Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

13Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell has built up quite the repertoire of best-selling historical fiction novels. However, his 'Last Kingdom' series is likely his biggest having been made into a critically acclaimed and very successful Netflix series too. The Pale Horseman is the second in the series and carries on the story of Uhtrid and everyone he comes up against. [caption id="attachment_1129" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] The Last Kingdom was a book that I had a lot of respect for. I love history and so love historical fiction - I enjoyed Cornwell's writing style and the massively flawed Uhtrid. The Pale Horseman continues to follow Uhtrid as he encounters different personalities along the way, staying close to King Alfred whom he is watching develop into a very intelligent King. Plot –…

12Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Blogger Spotlight: Weird & Liberated

Blogger Spotlights, Features

As part of a new thing I'm trying to do, I've been putting call outs on my social media pages for people to DM me their emails so I can send them some questions so I can highlight some of the bloggers out there that either don't feel they're getting the exposure they deserve or who just want to branch out their audience. This feature will give you a chance to meet new bloggers and potentially sign up to new blogs and will also possibly introduce you to new hobbies and interests. In this first post we're looking at 'Weird & Liberated': What is your blog about? Weird & Liberated is a lifestyle blog where I share my personal stories, thoughts, interests and my thoughts on anything and everything. I…

11Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness 5 Comments

Book Review: All The Light We Cannot See

Book reviews, Historical Fiction

All The Light we cannot see was recommended to me as my next read on my Instagram and Twitter. It was between this and The Song of Achilles. It's a story about two young people during the war and the struggles they face trying to survive under their own unique circumstances. And it just didn't resonate with me. [caption id="attachment_1110" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase All The Light We Cannot See via any of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. All The Light We Cannot See focuses on Marie-Laure and Werner Pfennig,…

10Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

22 Post Ideas for Book Bloggers (with suggested titles)

Features, Tips and Tricks

Blogging can be great fun. If you have a passion for writing and a passion for what you're writing about, rarely will it feel like a chore. However, there are some days where you're sitting there thinking "what on earth is there left to write about?" Low and behold, below are 22 blog titles you can use as inspiration for your blog. [caption id="attachment_1105" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] 1. My favourite {insert genre here} books of all time People often have a certain genre they love most. They'll love to read your favourite books in this genre. Read my Top Five Fantasy Books of All Time. 2. Books with the most aesthetically pleasing front covers This is one I'm hoping to do soon. Some books have absolutely stunning…

09Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

10 Reasons you NEED a Newsletter on Your Blog from Day One

Features, Tips and Tricks

Starting a newsletter that can grab your audience is one of the crucial elements of owning a blog. Yes, there's social media and if you get a good following on there, it can be a huge win. However, by starting a newsletter, you can retain your audience in a much more personal way and from quite early on. Below are ten great reasons why you should look into starting a newsletter for your blog and promoting it wherever you can. 1. It keeps your audience coming back The number one reason you should start a newsletter from early on is to keep your audience coming back. Whenever you send out an email, you are directly notifying your audience of new content on your blog. If you didn't do this, they…

07Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

There are a lot of action thrillers out on the market - therefore it takes a lot for one to stick out from the others. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor came out In 2002 before the huge influx and the resulting series has gone on to be one of the most successful in the genre. [caption id="attachment_1088" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] The Lions of Lucerne begins a series featuring one my favourite action heroes in Scot Harvath. In a plot that sees the President of America kidnapped whilst on holiday with his family, we're introduced to not only one of the most skilled heroes but also one of the more believable and funny heroes in any book in this genre. Plot – 4/5 When on a…

05Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness

Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Book reviews, Classics, Historical Fiction

To Kill A Mockingbird is up there with some of the all-time classic books recommended to anybody who wants to consider themself "well-read". It's a book that takes you through all the range of emotions, teaching you morality and pure kindness along the way. [caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Originally published in 1960, To Kill A Mockingbird was Harper Lee's first of two books she ever wrote. It is set in Southern America, in Alabama and follows the lives of Jean Louise, the daughter of Atticus Finch and her family and friends. It discusses and covers prejudice in a very gritty and down-to-earth manner and takes you through a story that will see you experience all the emotions. Plot – 5/5 To Kill A Mockingbird follows the…

04Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My honest reaction to the Wheel of Time TV Series teaser trailer

Features, Reactions

So as you all know I'm a huge fantasy fan and one of the biggest and best fantasy series I've read so far is the Wheel of Time books. I'm a big fan of the incredible world that Robert Jordan built which I'd argue hasn't been bettered since. A few days ago Amazon released their first trailer for the upcoming epic TV series based on the books. If you follow the Twitter for the show, they've been posting teaser imagery and some small teaser clips that have kept us fans intrigued but this was the first proper footage we've seen and WOW what a trailer it was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fus4Xb_TLg The trailer itself is over two minutes long and shows SO much of the show which I loved. Below I've given my…

03Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My 5 Most Successful Blog Posts from August

Features, Monthly Round Ups

This month has seen me not produce quite as many articles as usual as I've been away for quite a few of the days rightfully relaxing from my full-time job working as a Comms Officer in my local hospital. However, there have been some huge books and, as a result, some huge book reviews. There have also been some interesting new articles that I've put out definitely worth visiting. [caption id="attachment_1080" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Do note, the list below are the articles that have been most successful for me that I posted within August. It may interest some of you to know that my Goodreads vs StoryGraph article outperformed all of my articles once again this been month, despite being posted in early July. Please note that…

01Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Five Amazing Books I Finished in August

Book reviews, Features, Monthly Round Ups

Throughout the month of August, I finished off five books, the same as the number of books I read in July. I picked up a couple of YA (young adult) fantasy books that I've been meaning to read in Divergent and I Am Number Four - Divergent impressed me more. As well as these, I finally finished Oathbringer which took me about a month to read and finished the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain and hit of 2018 The Tattooist of Auschwitz. [caption id="attachment_1046" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below to support the blog, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links…

Author: Luke Harkness