Justinian's Daughters by Nigel Stewart

Thank you @hyggebooktours @menigestew @weareprovoco #hyggebooktours #justice #revenge #retribution for letting me part of this tour and reviewing this book. Justinians Daughter is Historical /mystrey and is written well and is written in the past and future. The characters were likable and developed well through out the book. The plot was engaging to the point i could not put it down and was hooked . There is dark bits and comedy bit through the book that i enjoyed. Justinians daughter is enjoyable and engaging read. Will be reading more from Nigel Stewart in the future 5 stars. Blurb The bishop looked at the men around him. This Chapter of clerics, priests and canons, who des- pised him and all he stood for. He knew of their treachery, that report declaiming him as a here- tic. It had enraged him. But, now, his smile filled with the strength of a King’s mandate. ‘It is 1538. These things you venerate - pilgrimage; relics; saints - are superstition with no place in today’s world.’ It was true, they hated this weathercock reformer. Gwilym spoke for them all. ‘Your Grace, I beg to differ. None of this is superstition. David is the saint of Wales. Kings and conquerors have trav- elled here to pray with him. His relics are sacred, as are those of his friend, Justinian.’ The bishop’s smile grew wider. ‘Ah, yes. Justinian. Tell me, Canon, what this other great Saint means to you all and to this place, this land.’ ‘Justinian came to Wales in the 6th century, your Grace. A Breton who sought sanctuary. When Dewi-Sant visited his hermitage on Ramsey Island, he quickly grew to admire Justinian’s ascetism and the way he prayed while standing in the sea, no matter how cold. They became friends and Dewi asked Justinian to be his confessor, then made him Abbot here on the mainland. He was a powerful, faithful force for Christian good, your Grace.’ The bishop bristled at the use of Welsh. From the chatter of weak-willed peasants on his travels, he knew some of this nonsense and didn’t care for it. This emigré, Justinian, had soon grown weary of the monks in his charge and rejected David’s patronage. Back on the island, with loyal monks supporting him, he founded a stricter, more holy, more spiritual community. Then reality became lost in mythology. Unable to abide the monastery’s codes, the brothers and their servants rose. They attacked and beheaded Justinian, only for his body to pick up the sev- ered head and walk across the sea. Such errant, witless bilge. Yet these fools, this Chapter, sus- tained it as if it were fact. Gwilym was still talking. ‘Justinian’s chapel and shrine were built near the coast, your Grace, but his bones were eventually brought here to the cathedral, where they remain in peace.’ ‘Until now.’ The bishop had heard enough. ‘It is time for me to suppress this cult. Your Welsh Saint, and this Saint of Dubious Legends. No one needs these relics. I am going to confiscate them. This stops now, by order of his Majesty.’ Days later, Gwilym looked aghast at the plundered shrine and knelt to pray. ‘Lord, help us to forgive these acts and resist the temptation to seek justice through revenge or retribution. Amen.’ But as he walked from the cathedral, Gwilym’s prayer became a plainsong chant. Author Bio Nigel Stewart joined Provoco in August 2022. He writes lit- erary fiction and has published three novels since 2019. His fourth, Justinian’s Daughters, will be his debut for Provoco and marks a distinct change of style. Born in Northumberland, Nigel grew up in Hereford where he was a cathedral chorister. He lives in Lancashire, for now, and his children, Alana and Jacob, are presently finishing their degrees at Birkbeck College and Newcastle University. A full-time dreamer since his teens, Nigel enjoys a beer if of- fered and likes nothing more than not completing things on his to-do list. He’s also a keen musician and songwriter. He’s recently completed a fifth novel and is working concur- rently on two new projects - some short stories and a sixth novel. Nigel’s website is here: - https:// nigelstewart2017.wixsite.com/website