I’m so thrilled to have been asked to be a part of the blog tour for Forest Of Foes by Matthew Harffy. Thanks to Aries Fiction for asking me and sending the copy of the book. This is my honest review of the book.
AD 652. Beobrand has been ordered to lead a group of pilgrims to the holy city of Rome. Chief among them is Wilfrid, a novice of the church with some surprisingly important connections. Taking only Cynan and some of his best men, Beobrand hopes to make the journey through Frankia quickly and return to Northumbria without delay, though the road is long and perilous.
But where Beobrand treads, menace is never far behind. The lands of the Merovingian kings are rife with intrigue. The queen of Frankia is unpopular and her ambitious schemes, though benevolent, have made her powerful enemies. Soon Wilfrid, and Beobrand, are caught up in sinister plots against the royal house.
After interrupting a brutal ambush in a forest, Beobrand and his trusted gesithas find their lives on the line. Dark forces will stop at nothing to seize control of the Frankish throne, and Beobrand is thrown into a deadly race for survival through foreign lands where he cannot be sure who is friend and who is foe.
The only certainty is that if he is to save his men, thwart the plots, and unmask his enemies, blood will flow
Matthew Harffy is a brand new author to me, but I saw the cover and the blurb for Forest of Foes and new I wanted to read it.
It is the ninth book in The Bernicia Chronicles and I didn’t realise this at the time. I just hoped I wouldn’t spend all my time confused with the story. Good news! It did take a little time for me to get to grips with everyone and everything but I was able to enjoy the book.
I am a historical fiction fan and love The Last Kingdom, Vikings things like that. This book made me feel like I was transported back in time to AD652 with Beobrand, our main character. He is leading a group of pilgrims with Wilfred as their leader, to Rome. They go through Frankia with all the perils that come with that.
This was such an immersive and action filled story. I have read quite a few historical fiction stories and I adore learning about times past and the people that the author brings to the story too. The vivid storytelling had such rich detailing with characters that almost leaped out of the page at me. I felt that I could have known them for longer than the amount of time I had been reading the book. The historical research is clearly amazing as it felt so authentic throughout.
Forest of Foes is a book that absorbed me from beginning to end. I would love to start from the very beginning and discover Beobrand’s story. A must read series for any historical fiction lover.
Purchase link:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U5eD43
Author Bio
Matthew Harffy lived in Northumberland as a child and the area had a great impact on him. The rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline made it easy to imagine the past. Decades later, a documentary about Northumbria’s Golden Age sowed the kernel of an idea for a series of historical fiction novels. The first of them is the action-packed tale of vengeance and coming of age, THE SERPENT SWORD.
Matthew has worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator. Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.
Follow Matthew Harffy
Twitter: @MatthewHarffy
Instagram: @beobrand
Website: matthewharffy.com
Follow Aries
Twitter: @AriesFiction
Facebook: Aries Fiction
Website: http://www.headofzeus.com
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 
