Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 97

Check out Chariss K. Walker's fabulous series — Becky Tibbs: A Medium's Mystery Series, Books 1-5 #ghost #mysteries @chariss_walker

Becky Tibbs
 A Medium's Mystery Series, Books 1-5By Chariss K. Walker



Award-winning author, Chariss K. Walker, has combined all five books in Becky Tibbs: A North Carolina Medium's Mystery Series in one download for your reading convenience. This book includes A Medium's Birthday Surprise, A Medium's Thanksgiving Table, A Medium's Christmas Gift, A Medium's Valentine's Day Delight, and the finale, A Medium's Easter Epiphany.
Becky Tibbs is a sweet girl, maybe a little too sweet, but it’s difficult to fault her for an innocent nature. Some might consider her naïve. And she is. She’s had little knowledge of a larger world others might live outside North Carolina. On the other hand, she’s had a lot of experience dealing with ghost problems.
Becky didn’t ask for the job of a medium, but after her parents died, the unusual ability became a bequest – a gift handed down from her mother’s side of the family. An optimistic and positive young woman, Becky determines to make the best of a difficult situation in a small town where the smallest detail is noticed and everyone knows everything about everyone else.
Living in Asheville, North Carolina, Becky deals with a lot of departed spirits in the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains. Such a job can get rather hectic at times. Misunderstood ghosts can create a lot of sticky problems for the living and a community such as hers.
Becky has the gift the same as her brother and sister. The only difference is that her siblings don’t want anything to do with their paranormal abilities and they’ll do anything in their power to drown out those disembodied souls who plead for help.
Used to dealing with ghosts on a daily basis, the series begins on Becky's 26th birthday. Not easily surprised, Becky gets the biggest shock she’s had in the past ten years and it’s a doozy.
Join Becky as she solves many mysteries in this light, clean, airy, and informative series.
Fans of the television series Ghost Whisperer and Medium will enjoy this series.


Pick up your copy of
Becky Tibbs

Amazon UK • Amazon US

FREE on Kindle for a Limited Time!


Chariss K. Walker
Award-winning author, Chariss K. Walker, M.Msc., Reiki Master/Teacher, writes both fiction and nonfiction books with a metaphysical and spiritual component. Her fiction expresses a visionary/metaphysical message that illustrates growth in a character's consciousness while utilizing a paranormal aspect. Her nonfiction books share insight, hope, and inspiration.
Those who search for meaning and the supernatural in themselves will enjoy her books.
Even though Chariss also writes dark-fiction about insanely dark topics, such as sexual abuse, incest, pedophilia, sexual assault, and other inappropriate dinner conversation, there is always an essential question of the abstract nature that gives a reader increasing awareness and perception. All of her books are sold worldwide in eBook, paperback, and many are in large print.
Connect with Chariss: Website• Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads.

#BookReview — Victorine by Drēma Drudge #HistoricalFiction #Art @dremadrudge

#BookReview — Ordinary Suicide by Robert D. Rice II #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalThriller

Ordinary SuicideBy Robert D. Rice II

Jack Dillon arrested Deja’ for first degree murder, then married her. After failing to kill him, she left town. Now he’s searching for her needing answers, wanting her love.



"Being a detective was my life. My whole life. It wasn't a vocation. It was an advocation."
But then Jack Dillon made a near-fatal mistake — he fell in love with the woman he had arrested for Murder One. After that, his life spiralled out of control, and now he is tracking down a dangerous jewellery thief who has killed once and could kill again.
Jack has no idea where this journey is going to take him, but he is determined to find out the truth, or die trying.
From the theft of a fei tsui jade necklace on the idyllic Phú Quốc Island to a last yet dangerous liaison in a motel room in Hawaii. Ordinary Suicide by Robert D. Rice II is one of the most magnificently opulent and engaging Historical Thrillers that I have read this year.
Written with a seemingly boundless supply of energy, Rice has presented his readers with a book that is utterly addictive from start to finish. The super-fast narrative and the roller-coaster plot twists made this novel next to impossible to put down.
The attention to the historical detail has to be commended. Rice has researched this era with a great deal of skill and diligence. Through the narrative of Jack, Rice explores in passing some of the most notorious criminals of the 20th Century in America. He also has his protagonist become an unlikely suspect in the murder of two police officers in the British Pavilion at the New York World Fair. Rice's dedicated hours to research has certainly paid off. His depiction of 1940s America was simply marvellous.
I have to applaud Rice's tenacious determination to find his own unique voice, and I think he has done so admirably. In doing this, Rice has penned something extraordinary. From shark attacks to murder, this is a story that will keep you sitting on the edge of your seat and asking, no begging, for more. It is a fun, thrilling, exciting read where the characters are captivating, and the plot is a tangled web of lies and interlocking stories.
There are so many twists and turns in this book that there was no time to catch one's breath. Rice throws his readers straight into the action. If this were a car, you would definitely be advised to buckle up for this is a white-knuckled ride. To keep up this kind of momentum is incredibly hard to pull off, but Rice nailed it — not once does he let his readers pause for breath. The pages seem to fly by while I lost myself in a book that is a cross between a historical fiction thriller and a domestic family saga — the family is, of course, involved in criminal activity!
Jack Dillon is an unlikely hero. He is a washed-up ex-detective who finds himself embroiled in a dangerous criminal underworld that involves war, theft, and murder. Despite Jack's sometimes felonious tendencies and his unquenchable love for a woman who tried to kill him, I liked him. Rice's depiction of Jack is sublime. Brilliantly executed and masterfully delivered.
There is quite a large cast of full-bodied yet fallible characters in this book. All of the supporting characters have intriguing backstories, and they each bring something fabulously unique to the story. I was particularly enthralled with Winnie's characterisation.
If you love Historical Thrillers that are super-fast-paced, and plot-twists that happen so suddenly that you could end up with whiplash, then Ordinary Suicide by Robert Rice II is the book for you. I loved every minute of it.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy ofOrdinary SuicideAmazon UK • Amazon US

Join me for a light-hearted Conversation with author, John Anthony Miller #HistoricalFiction #interview @authorjamiller

A light-hearted Conversation with author,  John Anthony Miller

MA: Hi John, welcome back to The Coffee Pot Book Club. Before we begin, please tell my readers a little about yourself.
JM: Hi Mary Anne, thanks for having me. My name is John Anthony Miller, and I live in southern New Jersey in the U.S., very close to the city of Philadelphia. I’ve been writing professionally for about six years, and Sinner, Saint or Serpent is my seventh novel.

MA: So, let’s start with a really tough question. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Are you looking for a safe and legitimate way to gain interest and reviews for your Book? Let's talk about #NetGalley @LPOBryan

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Books Go Social (BGS) is a highly respected Author Promotion service — you may have already heard of them. The founder of BGS, Laurence O’ Bryan is dedicated to helping authors showcase their books. He knows what works and what does not. This is why I am so excited to be working with him on this fantastic deal.
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#BookReview — The Devil Take Tomorrow by Gretchen Jeannette #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance @GAJeannette

The Devil Take TomorrowBy Gretchen Jeannette

George Washington has been marked for death. British agents embedded in the Continental Army wait only for the order to strike. Racing against time, rebel spy Ethan Matlock sets out to protect the one man who can save the Revolution. Without General Washington, the whole American enterprise might easily collapse, for no one else has demonstrated the ability to keep together an army that constantly threatens to fall apart.

Boldly Ethan infiltrates the heart of the British military, occupiers of grand old Philadelphia, where elegant officers posture in drawing rooms and frolic in the bedrooms of the rich. Surrounded by twenty thousand redcoats, aware that the slightest misstep could lead to the gallows, Ethan resorts to vicious measures to unravel a conspiracy of power-hungry men. Against his better judgment, he becomes entangled with the provocative Miss Maddie Graves, whose fierce devotion to the American cause ironically threatens his mission.
 

"Captain Parker's orders are to assassinate you by any available means…"
The letter may be anonymous, but the threat was real enough to send rebel spy, Ethan Matlock, behind enemy lines to foil such an attempt, for if George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army were to succumb to an assassin's bullet or blade, then that might bring an end to the revolution for independence.
All Ethan has to do is infiltrate the British military, and what better way to do that than by rescuing the honourable Robert Sinclair, a prominent merchant and a descendant of the British aristocracy, and his family from some pistol brandishing, rebel demons.
What Ethan had not prepared for was his sudden romantic feelings towards Sinclair's niece, Miss Maddie Graves. This was not the time nor the place for a passionate liaison, and it was certainly not wise to fall in love with such an impetuous and stubborn woman. The fate of a nation was in Ethan's hands. He must not lose sight of that.
The Devil Take Tomorrow by Gretchen Jeannette is a richly detailed and emotionally charged story from beginning to end. With a compelling narrative and the most eloquent of prose, this is a book that a reader can lose themselves in. 
Jeannette evokes a strong sense of time and place in her writing — 18th Century Philadelphia has never been more alive to me. The historical world is fresh. It is vibrant. It is a richly coloured canvas of lobster red and navy along with lashings of taffeta, gilt lace, and silk. A richly woven tapestry indeed, where the senses come alive as the story envelops the reader in all of its splendidness. The characters walk a fine line between the truth and oh so glorious lies. Who is for the King? Who is for independence? Who can be trusted? And who can not? It is a story of war, of heroism, of adventure and desperate tragedy, but above everything else, it is a sprawling, stirringly passionate love story that swept me off my feet and left me breathless.
Jeannette's attention to the historical detail, her commitment to depicting the tragedy as well as the heroism which occurred during the American Revolution, has to be commended. Jeannette shows her readers the sacrifice that war demanded of the people of America and Britain during this turbulent time in American history. Jeannette is the kind of author that makes history come alive. There is a realism to this book that is tangible. Add to this an understanding of her audience and what makes a book entertaining means that The Devil Take Tomorrow is utterly triumphant.
I adored the characterisation of Miss Maddie Graves. Maddie has suffered terribly because of this war, and she is now under the guardianship of the last man her father would have wanted to look out for her interests. Maddie, who is resolute in carrying on where her father left off, made this book immensely compelling. Maddie is a very strong woman, who is steadfast in her decisions and will not be bullied into submission — despite, her uncle's best efforts. At times her inability to not get involved lands her in a whole heap of trouble and there were several times when I really feared for her safety because of her foolhardiness. However, Maddie was a wonderful heroine whose story is vastly entertaining. 
The hero of this illustrious tale of love and war is Ethan Matlock. Ethan has his fair share of ghosts to vanquish in this book, but he is also a man on a mission. He is a spy behind enemy lines. Ethan uses his wit and charm to earn himself a trusted position within the British military in Philadelphia. Men admire him, and women fall over themselves to be with him, all of which he uses to his advantage. Ethan is, however, a ruthless man when it comes to his enemies, and there are some scenes in this book where Ethan calls upon that ruthlessness, which made for some challenging reading. However, underneath the facade is a man who feels very deeply and has to make some terribly difficult choices which really broke my heart. Ethan's relationship with Maddie was a welcomed relief from the horrors of war. However, Maddie is not the kind of woman to listen to reason. She is ruled entirely by her emotions and is a constant source of worry for Ethan. I thought Ethan's depiction was brilliant.
There are several secondary characters in this book, and they each have their role to play in this story, but one character that stood out for me was Captain Paul Loxley. Loxley has more reason to hate General Howe than anyone, but still he serves in the British Army. Loxley is a complex character who often acts before thinking and is never really sure of himself. He is a protagonist one moment and antagonist the next before becoming a protagonist again. He is a very richly drawn character who brings an awful lot to this story and helps to drive it forward. 
The Devil Take Tomorrow by Gretchen Jeannette is enchanting, engrossing, and exhilarating. Jeannette is an incredibly gifted author who is fast becoming one of my favourites.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy ofThe Devil Take TomorrowAmazon UK • Amazon US

Gretchen Jeannette
Gretchen Jeannette was born in 1955 in Wilmington, Delaware. She lives and works in Chester County, Pennsylvania, an area rich in Revolutionary War and Colonial American history. Her enduring interest in 18th Century America began at a young age, inspired by the novels of Dale Van Every and Allan Eckert, whose timeless tales of adventure and romance capture the essence of early American lore. Eager to read more such stories, to her disappointment she had trouble finding them on bookshelves, so she decided to write one of her own. Thus began a journey fueled by her passion for breathing life into history through believable characters, authentic historical details, and plots woven with adventure, romance and suspense.
Connect with Gretchen: Website • Twitter • Goodreads.

Check out Catherine Stine's fabulous book — Witch of the Wild Beasts #HistoricalFantasy #supernatural @crossoverwriter

The Coffee Pot Book Club is proud to be working alongside #BooksGoSocial to bring you some fabulous promotional deals. Get #Facebook Ads That Will Sell Your Book! Book Today and save $30.00 on all Facebook Ad Packages. @LPOBryan

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Books Go Social (BGS) is a highly respected Author Promotion service — you may have already heard of them. The founder of BGS, Laurence O’ Bryan is dedicated to helping authors showcase their books. He knows what works and what does not. This is why I am so excited to be working with him on this fantastic deal.

#BookReview — Constable on the Hill by Nicholas Rhea #HistoricalFiction @JoffeBooks

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Join #HistoricalFiction author, ALISTAIR FORREST, as he takes a look at Sextus Pompey – Angry Youth and Vengeful Pirate #History @alistairforrest

Sextus Pompey – Angry Youth and Vengeful Pirate
ALISTAIR FORREST delves into the story of Pompey the Great’s youngest son who features in his new novella trilogy

Betrayal and murder are not uncommon throughout ancient Roman history. But spare a thought for a teenager by the name of Sextus Pompey who, in 48BC, witnessed the ignominious execution of his hero-worshipped father, Pompey the Great.What happened sparked a series of events that would transform him from a teenager with a bright future into a bitter rebel with a price on his head. New Rome’s leaders will hound him to an early grave and all honour and respect will lie in tatters. From that day, young Sextus was on the receiving end of more treachery and carnage than he could possibly deserve.I began my research into Sextus when writing my first novel, Libertas, in which he and his brother Gnaeus almost succeeded in halting Julius Caesar’s relentless mission to control Rome. This fascination with the damaged young man continues as I write the Agents of Romeseries, set in the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination, with Book One Nest of Vipers focusing on Sextus’s pirate base in Sicily.Initially, I couldn’t help but like him and portrayed him as a cocky adventurer with sufficient principles to keep his democratic mission on track, but now, as I write Book Two, I fear the dark side will begin to emerge. As it surely must given these powerful and unkind events in his young life:
The murder of his father
Following Caesar’s defeat of Pompey the Great at Pharsalus, 19-year-old Sextus and his step-mother Cornelia caught up with the distraught general on the island of Lesbos, and thence to the shores of Egypt at Pelusium. Having watched from a distance as his father’s war in Greece against Caesar went from bad to worse, this is the defining moment as his father was brutally murdered before his eyes. A sudden shock to the system of a magnitude that’s impossible to imagine.



Defeat by Caesar
With Gnaeus, he rallied the Optimates faithful for a final push to defeat Caesar, first at Thapsus (Africa 46BC), then at Munda (Spain 45BC). The brothers, together with Caesar’s turncoat tribune Labienus, had the numbers if not the training to end the civil war at Munda. But they failed, as recounted in Libertasbringing this comment from Doug Jackson, best-selling author of the Gaius Valerius Verrens series: “The author vividly recreates the epic battle that gave Caesar the prize he sought so avidly.”The brothers fled, Caesar’s men giving chase before catching and executing Gnaeus. Sextus, however, was more fortunate and escaped by sea. His seamanship and piratical instincts would serve him well. He was now the last of the Pompeys – and destined to share his father’s fate.


His crazy admirals
Nest of Vipers takes up the Sextus story after he has built what can only be called a state-operated pirate base in Sicily, from where he controlled Rome’s grain supplies with a fleet far superior to that of Octavian’s war-ravaged Italy. The key naval admirals under Sextus were Menodorus, also known as Menas, a freedman from his father’s day, and Menacrates, another freedman. Both were unsavoury characters, as was Murcus (yes, the Three Ms of Mayhem!) who had joined Sextus’ cause after Philippi. Menodorus soon betrayed Sextus, offering his ships to a grateful Octavian whose own navy was inferior to that of Sextus. By now Sextus probably trusted no one, the ambitious Murcus least of all, and had him murdered at his home in Syracuse. Against his better nature, the darkness took over with Sextus resorting to desperate measures. Sextus Pompey denarius showing a nautical theme. Image used with kind permission of Classical Numismatic Group LLC, cngcoins.com


His enemies close in
After a series of naval defeats by Sextus’s faster ships, Octavian called in the big guns to deal with ‘The Problem That Is Sextus’ once and for all. He gave his ingenious general Agrippa free rein to build a competitive fleet and create a secret weapon – the Harpax – while 14 legions were shipped from Africa to Sicily. You can see that it’s not going to end well for Sextus so it’s a good thing that the protagonist in the Agents of Rome series is the noble former centurion Titus Villius Macer who, with his wife Zerenia and his faithful optio Crispus, witness the climax of poor Sextus’s ill-fated defiance against the might of New Rome. As it happens, Sextus managed to escape Octavian’s and Agrippa’s clutches only to face further brutal betrayal by his one-time ally Mark Antony. And, possibly, even by his own father-in-law!  Weaving stories around such a tragic life of murder and betrayal is a historical fiction author’s dream although this sensitive soul (me) frequently has to come up for air, take the dogs for a long walk, and be grateful that life isn’t like that anymore.Or is it?
Nest of VipersAgents of Rome - Book 1By Alistair Forrest

Philippi 42BC. Caesar is dead and his successors crave vengeance.The massed legions of Octavian and Mark Antony face off against Cassius and Brutus. Primus pilus Titus Villius Macer is ordered to probe new defences thrown up by the assassins' auxiliaries.His success wins him an audience with the young general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who sends him on a mission to his native Sicilia, which is ruled by the pirate Sextus Pompey.Macer's homecoming is different to what he expects, however. His wife has changed - and so has the governance of the island.The soldier becomes a spy and is drawn into a plot, which will test his mettle and loyalty, involving piracy and assassination. A race against time and sea-battles await the veteran.Nest of Vipers is the first book in the Agents of Rome series of novellas.Praise for Nest of Vipers
"A gripping and exciting read, well-researched and convincing." Peter Tonkin, author of The Ides.
Pick up your copy ofNest of VipersAmazon

Libertas
By Alistair Forrest

Spain 45BC. Julius Caesar’s crack legions bear down on an obscure Spanish town, Munda, at the climax of Rome’s civil war.
Against him are ranged the massed forces of Pompey the Great’s sons, Gnaeus and Sextus. To the victor, the spoils.
Caught up in the conflict is an unlikely hero, Melqart. Near fatally wounded in the battle, his family is sold into slavery and his people oppressed by Arsay One-Eye, a foe crueller than Caesar.
Melqart’s quest to free his family takes him to Sicily and the shores of Africa as he encounters enemies and allies alike.
Ultimately, the Spaniard must return to his homeland and confront Arsay. Melqart and his people must free themselves, or die trying.

Praise for Libertas
"Alistair Forrest's Libertas is a fast-moving tale of fortitude, survival and eventual retribution told against the background of Rome's bloody civil war.”  Douglas Jackson, author of the best-selling Gaius Valerius Verrens series.
"Forrest has the gift of the true story-teller the ability to engage his readers interest from the very first sentence." Lord Cormack, politician, historian and author.



Pick up your copy ofLibertasAmazon UK • Amazon US




Alistair Forrest
Alistair Forrest is a journalist, editor and author of historical fiction. He has worked for several UK newspapers, edited magazines in the travel, photographic and natural products sectors, and headed a PR company.
He lives in the Channel Islands with his wife Lynda. They have five children, two Maremma dogs and a Spanish cat, Achilles.

His books are published by Sharpe Books of London. Alistair loves to hear from readers. Contact him through his website or Twitter.