Finally home after five years away, warrior-nobleman Sándor Szilágyi is met by a dying father, a resentful younger brother, his child-bride all grown up and the family estate raided by the Ottomans. As he struggles to adjust to life as a landlord, Sándor’s authority is challenged by two strong-minded and fearless women: Margit, his faithful and righteous wife, determined to keep him on the straight and narrow; and Anna, his sister-in-law, a scheming temptress bent on ruining him in order to take his land.
After committing a mortal sin and desperate to win back the woman he loves, Sándor seeks absolution by accepting his overlord’s summons to fight the Ottomans. But his obsession with war will lead him down a perilous path.
Loyalties are tested, danger lurks around every corner, and Sándor’s struggle to balance his duty to protect his land and family from his relatives’ greedy hands, as well as his duty to defend his country on the battlefield, will come at a terrible cost.
Lord of the Eyrie by Katerina Dunne is a fabulous adventure set in medieval Hungary. It has all the ingredients for an exciting novel; love, betrayal, war and family disharmony. And it all combines to create a memorable story that will have the reader on the edge of their seat throughout.
I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Hungary before, so this was a refreshing change for me. Of course, it is still set in medieval times, so the weaponry, tactics and societal laws were still very familiar. I wasn’t familiar with Hungary’s role in medieval Europe, nor in her battles against the outside forces eager to trespass into the country’s vast landscape. Reading Lord of the Eyrie was as much an adventure for me as the story was for the characters involved. And it was a wonderful adventure.
Katerina Dunne has woven a beautiful story, built on remarkable characters and a lead protagonist for whom honour and duty is second nature. The story is fast-paced and entirely unpredictable, with many twists and turns that leave the reader shouting at the book when a character is being naive, or crying when tragedy strikes.
Margit’s keys and gilded prayer book jingled as she hurried back from church along the colonnaded portico of the great hall. The morning mass always felt too long to her, and she was looking forward to breaking her fast. But that would have to wait. Lajos Kendi stood at the entrance to the keep. His flushed and sweaty face, dishevelled eyebrows and raspy breath indicated that something was amiss.
He took his hat off and bowed to her. “I’ve bad news, my lady. I must speak with your husband, but I can’t find him anywhere. Was he in church with you? Is he still in the chapel?”
“No. I have not seen him.” Margit pondered. “Perhaps he is in the armoury building, practising with the soldiers. Let us go and look for him.”
She sent her maid to the house to supervise the preparation of the breakfast table and followed Kendi to the exercise hall. Their arrival did not alert the soldiers and knights for the thick layer of hay on the floor muffled their footsteps.
In the middle of the hall, Sándor, venturing to teach his brother how to defend himself with a sword and shield against multiple attackers, was engaging in a fight against not one, but three opponents.
He was wearing only his joined hose and a shirt, unlaced at the front and with the sleeves rolled up. Despite his height, he moved with the nimbleness of a lynx, shouting instructions at his training partners and showing off his combat skills and physical strength.
Margit’s jaw dropped. Her pulse quickened, and her breath became short and shallow. How could she forget that women were not allowed in the training hall? As it was a warm day, her husband was not the only one who had stripped down to his undergarments. Although the men did not seem troubled by her presence, she flushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“My lord!” Lajos called out.
Sándor stopped, and so did the soldiers. He tossed down the wooden sword and shield and approached Kendi and Margit. “Whats’ the matter?”
Kendi glanced about to make sure that no one was listening. He spoke in a whisper. “We’ve a problem at the mine.”
Lord of the Eyrie is set in medieval Hungary, a land which Katerina Dunne recreates in astonishing detail. The landscape, the settlements, castles and people help to draw the reader into the story. Hungary is a land rich in resources but beset by enemies, both within and without, and the hero, Sándor, must navigate not only national politics, international enemies but also his own family tensions. It is a wonderful, rich and absorbing story.
Lord of the Eyrie is a thoroughly entertaining read, one that will keep you gripped to the very end. You will find yourself invested in the characters, in tears at times and hesitant to read on when disaster strikes. But you cannot let go!
Lord of the Eyrie will take you through the full range of emotions.
The family drama, the battle scenes and the intricately woven plotlines all serve to keep the reader wanting more. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
I do hope there is a book 2!
To buy the book:
Lord of the Eyrie by Katerina Dunne is now available on Amazon.
About the author:
Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. While she used to write short stories for family and friends in her teenage years, she only took up writing seriously in 2016-17, when she started work on her first novel.
Katerina’s day job is in financial services, but in her free time she enjoys reading historical fiction and watching historically-themed movies and TV series. She is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.
For any comments or further information, you can contact Katerina by email: katerinadunnewriter@gmail.com
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Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, of the successes and failures of one of the most powerful families in England, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Defenders of the Norman Crown: Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey is now available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US,Bookshop.org and Book Depository.
History... the interesting bits!
I shared this with the Hungarian Cultural Assoc. of Columbus, Ohio
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