Blog Tour and Giveaway: An Argument of Blood by Matthew Willis / JA Ironside

An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis

Publication Date: June 19, 2017

Penmore Press

Paperback & eBook; 369 Pages

Series: Oath and Crown, Book 1

Genre: Fiction/Historical/War

William, the nineteen-year-old duke of Normandy, is enjoying the full fruits of his station. Life is a succession of hunts, feasts, and revels, with little attention paid to the welfare of his vassals. Tired of the young duke’s dissolute behaviour and ashamed of his illegitimate birth, a group of traitorous barons force their way into his castle. While William survives their assassination attempt, his days of leisure are over. He’ll need help from the king of France to secure his dukedom from the rebels. On the other side of the English Channel lives ten-year-old Ælfgifa, the malformed and unwanted youngest sister to the Anglo-Saxon Jarl, Harold Godwinson. Ælfgifa discovers powerful rivalries in the heart of the state when her sister Ealdgyth is given in a political marriage to King Edward, and she finds herself caught up in intrigues and political manoeuvring as powerful men vie for influence. Her path will collide with William’s, and both must fight to shape the future. An Argument of Blood is the first of two sweeping historical novels on the life and battles of William the Conqueror.

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About the Authors

J.A. Ironside (Jules) grew up in rural Dorset, surrounded by books - which pretty much set he up for life as a complete bibliophile. She loves speculative fiction of all stripes, especially fantasy and science fiction, although when it comes to the written word, she's not choosy and will read almost anything. Actually it would be fair to say she starts to go a bit peculiar if she doesn’t get through at least three books a week. She writes across various genres, both adult and YA fiction, and it’s a rare story if there isn’t a fantastical or speculative element in there somewhere.

Jules has had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies, as well as recorded for literature podcasts. Books 1 and 2 of her popular Unveiled series are currently available with the 3rd and 4th books due for release Autumn/ Winter 2017. She also co-authored the sweeping epic historical Oath and Crown Duology with Matthew Willis, released June 2017 from Penmore Press. Jules now lives on the edge of the Cotswold way with her boyfriend creature and a small black and white cat, both of whom share a god-complex.

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Matthew Willis is an author of historical fiction, SF, fantasy and non-fiction. In June 2017 An Argument of Blood, the first of two historical novels about the Norman Conquest co-written with J.A. Ironside, was published. In 2015 his story Energy was shortlisted for the Bridport short story award. Matthew studied Literature and History of Science at the University of Kent, where he wrote an MA thesis on Joseph Conrad and sailed for the University in national competitions. He subsequently worked as a journalist for Autosport and F1 Racing magazines, before switching to a career with the National Health Service. His first non-fiction book, a history of the Blackburn Skua WW2 naval dive bomber, was published in 2007. He now has four non fiction books published with a fifth, a biography of test pilot Duncan Menzies, due later in 2017. He currently lives in Southampton and writes both fiction and non-fiction for a living.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, January 15 Review at Jaffa Reads Too Tuesday, January 16 Feature at Passages to the Past Wednesday, January 17 Review at Historical Fiction Reviews Friday, January 19 Feature at A Bookaholic Swede Monday, January 22 Review at Broken Teepee Tuesday, January 23 Review at Pursuing Stacie Friday, January 26 Feature at Let Them Read Books Monday, January 29 Review at Locks, Hooks and Books Tuesday, January 30 Feature at What Cathy Read Next Wednesday, January 31 Feature at Just One More Chapter Thursday, February 1 Feature at The Lit Bitch Friday, February 2 Review at Bookramblings Review at Impressions In Ink Monday, February 5 Review at Back Porchervations Tuesday, February 6 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views Wednesday, February 7 Review at The Writing Desk Review at Donna's Book Blog

Giveaway

During the Book Blast we will be giving away a signed copy of An Argument of Blood! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 7th. 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. Argument of Blood

My Review

An Argument of Blood is an excellent beginning to the Oath and Crown series. I could not put it down! I was a little intimidated by its size at first. However, I had it read in one day. It was a day well spent. I just loved the authors’ vision of young William the Conqueror and what England was like before he took over as ruler. I was fascinated with the whole story. My favorite part was when William was first introduced to Matilda. The women of the book are ones that are of great courage and are admirable for the times.

I was sad to see the words “The End”. I cannot wait to read book two of this series. An Argument of Blood is most definitely great reading. I highly, highly recommend it.

A well deserved 5 plus stars.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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