The Siege of Caerlaverock is a medieval historical fiction absolutely rammed full of suspense. This is also the first book I’ve read by Barbara Henderson so I was really excited to read it. And I totally wasn’t ready for it!
The book follows Ada, a laundress who lives within the walls of Caerlaverock Castle. Her days are pretty dull apart from when she decides to help a young prisoner who… should have been set free and allowed to join his family by now?
Ada’s kind actions quickly raise suspicion attracting the ever watchful scheming eyes of Brian De Berclay! A real bad dude with his own agenda. And one which puts Caerlaverock, Ada’s home, at risk. Ada must put a stop to Berclays plans and has the help of trusty friend Godfrey – A young page boy to Lord Maxwell. Their friendship and determination to do what’s right is a force to be reckoned with and as they’re relationship is so beautifully written, it almost feels like they are YOUR actual friends. I genuinely felt concerned for their well-being and hope they’re to traumatised by the whole ordeal…
And as if that wasn’t bad enough… Caerlaverock, their castle, their home, was to come under attack by another bad dude! King Edward! He plans to take his army, a 3000 strong army, to capture Caerlaverock Castle. And it gets worse, Lord Maxwell is no longer within the Castle grounds, totally unaware of the impending attack and taking some of his best fighters with him leaving his wife in the unfortunate position of defending Caerlaverock with only 60, yes SIXTY men.
King Edward, a tyrant trying to take the Castle from the outside, Berclay, a so called loyalist trying to take it from the inside. Ada and Godfrey must do all they can to make sure this doesn’t happen. They must protect their home.
Ada is such an amazing main character in this book, she is kind but also courageous and determined. Her relationship with Godfrey is one of true friendship and so wonderfully described in the book that I was completely riveted in nail-biting suspense from start to finish.
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Barbara does a wonderful job of not only taking you back to the setting of Caerlaverock but also manages to suck you in to the emotions of the characters and the pressure and fear they must have felt. Wonderfully written with great passion. So grab a seat for this one folks! Although you’ll only need the edge. I mean check out the amazing book trailer for a taste…
Utterly gripping. I can’t wait to read some of Barbara’s other books now!
I’d just like to thank Barbara and Cranchan for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. It is an amazing book and that cover designed by Anne Glennie really sets the tone for the book. Follow along with the rest of the blog tour…
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