Solid

A good, quality historical fiction armed with a shield of violence, a sword of death and clad in chain mail of sex.

still good

Author keeps a good pace to his story telling. mixes in a good amount of historical facts into his characters. doesn't hold back on bad things happening to characters. Into the next book.

A rousing tale

Battle, love, betrayal, and the demands of an oath to a king proves a worthy addition to this series of Albion - not yet England - in the mid 7th century. It sits worthy along inside Cornwell's story of 10th century England. Excellent series.

an entertaining series.

Listened to this book while I worked outside around my ranch. It made the time go quickly.

another entertaining adventure through time

I am a fan of Harffy and I appreciate his love of history. one criticism I have is he puts refined language into the mouth of his hero in such a way I find unbelievable for the son of a churl.

DISAPPOINTING

Should have listened to reviews on #3

Read book 2 because book 1 was enjoyable. Book 3 because 2 was exciting. Book4???? Will wait for reviews.,
Blood and Blade was a major bore . Guess it was a diff writer? Main character confuses himself and reader. Ever have the wind knocked out of you? Did you JUMP UP right away and leave the field or lie there gasping for breath?
Here you immediately respond with sword and shield and kill the other guy!!! Right. More than once.
Plus 3 adds nothing to 1&2

Don't waste your time ,,,

Battles and Badasses !!

Love the battles .....Beobrand brings all the things to the book that I look for... courage, strength, love, leadership over all BA!
I stumbled on the series! Thank you Mathew Harffy !!!

great book !!!

What made the experience of listening to Blood and Blade the most enjoyable?

I read part of the book in book form and listened to part of it in audiobook form. This way I could read when I had time and could continue reading where I left off by listening in audio form. Since the audiobooks are unabridged, I would just pick up on the last chapter from either book or audio form.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how the Beobrand character evolved from the youth that he started out in Book One of the series: The first 2 novels in the series were as enjoyable as this third book in the series.

Which scene was your favorite?

Close to the ending with the beautiful description of the snow surrounding the castle. Followed by, Beobrand's final battle with Torran Nathair in the "cloak size fighting space" surrounded by snow.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book absorbed my attention and could be so intense that I would not recommend driving while listening or even waiting for a bus because the bus might drive by while you become immersed in the story.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to Book 4 in the series due out by Summer 2017.

Couldn't put it down

I just love this whole series. Great author and awesome narrator. What else could you want?

Transports the reader to the 7th century

What did you love best about Blood and Blade?

Another great story by Matthew Harffy! If you have read the first two books in the Bernicia Chronicles, you already know that this one is going to be packed with action, perfectly described battle scenes, and the sort of bantering that only takes place between men who risk their lives together. What makes this series stand out is that all that testosterone is balanced by Beobrand's deeper search for love and meaning in his life. His character continues to develop in this story as he serves King Oswald.

When we first met Beobrand in The Serpent Sword, he was young and impetuous, full of righteous indignation, and attempting to discover if he could be a better man than his father had been. Some of that struggle continues, but he has also been through much of the refining fire of life that has formed him into a man who others depend on despite his youth. He is still impetuous, and to some extent still trying to figure out what the future, or the gods, or the One True God, have in store for him. Whatever it is, he will face it head-on with sword in hand.

Besides the ongoing battles for supremacy in the land that would become England, Beobrand has personal demons that make him a more complex character than what one typically finds in this type of story. He misses his wife, isn't sure what to do with his infant son, and has feelings for a woman that leave him feeling confused and guilty. If I have any criticism of this wonderful novel, it would be that I would have loved to see Beobrand with his son more and Reaghan less. It struck me as odd that little Octa, Beobrand's only remaining link to Sunniva, was rarely on his mind, while the girl he barely knew rarely left it. Yet, this is a minor point an is only my personal opinion.

What makes this book - this entire series - amazing is that Harffy transports the reader into the 7th century. The lifestyles, the beliefs, the struggles, the raw reality of it. The reader may not always find themselves agreeing with Beobrand, but they will always be cheering for him.

What other book might you compare Blood and Blade to and why?

Comparable to Cornwell's Saxon Stories but with deeper and more complex characters.

Have you listened to any of Barnaby Edwards’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to this narrator previously but enjoyed the spot-on production of this book. Could only have been better had the author read it himself.