MJ Porter, author

I’m welcoming The Earl’s Bride by Fenella J Miller to the blog with a fab post about Regency Bath #blogtour #historicalromance #RegencyEngland

I’m welcoming The Earl’s Bride by Fenella J Miller to the blog with a fab post about Regency Bath #blogtour #historicalromance #RegencyEngland

Life in Regency Bath: Fashion, Society, and the Art of Being Seen

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the elegant city of Bath became one of the most fashionable destinations in Britain. During the period now known as the Regency (roughly 1811–1820), when George IV ruled as Prince Regent for his incapacitated father George III, Bath flourished as a hub of health, leisure, and above all society. Visitors arrived not merely to take the waters but to see and be seen in one of the most vibrant social theatres of the age.

Bath’s distinctive honey-coloured Georgian architecture created a perfect stage for Regency society. Elegant terraces such as the Royal Crescent and the circular grandeur of The Circus reflected the city’s carefully designed sense of order and beauty. Wide streets and sweeping crescents allowed promenading visitors to display their fashionable attire while admiring the architecture and the company.

Many visitors stayed for the “season,” renting townhouses or lodging houses for weeks or months at a time. London’s elite often travelled to Bath during quieter periods of the capital’s social calendar, bringing with them the latest fashions, gossip, and ambitions.

Yet Bath was not reserved exclusively for the aristocracy. Wealthy merchants, naval officers on leave, widows with modest fortunes, and families hoping to introduce daughters into society also flocked to the city. Bath offered something unique: a social environment where rank mattered, but introductions and reputation could shape one’s fortunes just as strongly as birth.

The Healing Waters

Bath’s popularity originally grew from its natural hot springs, known since Roman times. By the Regency period, visiting the baths was still considered an important health practice. The famous Roman Baths remained a central attraction, though the ritual of “taking the waters” had evolved into a highly social activity.

Visitors drank mineral water in the elegant Pump Room each morning, often accompanied by live music. The water itself had a strong mineral taste—many found it unpleasant—but its supposed curative powers for ailments ranging from gout to digestive troubles made it widely popular.

The morning ritual also provided an ideal opportunity for polite conversation and discreet observation. Friendships were formed, introductions arranged, and reputations quietly assessed over glasses of warm mineral water.

Rules of Society

Regency Bath society operated under a complex web of etiquette. Social events such as balls, card parties, concerts, and public breakfasts structured the daily lives of visitors. The city’s social life was historically overseen by the Master of Ceremonies, a role once famously held by Richard ‘Beau’ Nash, whose influence helped establish the rules governing behaviour and introductions.

By the Regency period, these conventions were deeply embedded in Bath’s culture. Strangers could not simply approach one another at social events; proper introductions were essential. A person’s reputation could determine whether they were welcomed into fashionable gatherings or quietly excluded.

The grand centre of this social world was the Assembly Rooms, where elegant balls and concerts brought together hundreds of guests. These glittering events allowed young people to dance, families to negotiate advantageous marriages, and ambitious visitors to cultivate connections.

Leisure and Entertainment

Beyond balls and social calls, Bath offered a wide variety of amusements. Visitors attended theatre performances at the Theatre Royal Bath, one of the most respected provincial theatres in Britain. Concerts, lectures, circulating libraries, and pleasure gardens ensured that boredom was rarely a concern.

Promenading remained a daily pastime. In the afternoons, fashionable visitors would stroll along Great Pulteney Street or gather in the public gardens to exchange news and admire the latest styles.

Shopping was also an important activity. Milliners, dressmakers, and jewellers catered to the city’s fashionable clientele, ensuring that visitors could maintain the appearance required for Bath’s competitive social stage.

Bath in Literature and Legacy

Bath’s lively society and carefully structured etiquette made it an ideal setting for fiction. The city appears prominently in the works of Jane Austen, particularly in the novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Austen herself lived in Bath for several years and observed its social rituals closely.

Through her writing—and through the preserved beauty of the city itself—we still glimpse the world of Regency Bath: a place where health cures mingled with ambition, romance blossomed in crowded ballrooms, and reputation could change with a single introduction.

Today, walking through Bath’s sweeping crescents and elegant streets, it is still possible to imagine the rustle of silk gowns, the rhythm of a quadrille, and the quiet calculations of those seeking their place in one of Britain’s most fashionable Regency playgrounds.

Book cover featuring a woman in a red dress and a man on horseback in front of a large mansion, promoting the work of Fenella J Miller.

Here’s the blurb

Bath, 1810.
Lord James Brotherton, the charismatic Earl of Avon, is wealthy, intelligent—and marked for death. His own cousin believes him an imposter and has enlisted corrupt lawyers and treacherous servants to remove him permanently.
Enter Sofia Brotherton.
Unconventional, outspoken, and entirely irresistible, Sofia turns James’s ordered world upside down. He falls for her instantly. She follows a week later.
As danger closes in, their growing attraction becomes both a refuge and a risk. With enemies plotting murder and passions running high, James and Sofia must fight for love—and survival.
A witty, action-packed Regency romance filled with intrigue, danger, and deliciously sensuous tension.

The book cover for The Earl's Bride. A lady in a red dress has her back to the audience, while a hated man rides towards her. A fine country house forms the background.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/Earlsbride1

Meet the author

Fenella J. Miller is a bestselling historical fiction author, known for her emotionally rich World War II family sagas, sweeping Regency romances, and Jane Austen-inspired variations. With over 100 novels published, she continues to captivate readers who love strong heroines, resilient communities, and heartfelt historical storytelling.

Fenella currently writes for Boldwood Books, where she has launched several beloved WWII series, including:

• The Goodwill House series, beginning with The War Girls at Goodwill House

• The Army Girls series, starting with Army Girls – Reporting for Duty

• The Harbour House series, introduced with Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House

She is also the author of the popular six-book Regency romance series, The Duke’s Alliance, which begins with A Suitable Bride. Her novels are praised for their authentic period detail, compelling characters, and uplifting themes of courage and love during turbulent times.

Born on the Isle of Man to a Yorkshire father and a mother of Anglo-Indian descent, Fenella brings depth and diversity to her storytelling. She previously worked as a nanny, chef, hotelier, and teacher—experiences that inspire her vivid, grounded characters.

Now writing full-time, Fenella lives in a peaceful village in Essex with her British Shorthair cat. She enjoys a close relationship with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, and continues to share powerful stories of women facing challenges with strength and hope.

Social Media Links – Fenella J Miller facebook fenellajmiller.co.uk website.

Author Fenella J Miller. A white woman with pink hair wearing a grey and pink cardigan.

Cover image of the book 'The Earl's Bride' by Fenella J Miller, featuring a woman in a red dress and a man in formal attire on horseback, set against a picturesque, historical backdrop.

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On This Day In History 1066 – The Battle of Stamford Bridge #Anthology #13Writers #OneBattle

On This Day In History 1066 – The Battle of Gate Fulford (well, yesterday. I’m a day late)

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

On this day in history, the battle that many say brought the Viking Age to an end (in England at least) was fought between two Harolds/Haralds not far from York. SPOILERS. The English Harold won, the Norwegian Harald lost his life, and you can read all about it in the new anthology available NOW. (Read on to find out about the previous battle of Gate Fulford and to find out who Harald Hardrada was.

https://books.vikingauthors.com/1066

Information about the events of the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September 1066, including themes like conflict and England's fate.

What was the battle of Gate Fulford, or Fulford Gate?

The battle took place on 20th September 1066, between the Norwegian forces led by Harald Hardrada and the English forces commanded by the two brother earls, and was the first of three battles in 1066, which eventually ended Saxon England, and brought about the beginning of the Norman era (Boo).

Having arrived near York two days earlier, Harald Hardrada had his first encounter with the forces of the English, led by two young earls, Morcar and Edwin (Eadwine) of the House of Mercia, at Gate Fulford. Morcar was earl of Northumbria, replacing the disgraced Tostig Godwineson (who had enticed Hardrada to England), while Edwin was the earl of Mercia, succeeding to the position after the death of his father Ælfgar, who’d held Mercia after his father Leofric. (Fans of the Earls of Mercia series will so far have only encountered Morcar and Eadwine as children).

The image shows a close-up of the cover for the Stamford Bridge Anthology, focusing on the bridge and the river dividing the two armies.

Their youth, their inexperience, and the perceived defeat in this terrible battle are all that people know about Edwin and Morcar. What’s so often overlooked is that they marched into battle determined to counter the might of what many believe was the last great Viking warrior, and they were also the king’s brothers by marriage; their sister now married to Harold Godwineson. They also survived the battle and probably fought at Stamford Bridge and Hastings.

So, who was Harald Hardrada?

Hardrada was king of Norway, half-brother to St Olaf, who was killed at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 by forces loyal to King Cnut, who’d claimed Norway as part of his determination to rule much of Scandinavia. Harald was forced to flee and spent many years fighting in the Varangian guard until he decided to advance his claims to the kingship once more (in 1045), initially forging an alliance with Sweyn of Denmark (nephew of King Cnut) until allying with King Magnus of Norway, who was his nephew, and somewhat conveniently, died only the next year, making Harald the sole king of Norway. (You will find some of this story told in my Earls of Mercia series, and also in Lady Estrid, the story of Sweyn of Denmark’s mother).

Image shows a close up of the Stamford Bridge Anthology focusing on a helmet like the ones worn in the battle, with a nose guard and no horns.

Why did he invade England in 1066?

It is from the alliance with King Magnus that Harald Hardrada exerted his right to rule England, as Magnus stated he had a claim, having earlier agreed it with King Harthacnut of England (Cnut’s son), that he (Magnus) would rule England after Harthacnut’s death and equally that Harthacnut would rule Norway after Magnus’ death.

Harald adopted the claim as he did the kingdom of Norway after Magnus’ death. Admittedly, the intervention of the disgruntled Tostig Godwineson probably also encouraged him. (To read about Harald’s life, check out JC Duncan’s fab five-part series covering his life).

And so, the man lauded as the last great Viking made his way to England, and on this day, he first encountered the English resistance. And while most say the brother earls were defeated, I wonder if the narrative should be a little different. After all, their brother by marriage, their king, was already on his way north to counter the threat. Did they do what needed to be done? Did they temporarily halt the Norwegian invasion and buy Harald time to bring his warriors to the battle…

Book cover for '1066 Stamford Bridge: A Viking Anthology' featuring a Viking helmet at the top, with the title prominently displayed and a backdrop of an army with shields in the background.

The Stamford Bridge Anthology

Thirteen writers. One battle. The same afternoon, told from both sides of the bridge.

Giles Kristian · Matthew Harffy · Angus Donald · Tim Hodkinson · Peter Gibbons · MJ Porter · Justin Hill · Theodore Brun · Eric Schumacher · Will Dowling · M. Thomas Kingsley · Mark Oxbrow · Åsli & Bakkejord

On 25 September 1066, a Norwegian army lay resting on both banks of the Derwent, seven miles from York. They had beaten one English army five days earlier and taken the city’s surrender, and the fighting was done. Most of them had left their mail at the ships.

They were not expecting Harold Godwinson.

The battle that followed ended the Viking age in England. Three weeks later it helped decide a second one, on a hill near Hastings, that everyone remembers instead.

A king who has spent his life outrunning the end of an age. A skald asked to praise a man he no longer believes in. A priest tends the wounded on the eve of a battle nobody knows is coming. A lone axeman on the bridge, and the Englishman in the water beneath him. Afterwards, a farmer walks the field looking for his son, and twenty years later an old earl sits in a Norman prison, still deciding what to tell his gaoler.

The man who holds the bridge in one story is watched from the water in another. Thirteen stories, one day.

Over 100,000 words of Viking historical fiction, published on the 960th anniversary of the battle.

Now available

Text from a creative writing piece discussing historical fiction, featuring themes of storytelling between characters like a Norwegian king and an English reeve.

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I’m welcoming Ancestral Virgins by Fiona J MacKintosh to the blog, with a fab guest post #historicalfiction #blogtour #nonfiction

I’m welcoming Ancestral Virgins by Fiona J MacKintosh to the blog, with a fab guest post #historicalfiction #blogtour #nonfiction

Why Write about the Past?

Historical fiction has been around as long as there have been novels. In 1859, Charles Dickens published The Tale of Two Cities, which was set during the French Revolution. Thackeray’s Vanity Fair came out in 1849, 34 years after the historic events it portrayed including the Battle of Waterloo. And Walter Scott went even further back in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe to the reign of Richard the Lionheart in 12^th century England.

My recently published historical novel, Ancestral Virgins, is set in Britain a little over a century ago in the period before, during, and after the Great War. It was a time – like now – when new technologies were overturning the old realities at a rapid pace as the telephone, the car, and the airplane came into regular use. In one scene in the novel, the guests at a dinner party in a Sussex manor house rush outside to look up at the night sky, trying to spot a Zeppelin on a test flight above southern England.

“Someone shouted ‘Look!’ and a long slim shadow moved out from behind a cloud and stole very slowly across the open sky, sliding out of sight behind another cloud. ‘How can there be people up there in that thing?’ Tessa whispered.”

Today, most of us see planes crisscrossing the sky every day, but for those people in 1914, who would never before have seen anything up there but birds, the sight of that metal tube bearing humans high above the earth must have been both amazing and terrifying.

Capturing that lost sense of newness about things we now take for granted is one reason why I write historical fiction.

Another reason is that as the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” History can be reexamined just as legitimately by the novelist as by the non-fiction writer, because fiction can take us deep into the minds and emotions of people who lived through real events of the past.

To take an example from Ancestral Virgins, George Ingham, a young British explosives expert working for the de Beers diamond company in South Africa, finds himself trapped in Kimberley during its long siege by the Boers. Food supplies run short, and soon the townspeople are barely getting by on “mealie pap, horseflesh, and the occasional vegetable from the de Beers kitchen garden.” Ingham and the woman with whom he’s in love lie awake at nights talking about the meals that they’re craving.

“Ingham described the Sunday dinners his mother made on special occasions – roast beef, a little pink, with roasted potatoes, carrots, and parsnips in parsley and gravy, with warm yeasty bread crowned with knobs of melting butter. In the moonlight, he could see a gleam of saliva at the corner of Ottilie’s mouth.”

The starvation during the siege is a historical fact; the fantasies of food are how I imagined that it was experienced by those who lived through it.

But imagination alone is not enough when writing realist historical fiction. It must always build on what is already there – otherwise known as the facts. I can attest that my descriptions of the historical events in Ancestral Virgins are based on a huge amount of research. For that Kimberley chapter alone, I memorized the entire map of the town by heart as well as a week-by-week digest of what happened during the four-month siege and bombardment. It’s not the quickest way to write a novel, but you learn an enormous amount and the grounding that the research gives you is invaluable for imagining your way inside the heads of your characters and to experience the sights, sounds, and smells that they would have seen, heard, and smelled.

I do this work because I hope that you, the reader, can also feel like you’re in that Sussex garden in 1914 looking up at the night sky or in that dusty South African wartime town in 1899. I want us to go back there together, right alongside the characters I’ve made up from my imagination.

This is my overriding motivation for why I write historical fiction – so that, however briefly, we can feel the way our ancestors felt within their own lifetimes when they had no conception of all the history that was still to come.

Promotional graphic for the blog tour of 'Ancestral Virgins' by Fiona J. Mackintosh, featuring a vintage-style portrait of a woman with a gold headpiece and delicate attire.

Here’s the blurb

In early 20^th century Britain, society was changing rapidly, but not much was changing for women. From different ends of the social spectrum, Celia Mapperley and May Hallam wrestle with rules and circumstances beyond their control and must navigate love, sex, war, and the thin line between conformity and scandal. As they each bear the shame of a devastating family secret, their stories come together in ways that neither could have imagined.

Book cover of 'Ancestral Virgins' by Fiona J. Mackintosh featuring a portrait of a young woman with long hair and ornate attire.

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/rl/ancestralvirgins

Meet the author

Fiona J. Mackintosh is a Scottish-American author living in Washington D.C. whose fiction draws from both sides of the Atlantic. Her flash fiction collection, The Yet Unknowing World (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021), was a runner-up for the 2021 Saboteur Award for best short story collection, and her debut novel Ancestral Virgins will be published on June 26, 2026. Her flashes were selected for Best Small Fictions in 2023 and 2019, and her short stories have been finalists in the Cairde Word, Colm Toíbín, Bristol, Galley Beggar, Exeter, and Fish Short Story Prizes. She is a proud recipient of an Individual Artist’s Award from the Maryland State Arts Council. www.fionajmackintosh.com

Image of author Fiona J Makintosh wearing a denim jacket andblack polo neck jumper

https://linktr.ee/Fionajanemack

Promotional graphic for the book 'Ancestral Virgins' by Fiona J. Mackintosh, featuring a woman in period attire, with publication dates listed for various book reviews from September 19th to 25th.

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Happy release day to Dragonbound, the first book in the Ice and Fire series, #historicalromantasy #booklaunch

To be a writer, you first must write

Dragonbound has been a story so many years in the making that since I first set pen to paper (yes, you read that correctly) I’ve undergone a complete sea change in how I write, and probably, why I write as well.

But with the release of Dragonbound, I thought I’d share a throwback image of what a first story looks like, from the very beginning. Although that’s not quite right either, because this image is from when I first ‘properly’ started to write this story, and I can assure you I’d already discarded some even earlier ideas. (I had yet to discover my favourite inky pen).

A handwritten notebook showing the first page of what would become Dragonbound by MJ Porter

And now you can read the ‘cleaned up’ version of this opening of the book in Dragonbound, released today. A story, I am very proud to say, has taken me about 30 years to get to this stage. It’s a good job that I went on to write other stories in the intervening period.

Book cover for 'Dragon Bound' by MJ Porter featuring two central characters facing away from each other, with a majestic dragon in the background. The text reads 'WHERE HOPE ENDS, DESTINY AWAKENS.'

Here’s the blurb

The Long Night is ending. The dragon is waking.

Sereh is finally free — but the frozen wilds are just as deadly as the life she left behind. When she saves a mysterious stranger, she binds herself to a fate she doesn’t understand.

Erann has secrets. About the cold. About the land. About why the world is changing.

As the Long Night lingers and something ancient stirs beneath the frozen land, survival means staying together. And their fragile alliance turns into something neither of them can afford.

Because in a world of ice and fire, trust might be the spark that destroys them both.

This slow-burning Norse fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, T. Kingfisher, S.L. Rowland and Anne McCaffrey.

Available Now

Check out the dedicated website for the Ice and Fire Series and see the cover for Stormlost, book 2 in the series.

Check out the Ice and Fire Series page on the blog

Buy directly from me

Text graphic featuring the phrases 'The ice is dying. The dragons are coming.' against a dark, abstract background with blue and black swirls.

Illustration featuring two characters with Norse-inspired themes, highlighting elements of a slow-burn romance, a dragon-to-human bond, and historical romance fantasy.

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On This Day In History 1066 – The Battle of Gate Fulford (well, yesterday. I’m a day late)

What was the battle of Gate Fulford,or Fulford Gate?

So, who was Harald Hardrada?

An infographic titled 'On This Day in History, 1066' discussing the events leading up to the Battle of Stamford Bridge, featuring a central image of a Viking helmet and mentioning 13 authors and stories related to the events.

Why did he invade England in 1066?

The Stamford Bridge Anthology

Thirteen writers. One battle. The same afternoon, told from both sides of the bridge.

They were not expecting Harold Godwinson.

The battle that followed ended the Viking age in England. Three weeks later it helped decide a second one, on a hill near Hastings, that everyone remembers instead.

The man who holds the bridge in one story is watched from the water in another. Thirteen stories, one day.

Over 100,000 words of Viking historical fiction, published on the 960th anniversary of the battle.

Releasing 25th September 2026 – preorder now in ebook. Paperback available now.

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On This Day In History 1066 – Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, arrives near York, England to advance his claims to be England’s king

Who was Harald Hardrada?

Graphic highlighting significant events from September 1066, including the arrival of Harald Hardrada in England and the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Why did he invade England in 1066?

And so, the man lauded as the last great Viking made his way to England and arrived on this day, 1066. And the rest can be discovered in…

The Stamford Bridge Anthology

Thirteen writers. One battle. The same afternoon, told from both sides of the bridge.

They were not expecting Harold Godwinson.

The battle that followed ended the Viking age in England. Three weeks later it helped decide a second one, on a hill near Hastings, that everyone remembers instead.

The man who holds the bridge in one story is watched from the water in another. Thirteen stories, one day.

Over 100,000 words of Viking historical fiction, published on the 960th anniversary of the battle.

Releasing 25th September 2026 – preorder now in ebook. Paperback coming soon.

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I’m excited to share an excerpt from RJ Verity’s new historical fiction novel, Poole of Honour #PooleOfHonour #ThePooleLegacy #HistoricalFiction #LGBTQHistoricalFiction #RJVerity #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m excited to share an excerpt from RJ Verity’s new historical fiction novel, Poole of Light #blogtour #historicalfiction

I’m excited to share an excerpt from RJ Verity’s new historical fiction novel, Poole of Honour #blogtour #historicalfiction

Here’s an excerpt

Excerpt 2 (Chapter 2, Barkston Chambers)

Two years into his career as a criminal barrister, Daniel is defending the clients nobody else wants – and his head of chambers isn’t happy.

Daniel drops a file onto the mountainous pile on his desk – the cases never seeming to diminish. The youth used by gangs to slip through windows. The teacher caught in the crossfire of a pub brawl. The single mother accused of stealing a tin of baked beans. He wishes he could have been there sooner – to stop the exploitation; to steer the couple elsewhere; to buy the woman a meal before she had to choose between hunger and shame. He has learned that small mercies rarely alter the machinery.

He slumps in his chair. Two years at Barkston Chambers, and still that sense of not quite belonging. Educated in England since the age of fourteen, yet his American background continues to mark him out as a foreigner. The irony is that he came here because he didn’t fit in there either. In the States, expectation pressed constantly at his back; here, the scrutiny is better concealed, but no less real.

Swivelling around, he stares out of the window. A starling lands on the ledge and walks jerkily back and forth, its metallic plumage catching the weak afternoon sun. It taps at the glass, bristling at the bird opposite – unaware that it is only confronting its own reflection. Sometimes you see something from afar and feel drawn towards it. You move closer, circling, trying to understand. But even up close – perhaps especially then – it is hard to know what’s real. Better, sometimes, to leave it be.

There’s a knock, and the door opens before Daniel can answer. Gareth Glover-Rees, head of chambers, stands in the doorway, his stance wide, his six-foot-three frame almost touching the ceiling and filling the tiny room.

‘Poole—’ Glover-Rees stops as he eyes the paperwork on Daniel’s desk and lets out a sigh. ‘We need to talk about this backlog.’

‘I’m sorry, it’s just that there’s so much coming in these days. Most of them are minor offences, but it still takes time to put all the arguments forward.’

‘Actually, that’s why I came to see you.’ He takes one step to the middle of the office. ‘I’ll be candid. When we agreed to take you on, you had a first from Oxford and excellent recommendations from the Bar School. Not to mention your Poole family connections in the business world.’

‘I never disclosed my family b—’

‘That’s not my point. We expected more from you than defending petty criminals.’ Glover-Rees brandishes a piece of paper in his right hand. ‘You’re behind on rent, and your fees are shockingly low.’

‘But so many cases need representing, and they can’t all afford our fees.’

‘This is not Hollywood, Poole. Sentiment is all very well, but it has no place in English law. We are not a charity, and neither are you. Don’t you have a wife with a child on the way?’

Daniel concedes a nod.

Glover-Rees gestures towards the files on his desk. ‘Some of the other barristers—’ he stops. ‘Some of their clients are unhappy with the endless stream of ruffians you’re bringing into chambers. Only the other day, an elderly widow was horrified to find herself sitting next to a violent criminal.’

‘I’m just following the cab-rank rule.’

Glover-Rees’ face reddens. ‘Is that so? Then how come you haven’t covered a single prosecution case in the last six months?’

‘I’ve been run off my feet. I just haven’t had the time t—’

‘Nonsense. Any criminal barrister must prosecute and defend if he is really to learn his art.’

‘But—’

‘No buts, Poole. Clear your cases and start taking on some more lucrative ones. That’s my advice if you want to remain here. Some early guilty pleas wouldn’t go amiss either – or is every one of your clients a victim of gross injustice with a reasonable prospect of success?’ He pauses for effect. ‘Thought not. Look, if your clerk hands you a prosecution brief, you take it. Besides, it’s good to win some points with the police. I trust I’ve made myself clear?’

Before Daniel can respond, Glover-Rees leaves, punctuating his departure with an exclamatory slam of the door.

Cover of the book 'Poole of Honour' by RJ Verity displayed on a tablet, featuring a man in a hat looking down a street with historical buildings, on a wooden surface with a notepad and a pen beside it.

Here’s the blurb

London, 1965. The city is swinging, the world is shifting, and Daniel Poole is a rising criminal barrister with everything to prove – to the courts, to his father, to his wife and to himself.

But Daniel is carrying a secret that could shatter the life he has so carefully built. As society begins to question the rules it once held sacred, he is forced to decide what he stands for — and what he is willing to risk in order to belong.

Set against a backdrop of cultural upheaval and political change, Poole of Honour is a tense, character-driven historical novel exploring ambition, identity, and the cost of silence, as the next generation of the Poole family confronts a world on the brink of transformation.

Cover of the book 'Poole of Honour' by RJ Verity, featuring a man in a suit and hat standing on a street looking at historic buildings under a dramatic sky.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/poole-of-honour

Meet the author

RJ Verity grew up in Yorkshire and studied at King’s College London before spending more than twenty years working in financial services across Asia. She now lives in Guernsey with her endlessly patient husband and their ageing but ever-spirited Labradinger. When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found exploring the island’s rugged coastline.

RJ writes character-led historical fiction rooted in place, memory, and the social and personal forces that shape ordinary lives. Her debut novel, Poole of Light, opens The Poole Legacy – a trilogy following three generations of one family across a century of change.

The second novel, Poole of Honour, publishes on 15 September 2026. Set in London in 1965, it follows Daniel Poole, a rising criminal barrister drawn into the most divisive political debate of the decade – one that cuts closer than he dare admit.

https://www.rjverity.com

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rj-verity

Promotional banner for The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour scheduled from September 14th to 18th, 2026, featuring the book 'Poole of Honour' by RJ Verity, with specific dates and participating blogs listed. — Follow the Poole of Honour blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club

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I’m reviewing The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder (The Crooked Medium 1) by Stephen Cox #blogtour #bookreview #historicalmystery

I’m reviewing The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder (The Crooked Medium 1) by Stephen Cox #blogtour #bookreview #historicalmystery

Here’s the blurb

London 1881. Can two crooked women stop a murder?

Extravagant medium Mrs Ashton and her lover, blunt working-class Mrs Bradshaw, run a spiritualist scam. Mrs Ashton secretly reads minds.

Believing that Mrs Ashton is genuine, grieving Lady Violet craves the truth behind her mother’s untimely death. But Lady Violet’s powerful husband Sir Charles hates spiritualists. Has he killed before?

Uncovering this MP’s wicked crimes will put all three women in terrible danger…

To solve a shocking murder, look both sides of the grave.

“I loved this book! Victorian murder mystery meets “ghost” story, with delicious sprinklings of compassion and mischief…”

Caroline Day, author of Sunday Times Bestseller Hope Nicely’s Lessons for Life

Purchase Links

THE CROOKED MEDIUM’s guide to MURDER

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crooked-Mediums-Guide-Murder-Victorian-ebook/dp/B0FLK68742/

https://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Mediums-Guide-Murder-Victorian-ebook/dp/B0FLK68742/

Exciting News: Book 2 in the Crooked Medium series is now available for pre-order!! – https://stephencox.co.uk/buy-terror/

My Review

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder is an enthralling late nineteenth-century set mystery, with all the trappings we would expect from a story set in this era, complete with a spiritualist (or is she?), an angry husband and a desperate wife, told with a flair for the language of the time, and some quite amusing insults to boot.

The setting is well depicted, and the (initial) mystery quickly reveals itself as Mrs Ashton resolves to aid poor Lady Violet while she uncovers the truth about her mother’s death. And yet, not all is as it seems, and Mrs Ashton, with her own secrets as well, finds herself caught in the middle of something she’s desperate to understand. Having placed herself in terrible danger when the very man she’s investigating turns up dead himself, she’s implicated in his murder; only there’s something even more unsettling for Mrs Ashton to contend with (I don’t want to spoil what happens). This adds a whole new dimension to everything the reader thought they knew!

A rousing mystery, with plenty of pace and a sure-fire hit for those who love stories set in the era. And with a fabulous ‘well, I didn’t see that coming’ element about halfway through the book. This story kept me reading, and I was absolutely hooked. This is late nineteenth-century London (and further afield) splendidly told, never stinting on the harder sides of life, and with quite a shocking resolution. I am looking forward to book 2.

Meet the author

My grandmother told me I read too much. I remember walking in the garden when I was small, telling myself stories. It was over thirty years of wanting to be a novelist before I tried… and succeeded.

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder arose because I wanted to write about Britishness and specifically about Englishness; about our complex relationship with the past; I wanted leads who were morally grayer but still capable of kindness. It was time for a novel with queer leads. And in quite desperate times, I needed to write something with some uplift. It’s the first book intended to start a series.

My first books, Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds are set in the 1960s USA. It’s about Gene and Molly, a childless couple, and Cory, the little boy from the stars that they adopt, under such challenging circumstances. The books got lovely reviews and are available on both sides of the Atlantic.

I spent nearly all my childhood in Bristol, and I’m now an adoptive Londoner. I live with my partner, and it’s the best thing our two adult children come back from time to time. Our garden rages wild.

https://stephencox.co.uk

https://stephens-newsletter-69af79.beehiiv.com

Giveaway to Win 4 x Signed Books by Stephen Cox (Open to UK Only)

https://gleam.io/gFE4O/win-4-x-signed-books-by-stephen-cox-open-to-uk-only

Prize includes – Our Child of the Stars, Our Child of Two Worlds, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder and the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror.

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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I’m reviewing The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman #bookreview #blogtour #historicalfiction

I’m reviewing The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman #bookreview #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

A young Englishman captured by slavers must survive the snakepit that is seventeenth-century Venice.

1604. As pirates seeking slaves to sell in the markets of North Africa terrorise the coasts of Europe, headstrong Richard Sheriff and his sister Elizabeth are torn from their Devonshire home and thrust into a waking nightmare.

Richard’s skills as a blacksmith see him fetch a high price, but the pirate captain has other plans for Elizabeth and once they are separated, Richard has no idea of his sister’s fate. They must both learn to survive on a deadly voyage into the unknown.

Sold into servitude in Venice: glittering, vicious city of secrets, he is apprenticed to a knife maker. Richard’s talents soon win him renown… but haunted by his sister’s absence, he vows never to stop looking for her, knowing she would do the same for him.

First he must survive that city of ghosts. Will the siblings live to see each other again, or will they join the myriads lost to Venice, where life is cheap, profit is all, and escape nigh-on impossible?

A powerful historical adventure perfect for fans of Kate Mosse, Ken Follett and Robert Harris.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knife-Maker-Venice-David-Gilman/dp/1035910373

https://www.amazon.com/Knife-Maker-Venice-David-Gilman/dp/1035910373

My Review

The Knife Maker of Venice is a chunk of a book, following the events that befall Richard and Elizabeth, starting with a good punch, before moving somewhat into the future.

It is fraught with peril for our two main characters, although they’re far from the only two voices we hear. Richard is almost unbearably headstrong, and gets himself into many scrapes. Elizabeth is far from the naive individual we might originally suspect, although her story is teased out more slowly than Richard’s.

What follows is a deeply researched tale of life in the early 1600s, thrusting the reader into the possibly previously unknown world of slavers and what happened to those stolen away from the Devonshire coast.

I listened to the audio book for the novel, and very much enjoyed the narrator as he expertly brought the characters to life.

This does take a while to get going – there is a lot of action in the first third, but much of it takes place on the high seas where the author ensures we all know how miserable the voyage is for the unfortunate abductees.

An engaging read.

Meet the author

David Gilman has enjoyed many careers, including paratrooper, firefighter, and photographer. An award-winning author and screenwriter, he is the author of the critically acclaimed Master of War series of historical novels, and was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for The Last Horseman. He was longlisted for the same prize for The Englishman, the first book featuring ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Dan Raglan. David lives in Devon. Follow David on @davidgilmanuk, http://www.davidgilman.com, and facebook.com/davidgilman.author

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It’s time for a new Bradecote and Catchpoll historical mystery. I’m reviewing A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood #historicalmystery #bookreview #favouriteseries

Here’s the blurb

December, 1145.

Hamelin Isenmongere, trader in iron and charcoal from Gloucester, is considered by many to be the most popular man in Worcester. Why then is he found on the quayside near his warehouse with his head beaten in? As the winter bites, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Walkelin begin the hunt for a killer. However, matters are complicated when evidence leads them to Worcester Castle itself and the hunt for a spy in the midst of complicated political crosscurrents.

Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin must uncover whether the murder was an act of betrayal from close to home, or one that casts a shadow over the fight for England’s crown.

Purchase Link

My Review

Sarah Hawkswood’s medieval mysteries are some of my favourite books. I wish I could savour them when they’re released once a year, but I find myself reading far too quickly.

Her main characters, Bradecote, Catchpoll and Wakelin are determined and intrepid in their desire to solve each mystery presented to them.

I love this series of medieval mysteries set in and around Worcester, and A Shroud of Snow is a fab addition, and has certainly kept me cool during the recent heatwave.

Catchpoll and Walkelin find themselves summoned to the quayside on a bitterly cold morning where the body of Hamelin Isenmonger has been found. A convivial, generous trader, everyone wonders who on earth would have wanted to kill the man, with a whole host of suspects, from his wife to his ship’s commander.

What unfolds is another fine mystery, that sees our characters forced to question not just the underbelly of Worcester, but also those in high up places, as they work to make sense of the seemingly random series of events. While Walkelin and Catchpoll are contending with some of the local inhabitants, Bradecote has to contend with some haughty lords at the castle.

Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin are getting rather good at solving crimes, ferreting out those who speak falsehoods and getting to the crux of the matter as quickly as possible. This one had its fair share of politics to contend with as well, which I did sometimes get a little confused about, but luckily, I could remember what was happening in the wider world of the Anarchy.

It’s always a treat to get a new Bradecote & Catchpoll mystery and this one didn’t disappoint.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a bloody good historical mystery, and I promise you, soon the way the characters speak will become like second-nature to you, so don’t let it put you off!