*[Blog Tour Review/Author Guest Post] On a Foreign Field: A Story of Loyalty and Brotherhood by Hazel B. West

Summary:

Sir Reeve Montgomery is an Englishman born and bred, proud of his heritage and the right to serve his country fighting against the Scottish rebels. But when the tide is turned unexpectedly during the Battle of Stirling Bridge, he is wounded by an English arrow, left for dead by his comrades, and taken captive by Wallace's army. Wounded, and alone on a foreign field, he knows he should expect nothing but torture and death at the hands of the Scottish rebels who are known to be complete savages.

But as he comes to know this tight brotherhood better, and sees Wallace's utter devotion to his men and the cause of freedom, Reeve begins to wonder whether the English are right to oppress them.

Faced with these troubling thoughts, Reeve must decide whether he will stay true to his king, or join this brotherhood of freedom fighters, thus turning his back on everything he has ever known or believed in.

This new novel by Hazel West is a thought-provoking, heartfelt read about the true meaning of loyalty and brotherhood.
Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 360 pages
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: July 25th 2012 by Createspace

Ahh, it was so nice for me to immerse myself in my favourite genre; historical fiction. Since I've started blogging I haven't had the opportunity to read as many historical fiction novels as I've wanted so I was really pleased when I got the book tour invite for On a Foreign Field. Plus the book is set in the time of William Wallace or as many of us have come to know him as "Braveheart". This is not another retelling of his life and times no siree. In this book Wallace is surprisingly not the main character. I know right? However, just because he isn't the main character it doesn't mean that the book is any less great.

I loved the writing style that the author implemented in telling this story. I've always been a fan of narrative style writing even though I know that it isn't always everyone's cup of  so this one worked out really great for me.

Right away I was sucked into the story and the way that the characters were laid out. The story was very engrossing and I felt that the characters were very well developed, I have to say I really enjoyed the fact that the story was not so much about William Wallace but the people who aided him in his struggle.

This book had it all. There was romance, political intrigue, espionage, war and murder. I loved the war bits because I feel that the author did such a great job bringing the battle to life I felt as though I were inside the book while the story was going on.

I truly enjoyed this historical fiction novel. You can tell that the author made a real effort to thoroughly research her novel and this came through in the writing. The night that I read this I kept nodding off, not out of boredom mind you but because I kept myself up until 4 am reading "just one more chapter". Needless to say one more chapter turned into me finishing the book and crashing until 11 am the next morning. I loved this book and I do hope more people give it a try. The book is so detailed and well written that I can't wait to see more from the author. I'd love to read more of her work.

I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical fiction with a bit of everything added in. It makes for a great read on a rainy day and will absolutely help the hours go by faster.

*I received a free copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all thoughts and opinions expressed therein are my own.

 

Awesome, I loved it!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

To become a fan of Hazel on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Hazel's Website CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

Also One RANDOM commenter on the tour will win a $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD

 

 

I'm pleased to have Hazel West onTurning the Pages discussing the:

Ten (Unofficial) Things You Should Know About Becoming a Published Author

1 There’s the moment you realize that ‘hey, this is my actual job now! Wait, does that mean I can’t goof off anymore and I HAVE to meet my deadlines?’ That of course all depends on whether you’re published through a company who WILL expect you to meet your deadlines or if you’re an indie author, where you will be able to make your own rules. But yes, you will have to work harder because fans will expect a second book. And a third. And if you’re really popular, a fourth!

2 The fan(s). Yes, you will get fan(s)! You know that one devoted fan who buys all your books (A.K.A, Grandma)? Well you have a duty to them (her) now. You have to keep writing!

3 The Coffee. This is especially true for self-published writers. I am going to warn you now that your coffee intake when you were brainstorming and writing is nothing compared to what it will be when you decide to publish your work. And if you didn’t drink coffee before, you can bet your best writing pencil that you will after all the hours of formatting and editing.

4 The beauty products you might have to invest in (which I didn’t). Don’t you love those glamor shots all those romance writers have on the backs of their books? Well, this is a sorry lie, no author really looks like this unless they have little elves to do all the hard work for them. Try doing five hours of formatting with Word and tell me you don’t look like a zombie in the morning. Eye drops are a writer’s best friends.

5 Having to write more and more books about a character you have grown to hate because all your fan(s) won’t shut up about him. This happened to Doyle with Holmes and to Agatha Christie with Poirot, it can happen to you too, so either prepare yourself to bite the bullet, or just make a character you love SOOOOO much! Either that or your can bribe the fan(s) with coffee and doughnuts/Pringles. And if bribery doesn’t work, remember my sign: “Please do not annoy the Writer. She may put you in a book and kill you.”

6 The frustration and sadness when no one buys your books. Yeah, it will take a while to get famous. Maybe your grandma might not even like the first book you write. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. We can’t all be J.K. Rowling (Whose books I have never read, by the way ;-P)

7 The decisions. One book or two a year--one every three years? What should the cover look like (epic background or angsty guy will bloody sword--or both?) What kind of advertising should you do? Keep it real or add an odious e-book? Should I send Grandma a copy, or should I make her buy her own? See, there’s a lot to think about…

8 When all else fails, your books make great birthday presents for friends and family… Just make sure they give you a good review on Amazon and Goodreads or remind them to remember your sign as afore mentioned.

9 Make good friends. Some serious advice now. Find other people who write the kinds of books you do, they will be a great source of help in editing. For free. (Just kidding, you should totally pay them in coffee and free copies of your book!) And they might give you a good review. (Wait a second. Who REALLY wrote that terrible anonymous review?) They are also there so you know you’re not going insane when you have people talking in your head. Because every other writer understands what you’re going through whereas your normal friends and family might not…

10 And finally… well, how amazing it feels to hold your book in actual print and binding for the first time! It’s almost better than your first child because it doesn’t cry and keep you up at night--though that might be a controversial thought after you go through all the editing and formatting…

Goodreads Book Giveaway

On a Foreign Field

by Hazel B. West

Giveaway ends October 03, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win