Arthurian Historical Fantasy

Battles, adventure, danger, and sorcery will keep you turning the pages. Could Arthur and his queen emerge victorious? Morgana is up to her devious machinations, and someone will suffer. What must Arthur do because of her witchery? If you like Arthurian historical fantasy with brutal battles, treachery, and details that will make you feel as if you are living in the dark ages, you might enjoy this tale. I look forward to reading what comes next in this series.

This installment is better than the first two novels in this series. While Arthur is still a flat hero, I thought Gwen had some character development. She is more decisive than in the first two and less wishy-washy. The supporting characters are stereotypical though Morgana is given some development. Overall, this was a well-done time-travel novel. It was very slow at the beginning but picked up at the end. I recommend this for fans of Lady of Hay, The Scribe of Sienna, and Daughter of Destiny!

The Sword by Fil Reid is another episode in the time travel novel of librarian, Gwen, who becomes Guinevere, Queen to legendary King Arthur. One major takeaway is that it doesn't pay to know what is coming, especially if your knowledge is legend and you can't be sure how accurate it is. This book is full of battles, which is the part I'm not particularly fond of. Gwen pretty much accompanies Arthur and his army, thinking to protect him. She met some interesting people along the way and learned some things about early historians, ones read even in her time. Gwen and Arthur continue to be a spectacular love story, even their contemporaries recognize it. The one sacrifice she made to travel with Arthur is that she had to leave their son behind. This is something she paid for upon her return, at least for the short term.

Arthur is still alive, though he has been wounded. Gwen is still worrying. The legends don't seem 100% accurate and so in many ways she is blind. This is an all-encompassing rewrite of the legend, one with far more human traits for all of the participants than the legends portray. This is fiction, but then so are the legends, mostly. Gwen is proving herself to be intelligent and valuable to her husband and the kingdom is the better for it. The Dark Ages were a very violent and trying time for all concerned and Reid covers it fairly accurately. She even approaches the sword and the stone, but not exactly as legend would have it. It is a fun series and this was a good book. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Sword by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dragonblade #filreid #thesword

As the third book in this series opens, Gwen continues her adventure, trying to support Arthur, but worried about the future. She insists going with him as he goes to battle and give the support he needs.

She also has to deal with his evil sister Morgana and they also go and end up finding the sword!
Adventure, excitement, suspense... it is all there as the saga continues!

Welcome back into the world of King Arthur as seen through the eyes of Gwen, a twenty first century librarian. Transported back in time by none other that Merlin. I have found this to be such an interesting read, describing the everyday life of the people during that time. The Saxons are on the move and Arthur must move against them to protect their existence. You never know for sure who is good or who is bad. All Gwen knows for sure is that she is desperately in love with Arthur. You do not want to put down this interesting saga of this brave woman as she struggles in the ancient world together with Arthur.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time.