I really enjoyed this book! The writing was very well done! This book takes place in 870s AD. I haven’t ever read a book in this time period before and I thought it was really interesting. It also has my husband’s favorite King, King Alfred. Which he got excited I was reading about. Aisley and Brecc are a great couple. I loved how brave they both were and how much they wanted to protect the king. One of my favorite parts was when Brecc helped save Aisley from the Vikings in the marketplace. It gave me Aladdin feels. Aisley’s brother is awful! If you like Viking stories with romance and great historical content this book is for you!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Content: some violence and death

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author and netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This story of wars between Vikings and Wessex was slow to start, with a glimpse of how our characters were connected as well as insight into a past battle before we are transported to a few years later. When Vikings attack and claim the Kings stronghold, the thegns and royals are forced to flee and attempt to regroup. This is where the story picked up for me, with pillaging and stealthy sabotage before the final battle.
It was a little too religion based for me (though I'm sure it's accurate for the time) but I did have a good chuckle at the Epilogue when the Eclipse happens and everyone is dumbfounded at the "miracle"

4.5 Stars.

Set in Wessex in the early Medieval period, A Kingdom to Claim is a romantic historical fiction book about several of King Alfred's conflicts with the invading Vikings. I had never studied this period of history before, or King Alfred, but I learned a lot by reading this book. I loved the author's notes at the end that helped me understand just how much of the story was non-fiction.

As a note/tip to readers, I read the Kindle version and I wish I would have taken a screen shot on my phone of the vocabulary guide at the beginning of the book. It would have helped me refer back to those words when they were used throughout the book.

The premise of the love story is about a girl, Aisley, and one of King Alfred's closest men, Brecc, who knew one another many years ago and recently found each other again. They begin to fall in love, and her work as a healer (one who uses herbs and spices and plants to treat illnesses and wounds) coincides with Brecc's work fighting for the kingdom. Together they fight for their love and for king and country.

I appreciated the side character Rheged. He was Brecc's best friend and the interactions/sarcasm between Rheged and Brecc and Aisley were hilarious and added comic relief to a more serious book topic.

I thought the final battle scene wrapped up a little too fast, but the rest of the book was paced very well. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to lovers of clean romantic historical fiction.

Content: No language. Although the theme of the book is war, there was no gore beyond brief mentions of flesh wounds. Rape was mentioned as something the Vikings had done in the past, but no on-page assault took place. The romance was clean, with kisses only.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for the complementary copy of this book, My opinions are my own and in no way influenced by the publisher.

A Kingdom To Claim is a masterpiece from the first page.
The minute we meet Ainsly we're emotionally attached. The way the emotions of the situation are woven into this story, and into Ainsly's backstory has you on the edge of your seat, wondering how things will turn out for her from page one.
Then Brecc enters the scene and steals your heart, or at least he stole mine. His loyalty to the king, his integrity, and the way he falls for Ainsly is Swoony with a capital S.
The historical aspects of King Alfred's story are woven in beautifully along with the fictitious characters. You're rooting for for King Alfred and his people, and with every pain they suffer you feel it too. The plot was spun beautifully, in the most heart wrenching way.
Don't even get me started on that ending.
That. Ending.
Was bittersweet perfection.

Side note, we need to talk about the romance. It is perfection. The first kiss is a work of art. The small romantic moments and the romantic tension is positively beautiful. I highlighted so many passages, especially everything Brecc said. (Did I mention he's Swoony with a capital S?)

I adored everything about this book, and my only complaint is that it had to end. I want more.

Romance: Kissing only
Content Warnings: Death, war, vikings who threaten a maiden's virtue

I love reading historical fiction and learning more about different times and cultures. And I really love that Sian Ann Bessey is writing several books with Vikings! This one was definitely unputdownable for me! I didn't want the adventure to end and I definitely didn't want to set the book down so I could find out what happened to these characters. And the sweet love story definitely drew me in as well.

I loved reading about Aisley's healing abilities during this time period, AD 878. Very fascinating to think about what was used and done to help heal and cure ailments. That was a great addition to this story and I loved how it came into play several times.

The history of the land and the people and the battles between the Vikings and Saxon's was great to read about but goodness, I'm sure grateful that I didn't live then.

I loved the banquets and dancing and celebrations! Especially when Brecc and Aisley are in the scene together. The sweet glances and moments between them were wonderful! And had me rooting for a happy ending for these two amidst all of the chaos and turmoil.

This book is full of family, trust, loyalty, betrayal, love, battles, spies, struggles, hope and much, much more! I loved it all! Definitely one I highly recommend reading!

And can I just swoon over Aisley and Brecc's love story for moment? *Happy Sigh* Honestly, I loved it so much. It was just perfection!!! Now go read it and discover it all for yourself! Enjoy your reading adventure!!!

Content: Clean. This book has no language, nothing further than some kisses. There is fighting and battles and pillaging but the author writes it in a very sensitive and clean manor.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I absolutely loved this book! The story was very well researched and I could not put this book down. It was a perfect mix of fiction and history!

Set in the late 800's during a time of unrest and many battles between the Saxon and Vikings, this book described a piece of history that I know little to nothing about. I appreciated the research that went into it as I looked up a good many facts after finishing. It wove real history with fictional characters seemlessly into a complete, comprehensive story that was a joy to read. The romance was sweet and clean; the battle scenes were vivid but not gory, and the faith aspect was overarching but not over powering. I would recommend this to historic or Christian fiction fans looking to learn more about the people and places of England's past.

Another fantastic read by Sian Ann Bessey! One you won't want to miss!

I received an ARC through Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
Spice Level: Kissing (more about this later)
Gore Level: Pretty low considering this is set during the time of raiding Vikings

After finishing this book, I read the historical note, and it was interesting to read the portions the author incorporated from the actual history. Of course, the romance was fictional, but the main points of the plot are accurate. This is important to know so that some of the choices of the historical figures will make sense.

*A KINGDOM TO CLAIM* is incredibly interesting. This is set in a time where women weren't valued, so that part is tweaked for our sensibilities to like the romantic lead. Even though this is a clean, kissing only romance, tough things are mentioned—meaning how the Vikings would pillage and rape. I mention this in case it's a sensitive topic for specific readers so you can go in knowing that details are not on the page.

The plot unfolds in a satisfying way. I liked the development of the relationship between the two main characters. Toward the end, I wanted a little bit more in the climax because I felt like it wrapped up a little bit too quickly.

This is a read for anyone who loves early English history or romance.

Happy reading!

Aisley's lives a wonderful life with a wonderful community and family in the year 878 . She is especially close to her father . Her mother has taught her herbs and she has a talent for healing . Everything changes when king Alfred requests his people to go to war against the Vikings . Soon her father is dead and her brother takes over the lands her father ruled. Unfortunately he isn’t a wonderful person like her father was .
Several years later she is reintroduced to Brecc a warrior who she met Seven years earlier . He is kind and caring very different than her family.

This book is full of intrigue , suspense , mystery , war, romance , and God was mixed throughout especially by the King.
I found this book kept my attention and , made me want to learn more about that time period . The romance story between Brecc and Aisley was beautifully written .
Thank you for the free download in exchange for a book review from NetGalley.

I will read this one again!

This was a great book. I loved learning more about the history of Vikings and saxons. Although it is fictions I do believe the author did research and it was fascinating. I was cheering for Brecc and Aisley the entire time. I loved the characters. Loyalty and kindness were at the heart of their character development. I loved the flow of the book. Lots of battles in between of relationship development. And it was nice to gain insights into king Alfred.

Outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I really didn't know anything about the Vikings and the Saxons before reading this story. I loved the author's notes at the end that helped me understand which parts of this story are truly historical. I am intrigued and would love to read more from this time period. I fell in love with the characters and their goodness. I love how important religion is to King Alfred and the example he sets for those around him. Brecc and Aisley are perfect together. I love how tender they are together and how much they strengthen one another.

This was a fun change of pace for me!

Aisley, a young woman who lost her father to a Viking raid, finds herself in a scary situation. She has to overcome fear, the potential betrayal of her brother, and an encounter with Brecc, a nobleman loyal to King Alfred.

Brecc is loyal to a fault to the King and constantly gets him put in bad situations. It was an intense journey!!

The chemistry between Aisley and Brecc was amazing! I always enjoyed their moments in between all the details of the story!

I didn’t know too much about this timeframe, but the author did an excellent job at creating context and keeping us engaged! She even included a glossary that was so helpful.

This was such a refreshing departure from my normal reads and is PERFECT for those who enjoy a blend of history and romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Author Sian Ann Bessey is a best-selling author of many inspirational historical romances. With “A Kingdom to Claim”, readers are transported to 878 A.D. as the well-told history and romance make for a captivating story.

Young King Alfred the Great must unite Wessex, England and defeat the invading Vikings once and for all. The history part of the book is fascinating and exciting. The romance is even better. Well-developed characters include a lord’s daughter who is a healer, her treacherous brother, and the knight she meets at the Twelfth Night celebration with the king and his court. Their adventures come to life as the author is deft with her descriptions of the village people, the hills and forests of Wessex, and the terrible battles.

The King’s great Christian faith, and his loyal followers are ready to save England. Turns out God helps their cause in a surprising way!

I highly recommend this book. This is my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy.

Fascinating look into England before it was England. Clean romance with interesting characters and engaging storytelling. Really enjoyed learning about the time, place, people and historical events interlaced into a sweet story of love, faith and honor.

I absolutely loved this historical fiction about Medieval Wessex in AD 878. This is a time period I know VERY little about, so it was a fascinating look at history as King Alfred led the Saxons to defend their land from the Vikings.

Aisley's father dies in battle, and her life is changed forever. She must fight for survival, serve her King and country, and even find love along the way. This book was a perfect blend of action, faith, and romance!

If you love historical fiction, especially about lesser-known moments in history, then this book is perfect for you. Sian Ann Bessey always does an amazing job of presenting history in an entertaining but accurate way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Sian Ann Bessey for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

I loved this book and I will definitely be reading more from this author! I greatly appreciated the glossary of words the reader would likely not know, but then the author ALSO recorded an entire video pronouncing almost every name and term used in the book! That was greatly appreciated and I referred back to it regularly. I find that it's hard to write historical fiction well unless the author has a true appreciation and understanding of the time period and this author absolutely does. It's rare that a book has me on the edge, worried about the characters, but I genuinely worried about every character we were introduced to. The conversations and relationships between the characters are so well done and still relatable (while often times actually being funny) while still being accurate to their time period. Brecc and Aisley were so sweet together. I almost wish we'd gotten ANOTHER epilogue of just them and their new life together, but that's just me being greedy :)

I also loved the author's note at the end giving us more background of the history this book was based around. Brecc and Aisley weren't real, of course, but that won't stop me from pretending!

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me a copy for review!

I really enjoyed this medieval historical fiction! Wessex, 878 AD. A story of losing a beloved father in battle against the Vikings, leaving a family torn apart, and for some, torn loyalties as well. When the Vikings attack again, Aisley's life is thrown into chaos and decisions for her future as well as that of her people is uncertain.

If you enjoy historical fiction and suspense, add this to your TBR.

A very exciting and romantic story set in the early Middle Ages in Wessex in AD 878.

Aisley and Brec's lives are marked by the invasion of Vikings and war with them. There is treason and violence, repeated attacks and all the loss that results from that war.

Aisley has lost her father and Brec is trying to keep King Alfred safe after another attack, trying to rally men to help them fight, and trying to keep enough food and supplies away from the Vikings.

I really enjoyed this historical set in a time about which there aren't that many books. The history of that time period was very interesting and the romance between Aisley and Brec was very sweet and tender.

Highly recommend to readers looking for a different kind of historical novel.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This book was a historical fiction lover’s dream! Sian writes such well researched, wonderfully detail stories about some of the most fascinating and less represented time periods. And she effortlessly weaves in tender romance to sweeten the plot and has our hearts fully invested in the characters’ lives. I fully enjoyed this one and would recommend it to of my history loving friends.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for my advanced copy, all opinions are my own.