What would you do if you could suddenly live hundreds of years? What would your future look like? Would you even know where to start?

Anthony Hamer answers these questions and more in "M Was Twenty August 1346," a historical novel that’s sure to excite every reader’s imagination.

August 1346. Marcel de Bois, known to most simply as M, was 20 years old but felt much older. After serving as a mounted swordsman for King Edward III and wounding his arm in the Battle of Crécy, M can’t wait to return to home — and be reunited with his sweetheart.

M and Regine ride out through the English countryside toward his family’s estate, where she will meet his parents and plan their wedding, when something unexpected — and extraordinary — happens. Abducted in the night by strange forces, and with no recollection of what happened, M and Regine soon discover their lifespans have been extended by hundreds of years.

But their newfound immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be: combined with their now inhuman strength, M and Regine would be easy targets for witchcraft charges if anyone discovered them. So together with M’s brother, the only person who knows, the young couple begins to plan for their lengthy future.

The premise of "M Was Twenty August 1346" is intriguing, and author Anthony Hamer delivers the story in a unique and engaging way. Hamer addresses many questions the main characters must face, such as: Where will they go and how will they live? How will they maintain their anonymity? What kind of family could they possibly have?

The story’s level of detail is extraordinary. Hamer realistically lays out how M and Regine would begin to build for their future, revealing a great level of research that must have gone into the novel’s creation.

"M Was Twenty August 1346" provides a thorough look into the life of 14th century England, not only in the commonfolk’s daily lives but also on the grand scale. Throughout the story’s background, readers will notice major historic events unfolding and subtly — or drastically — affecting the main characters’ lives.

Hamer includes a vast ensemble of characters M and Regine meet along the way, from the young tenant to whom Regine rents her late father’s estate to the widowed handmaid M employs following his second tour of duty. These secondary characters not only fill out the story and flesh out the worldbuilding, but also reveal more about M and Regine — their compassion and intelligence and bravery.

"M Was Twenty August 1346" is the perfect cozy read for fans of historical fiction, especially for those interested in medieval England. Though it holds up well as a stand-alone book, there’s certainly room for sequels — and I for one would love to see more of M and Regine’s story.