Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 41

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for Beneath Black Clouds and White by Virginia Crow #HistoricalFiction #FrenchRevolution @DaysDyingGlory @BritonandDane

 

4th January – 15th January 2021

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Smashwords • Kobo •  Barnes and Noble 

Publication Date: 11th April 2019Publisher: CrowvusPrint Length: 637 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction/Military Fiction/Family Saga
Despite adoring his family and enjoying frequenting gaming tables, Captain Josiah Tenterchilt’s true love is the British Army and he is committed to his duty. As such, he does not hesitate to answer the army’s call when King Louis XVI of France is executed.
Accompanied by his wife to Flanders, Josiah finds his path crosses with a man who could not be more different from him: an apprentice surgeon named Henry Fotherby. As these two men pursue their own actions, fate and the careful connivance of a mysterious individual will push them together for the rest of their lives.
But it is a tumultuous time, and the French revolutionaries are not the only ones who pose a threat. The two gentlemen must find their place in a world where the constraints of social class are inescapable, and ‘slavery or abolition’ are the words on everyone’s lips.
Beneath Black Clouds and White is the prequel to Day's Dying Glory, which was published by Crowvus in April 2017.
Head on over to Let Your Words Shine... to find out about the inspiration behind this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for A Rooster for Asklepios (A Slave's Story Trilogy, Book 1) By Christopher D. Stanley #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @aslavesstory @CraftygasheadZo

 
January 4th – January 15th 2021
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU 

Publication Date:  May 23rd 2020
Publisher: Amelia Books
Page Length: 522 pages Genre: Historical Fiction
Marcus, a slave in the household of Lucius Coelius Felix, enjoys a better life than most slaves (and many free citizens) as the secretary and accountant of a wealthy aristocrat.  His master is rising in the civic life of the Roman colony of Antioch-near-Pisidia (central Turkey), and his responsibilities and income are growing as well. If this continues, he could soon earn enough to buy his freedom, set up a small business, and even marry.  
Then misfortune strikes, and his master falls into a deep depression that is exacerbated by a nagging illness that his physician is unable to cure.  The future looks bleak until the physician receives a dream from the healing god Asklepios calling Lucius to travel hundreds of miles across western Asia Minor to his sanctuary at Pergamon for treatment and, he hopes, a cure. Accompanied by Marcus and his new wife Selena, Lucius embarks on a long and eventful journey in which both master and slave encounter people and ideas that challenge long-held beliefs about themselves, their society, and the world around them.  Values are questioned, loyalties tested, and identities transformed in a story that brings to life a corner of the Roman empire that has been neglected by previous storytellers.
Today we are over on Zoe's Art, Craft & Life for a review of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #8 of the Blog Tour of — Betrayal #histfictioneers #Betrayal #HistoricalFiction #CoffeePotBookClub @HistFictioneers @wendyjdunn

 

BETRAYAL
BY JUDITH ARNOPP, CRYSSA BAZOS, ANNA BELFRAGE, DEREK BIRKS,HELEN HOLLICK, AMY MARONEY, ALISON MORTON, CHARLENE NEWCOMB, TONY RICHES, MERCEDES ROCHELLE, ELIZABETH ST. JOHN, ANNIE WHITEHEAD

NOVEMBER 17TH - JANUARY 19TH

Publication Date: November 17, 2020

Publisher: Historical Fictioneers

Page Length: 486

Genre: Historical Fiction

Betrayal, treachery, treason, deceit, perfidy—all names for the calculated violation of trust. And it’s been rife since humans trod the earth. A promise broken A mission betrayed A lover’s desertion A parent’s deception An unwitting act of treason Betrayal by comrades Betrayal by friends Could you resist the forces of misplaced loyalty, power hunger, emotional blackmail, or plain greed? Is there ever redemption, or will the destruction visit future generations and even alter history? These questions are still with us today. Read twelve tales by twelve accomplished writers who explore these historical yet timeless challenges from post Roman Britain to the present day.

Today we are over on Wendy J Dunn's Official Blog for a sneak peek between the covers of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #2 of the blog tour for A Painter in Penang (Penang Series, Book 3) By Clare Flynn #HistoricalFiction #APainterinPenang #CoffeePotBookClub @clarefly @swiftstory @JennyKnipfer

 

January 4th – January 15th 2021

Amazon

Publication Date: 6th October 2020

Publisher: Cranbrook Press

Page Length: 362 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Barrington hates everything about living in Kenya and longs to return to the island of Penang in British colonial Malaya where she was born. Expulsion from her Nairobi convent school offers a welcome escape – the chance to stay with her parents’ friends, Mary and Reggie Hyde-Underwood on their Penang rubber estate.

But this is 1948 and communist insurgents are embarking on a reign of terror in what becomes the Malayan Emergency. Jasmine goes through testing experiences – confronting heartache, a shocking past secret and danger. Throughout it all, the one constant in her life is her passion for painting.

From the international best-selling and award-winning author of The Pearl of Penang, this is a dramatic coming of age story, set against the backdrop of a tropical paradise torn apart by civil war.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Flynn is the author of twelve historical novels and a collection of short stories. A former International Marketing Director and strategic management consultant, she is now a full-time writer. 

Having lived and worked in London, Paris, Brussels, Milan and Sydney, home is now on the coast, in Sussex, England, where she can watch the sea from her windows. An avid traveller, her books are often set in exotic locations.

Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Society of Authors, Novelists Inc (NINC), ALLi, the Historical Novel Society and the Romantic Novelists Association, where she serves on the committee as the Member Services Officer. When not writing, she loves to read, quilt, paint and play the piano. She continues to travel as widely and as far as possible all over the world.

We are stopping over on two fabulous blogs today. The first is Deborah Swift's Official Blog, for a book review.
Click HERE!
The second is Jenny Knifper's Official Blog, for a book review!
Click HERE!

Deborah Swift is exploring the inspiration behind her fabulous #NewRelease — The Lifeline #HistoricalFiction #WW2 @swiftstory

 

Publication Date: January 5th 2021
Publisher: Sapere Books
Page Length: 324 pages
Genre: WWII / Historical Fiction

1942, Nazi-occupied Norway

Schoolteacher Astrid Dahl has always kept out of trouble. But when she is told to teach the fascist Nazi curriculum, she refuses and starts a teacher’s rebellion, persuading eight thousand teachers to go on strike.

The Germans arrest her, and terrified of what punishment her trial might bring, she is forced to go into hiding.

Astrid's boyfriend, Jørgen Nystrøm, has joined the Norwegian Resistance. When his cover is blown he escapes to Shetland where he is taken on as crew for the Shetland Bus; a dangerous clandestine operation of small fishing boats that supply arms and intelligence to war-torn Norway.

In Shetland, hearing Astrid is in trouble, Jørgen sets off through enemy waters to meet her. But the Nazis have a spy on Shetland and have been tipped off about the Shetland Bus. With the enemy in pursuit from both directions, will Astrid and Jørgen be able to find each other? Or will they be separated forever by the brutal Nazi regime?  

The Lifeline by Deborah Swift
My last two books were both set during WW2 and it was whilst I was researching this that I came across the story of The Shetland Bus. As far as I knew, there wasn’t another novel featuring this little known wartime operation in the Shetland Isles, and I was curious to know more about it. During my research I read as many memoirs as I could find from people who either worked on it, or were taken out of Norway by this lifeline. So what was the Shetland Bus?
The Shetland Bus 
The Shetland Bus was the nickname of a clandestine resistance group that linked Shetland in Scotland with German-occupied Norway. The boats used were traditional Norwegian fishing boats, specially equipped with hidden guns, and hidden storage for supplies. The idea was to be able to enter Nazi-occupied waters without detection, and the crew went to great lengths to disguise themselves and their boats. The Shetland Bus was operational between 1941 until the end of the war in 1945. Most of the recruits were Norwegians who based themselves in Scalloway, and whose task it was to support Resistance workers in Norway with weapons and supplies. They also ferried intelligence back and forth between Norway and the British Isles, and as agents they were always subject to high levels of risk and danger.



The Dangers of the North Sea Crossing
Imagine sailing in mountainous seas in the middle of winter, in below freezing conditions. Imagine the fear of enemy attack from planes, submarines or patrol boats, and that if your boat was apprehended, you could be tortured or shot. These were the difficulties endured by the brave men who manned The Shetland Bus, and provided much-needed support to the Milorg, the Norwegian resistance.
One of the dangers was also that the crew would be stopped and asked for their papers or fishing permits. All the crew had to have forged passes and permits, and every boat had to have a large number of stamps proving where it had been fishing in its previous itinerary. All this took careful planning and meticulous forgery of harbourmasters’ signatures.
Characters in The Lifeline
My characters in The Lifeline are Jørgen Nystrøm, a Norwegian who crews the Shetland Bus, and Astrid Dahl, the woman with whom he is having a liaison. Astrid is a teacher, and in her part of the story she must flee Norway because she has become a member of Sivorg (the Civilian Resistance) and the Germans have become aware of her involvement in the teachers’ rebellion. Astrid is by nature shy and cautious, and has never been in trouble before, but must find the inner resources to cross the snow-covered terrain and deep fjords to rendezvous with The Shetland Bus. Not only that, but she has agreed to take a Jewish bookseller and his young daughter on her hazardous journey across country to reach the safety of Shetland.
The other main character in the book is Norwegian ski-champion and spy, Karl Brevik, a mercenary who has been given the job of tracking down Jørgen with the aim of destroying the anti-Nazi activities of the Shetland Bus.
The Beauty of Norway and Shetland
One of the things I was constantly aware of during the writing process was the immense beauty of Norway, and of its contrast with the beauty of Shetland. I tried to use this in the narrative to juxtapose with the images of war. Nature continues to be majestic even when humans are committing appalling atrocities, and is often the one thing people agree they are fighting for – their land in all its moods. I also used the idea of nature to contrast the rules and stringencies of Occupation with the freedom of the natural world.
Reference:Image: Quisling (in front of the center) at a party event in Borre National Park is under a portal that promotes Germanske SS Norge in 1941 (Wikipedia)


Amazon UK •  Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU 




Deborah Swift is the author of fourteen historical novels. Her other WW2 books are Past Encounters, A BookViral Award Winner, and The Occupation, a Gold Medal Winner with the Coffee Pot Book Club. She lives in the north of England near the mountains and the sea. 
Connect with Deborah:
Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads.

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for Beneath Black Clouds and White by Virginia Crow #HistoricalFiction #FrenchRevolution #BeneathBlackCloudsandWhite #CoffeePotBookClub @DaysDyingGlory @cathiedunn

 

4th January – 15th January 2021

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Smashwords • Kobo •  Barnes and Noble 

Publication Date: 11th April 2019Publisher: CrowvusPrint Length: 637 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction/Military Fiction/Family Saga
Despite adoring his family and enjoying frequenting gaming tables, Captain Josiah Tenterchilt’s true love is the British Army and he is committed to his duty. As such, he does not hesitate to answer the army’s call when King Louis XVI of France is executed.
Accompanied by his wife to Flanders, Josiah finds his path crosses with a man who could not be more different from him: an apprentice surgeon named Henry Fotherby. As these two men pursue their own actions, fate and the careful connivance of a mysterious individual will push them together for the rest of their lives.
But it is a tumultuous time, and the French revolutionaries are not the only ones who pose a threat. The two gentlemen must find their place in a world where the constraints of social class are inescapable, and ‘slavery or abolition’ are the words on everyone’s lips.
Beneath Black Clouds and White is the prequel to Day's Dying Glory, which was published by Crowvus in April 2017.
We are starting this tour over on Ruins & Reading with a sneak peek between the covers of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for A Rooster for Asklepios (A Slave's Story Trilogy, Book 1) By Christopher D. Stanley #HistoricalFiction #ARoosterforAsklepios #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @aslavesstory @stu_rudge

 
January 4th – January 15th 2021
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU 

Publication Date:  May 23rd 2020
Publisher: Amelia Books
Page Length: 522 pages Genre: Historical Fiction
Marcus, a slave in the household of Lucius Coelius Felix, enjoys a better life than most slaves (and many free citizens) as the secretary and accountant of a wealthy aristocrat.  His master is rising in the civic life of the Roman colony of Antioch-near-Pisidia (central Turkey), and his responsibilities and income are growing as well. If this continues, he could soon earn enough to buy his freedom, set up a small business, and even marry.  
Then misfortune strikes, and his master falls into a deep depression that is exacerbated by a nagging illness that his physician is unable to cure.  The future looks bleak until the physician receives a dream from the healing god Asklepios calling Lucius to travel hundreds of miles across western Asia Minor to his sanctuary at Pergamon for treatment and, he hopes, a cure. Accompanied by Marcus and his new wife Selena, Lucius embarks on a long and eventful journey in which both master and slave encounter people and ideas that challenge long-held beliefs about themselves, their society, and the world around them.  Values are questioned, loyalties tested, and identities transformed in a story that brings to life a corner of the Roman empire that has been neglected by previous storytellers.
We are starting this tour over on Stuart Rudge's Official Blog with an author interview!
Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for Lady Estrid: A Novel of Eleventh Century Denmark by M J Porter #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @coloursofunison @tonyriches

 

LADY ESTRID: A NOVEL OF ELEVENTH CENTURY DENMARKBY M J PORTER

November 2nd  – January 4th
Amazon UK • Amazon US

Publication Date: 29th October 2020
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length:
Genre: Historical Fiction 

Daughter, Sister, Duchess, Aunt. Queen.

United by blood and marriage. Divided by seas. Torn apart by ambition.

Lady Estrid Sweinsdottir has returned from Kiev, her first husband dead after only a few months of marriage. Her future will be decided by her father, King Swein of Denmark, or will it?

A member of the ruling House of Gorm, Estrid might not be eligible to rule, as her older two brothers, but her worth is in more than her ability to marry and provide heirs for a husband, for her loyalty is beyond question. 

With a family as divided and powerful as hers, stretching from England to Norway to the land of the Svear, she must do all she can to ensure Denmark remains under the control of her father’s descendants, no matter the raging seas and boiling ambition that threatens to imperil all.

We are ending this tour over on The Writing Desk with a Guest Post about letter writing in the eleventh century.

Click HERE!

Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for A Painter in Penang (Penang Series, Book 3) By Clare Flynn #HistoricalFiction #APainterinPenang #CoffeePotBookClub @clarefly @LombardEmma

 

January 4th – January 15th 2021

Amazon

Publication Date: 6th October 2020

Publisher: Cranbrook Press

Page Length: 362 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Barrington hates everything about living in Kenya and longs to return to the island of Penang in British colonial Malaya where she was born. Expulsion from her Nairobi convent school offers a welcome escape – the chance to stay with her parents’ friends, Mary and Reggie Hyde-Underwood on their Penang rubber estate.

But this is 1948 and communist insurgents are embarking on a reign of terror in what becomes the Malayan Emergency. Jasmine goes through testing experiences – confronting heartache, a shocking past secret and danger. Throughout it all, the one constant in her life is her passion for painting.

From the international best-selling and award-winning author of The Pearl of Penang, this is a dramatic coming of age story, set against the backdrop of a tropical paradise torn apart by civil war.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Flynn is the author of twelve historical novels and a collection of short stories. A former International Marketing Director and strategic management consultant, she is now a full-time writer. 

Having lived and worked in London, Paris, Brussels, Milan and Sydney, home is now on the coast, in Sussex, England, where she can watch the sea from her windows. An avid traveller, her books are often set in exotic locations.

Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Society of Authors, Novelists Inc (NINC), ALLi, the Historical Novel Society and the Romantic Novelists Association, where she serves on the committee as the Member Services Officer. When not writing, she loves to read, quilt, paint and play the piano. She continues to travel as widely and as far as possible all over the world.

Head over to Emma Lombard's Official Blog for a sneak peek between the covers of this fabulous book!
Click HERE!

Catherine Meyrick is giving away two ebook copies of her fabulous book — The Bridled Tongue #Giveaway #HistoricalFiction @cameyrick1

 

Book Title: The Bridled TonguePublication Date:1 February 2020Publisher: Courante PublishingPage Length: 358 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
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.
‘People never forget. When the fancy takes them, they bring the old stories out and embroider them further.’

If you would like to be in with a chance to win one of two ebooks of Catherine Meyrick fabulous book The Bridled Tongue then you need to head over to #Bookstagram and follow the instructions on the Instagram post.

Enter HERE!

Good Luck!

Not on Instagram - you can still enter! just drop the answer to this question in the comments section at the bottom of this post:

What is your favourite tradition?

Good Luck!

*Open Internationally.

*The winner must be willing to provide their email address.

*Giveaway closes on January 4th 2021

 

As Alyce rose from the table following the evening meal in the hall, her father said, ‘Come, sit with me.’
She followed him to the settle at the fireside and sat staring into the flames of the small fire crackling against the chill of the evening.
‘I said last week I would seek marriage offers for you.’
‘No!’ Alyce sprang up from the seat, her voice carrying across the room.
The servants clearing the table paused and watched.
‘If I am of no use in this household, I will find a place elsewhere.’
‘What ails you, girl?’ her father said, impatient. ‘All women want marriage.’
‘I will not marry Robert Chapman.’ Her worst days with Lady Faulconer would be as nothing compared to life with Chapman.
‘Pah!’ He scowled at her. ‘You would do well to learn humility—good women are led by their parents.’
She stared back at him—he did regard Chapman’s offer as worthy of consideration.
‘You said I would have the final say.’ Alyce’s voice creaked. ‘I would rather die than marry him.’ What evil had she done in life to earn such a living hell?
‘His is not the only offer.’ He patted the seat beside him. ‘Sit down.’Alyce gripped her hands tight in her lap, her knuckles white. Who did he have in mind? Some aged man with grown children who would despise her?
‘Thomas Granville is interested too.’
She let go her breath. ‘Ah, his interest would be the dowry.’
‘He does want a wife. He needs someone to help his sister—her health is failing. From what I know of him, I doubt he would marry for money alone. And remember, all good marriages involve property and all parties try to make the best they can of it. Granville insists you agree to this marriage.’
‘How kind—a willing lamb to the slaughter.’ Alyce knew she was being unfair to Granville. Many men would not care. And, she suspected, he was a far better man than common rumour suggested.
‘And Robert does not care whether I am willing or not.’
‘Robin has much to recommend him. He is diligent and hardworking and knows the business well.’
‘And, in expectation of inheriting your business, the dowry would be much lower. Does the fact I despise him count for anything?’
‘Solid marriages can be built from inauspicious beginnings.’ Her father frowned. ‘What do you want, a love match?’
‘I am not a fool, Father,’ Alyce said bitterly. ‘I would like honour and respect. Even a mutual liking. And the freedom to make my own choice.’
‘Such freedom would be fine if you had plenty to choose from.’
Alyce drew a sharp breath. It was hardly her fault she had spent her most marriageable years in what amounted to exile.
‘Look,’ his voice softened. ‘Who has freedom in this life? Most of us do what we must. Love is no basis for marriage. Hard decisions need to be made. View marriage as a business decision—weigh the pros and cons. Love can grow later.’
‘So it must be Thomas Granville? He is charming, but word is he has debauched hundreds of women. The wife of such a man would have no peace of mind.’
‘God-a-mercy, girl. It is idle chatter. He is unmarried—you cannot expect a man to live like a monk.’
‘Women are expected to.’ All went to church. All heard the exhortations to continence. Nowhere did it say that these applied only to women. ‘St Paul said—’
‘I do not want to hear what St Paul said,’ her father raised his voice over hers. ‘We live in the world as it is where it is an entirely different matter for women, as you well know.’
‘And if I do not accept his offer?’
‘What future is there for you? In service for the rest of your days, a dependant in someone else’s household. When your mother and I are gone, where would your home be then?’
‘I could stay here…’ She knew she could make a useful place for herself if only given the chance.
‘Alyce. Have sense. As a single woman, even with wealth, you would be prey to every foul-tongued rumour-monger. They would have you a witch, a whore or worse.’ He leant forward, his palms spread on his thighs. ‘You must want a home of your own, children, a husband to keep you safe.’
‘In a perfect world—’
‘The present world is all we have. You have no choice but to consider these offers and decide on one.’
‘Can we not wait? You said we would take our time.’
‘And risk no one else offering?’
‘You think so little of me?’
He jerked his head. ‘If what is offered is good enough, grasp it. If you wait, hoping for a green girl’s dream, you will end up with nothing.’
Alyce, her lips pressed tight, rose from the bench.
‘Think on it tonight and tell me your decision on the morrow.’
‘My decision? It appears you have made it for me,’ Alyce said as she moved towards the stairs.

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Catherine Meyrick is a writer of historical fiction with a particular love of Elizabethan England. Her stories weave fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record—tales of ordinary people who are very much men and women of their time, yet in so many ways are like us today
Catherine grew up in Ballarat, a large regional city about 70 miles from Melbourne, Australia, but has lived all her adult life in Melbourne. Until recently she worked as a customer service librarian at her local library. She has a Master of Arts in history and is also an obsessive genealogist. When she is not writing she enjoys gardening, the cinema and music of all sorts from early music and classical to folk and country and western.
Connect with Catherine:Website  •  Facebook • Twitter • Instagram