Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 13

Welcome to Day #9 of the blog tour for The Test of Gold by Renee Yancy #HistoricalRomance #TheTestOfGold #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.

Today we are stopping over on two fabulous blogs.

The first stop of the day is over on The Historical Fiction Blog where you can have sneak-peek between the covers

Click HERE.

You can have another sneak-peek over on Emma Lombard’s Official Blog.

Click Here.

Welcome to Day #8 of the blog tour for Jude & Bliss by Mal Foster #HistoricalFiction #Victorian @malfosterwriter

FEBRUARY 4TH – APRIL 8TH 2021

Publication Date: 12 November 2020

Publisher: Publish Nation

Page Length: 234

Genre: Historical Fiction

In the Victorian era, for many young women, going into domestic service was a significant source of employment where they found suitable work but with extended hours for a reasonable salary, receiving free accommodation as well as enjoying the perks and prestige of working for the aristocracy or other members of the upper or middle-classes. As a matter of course, employers had a moral obligation, but one without a legal requirement to ensure their servants were kept clean, healthy and well-nourished. However, for one poor girl, that, unfortunately, was not the case. In 1896, Jude Rogers, a wide-eyed but vulnerable sixteen-year-old from Woking, Surrey, secures a position as a domestic servant at a large terraced house in Half Moon Street, near London's Piccadilly. Following a brief settling-in period, she quickly realises everything is not quite as it seems. As time moves ruthlessly forward, what happens next is almost beyond comprehension. Jude finds herself in the most impossible of situations and finally succumbs to the pure evil dealt out by her employer. This story is NOT for the faint-hearted!
Head over to Historical Fiction With Spirit for a sneak-peek between the covers.
Click HERE.

#BookReview — The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg (The French Orphan Series, Book 6) by Michael Stolle #HistoricalFiction @MichaelStolle16

 

Publication Date: 27th December 2020
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 223 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance / Adventure
It’s 1646 and infant King Louis XIV reigns over France; wily Cardinal Mazarin holds the reins of power - but he needs money, desperately.
Armand de Saint Paul, the younger son of a great and rich noble house, is leading a carefree life in Paris, dedicating his time to such pleasures as gambling, hunting and amorous pursuits.
Unexpectedly, Armand has to defend the honour of his house in a duel that transpires to be a deadly trap, set up by a mighty foe of the house of Saint Paul.
Will Armand be able to escape the deadly net of intrigue that soon threatens to destroy him?
How can a young man deal with love, when it’s no longer a game, but a dream beyond reach?
The leading question is: What is going on behind the façade that is Castle Kaysersberg, where nothing is as it seems to be … until the day when the dark shadows come alive?

The huge fir trees soaring from the dense thicket so far had looked to Armand pristine and picturesque with their fresh caps of snow. But the picture of beauty had lost its appeal as he imagined howling, slobbering monsters hiding behind them.

Armand de Saint Paul has quite the reputation in Paris—he is popular among the ladies and spends his time at the gambling table or tangled in the sheets of women’s beds. When his older brother befalls a tragic hunting accident, no one assumes any wrongdoings, for it was just that—an accident. However, when Armand jumps to defend his family’s honour from Gilbert de Lantenay, an unlikely opponent and one who has never lost a duel, suspicions arise. The surfacing of information that the death of the Saint Paul heir and the circumstances of the duel may not be coincidental or, indeed, accidental, leaves Armand with no choice but to get out of Paris for the sake of saving his own life.

The castle of Kaysersberg holds many secrets, ones that cannot be discovered until one is inside the walls with no clear path of escape. Lady Elisabeth, the ward of Count Guilleaume, dresses plainly and blends into the background, allowing Countess Catherine to shine in the spotlight. However, when the man who calls himself Armand de Pauligny arrives at the castle, staying as a guest, it is clear that the Lady Catherine, despite her jewels and cunning flirtations, is held in no regard in Armand’s eyes. Instead, the twinkle in Elisabeth’s eye, the mischief, the beauty and joy that she is repressing for the sake of appeasing Lady Catherine’s temper is what Armand finds himself looking for during his stay at the seemingly welcoming castle.

From the intricate network of the Cardinal Mazarin to a fight for survival, The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg (Book Six in the French Orphan Series) by Michael Stolle tells the story of a love that blooms in the most unordinary of circumstances and shines a light on the secrets hiding in the shadows of the family of Count Guilleaume of Kaysersberg.

It may be hard to imagine that the immaturity of Armand de Saint Paul would grow so dramatically, from a boy, adored by the ladies and welcomed at the gambling dens, to a man, willing to do anything to protect the woman he loves, but this has been achieved in such a gripping way that it is difficult to comprehend the work that has gone into this novel. Armand is an incredibly believable protagonist and the journey that his life takes him on, in the bid to escape the same accidental death that befell his brother, is an absolute pleasure to read about.

The Crown needs money urgently, and the House of Saint Paul is the wealthiest house in France. Cardinal Mazarin will stop at nothing to get his hands on the money, for such a sum would be fortunate for both himself and France. Should the sons of the Saint Paul family become indisposed, either by losing their lives or by obtaining a high position in the Church that one couldn’t refuse, there would be no heirs left and no more heirs to come who could inherit the fortune. Of course, such an event would leave such riches to fall to the Crown, and Cardinal Mazarin. The lengths that Cardinal Mazarin will go to, not only to remove all obstacles standing in the way of the fortune, but to cover up his involvement, show how Cardinal Richelieu’s scholar had learnt from the master, to connive and give the means for the Saint Paul sons to be dealt with. Such an antagonist, while in the background of the novel, has to be commended.

Despite the threat to his life that Cardinal Mazarin presents, Armand has a skill for finding himself in increasingly worse situations, and likewise, a talent for getting himself out of them. Lady Elisabeth may have caught the attention of his eyes and his heart, but Lady Catherine has other plans, and she is not used to being refused. The luxury of the castle and the pretences it holds may distract from the lies and deceits, but nothing can stop the shadows creeping in, and no lie can remain hidden forever.

Lady Elisabeth and Armand’s relationship is a wonder to behold and a joy to read as their friendship and love develop. Elisabeth may be just a ward, staying out of trouble and keeping herself away from the unforgiving disposition of Lady Catherine’s icy temper, but she is the warmth to Lady Catherine’s cold, the candle shining the light that reveals what is hiding in the shadows. While in Paris, Armand is well known for his exploits with the ladies, in Kaysersberg he is hiding under a false name and pretences that may be the death of him should they be discovered. However, with Elisabeth so close to him, so beautiful and under-appreciated in the castle, how could he help giving his heart to her? Both are hiding their true selves, putting on airs to fit in and to stay safe, but in the moments they get to themselves, when they can reveal to each other their feelings, there is light and joy, and Elisabeth’s teasing and adventurous temperament shines through. Their relationship has been penned with such a compelling nature that Stolle is clearly the ideal commentator for such a forbidden, yet desperately desired, pairing.

Pierre, Marquis de Beauvoir, may not be at the forefront of this novel, but his presence would be sorely missed should he not make an appearance. Where Armand de Saint Paul is, one can be sure that Pierre de Beauvoir is not far behind, for the two are inseparable, like brothers looking for their next adventure. When Armand is in trouble, it does not take much convincing to get Pierre to help him, and when terrible news reaches Pierre, news that means he can no longer be assured of Armand’s safety, he journeys to find his best friend and, if possible, to help him. The friendship between Pierre and Armand is one of two boys that have grown up together, an unbreakable bond that stretches the distance that is forced between them. This friendship further validates the fact that Stolle possesses the eye of a great novelist for human detail, which is written with such energy that it will enthral you with the portrayal.

The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg (Book Six in the French Orphan Series) by Michael Stolle brings to life a story with realism that is almost tangible. There is no doubt about the hours of research that have gone into this book, for the setting is well researched and leaves nothing to the imagination, every fact backed by confident and thorough research. Stolle has a visceral ability to pen a novel that is both immensely readable and written with such brilliance that it makes history come alive on the page. 

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Ellie Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.


Amazon UK • Amazon US




Born in 1957, living and educated in Europe, Michael Stolle has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.
He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall...
You can find Michael on Twitter.

Welcome to Day #3 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 Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne for a wonderful review.

Click HERE.

Our second stop is over on The Whispering Bookworm where you can have a sneak-peek between the covers.

Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #8 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.

Today we are stopping over on two fabulous blogs.

The first stop of the day is over on Seduction, Scandals & Spies for sneak-peek between the covers.

Click HERE.

The second stop of the day is over on The Book Bandit’s Library for a fabulous review.

Click HERE.

Welcome to Day #5 of the #audio blog tour for State of Treason (Book 1, William Constable Spy Thrillers) By Paul Walker, Narrated by Edward Gist #HistoricalFiction @PWalkerauthor

 

February 24th - April 28th 2021
Publication Date: February 2021

Publisher: Audible Studios

Page Length: 317 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction
Amazon Audio

London, 1578
William Constable is a scholar of mathematics, astrology and practices as a physician. He receives an unexpected summons to the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham in the middle of the night. He fears for his life when he spies the tortured body of an old friend in the palace precincts.
His meeting with Walsingham takes an unexpected turn when he is charged to assist a renowned Puritan, John Foxe, in uncovering the secrets of a mysterious cabinet containing an astrological chart and coded message. Together, these claim Elizabeth has a hidden, illegitimate child (an “unknowing maid”) who will be declared to the masses and serve as the focus for an invasion.
Constable is swept up in the chase to uncover the identity of the plotters, unaware that he is also under suspicion. He schemes to gain the confidence of the adventurer John Hawkins and a rich merchant. Pressured into taking a role as court physician to pick up unguarded comments from nobles and others, he has become a reluctant intelligencer for Walsingham.Do the stars and cipher speak true, or is there some other malign intent in the complex web of scheming?
Constable must race to unravel the threads of political manoeuvring for power before a new-found love and perhaps his own life are forfeit.
Our first stop of the day is over on Let Your Words Shine... with an audio excerpt.
Click HERE.
The Second stop of the day is over on The Books Delight where State of Treason is in the spotlight!
Click HERE.

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for A Matter of Conscience: Henry VIII, The Aragon Years by Judith Arnopp #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JudithArnopp

 

17th March – 19th May 2021

Publication Date: February 2021

Publisher: Feed a Read

Page Length: 335 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

‘A king must have sons: strong, healthy sons to rule after him.’

On the unexpected death of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, his brother, Henry, becomes heir to the throne of England. The intensive education that follows offers Henry a model for future excellence; a model that he is doomed to fail.

On his accession, he chooses his brother’s widow, Catalina of Aragon, to be his queen. Together they plan to reinstate the glory of days of old and fill the royal nursery with boys. 

But when their first-born son dies at just a few months old, and subsequent babies are born dead or perish in the womb, the king’s golden dreams are tarnished.

Christendom mocks the virile prince. Catalina’s fertile years are ending yet all he has is one useless living daughter, and a baseborn son.

He needs a solution but stubborn to the end, Catalina refuses to step aside.

As their relationship founders, his eye is caught by a woman newly arrived from the French court. Her name is Anne Boleyn.

A Matter of Conscience: the Aragon Years offers a unique first-person account of the ‘monster’ we love to hate and reveals a man on the edge; an amiable man made dangerous by his own impossible expectation

We are stopping over on two fabulous blogs today!

The first stop is over on Oh look, another book! for a sneak-peek between the covers.

Click HERE.

The second stop of the day is over on The Writing Desk for a really interesting guest post.

Click HERE!

#BookReview — A Woman's Lot (The Meonbridge Chronicles, Book 2) by Carolyn Hughes #Medieval #HistoricalFiction @writingcalliope

 

Publication Date: 28th September 2019
Publisher: Riverdown Books 
Page Length: 340 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

How can mere women resist the misogyny of men?
1352. In Meonbridge, a resentful peasant rages against Eleanor Titherige’s efforts to build up her flock of sheep. Susanna Miller’s husband, grown melancholy and ill-tempered, succumbs to idle gossip that his wife’s a scold. Agnes Sawyer’s yearning to be a craftsman is met with scorn. And the village priest, fearful of what he considers women’s “unnatural” ambitions, is determined to keep them firmly in their place.
Many men hold fast to the teachings of the Church and fear the havoc the “daughters of Eve” might wreak if they’re allowed to usurp men’s roles and gain control over their own lives.
Not all men in Meonbridge resist the women’s desire for change – indeed, they want it for themselves. Yet it takes only one or two misogynists to unleash the hounds of hostility and hatred…

“What’s this I just heard,’ roared Will, ‘’bout you stealing Missus Titherige’s sheep?’ ”

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and it wasn’t as if Eleanor Titherige was going to notice that three ewes were missing from her flock.

Unfortunately for Luke and his young and somewhat simple cousin, Arthur, Eleanor and her shepherd, Walter, did indeed notice that they were missing. Eleanor is determined to find her missing sheep, not only because they belong to her, but because she fears for their welfare as all three are heavily pregnant.

When the missing sheep are finally found, it is too late to save them, for the boys had failed in the most basic of animal husbandries. 

In these troubled times, one could expect no leniency for theft. If one could not pay the compensation to the aggrieved party, they would pay by losing a limb, or in a worst-case scenario, it would result in the thief dancing from the end of a rope. Luke is determined to avoid arrest, and so he flees with his young cousin into the woods. But it will only be a matter of time before the authorities find them…

From a devious and ill-conceived plan to steal some sheep to a shocking truth told in front of a jury, A Woman’s Lot (The Meonbridge Chronicles, Book 2) by Carolyn Hughes is, in all ways, a Historical Fiction triumph.

Having read Fortune’s Wheel (The Meonbridge Chronicles, Book 1), it was with an eager anticipation that I began to read Book 2. I expected big things from this novel because Hughes is an accomplished writer who has a gift for bringing the past vividly back to life. Hughes’ compelling narrative and her striking portrayal of a hard-up and, for the most part, hard-working community, made this book not only utterly compelling from beginning to end but also one that is shamelessly enthralling. I am not ashamed to admit that this book exceeded all my expectations. I did not read this story. I lived it!

The story is set in the village of Meonbridge, whose occupants had been ravaged by the Black Death and are now trying most desperately to put back the pieces of their shattered hearts. For some, life will never be the same again, whereas for others, despite the heartache of loss, this was an opportunity to become more, to earn more, and to, despite the aristocracy’s thoughts on the matter, finally have more of a say on how they lived and how much they were paid.

Unlike most novels set during this era, we do not read the story from the aristocracy’s perspective, although Sir Richard and Lady Margaret du Bohun do make several cameo appearances. Instead, this novel tells the story from the perspective of the common folk—the cottars, the millers, the carpenters and the shepherds. More surprising still, this story does, for the most part, follow the lives of three very different women.

Many women were left widowed, and their children snatched away from them because of the Death, but those who survived had to find a way to make the best of it and carry on. This unwavering determination to push forward make all three women whose story we follow in this novel intensely gripping. Eleanor Titherigh lost everyone to the Death, bar her step-brother, and now she is determined to raise a fine flock of sheep. Agnus Sawyer wants to learn her husband’s trade; she is convinced that she could learn to be a carpenter and make the most splendid things out of wood as her husband does. Susanna Miller, however, would have loved to help her husband run the mill, even if it were just keeping the books, but her husband will have none of it, and even Agnus’ husband was having second thoughts about letting his wife work alongside him. Could it be because of the sermons of Master Hugo Garret? Garret does nothing to hide his contempt and hatred of the fairer sex, and as he is a man of God, then what he preaches must be true. Hughes has brought this vast array of very different characters to life with a bold and successful sweep of her quill, and the story she has told is quite simply unputdownable.

This novel’s historical setting has clearly been painstakingly researched, but Hughes also has an empathetic understanding of human nature. The indoctrination of men such as Henry Miller and Jack Sawyer by the misogynist priest was really unsettling, as was their treatment of their wives as they began to listen to the evils of a man who claimed to be speaking God’s word. Likewise, with Jack, he also listens to master craftsman, who claim that a woman could not possibly become skilled in a craft such as theirs. For woman such as Angus, this is terribly upsetting, for she feels as if she has failed as a mother and a wife, but also she feels as if she has failed herself. She is forced to give up the craft she enjoyed but she is still being judged unfairly because she has difficulty keeping control of her boisterous young children. As is often the case in societies that belittle and demean women, there really is no chance of escape.

To make matters worse, there are those who thrive on gossip. There are women who smile to your face and whisper falsehoods behind your back because they have nothing better to do with their sad, pathetic lives. I have always found it very difficult to understand what makes such people tick. Some delight in destroying another’s character without regret or thought, but on the flip side, there are women in this novel like Eleanor who wants Luke and Arthur to be called to account for their crimes, but she does not want them to hang for it either. She is conflicted, as many women in this novel are.

Hughes also depicts the injustice of the justice system during this era. Court cases could be hurried along and the right whisper in the right ear did, in some cases, ensure a biased verdict. I was also surprised that those accused of a crime could be held in a cell for years before their case was brought towards the King’s Justice. It was a very sobering thought.

The Meonbridge Chronicles is as mesmerising as Winston Graham’s Poldark series. There is injustice, poverty, but also hope and romance. I could have very easily read another thousand pages, and my attention would not have wavered. This is a series that deserves to be read and enjoyed. It is certainly deserving of a place upon your bookshelf.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.


Amazon UK • Amazon US


Carolyn Hughes was born in London, but has lived most of her life in Hampshire. After a first degree in Classics and English, she started her working life as a computer programmer, in those days a very new profession. It was fun for a few years, but she left to become a school careers officer in Dorset.
But it was when she discovered technical authoring that she knew she had found her vocation. She spent the next few decades writing and editing all sorts of material, some fascinating, some dull, for a wide variety of clients, including an international hotel group, medical instrument manufacturers and the Government.
She has written creatively for most of her adult life, but it was not until her children grew up and flew the nest, several years ago, that creative writing and, especially, writing historical fiction, took centre stage in her life.
She has a Masters in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University, and a PhD from the University of Southampton.
Connect with Carolyn: Website • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads.

Welcome to Day #2 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 M J Porter’s Official Blog for a wonderful guest post.

Click HERE.

Our second stop is over on Judith Arnopp’s Official Blog where Ropewalk; Rebellion. Love. Survival is in the spotlight!

Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #7 of the blog tour for The Test of Gold by Renee Yancy #HistoricalRomance #TheTestOfGold #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.

Today we are stopping over on two fabulous blogs.

The first stop of the day is over on the Magic of Wor(l)ds where The Test of Gold is in the spotlight!

Click HERE.

The second stop of the day is over on Candlelight Reading for a fabulous review.

Click HERE.