𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙭 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨.

🌿The book - 2nd in the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles - set in the Anglo-Saxon time period, narrates the story of a healer-turns-warrior Icel.

830 AD. Merica. King Wiglaf of Mercia has reclaimed his capital at Tamworth from the Wessex. But King Ecgberht of Wessex is not defeated. He lurks on the southern fringes of Mercia, claiming the twin settlement of Londonia as his own to control Mercia’s wealth. To recapture Londonia King Wiglaf attacked the stronghold. In the ensuing battle, Icel suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of battle; besieged inside the Londonia with the Wessex forces he had to use his wits and skill to survive and also bring down enemy forces cowering behind the ancient walls.

🌿The author is a master of his craft. The way he blended the plot around the actual historical event blurs the line between what is real and what is fiction and the element of suspense in it regarding how's Icel going to extricate himself from his precarious situation was palpable that gripped me at the edge of the seat. The action sequences were written perfectly and not for a single moment did I feel the pacing slowing down.

🌿The entire story is narrated through Icel's 1st person POV. I like his character arc. He is finding his footing as a warrior, but deep inside he still wants to be a healer. Behind the walls of London, he'll have to survive alone among the enemies, fight temptations and ultimately testify his loyalty by betraying his newfound friends. Further, the addition of the new character arcs of Brihtwold, Tyrhtil, Theodore, Gaya, and Ecgred refreshes the story.

🌿The climax was satisfactory, leaving me wanting more. I'm eager to read Icel's next adventure and await how he is going to learn about his parentage.

Overall, Wolf of Mercia was a wonderful read and I'm hooked for the next book. If you're into historical fiction and Anglo-Saxon history, then this book is for you. Highly recommend.

𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)

As usual this book from MJ Porter is excellent! This is the latest books in Icel’s adventures. A fast paced and brilliant story. Can’t wait for the next book.

Having enjoyed Son of Mercia, I was thrilled when I was invited to take part in the blog tour for Wolf of Mercia. Like the first novel, this second instalment is a riveting adventure.

Fast-paced, gritty, but also with a subtle sense of wry humour, Wolf of Mercia sees young Icel, our hero, outside the fortified gates of London – which consisted in two parts back then: the ancient, walled city of the Romans and the newer town, divided by a bridge across the Fleet.

We dive straight into a lengthy battle, where the author goes into great detail about his adventures near the back of a shield wall. It's nice to see it not only described from the front. I found the scene a little too long, with some details that may have been skipped, but it was nonetheless absorbing as we go through Icel's fears and emotions.

But as the Mercians gain traction, he finds himself pushed towards the retreating Wessex men, and through the gates of Londinium, the old town. In his scramble, he'd been given another seax after his own got stuck in the mud, and his Mercian shield was replaced with one showing the Wessex wyvern. As he stumbles through the closing gate, he is, for all to see, a Mercian warrior. But Wulfheard has given him a mission: to spy on the enemy and seek a chance to attack.

But how to go about it? Adjusting his accent and pretending to be a man of Kent, Icel follows his real calling – healing – and in the process makes a dangerous enemy. And what is he doing saving the Wessex warriors to fight another battle?

As the days go by, he begins to make friends, and soon finds himself in a true dilemma. He is still a Mercian, sworn to support King Wiglaf, but some of the Wessex men are not his enemies.





The author portrays Icel's inner thoughts very well. Torn between the terror of finding himself pushed into the enemy camp and his friendly, caring nature, we see him go through a plethora of emotions. His task is dangerous, and he could lose his life any moment, but he cannot deny his true self.

The pace remains fast throughout this gripping story, and you find yourself swept away alongside Icel in another incredible adventure.

MJ Porter portrays the setting very well, and we get a real sense of being trapped inside Londinium's ancient walls. My only issue would be Icel's accent, as, early on in the novel, it is mentioned that a Wessex spy was discovered in the Mercian army due to his accent, who'd been promptly dispatched. I'd have thought Icel speaking out loud would have given him away. He tries to adjust to Wessex dialect, but would it be that easy? I don't know.

Wolf of Mercia is a clever adventure: fine historical fiction with details that draw you right into the 9th century. Highly recommended reading!

Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow fans will be gripped by MJ Porter’s latest historical novel, Wolf of Mercia.

Icel is a lone wolf inside a Wessex stronghold who must ensure his own and Mercia’s triumph. Icel is working hard towards becoming a warrior of Mercia, however, King Ecgberht still dominates and he still holds the Mercian settlement of Londonia and its valuable mint – something which naturally does not sit right with King Wiglaf of Mercia who wants to reclaim the last bulwark from his sworn enemy to its rightful place to become the kingdom’s ruler!

Yet, when Icel finds himself in the heart of a shield wall and on the wrong side of the battle, he is thrust into the retreating enemy stronghold where in order to survive he must masquerade as a Wessex warrior, where he plans to bring down the Wessex force cowering behind the ancient walls. Icel is going to be tested like never before as he tries to bring about King Wiglaf’s victory – even though he is surrounded by dangerous enemies wherever he turns.

Will Icel be successful in his quest for victory? Or will Icel end up paying the harshest price of all behind enemy lines?

MJ Porter’s Wolf of Mercia is an action-packed, heart-pounding and brilliantly atmospheric historical novel full of propulsive adventure, nail-biting intrigue and plenty of pulse-pounding adrenaline to keep readers glued to its pages. MJ Porter certainly knows how to bring the past to life and in Wolf of Mercia has written a top-notch historical novel that will leave readers wanting more!

5 Word Review: Belonging, survival, loyalty, action, history.

I am a sucker for political intrigue, and this book has it in spades. I loved all of the politicking and plotting and the inherent danger all around. Add in coming-of-age themes? It was perfect.

This story is so tense, the plot driven forward at an incredible speed by all that is happening. Icel is very much pushed and pulled like the tide has hold of him, and it helped deepen his character, there were so many layers. I loved Icel's reluctance at what was thrust upon him, and how he worked through it. There is action at every turn and we're treated to a blow-by-blow account. If your favourite parts of Lord of the Rings were the battles then you're in for a treat.

I loved that the tension was broken up by banter between the characters. As a reader I really felt like I was in the middle of a group of friends at times.

I feel like I did miss out on some of the backstory and history of the characters by not reading the first book, but if anything that has just made me want to read more. I'll definitely be going back and reading the first story in the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles.

I will definitely be reading more of this series, it's perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell's The Warrior Chronicles. Wolf of Mercia felt almost like an epic journey and I was breathless by the end.

Oh wow, what an amazing and exciting book and a brilliant second instalment in the series. After swearing an oath to the king and fighting for him, Icel now finds himself and the rest of the Mercian forces fighting against Wessex to take back the city of Londonia which the Wessex king has tried to take for himself. The battle is fierce but when the enemy begin to retreat to the safety inside the ancient Lodinium walls, Icel finds himself suddenly among the Wessex forces and has to find a way to escape and help his Mercian allies, without anyone suspecting him of being the enemy.

This is such an exciting story, I just couldn’t put it down from the first pages! I loved the first book in the series, Son of Mercia, so I was excited to see what happens next for young Icel after the events of the last book. This one begins with the Mercian forces heading towards Londonia, what is known as London today. I love what happens and how the two sections of Londonia are explained, both the ancient Roman Londinium and the market settlement of Lundenwic. There is a map at the start of the book which shows you these two parts of Londonia and I liked seeing this as it shows all the areas where the action takes place and where Icel spends a lot time in the story.

I love the twist that happens when Icel finds himself suddenly among his enemy. It was brilliant and I enjoyed what happened next when he finds himself amongst all the Wessex men and has to be careful not to give himself away as a Mercian. What happens during his time in Londinium is interesting, the encounters he has with certain characters, and I loved the descriptions of the place feling old and a little eerie. It’s interesting to get a sense of the old Roman building from the perspective of someone living hundreds of years later.

As the story moves on, Icel finds himself trying to escape the place. I love what happens and the eventual route of escape that’s chosen. I won’t say how it happens, but there are some funnier moments in the story, like when certain characters are trying to get in and out of places. The story never stops being a page-turner, every moment exiting, even when Icel is using his healing skills on others. There are lots of interesting moments where I didn’t know what would happen, great twists and a brilliant final battle which is exciting but didn’t finish the book off quite as I’d hoped.

The ending is a good one, however the last chapter is the ending of a battle and then the story just ends. It’s a decent ending but I was hoping for another chapter or page to shows us what happened to some of the other characters like Icel’s friend or just another chapter to help calm down the story after that final exciting battle scene, like with the first book, but the story just ends there. There will clearly be more in the series but I would have liked a final chapter just to see more of some characters. The book has author’s notes at the back which is interesting to read, especially about the mint at the time.

This book is more fast-paced than the last one which made it really exciting to read, but it’s also a lot more gory. There’s a lot of fighting and pretty detailed descriptions of the violence, blood, other bodily fluids including a lot of vomiting. There is one use of the f swear word and occasional uses of the s words too. The story was good for me, I like Icel’s narration of what’s happening and how things go, but for me this book was edging on a little too gory for me, and I just wish I knew what happened to a couple of characters at the end. No doubt there will be a third book in the series though, and I’m looking forward to reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction set in the ninth century, which is fast-paced and exciting, and who doesn’t mind some pretty gory battles and deaths.

I must admit that I am glad to be back in Mercia and the life of Icel. In book 2 we definitely get to know Icel in depth. He really would prefer to heal than fight, although he absolutely steps into his warrior shoes when he is called upon. Icel’s’ inner battle is huge. Can he honestly be a warrior and a healer at the same time?

Wolf of Mercia is full of dramatic events and the detail held within it’s pages is immense. I always feel that not only am I reading a superbly written book but i am learning along the way. An interesting read indeed. The story telling is truly compelling and you really get drawn into the lives of the characters.

To be honest there isn’t much more I can say as I really don’t want to give the game away and I never include spoilers. The synopsis is spot on with the story and it alone will make you feel like you need to get hold of a copy. I would however recommend you read the whole series. Although you can read Wolf of Mercia as a standalone it is much better if you learn about Icel from his childhood and his new battles and struggles as he enters manhood. There is plenty of action and the story flows well. A great read that deserves all the praise I am sure it will receive.

One of my favourite things about this series is the unique perspective of our protagonist. Icel is a young man in a world full of strife. Thrust into a war he has no desire to take part in, we get to see Icel battle with his own internal conflict and his loyalties in this book. In this kind of time period it’s typical for men like Icel to become warriors. It is the expectation.


However, Icel is a man who likes to heal. Having spent his childhood learning how to mend hurts and treat wounds… he does not enjoy inflicting such on others. This is particularly prevalent in the first book, and I really enjoyed his perspective. What I have also enjoyed through reading Wolf of Mercia is that we get to see a lot of character development that has taken place. Icel still does not relish hurting people, however he has stepped up in his duty to defend his country and he will do what is necessary, even if he doesn’t enjoy it. He has grown up from the cowardly boy he used to be. 


Even though he can step up and do his part as a warrior, Icel maintains his authenticity in not wanting to do what he has to do. Although we’ve seen a marked change in him, his core principles have stayed the same. It is a challenging angle to take with a character, but MJ Porter has done this very well. She has enabled this development whilst keeping the character fundamentally the same in terms of his root beliefs and values. As one of the biggest selling points for me for this book and series, I’m really glad this has been done so well! 


There is a lot more action in Wolf of Mercia than the first book of the series, and through the perspective of Icel, we are quite literally thrown into the middle of it. From the first battle in a shield wall in the opening chapters to the subterfuge of hiding amongst the enemy, there is never a dull moment. It took our main character completely out of the context we have seen him previously and gave him the opportunity to grow. I feel like events like these can either make or break a character… And it certainly made Icel. he is one of my favourite book characters. 


I flew through this book in just a handful of days. The narrative and storyline are so immersive that it is easy to get lost in. It is the kind of book you can lose track of time in. The chapters are just the right length to convey what is going on, without being too lengthy either. It is just the perfect balance to justify telling yourself that it’s okay to read just one more chapter… Just one. But it never is! 


On the whole, Wolf of Mercia, compared to the first book of the series Son of Mercia, exceeded my expectations and it is a very easy five star rating from me. This is a fantastic sequel to the series and personally I can’t wait to see what happens next!

As usual a cracking read from MJ Porter, one that I didn't want to put down until the last page had been devoured.
I am only sorry I can only rate it as 5 stars, should be a 6.

What a joy it is to be back with Icel! When we last we saw him war had broken out and his uncle had died.. his whole world shattered after striving for so long in the hope his uncle could be saved! Icel now finds himself a warrior of Mercia under King Wiglaf who is determined to take back what King Ecgberht of Wessex has stolen!

In the heat of battle Icel’s world continues to be turned upside down. Deep inside he wants to be a healer but he can’t be both a warrior and healer can he?

Icel is suddenly thrust behind enemy lines as the gates close behind him…and he must use all his wit and skill to blend in… not so easy as you can imagine.

The next task after staying alive is to figure out how to get the gates open again so King Wiglaf and his men can finish the job they started.. a tall order for anyone but Icel doesn’t know his way around.. there’s eyes all over the place and inevitably his skill as a healer comes to the foreground.. no matter man of Mercia or Wessex he has to help.. he can’t watch men suffer, Afterall they are only fighting because their King commands it.

Along the way his allegeiances are tested, we see the men of Wessex in a different light and you feel Icel’s internal struggle building.

Development wise this offering was fantastic. In book 1 we were introduced to King Wiglaf but I didn’t feel we had enough time to really get to really know the character, Afterall the tale is Icel’s journey but I really wanted to get to grips with the King. This offering however gives development by the bucket load and I felt I understood him and his motivations and really found myself liking the character.

Another major factor for the love I have for this book was the injection of new characters and their story arcs. I won’t spoil it for you but some names to look out for are Brihtwold, Tyrhtil, Theodore, Gaya and Ecgred.

Oh how I loved the scenes with Ecgred!

Book 1 in the series was very much Icel’s journey and was a 5* read for me, Book 2 surpasses even that.. if that’s even possible. It’s still Icel’s tale but the plot has developed so fast but in such a natural flow.. at the end of the book when you sit back to reflect its just amazing to see how far the journey has come and it leaves you with that urge for more!

I really enjoyed the action too, really easy to follow but detailed and exciting with every thrust 🙂

Here at David’s Book Blurg I really do try and give no spoiler reviews. It can be difficult to sum up a book perfectly but in all honesty you shouldn’t need my review to tell you that you need this book, the synopsis says it all!!! It’s a corker!!!

An absolutely fantastic novel!! Dramatic and exhilarating, this book had my heart racing from the first page to the last. It moves at an incredible pace with event after event, each of which is an incredible step in the story.

Essentially the novel is about Mercia and Wessex forces fighting to hold London with a number of twists from each side. You can feel the emotions of the people in the book and you can sense exactly what they are going through. I detail I particularly liked was the story from a few ranks back in a Shield Wall. All to often authors focus on the battle of the front rank – hearing the story from further back adds a new dimension and a rawness that I really enjoyed.

Icel is a wonderful character, he isn’t the heroic warrior (yet – although all the traits are there) and is growing into manhood and these escapades are formative in who he will become. It is this ‘innocence’ that sets the tone of the book early as he finds himself alone, the wrong side of the Londinium gates and having to exist and survive amongst his Wessex enemies. Will he succeed in his task to open the gates for his Mercian brethren, will he survive, will he be found out and how will he escape? These are questions that will feature time and time again as his story amongst the Wessex forces develops.

I have only recently found M J Porter and I’m really glad I did – he is a fantastic story teller. I was also able to see how his writing style has changed from his first book (The Last King) to this book. I’m hooked and already adding his back catalogue to my Kindle library.

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the second book of this excellent series, and while there are some references to previous characters and story it does work as a standalone novel. This is one of my favourite genres and I have had the pleasure of standing in the 'Shield Wall' with Bernard Cornwells 'Uhtred ' Giles Kristians 'Raven' and the 'Oathsworn' of Robert Low, and this book is the equal of them, but in this book I had the unique experience of being in the second line behind the main action but still a part of the gruesome action. This was a book of virtually non stop action well written and researched with superb characterisation throughout. Our coming of age hero continues to develop and I look forward enormously to his next adventure. Engaging and entertaining from first to last page absolute quality throughout.
Completely and utterly recommended.

A brilliant book, really well written and captivating. It was completely engrossing from start to finish. Loved it!

Loved this one. Our hero Icel, at heart a healer has to prove his mettle as a warrior in his fight for his homeland if Mercia. While not reading the earlier book of the series was a personal loss for me, the book can be read as a standalone though i would love to spend time on the first book too. In this book, Icel gets a taste of his first shield wall fight, gets thrust into the enemy fort as a lone wolf, fights his way out through a drainage pit, leads the way back to capture the fort and keeps fighting and healing others in between. An engrossing book and made enjoyable with the references which we have at one time or other read about in our history classes.
Recommended read.