📖 Blog Tour ~ The Daughter of the Fens by Elena Collins

Boldwood Books
2 October 2023

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour

AD 61

Brittania is in the hands of the Romans but when the conquering army betray the dead King Prasutagus by defiling his daughters, his Queen, Boudicca, is determined to regain her land.

Iceni slave Brea remembers little of the time before the Romans, and has grown used to their louche and indulgent customs. She diligently goes about her duties looking after the artless Aurelia, wife-to-be of the handsome war hero Marcellus, but her longing for freedom and her desire to find her lost father, are never far from her mind.

Present Day

When Hanna returns to Norfolk from years working abroad, the strange dreams of her adolescence return: indistinct figures in tunics, mighty soldiers in armour, gladiators, temples, an Iceni warrior woman leading her people. Gradually Hanna’s dreams begin to slip into the present as visions in the famous mists rolling across the fens, and as shocks of recognition when a new face moves to her childhood home.

As Hanna realises that she has a connection with a tragedy that occurred many years before, so Brea has to understand that her fate is bound up with her Roman master. And as the drumbeat of rebellion gets ever closer Brea must make the fatal choice between love and loyalty while Hanna has to find a way to make peace with the past.

 📖 My Review..

I love escaping back into the past with a clever timeslip novel which gives the best of both worlds. The Daughter of the Fens takes us right back to Roman Britannia in AD 60 and the challenges between the Romans and the Iceni and then moves us forward into present day Norfolk.

Hannah’s life is at a crossroads, returning to her childhood home in Norfolk, Hanna is once again, troubled by disturbing dreams which she has had since a teenager. The dreams bring back memories of a time long ago and there is a definite link to a mysterious figure who appears to be seeking Hanna’s help. Cleverly combining the past with the present an intricate timeslip mystery starts to evolve. Beautifully imagined, the past is just as vivid as the present and I enjoyed following the story of Brea, the Iceni slave, alongside that of Hanna and her family and friends who, in the modern day, have the opportunity  to put right the wrongs of the past. 

The Daughter of the Fens had everything I wanted in a timeslip novel. Historical accuracy, which is so important, was wonderfully recreated and I really felt as though I was experiencing life in AD60 in the Roman town of Camulodunum and sharing time with Brea as she manages her life as an Iceni slave in a Roman world. Moving forward to the present, I was just as intrigued, and enjoyed, getting to know Hanna and her lovely family, alongside being fascinated by Hanna’s strong connection to the past. The eerie appearances were so well imagined that, on more than one occasion, I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I raced through the story in a couple of sittings and have thoroughly enjoyed my foray into the past whilst hoping for resolution in the present.

I’ve now enjoyed several of this author’s timeslip novels and each one leaves me with a real sense of a good story, well told, with perhaps, The Daughter of the Fens, being my favourite timeslip novel, so far.

About the Author

Elena Collins is the pen name of Judy Leigh. Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Twitter @JudyLeighWriter #TheDaughteroftheFens

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