Early ReviewersHelen Steadman

England, 1673. Still a world of witches, witch trials and witchfinders.

When a new vicar arrives to take over the parish of Mutton Clog, the village finds itself in the grip of puritan fever, and suspicious eyes are turned on Rose Driver.

Rose’s mother, brother and grandmother were all put to death by the Scottish witchfinder, John Sharpe.

Almost quarter of a century after the Newcastle witch trials, Sharpe is no longer a threat. Rose should be safe in her quiet village, but is history about to repeat itself?

Find out in Solstice, the powerful conclusion to the Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, which tells the story of one woman’s struggle for survival in a hostile and superstitious world.

Imagine being the goddess of love. Now imagine being forced to marry the god of fire. Especially when you prefer his brother…

Goddess of love here, but you can call me Aphrodite, AKA the most beautiful being in history. So of course I was delighted when Zeus married me to the ugliest Olympian. The god of fire is nothing to look at and the permanent wound to his left leg hardly helps.

Adding insult to injury, this marriage is meant to be a punishment. Not to me, but to him! If only Zeus had hitched me to Ares instead. The god of war doesn’t have much upstairs, but there are compensations. Need I say more? And if my husband wants to spend all day at the forge, then he has only himself to blame…

Anyway, this book is the life and times of my other half, Hephaestus. So I’m portrayed in a less than flattering light. Expect to read all about the quest to find his father, how he created Pandora and some sort of receptacle (such a bad idea), and his not-so-secret affair with someone who couldn’t hold a candle to me. Oh, and he has mother issues like you wouldn’t believe!

If you enjoyed Mythos, Song of Achilles, Circe and Pandora’s Jar, then I suppose God of Fire will be right up your alley. But remember, you’re only hearing his side of the story.

"Liesl held a finished blade before the firelight and traced one finger across the running wolf inscription that told the world a Solingen blade was at its throat."

When a German smuggler is imprisoned in an English gaol in the winter of 1703, why does Queen Anne's powerful right-hand man, the Earl of Nottingham, take such a keen interest?

At the end of the turbulent 17th century, the ties that bind men are fraying, turning neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend and brother against brother. Beneath a seething layer of religious intolerance, community suspicion and political intrigue, The Running Wolf takes us deep into the heart of rebel country in the run-up to the 1715 Jacobite uprising.

Hermann Mohll is a master sword maker from Solingen in Germany who risks his life by breaking his guild oaths and settling in England. While trying to save his family and neighbours from poverty, he is caught smuggling swords and finds himself in Morpeth Gaol facing charges of High Treason.

Determined to hold his tongue and his nerve, Mohll finds himself at the mercy of the corrupt keeper, Robert Tipstaff. The keeper fancies he can persuade the truth out of Mohll and make him face the ultimate justice: hanging, drawing and quartering. But in this tangled web of secrets and lies, just who is telling the truth?

Ideal for fans of Devotion by Hannah Kent, World Without End and The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, Restoration by Rose Tremain, or The Mercies by Kiran Millwood.

Beautifully narrated by Christine Mackie from British TV series, Downton Abbey.

The Widdershins Series is a two-book series inspired by the 1650 Newcastle witch trials, where sixteen people were executed on a single day in England. The series includes Widdershins (book 1) and Sunwise (book 2). Together, they tell the story of Jane Chandler, an English midwife who uses plants to heal people, and John Sharpe, a Scottish witchfinder who wants to rid the world of witchcraft. In a small English village gripped by superstition and fear, two destinies collide in these absorbing historical novels based on true events. 

Recommended for anyone who has enjoyed Stacey Halls' The Familiars, Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister, AK Blakemore's The Manningtree Witches, Elizabeth Lee's Cunning Women, Louisa Morgan's A Secret History of Witches, Jeanette Winterson's The Daylight Gate, Madeline Miller's Circe, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, or Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches.

The Historical Novel Society said of Widdershins: “Impeccably written, full of herbal lore and the clash of ignorance and prejudice against common sense, as well as the abounding beauty of nature, it made for a great read. There are plenty of books, both fact and fiction, available about the witch-trial era, but not only did I not know about such trials in Newcastle, I have not read a novel that so painstakingly and vividly evokes both the fear and joy of living at that time.”

The Historical Novel Society said of Sunwise: “The novel is rich in fascinating details: Jane’s remedies and the village customs, partly Christian, partly pagan. Ancient names for plants and festivities, both seasonal and Christian, add colour to the narrative. Jane’s story is based on true events, and Jane represents the many women whose healing gifts made them victims of superstition and violence.