SOLOMON'S BRIDE: REVIEW AND BOOK TOUR.

 Just as I was delighted to start off the Blog Tour with my review of The Grip Of God, part one in the The Tiger And The Dove series, today the hosts of The Princess Of Eboli and Must Read Faster and I have been honoured with the task of ending proceedings with our reviews of .....

Drum roll please .....

SOLOMON'S BRIDE by REBECCA HAZELL.

SOURCE: Received for review from the author as part of a Book Tour. My thanks to Rebecca who very kindly sent me paper copies of the books and to Michelle over at The True Book Addict (and other sites) for all her help. 

Before I begin my review may I mention that I have obscured some of the text because of spoilers, if you wish to read it simply scroll across to hi-light. TT

ABOUT THE BOOK: Solomon’s Bride is the dramatic sequel to The Grip of God. Sofia, the heroine, a former princess from Kievan Rus’ was enslaved by a Mongol nobleman and then taken as a concubine by the leader of the Mongol invasions, Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Now, having fled the Mongols with a price on her head, Sofia escapes into Persia and what she believes will be safety, only to fall into the clutches of the Assassins, who seek to disrupt the Mongol empire. In a world at war, both outer and inner, the second phase of her adventures unfolds. Can she ever find safe haven, much less the lost love and family that was almost destroyed by the Mongols?

The novel is available both in paperback and Kindle versions and through your local bookstore by special order. The third book in the trilogy, Consolamentum, will be released soon.

FIRST SENTENCE {Winter: Anno Domini 1242-1243}: In light of what came later, I sometimes wondered if escaping Batu Khan was such a miracle after all, although it seemed so after that dangerous flight across unknown wilderness.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 102}: Of course I knew Maryam was a Jew, but that was hardly on my mind then. And even now, no matter what others say, I chersh my friendship with her as a fellow traveler in the sad dim places of the heart.

MY THOUGHTS: Continuing the story of the now fifteen year old Sofia and her companion-come- servant Anna (13) as begun in The Grip Of God, part one in the The Tiger And The Dove series. As some of you know just as I don't necessarily have to read a series from the beginning or indeed in order of publication I recommend that in order to get the best out of this series you do just that.

Every bit as impressive as its predecessor. I'm once again struck by a use of language that is both poetic and yet powerful enough that the reader feels themselves transported to another time and place.

It really was a joy to follow Sofia's journey, to see both her character and her relationships develop, to see how she coped with swapping one form of captivity for what was essentially another.

Another exceptionally engaging novel as educational (the insight into Islamic practises and festivals etc I thought exceptional) as it is entertaining. I long to read Consolamentum, the last book in the trilogy (available at a later date), in order to see if Sofia gets the happy ever after worthy of every princess. 

PRAISE FOR THE TRILOGY .....

“How deftly and compellingly Hazell takes the reader with her into that mysterious and exotic world, and makes it all seem so very close to hand!” – Peter Conradi, Fellow of Britain's Royal Society of Literature and author of Iris Murdoch: A Life, and of A Very English Hero

"I enjoyed watching her morph from a spoiled sheltered princess with slaves of her own, into a tough, savvy survivor, with a new awareness of social injustice. The book is action packed. I couldn't put it down." - from a review on Amazon.com

"I got completely caught up in the characters and story and always looked forward to getting back to them. What a fully fleshed and fascinating world you developed and it was wondrous to learn so much about that time and the Mongol culture. Your gifts come out in your lush descriptions of place and objects. All very vivid and colorful." - author Dede Crane Gaston.

The novel is available both in paperback and Kindle versions and through your local bookstore by special order. The subsequent two novels in the trilogy are scheduled for publication later this year. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR .....

Rebecca Hazell is a an award winning artist, author and educator. She has written, illustrated and published four non-fiction children’s books, created best selling educational filmstrips, designed educational craft kits for children and even created award winning needlepoint canvases.

She is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and she holds an honours BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Russian and Chinese history.

Rebecca lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1988 she and her family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 2006 she and her husband moved to Vancouver Island. They live near their two adult children in the beautiful Cowichan Valley.

VISIT REBECCA .....

WEBSITE ~ GOODREADS ~ FACEBOOK

My review of Book One, The Grip Of God can be read here, Rebecca's Guest Post here.

TOUR SCHEDULE .....

• Tuesday, May 15th: PEN AND PAPER (Review of The Grip Of God - Book one) ~ THE TRUE BOOK ADDICT (Review and Kindle copy of The Grip Of God - Book one)
• Friday, May 16th: HISTORICAL FICTION CONNECTION
• Monday, May 19th: MUST READ FASTER
• Wednesday, May 21st: SHE IS TOO FOND OF BOOKS
• Thursday, May 22nd: MY BOOK ADDICTION AND MORE
• Wednesday, May 28th: THE TRUE BOOK ADDICT
• Friday, May 30th: CREATE WITH JOY
• Monday, June 2nd: BOOK DRUNKARD
• Tuesday, June 3rd: BOOK DRUNKARD
• Wednesday, June 4th: KELLIE'S READING NOOK
• Thursday, June 5th: OH, FOR THE HOOK OF A BOOK
• Monday, June 9th: KELLIE'S READING NOOK
• Tuesday, June 10th: HISTORY FROM A WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE
• Wednesday, June 11th: HISTORY FROM A WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE
• Thursday, June 12th: PEN AND PAPER ~ PRINCESS OF EBOLI
• Friday, June 13th: PEN AND PAPER ~ PRINCESS OF EBOLI ~ MUST READ FASTER

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Disclaimer:  Read and reviewed as part of a Book Tour on behalf of the author I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.