Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 86
June 10, 2020
You don't want to miss this #Giveaway! Pre-order this fairy tale boxset, get free stories, recipes, character intros & more! There is also a chance to check out Hunter S. Jones' fabulous book — DESIRE #FREEbies! @TheDebATL
Please give a warm Coffee Pot Welcome to historian and author, Deb Hunter (Hunter S. Jones), and check out this fabulous giveaway! But first, let's take a look at Deb's new book...
Dr Maggie Ross has a magical career as a world renowned American and European Folklorist, but her personal life is a mess.
A random business visit to her hometown of Chattanooga introduces her to a decayed journal--a Cinderella story of a girl from the pre-Civil War Era. The captivating diary compels Maggie to begin writing her own fictional tale-she needs a happy ending. She returns to Atlanta alone and lonely, as she prepares to teach her grad students.
The night before class starts, she has a dream of a beautiful stranger, a man who tells her that she is his heart's desire.
The experience is so vivid it makes Maggie curious. She knows from her career that fairy tales reveal a hidden secret.
She has to know...What if dreams become real?
If you love fairy tales and time travel romance with a twist of suspense, you will love Desire , the prequel to the novel, I'll See You In My Dreams .
GIVEAWAY
❤️ Pre-order this fairy tale boxset, get free stories, recipes, character intros & more! It’s magic!
Only 0.99 on Kindle for a Limited Time.
Buy the boxset HERE!
Released on 6th October 2020
❤️Once you’ve pre-ordered, get your free books here!
❤️ If you purchase on iBooks:
Get all 10 books pictured with proof of purchase plus:• An Encyclopedia of Characters and Creatures in the set• A Once Upon Another World Journal• A Coloring Book inspired by the Novels in the set❤️ If you purchase on Nook:
Get all 10 books pictured with proof of purchase plus:• A Once Upon Another World Spell Book• A Recipe Book inspired by the Novels• A Calendar of all the Book Covers in the Box Set❤️ If you purchase on Amazon:
Get all 10 books pictured with proof of purchase plus:• A Once Upon Another World Reader’s LogFree stories include the fictional short story, DESIRE, by Hunter S. Jones Download today!Deb Hunter
Author and historian Deb Hunter writes as Hunter S. Jones. She publishes independently as well as through traditional platforms. Recently she revealed that she is a Stage IV cancer warrior. She is passionate about the history of romance, science and music, a.k.a. sex, drugs and rock & roll. She is repped by Past Preservers Casting. When she isn't writing, talking or tweeting about kings, queens and rock stars, she lives in Midtown Atlanta with her Scottish born husband.She has been involved in academic projects at Harvard University, The University of Texas, UCLA, Vanderbilt University, University of The South, University of Notre Dame, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She has been associated with the prestigious Society of Authors founded by Lord Tennyson, Royal Historical Society, Society of U.S. Intellectual History, Atlanta Historical Society, American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, Society of Civil War Historians (US), Dangerous Women Project, Romance Writers of America (PAN member), and Historical Writers Association.
Connect with Deb: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads • BookBub • Amazon.
Check out Craig R Hipkins's fabulous book — Adalbert #HistoricalFiction @CraigHipkins
AdalbertBy Craig R Hipkins
Adalbert is an intelligent but restless young man who is determined to make his own way in the world and cast himself from the shadow of his famous father Astrolabe. His mother Asperia attempts to keep him and his twin sister isolated from the evils of the world, but events unfold that make this quite impossible.
Adalbert crosses paths with the villain of Astrolabe, Robert de Langton whose diabolical behavior seems to have been arrested. He now lives a solitary life of repentance and takes Adalbert under his wing, but he holds a long time secret that Adalbert attempts to extract from him.
The adventure culminates with a dramatic sea voyage into the icy waters of the northern Atlantic where Adalbert and his burly Viking friend Halfdan seek a long forgotten treasure. They battle with sea-pirates and encounter a giant sea monster that attempts to destroy their ship. They are also pursued by the villains Childeric, a schemer and plotter who seeks to undermine the voyage, and the menacing Marcoul the Bastard who has kidnapped Adalbert's love interest Matilda.
We are also introduced to the Ethiopian prince Wedem and his twelve year old charge Clement, who is the son of the voyages benefactor Count Hugo. The quick witted and obstinate young kitchen maid Dagena provides comic relief throughout the book as she strikes up a friendship with Clement.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
Craig R Hipkins
Craig was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1968. He currently lives in Dallas, North Carolina.He published his first book, Fireballs: A History of Meteors and other Atmospheric Phenomena, in 2009.
Connect with Craig: Website • Twitter.
June 9, 2020
Book Review — Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) by Shami Stovall #YoungAdult #Fantasy @GameOverStation
Plague Arcanist
(Frith Chronicles Book 4)
By Shami Stovall
Deserts. Rogues. A secret hidden in an underground maze.
Every moment counts as Volke Savan races south to the city of New Norra. His goal: find Theasin Venrover, the famous artificer who may have a cure for the arcane plague. Separated from most of the Frith Guild—and even his sister—Volke must rely on the crew of the airship, the Sun Chaser, to help him find Theasin in time.
To complicate matters, the desert city of New Norra is steeped in mystery, and the massive maze under the streets could potentially solve all of Volke’s problems. With hunters after him, and dread pirates in the port, Volke finds himself forced to choose between equally terrible options…
Continue the Frith Chronicles with the fourth book, Plague Arcanist!
"Real life isn't like a heroic story written for children."
Volke Savan had once dreamed of being a hero, of being a great arcanist. He had been so blinded by his dream that he failed to understand what the word "hero" actually meant. But now, he knew. He now knew that heroes endured great hardship and suffering not so they could bask in their own glory. Heroes endured because they had to, and sometimes they had to do things that they did not want to do. Volke had to leave his beloved Frith Guild, his sister, and his friends. There was no other choice. If he stayed, then he could infect them all and that reality he would not counter.
But there were those who refused to leave Volke's side. Arcanist, Adelgis Venrover, and Fain vowed to stay with him until the bitter end. They would travel with Volke to the city of New Norra, where Adelgis suspected they would find his psychopathic father, Theasin Venrover. If anyone could cure Volke of the arcane plague, then it would be Theasin.
However, so feared was the plague, there were those who hunted the infected and killed them. If the hunters did not catch up with Volke, then the plague would very soon drive him insane. Time was running out. They had to find Theasin before it was too late…
With one eye on the story and the other on the setting, Shami Stovall has penned a novel that is not only highly entertaining but one that is simply unforgettable. Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) is an exceptional work of scholarship.
The setting of the Frith Chronicles books is so finely detailed that it conveys to the reader a powerful visual presence. This is a world that is wild, almost untameable, chaotic even, and yet there is also something indisputably beautiful about it. Stovall has taken as much care with the detail of the landscape as she does with the portrayal of her protagonists and antagonists. This fantasy world is ripe with possibilities, but there is also an essence of the ancient world, of Greek Mythology, within the pages of this book. Stovall's ingenuity is devoted to making the world that she has created seem as real as possible. The mythical realm is one that is explored in great depth in this series. However, unlike conventional myths, Stovall does not glorify the past, there is no sense of loss, no desperate longing for a time gone by because the heroes that Volke had idolised when he was a child were as ordinary as he is. They just lived an extraordinary life, and that is what sets the Frith Chronicles apart from other mythical stories that are out there, and I think this is why it also stands out as being something very special indeed.
There is a constant feeling of movement throughout the Frith Chronicles, and although the destination is always very clear, the journey itself seemingly has no end. The characters have to get to one place in order to go to another. There is no fixed abode in itself, instead home is where the Frith Guild is, and for Volke, in this book, that is his ultimate destination. He can only go home if he gets better. But the journey he embarks on to regain his health is fraught with setbacks. Time is not on his side, but time is also all he has.
Volke's upbringing, the simple life he was made to live, seems almost antithetical to heroism — he is the adopted son of a gravedigger. But he was always determined to change his stars, to go after his dream. The journey that Volke finds himself on from Book 1 to Book 4 is a very interesting and very personal one. Through Volke, Stovall represents the development of a common person, a nobody, into a hero who has more integrity, more honour, than those who had been born to be great. As with all the books in this fabulous series, there are many times where Volke is given the opportunity to test his resolve. His devastation and despondency about his situation are understandable. And yet, he is also a very moral person, and there are some things that he would not consider doing, even if it meant he would be cured. The ethical dilemmas that he faces in a bid to rid himself of the plague demonstrate his underlying goodness. Volke always wanted to be a hero, and in this book, he most certainly is because of the things he does not do.
The antagonists in this story are as elusive as they have always been. Who is responsible for this plague? Who wants to gain from it? Unfortunately, dissension plagues the arcanists as much as the actual plague does, so such answers are difficult to come by. The arcanists are separated by their guilds, their beliefs, and also by their fear. This unwillingness to come together for the greater good makes for an incredibly compelling plot.
At all times Stovall's narrative is light, casual almost, she is aware of her intended audience, and she knows how to keep a young adult turning those pages. There are moments in the story where the narrative demands a darker, sinister approach, but even then there is nothing unsuitable for the intended age this book is aimed at. For the most part, the narrative is warm, friendly and welcoming.
When I reviewed Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) back in 2019, I said I have not enjoyed a young adult fantasy so much since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and I still stand by that statement, but I would like to add that the Frith Chronicles is a series that now deserves to be on the big screen alongside the likes of Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson. It deserves to be read by generation after generation. This is the kind of series that will never grow old and I, for one, will never tire of it.
Plague Arcanist (Frith Chronicles Book 4) by Shami Stovall is a novel that commanded my attention from the very beginning to the very last full stop. This is a story that does not threaten to mesmerise, it really does.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Pick up your copy of
Plague Arcanist
Shami Stovall
Shami Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrills to fantasy to science-fiction. Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories, and writing about herself in the third person.
Connect with Shami: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads.
Check out Karen Heenan's fabulous book — Songbird: A Novel of the Tudor Court #HistoricalFiction #Tudors #mustread @karen_heenan
SongbirdA Novel of the Tudor CourtBy Karen Heenan
Bess has the voice of an angel, or so Henry VIII declares when he buys her from her father. As a member of the Music, the royal company of minstrels, Bess grows up within the decadent Tudor court, navigating the ever-changing tide of royals and courtiers. Friends come and go as cracked voices, politics, heartbreak, and death loom over even the lowliest of musicians. Tom, her first and dearest friend, is her only constant. But as Bess becomes too comfortable at court, she may find that constancy has its limits.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
Karen Heenan
Karen Heenan was born and raised in Philadelphia. She fell in love with books and stories before she learned to read, and has wanted to write for nearly as long. After far too many years in a cubicle, she set herself free to follow her dreams – which include gardening, sewing, traveling and, of course, lots of writing. She lives in Lansdowne, PA, not far from Philadelphia, with four cats and a very patient husband.Connect with Karen: Website • Twitter • Goodreads.
June 8, 2020
Book Review — Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner #HistoricalFiction #Art
Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse
By Arthur D. Hittner
Freshly graduated from Yale in 1935, Henry J. Kapler parlays his talent, determination, and creative energy into a burgeoning art career in New York under the wing of artists such as Edward Hopper and Reginald Marsh. The young artist first gains notoriety when his depiction of a symbolic, interracial handshake between ballplayers is attacked by a knife-wielding assailant at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. Yet even as his art star rises, his personal life turns precarious—and perilous—when his love for Fiona, a young WPA muralist, collides with his growing attraction to the exquisitely beautiful Alice, an ex-chorus girl who becomes his model and muse. Alice is the girlfriend of Fiona’s cousin, Jake Powell, the hotheaded, hard-drinking outfielder for the New York Yankees whose jealousy explodes into abuse and rage, endangering the lives of all three. While Henry wrestles with his complicated love life, he also struggles mightily to reconcile his pacifism with the rabid patriotism of his Jewish-Russian émigré father. As war draws near, Henry faces two difficult choices, one of which could cost him his life.
"I've decided to become an artist…"
His father would have taken it better if Henry J. Kapler had announced at the dinner table that he was running away and marrying a Catholic. An artist was not at all what his father had planned for his eldest son. But in this decision, Henry would not be swayed — for art commanded his very soul. Without it, he was nothing.
With an unquenchable determination, Henry moves to New York, to the very heartbeat of life, love and artistic imaginations. He may well be forced to live a penniless existence, but others had walked that path before. It was worth the sacrifice.
Captivated by a world he had only ever dreamed about, Henry begins to make a name for himself. However, paintings are raw emotion, and they awaken strong sentiments in not only Henry’s critics but also those he loves…
From the dreams of a young idealistic man to the horrors of war and an impossible decision, Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner is the heartbreakingly bewitching story of a young man whose soul was full of dreams and colours and passion, but the world he lived in turned out to be comprised of different shades of grey.
Sometimes there is no making sense of life, and those who burn the brightest are destined to burn the shortest. With a mesmerising narrative that seduced me with that first tantalising stroke of the brush, and a protagonist that was as conflicted as he was beautiful, Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is the unforgettable story of one man who is torn apart by love, sacrifice and war.
Oh, this book! What an exhilarating portrait Hittner has painted of the Academic and Social Realism period in America. Between the pages of this remarkable book, Hittner has portrayed an era rich in social change, racial inequalities, depression, sport, politics and above everything else art and love. It is a novel that explores a nation in flux. Expect to discover the debauched world of the burlesque clubs, the gluttony of corrupted wealth, and everything in between. Hittner has been astoundingly ambitious with his portrait of 1930s America, but such ambition has undoubtedly paid off, for this book is in all ways a Historical Fiction masterpiece.
Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is a story of one man whose life is both made and destroyed by his consuming passion for the one thing that would remain forever elusive to him — the exact shade of colour, and the heart's dearest desire. This is a book that left me reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion as Henry battles with what he sees, what he knows, and what he wants. He is a man trapped in a prison of his own making, and the only way to break free is to lose everything he ever loved. As this novel reaches its climactic ending, the reader is asked to pause and contemplate the truth behind every brushstroke of every painting they have ever gazed upon. This book has the power to make you question everything you thought you knew about art and the artists that bared their souls upon the canvases of their life.
Henry is a very appealing protagonist who captured not only my imagination but also my heart. Henry is one of those men who, if you are lucky, will grace your life, be it for a moment or forever, and will irrevocably change it. Henry spends his life chasing his muse, never realising that he was, in fact, someone else's. His compassionate heart ends up being his undoing. He is a very conflicted character, especially near the end of this novel, and his story is absolutely heartrending. Hittner takes his readers on such an emotional journey, and yet this journey is as irresistible as it is enthralling. Henry is the kind of protagonist that will stay in your heart long after you have put the book down. He is also one of those characters whom you desperately want to be a real historical person, and there is almost this forlorn sense that if he did not exist then, he really should have. Hittner takes great care to state in his author's notes in the back of this book that Henry is fictional, although his life mirrors to the extent that of Harold Rabinovitz, they even share some of the same paintings, and I think that it is this that makes Henry come across so authentically in the telling.
Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is a truly remarkable book that is as rich in historical detail as it is in story. Although Henry J. Kapler is a fictional character, many of the secondary characters in this book are not. I thought Hittner’s portrayal of Yasuo Kuniyoshi was particularly sublime, as was his depiction of the baseball player, Ernest "Bunny" Taliaferro. With these two characters, in particular, Hittner depicts the racial prejudice and intolerance of the era.
Hittner has, at times, used creative licence to cast both his secondary characters in the light that his story demanded of him. His decision to include Yankees outfielder, Jake Powell into the narrative was very interesting. I can see why he did, for Jake's volatile nature was a contrast to Henry's gentle ways, and it also highlighted the differences and the divisions that were in sport during this period depending upon the colour of your skin and your own personal demons. I thought Jake's portray was particularly well-drawn.
You don't have to be an expert on art or baseball to enjoy this book. Not knowing makes this story all the more exciting and Hittner is an excellent tour guide. His depiction of the artists' techniques, the baseballer's skill, is exquisite. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the opening sentence to that final full stop— an exceptionally wonderful read. Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse by Arthur D. Hittner is deserving of a place on your bookshelf.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Pick up your copy of
Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse
Arthur D. Hittner
ARTHUR D. HITTNER, author of the art-related historical novels "The Caroline Paintings" and "Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse" and the humorous baseball novel "Four-Finger Singer and His Late Wife, Kate," is also the author of "Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's 'Flying Dutchman'" (McFarland, 1996), winner of the Seymour Medal awarded by the Society of American Baseball Research for the best book of baseball history or biography published in 1996; "At the Threshold of Brilliance:The Brief but Splendid Career of Harold J. Rabinovitz" (The Rabinovitz Project, 2014), a biography and catalogue raisonne of a newly rediscovered master of American art of the Depression era; and the irreverent travelogue, "Cross-Country Chronicles: Road Trips Through the Art and Soul of America." Mr. Hittner has also written about fine art subjects for Maine Antique Digest, Fine Art Connoisseur and Antiques & Fine Art and has served as a Trustee of the Danforth Museum of Art and the Tucson Museum of Art.
Connect with Arthur: Website • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page.
Check out Lesley Lodge's fabulous book — Wayland’s Revenge #HistoricalFiction #MurderMystery @LesleyLodge
Wayland’s RevengeBy Lesley Lodge
It’s 1647: a time of bitter civil wars in England. Wayland, the village blacksmith, returns from army service to find his wife, Rebecca, murdered and his son traumatised and struck dumb. Wayland’s overpowering desire for revenge is thwarted by the collapse of laws and a dearth of clues to her sadistic killer. Thwarted, that is, until the villagers ask him to investigate a runaway horse. Whilst searching for its rider, he discovers instead the body of a young boy, cut with symbols in the same way as Rebecca’s body had been. The clues abound and confuse with elements of witchcraft, religious hatred and the enmities of civil war.
Wayland sets out on a perilous journey to find the killer, taking with him his son Jonathan and Alun, a canny Welsh baker. But just as they find their first suspect, they are trapped in the brutal Siege of Colchester, facing ever more dangerous challenges. Wayland, Alun and Jonathan must draw on all their strengths, devise new strategies and make agonising decisions, if they are to stay alive and find the real killer before he strikes again.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
Lesley Lodge
Lesley Lodge now lives on a smallholding bafflingly close to Luton after many years working on regeneration projects in south London.Lesley's historical crime thriller novel, published 2018, is set in 17th century England and features ex-soldier and blacksmith Wayland seeking revenger for the brutal murder of his wife.
Lesley has previously had several short stories published. Blues to Orange, about a farmer ruined by the foot and mouth outbreak, was a Luton Literary Prize Winner. She is a past Time Out and Jim Beam Whiskey Cult Film Buff of the Year.
Connect with Lesley: Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter.
June 7, 2020
Check out Jennifer C. Wilson's fabulous New Release — Kindred Spirits: Ephemera #Paronormal #HistoricalFiction #Ghosts @inkjunkie1984
Kindred Spirits: Ephemera
By Jennifer C. Wilson
The afterlife is alive with possibility…
In this collection of stories, we follow kings and queens as they make important (and history-defying) visits, watch a football game featuring the foulest of fouls, and meet a host of new spirits-in-residence across the British Isles and beyond.
Be transported to ancient ruins, a world-famous cemetery, and a new cathedral, and catch up with old friends – and enemies.
Because when the dead outnumber the living and start to travel, the adventures really do begin.
Kindred Spirits: Ephemera is a charming collection of stories about your favourite ghosts!
Included short- stories are
Kindred Spirits: St Paul’s Cathedral
Kindred Spirits: Jailbreak
Kindred Spirits: Carlisle Castle
Kindred Spirits: The Sisterhood of Hampton Court Palace
Kindred Spirits: Leicester – Return of the King
Kindred Spirits: The Jewel of the Wall
Kindred Spirits: Eurostar
Kindred Spirits: Père Lachaise
Kindred Spirits: York, Revisited
Pick up your copy of
Kindred Spirits: Ephemera
Jennifer C. Wilson
Jennifer C. Wilson stalks dead people (usually monarchs, mostly Mary Queen of Scots and Richard III). Inspired by childhood visits to as many castles and historical sites her parents could find, and losing herself in their stories (not to mention quote often the castles themselves!), at least now her daydreams make it onto the page.
After returning to the north-east of England for work, she joined a creative writing class, and has been filling notebooks ever since. Jennifer won North Tyneside Libraries’ Story Tyne short story competition in 2014, and in 2015, her debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London was published by Crooked Cat Books. The full series was re-released by Darkstroke in January 2020.
Jennifer is a founder and host of the award-winning North Tyneside Writers’ Circle, and has been running writing workshops in North Tyneside since 2015. She also publishes historical fiction novels with Ocelot Press. She lives in Whitley Bay, and is very proud of her two-inch view of the North Sea.
You can connect with Jennifer online: Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Amazon
Check out Tim Walker's fabulous #NewRelease — Arthur Rex Brittonum (A Light in the Dark Ages) #Arthurian #HistoricalFiction @timwalker1666
Arthur Rex Brittonum
(A Light in the Dark Ages)
By Tim Walker
From the decay of post-Roman Britain, Arthur seeks to unite a troubled land
Arthur Rex Brittonum (‘King of the Britons’) is an action-packed telling of the King Arthur story rooted in historical accounts that predate the familiar Camelot legend.
Britain in the early sixth century has reverted to tribal lands, where chiefs settle old scores with neighbours whilst eyeing with trepidation the invaders who menace the shore in search of plunder and settlement.
Arthur, only son of the late King Uther, has been crowned King of the Britons by the northern chiefs and must now persuade their counterparts in the south and west to embrace him. Will his bid to lead their combined army against the Saxon threat succeed? He arrives in Powys buoyed by popular acclaim at home, a king, husband and father - but can he sustain his efforts in unfamiliar territory? It is a treacherous and winding road that ultimately leads him to a winner-takes-all clash at the citadel of Mount Badon.
Tim Walker’s Arthur Rex Brittonum picks up the thread from the earlier life of Arthur in 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum, but it can be read as a standalone novel.
Excerpt
Skirmish with the Angliscs
THEY BROKE CAMP in eerie silence and rode off the plateau into a blanket of mist that covered the farmlands. Sullen farm workers stood by as the soldiers filed past in pairs, each man wondering what the day would bring. Viroco’s scouts had reported that there were many refugees from the great town of Lindum at the magistrate’s villa, in the direction of the rising column of smoke.
By mid-morning, they had reached the back wall of the magistrate’s estate, and Arthur’s scouts had reported that the front wall was heavily barricaded against a rabble of Anglisc warriors clustered around a huge bonfire they had made some one hundred paces from the villa’s gates. The thick brambles that lined the inside of the stone wall and tumbled over the top between sharp spikes would dissuade many from attempting to scale it.
“Bedwyr and Viroco, you will go left, leading half of the men around the estate walls, and I shall proceed with my men and Peredur with his Rheged guard to the right. We shall meet at the front and form up in a line facing the enemy. Eight men will remain here with the wagon.” He looked at his eleven-year-old squire, Dermot, mounted on a frisky pony, his eyes wide with excitement. “Dermot, you will stay close to Ambrose and keep him safe for me. Your time to witness battle shall come.”
Arthur intended to waste no time on speaking to the defenders of the estate. No sooner had the two lines of horsemen met before the front ditch, to cheers from the wall behind, than he ordered lances braced and a slow trot towards the Anglisc warriors. The morning fog had lifted, as if God himself had lifted a curtain to reveal the enemy. Arthur’s confidence and eagerness to engage the enemy gave heart to his men, many of whom were novices. Their enemy, numbering more than a hundred, ranged in two loose shield walls on either side of their bonfire that had now burnt low to a mass of glowing embers. Another thirty or so wandered about the countryside, returning with arms full of plunder or driving livestock from nearby farms.
The Angliscs shouted war cries and curses in their guttural tongue and beat their swords and axes on cowhide shields. Only four of their leaders were on horseback, Arthur noted. He kicked Mars into a charge and screamed at the top of his voice. Feeling Excalibur in its sheath slapping his hip, he gripped his long lance firmly in one leather-gloved hand and clasped the round shield that protected his thigh and side in the other.
The earth shook with the vibration of two hundred horses galloping as one, generating a drumming that filled the ears of both the horsemen and their enemy. The war cries turned to screams as the line of horses crashed through the Angliscs, knocking many to the ground. Others were impaled on lances, as the purpose behind months of practice came to fruition for the eager horsemen. Arthur ran his lance into the throat of a burly warrior whose long moustache hanging in twin blond plaits, whipped around his face as he fell. After twenty paces, Arthur pulled up his horse and spun around, drawing Excalibur from its scabbard. The blade that had once been wielded in battle by Ambrosius now shone in the sunlight, and Arthur paused to wait for his riders to line up beside him. He glanced behind and smirked at the sight of Bedwyr and three others chasing the Anglisc leaders on their ponderous farm horses.
Holding Excalibur high, and with another roar, he kicked his snorting black stallion forward and they fell upon the dazed Angliscs, who staggered about and tried to raise their fallen comrades to their feet. Arthur knew to broadside his intended victim and slash to his left, where his shield gave him some protection from counter thrusts. His razor-sharp steel blade carved through any impediment beneath it, whether helmet, shield or chain mail vest. This gave his sword a seemingly magical power to onlookers, who knew not that it had been fashioned to steel from highest quality iron in the hottest furnace by a master swordsmith. He rarely needed a second slash or stab to fatally wound an opponent.
His men made short work of their enemy, and few prisoners were taken. The numerical advantage and use of horses had been a decisive factor, and Arthur could see that barely a dozen of his men had been killed. However, at least two dozen were nursing wounds.
“Fetch the wagon – we have wounded men that need attending!” Arthur shouted. “Do not slay any more of the enemy - we will need them to dig a burial pit. Herrig, question the prisoners to find out what you can of their plans. Come with me, Peredur. We shall meet with those inside. Our work is done.”
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
Pick up your copy of
Arthur Rex Brittonum
Tim Walker
His creative writing journey began in earnest in 2013, as a therapeutic activity whilst undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment. He began writing an historical fiction series, A Light in the Dark Ages, in 2014, following a visit to the near-by site of a former Roman town. The aim of the series is to connect the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend, presenting an imagined history of Britain in the fifth and early sixth centuries.
His new book, published in June 2020, is Arthur, Rex Brittonum, a re-imagining of the story of King Arthur (book five in the series). It follows on from 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum, the story of young Arthur (book four in the series), that received recognition from two sources in 2019 - One Stop Fiction Book of the Month in April, and an honourable mention in the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year (Historical Fiction) Awards. The series starts with Abandoned (second edition, 2018); followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); and book three, Uther's Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker. Tim is self-published under his brand name, timwalkerwrites.
Tim has also written two books of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015), and Postcards from London (2017); a dystopian thriller, Devil Gate Dawn (2016); Perverse (verse and short fiction, 2020); and two children's books, co-authored with his daughter, Cathy - The Adventures of Charly Holmes (2017) and Charly & The Superheroes (2018) with a third in the pipeline – Charly in Space.
Connect with Tim: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon Author Page.
June 3, 2020
Check out James Conroyd Martin's fabulous book — Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora #HistoricalFiction #mustread @JConMartin
Fortune’s Child:A Novel of Empress TheodoraBy James Conroyd Martin
From a very young age, Theodora, daughter of a circus bearkeeper in Constantinople, sets her sights well above her station in life. Her exquisite beauty sets her apart on stages and in the eyes of men.
Stephen, a Syrian lad of striking good looks, is sold by his parents to a Persian wizard, who teaches him a skill in languages that will serve him well.
By the time Destiny brings them together in Antioch, Theodora has undergone heart-rending trials and a transformation, while Stephen has been sold again . . . and castrated.
Discover the enduring bond that, however imperfect, prompts Theodora—as Empress—to request palace eunuch Stephen to write her biography.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
James Conroyd Martin
Ah, Fate~The seed for "Fortune's Child" started some years ago when I was taking an Art Appreciation course at a community college in Los Angeles. One day we were studying the exquisite mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora from the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and the professor pointed to Theodora and said, “I’m not a writer, but if I were, that is the woman I would write about.”
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Little did he know what he had unloosed.
What a fascinating woman, frailties and all! She could have been the prototype for Eva Peron. I started the novel right then and there; however, life and other books got in the way.
But Fortune's Child has finally found her way.
Fate goes ever as it must.
I am also the author of THE POLAND TRILOGY, beginning with "Push Not the River," a novel based on the diary of Anna Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution. After working on the project for some years without raising interest within the publishing community, I self-published in 2001. Just one year later, St. Martin’s Press purchased the book and released a hard cover edition in September 2003. Polish and German rights sold almost immediately.
The Polish edition, "Nie ponaglaj rzeki," was released in May of 2005, became a bestseller and sold out in a matter of months. Anna's story had come full circle: Polish to English to Polish! "Pod purpurowym niebem," the translation of "Against a Crimson Sky," also became a bestseller when published in December of 2007.
"The Warsaw Conspiracy" followed, as did "The Boy Who Wanted Wings."
Martin, who holds degrees from St. Ambrose and DePaul Universities, is a retired English and Creative Writing teacher now living and writing in Portland, Oregon.
Connect with James: Website • Twitter • Goodreads.
June 2, 2020
Check out Anne O’Brien's award-wining book — A Tapestry of Treason #HistoricalFiction #Medieval @anne_obrien
A Tapestry of TreasonBy Anne O’Brien
Her actions could make history – but at what price?
1399: Constance of York, Lady Despenser, proves herself more than a mere observer in the devious intrigues of her magnificently dysfunctional family, The House of York.
Surrounded by power-hungry men, including her aggressively self-centred husband Thomas and ruthless siblings Edward and Richard, Constance places herself at the heart of two treasonous plots against King Henry IV. Will it be possible for this Plantagenet family to safeguard its own political power by restoring either King Richard II to the throne, or the precarious Mortimer claimant?
Although the execution of these conspiracies will place them all in jeopardy, Constance is not deterred, even when the cost of her ambition threatens to overwhelm her. Even when it endangers her new-found happiness.
With treason, tragedy, heartbreak and betrayal, this is the story of a woman ahead of her time, fighting for herself and what she believes to be right in a world of men.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
★★★★★
Highly Recommended
Read the full review HERE!
Pick up your copy of
A Tapestry of Treason
Anne O’Brien
Anne O’Brien was born in West Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master’s in Education at Hull, she lived in East Yorkshire for many years as a teacher of history.She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth-century timber-framed cottage in the depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire, on the borders between England and Wales, where she writes historical novels. The perfect place in which to bring medieval women back to life.
Anne loves to hear from readers, you can find her: Website Facebook Twitter
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