Dark Age England c.859 - could there be a more atmospheric backdrop for any novel. It is the story of Elfrun, daughter of Radmer of Donmouth in Northumbria, left in charge of her father's domains during his absence, and also left to defend them in the face of ever increasing danger.

Unfortunately, the narrative was too disjointed to maintain my interest 100% which was a pity as the subject matter and time period was what drew me to the book in the first place. The story goes back and forth between the female characters - four of them - and I am not sure this worked. Personally, the narrative of Elfrun would have sufficed as the others appeared as mere page fillers.

This novel has been given 4 and 5 star reviews by others - I guess I am getting a little bit more pedantic and being it little more fussier when it comes to historical fiction than I was many years ago - and its quite possible I may have looked more kindly on it back then.