Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 23

Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1

  

 

     

February 15th – March 5th 2021
Publication Date: 12th February 2021Publisher: Yuletide PressPage Length: 302 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Welcome to the candlelit courts of Europe!
Uninvited guests at a secret wedding.  A frozen River Thames.
 May Day celebrations to remember.
 The young HenryVIII, with the aid of his chief advisor, Thomas Wolsey, and against the counsel of Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is hellbent on a so-called holy war with France. This puts him at odds with his Scottish brother-in-law, James IV of Scotland, and his older sister, Margaret. 
Both Tristan and Nicolas know that time is running out for them before they have to…enter the Church - and into an arranged marriage, respectively. In the meantime, they remain at loggerheads over pretty Ysabeau de Sapincourt, the spoilt young wife of the hapless Robert.
At La Colombe, near Ardres, in Picardy, spirited little Valentine is still making mischief as she sees fit.
Across the Narrow Sea, Cecily is perfectly content in her beloved Zennor Castle, in Cornwall. 
None of them know what Dame Fortune has in store for them. Will she allow them to follow their own paths…or has she got other ideas?
Head over to The Whispering Bookworm for a fabulous review.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for Blood Libel by M Lynes #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @MLynesAuthor @authorrochelle

February 22nd – March 5th 2021

Publication Date: 31st January 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 260 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Seville, 1495
The mutilated body of a child is discovered behind a disused synagogue. The brutal Spanish Inquisition accuses the Jewish community of ritual child murder - the ‘blood libel’. The Inquisition will not rest until all heretics are punished.
Isaac Alvarez, a lawyer working for the royal estate, is a reluctant convert to Catholicism who continues to secretly practice Judaism. When his childhood friend is accused of the murder Isaac is torn between saving him and protecting his family. Isaac is convinced that solving the murder will disprove the blood libel, save his family, and protect his faith.
As the Inquisition closes in how far will Isaac go to protect both his family and his faith?
Head over to The Historical Fiction Blog for a fabulous guest post.Click HERE!

Check out Laura Thomas' fabulous #NewRelease - Wednesday’s Child #HistoricalFiction #WW2 @LauraThomasWA

 

Publication Date: 25th February 2021Publisher: Olympia PublishersPage Length: 395 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
A captivating and moving story, set during the Second World War, portraying the extremely harsh living conditions endured by those both overseas and on the home front. The story follows the life and loves of Violet, and some very tragic events that beset her young life. She lost her parents at a very young age and was taken in and brought up by an elderly neighbour. At age fourteen, she obtained work at a factory and forged some lifelong friendships, which played an important role in her future. Violet joined the army at the age of seventeen, where she was exposed to the many horrors of war on the beaches of Dunkirk, but during war she found love. She married Stephen, a Regimental Sergeant Major in the army, but his many deployments to North Africa meant important family milestones were missed. His family supported Violet during his absence, but the question was, would he return from the war and would Violet finally find happiness?

Amazon UK 

Laura was born and raised in Manchester, studied Forensic Science at Staffordshire University before moving to South Wales where she has now settled. 
When not being a full time mum to her three children, Laura is an avid reader who has now turned her passion for books from reading to writing. Laura has also been passionate about writing, but it took adverse health conditions for her to take her writing to the next level and produce her first novel.
Twitter • Instagram • Facebook 

Head over to Oh look, another book! for a sneak-peek between the covers of Mal Foster's fabulous bog - Jude & Bliss #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 on over to Oh look, another book! for a sneak-peek between the covers of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #9 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1 @authorrochelle

 

     

February 15th – March 5th 2021
Publication Date: 12th February 2021Publisher: Yuletide PressPage Length: 302 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Welcome to the candlelit courts of Europe!
Uninvited guests at a secret wedding.  A frozen River Thames.
 May Day celebrations to remember.
 The young HenryVIII, with the aid of his chief advisor, Thomas Wolsey, and against the counsel of Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is hellbent on a so-called holy war with France. This puts him at odds with his Scottish brother-in-law, James IV of Scotland, and his older sister, Margaret. 
Both Tristan and Nicolas know that time is running out for them before they have to…enter the Church - and into an arranged marriage, respectively. In the meantime, they remain at loggerheads over pretty Ysabeau de Sapincourt, the spoilt young wife of the hapless Robert.
At La Colombe, near Ardres, in Picardy, spirited little Valentine is still making mischief as she sees fit.
Across the Narrow Sea, Cecily is perfectly content in her beloved Zennor Castle, in Cornwall. 
None of them know what Dame Fortune has in store for them. Will she allow them to follow their own paths…or has she got other ideas?
Head over to the Historical Fiction Blog for a sneak-peek between the covers.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #4 of the blog tour for Blood Libel by M Lynes #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @MLynesAuthor @stu_rudge

 

February 22nd – March 5th 2021

Publication Date: 31st January 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 260 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Seville, 1495
The mutilated body of a child is discovered behind a disused synagogue. The brutal Spanish Inquisition accuses the Jewish community of ritual child murder - the ‘blood libel’. The Inquisition will not rest until all heretics are punished.
Isaac Alvarez, a lawyer working for the royal estate, is a reluctant convert to Catholicism who continues to secretly practice Judaism. When his childhood friend is accused of the murder Isaac is torn between saving him and protecting his family. Isaac is convinced that solving the murder will disprove the blood libel, save his family, and protect his faith.
As the Inquisition closes in how far will Isaac go to protect both his family and his faith?
Head over to Stuart Rudge Official Blog for a fabulous guest post.Click HERE!

#BookReview — From the Ashes (The Colosseum Book 1) by Melissa Addey #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome @MelissaAddey

 

Publication Date: February 4th 2021
Publisher:  Letterpress Publishing
Page Length: 318 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built...
The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him. First in a new series.

From the threat of Pompeii in 80AD, to the ‘glamour’ of gladiator battles in the Colosseum, be transported to ancient Rome in this fast-paced and gripping historical fiction, taking us behind-the-scenes of some of the most extravagant entertainments the Empire ever witnessed. 

There’s always a sense of foreboding in any book which starts in Pompeii. As a reader, I feel a hint of nervousness, trying to think ahead, work out who will survive the disaster, and who will not. History has shown that the numbers are not on any character’s side, after all. Here, we know that Althea and Marcus must survive, but it’s the family and friends we meet in the opening pages I worry for. We know the disaster must hit, and soon, and the sense of threat really does hang over everything. 

Following a job offer he cannot refuse, and needing a scribe to help him with it, Marcus and Althea make their farewells, and head for the capital. Marcus is initially unwilling to take up his new role, but the anticipation of buying a little farm-stead and enjoying retirement just about convinces him to take on the greatest challenge of his career. This is no small-scale dinner party, or battle in Pompeii’s arena, after all – can he really bring about the magnitude of events that the Emperor will require for the inauguration of the Colosseum? One hundred days of games and entertainments? The men making the decisions believe he can. 

There is a detailed Author’s Note at the end of this novel, which I would usually mention at the end of the review, but it’s worth raising at this point. Despite it being one of the most famous symbols of ancient Rome, there is very little, practically nothing in fact, about the people who worked ‘backstage’ at the Colosseum, at any stage, including the inaugural events. And yet, given the scale of things, there simply must have been a huge group of people behind-the-scenes. It’s wonderful then, to give these people a moment in the spotlight, rather than focusing only on the gladiators and Emperors. 

In brilliant detail, we meet the teams who paint the scenery, create the souvenirs, capture and bring in the animals, train the gladiators, supply the criminals for execution and far, far more, all under the watchful eyes of Althea and Marcus. Marcus becomes Althea’s owner, much to Althea’s surprise, early on in the story, and her skills as a scribe are soon put to much better use than they ever have been for her previous master. 

When news reaches Rome that disaster has befallen Pompeii and others (how can towns and ports just ‘vanish’, people wonder, horrified), Marcus feels he must return home, to know for certain what has happened to his loved ones. We are with him and Althea as they convince a boatman to take them down the unrecognisable coastline, and are right beside Marcus, especially as he digs through the fresh ash, desperate to find any trace of his home. The devastation of the city, and those left behind, is well-captured, and Marcus’ reaction is believable and heart-breaking. 

There is little time to mourn though, as we are thrown from one problem to another, whether that’s keeping badly-travelling giraffes alive long enough, or ensuring there are enough toilet-cleaners on hand to deal with breaks in the entertainments (it seems some things never change!). 

At a wider level, Rome itself is going through a period of upheaval, with sickness and fire both threatening the city, and taking their toll on Marcus and Althea, through the loss of colleagues and, tragically, more close friends. This is as much a story of survival against the odds, as it is the entertaining of a pampered ruler. 

Despite my best intentions, I found myself racing through this book, speeding through over half of it in one night of very poor sleep. Whether in the rural comfort of Pompeii, or walking between the ancient temples of the Forum, I felt utterly transported back in time, with the sights, smells and sounds captured at every stage. We are in the rooms when people are on their sick-beds, we sit and share family meals, and we hurry through ash-and-soot-filled streets whilst Rome burns, just days before the Colosseum is due to open. We feel the despair of Marcus as he has to come to terms with what has happened in Pompeii, and the frustration of Althea, as she and Fausta, Marcus’ right-hand-woman from his former role, are forced to cover for him during his ill-advised absences from work. And we are there as Althea grows in confidence working alongside this man who was ‘given’ her with hardly a second thought. 

The relationship between the colleagues was a particularly interesting one, and I am certainly looking forward to reading more about their upcoming challenges in the rest of the series. Marcus and Althea especially, find themselves bound together by promises to which they gave hardly any credence as they were made, and yet became binding by subsequent events. The understanding which grows feels realistic, given their circumstances, and although I knew from previous history documentaries etc. that the opening events they were preparing for were particularly violent and graphic in nature, I found myself willing them to succeed every step of the way. 

In the midst of the wealth and apparent glamour of Rome though, and the still-famous Colosseum, what appealed to me most in this story was the ‘ordinary-ness’ of it all. We have all been there – a demanding manager, staff or colleagues who can’t / won’t deliver on time, suppliers struggling to meet demands – but reading about the seemingly mundane behind something so magnificent gives a real grounding to an ancient civilisation we all feel we know, even if we’ve never studied it, just by its sheer magnitude. It makes everything feel very real and relatable, and I love that in a piece of historical fiction. 

I Highly Recommend From the Ashes (The Colosseum Book 1) by Melissa Addey.

Review by Jennifer C. Wilson.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Amazon UK • Amazon US


Melissa Addey
I mainly write historical fiction, inspired by what I call ‘the footnotes of history’: forgotten stories or part-legends about interesting men and women. My first two series are set in very different eras: 18th century China and 11th century Morocco/Spain. My first novel, The Fragrant Concubine, was Editor’s Choice at the Historical Novel Society and The Cold Palace won the 2019 Novel London award.
To find out more about Melissa and her books visit her website.  You can also find Melissa on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Welcome to Day #1 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

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.
We are kicking off the tour over on The Writing Desk where Paul is talking about the inspiration behind his novel.Click HERE!
We are also stopping over on Adventures of a Tudor Nerd where Paul for a fabulous guest post.Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #8 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1

      

February 15th – March 5th 2021
Publication Date: 12th February 2021Publisher: Yuletide PressPage Length: 302 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Welcome to the candlelit courts of Europe!
Uninvited guests at a secret wedding.  A frozen River Thames.
 May Day celebrations to remember.
 The young HenryVIII, with the aid of his chief advisor, Thomas Wolsey, and against the counsel of Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is hellbent on a so-called holy war with France. This puts him at odds with his Scottish brother-in-law, James IV of Scotland, and his older sister, Margaret. 
Both Tristan and Nicolas know that time is running out for them before they have to…enter the Church - and into an arranged marriage, respectively. In the meantime, they remain at loggerheads over pretty Ysabeau de Sapincourt, the spoilt young wife of the hapless Robert.
At La Colombe, near Ardres, in Picardy, spirited little Valentine is still making mischief as she sees fit.
Across the Narrow Sea, Cecily is perfectly content in her beloved Zennor Castle, in Cornwall. 
None of them know what Dame Fortune has in store for them. Will she allow them to follow their own paths…or has she got other ideas?
Head over to the Ecelectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne for a spotlight of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour for Blood Libel by M Lynes #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @MLynesAuthor @loup_dargent

February 22nd – March 5th 2021

Publication Date: 31st January 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 260 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Seville, 1495
The mutilated body of a child is discovered behind a disused synagogue. The brutal Spanish Inquisition accuses the Jewish community of ritual child murder - the ‘blood libel’. The Inquisition will not rest until all heretics are punished.
Isaac Alvarez, a lawyer working for the royal estate, is a reluctant convert to Catholicism who continues to secretly practice Judaism. When his childhood friend is accused of the murder Isaac is torn between saving him and protecting his family. Isaac is convinced that solving the murder will disprove the blood libel, save his family, and protect his faith.
As the Inquisition closes in how far will Isaac go to protect both his family and his faith?
Head over to  LoupDargent.info for a sneak-peek between the covers.Click HERE!