Leofric, eldest son of Earl Leofwine, thought he'd done enough to assure himself of his father's position when he died. But events outside England constantly distract King Cnut, and instead of his prized earldom, Leofric finds himself as Sheriff of Worcester, a position of strength and power, but heaped with the responsibilities of his father without the title to go with it. Admired by many, his advice is sought by the king, queen, and would-be-queen, whilst he's despised by Earl Godwine; the king's greatest English ally, related to King Cnut by a tenuous family relationship. As events force Cnut ever further away from England, and his own ambitions grow so that he sees himself as more emperor than king, Leofric must find his own path through the intrigue of the court, through the murky relationship between Cnut's two wives, three sons and daughter, as he tries to determine just what it is his king wants from him before he'll grant him the title of earl and how, if he gains it, he'll keep it in the face of the ambitions of Earl Godwine.Only as Cnut turns his attention back to Leofric's beloved England, threatened by internal discord, does Leofric understand how much his king truly needs his support, and find a way to achieve his life-long ambition, to become, just as his father was, The Earl of Mercia.Covering the period from 1026-1031, The Earl of Mercia is the sixth (main series) full-length novel in the epic Earls of Mercia, charting the House of Leofwine from its humble beginnings in 991 throughout the final years of Anglo-Saxon England. The Earls of Mercia Series The Earl of Mercia's FatherThe Danish King's EnemyNorthman Part 1Northman Part 2The King's EarlThe Earl of MerciaThe English EarlThe Earl's KingViking King PRAISE FOR THE EARLS OF MERCIA SERIES"This is a fantastic series of books, by an author who certainly knows his subject. I was into the Roman invasions but am rapidly converting to the Britons!" Amazon Reviewer"A must-read for fans of Viking age England. This promises to be a very good series of which I can't wait for the next instalment." Amazon Reviewer"Intriguing, well-written stories about the early days of Great Britain between Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror... at the time Athelred was King... the story is written from the perspective of one the emerging Earl's who sits on the Witan (counsel). The time period show the interplay between Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries (Viking raiders) as well." Amazon.com ReviewerABOUT THE AUTHORI'm an author of fantasy (Viking age/dragon-themed) and historical fiction (Early English, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest), born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building and told from a very young age that it housed the bones of the long-dead kings of Mercia, it's little wonder that my curiosity in the Anglo-Saxons ran riot. I can only blame my parents!I write A LOT. You've been warned!Find me at www.mjporterauthor.com and @coloursofunison on twitter