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Lady of Lincoln Receives a 5-Star Review from The Coffee Pot Book Club!
I’m absolutely delighted, and a little bit overwhelmed, to share that Lady of Lincoln has received a 5-star review from the highly respected Coffee Pot Book Club!
For those who don’t know, The Coffee Pot Book Club is one of the most trusted and independent voices in the historical fiction community, known for its thoughtful, in-depth reviews and support for authors who bring history vividly to life.
As a debut author, it’s both humbling and thrilling to have Lady of Lincoln recognised by such an esteemed platform.
LADY OF LINCOLN UPDATE
I’m thrilled to announce the full book description/ blurb of my upcoming novel, LADY OF LINCOLN is ready to read! I do hope you like it. 🙏
Reginald FitzUrse: The Bear Knight Who Slayed a Saint
On 29 December 1170, four armed knights pushed through the freezing rain towards Canterbury Cathedral. Their leader was Reginald FitzUrse—a man whose very name meant “son of the bear.” He would live up to it in every sense: fierce, proud, and dangerously impulsive.
When Thomas Becket fell beneath their swords that night, FitzUrse’s roar echoed through the nave. It was he who first laid hands on the archbishop, striking the blow that turned a quarrel between king and church into one of the most shocking crimes of the Middle Ages.
A Knight of the King’s Household
Little is known of FitzUrse’s early life. He came from a respectable Somerset family, holding lands at Willeton and Barham. Like many younger sons of the gentry, he found advancement in royal service. By the 1160s he was one of Henry II’s household knights—trusted, well-paid, and fiercely loyal to the king who rewarded courage and obedience above all else.
That loyalty, however, would prove fatal.
The Shadow of Becket: How a Murder Shook the Kingdom
For years, the quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket raged. Becket fled to France in 1164, finding refuge with King Louis VII—the same Louis who still burned with resentment against Henry II for marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine. The dispute became as much about politics as faith: two monarchs using one archbishop as a pawn.
In 1170, Henry and Becket made a fragile peace. The archbishop returned to England to cheers from the faithful. But within weeks, their conflict flared again when Becket excommunicated bishops loyal to the crown.
It was then, in a moment of fury, that Henry uttered the words chroniclers would never forget—perhaps not verbatim, but in essence:
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
Four knights took him at his word.
LADY OF LINCOLN Cover Reveal!
I’m overjoyed to share the cover of my debut historical novel, LADY OF LINCOLN — a story inspired by one of England’s most extraordinary medieval women, Nicola de la Haye, and longlisted for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction.
A Woman Who Defied Kings
LADY OF LINCOLN opens in the twelfth century, amid brewing rebellion. This is the untold story of the eventful early life of a noblewoman and castellan who would become known as “the woman who saved England.”
Medieval England.
A Civil war.
A teenage heiress.
A disastrous marriage.
What happens when a girl expected to yield… chooses to lead?
LADY OF LINCOLN and the Cutting Room Floor…
I’m incredibly lucky that Sharon Bennett Connolly of ‘HISTORY… THE INTERESTING BITS’ has very kindly agreed to provide the forward for my upcoming, Chaucer Award long-listed, novel, LADY OF LINCOLN. As the non-fiction biographer of Nicola (Nicholaa) de la Haye, there couldn’t be a better (or nicer) person to introduce the book.
But that meant there was no reason to keep the original preface I had prepared.
Instead of losing it to the cutting room floor, I thought instead I would publish it here as a taster and introduction to who Nicola was. Please see below:
LADY OF LINCOLN longlisted for the Chaucer Award!
LADY OF LINCOLN has been longlisted for the 2025 Chaucer Award for early historical fiction!
This award ‘recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Early Historical (Pre- 1750) Fiction’, celebrating stories that transport readers deep into the past, and I’m thrilled that the amazing Nicola de la Haye’s story is being recognised amongst other great novels.
For more news on LADY OF LINCOLN and my other stories, please subscribe to my reader list.
A Michaelmas Announcement: Lady of Lincoln
I am delighted to announce the title of my debut novel:
Lady of Lincoln: A Novel of Nicola de la Haye, a Woman Born to Lead in a Man’s World, a Medieval Heroine History Tried to Forget
This is Book One of my Nicola de la Haye Trilogy, based on the extraordinary life of the castellan of Lincoln—a woman who defied kings, commanded armies, and became one of the most remarkable heroines of medieval England.
The full back-cover blurb will be revealed later, but here’s a teaser glimpse:
Lady of Lincoln tells the true story of Nicola de la Haye, the young noblewoman who inherited Lincoln Castle, braved rebellion and betrayal, and fought to lead in a world that told her she could not.
On this Michaelmas, as the medieval year turned toward winter, I’m excited to turn a new page in sharing Nicola’s story with you.
Stay tuned for the cover reveal, official blurb, and more glimpses into the history behind the novel.