24 Jun Book Review Ravens Hill Garth Pettersen #VikingFiction #HistoricalMysteries #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @garpet011 @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: GARTH PETTERSEN

I’m delighted to welcome Garth Pettersen as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between June 4th – 25th, 2025. Garth Pettersen is the author of the Historical Mystery / Historical Fiction, Ravens Hill (The Atheling Chronicles, Book #5), published by Tirgearr Publishing on April 15, 2025 (308 pages).

Below are highlights of Ravens Hill, Garth Pettersen’s author bio, and my 5-star review of his historical mystery set in 11th century England during the reign of Danish King Cnute and Queen Emma of Normandy. 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/05/blog-tour-ravens-hill-by-garth-pettersen.html

HIGHLIGHTS: RAVENS HILL

Ravens Hill
(The Atheling Chronicles, Book #5)
by Garth Pettersen

Blurb:

When Harald, the second son of King Cnute, returns from fighting the king’s enemies in Northern Wales, he expects his life to return to normal⸺farming in the Midlands, overseeing his few tenants, evening walks with his beloved Selia⸺an idyllic life, far from the power-mongering of King Cnute’s court. But the king has other plans for Harald and his wife—he grants them a large landholding, a gift they cannot refuse.

On arriving at their new holding, Ravens Hill, Harald and Selia receive a tepid welcome⸺from belligerent housecarls, a conniving steward, an uncompromising abbess, bitter at not adding their estate to her abbey lands, a priest with roaming hands, and a grieving daughter of the previous landholder, who has entered the nunnery.

Harald and Selia wish to improve the lot of their tenant farmers but they face obstacles at every turn, and Harald’s generosity is seen as weakness. They also learn the lands come with an unexpected millstone—an unsolved murder.

And then the trouble begins.

[Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Ravens Hill—part of the award-winning Atheling Chronicles series.]

Triggers: some graphic violence, discussion of molestation

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/317MEw

Publisher’s Author Page with series links: http://www.tirpub.com/gpettersen

AUTHOR BIO: GARTH PETTERSEN

Garth Pettersen is an award-winning Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, BC, Canada where he and his wife board horses.

Pettersen has a BA in History from the University of Victoria and is a retired teacher. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and in journals such as Blank Spaces, The Spadina Literary Review, and The Opening Line Literary ‘Zine.

Garth Pettersen’s historical fiction series, The Atheling Chronicles, is published by Tirgearr Publishing and is available through most online outlets. Book #4 in the series, The Sea’s Edge, received a first-place Incipere Award. Book #5, Ravens Hill, was released on April 15, 2025.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.garthpettersen.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/garpet011

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/writeandride/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/garth-pettersen

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/garthpettersen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15059599.Garth_Pettersen

BOOK REVIEW: RAVENS HILL

King Cnute grants his son, Aethling Harold Harefoot—considered a spare prince from the king’s previous marriage—the large landholding of Ravens Hill. Harold accepts the gift and visits Raven Hill with his childless wife, Siera, to ascertain how involved they should be to manage the estate. They do not anticipate to be greeted with the unsolved murder of the miller’s son, the grieving daughter of the last landowner, a lusty priest, a corrupt steward, and an embittered abbess who has been promised by Queen Emma (Harold’s step-mother) that Harold’s estate will be granted to the abbey. Ravens Hill by Garth Pettersen is a historical mystery set in 11th Century England where an uneasy peace exists with the political marriage of Queen Emma of Normandy and Danish King Cnute. Although Ravens Hill is the 5th book in The Atheling Chronicles, it can be read as a standalone novel.

When Harold and Siera first arrive at the estate, they face repercussions from the unsolved murder and growing tensions of tenants under the fist of the heartless steward and his gang of four enforcers. Determined to solve the murder and seek justice for everyone on the estate, Harold and Siera unravel dark secrets while forming a deep bond with area residents. Fire breaks out at the mill, a priest is murdered, and the terminated ruffians prey on the innocent tenants and thralls (slaves). Harold and his wife investigate how events tie back to the original murder, culminating in a heart-throbbing climax and uplifting ending.

Garth Pettersen masterfully captures the essence of medieval landholding and the resources needed to manage the property. The vivid descriptions of the estate weaves in seamlessly with the natural dialogue and action-packed scenes. The narrative is effectively told from the first person perspective of Harold while other scenes are conveyed from the third-person limited perspective of others. One of the unique features of the book is how the author adeptly drops in Old English and Norse words that add flavor to the story. 

Though there are riveting action scenes, it is a character-driven mystery full of suspense, twists, and political intrigue to keep the reader turning the page to piece the clues together. Harold is a promising leader who is ‘fair-handed’ and ‘weapon-strong.’ Siera comes across as a compassionate, independent woman. They are engaging and likable characters typical of a modern-day couple with their light-hearted verbal sparring. Their humor helps alleviate some of the more disturbing elements of sexual abuse in the story. One of the strengths of the novel is the reader gains insight into other characters and understands their motivations. For example, the shire-reeve Wallis (sheriff) redeems himself by being a “dangerous but loyal man” bound by oath to the king. 

Ravens Hill is an enthralling historical mystery steeped with suspense and unexpected twists in the backdrop of medieval England where descendants of Vikings vie for power and status in their rise to the throne. Highly recommended. 

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