Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 24

#BookReview — Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome @BritonandDane

 

Publication Date: 14th February 2021Publisher: Independently PublishedPage Length: 306 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Rome. The jewel of the civilized world is no longer what it was. Strength has failed the Senate. Her legions are in disarray, and the Empire has fallen into Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus Nero’s hands. His reign begins under a cloud of scrutiny, for he is the depraved Emperor Caligula’s nephew. Nero is determined to overcome that stigma and carve a name of his own. One worthy of Rome’s illustrious history.Politics and treachery threaten to end Nero’s reign before it begins, forcing him to turn to unexpected sources for friendship and help. Many of the Praetorian Guard have watched over Nero since he was a small child, and it is in Traian that the young Emperor places his trust, despite the inherent threat of reducing his mother’s influence. Traian is the father he never had and the one man who does not judge him.When Traian secretly marries the hostage Vena, it sets in motion a collision of values as Traian comes to odds with his former charge. The whirlwind that follows will shake the very foundations of the greatest Empire the world has ever known, and survival is far from guaranteed.

I am Nero. And I am your Emperor.

Ruthless, ambitious, and determined to secure her position, Agrippina saw an opportunity and took it. Her son, Lucius, would become Emperor, and she cared not who she had to step over or kill to achieve that aim. Once her son had been named Emperor, Agrippina was determined to use his youth to her advantage, and rule through him. But she failed to see the danger of what she had created.

Traian Aelius Protacius had been assigned to protect Lucius when he had been a young, frightened boy in exile in Calabria. Lucius had been a compassionate child, a little boy desperate for love. But now, as a man, he was unrecognisable. His reign had started with such promise, but there was nothing of the boy in the Emperor who stood before him now. Traian would remain loyal to Nero—as he now liked to be called. He would be the one constant. He could not abandon him, no matter what he did, and yet nor could he save him. Instead, all he could do was watch while Nero rapidly turned away from his trusted advisors and instead listened to those who fed his ego, who bowed to his every whim, and who treated him like a god.

Deep down Nero knew that his hold on the throne would always be precarious. For in truth, the throne, like the laurel upon his head, was never meant to be his...

From a fearful young boy’s first night in the Imperial Palace to his descent into madness, Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal is the unforgettable story of one of the Roman Empire’s most notorious Emperors.

Nero is one of the infamous emperors whose history has been dictated by those who wanted to see his downfall. History, after all, is not written by the loser. Bernal does not pretend that Nero was a beloved emperor, but nor does she make him quite as monstrous as we have all been led to believe. He is a competent administrator; he takes advice from learned men such as Seneca, and although he is also greatly influenced by his mother in this story, Nero is compassionate when compassion allows. History has often accused Nero of causing the Great Fire of Rome so that he could build his ‘golden house’, but Bernal argues quite rightly that this was not the case at all, and in fact, he helped those who had lost their homes—it just so happened that the fire meant he could build his palace, which in turn meant he needed money and was not afraid to demand it! Bernal has also given us a Nero who is not opposed to murder, nor is he opposed to persecution. Someone had to take the blame for the Great Fire, and the Christians just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I thought Bernal’s depiction of Nero’s mental health, especially his guilt at some of the things he had done, demonstrated her understanding of human fragility and how easy it is to travel down a path of self-destruction. His childlike behaviour in Greece, his instance on winning the laurels at the Olympic Games, caused his sanity and, therefore, his rule to be questioned. He acted like a spoilt child, and he was, consequently, seen as such. But underneath it all, Bernal hints there is still a frightened little boy who just wants to be held by his mother and told that everything would be alright. Bernal has taken the historical sources and picked through the myths and the lies, and has given her readers a more rounded view of Nero and his time as emperor.

The antagonist in this novel is surprisingly not Nero but his mother. Agrippina was a survivor. She had been abused but had somehow managed to turn the tables and come out on top. She used her beauty, intelligence and her ruthless ambition to achieve her aim. I thought Agrippina’s depiction was fabulously portrayed. She is this powerful woman, who not only influenced her son but allowed him to be convinced that he was divine. Unfortunately, Agrippina made the terrible mistake of thinking she could control this monstrous man she had shaped and created. Agrippina was a character that initially I felt sorry for because of the abuse she had endured, and perhaps, to some extent, that abuse explained some of her behaviour - she wants to be in a position of power so that such a thing can never happen again. However, her lack of empathy, the lies, the manipulation of information, and how she makes her son dependent on her made for some disturbing reading. The abused becomes the abuser, and Bernal asks her readers if Nero ever stood a chance to become the man he wanted to become. And in fact, there are several moments in this novel where Nero realises that the boy he was, Lucius, has been devoured by this monstrous Nero that his mother had fashioned in her image.

Honour and loyalty is a theme that runs throughout this novel. Nero’s benevolent nature and youthful desire to change the world came through on the odd occasion, such as when he helps those in need after the Great Fire. On such occasions, he behaves honourably. But there are moments when his extravagance and debauchery and his belief that he rules by Divine right means he loses track of what is honourable and what is not. He becomes confused, baffled even, as to what he is meant to be doing. He believes that he rules supreme and everyone should bow down to him. He demands loyalty, which history teaches us and Bernal shows us, never ends well.

Unlike Nero, who struggles throughout this book with what is right and what is wrong, Traian does his very best to be an honourable person, and although at times he is disloyal, not to Nero, never to him, but to another that he loves, he takes that act of disloyalty and does his best to learn from it, which I think demonstrated how vastly different Traian was to Nero. Acte, much like Traian, remains loyal to the memory of Lucius the boy and that memory she would never betray. Nero is surrounded by good people in this novel, but he is influenced by the wicked because those who wish him well, who want to help guide him to follow the right path, fear that if they upset him or his mother, they could forfeit their lives.

Religion and religious persecution are also explored in this story. Initially, the Christians are tolerated, to an extent. Through characters such as Vena, Bernal examines the dangers of practising a faith that differed so very much from Roman theology. Paul of Tarsus makes several cameo appearances in this novel, and his beliefs put him at odds with the Empire. The slaughter of the Christians after the Great Fire was incredibly harrowing, but masterfully drawn.

This story demanded all of my attention from beginning to end. The narrative was utterly enthralling, and Bernal told Nero’s story with a keen understanding of what makes history worth reading. Bernal has brought Nero back to life, and she has explored that life with a profound sweep and brilliance.

Bernal writes with such elegance and authority, not to mention with a keen attention to the historical detail, that a reader can comfortably immerse themselves in this story. Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal is a must-read for anyone who enjoys quality Historical Fiction.

I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Mary Ann Bernal attended Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she received a degree in Business Administration.  Her literary aspirations were ultimately realized when the first book of The Briton and the Dane novels was published in 2009.  In addition to writing historical fiction, Mary Ann has also authored a collection of contemporary short stories in the Scribbler Tales series. Her latest endeavor is a science fiction/fantasy novel entitled Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire. Originally hailing from New York, Mary Ann now resides in Elkhorn, Nebraska.

 

Connect with Mary Ann: Website • Whispering Legends Press • Twitter.

Have a sneak-peek between the covers of Michael Stolle's fabulous book – The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg #HistoricalFiction #France @MichaelStolle16 @authorrochelle

 

February 16th – April 20th 2021

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?
Head over to The Historical Fiction Blog for a sneak-peek between the covers.Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #7 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1 @ADarnGoodRead

     

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 A Darn Good Read for a fabulous review:
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for Blood Libel by M Lynes #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @MLynesAuthor @BritonandDane

 

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 Let Your Words Shine... for an interview with M LynesClick HERE!

#HistoricalFiction author, Michael L. Ross, is talking about the inspiration behind his fabulous book - The Search (Across the Great Divide Book 2) #American @MichaelLRoss7

 

Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Publisher: HistoricalNovelsRUS
Page Length: 217 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Where do you go when home is no longer an option?
The guns of the Civil War have ceased firing, and the shots are but an echo... yet the war rages on, deep inside Will Crump's soul. His "soldier's heart" is searching for peace, and in that quest Will joins the westward movement, setting his path on a collision course with adventure, loss, and love.
The Westward Expansion floods the sacred, untouched lands with immigrants, bringing conflict to the Shoshone, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. Amidst the chaos Will finds safety in the shadow of the US Army, but the army brings battle-hardened troops into Red Cloud's War, pulling Will into a tornado of conflict. Broken treaties and promises leave both sides searching for answers. Will's search leads him to a battle for survival, and there he finds a love that could change him forever.
Dove, a young Shoshone woman, is a survivor of the Bear Creek Massacre. After being kidnapped and escaping from the Cheyenne, she joins Will's search, seeking where she belongs. Dove longs for more than the restricted role placed on women in her tribe. If she can learn to trust a white man, he just might help her find home... and hope.
Together, Will and Dove must search for understanding, and reach Across the Great Divide.

The Across the Great Divide series is inspired by looking at the middle and late nineteenth century in America and seeing many modern parallels. For the first book, The Clouds of War, I saw a deeply divided nation in 1859, with families splitting and taking opposite sides. As foreigners flooded through portals like New York, there were immigration issues, and enslaved persons attempted to flee to the free states. Racial prejudice was everywhere. There were riots in the streets like the Pratt Street riots in Baltimore when  Massachusetts troops came through town; There were tariff issues. The country was in a massive state of chaos and change.  I wanted to explore these problems and expose possibilities for better solutions.

On a personal level, I was born in Lubbock, Texas. One of the founders of Lubbock and Shallowater was William Dorsey Crump. I knew his granddaughter, a friend of my grandmother when I was a small child. I heard a few stories about Will back then, and as an adult, I grew curious. As I began to research his life and times, I found it fascinating, with a story that resonates today. 

Many of the people that appear in my books were real persons, though not all. For my present novel, Book 2 The Search, I had to be inventive – after the Civil War, when Will leaves a Union hospital in Virginia, he disappears from the historical record for five years. There are family indications that he went west. The period following the Civil War was the time of the great wars with Native Americans. I also was fascinated with recent scholarship on PTSD in Civil War veterans, called “soldier’s heart.” As I talked to people, even history buffs and professors, I discovered how little of these two topics, the Native American genocide, and post-Civil War PTSD, was written down. The Native Americans’ written history is mostly from a white point of view. I was sure there was a story there, and I thought Will could tell it.

Dove, the young Shoshone woman that Will falls in love with, is fictional but represents so many Native American women, then and now. 

I learned a great deal during the research for the novel, particularly unwritten Native American history, by talking to members of the tribes. I was fortunate to have the assistance of Darren Parry, Chairman (“Chief”) of the Northwestern Shoshone band, to learn some Shoshone language and culture, to get a feel for the heart of Native Americans, past and present. 

Darren Parry, Chairman (“Chief”) of the Northwestern Shoshone band
Image used with permission.

Our government still fails to keep the legal treaties ratified by our Senate and promotes the theft and desecration of Native American land. Racial problems with the African American community dominate the headlines, but equally severe issues with Native Americans receive little notice. 

The Search aims to show the effect of war, treachery, and avarice on individuals and Native Americans in a way that will humanize the stories of the past and point to better solutions today – as we reach Across the Great Divide between people.

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble • Kobo

Best-selling author Michael Ross is a lover of history and great stories. He's a retired software engineer turned author, with three children and five grandchildren, living in Newton, Kansas with his wife of forty years. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, and still loves Texas. The main character of "Across the Great Divide", William Dorsey Crump, is one of the founders of Lubbock and Shallowater, Texas. Michael knew Will's granddaughter when he was a child. He has written a scholarly article on Will Crump for the Texas Historical Society, published in the Handbook of Texas Online, and has sold short stories in the past. This is his first novel and the first in the Across the Great Divide series, now an Amazon bestseller.Michael attended Rice University as an undergraduate, and Portland State University for his graduate degree. He has degrees in computer science, software engineering, and German. In his spare time, Michael loves to go fishing, riding horses, and play with his grandchildren, who are currently all under six years old.
He sees many parallels between the time of the Civil War and our divided nation of today. Sanctuary cities, immigration, arguments around the holiday table, threats of secession - all are nothing new. Sometimes, to understand the present, you have to look at the past- and reach Across the Great Divide.  
Social Media Links:Website • Blog • Newsletter sign up • Twitter •  Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn

Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour for Len Maynard's fabulous book — A Dangerous Life (DCI Jack Callum Mysteries Book 2) #HistoricalFiction #Crime @len_maynard @linneatanner

 

Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with...

A Dangerous Life 

(DCI Jack Callum Mysteries Book 2)

By Len Maynard

February 8th – April 12th 2021

Publication Date: 28th July 2020Publisher: Sharpe BooksPage Length: 287 PagesGenre: Historical Crime Fiction
1959
A body of a man wearing theatrical make up is found hanging from a tree on Norton Common in Hertfordshire. He has been tortured and his throat has been cut.
DCI Jack Callum, a veteran policeman with his own rules for procedure, heads the investigation into this puzzling crime. The clues lead him close to the answer, but the solution remains elusive.
Why was the man killed?
What were the victim’s links to London’s gangland bosses?
When an unsolved murder is uncovered that appears to be connected to the case, Jack realises he must use his team to their full strength to separate the innocent from the guilty.
Jack also faces a challenge he never expected as he is accused of an improper relationship with a young Detective Constable on his team, Myra Banks.
In a breathless climax, Myra puts her own life on the line to deal with a figure from Jack’s past, who has now become a lethal threat in the present.

Head over to Linnea Tanner’s Official Blog for a fabulous peek between the pages of A Dangerous Life.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #4 of the blog tour for The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @cameyrick1 @wendyjdunn

 

1st February – 5th April 2021
Publication Date: 1st February 2020Publisher: Courante PublishingPage Length: 358 pagesGenre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
England 1586. Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was--unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft. 
Thomas Granville, an ambitious privateer, inspires fierce loyalty in those close to him and hatred in those he has crossed. Beyond a large dowry, he is seeking a virtuous and dutiful wife. Neither he nor Alyce expect more from marriage than mutual courtesy and respect.
As the King of Spain launches his great armada and England braces for invasion, Alyce must confront closer dangers from both her own and Thomas's past, threats that could not only destroy her hopes of love and happiness but her life. And Thomas is powerless to help.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Head on over to Wendy Dunn's Official Blog for a sneak-peek between the covers
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #6 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1@JudithArnopp @ADarnGoodRead

    

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 Judith Arnopp's Official Blog for a sneak-peek between the covers!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for Blood Libel by M Lynes #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @MLynesAuthor @jroberts1324 @BritonandDane

 

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?
We are kicking of the tour for Blood Libel over on The Books Delight.Click HERE!

Promote your book in front of the #Bookstagram community with The Coffee Pot Book Club's Instagram Weekend Book Blast Package #BookPromotion #BookMarketing

 The Coffee Pot Book Club

Instagram Weekend Book Blast Package 




Promote your book in front of the #Bookstagram community to gain recognition and get your book noticed.
An Instagram Weekend includes:
• 2 days of promotion• 2 personalised Instagram artworksTotal cost £25.00
You will receive one post a day across the weekend, whereby we will gain as much exposure as possible for your book within the #Bookstagram community.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
• On the weekend, your book must be on promotion for free and/or available on #KindleUnlimited. • The Coffee Pot Book Club makes no guarantee of sales during an Instagram Weekend. The focus of the promotion is for you to gain exposure.
• An Instagram Weekend must be booked at least two weeks in advance. We only run one event per weekend. Book early for the best choice of promotional dates.
Refunds
Once payment is remitted, no cash refunds will be made as we begin organising your promotion immediately.
If you would like to find out more, or book an Instagram Weekend, visit the contact page.