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REVIEW: Fortune's Wheel

Several weeks ago, I hosted author Caroline Hughes in an effort to showcase her novel, FORTUNE'S WHEEL. This week, I'm sharing my review, which now appears on Amazon, GoodReads, and BookBub.


Carolyn and I haven't formally met, but we belong to the same author support group on social media, and became acquainted that way. I've made a deal with myself over the past six years, since first becoming an author myself. Each year, I choose several books from my support group to read, so I'm able to experience other independent works and sample various writing styles and sub-genres of historical fiction. Though I have discovered incredible talent among these men and women, Carolyn's books are rest among the pinnacle of excellence and I can highly recommend them.


So I'd like to welcome Carolyn Hughes back to the Journal again, and I certainly hope she won't be a stranger!



Fortune’s Wheel

                                                              Reviewed By Brook Allen

 

I figured Fortune’s Wheel would be a fascinating read, but I had no idea it would become one of my favorite books this year. Think Ken Follett on a slightly smaller scale, combined with the historical authenticity of Sharon Kay Penman.


That—is Fortune’s Wheel. And it's written by independent author, Carolyn Hughes. I wanted to state that, since there remains an unsettling stigma concerning indie authors that should be ignored when a book is as great as this one is.


Hughes uses a variety of fascinating characters; people who make the fictitious village of Medieval Meonbridge believable. But several characters stand out, because Hughes focuses on WOMEN. And her main character is a middle-aged widow named Alice. Alice is truly the strong heart of the story. Others look to her for comfort, strength, and advice when a series of tragedies rocks the tiny town—first and foremost, the Black Death. However, several other female types grace Hughes’ story, and are fabulously fleshed out in detail: Lady Margaret, spouse to Meonbridge’s lord and knight, Sir Richard, Eleanor, who seems to undergo a true character arc in the book, and though she’s not actually a POV character, Matilda—a teenage bride forced into a horrific marital union.


Everything about this book was plausible and so very well-penned that I truly cannot critique it easily. So much plot-outlining had to have happened to put this entire story together, with character development at the heart of the novel’s construction. Carolyn Hughes is a writer that in every way rivals greats like Follett and Penman, for the historical knowledge needed to create a story with such meticulous detail regarding a period makes for a daunting challenge. And yet Hughes has succeeded with grace and skill.


Fortune’s Wheel is easy reading, too--not at all ponderous with fact-sharing. It’s no information dump, but instead a formidable book full of information of how common people lived, worked, and died during one of history’s most difficult times. Get it and READ it! I am utterly hooked and am about to begin Book #6 in the series! If you love fiction centered around England's illustrious past, then this novel is a must-read.



ALL ABOUT CAROLINE


CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, word-smithing for many different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.


Although she wrote creatively on and off for most of her adult life, it wasn’t until her children flew the nest that writing historical fiction took centre stage. But why historical fiction? Serendipity! Seeking inspiration for what to write for her Creative Writing Masters, she discovered the handwritten draft, begun in her twenties, of a novel, set in 14th century rural England… Intrigued by the period and setting, she realised that, by writing a novel set in the period, she’d be able to learn more about the medieval past and interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do. A few days later, the first Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, was under way.


Six published books later (with more to come), Carolyn does now think of herself as an Historical Novelist. And she wouldn’t have it any other way…


Carolyn has a Master’s in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.



CONNECT WITH CAROLYN




BUY THE BOOK!!!


*The Meonbridge Chronicles are all available on Amazon and are also on KindleUnlimited.





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