WELCOME TO RACHEL’S FICTION WRITING AND REVIEWS BLOG

This is where Rachel keeps you up to date with her novels and stories and also shares reviews, highlights and extracts from other authors.

Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Book Review, Book Recommendations Rachel Elwiss Joyce Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Book Review, Book Recommendations Rachel Elwiss Joyce

Blue Ink Review Celebrates Lady of Lincoln

This month, Blue Ink Review named Lady of Lincoln one of their February Book Recommendations, and I'm still processing what that means.

Blue Ink Review doesn't hand out accolades lightly. They're known for their rigorous standards and honest assessments, which makes their recognition of Lady of Lincoln feel especially meaningful. In their recommendation, they highlighted exactly what I'd hoped readers would discover: that Nicola de la Haye's story deserved to be told with the complexity and historical precision it demands, that medieval women's lives were far more nuanced than we've been led to believe, and that fiction grounded in meticulous research can transport readers to another time without sacrificing authenticity.

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Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Historical Fiction, NetGalley Rachel Elwiss Joyce Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Historical Fiction, NetGalley Rachel Elwiss Joyce

LADY OF LINCOLN is available on NetGalley!

For a limited time only, Lady of Lincoln is available for Netgalley reviewers and librarians to read and review.

If you love immersive historical fiction based on real characters and strong women protagonists, then this novel is for you!

Get your copy here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/787763 or click the image above.

More on Lady of LIncoln:

1173. Nicola de la Haye will inherit great estates and Lincoln Castle—one of England's most strategic fortresses, but the medieval world is a man's world and her father arranges a marriage to secure her estates. She chooses love instead, causing her world to collapse. King Henry II punishes her. Her husband betrays her and joins a rebellion. Powerful men circle her inheritance like wolves.

LADY OF LINCOLN is the award-winning first book in the true story of Nicola de la Haye—the woman who would become England's first female sheriff and, years later, save the realm from a French invasion. But that triumph is still distant. This is where it begins: with a young woman learning what defiance costs, and what it takes to survive.

"A towering, epic saga… one of the greats in this genre." — Readers' Favorite ★★★★★

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Book Award, Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Historical Fiction Rachel Elwiss Joyce Book Award, Lady of Lincoln, Nicola de la Haye, Historical Fiction Rachel Elwiss Joyce

Lady of Lincoln Gallops into the Chaucer Awards

I’m delighted to share some wonderful news: Lady of Lincoln has been named a Finalist in the Chanticleer International Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction.

It feels especially fitting to imagine Lady of Lincoln galloping into this space. The novel tells the true story of Nicola de la Haye, a medieval noblewoman who refused to be sidelined in a world designed for men, and who quite literally rode into danger to defend her lands, her people, and her legacy.

The Chaucer Award celebrates historical fiction that brings the past vividly to life, honouring works grounded in strong research, compelling storytelling, and memorable characters. To see Nicola’s story recognised in this way is deeply meaningful.

Thank you to Chanticleer for championing historical fiction, and to every reader who has ridden alongside Nicola on her journey so far. More news to come: the ride is far from over.

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