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January 23, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Daughter of the King by Kerry Chaput
Book Title: Daughter of the King
Series Title: (Defying the Crown, Book 1)
Author: Kerry Chaput
Publication Date: 16th December 2021
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Page Length: 248 Pages
Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction
Daughter of the King
(Defying the Crown, Book 1)
By Kerry Chaput
La Rochelle France, 1661. Fierce Protestant Isabelle is desperate to escape persecution by the Catholic King. Isabelle is tortured and harassed, her people forced to convert to the religion that rules the land. She risks her life by helping her fellow Protestants, which is forbidden by the powers of France. She accepts her fate — until she meets a handsome Catholic soldier who makes her question everything.
She fights off an attack by a nobleman, and the only way to save herself is to flee to the colony of Canada as a Daughter of the King. She can have money, protection and a new life — if she adopts the religion she’s spent a lifetime fighting. She must leave her homeland and the promises of her past. In the wild land of Canada, Isabelle finds that her search for love and faith has just begun.
Based on the incredible true story of the French orphans who settled Canada, Daughter of the King is a sweeping tale of one young woman’s fight for true freedom. Kerry Chaput brings the past to life, expertly weaving a gripping saga with vivid historical details. Jump back in time on a thrilling adventure with an unforgettable heroine.
Trigger Warnings: Violence, sexual assault
EXCERPT :
Careful to avoid the soldiers wandering the streets, we move east. Through the crumbled areas of the old barricade, into the woods. The glow from the moon lights our way, reflecting off the trees in a silver glimmer.
A few others move across the dirt, shrouded in black, to the clearing we know so well. This patch of earth is where Protestants secretly share life’s moments. Moments that are punishable by death. Marriages, prayer, and baptisms bring considerable risk, yet we carry on.
Through the trees, quiet faces welcome us with a bow of their heads. Catholics spit the name Huguenot, to mean a banished people praying in shuttered homes. We have adopted it, unashamed of our secret prayers. A white mist hovers in the crisp autumn air.
Henri nudges me. We smile at each other, surrounded by the only church we know. Our pastor steps to the middle. Unlike the Catholics, our leaders walk among us.
As we settle into the silence, the late summer evening stillness pulls me into focus, my hands grow steadier with every breath of wet, cool air. The pastor speaks in a low calming voice.
“Let our presence here remind us that God has chosen us. Do not allow the fear they drive into our hearts to remain for longer than it must. Our purpose is bigger than ourselves. It is to carry on our faith against all manner of intimidation. The true church is not in a hierarchy of corruption and excess. It is here, in the society of the faithful.”
He gestures to the smiling parents, who presents their baby boy wrapped in velvet and white lace. Clémentine smiles, her eyes focused on the baby.
“This child’s life of purity will allow restoration of the primitive innocence of Christianity. Our truest faith lies in patience and humility,” he says.
We are born into this impossible life. Without agreement, without knowledge. We grow in a secret church reserved for the unwanted before we understand what it means. I pray life will be different for this little boy than it has been for me.
The pastor raises a cup of water and dabs several drops on the baby’s forehead, concluding our forbidden ceremony amongst the foggy trees. The smiles of my fellow worshipers light the night sky in a rare moment of peace. We do not find faith in a church, but in the quiet of the trees and under the light of the stars. We begin to sing.
The whisper of the Psalms of David fills the air, enveloping us in the warm familiarity of song in our native tongue. We worship in French. No Latin to be heard. The rolling French is close enough to reach and soft enough to pull me in.
They call us heretics. Because God rules us. Not man, not kings. Because we don’t need priests or saints. Because we can read. Because we cannot be controlled.
The voices drift off to silence as they hold hands in gratitude. I slip away to the edge of the clearing to take in the glow of night. The flickering fires light up our town of chaos. Henri steps next to me, and we peer through the hazy white cloud around us. My heart aches with the sharp realization that outside the forest’s protective arms lies an empire that wishes us dead.
Read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription.
Born in California wine country, Kerry Chaput began writing shortly after earning her Doctorate degree. Her love of storytelling began with a food blog and developed over the years to writing historical fiction novels. Raised by a teacher of US history, she has always been fascinated by tales from our past and is forever intrigued by the untold stories of brave women. She lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and two rescue pups. She can often be found on hiking trails or in coffee shops. Website: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: BookBub: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads:
January 20, 2022
The Coffee Pot Book Club tour presents: Raid of the Wolves (Ormstunga Saga, Book 2) by Donovan Cook
Book Title: Raid of the Wolves
Series: (Ormstunga Saga, Book 2)
Author: Donovan Cook
Publication Date: 15th November 2021
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 362 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Raid of the Wolves
(Ormstunga Saga, Book 2)
By Donovan Cook
The only thing that kept him going were the voices of his ancestors, screaming for blood...
Ulf and his shield brothers are sent on a raid against an old enemy — Francia, a mighty kingdom to the south, now ravaged by civil war. During the perilous sea voyage, Ulf can only focus on one thing. He demands closure: to find the man who slaughtered his family — Griml.
A hidden enemy stalks Ulf and his warriors through Francia, striking mercilessly when they least expect it. Soon the hunters become the hunted. The Norse warriors must make the ul-timate choice between defying the king or angering the gods. Both could end in fury.
But there is another threat lurking in the shadows. One that Ulf could never anticipate.
Ulf is not the only one who wants vengeance.
Available on #KindleUnlimited
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Even as a young child, Donovan loved reading stories about Vikings and other medieval warriors fighting to defend their homeland or raiding in distant lands. He would often be found running around outside with nothing other than a wooden sword and his imagination.
Now older, he spends his time writing about them. His novels come from his fascination with the Viking world and Norse Mythology and he hopes that you will enjoy exploring this world as much as he did writing about it.
Born in South Africa but raised in England, Donovan currently lives in Moscow, Russia with his wife and their French Bulldog, where he works as an English tutor. When he is not teaching or writing, he can be found reading, watching rugby, or working on DIY projects. Being born in South Africa, he is a massive Springboks fan and never misses a match.
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January 17, 2022
Next stop on the Coffee Pot Blog Tour for Lies That Blind by E.S. Alexander
Book Title: Lies That Blind
Author: E.S. Alexander
Publication Date: 19th October 2021
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Page Length: 304 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Lies That Blind
By E.S. Alexander
What would you risk to avoid obscurity?
Malaya, 1788
Aspiring journalist Jim Lloyd jeopardises his future in ways he never could have imagined. He risks his wealthy father’s wrath to ride the coat-tails of Cap-tain Francis Light, an adventurer governing the East India Company’s new trad-ing settlement on Penang. Once arrived on the island, Jim—as Light’s assis-tant—hopes that chronicling his employer’s achievements will propel them both to enduring fame. But the naïve young man soon discovers that years of decep-tion and double-dealing have strained relations between Light and Penang’s le-gal owner, Sultan Abdullah of Queda, almost to the point of war. Tensions mount: Pirate activity escalates, traders complain about Light’s monopolies, and inhabitants threaten to flee, fearing a battle the fledgling settlement cannot hope to win against the Malays. Jim realises that a shared obsession with renown has brought him and Light perilously close to infamy: a fate the younger man, at least, fears more than death. Yet Jim will not leave Penang because of his dedi-cation to Light’s young son, William, and his perplexing attraction to a mercuri-al Dutchman. He must stay and confront his own misguided ambitions as well as help save the legacy of a man he has come to despise.
Inspired by true events, Lies That Blind is a story featuring historical character Francis Light (1740-1794) who, in an effort to defy his mortality, was seeming-ly willing to put the lives and livelihoods of a thousand souls on Penang at risk.
Excerpt from LIES THAT BLIND
(Protagonist, Jim Lloyd, imprisoned in the fort for his own safety, has just had a major argument with his employer’s heavily pregnant wife, Martinha, about the forthcoming threat to the island and its inhabitants, caused by her husband.)
I kept out of everyone’s way for the next two days. By Sunday, I had calmed down enough and wanted to apologise to Light for distressing his wife. As I ventured passed the bankshall I heard raised voices inside. Standing close to the door, but far enough away so that no one inside could see me, I could make out Light, James Scott, Captains Glass and Hamilton, and Lieutenants Raban and Mylne. All of them jacketless with rolled up shirtsleeves.
Light was waving a piece of parchment above his head. “This letter from the native chiefs is nothing short of a declaration of war, despite the flowery language. ‘Our friend’, indeed!”
Scott removed the document from Light’s shaking hand and, scanning it, began to read aloud in a manner that only exaggerated the Malay habit of writing extremely long, barely punctuated sentences: “Likewise if our friend will not come with us and do homage to the King, the King is not content that our friend should remain any longer on Poolo Pinang therefore our friend will get away about his business quietly for Poolo Pinang is the property of the King of Queda from time immemorial moreover if our friend attempts to stay by force God who knows all things will place the evil upon his head, we are free from blame.”
“How much is he asking for now?” inquired John Glass.
Scott answered, Light having already sunk into his chair staring off into nowhere. “Five thousand dollars and an agreement to pay ten thousand per annum for the years that have passed.”
“It cannot be done,” murmured Light. “All the specie on this island has been exhausted since the native merchants would not visit us while we were under threat of attack. I have even had to pay the military men from sales of East India Company opium.”
“Something else Bengal won’t be happy about,” added Scott.
The room remained hushed until John Glass piped up again. “So, gentlemen, what is to be done?”
“Send over more opium,” answered Light wearily.
I became aware of a pain in one of my palms where I had been pressing my fingernails too deep into my skin. Good God man, I wanted to shout, learn a lesson; that will only delay the inevitable.
I glanced over at Robert Hamilton who was shifting from foot to foot. “I think we should prepare ourselves for war,” he said. “We have a few days at least to get our men ready. The fort can be strengthened if we work on the bulwarks and use the design to our advantage. I suggest supplementing the cannons on the easterly walls and—”
“There are no spare guns to place along the sea-coast,” Captain Glass interrupted.
“But you could purchase three nine pounder iron guns and borrow four six pounders from Captain Billamore,” said Scott to Light.
“We can face this enemy on our turf and win,” declared Hamilton, sounding as excited as a child told to expect a special birthday present.
“No!” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I stepped out of the shadows into the room of military men.
“What the hell do you want?” Light called across the room when he saw me.
“To save this island and your legacy, Captain Light,” I answered, strangely becalmed. “It is madness to allow an armada of at least two hundred and fifty armed vessels and ten thousand men or more to land on our shores. You have a garrison of four hundred. This fort is crumbling around us. A few choice shots and it will be shattered by cannon fire and all your guns with it. You must take the fight to them.”
Hamilton, who apparently had not noticed how much closer I had moved towards him, laughed uproariously. “What kind of madcap military manoeuvre is that? And who are you to suggest—
”
With the stealth I had been practising for weeks I now stood behind him, the crook of my arm pressing into his throat, but not too tightly.
“You think that is enough to overpower me?” he scoffed, looking incredulously at men he believed were his friends.
“Certainly not,” I replied, blood pumping. When he saw the keris I held in my other hand he appeared as transfixed as a bird frozen in place by an advancing cobra. I whispered in Hamilton’s ear. “I might first cut out your liver,” I said, prodding the dagger’s tip into his abdomen and watched as a speck of blood stained his otherwise spotless shirt. With lightning speed, I shifted the point to the back of his neck. “Or cut here, which I assure you means you will never need those fancy boots again.” With a final flourish I waved the deadly weapon in front of his face, almost nipping the tip of his nose. “The beauty of a curved and wavy blade is that it is not the dagger going in that causes most damage, but what happens to the internal organs when the attacker draws it out.”
“Enough!” shouted Light. “Leave Hamilton be.”
With a gentle push that sent the terrified man flying, I heard sniggers. In soundless unison the other men edged away from the former schoolyard bully. I had surmised correctly that Hamilton was not popular, and I had now earned the others’ respect. I could barely keep the smirk off my face.
I strode next to the superintendent and addressed the gathering. “Gentlemen, please hear me out. I assure you my suggestion has considerable historical precedent in situations where one army is vastly outnumbered by its foe.”
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E.S. Alexander was born in St. Andrews, Scotland in 1954, although her family moved to England a few years later. Her earliest memories include producing a newspaper with the John Bull printing set she was given one Christmas. She wrote and directed her first play, Osiris, at age 16, performed to an audience of parents, teachers, and pupils by the Lower Fifth Drama Society at her school in Bolton, Lancashire. Early on in her writing career, Liz wrote several short sto-ries featuring ‘The Dover Street Sleuth’, Dixon Hawke for a D.C. Thomson newspaper in Scotland. Several of her (undoubtedly cringe-worthy) teenage po-ems were published in An Anthology of Verse.Liz combined several decades as a freelance journalist writing for UK magazines and newspapers ranging from British Airway’s Business Life and the Daily Mail, to Marie Claire and Supply Chain Management magazine, with a brief stint as a presenter/reporter for various radio stations and television channels, includ-ing the BBC. In 2001 she moved to the United States where she earned her mas-ter’s degree and Ph.D. in educational psychology from The University of Texas at Austin.
She has written and co-authored 17 internationally published, award-winning non-fiction books that have been translated into more than 20 languages.
In 2017, Liz relocated to Malaysia. She lives in Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Pinang where she was inspired to embark on one of the few forms of writing left for her to tackle: the novel.
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January 13, 2022
The Coffee Pot Book Club presents The Girl from Portofino by Siobhan Daiko,
Book Title: The Girl from Portofino
Series: Girls of the Italian Resistance: A collection of standalone novels set in Italy during World War 2
Author: Siobhan Daiko
Publication Date: 30th December 2021
Publisher: Asolando Books
Page Length: 300 Pages
Genre: Women’s Historical Fiction/29th Century Historical/World War 2 Historical
The Girl from Portofino
(Girls of the Italian Resistance: A collection of standalone novels set in Italy during World War 2)
By Siobhan Daiko
In 1970 Gina Bianchi returns to Portofino to attend her father’s funeral, accompanied by her troubled twenty-four-year-old daughter, Hope. There, Gina is beset by vivid memories of World War 2, a time when she fought with the Italian Resistance and her twin sister, Adele, worked for the Germans.
In her childhood bedroom, Gina reads Adele’s diary, left behind during the war. As Gina learns the devastating truth about her sister, she’s compelled to face the harsh brutality of her own past. Will she finally lay her demons to rest, or will they end up destroying her and the family she loves?
A hauntingly epic read that will sweep you away to the beauty of the Italian Riviera and the rugged mountains of its hinterland. “The Girl from Portofino” is a story about heart-wrenching loss and uplifting courage, love, loyalty, and secrets untold.
Trigger Warnings: The brutality of war, death, 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 two rescued cats. After a life of romance and adventure in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, Siobhan now spends her time, when she isn't writing, enjoying her life near Venice.
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January 12, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: A King Under Siege (The Plantagenet Legacy, Book 1) by Mercedes Rochelle
Book Title: A King Under Siege
Series: (The Plantagenet Legacy, Book 1)
Author: Mercedes Rochelle
Publication Date: 5th January 2019
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Page Length: 313 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
A King Under Siege
(The Plantagenet Legacy, Book 1)
By Mercedes Rochelle
Audio Narrated by Kevin E. Green
Richard II found himself under siege not once, but twice in his minority. Crowned king at age ten, he was only fourteen when the Peasants' Revolt terrorized London. But he proved himself every bit the Plantagenet successor, facing Wat Tyler and the rebels when all seemed lost. Alas, his triumph was short-lived, and for the next ten years he struggled to assert himself against his uncles and increasingly hostile nobles. Just like in the days of his great-grandfather Edward II, vengeful magnates strove to separate him from his friends and advisors, and even threatened to depose him if he refused to do their bidding. The Lords Appellant, as they came to be known, purged the royal household with the help of the Mer-ciless Parliament. They murdered his closest allies, leaving the King alone and defenseless. He would never forget his humiliation at the hands of his subjects. Richard's inability to protect his adherents would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he vowed that next time, retribution would be his.
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Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events sur-rounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Lega-cy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.
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January 5, 2022
The Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents 1066 Turned Upside Down,
Book Title: 1066 Turned Upside Down
Authors: Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage, Richard Dee
G.K. Holloway, Carol McGrath, Alison Morton, Eliza Redgold, Annie Whitehead
With a foreword by C.C. Humphreys.
Publication Date: 14th September 2021
Publisher: Taw River Press (paperback) Matador/Troubador (e-book)
Page Length: 222 Pages
Genre: Alternative History
1066 Turned Upside Down
By Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage, Richard Dee, G.K. Holloway,
Carol McGrath, Alison Morton, Eliza Redgold, Annie Whitehead
With a foreword by C.C. Humphreys
Have you ever wondered what might have happened if William the Conqueror had been beaten at Hastings in 1066? Or if Harald Hardrada had won at Stamford Bridge? Or if Ed-ward the Confessor had died with an heir ready to take his crown? If so – here is the perfect set of short stories for you.
1066 Turned Upside Down explores a variety of ways in which that momentous year could have played out very differently.
Written by nine well-known authors the stories will take you on a journey through the spec-ulative ‘what ifs?’ of England’s most famous year in history.
Read an excerpt by Joanna Courtney from 1066 Turned Upside Down
HOLD ENGLAND FIRM
by Joanna Courtney
If you’ve ever had the luck to go to the Battle of Hastings re-enactment at Battle Abbey, you will have heard, as I have, the vast majority of the spectators vigorously boo-ing Duke William. Most of us still, despite so much of our heritage coming from our Norman ancestors, believe in our hearts that Harold was the just and good English defender and that William was the vicious foreign invader. Certainly at the time, King Harold was desperate to see William from his shores. This was the man who had forced him, under duress, to swear an oath of allegiance. This was the man trying to steal England on some trumped-up promise no one else remembered. And this was the man who was ravaging his own patriarchal lands around Hastings. Harold had beaten Hardrada in a surprise attack and he was keen to do the same to William. He rode out from Westminster before his northern reinforcements had caught him up – a rare impetu-ousness that may well have cost him the Battle of Hastings. If only he had waited one more day…
The English camp stretched out as far as the eye could see, swamping the ancient moot point of the now wizened hoary apple tree. And still men came. Even now, Harold could see a new group coming out of the thick trees of the Andreaswald – maybe fifty of them, led by a squire who was barely bearded and riding on a packhorse that looked as if it might expire at any mo-ment.
His men had an eclectic collection of weapons: rusting swords with only their new-cut edges shining in the low autumn sun; knives of all sizes, no doubt taken from the kitchen or the threshing barn; and hoes and spades and rakes that might have looked comical save for the fierce determination with which they were wielded. These men had come with all they had to fight for England and Harold rushed to welcome them to his army. He would have felt safer, perhaps, had they been in chainmail with fine new blades, but raw courage counted for much in a shield wall and he grabbed keenly for their hands.
‘Welcome, welcome. Thank you for joining us.’
The men, wide-eyed, dropped to their knees at the sight of the crown on Harold’s head.
‘King Harold, my lord. We are honoured indeed.’
‘No please.’ Harold rushed to raise them. ‘It is I who will be honoured to fight at your side to-morrow. England will need all her sons to keep the Normans out.’
This elicited a roar of approval and Harold seized the chance to move away, adjusting the heavy crown as he went. He felt a little foolish wearing it in the rough war camp but his brother, Garth, had insisted that the men needed to see him as a king and he was right. These new re-cruits would fight harder for having stood before their ruler. If Harold was to be a king, he was determined to be a good king and if that started with jewels on his brow, so be it. It will make you an easy target, a voice inside his head reminded him but he paid it little heed. He had led armies for years with his ‘fighting man’ standard high over his head and had not yet been cut down. His chainmail was of the finest quality, his helmet of the thickest steel and his sword sharpened to cut bone like butter.
The royal swordsmith had done the sharpening in London, saying Harold could not ride on the Normans with Viking guts dulling his blade. There was time, he’d insisted, and everyone had said the same. The Normans were going nowhere. They’d set up one of their ridiculous little wooden castles at Pevensey and were happy hiding within its walls. Harold, they’d all said, could take a few days to regroup and recruit and rest.
‘Rest?’ he’d roared at them. ‘How can I rest with scum on our doorstep? How can I rest whilst they raid my villages and cut down my trees to make arrows for our hearts?’
Everyone had looked scared at that, even Garth. Harold had been a little loud, perhaps –there must be traces of his father in his blood after all, God bless him. Born the son of a lowly thegn, Godwin had fought his way up to become England’s topmost earl and had passed that honour to his eldest living son, Harold. How proud he would have been now, to see his son as king.
Does William win the coming battle – as history tells us he did? Or maybe this time... Find out in 1066 Turned Upside Down
READERS’ COMMENTS
“1066 Turned Upside Down is the exemplar for how analytical counterfactual history should be done, combining the best elements of fiction and non-fiction to create an im-mensely impressive achievement.”
“As a collection, the quality of the writing is exceptional and the variety of possible out-comes presented is truly fascinating.”
“The collection is assembled in such a way that between the ‘alternatives’ are the related facts as they happened, as far as historians and archaeologists know – which still leaves room for these experienced writers’ imaginations.”
“A book I will read and re-read. I heartily recommend it”
“The real joy of a collection of stories like this is, of course, that you are likely to be intro-duced to writers you may not have come across before.”
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1066 Turned Upside Down is a collection of eleven alternative history short stories of a ‘what if’ nature imagined by nine well-known successful authors:
JOANNA COURTNEY Ever since Joanna sat up in her cot with a book, she’d wanted to be a writer and cut her publication teeth on short stories and serials for the women’s magazines before signing to PanMacmillan in 2014 for her three-book series The Queens of the Con-quest about the wives of the men fighting to be King of England in 1066. Her second series, written for Piatkus is Shakespeare’s Queens exploring the real history of three of the bard’s greatest female characters – Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and Cordelia.
Joanna’s fascination with historical writing is in finding the similarities between us and them –with an especial goal to provide a female take on some of the greatest stories we think we know. www.joannacourtney.com
ALISON MORTON writes the award-winning alternative fiction Roma Nova thriller series featuring tough, but compassionate heroines. She blends her deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical, adventure and thriller fiction. A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11, she started wondering what a modern Roman society would be like if run by strong women. She has recently branched out into a contemporary crime setting with Double Identity, the first of a planned series. www.alison-morton.com/
ANNA BELFRAGE Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy set in 14th century England. Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. His Castilian Hawk - returning to medieval times and her most recent re-lease, The Whirlpools of Time, a time travel romance set against the backdrop of brewing rebellion in the Scottish highlands. Anna has won several awards including various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards. www.annabelfrage.com
ANNIE WHITEHEAD is an historian and prize-winning author. Her main interest in histo-ry is the period formerly known as the ‘Dark Ages’. Her first novel, To Be A Queen, is the story of Aethelflaed (daughter of Alfred the Great), who came to be known as the Lady of the Mercians. Alvar the Kingmaker, tells the story of Aelfhere of Mercia, a nobleman in the time of King Edgar. Cometh the Hour goes further back in time to the seventh century, to tell the story of Penda, the last pagan king of Mercia. Annie has twice been a prizewinner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing competition, she won first prize for nonfiction in the new Writing Magazine Poetry and Prose competition, and was the inaugural winner of the HWA (Historical Writers’ Association)/Dorothy Dunnett Society Short Story Competition and is now a judge for that same competition.
Annie has had two nonfiction books published. Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (Amberley Books) has been an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Pen & Sword Books in 2020. www.anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk
CAROL McGRATH is the author of The Daughters of Hastings Trilogy. Her fifth histori-cal novel, The Silken Rose, first in The Rose Trilogy, published by the Headline Group, is set during the High Middle Ages. It features Ailenor of Provence and was published in 2020. The Damask Rose about Eleanor of Castile was published in 2021. The Stone Rose, Isabella of France, follows in 2022. Carol has also written Historical Non-Fiction for Pen & Sword. www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk
ELIZA REDGOLD is an author and ‘romantic academic’. Her bestselling historical fiction includes her Ladies of Legend trilogy, starting with Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva re-leased internationally by St Martin’s Press, New York. Her historical romances are pub-lished by Harlequin Historical, London (Harper Collins). They include Playing the Duke’s Mistress, Enticing Benedict Cole, The Scandalous Suffragette and The Master’s New Gov-erness. They have been translated into multiple languages including Italian, Polish, Czech, Danish and Swedish, and are available internationally. www.elizaredgold.com
G.K. HOLLOWAY After graduating from Coventry University with an honours degree in history and politics, he worked in education in and around Bristol, England, where he now lives. After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson, he studied the late Anglo-Saxon era in detail. When he had enough material to weave together facts and fiction he produced his novel. 1066 What Fates Impose, a story of family feuds, court intrigues, assassinations, plotting and scheming, loyalty and love, all ingredients in an epic struggle for the English crown. www.gkholloway.co.uk
HELEN HOLLICK moved from London in 2013 and now lives on a thirteen-acre farm in North Devon, England. Born in London, Helen wrote pony stories as a teenager, moved to science fiction and fantasy, and then discovered the wonder of historical fiction. Published since 1994 with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, followed by her 1066 era duo. She became a USA Today bestseller with her story of Queen Emma: The Forever Queen (ti-tled A Hollow Crown in the UK), and its companion novel, Harold the King (titled I Am the Chosen King in the U.S.A). She also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, a series of pirate-based nautical adventures with a touch of fantasy. Commissioned by Amberley Press she wrote a non-fiction book about pirates in fact, fantasy and fiction and a non-fiction book about smugglers, published by Pen and Sword.
Recently she has ventured into the ‘Cosy Mystery’ genre with her Jan Christopher Myster-ies, the first of which is A Mirror Murder. She runs Discovering Diamonds, an independent online review site for Historical Fiction, primarily aimed at showcasing Indie writers.
She occasionally gets time to write. www.helenhollick.net
RICHARD DEE was a Master Mariner and ship’s pilot, now living in Brixham, South Dev-on. His novels include Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures, as well as the exploits of Andorra Pett, a reluctant amateur detective. www.richarddeescifi.co.uk
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November 30, 2021
Books at Christmas!
Evening all,
Several of my books will be on special deals over the Christmas period. Starting with my most recent, A Matter of Conscience; The Aragon Years which goes on countdown deal on December 1st.
‘A king must have sons: strong, healthy sons to rule after him.’
On the unexpected death of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales his brother, Henry, becomes heir to the throne of England. The intensive education that follows offers Henry a model for future excellence; a model that he is doomed to fail.
On his accession, he chooses his brother’s widow, Caterina of Aragon, to be his queen. Together they plan to reinstate the glory of days of old and fill the royal nursery with boys.
But when their first-born son dies at just a few months old, and subsequent babies are born dead or perish in the womb, the king’s golden dreams are tarnished
Christendom mocks the virile prince. Caterina’s fertile years are ending yet all he has is one useless living daughter, and a baseborn son.
He needs a solution but stubborn to the end, Caterina refuses to step aside.
As their relationship founders his eye is caught by a woman newly arrived from the French court. Her name is Anne Boleyn.
A Matter of Conscience: The Aragon Years offers a unique first-person account of the ‘monster’ we love to hate and reveals a man on the edge; an amiable man made dangerous by his own impossible expectation.
The story continues in A Matter of Faith: Book Two of The Henrician Chronicle.
If you get a redirect notice, just click the book title and you will be taken through to the correct page.
Merry Christmas!
November 24, 2021
Anna Belfrage continues her Coffee Pot Blog Tour with The Castilian Pomegranate (The Castilian Saga, Book 2)
Book Title: The Castilian Pomegranate
Series: (The Castilian Saga, Book 2)
Author: Anna Belfrage
Publication Date: 1st October 2021
Publisher: Timelight Press
Page Length: 400 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
The Castilian Pomegranate
(The Castilian Saga, Book 2)
By Anna Belfrage
An enraged and grieving queen commands them to retrieve her exquisite jewel and abandon their foundling brat overseas—or never return.
Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor, have been temporarily exiled. Officially, they are to travel to the courts of Aragon and Castile as emissaries of Queen Eleanor of England. Unofficially, the queen demands two things: that they abandon Lionel, their foster son, in foreign lands and that they bring back a precious jewel – the Castilian Pomegranate.
Noor would rather chop off a foot than leave Lionel in a foreign land—especially as he’s been entrusted to her by his dead father, the last true prince of Wales. And as to the jewel, stealing it would mean immediate execution. . .
Spain in 1285 is a complicated place. France has launched a crusade against Aragon and soon enough Robert is embroiled in the conflict, standing side by side with their Aragonese hosts.
Once in Castile, it is the fearsome Moors that must be fought, with Robert facing weeks separated from his young wife, a wife who is enthralled by the Castilian court—and a particular Castilian gallant.
Jealousy, betrayal and a thirst for revenge plunge Noor and Robert into life-threatening danger.
Will they emerge unscathed or will savage but beautiful Castile leave them permanently scarred and damaged?
Trigger Warnings: Sexual content, violence
This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited
An Excerpt from The Castilian Pomegranate
In which Robert meets Nuño Nuñez, a broken hero and a future friend
Robert sighed, his gaze on the stiff shoulders of a man he suspected was being torn apart by guilt. He considered what to do for a while before approaching the unknown Nuño.
“I am Robert FitzStephan,” he said. Nuño swivelled, blank eyes meeting his. “You are to help me with the wounded.”
A lie, as Robert was not charged with the care of the injured and dying, but the man needed a purpose, and nowhere else would he be kept as busy as among the wounded. There was always water to carry, pallets to move, bodies to bury . . . Robert swallowed, wondering if he’d made the right choice as he walked up the slope towards the tents in which King Pedro’s various physicians were doing what they could to save lives.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nuño following him. A man screamed, and Nuño flinched, halting abruptly. Robert stopped as well, waiting patiently until Nuño began to move again.
All of the physicians were Muslims. Robert recognised Omar bending over a shrieking youth, had to turn away when Omar set a saw to the youth’s leg.
“God’s blood,” he muttered.
“Here to help?” Omar asked, his hands still busy while a young lad wiped his face clean of blood and other matter.
“Aye. What can we do?”
“Do?” Omar gestured at the pallets, a line of ashen-faced men awaiting their turn under the saw. “You can carry.” He went back to what he was doing. His patient was unconscious, head lolling back as Omar finished the amputation. A mangled calf with an attached foot was thrown into a basket. “And we bury all body parts,” Omar added. “Deeply, so that the dogs don’t get at them.”
From Nuño came something that sounded like a groan.
They set to work. They lifted men onto Omar’s table, they lifted them off. They hauled the overfull basket outside and dug a deep pit. Nuño did not say a word, but as the hours passed his shoulders dropped, his hitherto stiff spine relaxing. Now and then, Robert said something, but there was no response beyond a glance his way.
They helped hold down a man with limbs and belly swollen into deformity while an unknown physician attempted to drain him of the bilious matter that had him looking verily like a beached whale. “It won’t help,” the physician confided in an undertone over the unconscious form of his patient. “He’s sustained severe injury to his inner organs, and this bloating is inevitable.”
“So why cut him?”
“It eases the pain,” the physician said. “Besides, otherwise the skin ruptures.”
Robert’s gut twisted at the thought.
In one tent were men with burns. Nuño took one look, turned on his toes and fled. Robert sighed, following his charge into the next tent, where men bereft of feet or hands or legs lay staring at nothing.
“In some cases, it would have been more merciful to slash their throats,” Robert muttered to Nuño as they exited. He received a curt nod in reply.
Well after midday, they sat in the shade and shared a pitcher of weak wine to wash down a meal consisting of bread, dried figs and a slice of crumbling sheep’s cheese.
Some distance away, dead men were lowered into a communal grave, a friar with flapping robes making the sign of cross. Nuño’s eyes narrowed, a hand rubbing over his chest. He opened his mouth, and there was a moment when Robert thought the man was about to speak, but instead Nuño lurched to his feet and set off down the slope, towards the vantage point where he’d been standing earlier.
Robert caught up with him but chose to say nothing. Nuño crossed his arms over his chest and looked north, the fabric of the tunic he was wearing straining over his shoulders. The sun might be warm, but this high up, the wind had an icy edge, and Robert shivered.
For a while, he lost himself in the contemplation of the sky, of clouds like fluffs of wool drifting by. It made him think of Noor. He flexed his injured hand a couple of times, smiling at the images of his wife, naked but for the swirling cloud of dark hair. He adjusted his braies: too many weeks without her, too many nights dreaming of her.
Beside him, Nuño shifted on his feet and lifted his face to the sun.
“My people were never buried,” he said, his voice hoarse with disuse. He laughed bitterly. “A house of the Lord became their tomb.” He closed his eyes. “It burned. They rounded them up and forced them into the cathedral before setting it on fire, and the sounds . . .” He rocked from side to side, hands pressed to his ears. “They made me watch,” he continued. “They held me and forced me to hear them scream, hear their pleas for mercy. And when the roof gave—” He shuddered and crossed himself. “A wail, a sound so terrible it tore my soul apart, and then there was silence.”
“They have paid for their sins,” Robert said.
“Paid? How can you pay for letting infants, children and women die like that? A curse on the French, a curse on Philippe and his sons, but most of all a curse on that accursed Jaume, betrayer of his people and his brother.” He held out his shaking hands, covered in healed burns. “I wrested lose. I tried to get at them, but it was too late, and there was nothing to find, no one to save.” He groaned. “My woman. Our son.” He turned to face the north again. “I just want to die,” he added softly, his voice cracking.
Robert had no notion what to say, so he stood in silence beside the equally silent Nuño. Daylight waned, and still they stood there until at long last Nuño looked at him. “God will have welcomed them into His heaven,” he said, and there was an entreaty in his gaze, a wobble to his voice.
“Of course,” Robert replied. “Innocents butchered before the image of God rise like angels towards Him.”
Nuño nodded. “Like angels,” he repeated, looking at the darkening sky. “But I want them here with me,” he added so softly Robert could scarcely hear him.
A life without Noor, without Isabel, Lionel—a life not worth living. Robert drew the grieving man into his arms, holding him as he broke apart, grief and anger and fear spilling forth in a mixture of curses, names and tears.
“Will you go back?” Robert asked once Nuño had regained his composure.
“Never.” Nuño set off down the slope. “I will spend the rest of my life exacting revenge.”
“Such things are best left to God,” Robert said.
“Assuredly. But sometimes, man must take things in his own hands.” With that, Nuño strode off.
***
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
The Castilian Pomegranate is the second in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain, a world of intrigue and back-stabbing.
Her most recent release prior to The Castilian Pomegranate is The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode!
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
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November 21, 2021
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: A Mystery of Murder (Jan Christopher Mysteries, Episode 2) by Helen Hollick
Book Title: A Mystery of Murder
Series: Jan Christopher Mysteries, Episode 2
Author: Helen Hollick
Publication Date: 14th November 2021
Publisher: Taw River Press
Page Length: 160 Pages
Genre: Cosy Mystery
Follow the Tour here
A Mystery of Murder
(Jan Christopher Mysteries, Episode 2)
By Helen Hollick
‘Had I known what was to happen soon after we arrived at Mr and Mrs Walker’s lovely old West Country house, my apprehension about spending Christmas in Devon would have dwindled to nothing.’
Library Assistant Jan Christopher is to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, DS Laurie Walker and his family, but when a murder is discovered, followed by a not very accidental accident, the traditional Christmas spirit is somewhat marred...
What happened to Laurie’s ex-girlfriend? Where is the vicar’s wife? Who took those old photographs? And will the farmer up the lane ever mend those broken fences?
Set in 1971, this is the second Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery. Join her (and an owl and a teddy bear) in Devon for a Christmas to remember. :
Will the discovery of a murder spoil Christmas for Jan Christopher and her boyfriend DS Laurie Walker – or will it bring them closer together?
Jan Christopher is to spend Christmas 1971 with her boyfriend DS Laurie Walker and his parents who live in an old farmhouse in Devon. She’s not sure if she has made the right decision though...
WHEN DOUBTS ARISE?
The thought of driving all the way from London to Devon with my boyfriend, Laurie, for Christmas was exciting, but tinged with a smattering of reluctance. It would mean leaving my Uncle Toby and Aunt Madge, behind. I’d not had a Christmas or a New Year without them since they’d adopted me when I was orphaned at five years old. At almost nineteen, independence was knocking at the door, but all the same, I was concerned about leaving them for the duration of the festivities. Concerns which Aunt Madge soon put an end to.
“Goodness, Jan, we’ve been looking forward to a Christmas on our own for the past, I don’t know how many years!”
I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or joking.
They had taken me under their wing after Uncle Toby’s brother – my father, a Detective Inspector – had been shot dead, and my mother... well, she died soon after, but we never talked about that. All I know, she had been under severe mental strain from when my identical twin, June, died after an illness. I still resented June because she was the second born, and got the name ‘June’ for the month we were conceived. I got the name of the month we were prematurely born – January. Fortunately, everyone calls me Jan.
Uncle Toby’s response to my worries about Christmas was less blunt. “Laurie is already taking leave, so we can’t all be off on merry jaunts at the same time, Jan. The crime rate would soar, and Chingford Police wouldn’t cope.”
My uncle, in his working capacity, was Detective Chief Inspector Tobias Christopher. Laurie – Lawrence Walker – had recently been promoted to be his Detective Sergeant bagman. Two important people within the realm of law enforcement, although, I suspected that the North London suburban town of Chingford would survive without them both for a few days. There were, after all, other men (and a few women) in CID. Although, maybe these others were not as competent – but then, my opinion is severely biased.
For myself, I was quite happy to take several days off from working as an assistant in our local library. It was always busy in the run-up to Christmas closing, and while I would miss out on the boxes of chocolates and tins of buttery shortbread given to the staff by appreciative members of the public, my already too broad waistline would not suffer from it.
My main fear, however, was meeting Laurie’s parents. I had spoken to them on the telephone several times and they seemed nice, but I had been going out with Laurie since late July – would they assume that our relationship was becoming serious?
Come to that, did I assume it was serious? By accepting the invitation, was I committing myself to a possible life as a policeman’s wife? Or was I reading too much into things? I mean, spending Christmas with your boyfriend’s family didn’t mean a marriage proposal, did it? Or did it? Then there was the question, did I, or didn’t I, want it to mean just that?
Had I known what was to happen soon after we arrived at Mr and Mrs Walker’s lovely old West Country house though, my apprehension would have dwindled to nothing.
A grisly murder was discovered, which somewhat tarnished the traditional jolly Christmas Spirit...
Read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription.
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Helen Hollick and her family moved from north-east London in January 2013 after finding an eighteenth-century North Devon farm house through being a ‘victim’ on BBC TV’s popular Escape To The Country show. The thirteen-acre property was the first one she was shown – and it was love at first sight. She enjoys her new rural life, and has a variety of animals on the farm, including Exmoor ponies and her daughter’s string of show jumpers.
First accepted for publication by William Heinemann in 1993 – a week after her fortieth birthday – Helen then became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she also writes a pirate-based nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages. Despite being impaired by the visual disorder of Glaucoma, she is also branching out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with the Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working for thirteen years as a library assistant.
Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She also runs Discovering Diamonds, a review blog for historical fiction, a news and events blog for her village and the Community Shop, assists as ‘secretary for the day’ at her daughter’s regular showjumping shows – and occasionally gets time to write...
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November 17, 2021
The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Christmas at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard
Book Title: Christmas at Hembry Castle
Series: Hembry Castle Chronicles
Author: Meredith Allard
Publication Date: 1st December 2020
Publisher: Copperfield Press
Page Length: 120 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Victorian/Holiday
Christmas at Hembry Castle
By Meredith Allard
You are cordially invited to Christmas at Hembry Castle.
An unlikely earl struggles with his new place. A young couple’s love is tested. What is a meddling ghost to do?
In the tradition of A Christmas Carol, travel back to Victorian England and enjoy a light-hearted, festive holiday celebration.
Meredith Allard’s Website: Amazon UK: Amazon US: Amazon CA: Amazon AU: Barnes and Noble: Kobo: iBooks:
Meredith Allard is the author of the bestselling paranormal historical Loving Husband Tril-ogy. Her sweet Victorian romance, When It Rained at Hembry Castle, was named a best his-torical novel by IndieReader. Her latest book, Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Histor-ical Fiction, was named a #1 new release in Authorship and Creativity Self-Help on Ama-zon. When she isn’t writing she’s teaching writing, and she has taught writing to students ages five to 75. She loves books, cats, and coffee, though not always in that order. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit Meredith online at www.meredithallard.com.
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