Book Review - The Mercenary's Blade (Lord's Legacy Book 1) by Eleanor Swift-Hook

The Mercenary's Blade
(Lord's Legacy Book 1) 
By Eleanor Swift-Hook

Publication Date: 25th October 2022

Publisher: Sharpe Books

Page Length: 325 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

England, September 1642.

The King has raised his standard in Nottingham to summon those loyal to the crown to fight for him against his own Parliament.

Gideon Lennox, an idealistic young lawyer from London, is in County Durham being paid to find a man and deliver a message. Having failed in the task that originally brought him north, Gideon needs to prove himself.

The man he seeks is the traitor Philip Lord, a notorious mercenary commander, with a reputation for brutality gained in the wars raging across Europe. When Gideon encounters Lord, he is abducted and set to investigate strange happenings in a Weardale village.

As he attempts to uncover the truth behind accusations of witchcraft - and the murder of the witchfinder in Pethridge - the lawyer is faced with more questions than answers.

He is convinced that Lord must somehow be involved until a gory discovery proves to him that whoever might be behind the strange events, it is not the accused women - or Lord.

Just as Gideon begins to realise that more than one shadowy hand is moving the pieces in the dangerous game being played out in Pethridge, he is seized and accused of the murder himself.

The lawyer must somehow escape - or become a victim of the conspiracy he needs to bring to light.

England, September 1642: The King has raised his standard in Nottingham to summon those loyal to the crown to fight for him against his own Parliament.

Eleanor Swift-Hook's 'Lord's Legacy' series is set in the pivotal moment in history when men must decide if they fight for king or parliament. In this first book, we experience this complex time with Gideon Lennox, a likeable but naive young lawyer, who encounters the mysterious Philip Lord, a notorious mercenary leader.

What follows takes us into the murky world of witch trials and corruption, and enough adventure and intrigue to keep the story moving from a slow start into a fast paced page-turner. 

Eleanor's style is to make the reader wonder about her character's motivation, and why our narrator never gets around to telling his love interest, the mysterious 'Zaharia' about his feelings for her.

I particularly liked the glimpses of the research into the history behind this series, and the way we gradually learn more about Philip Lord and his band of men, who become compelling characters, always with a hint of something important yet to be revealed.

I recommend reading these books in order. I already have the next one in the series on my Kindle and look forward to finding out what happens next.

Review by Tony Riches
Yarde Book Reviews & Book Promotion

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The Mercenary's Blade

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Eleanor Swift-Hook

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times. You can find out more about the background of Lord's Legacy on her website www.eleanorswifthook.com and find her on Twitter @emswifthook