Review: On a Sword’s Edge by JR Tomlin

Scotland. 1263. The scent of rain mingles with the smoke of campfires as word spreads: the Norse are coming…

As tempers rise between King Alexander and the Norse King Haakon, at the center of it all is sixteen-year-old William Douglas, a squire in service to Sir John Stewart, Lord High Steward of Scotland.

When Haakon’s fearsome fleet is espied approaching Scotland’s shores, carrying the greatest invasion force the Norse have ever mustered, the dread of battle settles over the land. Summoned to Ayr Castle, William joins the Scottish forces in a desperate defense. Now tasked with serving his newly knighted brother, Hugh, William has little time to dwell on the fear – or thrill – of his first real taste of war.

And once the Norse’s menacing line of ships finally touches shore, Scotland’s fate may rest on more than noble titles and knightly deeds— it’ll take the mettle of every soul on the ground for them to triumph.

Set against the wind-swept coast of medieval Scotland, On a Sword’s Edge takes you right into the center of The Battle of Largs alongside a mere – yet fearless – squire.

My Review

In Book one of the new series William the Bold, our protagonist is still a squire, trying to keep track of all his new duties—and still excited about the possibility of doing something heroic in the upcoming fighting. Who is this William? A younger Douglas son, intent on making a name for himself:

There would be a battle!

If I were allowed to follow him into battle, it would be my duty to have Sir John’s spare weapons and spare mount, and I would guard his back and any Norse who attacked him. My heart raced as I imagined saving him from some marauding Norseman who would try to attack him from behind. My sword would swing, and the Norseman would fall dead under my horse’s hooves. I would fight so magnificently that the king would decide to knight me!

Of course, he would soon be undeceived, and we have a coming-of-age story for William who learns pretty quickly how frightening battle can be. But overall the Scots do pretty well for themselves against the marauding Norse. Their king, Alexander III, is a young man and newly crowned, who has to prove his own mettle. King Alexander ignores advice from older and wiser heads, but so far, he’s holding his own. Predominately at issue is the Norse infringing on Scottish territory: first the islands of Orkney and Shetland (among others), which they intend to keep, then the mainland, which Alexander will defend at all costs. This novel ends pretty abruptly, making it an introduction to what promises to become an intricate series.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3R7l8D

Meet JR Tomlin

J. R. Tomlin is the author of more than twenty historical novels, set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of King Robert the Bruce and the Good Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, and of course, Sir Walter Scott.

When JR isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to having lived in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.