Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 12

Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour or The Importance of Pawns by Keira Morgan #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @KJMMexico

 

March 25th – May 17th 2021

Publication Date: 10th March 2021
Publisher: French Historical Fiction/ Fiction de la renaissance Française
Page Length: 380 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Based on historical events and characters in sixteenth-century France, this timeless tale pits envy, power and intrigue against loyalty and the strength of women’s friendships. 

The French court dazzles on the surface, but beneath its glitter, danger lurks for the three women trapped in its web. The story begins as Queen Anne lies dying and King Louis’s health is in declines. Their two daughters, Claude and young Renée, heiresses to the rich duchy of Brittany, become pawns in the games of power. 

Countess Louise d’Angoulême is named guardian to both girls. For years she has envied the dying Queen Anne, the girls’ mother. Because of her family’s dire financial problems, she schemes to marry wealthy Claude to her son. This unexpected guardianship presents a golden opportunity, but only if she can remove their protectress Baronne Michelle, who loves the princesses and safeguards their interests. 

As political tensions rise, the futures of Princess Renée and Baronne hang in the balance, threatened by Countess Louise’s hidden plots. Timid Claude, although fearful of her mother-in-law, must untangle the treacherous intrigues Countess Louise is weaving. Claude and her friends encounter one roadblock after another as they contrive to outflank the wily countess. Their goal is to protect young Princess Renée. 

In the end, faced with frightening consequences, will Claude find the courage to defend those she loves?

Head over to A Darn Good Read and have a sneak-peek between the covers. 

Click HERE.

Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for Harvest Moon by Jenny Knipfer #HistoricalFiction #CoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @JennyKnipfer

 

March 1st - May 3rd 2021
Publication Date: 23rd November, 2020 Publisher: Independently PublishedPage Length: 291 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction / Christian Historical Fiction
In the wilds of 19th century Ontario, Maang-ikwe, a young Ojibwe woman, falls into a forbidden love, breaks her father’s honor, and surrenders her trust to someone who betrays it. The abuse she suffers divides her from her tribe and causes her to give up what she holds most dear. 
Niin-mawin must come to grips with his culture being ripped away from him. Brought up in a “white man’s” school, he suffers through an enforced “civilized” education and separation from his family. When a man he respects reveals a secret about Niin-mawin’s past, he embarks on a search for the person he hopes can mend the part of his heart that’s always been missing. 
Both Maang-ikwe and Niin-mawin wonder how a harvest of pain and sorrow will impact their lives. Will they find the blessings amongst the hardships, or will they allow the results of division and abuse to taint their hearts forever?
Fans of historical fiction, Native American fiction, Christian historical fiction, clean romance, and literary fiction will be moved by this deep, heartfelt novel.
Head over to Let Your Words Shine… where you can read an exclusive interview with Jenny. 
Click HERE!

#HistoricalFiction author, E.M. Powell is sharing some tips on how to write a series. There is also a chance to check out an excerpt from The Canterbury Murders. #writingtips @empowellauthor

 

Publication Date: 12 November 2020
Publisher: Crosshaven Press
Page Length: 324 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery

A fire-ravaged cathedral. An ungodly murder.

Easter, 1177. Canterbury Cathedral, home to the tomb of martyr Saint Thomas Becket, bears the wounds of a terrible fire. Benedict, prior of the great church, leads its rebuilding. But horror interrupts the work. One of the stonemasons is found viciously murdered, the dead man’s face disfigured by a shocking wound.

When King’s clerk Aelred Barling and his assistant, Hugo Stanton, arrive on pilgrimage to the tomb, the prior orders them to investigate the unholy crime.

But the killer soon claims another victim–and another. As turmoil embroils the congregation, the pair of sleuths face urgent pressure to find a connection between the killings.

With panic on the rise, can Barling and Stanton catch the culprit before evil prevails again—and stop it before it comes for them?

THE CANTERBURY MURDERS is the third book in E.M. Powell’s Stanton and Barling medieval murder mystery series. Combining intricate plots, shocking twists and a winning–if unlikely–pair of investigators, this series is perfect for fans of Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael or C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake.

HOW TO WRITE A SERIES

‘I loved this book! Will there be more?’ 

Comments like these are music to a novelist’s ears. Not only has a reader enjoyed your book (huzzah!) but they would also like to get hold of the next one (huzzah again!). It is also a question that’s a lot easier to answer if one is writing a series. 

I have written two series. One is the medieval thriller Fifth Knight series, which features the heroic yet fallible Sir Benedict Palmer. The other is also medieval—my Stanton and Barling murder mystery series, which has prickly royal clerk Aelred Barling and his younger assistant, the hedonistic Hugo Stanton as its lead characters. Their latest outing is The Canterbury Murders, where they have to investigate the slaying of one of the cathedral’s stonemasons.

Both series had different origins. The Fifth Knight was supposed to be a standalone title. My agent suggested that I leave the door open for further books, advice I am so glad to have taken, for that book was followed by two more titles. But I learned many and hard lessons by going the organic series route. When I started the Stanton and Barling series, I put some of those lessons into practice. Here are three I’d like to share with you.

Premise

We all love a brilliantly original premise, to be led into a story world that grabs us and doesn’t let go until the finish. But that is not necessarily something that is going to lend itself to a credible series. Allow me to step out of the medieval world for a moment and remind everybody of the Jaws series of films.

Medieval Shark- British Library

The first, based on the novel by Peter Benchley, is close to storytelling perfection. 

It has so many wonderful elements. A relatable Everyman hero who embarks on a life-threatening quest and who ultimately triumphs over the evil monster. Intriguing secondary characters who are fully fleshed out. Shocks by the bucketload. Suspense that builds and builds, making it impossible to look away. Like I say, close to perfection. It is, however, very, very difficult to see what the other films in the series add. By the time we get to Jaws: The Revenge, the fourth instalment, Michael Caine is inexplicably (and hilariously) involved. It isn’t possible to milk a shark but this one most certainly was. 

Compare this premise (so many sharks, eating people, over and over) to George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series, the first volume of which is Game of Thrones. With a number of major story arcs that centre on power struggles and a large cast of intriguing characters, Martin has written, and is indeed still writing, a series that continues to enthral readers. Incidentally, Martin has said that he has been heavily influenced by medieval history in his writing. So it’s possible to take a premise and reshape it into something else, with spectacular results. 

British Library.

The important lesson is not to box yourself in with your premise if you are planning to continue with other books. Yes, Martin brings certain story arcs to their conclusion in each of his instalments. But he always has others that are still in progress and/or a greater goal still in play.    

Plot- Whodunnit?

Your series can be linear, like ASOIAF. This approach lends itself very well to more action/adventure stories. But you can also have a series that pretty much has the same premise, over and over. No, we’re not back with sharks. I speak of the murder mystery plot. Such plots really are very simple. Person A (B, C, D, E) has been murdered. The investigator has to find out who did the murdering. They take a while to do it. They find out. The End. 

You of course want each of those elements to be as intriguing and compelling as possible and to be true to the genre you’re writing in. It isn’t a good idea to have the chair of the village fete be a serial killer who dismembers their victims and leaves body parts artfully arranged amongst the prize azaleas.  

A murder mystery can work incredibly well as a standalone novel. But if your reader engages with your investigator, then they will want more of the same. You have the basis of a series. 

Characters- Who solved it?

If you think of most successful mystery series, it is the investigator(s) who people think of first, rather than the cases they have solved. Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Kathy Reichs’ contemporary forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan. C.J. Sansom’s Tudor investigator, Matthew Shardlake. Yes, each of these solve mysteries in utterly gripping yet very different novels. But it’s the investigators, with their distinct personalities and ways of behaving, with their backstories and their unfolding lives that people are drawn to.

My experience with my Stanton and Barling series has been exactly that. People mention those two in their reviews so often. There is a lot of fondness for the younger Hugo Stanton, who has a weakness for fast horses, copious amounts of ale and the company of desirable women. Aelred Barling isn’t half so appealing, at least on the surface. He’s a dry stick who shuns company and is happiest alone with his law manuscripts. Yet readers have such a soft spot for him and all his prickly behaviour. 

Readers love to find out about Stanton and Barling’s past. They particularly love the relationship between the two and following the ups and downs of their friendship. Those elements run alongside the mystery, the solving of the murders. 

And while readers love to be surprised and delighted by the reveal of who committed the heinous acts, they love to know what will happening next for Stanton and Barling. The answer is that there will be more in the series. I’m working on the fourth, The Forest Murders, right now. I doubt there’ll be any sharks. I say ‘doubt’. But... You’ll have to read it to find out, won’t you?

Excerpt from THE CANTERBURY MURDERS

Shortly after Stanton and Barling hear of the murder of stonemason Peter Flocke, Stanton has an unsettling encounter with a stranger…

The cathedral bells were sounding for Compline, but the streets were still thronged. 

Stanton couldn’t help a twinge of regret for the merrymaking he’d looked forward to but was not to be. It didn’t matter. What mattered was working with Barling to solve the murder of that unfortunate stonemason as quickly as possible. Then Stanton could leave Canterbury, putting many miles between him and the city. He would never be able to abide the rejoicing at Henry’s arrival, the praising of the man’s piety. Not when his Rosamund, his love, lay cold in her grave because of the King.

A pastry seller stood on a corner, doing a brisk trade as folk made the most of the last of Palm Sunday. He hurried over, as the woman was down to the last one. 

‘Any chance I could have that excellent-looking crust, goodwife?’ He gave her his best smile, his stomach growling at the smell of warm, yeasty dough.

He got the usual blush in return. ‘A pleasure, sir.’ 

They exchanged coin and pastry and he took a deep bite of his prize as he walked off, the sweetness of the apple it contained flooding onto his tongue. How Barling could choose to sit in his room, scratching away at his tablet, over devouring good food, Stanton would never know. He took another huge mouthful, feeling a bit better. 

Somebody collided hard with his aching back, sending him lurching to one side. The remains of his pastry flew from his grasp and splattered into the street muck.

‘A plague on it.’ He turned to tell off whoever had done it. 

A wild-eyed man in a threadbare pilgrim’s tunic stared back at him, his hair and long beard clogged with greasy dirt and all of him covered in layers of filth. ‘Praise the Martyr,’ said the stranger. ‘Praise him!’ 

‘I was praising my pastry,’ said Stanton. ‘Now look at it, fellow.’

The man banged the battered, badge-covered staff he held in his left hand on the ground in front of Stanton. ‘Open your heart to the Lord our God. Before death comes for thee.’ He thrust his right hand in Stanton’s face. 

Stanton recoiled. The man’s hand curled over in a twisted claw, his stained fingers and long, dirty fingernails tangled worse than a bundle of tree roots.

A group of laughing, jostling men of Stanton’s age pushed past, sending the man bumping into him.

‘Be watchful, be watchful.’ The stranger stank worse than the spoil underfoot. 

Stanton stepped back. ‘On your way, fellow.’

The man staggered away again, into the path of a burly carter. ‘Thou livest and are dead!’ he wailed at the carter.

He got a string of curses for his trouble.

Stanton shook his head as he watched the man stagger on, shouting and gesturing all the while.

Time for that ale. God’s eyes, he needed it. 

And once he’d finished it, he’d have another. And another. 

It would be the only way he’d sleep tonight.

God rot the King. 

You can buy your copy from your favourite online bookstore.

E.M. Powell’s historical thriller and medieval mystery Fifth Knight and Stanton & Barling novels have been #1 Amazon and Bild bestsellers. The third Stanton & Barling mystery, THE CANTERBURY MURDERS, was released in November 2020. Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she lives in northwest England with her husband, daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog. She’s represented by Josh Getzler at HG Literary. Find out more by visiting her Website, Blog, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook.

#BookReview — Discerning Grace (Book One of The White Sails Series) by Emma Lombard #HistoricalFiction @LombardEmma

 

As the first full-length novel in The White Sails Series, DISCERNING GRACE captures the spirit of an independent woman whose feminine lens blows the ordered patriarchal decks of a 19th century tall ship to smithereens.

Wilful Grace Baxter, will not marry old Lord Silverton with his salivary incontinence and dead-mouse stink. Discovering she is a pawn in an arrangement between slobbery Silverton and her calculating father, Grace is devastated when Silverton reveals his true callous nature.

Refusing this fate, Grace resolves to stow away. Heading to the docks, disguised as a lad to ease her escape, she encounters smooth-talking naval recruiter, Gilly, who lures her aboard HMS Discerning with promises of freedom and exploration in South America.

When Grace's big mouth lands her bare-bottomed over a cannon for insubordination, her identity is exposed. The captain wants her back in London but his orders, to chart the icy archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, forbid it. Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam gallantly offers to take Grace off the fretting captain's hands by placing her under his protection.

Grace must now win over the crew she betrayed with her secret, while managing her feelings towards her taciturn protector, whose obstinate chivalry stifles her new-found independence. But when Grace disregards Lieutenant Fitzwilliam's warnings about the dangers of the unexplored archipelago, it costs a friend his life and she realises she is not as free as she believes.

“Come now, m’lad. ’Tis an honest living with a fair wage.” 

How quickly one’s future could change. Was it only a few hours ago that Grace Baxton and Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam had spent a quiet moment on a bench underneath the boughs of a chestnut tree in her father’s garden discussing literature? Now she was contemplating running away to sea. But what other option was there? Grace’s father had agreed to a betrothal between herself and the lecherous Lord Silverton. Lord Silverton had already shown his true colours. Grace was determined he would never get another chance to abuse her again. But she had no money, and nowhere to go. The only way out, or so it seemed to Grace, was to disguise herself as a boy, abandon ship and climb into another—a real one this time, HMS Discerning.

How naive Grace had been. Even though her uncle was the esteemed Admiral Arthur Jameson Baxter, hearing about his adventures on the high sea and being part of the crew, Grace soon realised were two profoundly different things altogether. The sailors on board the Discerning were rough, and when provoked, they could be dangerous adversaries. Grace would do well to keep her head down and get on with the day’s work. But how long can she keep up the pretence? And what would happen when Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam discovered that Admiral Arthur Jameson Baxter's beloved niece had become part of the crew?

Discerning Grace (The White Sails) by Emma Lombard is an immensely readable book that is written with an elegant hand and an understanding of what makes history worth reading.

This novel opens at a relatively sedate dinner party, and there is nothing noteworthy or out of the ordinary about it. But by the end of the evening, the protagonist of this novel is compelled to flee from her home and her parents. She knows only what she is fleeing from and has no notion of where she is fleeing too; she is, pardon the pun, all at sea, adrift in a dangerous and strange world with no money and nowhere to go. When all hope seems lost, she chances upon a meeting with Gilly, and Grace realises that when caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea, the sea is probably the better choice to run towards! I really felt for Grace in those opening chapters. She found herself in an utterly deplorable situation, and having suffered such terrible abuse, and the promise of more, her power to think things through rationally is compromised. Her only thought was to escape. And although the obvious choice would have been to seek out her beloved uncle for help, instead, Grace runs to the only true friend she has, Billy. However, even with Billy, she does not feel safe, and this fear makes her incredibly reckless, not only with her own life but also with Billy’s. Her actions at the beginning of the book did fill me with a moment of dread, for I feared that young Billy would end up swinging from a rope, but I could also understand why Grace did what she did. She was utterly desperate. But her decisions that night change the course of her life forever.

Although Discerning Grace is, at the very heart of it, an adventure story, there is also a tender romance that somehow manages to compliment the dangers of the high seas, and a suitor’s revenge. It is also, in a sense, a coming of age story. By stepping back from what society expects from a young woman of her class, Grace discovers a sense of freedom that she never knew existed, and although a cabin boy’s life is not one she would have necessarily chosen for herself, it does give her time to reflect, as well as gain a certain sense of peace and accomplishment—not in her wildest of imaginations would she have thought she would be capable of climbing the rigging and using a musket like the best of them! But here she was. Grace dared to stir the waters, which started a chain of events that would end in a perfect storm—both literally and emotionally. I enjoyed watching Grace’s character develop as this story progressed. She is a feisty woman, who despite fleeing from her own abusive situation, is not cowed into calling out injustice that she witnesses to other people, despite what that might mean for her. It is only when her true identity is thus revealed that Grace reverts back, be it somewhat reluctantly, into the lady she was brought up to be. However, her independent nature, and her sometimes devil-may-care attitude is never far from the surface. Her time as a cabin boy does impact on her life and the way she sees things.

Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam is the essence of a naval officer—he expects to be obeyed by those under him, but he is answerable to the ship's captain, and even though that captain is indisposed for most of this story, Seamus wields his authority with the utmost of care. His feelings towards Grace are at first one of duty, but the more time he spends with her, the more he begins to care. Grace and Seamus’ courtship was really beautiful to behold.

One of my favourite characters in this novel was Lambert “Gilly” McGinley. Gilly is a hardened sailor, but he is also a fair man, and although he is initially shocked when he discovers Grace’s true identity, he becomes not only her dearest friend but her most loyal defender. I thought Gilly was wonderfully portrayed. He was as rough as they come, but he was also compassionate and kind.

The historical detailing of this novel has to be commended. It is extremely obvious that Lombard has taken a great deal of time to research this era before she set pen to paper. Her depictions of life onboard a ship and her understanding of the society shone through in the crystalline prose.

Discerning Grace (The White Sails) by Emma Lombard is an engaging and utterly compelling novel. At times it reminded me of Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine’s Black Sails. I am looking forward to Book 2 of what promises to be a an extremely engaging series.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club


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Emma Lombard was born in Pontefract in the UK. She grew up in Africa—calling Zimbabwe and South Africa home for a few years—before finally settling in Brisbane Australia, and raising four boys. Before she started writing historical fiction, she was a freelance editor in the corporate world, which was definitely not half as exciting as writing rollicking romantic adventures. Her characters are fearless seafarers, even though in real life Emma gets disastrously sea sick. Discerning Grace, is the first book in The White Sails Series.
To join the crew — head over to Emma's website. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram, and Goodreads.

Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for Ropewalk; Rebellion. Love. Survival (The Ropewalk series) by H D Coulter #HistoricalFiction #Ropewalk #BlogTour @coulter_hd

March 22nd – April 2nd 2021

Publication Date: 23rd November 2020
Publisher: Independently Published 
Page Length: 243 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

The North of England, 1831. 

The working class are gathering. Rebellion is stirring, and the people are divided. 

Beatrice Lightfoot, a young woman fighting her own personal rebellion, is looking for an opportunity to change her luck. When she gains the attention of the enigmatic Captain Hanley, he offers her a tantalising deal to attend the May Day dance. She accepts, unaware of the true price of her own free will. 

Her subsequent entanglement with Joshua Mason, the son of a local merchant, draws all three into a destructive and dangerous relationship, which threatens to drag Beatrice, and all she knows into darkness. 

Now, Beatrice must choose between rebellion, love and survival before all is lost, and the Northern uprising changes her world forever. 

We are stopping over on two fabulous blogs today. 

Our first stop is over on Let Your Words Shine… for a sneak-peek between the covers.

Click HERE.

Our second stop is over on Candlelight Reading for a fabulous review.

Click HERE.

Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for The Test of Gold by Renee Yancy #HistoricalRomance #BookReview #BlogTour @YancyRenee

March 15th – March 26th 2021

Publication Date: 15 March 2021
Publisher: Vinspire Publishing
Page Length: 335 pages
Genre: Historical Romance

Raised in the shadow of a mother who defied convention, but won’t allow her own daughter the right to make the same choices, heiress Evangeline Lindenmayer has been groomed since childhood to marry into the British aristocracy. 

When Lindy challenges her mother’s long-laid plans by falling in love with a poor seminary student, the explosion is bigger than the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks on Independence Day.

We have had so much fun on tour, I can’t believe this is the final day!

We are stopping over on two blogs today.

The first stop of the day is over on Linnea Tanner’s Official Blog for a final sneak-peek between the covers

Click HERE.

The final stop of the tour is over on Oh look, another book! for a fabulous review.

Click HERE.

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for Embers by Josephine Greenland #Excerpt #YoungAdult #BlogTour @greenland_jm

 

March 18th - May 20th 2021
Publication Date: 4th March 2021
Publisher: Unbound
Page Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Young Adult / Crime / Mystery
Two siblings, one crime. One long-buried secret.   17-year-old Ellen never wanted a holiday. What is there to do in a mining town in the northernmost corner of the country, with no one but her brother Simon – a boy with Asperger’s and obsessed with detective stories – for company?   Nothing, until they stumble upon a horrifying crime scene that brings them into a generations-long conflict between the townspeople and the native Sami. When the police dismiss Simon’s findings, he decides to track down the perpetrator himself. Ellen reluctantly helps, drawn in by a link between the crime and the siblings’ own past. What started off as a tedious holiday soon escalates into a dangerous journey through hatred, lies and self-discovery that makes Ellen question not only the relationship to her parents, but also her own identity.

Today, we are stopping over on Let Your Words Shine... for a fabulous author interview.
Click HERE.

Have a sneak-peek between the covers of Jen Yates fabulous book — Rules of Rebellion #RegencyRomance #HistoricalRomance @JenYates_

 

Publication Date: 12th April 2021
Publisher: Gyneva Books
Page Length: 321 Pages
Genre: Regency Romance

Lady Raquelle Adderley wished she’d been born a man.

Her cousin and partner in all rebellious activities has just set off on the adventure of a lifetime, riding to Moscow with her new husband.

Envious, bored and restless, what could be a better antidote than going to Paris disguised as a man to help Major Beaumont rescue a lady in trouble.

Major Alex (aka Griz) Beaumont believes ‘men should be men and women should be ladies’ and is not shy about stating his opinions.

What could possibly go wrong?

Then he turned the full force of his disapproval on Quelle.

‘Lady Raquelle. Forgive me if I seem underwhelmed by your collective feminine beauty but this is not how I am used to being greeted by well-born ladies of the ton. Though Jack has recently reminded me this is ‘Lady Lucy country’ so I do realize I should not be surprised.’

‘And clearly you’re not impressed, Major. So there is no need for us to detain you,’ Quelle responded heatedly.

The insufferable prig!

So this was the Major Beaumont Carly had told them about who had been so disapproving of Lucy even though her intervention in the skirmish at Maime had helped destroy the last link in Napoleon’s chain of supply. It had also saved Captain Arlington’s life and quite probably the earl’s. The Captain could not sing Lucy’s praises highly enough.

Her whole body stiffened with outrage on Lucy’s behalf.

To her surprise Jackson placed his hand on her arm. For all that they’d fought regularly for several weeks now, he’d never physically touched her. She was no demure, timid miss and if she felt the need to speak her mind she did, with a forthrightness and fire that her mother had despaired of curbing in her.

But the shock of Jackson’s touch stalled any further invective and she contented herself with glaring uncompromisingly at Major Beaumont.

Who, apparently lacking any gentlemanly attributes, glared right back.

‘Hold on, Griz. You won’t get any cooperation from the lady in that way. And you do want her cooperation, do you not?’

‘Lady,’ the Major scoffed. ‘I never saw anything less lady-like in my life.’

Quelle’s bristling hackles were immediately soothed by Jackson’s earthy chuckle.

‘Fetching nevertheless, you’d have to admit, Griz?’

To Quelle’s astonishment, the Major’s harshly sculpted cheeks were suddenly highlighted by a dull, burning red.

‘Ladies should be ladies and leave manly pursuits to men,’ he growled.

The sudden roiling heat in her belly meant this would not end well.

‘Then you’d not have the perfect solution to your problem. And you have to admit you came looking for Lady Lucy because she’s a lady who knows how to handle a sword and a pistol. She’s not here—but Lady Raquelle is. In fact she’s more suited to the job than Lady Lucy. Not so—um—’

Arlington, waving his hands vaguely in the direction of Quelle’s chest, for once seemed lost for words.

Not so the Major.

‘—feminine—where it counts? You’d get no argument from me on that score.’

‘That’s torn it,’ Arlington muttered as Quelle wrenched her arm free of his calming grip.

‘You sir,’ she ground out, thrusting her buttoned sword point into the Major’s broad chest, ‘are an unmitigated boor.’

‘Agreed,’ he came back at her with disconcerting honesty. ‘I make no apologies for my belief that men should be men and women should be ladies and I have little patience for anyone who thinks differently. It is, after all, the natural order. However, I do have need of such a personage to assist with a delicate mission and Jack insists that in the absence of Lady Lucy, you are the woman I need. In fact, as you hear him say, you are much more suited to the role since you don’t have her rather more obvious womanly attributes.’

Fury seared the breath from her lungs.

Quelle turned a disbelieving glare on the Captain.

She’d heard enough from the arrogant Major and was working up a furious utterance to the effect that he had even less idea of what constituted a ‘gentleman’ than she a ‘lady’, but he simply ignored her swelling ire and continued.

‘So—care to take up my challenge? I understand you’ve been lamenting not having a right-handed partner to train with while Lady Lucy is away. Will you fight me?’

With pleasure.

‘Buttons off?’ she demanded, stepping back a little and feeling decidedly bloodthirsty. The big, handsome boor would look very well spitted on her steel.

‘I think not.’

The infuriating man regarded her with a flash in the dark, grey eyes that might have been the hint of a smile, though Quelle had the distinct impression that smiling was something Major Beaumont was not accustomed to doing.

She stepped back and allowed her sword point to rest on the floor and watched with slowly building appreciation as the Major doffed his uniform tunic and tossed it to the dais.

In full uniform he had a presence any woman would appreciate. But as he turned back to her, the closely fitting shirt and buckskin trousers showcasing the long, hard, blatantly masculine lines of his body, Quelle had to prise her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

The Comtesse would have enjoyed this one—which was a very sneaky way of admitting that she herself was similarly impressed.

Amazon

Jen Yates is a great granny so has a few life years behind her. Thirty-three of those years were spent teaching at primary schools and a further six running her own antiques business. Auctions and garage sales became an addiction.

Regardless, there always had to be time for writing.

Now able to write full time and read whenever she wants, she considers she has the perfect life, and spends much of it skiving off with her characters, usually pen in hand and imbibing coffee at one of her favourite cafes. 

Born and raised in New Zealand and now living with her husband in the small rural village of Piopio in the King Country area of the North Island, she nevertheless feels a strong connection to England, as her forebears came from Devon and Cornwall.

Jen has written contemporary romance, erotica and past life travel, but her passion is romance set in Regency era England. Her heroines rarely conform to expectations, would definitely have been considered ‘Originals’, and since it takes an exceptional hero to tempt a strong and independent woman, you can expect sexy situations and impassioned confrontations.

Jen writes what she loves to read, a compelling, emotionally driven story that always delivers a deeply satisfying HEA.

Jen Yates also writes as one of ‘The Three Quills’, with Leigh D’Ansey and Caroline Bagshaw. Together they put out an anthology of three short Regency stories twice a year.

You can find out more about Jen over on her website • Twitter • Instagram.

Have a sneak-peek between the covers of A. L. Sowards' fabulous book — Of Sword and Shadow #Medieval #HistoricalFiction @ALSowards

 

Publication Date: February 8, 2021
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Page Length: 276 Pages
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Greece, 1379

She is known by many names, none of them her own. In truth, she is an unnamed slave, nothing more than a weapon in the hands of her owner in his attempts to provoke political mayhem. When she encounters a handsome young man while on an assignment, she thinks little of him—until he attempts to take what she has stolen. But in her line of work, failure is not an option.

Gillen is intrigued by the mysterious woman who thwarts his mission. But when his path crosses hers again, his intrigue turns to gratitude as the thief he comes to call Eudocia saves his life. The two form a bond of friendship and join forces to wrest control from a group of ruthless rulers. But as their camaraderie blossoms into something more, Gillen and Eudocia must fight for love even as they wage war for a better future.

Thebes, Greece, Spring 1379
I don’t remember the name my mother gave me. Nor can I recall each of the hundreds of names I’ve used since. But the morning I was to steal five sheets of paper from Don Paco de Folgueres, I would be Anna, if anyone asked.
Anna was a safe sort of name, giving few clues about a person’s birth or loyalties. Anna could be Greek, like most of the population. Or Anna could be a descendant of the Franks, who created the Duchy of Athens after they sacked Constantinople while on religious crusade. Anna could also be a Catalan, whose ancestors had worked for, then turned on the last Frankish Duke, Walter de Brienne. They’d defeated him in battle and ruled Thebes and the Duchy of Athens ever since.
Thomas and everyone else I knew called me Girl or Little Mouse. Names weren’t as important as abilities for people in our line of work, where failure could mean starvation, a flogging, mutilation, or exile but where a commissioned burglary might offer a chance to break from the gutters completely.
The Greek scribe who worked for Don Paco de Folgueres had a desk in a small stone room bordering the property’s central courtyard. Light from the room’s sole window illuminated the wooden writing surface and a second table with four books, a supply of paper, parchment, and papyrus, reed pens, and ink. I found the documents I wanted among his scattered papers and slipped them between my dalmatica and tunica. I didn’t always wear both layers—clothes were expensive—but Thomas had taught me to dress the part most likely to lead to success, so I was respectable today. At least on the outside.
The scribe was absent, and that made my task easy. But a complication in the form of a tall, brawny man appeared the moment I left the room. He was clean-shaven, and the hair reaching to the collar of his pourpoint was a few shades lighter than my raven locks. He had a straight nose and long ears, one of which was pierced with a gold earring. He gave me a friendly smile.
“Have you seen the scribe?” His words were Catalan but pronounced differently than what I was used to hearing from the class who ruled Thebes. I pretended not to understand. Perhaps if he thought I was Greek, he wouldn’t press me. I gave a small gesture of incomprehension with my shoulders.
He repeated his question, in Greek. That meant I would have to reply.“No. He seems to be out at the moment.”The man surveyed the scribe’s room, and I surveyed him, noting his pleasant face and hazel eyes. He looked closer to twenty than to thirty years of age. The fitted hosa western men wore were meant to show off their masculine legs, and his legs were certainly worthy of admiration. My favorite Anna, daughter of the Emperor Alexios Komnenos, would have noticed him, much as she had noticed and commented on the pleasant forms of the Frankish crusaders who had passed through Constantinople on their way to take Jerusalem during the FirstCrusade. She’d also dismissed the handsome knights as ignorant barbarians, and I thought it best to follow her example.
Now that I had the documents I’d come for, I was eager to get away from the tall man with the earring and from Don Paco’s home. “I hope you find him soon.” And I did. If the scribe was busy with the earring man, he was less likely to notice his missing documents.
“Thank you.” The man gave me a nod and entered the scribe’s room.
I left, forcing myself to walk at a normal pace across the sunny, paved courtyard, past the fountain and the marble statue that dated back to times before the Frankish invasion.
The scribe stood near the gates, speaking with someone I took to be a Moor. A line ran across the Moor’s face, from his left temple to his lips, a pale-pink scar against skin of rich brown. His inquisitive eyes glanced at me as I passed.
A polite person would have gone back to the scribe’s office to tell the man who was seeking him where he could be found. But I was polite only when politeness suited my task.
“You there, what’s your business?” One of Don Paco’s men stepped in front of me. He was clothed in mail armor and carried an arming sword and a crossbow.
I’d spoken in Greek when I’d met the man with the earring, and my clothing was more Greek than western, so I kept my identity as Anna the Greek, for the moment. “I was visiting one of the weavers, a friend. We grew up on the same street, you see. She wanted my opinion on whether the cloth she is making has a strong enough warp thread or if she should order something with more twists.” I continued in rapid Greek, uncertain if he understood my language while I compared the thickness of the supposed warp thread to the thinness of the made-up weft thread. As I spoke, I gave silent gratitude to Zoe, the silk maker who had always welcomed me into her workshop. I could talk about silk long enough to bore all but the most dedicated of weavers. The Catalan man-at-arms waved me on quickly. It seemed the silk trade was not his passion.
I relaxed as I walked along the streets of the Cadmea, Thebes’s fortified citadel. Don Paco’s property faded from view, then disappeared completely when I turned left after the bakery that sold the best durum wheat bread in the city. It also sold a more affordable loaf of summer wheat, barley, rye, and millet, and I was more familiar with the latter. I turned right after a wine merchant’s shop that specialized in muscat and malmsey. Then I ducked into a narrow side street.
I took off my hair veil, and I didn’t want to put it on again. The early spring sun shone pleasantly, and I was neither respectable nor Christian, but bareheaded women stood out, and I didn’t want that. I turned the veil over so my head was covered in blue instead of yellow and walked farther into the alley.
A tall man stepped out in front of me, blocking my path. The same man who had been looking for the scribe, but this time, there was no smile on his face. 




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A. L. Sowards is the author of multiple historical fiction novels, with settings spanning the globe from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries. Her stories have become Whitney Finalists and won a Whitney Award, reached the number one spot across multiple Amazon categories, received praise from the Historical Novel Society, and been loved by readers from a variety of backgrounds. She has called both Washington State and Utah home, and is now in the process of adding Alaska to the list. She enjoys hiking and swimming, usually manages to keep up with the laundry, and loves it when someone else cooks dinner. She lives with her husband, three children, and an ever-growing library.
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Welcome to Day #4 of the blog tour for Ropewalk; Rebellion. Love. Survival (The Ropewalk series) by H D Coulter #HistoricalFiction #Ropewalk #BlogTour @coulter_hd

 

March 22nd – April 2nd 2021

Publication Date: 23rd November 2020
Publisher: Independently Published 
Page Length: 243 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

The North of England, 1831. 

The working class are gathering. Rebellion is stirring, and the people are divided. 

Beatrice Lightfoot, a young woman fighting her own personal rebellion, is looking for an opportunity to change her luck. When she gains the attention of the enigmatic Captain Hanley, he offers her a tantalising deal to attend the May Day dance. She accepts, unaware of the true price of her own free will. 

Her subsequent entanglement with Joshua Mason, the son of a local merchant, draws all three into a destructive and dangerous relationship, which threatens to drag Beatrice, and all she knows into darkness. 

Now, Beatrice must choose between rebellion, love and survival before all is lost, and the Northern uprising changes her world forever. 

We are stopping over on two fabulous blogs today. 

Our first stop is over on The Writing Desk for a guest post.

Click HERE!

Our second stop is over on Books, Lattes & Tiaras for a fabulous review.

Click HERE!