Pam Lecky's Blog, page 2

New Release from Tony Riches: Bess – Tudor Gentlewoman

Today, I am delighted to host Tony Riches as he releases the sixth book in his Elizabethan Series: BESS – TUDOR GENTLEWOMAN

New from Tony Riches, Author of the best-selling Tudor Trilogy (Publication 2nd May 2025)

“A thrilling portrait of a remarkable woman who witnessed the key events of Elizabethan England.” 

Bess Throckmorton defies her notorious background and lack of education to become Queen Elizabeth’s Gentlewoman and trusted confidante.

Forced to choose between loyalty and love, duty and desire, will she risk her queen’s anger by marrying adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh without permission?

Entangled in a web of intrigue, from the glittering Palace of Whitehall to the cells of the Tower of London, Bess endures tragedy and injustice, becoming a resilient, determined woman, who takes nothing for granted.

Can she outwit her enemies, protect her family, and claim her destiny in a world where women are pawns and survival is a game of deadly consequences?

This is the true story of the last of the Elizabethans, which ends the story of the Tudor dynasty – and introduces their successors, the Stuarts.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D46XQP59

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D46XQP59

#Elizabethan #Tudors #HistoricalFiction

Author Bio

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on  Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter @tonyriches.

The Finding by Jane Hunt: The Coffee Pot Book Club Book Spotlight Tour

Today, I am delighted to host Jane Hunt for the book spotlight tour for The Finding, a WW2 novella, inspired by her family history.

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-the-finding-by-jane-hunt.html

The Finding by Jane Hunt

Blurb: 

This poignant novella is a tale of forbidden love, resilience, and the human cost of war.

In the quiet fields of Wiltshire during World War II, Eveline, a sheltered young woman, stumbles upon a life-altering discovery: a German Luftwaffe pilot, Fritz, has crash-landed near her home. Against the backdrop of war and suspicion, her family takes the injured man in, nursing him back to health. Beneath his reserved demeanor and burned body, Eveline senses a mystery—and something stirs an unfamiliar longing within her.

As Eveline’s infatuation deepens, she faces a storm of challenges: her overbearing mother’s rigid rules, a zealous preacher’s warnings, and the scrutiny of the town’s gossips. Despite Fritz’s attempts to keep her at arm’s length Eveline’s heart defies reason, falling for the man branded as her enemy.

But Fritz harbours secrets that could shatter Eveline’s fragile world. When the truths of war and the weight of loyalty collide, Eveline must confront the reality of loving someone forbidden.

Will their bond endure the hostility of a nation at war? Or will the scars of betrayal and loss prove impossible to heal?

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3JAedg

Author Bio: 

Born in Reading UK, Jane grew up with a love of reading. She remembers taking Enid Blyton books to bed and reading them under the covers when she should have been asleep! Her love of the written word extended into the classroom where the teachers commented on her vivid imagination and length of stories—probably accompanied with a few sighs when they realized the amount of time the reading would take!

On leaving school Jane spent a brief spell at college before finding employment as a Dental Nurse where she spent many happy years meeting lots of wonderful people and mixing lots of fillings. After meeting her husband, she later went on to have three children and found work as a Teaching Assistant.

[image error] Jane Hunt

Alongside a busy life, she completed a comprehensive writing course, which saw her having non-fiction work published in newspapers and magazines. But the desire to do something ‘creative’ burned ever brightly. Having recently undertaken a lot of research into her family tree, a desire to find out what life was really like for her ancestors took hold, and she developed a fascination with World War II. Heeding the advice of her late parents to ‘put pen to paper’, she decided to get a story that had been buzzing in her head for quite some time written.

The result of her endeavour was a very ‘raw’ manuscript: The Finding. With some professional help—thank you, Dee, the story evolved into a book—something she still can’t quite believe!

Author Links:

Publisher’s Author Page: https://www.historiumpress.com/jane-hunt

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jane-Hunt/author/B0DRJ7KNHK 

Book Spotlight: Oscar’s Tale by Chris Bishop – The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I’m delighted to host Chris Bishop on the spotlight tour for Oscar’s Tale.

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-oscars-tale-by-chris-bishop.html

Oscar’s Tale by Chris Bishop

Blurb:

Oscar’s Tale is that of a Saxon boy who sets out to find and rescue his father who has been taken by Viking slavers.

The story begins in 877, just prior to the Viking attack on Chippenham in which King Alfred was routed. Against this backdrop, Oscar is obliged to set out on his all but impossible quest and quickly becomes embroiled in all that’s going on in Wessex at this turbulent time, culminating in him playing a small but important part in the battle at Edington.

But this is not just a story about blood thirsty battles and fearsome warriors, it’s about a boy struggling to live up to his father’s reputation as a warrior and trying to find his place in a dangerous and uncertain world. For that, he is forced to confront many dangers and earn the respect of others who are far above his station. Along the way he also finds love – albeit at a cost far higher than most would have been willing to pay.

‘For is it not the wish of every man that his son will achieve more in life than he did?’

Buy Link:                                          

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bwQQ99

Author Bio:

Chris was born in London in 1951. After a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor, he retired to concentrate on writing, combining this with his lifelong interest in Anglo Saxon history.

His first novel, Blood and Destiny, was published in 2017 and his second, The Warrior with the Pierced Heart, in 2018 followed by The Final Reckoning in 2019 and Bloodlines in 2020.  Together they form a series entitled The Shadow of the Raven, the fifth and final part of which – The Prodigal Son – was published in 2023.

Chris has published numerous blogs about various aspects of Anglo Saxon history and is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association.

Author Links:

Website:                      www.chrisbishopauthor.com

Twitter:                       https://x.com/CBishop_author

Goodreads:                   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207271.Chris_Bishop

Publication Day! The Book of Lost Children by Jenny O’Brien.

A very happy publication day to Jenny O’Brien for The Book of Lost Children. Many of you will know Jenny for her contemporary crime series, but this book is a new venture for Jenny – WW2 historical fiction. I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy, so I can heartily recommend this novel.

As ever, Jenny creates vivid characters and a cracking plot inspired by real events. Be warned though, this book is an emotional roller-coaster of a ride. Have the tissues on stand-by!

Book Blurb

A wartime nurse risks everything to protect mothers and babies in Nazi-occupied Guernsey. Decades later, a hidden record reveals a devastating family truth. Based on a remarkable true story of one woman’s extraordinary courage.

Guernsey, 1943. As German forces tighten their grip on the Channel Islands, nurse Evelyn Nightingale guards a dangerous secret. Within the walls of the Emergency Hospital, she’s hidden three babies from the enemy – children who would otherwise face a terrible fate. When a traumatized French woman arrives to give birth, Evelyn must risk everything – with consequences that will echo through the generations.

Dublin, 2018. Still reeling from her mother’s death, Kitty White is struggling to keep her family’s antique shop afloat when a desperate woman arrives with an old violin to sell. Hidden in its dusty case, Kitty discovers a mysterious list of names that shatters her father’s composure. Her search for answers leads her to Guernsey, where she is about to uncover a long-buried secret about her family…

Inspired by true historical events, this heart-wrenching tale will stay with you long after the last page. If you were gripped by  The Nightingale ,  The Alice Network  and  The Paris Library , you must read  The Book of Lost Children .

Universal Buy Link: https://geni.us/915-al-aut-am

Jenny O’Brien

Two New Irish Crime Novels

Irish crime fiction is thriving, and this week sees the release of two new offerings: Zoë Miller’s The Girls’ Trip and Lucy O’Callaghan’s Obsession. Both books are now on my TBR pile.

The Girls’ Trip by Zoë Miller.

It was a holiday she would never let them forget …

‘She had it coming. So had the others.’

In 2007, four friends returned home from a week in Ibiza with secrets to keep. When they agreed never to contact each other again, all traces of their holiday were erased. Or so they thought.

Now, almost seventeen years after that trip, Anna’s sister Kim is still picking up the pieces after Anna abandoned her life without warning. Kim is sure that Anna’s unexplained departure had something to do with her visit to Ibiza. And when a photo from the trip surfaces unexpectedly, she finally has some clues to start looking into what happened to her sister.

Julia, Cora and Faye are forced to come together when they realise someone might be looking into the past. But how far will they go to bury the truth? And what’s to stop one of them from letting a ‘friend’ take the fall, in order to save herself?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DPHCD1CL

Obsession by Lucy O’Callaghan

When a woman’s desire to help those who need it most sparks a dangerous obsession in one man, will she be able to see what’s right in front of her?

She needs to help. He needs her help. It’s that simple… or is it?

Since losing her brother to suicide five years ago, Rachel has thrown herself into her job, supporting men in getting back to work and rebuilding their self-esteem. Men like Peter—an ordinary man, seemingly down on his luck, but hiding a dependency on painkillers and alcohol.

Peter mistakes Rachel’s kindness for something more and believes they are destined to be together—even if she needs a little help along the way to realize it.

While Rachel is consumed with helping others, she is blind not only to Peter’s growing infatuation but also to family secrets emerging from the past.

Will Rachel recognize Peter’s obsession before it is too late?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DWNCYVZV

The Midnight of Eights by Justin Newland: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I am delighted to host Justin Newland for the blog tour for The Midnight of Eights, the second book in his The Island of Angels series. Justin has kindly provided an extract for you to enjoy (see below).

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-the-midnight-of-eights-by-justin-newland.html

The Midnight of Eights by Justin Newland

Blurb:

1580.

Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor.

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of the Queen’s spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm.

But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England’s shores.

So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world?

Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, ‘He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!’?

Or was it an entirely different intervention – the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan’s astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights?

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheMidnightofEights

Also available in Kindle Unlimited

Extract from Chapter 5: Follow the Fox

14th July 1581

Nelan tossed and turned, half awake and half asleep. The light from the enormous moon in the sky kept him from slumber. All the while, he’d dreamed of a fox. Then, in the dream, he wasn’t watching the fox; he was the fox, hiding in the bushes, watching… a mouse scurry into its burrow, a hog stroll through the meadow, a blackbird land on a branch. He smelled the hedgerow and the dank, earthy odours from the barley field nearby. His whiskers bristled with alarm. In the bushes behind him, there was movement.

A man shouted, “Follow the fox!”

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Outside, the sound of rain against the hull, splashing on the deck.

“Follow the fox!” The phrase echoed in his mind, but what did it mean? The cunning creatures were masters of deception and possessed the extraordinary ability to disappear in plain sight. He scratched his head, pulled his beard, and cast into his mind all the foxes he’d seen, and everywhere he’d encountered them.

Then he knew which fox to follow. It brought his future to a head. But it was a choice he made without hesitation. He knew it was the right one, because it lifted a weight from his shoulders.

Grabbing his doublet, he climbed the ladder up to the deck. Rain slanted into the hull. Almost slipping on the wet boards, he bade a hasty fare-thee-well to Tom, the bosun. He edged down the gangplank, onto the quay, and hailed the early morning ferry. He boarded it just as its master shoved it into the river flow.

“Don’t be rockin’ us, lad, or I’ll be rockin’ you!” the wherry master barked at him, a growl he recognised.

“Well, well, well,” Nelan said. “If it isn’t old Wenceslaus himself.”

“Ah! ’Tis I,” the man said from amidst the folds of his salt-and-pepper beard. “Now, where will I be a’ takin’ you, Little Master?”

“Upriver, Wenceslaus.”

“Upriver’s got a lot of places. Greenwich or the Bridge. Richmond or Putney. Where’s it to be?”

“Just row,” Nelan said. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”

The rain speared into them, but Wenceslaus still pulled hard on the oars. “Now, how long’s it been? Last time I sees ya, that Spanish boy got hisself blown up.”

“I’d no involvement in his death.”

“I believe ya, an’ I did so then, too.”

Just beyond London Bridge, he saw his old haunt of St Michael Queenhithe, where he used to sit with Eleanor. Ah. Eleanor. He had to believe he was getting closer to finding her. As the rain clouds cleared, Wenceslaus narrowly avoided colliding with the Putney ferry.

“Dock at that mansion over there!” Nelan yelled, pointing to a nearby jetty. “The one with the weather vane.”

“Is that a dog?”

“It looks like a dog, but it’s not a dog. It’s a fox. This is Barn Elms.”

Droplets of water dripped onto the floor of the same anteroom as the day he found the plough head. Because of the chill brought by the rain, the steward had lit a fire which crackled and snapped, but it said not a word. Despite that, Nelan had a great feeling. Barn Elms was near the waters of the river. He stood by a fire in the hearth. The weather vane of the fox graced the top of the building. He’d followed the fox. Now, where was Eleanor?

The door flung open, and Roger Adden gestured for Nelan to enter the fox’s den.

Since he’d last seen him, Walsingham appeared older, his face more wrinkled with the heavy concerns of keeping the realm safe from internal rebellion and foreign invasion. As he entered, the two other men in the room examined him with studied indifference.

Author Bio:

Justin Newland’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.

His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the events of the 14th century featuring an unlikely cast of the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, and a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’.

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.justinnewland.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/JustinNewland53

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-newland-b393aa28/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjustinnewland/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/justin-newland

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jnewland

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Justin-Newland/author/B06WRQVLT8

Strait Lace by Rosemary Hayward: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I am delighted to host Rosemary Hayward for the book blog tour for Strait Lace, her new release, which is part of the Loxley Hall Series. Rosemary has kindly provided an excerpt to whet your appetite!

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-strait-lace-by-rosemary-hayward.html

Strait Lace by Rosemary Hayward

Blurb:

It is 1905. Edwardian England. Harriet Loxley, the daughter of a vicar and niece to a prominent Nottingham lace manufacturer, spends her days playing cricket with her brother, scouring the countryside for botanical specimens, and never missing an opportunity to argue the case for political power for women. Given the chance to visit the House of Commons, Harriet witnesses the failure of a historic bill for women’s voting rights. She also meets the formidable Pankhurst women.

When Harriet gets the chance to study biology at Bedford College, London, she finds her opportunity to be at the heart of the fight. From marching in the street, to speaking to hostile crowds, to hurling stones through windows, just how far will Harriet go?

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mKkLMP

An Excerpt from Strait Lace

Harriet focussed on the window on the opposite side of the wide road. To her left she heard the roar of the crowd. To her right someone yelled, “Now!”

Her stones flew hard, one smashing through the glass. Then one of Inga’s stones arced in a perfect trajectory and destroyed another pane.

“Votes for Women!” someone called out. Mary-from-college yelled, “Run, before they come for us.”

Harriet stayed by the window. Two women were clinging to a chimney stack on the roof opposite. If this was part of the original plan they’d not been told. Perhaps their stones were also part of a diversion and this was the major event of the day. The women had axes. What were they planning?

Inga had not gone with the others. She was holding onto the edge of the window frame, as if to stop it flying upwards and shutting them away from the events unfolding in front of them.

Harriet lent out of the window. The fireman who had grinned at them earlier was arguing with a police officer. He shrugged his shoulders and strode away from the canvas fire-hose lying limply along the edge of the street. A group of policemen surged forward. Some lifted the nozzle of the hose. Two struggled to open the water valve.

“They’ve seen them. Inga. They’re going to turn the hose on them.”

They watched as the young fireman refused to come forward. His men stood unmoving behind him but the policemen must have succeeded with the valve because the flat hose swelled and bucked and a stream of water shot up into the air. The policemen hauled at it and trained it on the women on the roof, who were soaked in an instant. The smaller of the two prised up a slate with an axe and hurled it into the street.

Inga grabbed Harriet’s arm. “They will fall. The slates are very steep. They must fall.”

“That’s Mary Leigh,” Harriet said. “You know her, the Union’s drum-major. She’s a firebrand. The tall, fair woman is Charlotte Marsh. They’ve taken their shoes off, look.”

The firemen propped a ladder against the wall and policemen swarmed up it. They were met with flying slates and shouts of Votes for Women! Charlotte Marsh staggered and slid feet first to the edge of the roof, a policeman catching her by the arm as she fetched up against the coping. The street was thirty feet below.

Harriet breathed, “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

Inga screamed, “They will die! They must die. Mein Gott. The other one is coming down now.”

Mary Leigh had turned onto her stomach and was letting herself down the treacherous slates feet first. Inga’s screams were echoed by dozens from the street below. All eyes were on the roof. The firemen pushed a wheeled fire escape against the wall. Two officers started dragging Charlotte Marsh along on her back.

“You ladies need to come with us.”

Harriet turned. Three policemen were inside the small bedroom, another was blocking the doorway. One had the bag that had held her stones in his hand.

Stay calm, be polite.

She raised a hand to cover her mouth. “This is it. Good luck.”

Author Bio:

Rosemary Hayward is the author of Margaret Leaving, a historical mystery uncovering little known events that occurred in the immediate aftermath to World War II. She is also the creator of Your Next Book, a deeply nerdy monthly newsletter describing a book picked from her bookshelf, or Kindle.

She is British by birth but now lives part of the year in California and part in southern Spain.

Author Links:

Website: www.rosemaryhayward.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Rosemary-Hayward-1460369174026124

LinkedIn: https//www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-hayward-6544ba60

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaretleaving/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@margaretleaving

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hayward0738/_saved/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rosemary-hayward

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rosemary-Hayward/author/B06XR7GZR4

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16658743.Rosemary_Hayward

The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery by Lois Cahall: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I am delighted to host Lois Cahall for the book blog tour for her new release, The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery. Lois has kindly provided an excerpt for you to enjoy. (See Below).

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-the-many-lives-loves-of-hazel-lavery-by-lois-cahall.html

The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery by Lois CahallBlurb:            In the heart of tumultuous times, amidst the grandeur of Victorian opulence, there existed an American socialite whose influence altered the course of the Anglo-Irish treaty: Lady Hazel Lavery.

Boston-born Hazel ascended from her Irish roots to become the quintessential Society Queen of Chicago, and later London, where she lived a delicate dance between two worlds: one with her esteemed husband, Sir John Lavery, a portrait artist to royalty, and the other with Michael Collins, the daring Irish rebel whose fiery spirit ignited her heart. Together, they formed a love triangle that echoed through the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street, London.

Hazel’s wit and charm touched on the lives of the who’s-who of England, including Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw and Evelyn Waugh. The image of her memorable face graced Irish banknotes for close to half-a-century.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4APo7o  

Excerpt from The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery

Alice was out on Regent Street for drinks at the Café Royal, a thriving Victorian restaurant known to cater to the upper crust and apparently British spies. And then she was off to the Savoy for dinner with her international crowd. Like mother like daughter, I suppose. Christmas Eve she’d be traveling to Ireland, spending more and more time in Kilkenny. She even had dreams of living there. I suspect my Irish bug bit her, too. And she even expressed it to me in a letter:

Dearest Mommy,

The Irish are such delightfully kind and amusing people. It is nothing like English hunting, either field or country, everyone helps everyone else, and no one swears at anyone and you’re always welcome in the country if you’re a stranger… I think Ireland is the freshest, simplest, nicest country and people I have ever met, and I love every inch of it, so you can say ‘I told you so’ and crow over me to your heart’s content now. You were right! And I love you!

My stepdaughter, Eileen, wrapped gifts in the parlor. Nearby were her daughters, Ann Moira and June Mary, which now made John and I official grandparents.

Winston and John were in the library deep into cigars, gin and political talk with our son-in-law, William, while Clementine and I sat sipping sherry in the drawing room, the doors closed. My newest friend, Jessie Louisa “Louie” Rickard, an Irish writer, whose romantic novels we all devoured, joined us, listening on as Clementine cackled about some latest fashion.

My eyes watered up for the tenth time that day. I didn’t intend for her to notice but she instantly figured it out as I turned the other way to avoid eye contact.

“Hazel,” said Clementine, leaning in, her voice full of pity, “Hazel, look at me.” I turned as she gained my full attention. “You must gather yourself, darling girl.”

“Oh Clemmie, I don’t know how to…”

“Of course, you don’t. You’re American,” she said, patting my hand. “But try you must.”

“He was the love of…”

“… your life, yes, I know. But he’s gone. It’s been years,” said Clementine. “Those chapters of life are best left unpublished.”

Then she eyed my wardrobe, black from head to toe, compared to her layers of lapis and pitch blue – a bias-cut dress with belted waist and large yoke collar. “And Hazel, dearest, you’re not in mourning, you’re married…”

“Well, I suppose marriage is a form of mourning.” The three of us women shared a look.

“Fer sure,” said Louie with her Irish brogue. She was sporty. Wearing high waisted sailor pants and striped blouse.

As I admired their zest for life in the present, I longed to tell them right then and there that I mourned not only for Michael, but for our unborn child, and the recent loss of yet another one of Michael’s friends.

“It’s been so difficult, ladies. You’re the only ones I can confide in except for Michael’s sister, Hannie. We’ve stayed close. My love for him is always with me. He once said we were like swans who mate for life.”

“Pain comes from always wanting…” said Louie, trailing off and turning the other way, like a true romantic writer, gazing out the window. Whenever she spoke, rain practically fell on cue.

Clementine began pinching the puffed sleeves on her dress and then gazed up at me, clearing her throat to speak. “I have five tips for any woman where the living men are concerned, not the dead ones.”

“Oh?” I sat up, eager.

“Firstly,” said Clementine, “it is important that a man hires you a skilled staff and has an admirable career. Second, that he makes you laugh. Third, it is important to find a man you can count on who doesn’t lie to you. And that this man loves you and spoils you. And, finally,” she added, “it is most important that these four men don’t know each other!” A pause, and then Clementine burst out laughing.

“Oh Clemmie, you’re wretched! Is this your way of saying I should have an affair?”

“It’s time dear. It’s time.”

“I concur!” said Louie.

“But I’m a Catholic now,” I declared, “I don’t believe in divorce.”

“Nobody is saying to divorce, just have a good ole roll in the hay with a man more your age,” said Louie, tipping her head to suggest John was very old.

I regretted the way that I segued into the next words that fell from my mouth since rumors had already begun circulating about me. “And Kevin O’Higgins is dead, too. Michael’s friend.”

“Another one?” asked Clementine. “Dead?”

“Yes, back in July, didn’t I tell you then… though it feels like yesterday. The assassins poured lead into his body just like they did to Michael except they murdered him on his way to Mass.”

“Disgraceful!” said Clementine.

“Sometimes, I just feel frozen in misery,” I added.

“So, you were close, yeah?” asked Louie.

Trying to avoid the question instead reframing with a different answer. “I was watching polo at Ranelagh when I was told the news. The first thing I thought was the same thing I always think when I hear of the death of a man close to me. It’s always the men close to my life who die.”

Leaning forward I poured more sherry, and topped Clementine’s off, too. “O’Higgins so much wanted to see Michael’s achievements and endeavors for the country. They’re saying he was perhaps the greatest diplomat of them all. You know, he wrote me the most charming note. Ended it by saying he wished I could be there as his Parliament meets again. And then he went on about how much the Irish appreciate my help and sympathy.”

Clementine studied her sherry glass, took a sip, and then spoke, “Hazel, I suspect that your views of Ireland are unsuited to the harsh reality of sectarian strife.”

“But I love Ireland so. It was purely by accident of birth that America claimed me. Although,” I said, easing back into the chair and pouting, “Perhaps John was right. He once said that ‘Hazel’s Ireland is as unreal as a mirage in the desert.’”

Author Bio:

Lois Cahall began her writing career as a columnist for Cape Cod newspapers and local periodicals, including Cape Cod Life. She spent a decade writing for national magazines (Conde Nast/Hearst). Her articles have been published in Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, SELF, Marie Claire, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Journal, and Bon Appetit. In the UK she wrote for RED, GQ, Psychologies, and for The Times. In addition, Lois wrote profiles for The Palm Beach Post.

Lois’s first novel, Plan C: Just in Case, was a #1 bestseller in the UK, where it remained in the top three fiction for the year before selling into foreign translation markets. In July of 2014, her novel hit #1 on the Nook “Daily Deal” in America. Her second novel, Court of the Myrtles, was hailed as “Tuesdays with Morrie on estrogen” by the Ladies Home Journal. Her newest book, The Many Lives of Hazel Lavery, is a work of historical fiction and will be published in 2025.

Lois is the former Creative Director of Development for James Patterson Entertainment. She credits her friend, Jim Patterson, the world’s most successful bestselling author, with teaching her about the importance of children’s reading and literacy. As a result, she founded the Palm Beach Book Festival in 2015, an annual event bringing in NYT bestselling and celebrity authors. The event is for book lovers, nurturing the written word for the children and adults of southern Florida.

In 2024 Lois also founded The Cape Cod Book Festival, an annual autumn event that promises to be a new cultural footprint in Massachusetts. It will be for locals and ‘washashores’ alike – a magical place where charitably minded readers can rub elbows with great writers and thinkers.  

Lois divides her life between New York and Cape Cod, although her spiritual home is London. But most importantly, Lois can do the Hula Hoop for an hour non-stop and clear a Thanksgiving table in just under ten minutes.

Author Links:

Website:          www.loiscahall.com

Twitter:           https://x.com/LoCahall

Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/LoisCahallAuthor/

Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/lois.cahall/

Threads:          https://www.threads.net/@lois.cahall

Bluesky:          https://bsky.app/profile/loiscahall.bsky.social

Book Bub:       https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2431811526

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lois-Cahall/author/B0DG3W5QNW

Murder on West Lake by I.M. Foster: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I am delighted to host I.M. Foster for the book spotlight blog tour for Murder on West Lake, Book 3 in the South Shore Mystery Series.

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-murder-on-west-lake-by-i-m-foster.html

Murder on West Lake by I. M. Foster

Blurb:

A scream shattered the tranquil air, echoing off the ice-covered lake, and Daniel’s heart froze. He knew that voice all too well.

After a pleasant afternoon of ice skating on the frozen waters of West Lake, local librarian Kathleen Brissedon stumbles across a gruesome sight in the nearby gazebo. It only takes a moment for her beau, assistant coroner Doctor Daniel O’Halleran, to determine that the victim was murdered.

To protect Kathleen from the ghastly sight of the man’s slashed throat, Daniel insists she return home while he examines the body further. Though the immediate cause of death appears obvious, he fears the subsequent autopsy will uncover more questions than answers, and it’s clear that he has his work cut out for him if he’s going to find the person responsible.

Kathleen has no intention of remaining demurely at home, not when there’s a murder to solve. Slipping back to the scene, she conducts her own investigation. Though her discoveries prove interesting, Daniel is too concerned about her safety to stifle his annoyance, especially after the killer makes a second attempt closer to home. But as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place and Daniel starts closing in on the truth, the killer sets their sights on him.

With the danger increasing, Kathleen intent on assisting in the investigation, and his family descending on Patchogue to spend the Christmas holidays, Daniel has his hands full.

Will he and Kathleen be able to put their heads together and discover who is behind the attacks, or will the killer continue to plague the tranquil South Shore village unhindered?

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mlO8vq

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bio:

I. M. Foster is the pen name author Inez Foster uses to write her South Shore Mystery series, set on Edwardian Long Island. Inez also writes historical romances under the pseudonym Andrea Matthews and has so far published two series in that genre: the Thunder on the Moor series, a time-travel romance set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Borders, and the Cross of Ciaran series, which follows the adventures of a fifth century Celt who finds himself in love with a twentieth-century archaeologist.

Inez is a historian and librarian, who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogically speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys doing the research almost as much as she does the actual writing of the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. Inez is a member of the Long Island Romance Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime.

Author Links:

Website: www.imfostermysteries.com

Twitter: https://www.x.com/IMFosterMystery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMFosterMysteries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfosterauthor

Threads: https://www.threads.net/imfosterauthor

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/i-m-foster

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/I-M-Foster/author/B0BFQK8854

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22926746.I_M_Foster

The Fugitive’s Sword by Eleanor Swift-Hook: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Today, I am delighted to host Eleanor Swift-Hook on the book blog tour for The Fugitive’s Sword. Eleanor has kindly provided an excerpt (see below).

You can follow the full tour here:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/12/blog-tour-the-fugitives-sword-by-eleanor-swift-hook.html

The Fugitive’s Sword by Eleanor Swift-Hook

Blurb:

Autumn 1624

Europe is deeply embroiled in what will become the Thirty Years’ War.

A young Philip Lord, once favoured at King James’ court, has vanished without a trace, under the shadow of treason.

Outside the besieged city of Breda, Captain Matthew Rider faces the brutal reality of wintering his cavalry in the siege lines, until he crosses paths with Filippo Schiavono, a young man whose courage and skill could change everything.

Kate, Lady Catherine de Bouqulement, arrives in London prepared to navigate the dangerous politics of King James’ court to ensure troops are sent to her mistress, the exiled Queen of Bohemia.

Within Breda’s walls, a foundling named Jorrit unwittingly stumbles into a lethal conspiracy when Schiavono hires him, supposedly to help sell smuggled tobacco. But Schiavono’s plans go awry and they are compelled to flee the city, only to be captured at sea.

If Schiavono is unable to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness to a savage Dunkirker privateer captain, both he and Jorrit will face certain death.

Meanwhile, in London, Kate is forced to fight her own battle against those seeking to coerce her into their schemes and finds herself trapped in a terrifying and deadly power struggle.

Driven by violence, treachery, and the sea’s merciless tides, their fates collide.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheFugitivesSword

An Excerpt:

Whitehall, 1 January 1625

The first of January was the day set for the duke’s departure. He could not leave without participating in the ritual of gift giving that belonged to that day and the court celebrated in lavish style. Kate was not too surprised to find herself and Lucy invited to attend the farewell gathering.

It was held in Whitehall and a select proportion of the court was in attendance to honour the duke. Kate was glad to keep herself in the background whilst the duke, wearing his newly bestowed Order of the Garter with its diamond studded ribbon and heavy gold medal, was feted and praised.

The king was absent, but word spread that in addition to the Garter he had granted the duke a sizable pension. Prince Charles gave a short but stirring speech about his sister’s champion and announced his personal gift of three thousand pounds. After that there seemed to Kate to be a flurry reminiscent of an auction at which various nobles pledged sums to the duke’s support.

Of course, Buckingham was there with his duchess and his mother, but Kate kept an eye on them and ensured she was always inaccessible at any moment when one of them might have tried to speak with her. She knew that would be no defence against a specific request to attend upon them, so she devoted herself to conversation with the least controversial of the ladies present and tried hard to avoid notice.

Near the end of the event, Kate was congratulating herself on navigating through the shoals successfully and looking for Lucy so they would be ready for the final formalities, when she found her path barred by a young man with a high forehead, plump cheeks and long wavy hair which hung on each side of his face.

Mountjoy Blount.

“Lady Catherine, it is as if you have descended from the clouds. Such beauty.”

Kate had been wearing a polite smile throughout and now it froze in place.

Blount seemed not to notice any change in her and grasped her hand making a bow over it whilst bringing the fingers to his lips.

“His grace the Duke of Buckingham,” he went on as he straightened up, “sent me to escort you to him.”

One might want to scream and pull away. One might want to run, pushing through the thicket of velvet and taffeta clad bodies. One might want to simply refuse. But one could not, of course.

Kate drew a steadying breath and allowed herself to be drawn across the room, aware that most there marked their passage with speculation. Her eyes briefly found Lucy and their gazes locked before Kate was swept past.

Blount led her away from the main gathering and into a side chamber, where Buckingham stood in the secluded and exclusive company of Prince Charles, the Earls of Essex and Warwick and three other gentlemen who Kate supposed were also related to Mountjoy Blount. The Duchess of Buckingham and her mother-in-law sat together away to one side.

Focusing on the prince, Kate offered as deep and gracious a curtsy as she could achieve. Beside her, still holding her arm, Blount offered as deep an obeisance.

From somewhere to one side Kate heard a voice which she recognised as belonging to Buckingham’s mother.

“Oh, they do look so good together, do you not think?”

As Kate rose from her curtsy it was Prince Charles who spoke, not Buckingham. His doe like eyes held her gaze and he smiled almost shyly.

“L-Lady Catherine, it has been brought to my attention that you have been left without the support of a husband in the management of your lands and I would not see you forced to such straits for any longer than is necessary. I know you have given many years of devoted service to my dear sister, but I am sure she would not grudge you the comfort of your own home, your own husband and your own family.”

As he spoke Kate’s throat closed up and she knew there would be nothing she could do to stop the colour draining from her face. She could not have uttered a word in that moment had her life depended upon it.

Buckingham was wearing a supercilious smile and nodding as the prince spoke.

“Highness,” he said swiftly, “I would recommend our good friend Mountjoy Blount, the son of the late Baron Mountjoy, who is most willing to take up the care and responsibility of Lady Catherine and her lands.”

Kate’s thoughts were beating as rapidly as her heart. The prince had no power to compel this, only the king could do that and surely he would not allow— Then she stopped and into her mind came the number of occasions the king was known to have been bent from his chosen course by Buckingham. More and more often in recent times.

“Is that so?” the prince asked Blount, who bowed his head in response.

“It would be my honour, my privilege and my delight, highness” Blount said.

At least, a little mocking voice in the corner of Kate’s mind whispered, he is not lying about that.

“And do you consent to this, Lady Catherine?” the prince asked.

“Of course she does, highness,” Buckingham said smoothly. “Lady Catherine is an intelligent young woman. She knows what is in her best interests.” His gaze shifted to Kate, and she shivered.

He had placed her in an impossible position. The only escape routes open to her were lined with social condemnation, royal opprobrium and the risk of drawing both onto Lucy, not to mention severely damaging the cause that mattered most to them both.

She had no choice.

None at all.

Author Bio:

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years’ War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

The Soldier’s Stand, book two in Lord’s Learning and the sequel to The Fugitive’s Sword, is now available for preorder and will be released on 25 February, 2025.

She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.

Author Links:

Website:  www.eleanorswifthook.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/emswifthook/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LordsLegacySeries

Bluesky: http://bsky.app/profile/emswifthook.bsky.social

Book Bub: www.bookbub.com/profile/eleanor-swift-hook

Amazon Author Page:  www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Eleanor-Swift-Hook/author/B0BKTP1CMG

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/22989983.Eleanor_Swift_Hook