03 Sep Book Review Daughter of Mercia Julia Ibbotson #DaughterOfMercia #JuliaIbbotson #medieval #anglosaxon #dualtime #timeslip #timetravel #mystery #romance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @JuliaIbbotson @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: JULIA IBBOTSON

I’m delighted to welcome Julia Ibbotson again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between August 21st – September 11th, 2025. Julia Ibbotson is the author of the medieval dual-time mystery romance, Daughter of Mercia (Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries, Book #1), published by Archbury Books on June 6^th, 2025 (301 pages ebook; 392 pages print).

Below are highlights of Daughter of Mercia, Julia Ibbotson ’s author bio, and my 5-star review of her gripping duel time mystery romance set in 6th Century and modern-day Britain. 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/08/blog-tour-daughter-of-mercia-by-julia-ibbotson.html

HIGHLIGHTS: DAUGHTER OF MERCIA

Daughter of Mercia
(Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries, Book #1)
by Julia Ibbotson

Blurb:

Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna’s old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6^th century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present. And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6^th century and the other modern?

As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6^th century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia?

For fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley and Christina Courtenay.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://myBook.to/DOMercia

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

AUTHOR BIO: JULIA IBBOTSON

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.

She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

Author Links:

Website     Twitter / X     Facebook     Instagram     Bluesky

Pinterest     Amazon Author Page     Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW: DAUGHTER OF MERCIA

When archaeologist Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is summoned to a dig by the lead archaeologist, Professor Matt Beacham, he reluctantly asks her to interpret the ruins engraved on a medieval Saxon sword. Of most interest are two skeletons buried together at the dig—a 6th century woman and a modern-day man. The discovery opens up Anna’s raw emotions from a previous trauma and her current inexplicable visions. The possibility of Einstein’s mind-bending bridge theory and suspense abound in the duel-time mystery romance, Daughter of Mercia (Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries, Book #1) by Julia Ibbotson, set in 6th Century and modern-day Britain. 

The mystery begins in 535 AD when Lady Mildryth beholds “a huge ball of light sear the night sky, streaking across the heavens, leaving a trail of flames and smoke and stars behind it.” Though she has adopted the new Christian faith, she fears the old gods of her homeland are stirring. The story alternates between Mildryth, an unmarried Angeln female ruler facing the prospect of marrying another ruler, and the modern-day archaeologist, Anna, fighting to retain her reputation after a traumatic breakup. As the storyline unfolds, Anna and Matt struggle to fit the pieces of the puzzle about what happened at the site in conjunction with actual events Mildryth is experiencing. It is as though Mildryth is reaching out to Anna across time to help her solve the mystery of how the present archaeological findings connect to the past in a theoretical “wormhole” or “portal.”

Author Julia Ibbotson masterfully weaves the duel-time events to create a gripping suspense that keeps you turning the pages. Vivid details of the time period and archaeological techniques demonstrate the author’s meticulous research on the time period and the methods used to interrupt findings. The culture and language of ancient Saxons are captured in juxtapose to modern-day Britain. Nonetheless, the protagonists are bound together through their visions. In many ways they are similar: engaging, independent women who dare to defy their superiors. Suspense builds as Anna and Matt uncover new evidence that could possibly link the disappearance of a person to events occurring simultaneously in the past. Twists in the storyline keep you turning the pages until the unexpected ending.

Daughter of Mercia promises to be the start of a new series about an archaeologist sleuth who solves mysteries from the past. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading duel-time romance mysteries and solving paradoxes that seems to defy logic but upon closer examination may lead to deeper understanding.

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