Tuesday 30 November 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.



Read the reviews here:
 

Buy link:

If you get a redirect notice, just click the book title and you will be taken through to the correct page.

Merry Christmas! 



Wednesday 24 November 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


Follow the Tour: 




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

Buy Link


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.


Website: Twitter:  Facebook: InstagramBookBub:  Amazon Author Page: Goodreads: 



Sunday 21 November 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.


Universal Link:  Amazon UK: Amazon US:  Amazon CA:  Amazon AU:  Goodreads: 


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...


Website: Twitter:  Facebook:  Amazon Author Page:  Goodreads:  BlogNewsletter Subscription: 




Wednesday 17 November 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

Follow the Tour:




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 WebsiteAmazon 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.

Website:  Facebook:  Pinterest: Book Bub: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads: 





Mary Tudor - Queen of England

 


In November 1558 Mary Tudor died at St James’ Palace at the age of 42. By the standards of today, that is a horribly young age to die but Mary had suffered a hard life and was prematurely aged, and very sick.

Everyone is guilty of something. In most cases we are remembered for our good deeds, our happiest days, and our kindest actions but Mary, as with her father, Henry VIII, is only remembered for cruelty.

Personally, I think it would be awful if at my funeral people only spoke of my sins and overlooked my goodness (and there have been one or two occasions when I’ve been kind). The burning of heretics sounds dreadful to us because we live in a (ahem) tolerant society but in the 16th century burning was the standard punishment for heresy. Mary didn’t dream up the idea for the satisfaction of her monstrous soul.

While I am in no way seeking to excuse or white-wash her actions, I think she deserves a fuller picture. When you take into account the tragic childhood, her adult disappointments, her frustration then it is easier to understand her. There was much more to her than cruelty.

There are many recorded instances in which she was kind and generous, and I think she was terribly well-meaning. She adored her subjects and envisioned leading her people to salvation but things didn’t turn out as she intended. Her reign was far from benign.


 While researching for The Heretic Wind I discovered Mary Tudor to be a sad, isolated and desperate woman whose intention was to be a good and loving Queen. The fact things turned out rather differently were mostly due to exterior forces. Her conviction that the Catholic faith was the only faith is difficult for us to understand but we don’t have to look very far to find other religious zealots. It doesn’t begin or end with Mary.

 In The Heretic Wind, the mortally sick and embittered Mary looks back on her life and explains to some extent, the reasons why events unfolded as they did.

Rest in Peace, Mary.


Short blurb of The Heretic Wind 

Adored by her parents and pampered by the court, the infant Princess Mary’s life changes suddenly and drastically when her father’s eye is taken by the enigmatic Anne Boleyn.

Mary stands firm against her father’s determination to destroy both her mother’s reputation, and the Catholic church. It is a battle that will last throughout both her father’s and her brother’s reign, until, she is almost broken by persecution. When King Edward falls ill and dies Mary expects to be crowned queen.

But she has reckoned without John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, who before Mary can act, usurps her crown and places it on the head of her Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey.

Furious and determined not to be beaten, Mary musters a vast army at Framlingham Castle; a force so strong that Jane Grey’s supporters crumble before a blow is struck, and Mary is at last crowned Queen of England.

But her troubles are only just beginning. Rebellion and heresy take their toll both on Mary’s health, and on the English people. Suspecting she is fatally ill, and desperate to save her people from heresy, Mary steps up her campaign to compel her subjects to turn back to the Catholic faith.

All who resist will face punishment for heresy in the flames of the Smithfield fires.


mybook.to/thw


available on #Kindle #Paperback and #Audible



Tuesday 16 November 2021

Coffee Pot Book Tours present The Lords of the Wind (The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, Book 1) by C.J. Adrien

 



Book Title: The Lords of the Wind

Series: The Saga of Hasting the Avenger

Author: C.J. Adrien

Publication Date: 4th July 2019

Publisher: Runestone Books

Audiobook Publisher: Tantor Media

Narrator: Gildart Jackson

Page Length: 337 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction


Follow the Tour! 


The Lords of the Wind

(The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, Book 1)

By C.J. Adrien


Narrated by Gildart Jackson.


Orphaned as a child by a blood-feud, and sold as a slave to an exiled chieftain in Ireland, the boy Hasting had little hope of surviving to adulthood. The gods had other plans. A ship arrived at his master's longphort carrying a man who would alter the course of his destiny, and take him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Vikings. His is a story of a boy who was a slave, who became a warlord, and who helped topple an empire.

A supposed son of Ragnar Lodbrok, and referred to in the Gesta Normannorum as the Scourge of the Somme and Loire, his life exemplified the qualities of the ideal Viking. Join author and historian C.J. Adrien on an adventure that ex-plores the coming of age of the Viking Hasting, his first love, his first great tri-als, and his first betrayal.

"The Lords of the Wind" by C.J. Adrien is a gold medal winner in the 2020 Reader's Favorite annual international book award.contest.

Trigger Warnings:Violence

"If you want to sit down with an extremely well-researched tale involving heroic battles, first loves, and the making of a legend, this book is for you."

The Historical Novel Society


This series is available on #KindleUnlimited 

The Lords of the Wind (Book 1)

In the Shadow of the Beast (Book 2) - 

The Kings of the Sea (Book 3) -


C.J. Adrien is a bestselling and award-winning author of Viking historical fic-tion novels with a passion for Viking history. His Saga of Hasting the Avenger series was inspired by research conducted in preparation for a doctoral program in early medieval history as well as his admiration for historical fiction writers such as Ken Follett and Bernard Cornwell. He is also a published historian on the subject of Vikings, with articles featured in historical journals such as L’Association des Amis de Noirmoutier, in France. His novels and expertise have earned him invitations to speak at several international events, including the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds, the Oregon Mu-seum of Science and Industry (OMSI), conferences on Viking history in France, among others. 


WebsiteTwitter: FacebookLinkedIn: Instagram: BookBub: Amazon Author Page:  Goodreads: 




Thursday 11 November 2021

Next stop on Andrea Matthews Coffee Pot Blog Tour


Book Title: Ride with the Moonlight

Series: (Thunder on the Moor, Book 2)

Author: Andrea Matthews

Publication Date: 25th November 2020

Publisher: Inez M. Foster

Page Length: 387 Pages

Genre: Historical, Time-Travel, Romance

Tour Schedule Page:



Ride with the Moonlight

(Thunder on the Moor, Book 2) 

By Andrea Matthews


After rescuing sixteenth-century Border reiver Will Foster from certain death at her family’s hands, time traveler Maggie Armstrong finally admits her love for the handsome Englishman, though she can’t rid herself of the sinking suspicion that her Scottish kin are not about to let them live in peace. What she doesn’t expect is the danger that lurks on Will’s own side of the Border. When news of their plans to marry reaches the warden, he charges Will with March treason for trysting with a Scot. Will and Maggie attempt to escape by fleeing to the hills, but when Will is declared an outlaw and allowed to be killed on sight, they can no longer evade the authorities. Will is sentenced to hang, while Maggie is to be sent back to her family. Heartbroken, she has no choice but to return to Scot-land, where her uncle continues to make plans for her to wed Ian Rutherford, the wicked Scotsman who she now realizes murdered her father in cold blood. With Will facing the gallows in England, and herself practically under house ar-rest in Scotland, she continues to resist her uncle’s plans, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn. Will’s family, however, is not about to stand by and watch their youngest lad executed simply because he’s lost his heart to a Scot-tish lass. A daring plan is set into motion, but will it be in time to save Will’s life and reunite the lovers? Or will Ian’s lies prompt Maggie’s family to ensure the bond between them is forever destroyed?

Trigger Warnings: Violence, sexual content.

This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited


Universal Amazon Link:  Amazon UK:  Amazon US:  Amazon CA: Amazon AU: 


Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science, and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century An-glo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen hundred year old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America.


website:  Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: BookBub: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads: 





Tuesday 9 November 2021

The Coffee Pot Blog Tours present: Rebel’s Knot (Quest for Three Kingdoms) by Cryssa Bazos


Book Title: Rebel’s Knot

Series: Quest for Three Kingdoms

Author: Cryssa Bazos

Publication Date: 8th November 2021

Publisher: W.M. Jackson Publishing

Page Length: 350 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Historical Romance

Follow the Tour: 



Rebel’s Knot

(Quest for Three Kingdoms)

By Cryssa Bazos


Ireland 1652: In the desperate, final days of the English invasion of Ireland . . .

A fey young woman, Áine Callaghan, is the sole survivor of an attack by English marauders. When Irish soldier Niall O'Coneill discovers his own kin slaughtered in the same massacre, he vows to hunt down the men responsible. He takes Áine under his protection and together they reach the safety of an encampment held by the Irish forces in Tipperary. 

Hardly a safe haven, the camp is rife with danger and intrigue. Áine is a stranger with the old stories stirring on her tongue and rumours follow her everywhere. The English cut off support to the brigade, and a traitor undermines the Irish cause, turning Niall from hunter to hunted. 

When someone from Áine's past arrives, her secrets boil to the surface—and she must slay her demons once and for all.

As the web of violence and treachery grows, Áine and Niall find solace in each other's arms—but can their love survive long-buried secrets and the darkness of vengeance?

 

Trigger Warnings: Violence, references to sexual/physical abuse.

An excerpt from Rebel’s Knot 

Cormac lowered himself to his seat, propping his elbows on his knees as he leaned in. “Tell us a story. Go on.” 

Áine heard the challenge, and her heart sank. She could either accept or be laughed back to the cottage and into next week. Either way, she’d be ridiculed. 

“Not easy, is it?” Cormac said with a satisfied smirk. 

“Leave it, Cormac,” Niall said in a warning tone. 

Fionn sat up and left Niall’s side to plant himself in front of Áine, giving no concern that his back was facing the others. Grateful, Áine cupped the hound’s muzzle before scratching behind his ears. 

“Well?” Cormac asked. 

“Sit down and mind your tongue,” Niall called out. The campfire company was threatening to splinter, with many arguing for Cormac. 

Could she dare? The hound seemed to be speaking to her, his liquid eyes warm and encouraging. Were these men not very like the Fianna, outlaw warriors of yore? 

Courage. 

Áine started her tale. “Attend the Fenian cycle of heroes and giants and mighty foes.” Voices lowered, even Cormac’s.

The terror nearly overwhelmed her, and she found it hard to breathe. Her voice wobbled, and she almost gave up and buried her face in Fionn’s fur. The hound gave her hand an encouraging lick, and she breathed deeply. She could do this—she had been telling the Mulriane herd her tales for years. So as not to falter, Áine focused on Fionn—she didn’t dare lift her eyes to see his master.  

“Fionn mac Cumhaill was one of Ireland’s greatest heroes, a giant amongst men, and there has never been his like before or since. There have been so many songs of his daring, but this is the tale of how he saved Tara from invasion by battling Aillen of the Tuatha Dé Danann on a faerie mound.” 

Áine rose to her feet and imagined the misty forests of years ago, greener than new leaves and bewitched with silvery moonlight. “A long time ago, when the world of man and the Otherworld were not sealed off to each other, the Tuatha Dé Danann made Éire their home. Brightly enchanted kings and queens, they kindled the wonders of sword, spear, stone and cauldron. But with the light, there is also the dark, and not all of the Tuatha Dé Danann had men’s best interests at heart.” 

She threw herself into the story, tasting every word on her tongue. “Every Samhain, Aillen of the Tuatha Dé Danann would rise from the underworld to lull the men of Tara into an enchanted sleep before burning that blessed place with his hellfire. ‘Who will defend Tara from this scourge?’ the high king demanded.” Her voice rang with the authority of the ruler of Tara, and she held up her hand as though she were invoking the gods. 

As though he had sprung up before her, Áine saw the hero Fionn standing before the High King of Éire, vowing to defend Tara with his very lifeblood. Only now he bore the face of Niall O’Coneill. Inspiration carried her, giving flavour to her tale.

All were silent around her. And then Áine lifted her eyes and met Niall’s intense gaze. A bolt of energy, as enchanted as Aillen’s fire, shot through her. He leaned slightly forward, hanging on every word. Her words. 

Áine’s mind froze, and her tongue stumbled on the narrative. She mentally tried to snatch at the words, but they dispersed like will-o’-the wisps. Panic bubbled up until Niall nodded at her as though to say he believed in her. 

She refocused her story and now directed the rest of her narrative to Niall. Everyone else faded into the shadows. With Niall as her inspiration, she took her audience through every dramatic setback and twist. By the time she reached the dramatic battle, the only other sound was the crackling of the fire. 

“Fionn mac Cumhaill faced Aillen with his enchanted spear, the Birga, in one hand and in the other, his great shield that was three times the size of the largest shield ever constructed.” Her words took on shape; even her fingers tingled when Aillen shot the fury of hellfire down on Fionn, who deflected it with his shield. Then the great warrior delivered the killing blow. “With Aillen’s defeat, Fionn was allowed to claim his father’s lordship of the Fianna and take his place, a leader amongst them.” 

Áine bowed her head with the last line. Silence. Swallowing nervously, she kept her head down, terrified to look up and see their scorn. Her face burned hot. 

Then a burst of applause erupted, and she lifted her head in surprise. They weren’t mocking her—they were cheering. Even Cormac clapped, with a look of grudging respect. But it was Niall that made her heart overflow. He had risen to his feet and clapped the loudest, his eyes shining for her.

“Well done, Áine.” He handed her his own cup, and his fingers brushed hers when she took it. Áine smiled and couldn’t look away.

Someone stood up and began to play their bagpipes, the drone of them stretching across the camp like an otherworldly lament. Áine shivered. She was aware of Niall’s nearness, and the song of the pipes stirred too many emotions. Rising, she intended to slip quietly away, but Niall stood up as well. 

“Where are you going?” he asked her. 

“The hour is late,” she replied. “I need to rise before the sun.” 

“As do I,” Niall said. “I’ll walk you back to Eireen’s.” He stepped aside, allowing Áine to proceed. His hand touched the small of her back before dropping away. 

Slowly, they walked in silence away from the campfires, Fionn melting into the shadows. A full moon soared in a cloudless midnight-blue sky. Eireen’s tent was not far. 

“You astonish me, Áine,” he said.

The use of her name brought a thrill to her, not the least because his tone decidedly softened over it, as though he were savouring the taste. 

Don’t overreact, Áine. “I do?”

“You’re different than anyone else I’ve met.” 

Her heart lurched, and she struggled with whether to ask what he meant or remain quiet and allow herself to remain ignorant. But she was still lifted with the euphoria of the story and so braved, “How so?” 

“You have the soul of a poet,” he answered. “The light of a bard shone on your face when you spoke. You bewitched us all.”

The soul of a poet. A golden compliment, an unexpected treasure. “Thank you.” For the first time, she had a desire to unburden herself. “Not everyone cares for different. It makes for misunderstandings.”

“And you care to please those people? They are sheep and not worthy of your trouble. We all have different gifts, and there is no shame in that. The only shame would be to not follow the courage of our gift. Had Fionn mac Cumhaill wanted an easy life, he would have become a blacksmith. Look up, never down, Áine Callaghan.”

She was overwhelmed by this man, and all she could say was, “Thank you.”

“I must tell you that I anticipated another story instead of the one you gave us.” 

“Which one?”

They reached Eireen’s shelter. Niall stopped and canted his head. Even though his face was half in shadows, she could see a smile playing across his lips. “The tale of how Fionn mac Cumhaill found an enchanted maiden in the depths of a forest.”

Áine flushed, her cheeks growing hot. Again, he had read her thoughts. There was a moment when she had considered that very story but had quickly discounted it—wishful thinking on her part, and she didn’t want to expose herself to ridicule. 

“The group preferred the taste of battles, not fanciful tales.”

Niall smiled and tipped his head back, studying the stars in the night sky. “Not all tales are fanciful. There’s truth if you know where to look for it.” He stopped and faced her. Áine’s breath hitched in her throat. “What would you say if I told you I want to kiss you?”

Her eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks flooding with heat. Áine’s sense fled and she was incapable of forming a coherent thought. Instead of replying with a witty phrase, she blurted, “Why?”

Niall stepped closer. “Because you are the fairest maid I’ve seen, Áine Callaghan.” 

“That can’t be true.”  

“You would call me a liar?” He lifted her chin with his finger and bent closer to her, his lips hovering inches away from hers. “May I?”

Áine was certain he would be able to hear her heart pounding violently in her throat. This was madness, but she found herself wondering what his touch would be like. She gave a small nod. 

She wasn’t sure what to expect, never having been truly kissed before, but when his lips touched hers, a tumble of emotions assailed her. She felt herself unfurl like a new bud, shyly at first. Their breaths merged. Áine’s world constricted to his taste, scent and touch. Niall’s mouth slanted across hers, gently probing, and her lips parted tentatively. It was an intimate moment, and Áine felt herself especially shattered. 

When Niall lifted his head, his expression mirrored how she felt. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her again, but instead his thumb passed gently over her parted lips. A simple touch and yet one that she felt to her toes and parts in between.

“Goodnight, Áine Callaghan.” His throaty voice sent shivers rippling through her. 

He stepped away from her, his expression unfathomable. With a sharp whistle to Fionn, he headed down the lane.

Áine watched him go, watched the darkness close in around him. She grazed her lips with her fingertips. “Good night.”

Buy Links:

Universal Amazon Links:  Universal Link: 


Cryssa Bazos is an award-winning historical fiction author and a seventeenth century enthusiast. Her debut novel, Traitor's Knot is the Medalist winner of the 2017 New Apple Award for Historical Fiction, a finalist for the 2018 EPIC eBook Awards for Historical Romance. Her second novel, Severed Knot, is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree and a finalist for the 2019 Chaucer Award. A forthcoming third book in the standalone series, Rebel's Knot, was published November 2021.



Website:  Twitter:  Facebook: Instagram:  BookBub:  Amazon Author PageGoodreads: 






Sunday 7 November 2021

The Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents: Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury by Kinley Bryan

 



Book Title: Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury

Author: Kinley Bryan

Publication Date: 12th October 2021

Publisher: Blue Mug Press

Page Length: 324 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction


Follow the Tour




Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury 

By Kinley Bryan


Three sisters. Two Great Lakes. One furious storm.

Based on actual events...

It's 1913 and Great Lakes galley cook Sunny Colvin has her hands full feeding a freighter crew seven days a week, nine months a year. She also has a dream—to open a restaurant back home—but knows she'd never convince her husband, the steward, to leave the seafar-ing life he loves.

In Sunny’s Lake Huron hometown, her sister Agnes Inby mourns her husband, a U.S. Life-Saving Serviceman who died in an accident she believes she could have prevented. Bur-dened with regret and longing for more than her job at the dry goods store, she looks for comfort in a secret infatuation.

Two hundred miles away in Cleveland, youngest sister Cordelia Blythe has pinned her hopes for adventure on her marriage to a lake freighter captain. Finding herself alone and restless in her new town, she joins him on the season’s last trip up the lakes.

On November 8, 1913, a deadly storm descends on the Great Lakes, bringing hurricane-force winds, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous thirty-five-foot waves that last for days. Amidst the chaos, the women are offered a glimpse of the clarity they seek, if only they dare to perceive it. 


Universal Link: Barnes and Noble:  Kobo: iBooks: 



Kinley Bryan is an Ohio native who counts numerous Great Lakes captains among her an-cestors. Her great-grandfather Walter Stalker was captain of the four-masted schooner Golden Age, the largest sailing vessel in the world when it launched in 1883. Kinley’s love for the inland seas swelled during the years she spent in an old cottage on Lake Erie. She now lives with her husband and children on the Atlantic Coast, where she prefers not to lose sight of the shore. Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury is her first novel.


Website:  Twitter: Instagram:  Amazon Author Page:  Goodreads: 



Wednesday 3 November 2021

The Coffee Pot Blog Tour presents _ Hidden Masterpiece: Soli Hansen Mysteries, Book 3


Book Title: Hidden Masterpiece

Series: (Soli Hansen Mysteries, Book 3)

Author: Heidi Eljarbo

Publication Date: 15th September 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 260 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Dual Timeline

Follow the Tour Here



Hidden Masterpiece

(Soli Hansen Mysteries, Book 3)

By Heidi Eljarbo

In this riveting third book in the Soli Hansen Mysteries series, a woman’s courage to follow her conviction during a horrible war leads her to the portrait of a young Jewish heiress painted three centuries earlier.

Norway 1944. Art historian Soli Hansen has gone undercover to rescue masterpieces and keep them from falling into the hands of Nazi thieves. Working with a small resistance group led by her best friend Heddy, Soli will stop at nothing to thwart the efforts of the invaders of their scenic country. Trust and loyalty mean everything when working against a merciless enemy.

Riddles and clues lead the way to a mysterious work of art. It’s a race against time, but Soli and her network refuse to give up. However, when news arrives that her sweetheart Nikolai is missing in action, she strives to concentrate on the demanding quest.

From the streets of Oslo to the snow-covered mountains and medieval churches of Nume Valley, Soli takes risks larger than her courage, trying to preserve and hide precious art. But she must decide if it’s all worth losing the man she loves.

Antwerp 1639. Fabiola Ruber’s daughter, Annarosa, wants to honor her mother’s last wish and have her portrait done by a master artist who specializes in the art of chiaroscuro. Her uncle writes to an accomplished painter in Amsterdam and commissions him to paint his beloved niece.

Struggling with religious and social persecution, the Jewish Ruber family uproots once again and travels northward. On the way, they will sojourn in Amsterdam for Annarosa’s sitting in the master painter’s studio. But will they make it there? None of them can foresee the danger of such a journey.

This novel is available to read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription. 


Universal Buy Link: Amazon UK:  Amazon US: Amazon CA: Amazon AU:



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: Newsletter: Twitter: Facebook: LinkedIn: Instagram:  Pinterest:  BookBub:  Amazon Author Page: Goodreads: