Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 27

#BookReview — Beware the Lurking Lizard (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton #HistoricalFiction #Tudors @VivienneBreret1

 

Publication Date: 28th 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 Henry VIII, 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?


The day a Howard gives up will be the one when England ceases to exist...
But Thomas Howard would do well to remember that Dame Fortune was a fickle mistress, and what she gave today she could just so easily take away tomorrow…
With a historian’s insight and an author’s understanding of what makes history worth reading, Vivienne Brereton has presented her readers with an utterly enthralling story about the House of Howard in the reign of Henry VIII. In her fabulous new release, Beware the Lurking Lizard (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) Brereton has captured the very essence of the era. Through the eyes of the Howard family, we bear witness to the events that led up to Henry VIII’s “Holy War” with France.
There is a timelessness to Brereton’s writing. Reading this novel was effortless, and the hours slipped by unnoticed as I lost myself within the pages of this remarkable book. Brereton’s passion for this era, and her recognition of what drove the Howard family ever onwards, as well as her understanding of human nature and how easily it can become corrupted, shines through in every sentence. This kind of novel makes fans of quality Historical Fiction set in the Tudor era awfully excited.
Money and the continuing lust for power are the driving force behind the narrative of this novel. As before in Book 1, much of the story of Beware the Lizard Lurking is told through the eyes of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Thomas was a character that I enjoyed reading about in Book 1, but he tried my patience in this novel. My initial fondness for this extraordinary man who had lived under the reign of six monarchs was tested. His ambition, his pride, and his desperate, one might say fanatical, desire that the House of Howards would survive and prosper to the end of time made for some unsettling reading, especially when Brereton depicts the lengths he was willing to go to if it meant achieving his aims. 
Despite his age, despite the physical disabilities that come with his advancing years, Thomas is determined to always be in the thick of the action and, more importantly, have the ear of the king. His realisation that the upstart, the Snake, Thomas Wolsey has become one of Henry’s most trusted advisers leaves an exceedingly bitter taste in his mouth and one he cannot seem to get rid of.
Thomas’ relationship with Wolsey was fascinating. Thomas has made Wolsey his enemy, his arch-enemy, and he is determined to dislike the man because of his position in court. But in his time of need, Wolsey is the one that comes to his aid, that drops everything to be with a man who is grieving the loss of his child. I felt for Wolsey during this book. He is a pawn, and a sometimes extremely unwilling one at that, for Henry’s over jubilant immature jests at Wolsey's expense to annoy Thomas. I thought Wolsey’s depiction was fabulous. He is an intelligent but extremely considerate man, who I liked very much. I am looking forward to reading more about his journey to power and then ultimate ruin in the following books in this series.
I could not help but weep for Elizabeth Stafford, and again this made me rethink my feelings for Thomas. Elizabeth “Lizzie” is all set to marry the man she loves, Ralph Neville. But the Howards, having learnt of this, are determined to put a stop to the wedding. The Howards’ ruthless and uncompromising desire to hold on to their power and increase their wealth turned my stomach. Like a condemned woman taking the final steps to the gallows, Lizzie is forced to marry Thomas’ son, who is also named Thomas. There is a viciousness, a cruelty in how this marriage came about, and it was an utterly heartrending scene to read. There are also echoes of the barbarity that Lizzie would be forced to endure in her marriage. Although there are some tragic losses in this novel, this forced marriage upset me the most. This desperate scene will stay with me for a long time. And Thomas, the elder, knowing what would become of Lizzie, for he knew his son well, might well have been moved to pity if it were not for the fact that such matters were no concern of his—and that attitude made me feel physically sick. It is fair to say, as Hartley noted, that *the past is a foreign country, but...this period’s sad reality demonstrates that women had few rights, and it really made me feel for all those women, and men also, who had been forced to wed, not for love, but because of duty and money.
There is an undercurrent of an upcoming war throughout this novel. Henry’s desperate desire, jovial excitement, and hellbent determination to pursue a costly campaign across the Narrow Sea demonstrates the recklessness that Henry approached his kingship. It also showed Thomas’ desire to stay in that inner circle that surrounded the king.
With careful use of foreshadowing, Brereton has hinted at events yet to come. Anne Bullen’s off-the-cuff announcement that she has no desire to grow old, and the innocent comments from Mary Bullen that she would never be in the position to upset the king, whereas Anne’s temper often got the better of her and would be more likely too, made for some chilling reading—especially as both sisters were young and innocent. This, I think, is one of the most significant challenges of reading Historical Fiction—you already know how it is going to end and, of course, as in this book, the story is based on historical people and events.
As I did with Book 1, I thought Brereton was incredibly ambitious to tell the Howard family’s story and the upcoming war from all sides. Despite the extensive cast list at the beginning of this novel, if you know nothing about this era, I fear you would find it challenging to keep up with who everyone was and what parts they had to play in this game of kingships and thrones. However, if you are fascinated by this era, this novel gives you a depth and an understanding of how relationships between the nations were plagued with difficulties, life-changing decisions and wavering loyalties. 
Brereton has given her readers a tautly gripping tale, and has breathed life into historical figures that have been dead for hundreds of years, and that is something that I cannot help but admire.
Beware the Lurking Lizard (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton is a work of extraordinary scholarship. It is certainly deserving of a place on your bookshelf.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.The Coffee Pot Book Club
*Hartley L.P: The Go-Between, Penguin Classics, 2004.
Amazon UK • Amazon US

Born between historic Winchester and Southampton in the UK, Vivienne has been passionate about the Tudors for as long as she can remember. This led to a degree in Medieval History at university, and the growing desire to write a novel.
However, life took over somewhat and only after stays, short and long, in six countries she called home did she finally settle down to finish her novel.
Words have always played an important part in her life, whether it's been writing, editing, teaching English, or just picking up a good book.
Having three sons came in very handy when she had to write about squabbles between the male characters in her novel. Not so handy when she took her boys to Hampton Court and one of them got lost in the maze!
Seeing 'A Phoenix Rising', the first book in the series 'The House of the Red Duke' in print for the first time was a moment of great joy for her. She very much hopes that anyone reading ‘Beware the Lizard Lurking’, the second book in the series, will enjoy the end result as much as she enjoyed writing it.
Social Media Links:
Website •  Twitter • Instagram • Facebook 

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for Len Maynard's fabulous book — A Dangerous Life (DCI Jack Callum Mysteries Book 2) #HistoricalFiction #Crime @len_maynard @MaddieS39950549

 

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 Oh look, another book! for a fabulous peek between the pages of A Dangerous Life.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for The North Finchley Writers’ Group By Richard Tearle, with Helen Hollick #ContemporaryRomance #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @lordf34 @HelenHollick

  

February 15th – February 19th 2021

Publication Date: 2nd February 2021

Publisher: Taw River Press

Page Length: 142 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

When a group of north London writers meet each month for a chat, coffee, and cake – what else is on their agenda? Constructive criticism? New Ideas? An exciting project? And maybe, more than one prospective romance...? Eavesdrop on the monthly meetings of the North Finchley Writers' Group, follow some ordinary people with a love of story writing, and an eagerness for success. Discover, along with them, the mysteries of creating characters and plot, of what inspires ideas, and how real life can, occasionally, divert the dream...
We are kicking off the tour for The North Finchley Writers’ Group with some fabulous blog stops.Head over to: Oh look, another book!Books, Lattes and TiarasB for Book Reviewfor a sneak-peek between the covers!

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2) by Vivienne Brereton @VivienneBreret1 @1BrookAllen

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?
Our first stop of the tour is over on Brook's Scroll for an interview.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour for The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @cameyrick1 @jroberts1324

 

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 The Books Delight for a fabulous review!
Click HERE!

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

The Coffee Pot Book ClubInstagram 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.

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Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for The Search (Across the Great Divide, Book II) by Michael L. Ross #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @MichaelLRoss7 @theodene

February 1st – February 19th 2021
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble • Kobo 
Publication Date: December 15, 2020Publisher: HistoricalNovelsRUSPage Length: 217 PagesGenre: 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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.  

“There are so many twists that pull the reader into the story that it’s easy to feel like you’re right there with Will and Dove!" Books, Lattes & Tiaras
Head on over to Books, Lattes & Tiaras to read the rest of the review.
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #9 of the blog tour for The Search (Across the Great Divide, Book II) by Michael L. Ross #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @MichaelLRoss7 @Beatric09625662

February 1st – February 19th 2021
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble • Kobo 
Publication Date: December 15, 2020Publisher: HistoricalNovelsRUSPage Length: 217 PagesGenre: 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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.  

“If ever a book is deserving of its own soundtrack then it is most certainly this one. The majestic beauty of the frontier has been brought vividly back to life in Michael L. Ross' new release…” Candlelight Reading
Head on over to Candlelight Reading to read the rest of the review!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for Jude & Bliss by Mal Foster #HistoricalFiction #Victorian @malfosterwriter @Beatric09625662

February 4th – April 8th 2021

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Book Depository

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!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mal Foster was born in 1956 in Farnham, Surrey and grew up in nearby Camberley. He was educated at secondary modern level but left school at just fifteen years old to help support his single mother and younger brother. It was around this time that he began writing, and indeed, his first poems were published soon after.  
In 2007 his most widely read poem The Wedding was published in the Australian Secondary Schools anthology Poetry Unlocked' a book that formed part of its English Literature exam curriculum. The irony of its inclusion has always amused Mal considering he left school before gaining any formal qualifications himself.  
A former local journalist, his first novel The Asylum Soul, a historical tale of incarceration was published in 2015. A second book, Fly Back and Purify, a paranormal drama appeared in 2017. Described as an explosive conspiracy thriller, An Invisible Nemesis was published at the beginning of May 2019.
In November 2020, his fourth novel, Jude & Bliss, was published and marked a return to historical fiction for Mal. "This book is close to my heart, it's the one, I think, which will define the course of my future writing," he told one observer.  
Connect with Mal:
Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook

Head on over to Candlelight Reading for a sneak-peek between the covers of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!