Judith Arnopp's Blog, page 15
November 9, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Julia Ibbotson: A Shape on the Air: Dr DuLac Series Book #1
Book Title: A Shape on the Air
Series: Dr DuLac series #1 (The Dragon Tree #2; The Rune Stone #3)
Author: Julia Ibbotson
Publication Date: January 2022 (previously published by Lume Books July 2017)
Publisher: Self-published on Amazon KDP
Page Length: 220
Genre: historical romance (timeslip mystery)
A Shape on the Air
by Julia Ibbotson
A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance
Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the 'dark ages' unfold.
How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past? Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
Praise for A Shape on the Air:
“In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” - Historical Novel Society
“Amazing …a really great book …I just couldn’t put it down” - Hazel Morgan
“Well-rounded characters and a wealth of historical research make this a real page-turner” - Amazon review
“Enthralling” - Amazon review
“Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” - Amazon review
“Viv/Lady Vivianne … lovely identifiable heroine in both time periods … I love her strength and vulnerability. And Rory/Roland is simply gorgeous!” - Melissa Morgan
“gripping … a very real sense of threat and danger, an enthralling mystery … a wholly convincing romance, across both timelines” - Anne Williams
This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher.
Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’.
Website: Twitter: Facebook: LinkedIn: Instagram: Pinterest: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads:
November 6, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Squire's Hazard, the Fifth Meonbridge Chronicle, by Carolyn Hughes
Book Title: Squire’s Hazard, The Fifth Meonbridge Chronicle
Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles
Author: Carolyn Hughes
Publication Date: 6th October 2022
Publisher: Riverdown Books
Page Length: 360
Genre: Historical Fiction
Squire’s Hazard
Carolyn Hughes
How do you overcome the loathing, lust and bitterness threatening you and your family’s honour?
It’s 1363, and in Steyning Castle, Sussex, Dickon de Bohun is enjoying life as a squire in the household of Earl Raoul de Fougère. Or he would be, if it weren’t for Edwin de Courtenay, who’s making his life a misery with his bullying, threatening to expose the truth about Dickon’s birth.
At home in Meonbridge for Christmas, Dickon notices how grown-up his childhood playmate, Libby Fletcher, has become since he last saw her and feels the stirrings of desire. Libby, seeing how different he is too, falls instantly in love. But as a servant to Dickon’s grandmother, Lady Margaret de Bohun, she could never be his wife.
Margery Tyler, Libby’s aunt, meeting her niece by chance, learns of her passion for young Dickon. Their conversation rekindles Margery’s long-held rancour against the de Bohuns, whom she blames for all the ills that befell her family, including her own servitude. For years she’s hidden her hunger for retribution, but she can no longer keep her hostility in check.
As the future Lord of Meonbridge, Dickon knows he must rise above de Courtenay’s loathing and intimidation, and get the better of him. And, surely, he must master his lust for Libby, so his own mother’s shocking history is not repeated? Of Margery’s bitterness, however, he has yet to learn…
Beset by the hazards these powerful and dangerous emotions bring, can young Dickon summon up the courage and resolve to overcome them?
Secrets, hatred and betrayal, but also love and courage – Squire’s Hazard, the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE.
This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
The paperback is available to buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones.
CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, as she wrote and edited material, some fascinating, some dull, for an array of different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.
Having written creatively for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest several years ago that writing historical fiction took centre stage, alongside gaining a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.
Squire’s Hazard is the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE, and more stories about the folk of Meonbridge will follow.
You can connect with Carolyn through her website www.carolynhughesauthor.com and on social media.
Website: www.carolynhughesauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writingcalliope
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolynHughesAuthor/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carolyn-hughes
Amazon Author Page UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carolyn-Hughes/e/B01MG5TWH1/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16048212.Carolyn_Hughes
October 26, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Island of Dreams by Harry Duffin
Book Title: Island of Dreams
Author: Harry Duffin
Publication Date: December 2022
Publisher: Cumulus Publishing
Page Length: 420
Genre: Historical Family Saga
Island of Dreams
By Harry Duffin
In May 1939, when Professor Carl Mueller, his wife, Esther, and their three children flee Nazi Germany, and find refuge on the paradise island of Cuba, they are all full of hopes and dreams for a safe and happy future.
But those dreams are shattered when Carl and Esther are confronted by a ghost from their past, and old betrayals return to haunt them.
The turbulent years of political corruption leading to Batista’s dictatorship, forces the older children to take very different paths to pursue their own dangerous dreams.
And - among the chaos and the conflict that finally leads to Castro’s revolution and victory in 1959, an unlikely love begins to grow - a love that threatens the whole family.
Having escaped a war-torn Europe, their Island of Dreams is to tear them apart forever.
Island of Dreams
By Harry Duffin
Read an Excerpt
As the wailing combined with the throb of the engines, Anna turned away from the crowd lining the rails. She felt her parents needed her and she needed to be with them. If they were to die, they would begin their final journey together as a family.
She had just reached the main stairway to go back inside the ship, when she heard a man cry out. Fearing another suicide attempt she turned to look.
‘Look!’ the man shouted again, excitedly.
All eyes followed his pointing finger. Anna went back to the agitated crowd and wormed her way through to see the cause of the excitement.
A small, stubby boat was racing through the water towards them. As the craft grew larger, approaching the cordon of police boats still surrounding the ship, the passengers started chattering excitedly. The helmsman of the boat was a plump black man. Beside him stood a young policeman and another man in a crumpled, cotton suit, his shock of straw-coloured hair flattened to his brow by the speed of the boat.
As the boat raced through a gap made by the police launches, the man looked up at the passengers crowding the rails. His handsome face looked tired, worn, but triumphant. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted excitedly, 'The Mueller family! Professor Carl Mueller!’
The atmosphere in the Mueller’s cabin was electric.
‘He’s said he’s got visas for us to leave the ship!’ gasped Anna, breathless from dashing the news to her parents.
Carl and Esther looked at each other, a mixture of shock, joy and disbelief. But it was true. A steward, hurrying after Anna, confirmed the good news. They were to take their luggage to the ship’s ladder and disembark. All the Mueller family and Nanny Price too.
The next few minutes were a blur. Carl, Hans, Nanny and the steward stumbled up the companionway to the boat deck, hauling various brown leather cases. Bringing up the rear behind Esther, Anna and Klaus, two more stewards carried Esther’s trunk.
Having climbed the ladder to the ships deck, Freddie looked through the excited crowd. Carl was easy to see, being over six foot and wearing a silver-grey homburg, but the rest of the family were hidden in the milling throng. Anger was rising as the crowd grew, demanding to know why they weren’t allowed to leave too. Freddie had expected it. He glanced at Ramos, who smoothly slipped his gun from its holster and fired one deafening shot into the air. The effect at such close quarters was immediate. The crowd took a pace back, allowing Carl to shepherd his flock to the ladder where another policeman was waiting to help them down to Lardy’s boat.
Freddie only glimpsed Esther, tearful and near to panic, as she was jostled through into the arms of the policeman. Out of Freddie’s sight, Anna had wrestled her arm from her father’s grip.
‘No!’ he heard her shout angrily. ‘I’m not leaving without the others. It isn’t fair!’
Carl, occupied with the bemused Klaus, had become separated from his daughter, who was about to become submerged in the crowd.
‘Anna!’ he cried.
Esther’s cry of panic pierced the hubbub. Freddie forced himself into the scrum, grabbed the young girl firmly round the waist and carried her, kicking and screaming, to the top of the ladder where Ramos helped him carry her down the precarious steps. They were all in danger of falling as Anna struck out furiously, catching Freddie full in the face, and knocking Ramos’s cap into the water.
‘No, no!’ she cried. ‘We can’t leave them! They’re our friends!’
Somehow, they were all suddenly in the small swaying boat, the luggage was tumbled in after them and Lardy gunned the craft away from the sheer, black wall of the ship.
The family huddled towards the prow in silence, with Carl hugging the sobbing Anna to his chest and holding Esther in an embrace all the way. Freddie sat in the stern with Ramos and Lardy. No one spoke on the short journey.
Ramos, aware of the danger of the large, excitable crowd gathered at the quay, told Lardy to take the boat through the harbour channel and up the river leading through the Old City.
As they entered the mouth of the narrow river and the S.S. St Louis disappeared from view behind the dockside warehouses, Anna let out a little cry, ‘Papa!’
Carl hugged her closer. ‘Hush, Liebchen,’ he murmured. ‘There was nothing we could do.’
After Lardy had tied up at the small jetty, Freddie quickly found two taxis. He and Ramos crammed into the front seat of the first, with Anna and Nanny Price in the back.
‘Hotel Ingleterre,’ Freddie instructed the driver.
As the two cabs wound through the narrow shadowed Spanish style streets, that made up the ancient and most beautiful part of Havana, Freddie became aware for the first time that his nose was violently throbbing. Touching it he realised it had bled. He took out a handkerchief and dabbed it gently. The faint red smudge on the white cotton told him the blood had already dried.
The ship's klaxon sounded one final echoing blast. Glancing behind Freddie looked straight into the wide dark eyes of Anna, glaring hatred at him from the shadow of the rear seat.
‘You had no right to drag me from the ship!’ she said coldly. ‘I wanted to stay.’
‘I understand how you feel –,’ began Freddie, but Ramos, squashed at his side, snapped without turning his head.
‘You should be grateful! I would have left you there!’
Anna was about to respond, but felt Nanny Price’s hand gently squeeze her own. She contented herself with staring hard at the back of Ramos’ bare head, pleased that she’d knocked the man’s hat into the water.
********
Publication date: December 2022.
This title will be available on Amazon and on #KindleUnlimited.
Harry Duffin is an award-winning British screenwriter, who was on the first writing team of the BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ and won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best TV serial for ‘Coronation Street’.
He was Head of Development at Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group, producing seven major television series, including ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ starring Richard ‘John Boy’ Thomas, and ‘Twist in the Tale’, featuring William Shatner.
He was the co-creator of the UK Channel Five teen-cult drama series ‘The Tribe’, which ran for five series.
He has written three novels, Chicago May, Birth of the Mall Rats [an intro to the TV series ‘The Tribe’], and Island of Dreams, which will be published in December 2022.
Chicago May is the first book of a two-part series: www.chicagomay.com
Social Media Links:
Website: www.harryduffin.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/duffin26
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harry.duffin.5
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/harry-duffin-b7030a47
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duffinharry/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/harry-duffin
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harry-Duffin/e/B005KR3E74
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4674467.Harry_Duffin
October 23, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents: The Godmother's Secret by Elizabeth St.John
Book Title: The Godmother’s Secret
Author: Elizabeth St.John
Publication Date: 4th October, 2022
Publisher: Falcon Historical
Page Length: 350 pages
Genre: Biographical Historical Fiction / Historical Mystery
The Godmother’s Secret
by Elizabeth St.John
What if you knew what happened to the Princes in the Tower. Would you tell? Or would you forever keep the secret?
November, 1470: Westminster Abbey. Lady Elysabeth Scrope faces a perilous royal duty when ordered into sanctuary with Elizabeth Woodville–witness the birth of Edward IV’s Yorkist son. Margaret Beaufort, Elysabeth’s sister, is desperately seeking a pardon for her exiled son Henry Tudor. Strategically, she coerces Lancastrian Elysabeth to be appointed godmother to Prince Edward, embedding her in the heart of the Plantagenets and uniting them in a destiny of impossible choices and heartbreaking conflict.
Bound by blood and torn by honour, when the king dies and Elysabeth delivers her young godson into the Tower of London to prepare for his coronation, she is engulfed in political turmoil. Within months, the prince and his brother have disappeared, Richard III is declared king, and Margaret conspires with Henry Tudor to invade England and claim the throne. Desperate to protect her godson, Elysabeth battles the intrigue, betrayal and power of the last medieval court, defying her husband and her sister under her godmother’s sacred oath to keep Prince Edward safe.
Were the princes murdered by their uncle, Richard III? Was the rebel Duke of Buckingham to blame? Or did Margaret Beaufort mastermind their disappearance to usher in the Tudor dynasty? Of anyone at the royal court, Elysabeth has the most to lose–and the most to gain–by keeping secret the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
Inspired by England’s most enduring historical mystery, Elizabeth St.John, best-selling author of The Lydiard Chronicles, blends her own family history with known facts and centuries of speculation to create an intriguing alternative story illuminating the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower.
This title is on #KindleUnlimited.
Elizabeth St.John spends her time between California, England, and the past. An acclaimed author, historian, and genealogist, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Lydiard Park and Nottingham Castle to Richmond Palace and the Tower of London to inspire her novels. Although the family sold a few country homes along the way (it's hard to keep a good castle going these days), Elizabeth's family still occupy them— in the form of portraits, memoirs, and gardens that carry their legacy. And the occasional ghost. But that's a different story.Having spent a significant part of her life with her seventeenth-century family while writing The Lydiard Chronicles trilogy and Counterpoint series, Elizabeth St.John is now discovering new family stories with her fifteenth-century namesake Elysabeth St.John Scrope, and her half-sister, Margaret Beaufort.
Website: Twitter: Facebook: LinkedIn: Instagram: Book Bub: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads:
October 12, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents: The Conjuror’s Apprentice: The Tudor Rose, Book 1 by G.J. Williams
Book Title: The Conjuror’s Apprentice
Series: The Tudor Rose (Book 1)
Author: G.J. Williams
Publication Date: October 6th 2022
Publisher: RedDoor Press
Page Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Conjuror’s Apprentice
(The Tudor Rose, Book 1
G.J. Williams
Born with the ability to hear thoughts and feelings when there is no sound, Margaretta Morgan’s strange gift sees her apprenticed to Doctor John Dee, mathematician, astronomer, and alchemist. Using her secret link with the hidden side and her master’s brilliance, Margaretta faces her first murder mystery. Margaretta and Dee must uncover the evil bound to unravel the court of Bloody Mary.
The year is 1555. This is a time ruled by fear. What secrets await to be pulled from the water?
The Conjuror’s Apprentice takes real people and true events in 1555, into which G J Williams weaves a tale of murder and intrigue. Appealing to readers of crime and well researched historical fiction alike, this is the first in a series which will follow the life, times, plots and murders of the Tudor Court.
Trigger Warnings:
Descriptions of bodies and the injuries that brought about their death.
Threat of torture; description of man who has been tortured.
Read an excerpt
Dawn broke on a new June day. Margaretta must have looked terrible. Even Mam offered to stir a pot and Huw kept stepping from foot to foot and looking at her face with concern. Katherine Constable was in her sitting room, picking at an embroidery, tutting at her mistakes. Her face fell when she saw Margaretta’s expression.
‘What has happened? You look so tired.’
‘They have given orders to torture Doctor Dee.’
Katherine gave a sharp cry and dropped her linen, the needle making a tiny rattle on the wooden floor. ‘For why?’
‘Because torture makes men speak of what they have not done and don’t know, mistress. They are trying to make him confess to a falsity.’
Katherine’s hand went to her ample bosom. ‘What can we do?’ Then she looked alarmed. ‘Without my husband knowing.’
‘I’ll go to the Tower.’
Katherine gasped and clasped her hands to her throat. ‘But it is a terrible place. They say you never come out alive.’
‘That’s not true. Merchants come and go every day. So do men of court. Anyway, I have to help the doctor.’
Katherine gulped. ‘Do you need more money?’
‘Yes…and a petticoat onto which I can sew a secret pocket to put under my sister’s dress.’
At the Tower, the guard stared at his ledger. ‘I have no note that visitors are to be admitted.’
‘But Lord Englefield told me to attend to cousin John and bring him to his senses.’ She copied the voice of Lady Cecil – piety mixed with unquestioned confidence. ‘Are you suggesting I am to be turned away?’
My, what a difference a dress makes. If I were here in my kitchen brown, you would be kicking my backside out of your door with a stream of abuse to carry me further. But a bit of blue silk, a Spanish hood and a purse of coin, helped by a confident tongue and you are flustering like a chicken facing a fox.
‘Er, no. Your name please, my lady?’ The guard scratched at his chin, still staring at his ledger.
‘As I said. Cousin to Doctor John Dee.’ She tapped her toe to show impatience. ‘How many times do we need to go around this circus ring?’
It worked. The gates were opened with a terrible clang of bars being raised. A man was called. ‘Take the lady to prisoner nought nought seven. He’s in the Salt Tower.’ They walked along the cobble path towards the tower, rising grey and terrifying into the blue sky. Above them, soldiers walked the battlements, pikes ready to pierce any escapee. She was walked through a dark door and into a small round room with arched slit windows. The man muttered his apologies for the rank smell. ‘It’s always bad in summer, lady. I think the heat does make the stench of fear grow.’
She was led up spiral stairs of granite and waited, trembling as the man sorted through a ring of keys. The door was opened and the cell guard gestured her in. ‘We allow only half of an hour a visit, lady.’
Margaretta turned her eye on the man who was evidently an old soldier from the broken nose and scars across his face. He stank of wine and chicken fat. ‘I will require an hour. See Lord Englefield if you need confirmation.’ She almost laughed at the voice she used.
But amusement lasted only a second as he snarled back: ‘I don’t give a rat’s arse if Jesus Christ sent you, lady. You have only half of an hour.’
The cell was dark and dank. One candle burned on a small table in the middle of the cell, casting a low light. Canvas was hanging over the slit windows, blotting out the light of day. An acrid, musty smell rose from the floor. Rats. John Dee was at the far side of the room, on a low cot bed. As she approached, Margaretta could smell mould from the paltry hay mattress. A cough from behind made her spin round. There was a crouched figure on the floor, face in the shadows. ‘I apologise if I frightened you,’ came a croaked voice.
She looked back to John Dee, who pointed at the man across the cell. ‘This is Barthelet Green. Detained for heresy. It appears they group prisoners by accusation.’ He shook his head. ‘Cannot stand because of what they have done to him.’
Margaretta walked towards the man in the corner, picking up the candle. As she approached her stomach lurched. He was broken. Arms hung loose and the legs protruded out at a strange angle. He just about managed to raise his head from a body slumped against the damp wall. He gave a wan smile.
‘What did they do to you, sir?’
‘The rack, child.’
As he tried to raise his hand, the door crashed open and the guard shouted, ‘Calling Barthelet Green for interrogation.’ Then a sneering laugh. ‘It’s the scavenger’s daughter today, heretic. Your eyes and ears will be bleeding in an hour.’
The man moaned. More the moan of a tortured animal than a man, followed by the sound and smell of his bladder giving way in panic. Margaretta turned away to hide her horror. Two men hauled him upright, ignoring the scream. One complained that he would be soaked and then they started to drag their prey towards the door. Another scream and the door slammed shut.
In the other corner, John Dee began to cry. ‘What if they do the same to me?’
‘Come now, doctor, there is no time for weeping.’ Margaretta pulled his shoulders up and looked straight into his eyes. ‘We have to work quickly. Only half an hour.’
She turned away and pulled up her skirts. From Katherine’s pocketed petticoat she pulled the crystals and the cards. ‘Here. Now let us seek answers.’
With trembling hands, Dee pointed to the candle. ‘We will need that.’ Then he placed the crystals on the floor, putting the candle between them. Slowly, he opened the box of cards and muttered a prayer in the old language, their language, and raised his eyes to the ceiling as if imploring God, or maybe the gods, to come and give answers. With a deep breath he spread the cards in a wide arc, the picture sides down. ‘Tell me of my enemies,’ he rasped, and started to select the cards.
One by one he pulled them from the arc, picture side up, until he had created a cross. When five were chosen, he groaned. ‘God help us.’
‘What do they tell you, doctor?’
He pointed to the central card. It depicted a young man, a magician, conjuring with arms open, a double halo above his head, vines growing at his feet, and a wary smile on his face. ‘This is me. It is the card of looking forward, new beginnings, and most of all, hoping for a miracle.’
He moved to the card to the left. The high priestess. ‘She has the scythe at her feet, pomegranates at her head, the cross of faith at her heart, the tora in her hands. She understands everything and nothing. Intuition and always seeing.’ He looked up at Margaretta. ‘This is you.’
‘But that card on the other side of you? The devil?’
John Dee made a little whimper, then controlled himself and straightened his back. ‘This means entrapment, others having the upper hand, bad faith and bad speaking against truth. Intended evil.’ Dee sighed. ‘This is the current condition.’
‘So, look to the card below. What is that?’
John Dee traced down. ‘The emperor again. A man bent on power. Whoever this depicts is the centre of this.’ He tapped the sheep heads on the throne. ‘Yellow wool.’
‘And the lowest card.’
‘The hermit. It supports the other cards. This is the keystone in the cross. He is the hidden man, only half seen. He shines a light and yet you cannot see his face. This card often means the final stage of an endeavour.’ John Dee swayed back and looked to Margaretta. ‘The other name for this card is the shepherd and he is the root and foundation of this mess.’
Margaretta started to pace. ‘The turn-face shepherd again.’ She stopped. ‘I need to go back to Southwark and find that face.’
John Dee was about to answer when footsteps came from the stairs. Margaretta grabbed the cards and crystal and secreted them in her petticoat just as the door crashed open and the guard yelled, ‘Time up!’
She nodded and turned to leave, hearing Dee’s whisper of, ‘Help me.’
Amazon UK: Waterstones: RedDoor:
After a career as a business psychologist for city firms, G.J. Williams has returned to her first passion – writing tales of murder, mystery and intrigue. Her psychology background melded with a love of medieval history, draws her to the twists and turns of the human mind, subconscious powers and the dark-side of people who want too much. She lives between Somerset and London in the UK and is regularly found writing on a train next to a grumpy cat and a bucket of tea.
October 4, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Brushstrokes from the Past by Heidi Eljarbo
Book Title: Brushstrokes from the Past
Series: Soli Hansen Mysteries
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publication Date: 20 September 2022
Publisher: self-published
Page Length: 260 pages
Genre: Historical fiction – dual timeline, a bit of mystery and sweet romance
Brushstrokes from the Past
Soli Hansen Mysteries
Heidi Eljarbo
A Historical Art Mystery
WWII and the mid-seventeenth century are entwined in this fourth dual timeline novel about Nazi art theft, bravery, friendship, and romance.
April 1945. Art historian Soli Hansen and her friend Heddy arrive at an excavation site only to find Soli’s old archeology professor deeply engrossed in an extraordinary find in a marsh. The remains of a man have lain undisturbed for three centuries, but there’s more to this discovery…
As Soli tries to understand who the baroque man was and discovers what he carried in a sealed wooden tube, problems arise. A leak reveals the finds to the notorious Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Walter, and soon, both Nazi elite and the Gestapo are after the treasure.
When Heddy and the professor disappear along with the artwork, Soli and her resistance group must find them before it’s too late.
1641. In Amsterdam, French musketeer Claude Beaulieu has had his portrait done by his close friend and artist Rembrandt van Rijn. When a band of thieves steal the precious painting, Claude and his wife Annarosa Ruber pick up their swords and a few belongings and go after the culprits.
Set in Norway during the tumultuous last days of the second world war, as well as the peak of the glorious baroque art period, these two stories are a must for readers who love historical fiction with adventure, suspense, and true love that conquers all.
Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Kathleen McGurl, Rhys Bowen, and Katherine Neville.
Available on #KindleUnlimited
Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.
Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.
Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
website: Twitter: Facebook: LinkedIn:
Instagram: Instagram author page: Pinterest: Book Bub: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads:
September 20, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: A Turbulent Peace by Paul Walker
Book Title: A Turbulent Peace
Author: Paul Walker
Publication Date: July 2022
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Page Length: 305 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
A Turbulent Peace
Paul Walker
January 1919.
Following the armistice, Mary Kiten, a volunteer nurse in northern France, is ready to return home to England when she receives a surprise telegram requesting that she report to Paris. The call comes from her Uncle Arthur, a security chief at the Peace Conference.
Within minutes of arriving at the Majestic Hotel in Paris, Mary hears a commotion in the street outside. A man has been shot and killed. She is horrified to earn that the victim is her uncle. The police report the attack as a chance robbery by a known thief, who is tracked down and killed resisting arrest.
Mary is not convinced. Circumstances and the gunshot wound do not indicate theft as a motive. A scribbled address on Arthur’s notepad leads to her discovery of another body, a Russian Bolshevik. She suspects her uncle, and the Russian, were murdered by the same hand.
To investigate further, Mary takes a position working for the British Treasury, headed by J M Keynes.
But Mary soon finds herself in the backstreets of Paris and the criminal underworld.
What she discovers will threaten the foundations of the congress.
Read an Excerpt:
Roussel was a small, clean-shaven man with a pasty face and thinning dark hair combed forward to a sharp arrowhead in the centre of his forehead. He reminded me of a portrait of Napoleon hanging in the National Gallery. Parkes had a hard time keeping up in his broken French, with Roussel making no effort to slow down for an easier understanding of his sharp, clipped speech. The hint of a smile played at the corner of Roussel’s mouth. He was toying with the British major, who was becoming more confused and exasperated in an attempt to win the argument. It had gone on long enough. I stepped forward and proceeded to recount the story of my excitement at the prospect of meeting my favourite uncle in a wonderful city and utter despair at his cruel ending, minutes before our planned reunion. All this spoken with a wringing of hands and dabbing of eyes with a handkerchief. I bowed my head in meek resignation and waited for a response.
A keen silence hung in the air for a few moments before the scraping of a chair signalled Roussel had risen from his desk. He left the office and returned to deposit a small bag in front of me. The name ‘Burgess’ was written on an attached label. I opened the bag and took out a wallet, matches, an unopened pack of cigarettes, two handkerchiefs, a handful of coins and a penknife. The unfolded leather wallet exposed a photograph of Arthur’s late wife, Diana, seated and their son, Mark, standing at her side with a hand resting on her shoulder. The photograph lifted to reveal a wad of new banknotes, perhaps eighty francs; nothing else – no letter or written note. Disappointed, I looked at Roussel.
‘Has the killer been caught?’
‘Yes, Mademoiselle, he was wanted for other serious crimes in this arrondissement.’
‘Was?’
‘He was identified at the scene and later located at an apartment in Auteuil. The arraignment was bloody, and he died of his wounds.’
‘What were his other crimes?’
‘He was a well-known thief and suspected of a grievous wounding in a bar brawl.’
I held the handkerchief to my eyes to give me a few seconds to consider my next question. ‘May we see his body – the killer?’
‘No Mademoiselle, that is not possible.’
I suppose I should have expected a denial. ‘You say he was well-known. Was he… a big man? How tall?’
Roussel puffed his cheeks and answered, ‘He was neither big nor small.’ He inclined his head and continued, ‘No bigger than me, and perhaps a little shorter. Why do you ask?’
‘It’s just that… No, I’m confused.’ I struggled to find words that wouldn’t offend. ‘Do you believe robbery was the intention? There is money in the wallet.’
Roussel shook his head and spread his hands. ‘The victim – your uncle – resisted; he was seen and stopped before… enough! I have complied with your request.’ He rose from his chair and took a deep breath through his nose. ‘The matter is closed. You have seen the contents. They will be shipped back to England with the body.’ He slapped a hand on the desk. ‘Good day, Major and Mademoiselle.’
‘Just one more question, Inspector - was a gun found at the apartment in Auteuil?’
Roussel glared and growled his displeasure. Parkes held up his hands in a gesture of peace, declared our satisfaction, offered congratulations on solving the case, then guided me to the exit. Outside, everywhere was draped in a hushed covering of white. Parkes wanted to talk, but I needed emotions to settle and think clearly. I turned my back to avoid his questioning gaze and marched off but slipped on the snow and almost fell. He caught up and crooked his arm for me to hold.
‘Why?’ he asked.
‘Why what?’ I retorted, more sharply than intended.
‘Why the interrogation of Roussel? I could follow most of your conversation. They have their man, he got what he deserved, and we need cooperation from the local police. I only hope he…’
‘I don’t believe Arthur was murdered by a petty criminal in a bungled robbery. It doesn’t feel right.’ We stopped, and before he could say more, I added, ‘Eighty francs was still in the wallet. And the gun. I’ll wager they didn’t find a gun to match the calibre of the bullet in Arthur’s head.’
He stared in disbelief. ‘You talk as if… as if…’ His voice trailed away. ‘What other motive do you have in mind? And the gun. Masses of guns from the war have found their way into unsafe hands in this city. What am I missing, Mary?’
‘I’m sorry for upsetting your Inspector chum and I’m no expert, but to my mind it doesn’t add up.’ I tugged at his arm. ‘Come on, let’s get back to the hotel. I need to speak to Sir Basil.’
This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited
Paul Walker lives in a village 30 miles north of London where he is a full-time writer of fiction and part-time director of an education trust. His writing in a posh garden shed is regularly disrupted by children, a growing number of grandchildren and several dogs.
Paul writes historical fiction. The William Constable series of historical thrillers is based around real characters and events in the late sixteenth century. The first two books in the series – “State of Treason” and “A Necessary Killing”, were published in 2019. The third book, titled “The Queen’s Devil”, was published in the summer of 2020.
Travel forward a few hundred years from Tudor England to January 1919 in Paris and the setting for Paul’s latest book, “A Turbulent Peace”. The focus of the World is on the Peace Conference after WW1 armistice. Add a dash of Spanish Flu, the fallout from the Russian Revolution, and you have a background primed for intrigue as nations strive for territory, power and money.
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July 25, 2022
Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents: The Mallory Saga: Clash of Empires: A Novel of the French Indian War (The Mallory Saga Book 1)
Book Title: Clash of Empires – Book 1
Series: The Mallory Saga
Author: Paul Bennett
Publication Date: 25th November 2016
Publisher: Hoover Books
Page Length: 224 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Mallory Saga Series
By Paul Bennett
Follow the Mallory family as they attempt to live a peaceful life on the PA frontier in 1756. They face tragedy and loss as they become embroiled in The French and Indian War - Clash of Empires. In Paths to Freedom, the colonies are heading to open revolt against King George III, and the Mallory's are once again facing the spectre of war. Crucible of Rebellion continues the Mallory story through the early years of The Revolutionary War. Book 4, A Nation is Born completes the Revolution and The Mallory's have played their part in the victory. In book 5, A Turbulent Beginning, the nascent nation finds it hard going to establish a peaceful existence. The Natives of this land resist the westward expansion of white settlers.
Trigger Warnings: Violence and battle scenes, mild sexual content, and profanity.
Paths to Freedom
The French and Indian War is over, but the aftermath widens the gulf between the colonies and King George III. A hard handed approach by the King and Parliament fuels the flames of resistance; flames that soon engulf the Mallory clan, consuming the frontier, shattering their hopes for Mallory Town, and changing their lives forever. Revolution is nigh.
This series is available to read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription.
Clash of Empires: Paths to Freedom: Crucible of Rebellion: A Nation Is Born: A Turbulent Beginning:
Clash of Empires - Universal Link:
Paul Bennett was born in Detroit when the Big Three ruled the automobile industry, and The Korean Conflict was in full swing. A lifelong interest in history and a love of reading eventually led him to Wayne State University where he majored in Ancient History, with a minor in Physical Anthropology. However, to make ends meet, those studies were left to the realm of dreams, and Paul found himself accidentally embarking on a 50 year career in computers. A career that he has recently retired from in order to spend more time with those dreams….7 grandchildren will help fill the time as well.
He now resides in the quaint New England town of Salem, Massachusetts with his wife Daryl, just a few minutes’ walk from the North River, and the site where the Revolution almost began.
The Mallory Saga is the culmination of Paul’s love of history, and his creative drive to write stories. With Nightwish and Bruce Cockburn coming through his headphones, and many cups of excellent coffee, Paul hopes to carry the Saga into the late 19th century, bringing American History to life through the eyes and actions of the Mallory family.
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July 12, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: The Girl from Oto (The Miramonde Series, Book 1) by Amy Maroney, narrated by Meg Price,
Book Title: The Girl from Oto
Series: The Miramonde Series, Book 1
Author: Amy Maroney
Publication Date: 20th September 2016
Publisher: Artelan Press
Page Length: 524 Pages
Audio Length: 15 hours 23 minutes
Narrator: Meg Price
Genre: Historical Mystery
The Girl from Oto
(The Miramonde Series, Book 1)
By Amy Maroney
Narrated by Meg Price
A Renaissance-era woman artist and an American scholar. Linked by a 500-year-old mys-tery…
The secrets of the past are irresistible—and treacherous.
1500: Born during a time wracked by war and plague, Renaissance-era artist Mira grows up in a Pyrenees convent believing she is an orphan. When tragedy strikes, Mira learns the devastating truth about her own origins. But does she have the strength to face those who would destroy her?
2015: Centuries later, art scholar Zari unearths traces of a mysterious young woman named Mira in two 16th-century portraits. Obsessed, Zari tracks Mira through the great cities of Europe to the pilgrim’s route of Camino de Santiago—and is stunned by what she finds. Will her discovery be enough to bring Mira’s story to life?
A powerful story and an intriguing mystery, The Girl from Oto is an unforgettable novel of obsession, passion, and human resilience.
This book is available on #KindleUnlimited.
The Girl from Oto: Mira’s Way: A Place in the World:
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Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. When she's not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy's new series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, features ordinary people seeking their fortunes under the rule of the medieval Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes, Greece. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s readers' group at www.amymaroney.com.
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The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present : The Girl from Bologna (Girls from the Italian Resistance) by Siobhan Daiko
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Book Title: The Girl from Bologna
Series: Girls from the Italian Resistance
Author: Siobhan Daiko
Publication Date: 29th June 2022
Publisher: Asolando Books
Page Length: 300 Pages
Genre: 20th Century Historical Fiction
The Girl from Bologna
(Girls from the Italian Resistance)
By Siobhan Daiko
Bologna, Italy, 1944, and the streets are crawling with German soldiers. Nineteen-year-old Leila Venturi is shocked into joining the Resistance after her beloved best friend Rebecca, the daughter of a prominent Jewish businessman, is ruthlessly deported to a concentration camp.
In February 1981, exchange student Rhiannon Hughes arrives in Bologna to study at the university. There, she rents a room from Leila, who is now middle-aged and infirm. Leila’s nephew, Gianluca, offers to show Rhiannon around but Leila warns her off him.
Soon Rhiannon finds herself being drawn into a web of intrigue. What is Gianluca’s interest in a far-right group? And how is the nefarious head of this group connected to Leila? As dark secrets emerge from the past, Rhiannon is faced with a terrible choice. Will she take her courage into both hands and risk everything?
An evocative, compelling read, “The Girl from Bologna” is a story of love lost, daring exploits, and heart wrenching redemption.
Trigger Warnings: War crimes against women
Available on #KindleUnlimited
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Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a rescued cat. After a life of romance and adventure in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, Siobhan now spends her time indulging her love of writing and enjoying her life near Venice.
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