Posted as part of the blog tour... sorry I didnt update NetGalley sooner

I’m fairly new to the authors work but after reading Warrior and Protector last year I was eagerly awaiting this release and god damn it packs a punch!

King Aethelred is weak, and the Vikings know it. The King’s mother and the bishops have too much say in his rule and even some thought loyal are of Viking blood and wish to see the return to Norse rule.

Lord Byrthnoth and Thegn Beornoth stand in their way! Pillars of Saxon might!

Ah I loved the whole ensemble of characters, but these two just outshine even the brightest star. Byrthnoth is a good and fair lord, strong and wise and leads his men from the front.. he’s not afraid of battle and when the King doesn’t seem to want to stand in the way of the Viking invasion he’s not going to stand by and watch.. he’s a man of action..but his temperament means he’s wise and weighs up his options.. unlike Beornoth.. Beornoth has suffered pain like no one should.. his children murdered by Vikings and his wife left to die, only to survive a broken woman.. He’s fuelled by anger and that anger sees him get into some sticky situations but it’s also what the Saxons need.

The Vikings are brutal.. they have no honour and leave a trail of destruction.. the sight would turn anyone stomach. Beornoth use’s that anger and brings vengeance upon his enemies.

The main issue is the battle is on many fronts, how do they see off this threat with so little men at their disposal?

Without a shadow of doubt this book is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, the plot, character development, the detail setting the scene … wow. I almost felt I was aboard the Viking ship as Beornoth puts a risky plan into action!

Usually when I read a book one aspect stands out as the thing I loved the most.. not this time..everything is just woven perfectly together, you get depth and raw guttural anger and bloodshed.. there’s real hurt and some of the most brutal scenes I’ve read.. every slice jumping from the page.

In one word to sum up – Mesmerising!

Storm of War is the second book in the Saxon Warrior Series, which began with Warrior and Protector, set during the early 990s in Saxon England. Æthelred II is the king of the English, but the Viking raiders, quiet throughout the reign of his father, known as Edgar the Peaceable, have begun to turn their eyes once more to the riches that England has to offer.

Beornoth is a thegn once more, connected to Ealdorman Byrhtnoth, a man who has long-supported the claim of others than the current king to rule England, firstly, Eadwig, the uncle of Æthelred II, to whom he owed his elevation to the ealdordom, and also, Edward the Martyr, Æthelred’s stepbrother. Often brought into conflict with the queen, Lady Elfrida, or Ælfthryth, as she is called in the book, Byrhtnoth is not the easiest of allies for the king and his mother, and Beornoth, a warrior like the ealdorman, is needed for his warrior-prowess but perhaps distrusted for the very same reason.

The book opens with a battle at Watchet in which we encounter the Viking raider, Olaf Tryggvason, for the first time, soon to be a bane to England, and while Beornoth and his quick thinking, alongside Ealdorman Byrhtnoth, are victorious on that occasion, there is a fear that Olaf will attack once more.

Yet, Beornoth and his allies soon find themselves heading north to counter a problem amongst the ruling elite of the northern parts of the kingdom, on the commands of the king’s mother, if perhaps not the king.

We begin to encounter more of the men who will one day be famously remembered in the Battle of Malden poem as the story continues, Ælfwine perhaps of most relevance to me (as he might, or might not, have been the father of Ealdorman Leofwine of the Twice). Beornoth is still an angry man, eager to kill the enemy who destroyed his family but he is involved in a dangerous game with enemies surrounding him while he fears that Olaf will attack once more.

A tale of Saxon England on the cusp of the Second Viking Age sure to thrill fans of the era.

Storm Of War is the second book in The Saxon Warrior series. I have read and throughly loved the first book Warrior and Protector. I will say, you don't have to have read the first book. This can be read as a standalone easily. I do always say that if you really want to get to know the characters you need to read the series, in order. But, that's just me

History is one of my favourite subjects and this period is so rich in everything that it's always a captivating and immersive read. I had no doubts this book would be as good a read as the first. Peter Gibbons writes with such skill and more than enough research for his stories to be total page turners.


I was glad to be back with Beornoth the Saxon Thegn to Lord Byrthnoth, Ealdorman of the East Saxons. They are together leading an army of Viking killers to protect the Kingdom against enemies. There is so much tension within these pages. The brutality of the battles isn't toned down by Peter Gibbons. This is what helps to make these books so authentic.

I started reading and was again transported back to Beornoths time. It's such an atmospheric and exciting book. I was on the edge of my seat at times as the story unfolded. There is so much packed into Storm Of War that I couldn't stop reading. I am yet again looking forward to what Peter Gibbons writes next! Hopefully another book in this series!!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley.

I think that my background in Viking era history has really made me struggle to enjoy books written about this period. However this one is well written. I will not however be sharing my review for this in other places. I hate to damage book sales.

Peter Gibbons once again delivers a fully engrossing novel!

I love historical fiction, Peter Gibbons is one of my top 5 HF authors, I've never read a book from him I've disliked. This book is no exception, I do really enjoy that it's written from the point of view of the Saxons rather than the Norse as more often than not, books involving Vikings are from their perspective. Gibbons does a fantastic job of conveying the terror, tension and general hectic backdrop of an invading force.

This is book 2 in the Saxon Warrior series and I highly recommend you pick up both and buckle up for a fantastic reading experience full of action, and well written battle scenes.

this had what I was hoping for from a historical novel, it had a great concept and I enjoyed getting to go on this journey. The characters were well-written and had a great way of working with the time-period. Peter Gibbons has a great writing style and I enjoyed what was going on. I look forward to reading more from Peter Gibbons as I enjoyed this.

"You broke them, Beo,’ said Byrhtnoth. ‘They folded after you killed that big bastard.’ The Ealdorman clapped Beornoth on the shoulder and grinned before setting off to pursue the fleeing Jomsvikings. Beornoth groaned and fell to one knee, his breath coming in quick gasps and his muscles burning from the exertion of the fight. An arm slipped under his shoulder and he looked up to find Alfgar smiling down at him."

Enemies within and Enemies without as Saxon warriors try to stave off the Viking hoards during Ethelred's shaky hold on his kingdom in the period before Knute.
Battles and skirmishes and the terror of the shield wall.
Similar to others in the genre by Bernard Cornwall, Simon Scarrow and Mathew Harify but enjoyable none the less.
What will Beornold get up to in the next installment as age creeps up om him and enemies still abound.

Beornoth better known to his friends as Bea is heading to the coast we’re Viking raiders have killed all the men and taken the women and children for slaves king Ethalridge is there but looks more like a scared boy than a ruling king but true to Bea’s character in the picture he wants to betray to his men he is respectful of the boy king when asked the translate since he speaks Norse he finds out these Raiders used to sail with Scar A man they reveered and also a man be decapitated in their last raids. Before finding this out they took everything the king said as sport and blocked him and although their attitude was different when they found out who the Saxton was the bravado was still clearly evident. They tell them they are Johnny Raiders a A group of Vikings who dedicated their life to making their God proud and only live sleep and eat a monks those of their kind they are very feared across the land but not by BIA and his men. When the battle commences both sides fight hard but just like last time Bia takes out the head raider and the others flee back to their ships. Olof Who seems to be the new leader threatens to find deer in the north before they leave the king makes them leave hostages unfortunately Bia is tasked with keeping one. He is more than happy to be back at his hall at wrench tree but it will not last long his ass to go to the north and subtle rating issues a bear from there own people. This is win Bia it’s haunted by things that happened when his kids were murdered and his wife left for dead and eventually kidnapped and yet they want to charge him with murder. I could go on and on and eventually would tell the whole story but just know this story is so exciting he makes a great escape loses a good friend and his fighting isn’t over it seems song Vikings keep the word and Olof is one of them. Once again he will be fighting for what’s right and the defense of his people against someone who’s just doing it for glory and revenge. Unfortunately for Olaf this time Beornoth is that up! This book was so good once again I must reiterate this book was so historically accurate from the devious kings mom to the wimpy king himself treachery, lies backstabbing and it seems the warriors take the brunt of all of this. I totally loved this book and cannot wait for the next one I know I say that every time but I cannot. Peter Gibbons has quickly become my favorite Saxton warrior/Viking author and I don’t see that changing although I do love me a good porter book as she is really good as well but when it comes to fight scenes I do think Mr. Gibbons is in a class by himself. except for the boating much shorter and then having mini more fight sings this book to remind me of that Matthew Shardlake box except he was a lawyer and Bia is a warrior did I say how much I absolutely love these books what I do a total five star read and one I definitely recommend. If you love a good Sexting/biking story with great fight scenes and a hero you can route four you need to give Peter Gibbons books and read you will not be disappointed. I received this boat from NetGalleyg and BoldwoodBooks but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A brilliant book set in the tumultuous times of King Aethelred and the bloody Viking incursions into the realm of the Saxons. I loved the pace of the story, the larger than life characters and the authors descriptions of Saxon life.
The battle scenes were superbly described, in every gory detail - the smells, sounds and horrific sights. Beornoth, the hero warrior, interestingly, is shown to have a gentle side as well as a love for violent combat.
I will definitely buy the first book in this series to better understand the background of the key proponents. However, this novel is a standalone book and some of the previous history can be gleaned from the authors gripping storytelling.
From a military history viewpoint, I was previously unaware of the tactics used in moving a shield wall to off-balance your opponents.
I can thoroughly recommend this book.

What I enjoyed most from this book is was it being written from the point of view of the Saxon. Most viking era books I've read have been from the viking point of view. It was refreshing to have something different. As soon as I started the book I was thrown straight into battles and political intrigue. This book kept me in constant anxiety in fear of my favorite characters lives. Storm of War absolutely delivered on all of my expectations. The plot was gripping and full of excitement; I instantly fell in love or loathed entirely characters. You can read this book without having read the first installment in the series. I'd definitely recommend this book and author if you love John Gwynne and Bernard Cornwell.

If you enjoy battle heavy historical fiction, this is the book for you. Another great read in the series as we follow Beo across the country in defence against viking invaders and enemies from within England. A really thrilling read from start to finish, with my favourite part being how Gibbons doesn’t shy away from the gory, graphic detail of the battle scenes (of which there are many). 5/5.

Epic historic Fiction story written a talented alternate Peter Gibbons. Gibbons puts you in the front seat of a truly epic story. A must read for Viking fans. Can't wait for the next book