Lords of the Greenwood + Giveaway!

Lords of the Greenwood by Chris Thorndycroft

Publication Date: January 16, 2018
eBook; 469 Pages
ASIN: B07958RTQS

Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval

Nottinghamshire, 1264.

England is on the brink of civil war. The barons are in revolt against King Henry III. Such times suit Roger Godberd, sergeant in the garrison at Nottingham Castle. After throwing in their lot with the barons who embark on a bloody campaign for control of England, Roger and his companions are betrayed and seek refuge in Sherwood Forest. There they begin their new lives as outlaws evading their old enemy, the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.

Yorkshire, 1320.

Wrongfully accused of murder, young Robert Hood of Wakefield finds himself outlawed with only his bitter enemy Will Shacklock for company. Taking to the woods of Barnsdale, Robert and Will agree on an uneasy truce and begin recruiting a band of robbers fleeing the chaos of the Earl of Lancaster’s rebellion against King Edward II. Eventually drawing the attention of the king himself, Robert and his band are given a choice; be hanged as common criminals or enter the king’s service as agents of the crown…

Blending real history with medieval ballads this is the entwined saga of two men, separated by a generation, united by legend, who inspired the tales of England’s famous hooded outlaw.

Amazon | Smashwords

My Review: First of all, can I just comment on the absolute gloriousness that is the size of this book?! You guys, it’s 655 pages. When I received this book in the mail, I couldn’t decide whether to hug the mail carrier, the author (via Twitter, naturally) or the book itself! So, I did 2 of the 3. (I don’t know my mail carrier well enough to tackle her like a lunatic for bringing me books.) (Yet.)

I. Love. All. Things. Robinhood. I love the story, the history, the myths, the time period, the legends, the romance and Maid Marian. I can play the entire soundtrack to “Prince of Thieves” on the piano and think Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett played the fabled heroes of old brilliantly. And while I have jumped at every opportunity to read various Robinhood re-tellings, not many of them have lived up to my (probably too high) expectations.

Except for Lords of the Greenwood.

I devoured (feasted? consumed? guzzled?) this book in record time. I could not get enough. Here’s the thing: Chris Thorndycroft sets his book apart by a) his superb writing skill and b) his historical research. This isn’t your Maid Marian, Fiar Tuck, Prince John and Richard the Lionheart book. If Robinhood existed, Lords of the Greenwood is his story. The author took great pains to study all that is mentioned of Robinhood, from the songs sung about him to his appearance in historical writings, then gleaned his life from these sources. To have one of my favorite legends (if you will) fleshed out in real time was the most blissful reading experience for this lover of all things Sherwood. (Barnsdale, actually. But you get my drift.)

World, meet Robert Hood.

About the Author

Chris Thorndycroft is a British writer of historical fiction, horror and fantasy. His early short stories appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Dark Moon Digest and American Nightmare. His first novel under his own name was A Brother’s Oath; the first book in the Hengest and Horsa Trilogy. He also writes under the pseudonym P. J. Thorndyke.

For more information, please visit Chris Thorndycroft’s website. You can also find him on Twitter and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, March 30
Excerpt at Let Them Read Books

Monday, April 2
Guest Post at What Cathy Read Next

Tuesday, April 3
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Wednesday, April 4
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Friday, April 6
Guest Post at Katie’s Book Cave

Monday, April 9
Feature at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, April 11
Interview at Donna’s Book Blog

Monday, April 16
Review at Katie’s Book Cave

Wednesday, April 18
Review at WS Momma Readers Nook

Friday, April 20
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two eBooks of Lords of the Greenwood! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on April 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Lords of the Greenwood