves her skill as a writer, drawing readers in from the very beginning and making it hard to put the book down. The novel is filled with unexpected twists that keep things exciting and suspenseful all the way through. A Kingdom To Claim is an inspiring, faith-driven, and engaging novel that fans of historical fiction will love.

A Kingdom To Claim Is a beautifully written book. I love that Ainsley's and Brecc's story starts when Aisley was just a girl. She seems to be more on the timid and reserved side but as she loses everything because of the attacks from the Vikings, she has to fight to keep those she most close to her, including those she cares about. Because of this, you can really see that timidness start to vanish which helps he'rs and Brecc's relationship grow. I love Sian Ann Bessey's work every time and this book is no exception. Highly recommend!

“We shall be brave together.”

I love reading historical fiction, but I don’t often read stories set in Medieval times. However, I always jump at the chance to read books written by Sian Ann Bessey. Her research is always impeccable, and the characters are meticulously-crafted and engaging. A Kingdom to Claim is packed full with action, suspense, history, and romance. The struggle between King Alfred’s men and the Vikings was riveting, and the budding romance between Aisley and Brecc was entrancing. I enjoyed reading the author’s notes at the end, as I learned more about the background of this time in history. The glossary at the beginning of the book was very helpful, since many of the terms in the tale were new to me. This is a well-written, intriguing story by one of my favorite historical fiction authors.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Shadow Mountain through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Every time I picked up "A Kingdom to Claim", I was whisked back in time, and could not put this gripping and emotional book down.

Firslty, this cover is so powerful!

Sian Ann Bessey's writing is PHENOMENAL! Her storytelling and world-building are incredibly breathtaking, and the past came to life right before my eyes while reading. I felt completely immersed from the first page to the last, and this story is truly so poignant.

(Possible Spoilers!):
Aisley and Brecc are both so strong, and the love between them is so beautiful. They bring out the best in each other, and love one another in such a deep and respectful way. I do not want to say too much else about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this novel truly has so much in it: history, romance, healing, adventures, twists and turns, danger, and so, so much more, and I learned a lot about history at this time while reading this book.

I highly recommend this book! I can't wait to read what Sian Ann Bessey writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me a physical ARC as well! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A good story set in Saxon England. The Kingdom of Wessex is under threat from the Danes (vikings) and from traitors within. A bit hard to believe but had some good period details. A satisfying love story.

I sometimes feel the need to rush through books, to get to my next arc or finish another backlist book, but this was one book I savored and slowly internalized each word I read. The history in this was so incredible, and I loved learning more about the Viking/Saxon wars.

Though this is a fictional story, it is based on true events. I loved the romance that Sian wove into it. Aisley and Brecc were our heroine and hero, and they were such strong characters. I loved their strength, even through the many hardships they had to endure. Their backstory was the perfect setup for their romance, and I loved every second of this story.

True, there was a lot of pain and suffering. I feel grateful all the time for the many blessings that I have by living today. But the faith that was presented throughout, even with the many trials, is a great reminder to me that my faith can be even stronger still. I love reading these Christian fictions, and this one was so well done.

Thank you, thank you to the author and publisher for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I am not a religious person at all so I tend to stay away from Christian Fiction, that being said, I am so glad that I didn't see this was one because honestly I loved it! I feel like I would put this in the clean historical romance category, as I didn't find it very heavy on the faith talk or religious aspects. The writing was beautiful and I felt transported back to Wessex in the 800s. Brecc and Aisley were shining stars, their characters were strong and stood up for what is right, fought for their king and country even when it was hard, and their love was powerful! I love a viking era novel and this one did not disappoint, I see Sian has another one set in the same era and I will definitely be checking it out!

Sian Ann Bessey’s writing is enchantingly compelling, pulling readers in like a siren's call. As someone who loves medieval romance, this book hit all the right notes for me. The combination of real historical events with fictional characters adds depth and excitement to the story. Aisley and Brecc are standout characters—both admirable and engaging.

The novel shines with its rich mix of adventure, drama, bravery, and swoon-worthy romance. Featuring Vikings, King Alfred, and a captivating historical backdrop, it offers a fantastic reading experience that blends history and romance seamlessly.

I love historical fiction but am (was) completely unfamiliar with this setting in history. Bessey did a great job setting the scene and immersing me in 878 Ad Wessex. The fighting between Alfred's troops and the Vikings made me go and look up the Great King on Google. If he was anything like he was written in the story, no wonder they called him Alfred the Great!
Brecc is the hero girls are looking for: strong, loyal, and passionate! The romantic tension between he & Aisley was so well written. Brecc made both myself and Aisley swoon. The first kiss? Perfect!
I didn't want to go to bed until I had finished the book. The angst, tension, treachery and fighting are fantastic frames for the sweet love story that serves as the main picture of this read.

I loved this book. It will go into my top ten of favorite books. The story is well written. I loved how a majority of it was based on a real life king. I can’t find words for how much I enjoyed this book.

What a book, y'all.

Sian Bessey seriously knocked it out of the park with this one. A Kingdom to Claim has everything you could want in a book - a determined leading lady, a brave warrior, a Viking invasion, action that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, plot twists you didn't see coming, villains you just want to kick in the shins, awesome side characters, fascinating historical details, the swooniest romance.....what is there not to love here?!

If this book isn't already on your TBR lists, it needs to be. It is totally going to make my list of favorite books from this year, so it is definitely worth your time. I have spoken.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy; all thoughts are my own.

It took me a little bit to get into this book but I ended up really enjoying it! A Kingdom to Claim is written by Sian Ann Bessey and it is such a fun historical romance.
I really liked both of the main characters. They were likable and I was rooting for them as they tried to fight for what they believed in. Aisley and Brecc draw you into the story. I really liked getting to know both of the characters. They were both noble characters who were just trying their best.
This was more of a historical book than a historical romance but the romance did play a part in this book. I really liked the world that Bessey created with the history that she had researched. It was interesting to read about Wessex and the battles that the characters faced.
The romance was sweet and I enjoyed reading about Aisley and Brecc falling in love. This was a fun book! I would totally recommend it. A Kingdom to Claim is a clean historical romance.

🖤Compelling characters
🖤Historical romance
🖤Brecc and Rheged
🖤Aisley and her growth
🖤Brecc was amazing

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I loved this historical romance. The romance was sweet, and the history was incredible. It was so fun to go so far back in history. The world was so different then. I loved that the King was so faithful. I know this is fiction, but some aspects really happened, and the history lover in me was in heaven.

Aisley was such a great character. I loved her strength and courage. She was so loving. I really enjoyed her character. Her work with herbs and healing was really interesting.

Brecc was a loyal earldoman. I loved his devotion to the king and to Ainsley. They didn't have an easy romance, but they were so good together.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Sian Ann Bessey is a masterful writer that brings in the reader like a syren's call. I love a good medieval romance and this hit all the high points for me. What made this even more enjoyable is that it blended true historical events with fictional characters. Aisley and Brecc are fantastic characters that the reader can admire and respect. The adventure, drama, bravery, Vikings, King Alfred, warriors, history, swoony romance all made this a fantastic read!!

I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this book. I know next to nothing about this time period so it was fascinating to read and learn so much.
I loved the characters and wouldn’t mind reading stories for some of the side characters.
This book had plenty of sweet romance but it also had a lot of action and adventure. It’s probably a book my dad would also enjoy reading. There were so many historical details- I loved learning so much while reading.
This book was interesting, enjoyable and had a great ending.

This is a well written story! It's not my favorite by Sian, but I still found it enjoyable! I really liked Brecc and Aisley together! They helped each other become their best selves which I think is beautiful! I also liked the history about King Alfred. I didn't know much about him and it was great to learn about him!