Set in the time of the English Civil War, a man, a soldier in the Parliamentary forces, returns home to find his son a mute and his wife, killed as a witch. As he attempts to put his life back together and find out what lead to such tragic events, an old comrade arrives in search of a missing lad.

As the two men (and the mute son) set out, they get caught up with the imprisoned King's army at Bantry (1648) and the siege of Colchester. Amid the besieging army lurks pure evil in human form.

The novel, whilst not overly long, manages to depict the savagery of civil war and the consequences for non-combatants. The events did actually take place, the massacre of women after the battle did occur though the reasons still remain a mystery, Fairfax was in charge of the Parliamentarians, and only after defeat at Preston did the Royalists surrender - the terms were real. The Sealed Knot was a secret society dedicated to the restoration of the Monarchy (active after the death of Charles I in 1649) and they made eight attempts to bring about the restoration of Charles II (1652 - 1659), though the group was ultimately betrayed by Sir Rich Willis to John Thurloe.

This is definitely well researched - the violence of the times depicted within these pages will not be to everyone's liking - but this is based on true events - so take it, warts and all. I have been reading a bit more from this period in history, and have added a few tomes to my library - this will be another one.

I am sorry to write that this book did not engross me. The characters fell flat. I did not care about them. They had no colour, personality or even description. I did not get a feel for the era and although the character of the witch finder general has always fascinated me unfortunately the rest of the story did not!

I love historical fiction and 'Wayland's Revenge' is one of the best that i have read for a while. It's a very well written book that has a touch of mystery, romance, witch hunters and more. It is the first time that i have read a book by this author and hope to read more. Highly recommended.

Not much to say really. For the most part I liked it. For me, it was slow moving throughout the book. It may be completely different for someone else. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#WaylandsRevenge #NetGalley

I am a huge history buff but have never really gotten into the history of England. That being said, after reading this book, it makes me want to learn more about it. It drew me in from the very beginning and didn't let go until the end. I loved this book. It was exciting and never lost my interest. It was the perfect blend of genres. I definitely recommend it.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Troubador Publishing and Lesley Lodge for the ARC of Wayland's Revenge.
I loved it.
Set in 1637, the book is about Wayland's search for answers on who murdered his beloved wife and traumatised his son to the point he would no longer speak.
This book had it all. Murder, mayhem, fighting in the name of religion and witch hunts.
The characters were engaging and the plot was well thought out, with historical facts thrown in for good measure.
A good book keeps you hooked. A great book comes alive. This was a great book. I would definitely recommend this novel and cannot wait for more from this author

I wanted to like this book more. I like the idea of the blacksmith taking care of routine village problems, and the relationship between Wayland and his traumatized son. I was also interested in the time period this was set in. For me the role of blacksmith and the relationship didn't develop or have the depth I wanted. The characters problems and relationships seemed more a gloss over a historical summary.

Historical fiction with mystery, thrills and romance. English civil war, religious strife, a serial killer, real heroes , witch hunters and their victims. Characters so real and scenes so well described it was if you were watching everything unfold. Well told story with focus on real historical details and not on excess sex or gore. I look forward to reading this authors next book. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me.