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About

Greg Messel grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in South Jordan, Utah with his wife, Carol. “Shadows In The Fog” is his eighth novel and is the fifth in a new series of Sam Slater mystery novels. Greg has lived in Oregon, Washington, California, Wyoming and Utah and has always loved writing, including stints as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper.

Follow news about Messel’s writings and books at www.gregmessel.com

Description

Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame. This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers. This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end. Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective. Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.

Reviews

Reviewers Praise “Expiation”, Greg Messel’s second novel. The novel may be fiction, but it’s set in the very real and contentious history of California during the ’60s and ’70s and is at its best when the characters are directly involved in the time period. The chapters dealing with the Berkeley riots are especially vivid and exciting – Kirkus Book Review I'll admit that I'm a sucker for a good love story, and this is a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dan really did love his wife, Wendy, but Katie was his first love. Will she also be his last? – Literary Lioness Book Blogger Review Recommended by the Boston Globe as “a blast from the past; Reliving the 60s and 70s…” “I thought it was awesome. I actually even bought Greg Messel’s other book, “Sunbreaks”. I can’t wait to read that one also. I recommend this book. I give this ****1/2 out of 5 *****” Geeky Girl Book Blog Reviews “*****” out of *****” While the story and characters are fictional, the author managed to include some cultural and historical faces/events on the dates depicted in the fictional story. It was well written and it seemed so real, it made me cry while reading it. It wasn’t a tear jerker but some parts made me cry. I loved the story, if you like a long-lost love storyline, then this is for you.” –Bookingly Yours Book Blog Review

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The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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