Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 18
March 11, 2021
You have to check out N.L. Holmes' fabulous book — The Singer And Her Song #HistoricalFiction @nlholmesbooks
Uqnitum is a singer from a famous musical lineage in the kingdom of Mitanni. When the fall of their city to the Assyrians costs her the life of her husband and her youngest child, she and her pregnant, widowed daughter flee to the court of Ugarit. Haunted by guilt over her part in her husband’s death, Uqnitum’s increasingly unhinged personality becomes dangerous to the peace of her remaining family. Only by succumbing to her weakness does she learn the real nature of strength.
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • Apple Books • Google Books
N.L. Holmes is the pen name of a professional archaeologist who received her doctorate from Bryn Mawr College. She has excavated in Greece and in Israel, and taught ancient history and humanities at the university level for many years. She has always had a passion for books, and in childhood, she and her cousin (also a writer today) used to write stories for fun.Connect with N.L. Holmes:Website • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • Tumblr • Amazon Author Page
Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for Widow’s Lace by Lelita Baldock #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery @BaldockLelita @inkjunkie1984 @tonyriches
March 8th – March 19th 2021
Publication Date: 23 March 2020Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 242 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.
In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
We are stopping over on two blogs today.
Our first stop is over on Historical Fiction with Spirit for a spotlight.
Click HERE!
Our second stop of the tour is over on The Writing Desk where Cynthia is talking about the inspiration behind her books.
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule
Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for A Sword Among Ravens (The Long-Hair Saga) by Cynthia Ripley Miller #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #Excerpt @CRipleyMiller @coloursofunison @wendyjdunn
March 8th – March 19th 2021
Publication Date: 9th December 2020Publisher: BookLocker
Page Length: 267 Pages
Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble
In a grave, on the edge of a Roman battlefield, an ancient sword has been discovered. Legend claims it belonged to King David of Israel and carries a curse—those who wield it will tragically die—but not the chosen.
AD 455. Arria Felix and her husband, Garic the Frank, have safely delivered a sacred relic to Emperor Marcian in Constantinople. But now, Arria and Garic will accept a new mission. The emperor has asked them to carry the sword of King David of Israel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Arria will dedicate it in her murdered father’s memory.
As Arria and Garic travel into the heart of the Holy Land, they face many challenges and dangers. Their young daughter is missing then found in the company of a strange and suspicious old monk. A brutal killer stalks their path. And a band of cold-blooded thieves is determined to steal the sword for their own gains. But when Arria confronts the question of where the sword should truly rest—old friendships, loyalties, and her duty are put to the test like never before. At every turn, Arria and Garic find themselves caught in a treacherous mission wrapped in mystery, murder, and A Sword Among Ravens.
We are stopping over on three amazing blogs today.
Our first stop is over on MJ Porter’s Official Blog for a sneak-peek between the covers.
Click HERE!
Our second stop is over on Wendy Dunn’s Official Blog where you can read another fabulous excerpt.
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule
Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for The Lengthening Shadow (The Linford Series) by Liz Harris #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @lizharrisauthor @CaigJamie
March 1st – March 12th 2021Publication Date: 1st March 2021Publisher: Heywood PressPage Length: 360 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
When Dorothy Linford marries former German internee, Franz Hartmann, at the end of WWI, she’s cast out by her father, Joseph, patriarch of the successful Linford family.
Dorothy and Franz go to live in a village in south-west Germany, where they have a daughter and son. Throughout the early years of the marriage, which are happy ones, Dorothy is secretly in contact with her sister, Nellie, in England.
Back in England, Louisa Linford, Dorothy’s cousin, is growing into an insolent teenager, forever at odds with her parents, Charles and Sarah, and with her wider family, until she faces a dramatic moment of truth.
Life in Germany in the early 1930s darkens, and to Dorothy’s concern, what had initially seemed harmless, gradually assumes a threatening undertone.
Brought together by love, but endangered by acts beyond their control, Dorothy and Franz struggle to get through the changing times without being torn apart.
Head over to The Whispering Bookworm for a fabulous review!
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule:
March 10, 2021
Welcome to Day #4 of the blog tour for Widow’s Lace by Lelita Baldock #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery @BaldockLelita @authorrochelle
March 8th – March 19th 2021
Publication Date: 23 March 2020Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 242 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.
In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
Head over to The Historical Fiction blog for a fabulous Guest Post.
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule
Welcome to Day #4 of the blog tour for A Sword Among Ravens (The Long-Hair Saga) by Cynthia Ripley Miller #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #Excerpt @CRipleyMiller @tonyriches @Hannah29222984 @BookreviewB
March 8th – March 19th 2021
Publication Date: 9th December 2020Publisher: BookLocker
Page Length: 267 Pages
Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble
In a grave, on the edge of a Roman battlefield, an ancient sword has been discovered. Legend claims it belonged to King David of Israel and carries a curse—those who wield it will tragically die—but not the chosen.
AD 455. Arria Felix and her husband, Garic the Frank, have safely delivered a sacred relic to Emperor Marcian in Constantinople. But now, Arria and Garic will accept a new mission. The emperor has asked them to carry the sword of King David of Israel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Arria will dedicate it in her murdered father’s memory.
As Arria and Garic travel into the heart of the Holy Land, they face many challenges and dangers. Their young daughter is missing then found in the company of a strange and suspicious old monk. A brutal killer stalks their path. And a band of cold-blooded thieves is determined to steal the sword for their own gains. But when Arria confronts the question of where the sword should truly rest—old friendships, loyalties, and her duty are put to the test like never before. At every turn, Arria and Garic find themselves caught in a treacherous mission wrapped in mystery, murder, and A Sword Among Ravens.
We are stopping over on three amazing blogs today.
Our first stop is over on The Writing Desk for an interview.
Click HERE!
Our second stop is over on I got lost in a book for a fabulous review.
Click Here!
And out third stop of the day is over on B for Book Review for another wonderful interview!
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule:
Welcome to Day #9 of the blog tour for The Lengthening Shadow (The Linford Series) by Liz Harris #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @lizharrisauthor @hosborneauthor
March 1st – March 12th 2021Publication Date: 1st March 2021Publisher: Heywood PressPage Length: 360 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
When Dorothy Linford marries former German internee, Franz Hartmann, at the end of WWI, she’s cast out by her father, Joseph, patriarch of the successful Linford family.
Dorothy and Franz go to live in a village in south-west Germany, where they have a daughter and son. Throughout the early years of the marriage, which are happy ones, Dorothy is secretly in contact with her sister, Nellie, in England.
Back in England, Louisa Linford, Dorothy’s cousin, is growing into an insolent teenager, forever at odds with her parents, Charles and Sarah, and with her wider family, until she faces a dramatic moment of truth.
Life in Germany in the early 1930s darkens, and to Dorothy’s concern, what had initially seemed harmless, gradually assumes a threatening undertone.
Brought together by love, but endangered by acts beyond their control, Dorothy and Franz struggle to get through the changing times without being torn apart.
Head over to Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne for a fabulous review!
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule:
Welcome to Day #6 of the blog tour for Jude & Bliss by Mal Foster #HistoricalFiction #Victorian @malfosterwriter @CraftygasheadZo
February 4th – April 8th 2021
Publication Date: 12 November 2020Publisher: Publish Nation
Page Length: 234
Genre: Historical Fiction
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Book Depository
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 Zoe’s Art, Craft & Life where Mal is talking about the inspiration behind his book.
Click HERE!
March 9, 2021
#BookReview - Her Dear and Loving Husband (Loving Husband Trilogy, Book 1) by Meredith Allard #Paranormal @MeredithAllard
Publication Date: 13th November 2013
Publisher: Copperfield Press
Page Length: 336 Pages
Genre: Paranormal
How long would you wait for the one you loved?
Professor James Wentworth has a paranormal secret. He lives quietly in Salem, Massachusetts, making few ties with anyone. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth's death, James cannot move on.
Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares, and every night she is awakened by terrifying visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail--scenes from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must also dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined.
Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?
Part romance, part historical fiction, part paranormal fantasy, Her Dear and Loving Husband is a story for anyone who believes that true love never dies.
She heard words, phrases, echoing from somewhere. She wasn’t afraid. It wasn’t like being haunted or chased or dragged away by chains. It was as if she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.
Moving away seems to be the most sensible thing for Sarah Alexander to do. Leaving behind an old life, and recently divorced from a man she never loved, Sarah moves to Salem. If she wanted a change from the hustle of Los Angeles, Salem is where she would find it. Salem is a small and quiet town, so very different from the city she had spent so long living in. Salem is just the change she needs, and while she’s there, she might get a chance to discover more about one of her ancestors—an ancestor that she believed had died as a victim of the Witch Trials. Yet, Salem is a strange town, renowned for its connections to the supernatural, and warnings of ghosts at night might not be all she will encounter. Her dreams haunt her, for they were simply dreams in Los Angeles, but in Salem, they are nightmares. Within these dreams she sees a vision of a man, a family, a life that she does not know, and does not understand.
James Wentworth isn’t new to Salem, it is a place that he is incredibly familiar with, even more so than the other locals. However, he doesn’t know how to react when he sees his dead wife through the window of his house—but she doesn’t seem to know him. Sarah Alexander looks exactly like Elizabeth did. Such a thing could surely not be a coincidence?
Her Dear & Loving Husband by Meredith Allard tells the story of a love that cannot be broken by time. It is the story of two souls, bound together by fate and of how fate works its magic to bring them together.
While many live unaware, it is not difficult to believe that in a town such as Salem, not everyone is as normal, nor as human, as might be expected. For James, such a life is unavoidable, but a reporter has been going around, asking questions about him. The reporter is trying to uncover some proof that an unearthly creature lives in Salem. Should such proof arise, should the reporter be able to convince anyone, this could cause a repeat of the Witch Hunt in the modern-day and in a world so much more connected, this would be disastrous. Many of those convicted in 1962 were innocent, and it was the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives because of prejudices against them. It only took the smallest sign of witchcraft, or a fabricated lie fuelled by indignation for fingers to be pointed and warrants to be signed. How simple it would be to create hysteria, to release the information that would make people suspect their neighbours, to lie about people that had wronged them, to cause such death and destruction on a global scale.
James and Sarah’s relationship burns slowly, for James has been loyal to his wife since her death. Therefore, he feels somewhat hesitant. Does he like Sarah, or is he simply drawn to her because she looks like Elizabeth? While James is conflicted, Sarah is confused, for James is remarkably like the man in her dreams. How could she have dreamt about his house before she had seen it? Why did she recognise the gables, the diamond-paned windows, the tree in the garden? Furthermore, she has just left a relationship, a marriage—she is supposed to wait, to let time pass before she even thinks about looking at someone like that again. The confusion, the friendliness and the tension build between the two, slowly and beautifully, like the moon rising in the sky, the stars shyly showing themselves, and the light shining down, not as bright as the sun, but no less stunning. The desire, the want for the other, is clear within them both, but there are things holding them apart. As the moon will never meet the sun, James doesn’t know how close he can get to Sarah, and Sarah is unsure of how close she should get to James. However, she wants to know about the Witch Trials, to discover more about her ancestor, and to understand why she dreams of being shackled and jailed, and James seems something of an expert on the history. Despite her initial misgivings about him, she finds herself wishing he would ask to come in, coming up with any excuse to stay in the car just a little longer. She feels safe around him, much like in her dreams, she feels safe and loved by the unknown man, and likewise, he cannot stay away.
Both Sarah and James are incredibly engaging, believable protagonists. They are put through their own trials, and they fight their way through. Sarah may be in the dark about a lot of things, but James wants to protect her. How can he do that with a reporter poking around, who may or may not know the truth? How would Sarah react if she knew such truths, and how would her view of James change? Sarah’s dreams, the vivid recreation of a life so long ago, help to create an engrossing story, wherein one’s mind is constantly jumping from one conclusion to the next, so very like the Witch Trials in that you will believe anything until it is proven otherwise, and sometimes steadfast knowledge is not enough to break your resolution. It doesn’t matter what conclusion you come to, for the truth is one thing, but what is believed is something else altogether.
Sarah quickly becomes friendly with the head librarian, Jennifer, whose intuition is almost unnatural. Jennifer is such a wonderful woman, and an excellent friend to both Sarah and James, for despite knowing Sarah for such a short time, and James her whole life, she is as kind and loving to them both, always willing to drop everything and rush to help them, or to sit and listen as they talk to her. Her mother, Olivia, is much the same, and her shop, The Witches Lair, is exactly the kind of shop one might expect to find in Salem—full with incense, tarot cards and crystals, and Olivia fits right into her shop.
Her Dear & Loving Husband by Meredith Allard is an enthralling novel that threatens to mesmerise. The compelling narrative weaves together a setting that many know the name of, but not necessarily the specific events that made it so infamous. Allard has penned a captivating novel of the mystic nature in the town of Salem and how the love between two souls can prevail over the passing of time and anything that may impede them.
I Highly Recommend.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Amazon UK • Amazon US
Meredith Allard is the author of the bestselling paranormal historical Loving Husband Trilogy. Her sweet Victorian romance, When It Rained at Hembry Castle, was named a best historical novel by IndieReader. Her other books include Christmas at Hembry Castle; Down Salem Way, the prequel to the Loving Husband Trilogy; Victory Garden, a novel of the women’s suffrage movement; Woman of Stones, a novella of Biblical Jerusalem; That You Are Here, a contemporary sweet romance; The Window Dresser and Other Stories; and Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction. When she isn’t writing she’s teaching writing, and she has taught writing to students ages five to 75. She loves books, cats, and coffee, though not always in that order. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.Connect with Meredith:Website • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest • Goodreads
Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour for Widow’s Lace by Lelita Baldock #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery @BaldockLelita @ADarnGoodRead
March 8th – March 19th 2021
Publication Date: 23 March 2020Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 242 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes & Noble
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.
In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for Widow’s Lace. We are stopping over on two fabulous blogs today.
Head over to A Darn Good Read for a fabulous review.
Click HERE!
Tour Schedule
The Coffee Pot Book Club
- Mary Anne Yarde's profile
- 159 followers
