Author of Saxon historical fiction, 20th-century historical mysteries, and Saxon historical non-fiction. Book reviewer and blog host.
Author: MJ Porter, author
I'm an author of historical fiction (Early England/Viking and the British Isles as a whole before 1066, as well as five 20th-century mysteries), a non-fiction title about the royal women of tenth-century England, and historical fantasy.
I’m reviewing Harbour of Thieves by Richard Cullen, a brand new 19th century tale of smugglers and North Yorkshire #historicalfiction #bookreview @boldwoodbooks @wordhog
Here’s the blurb
An epic NEW historical crime story of treachery and bitter rivalry between Yorkshire’s tough smuggling gangs 💥 Perfect for the fans of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series, House of Guinness and Peaky Blinders 🩸⚔️
Can one man forget his past, or will he be dragged back into the world of violence he worked hard to leave behind?
Yorkshire, 1840
Along this treacherous Yorkshire coastline, the cutthroat industry of smuggling thrives, and two rival gangs rule the night… the Stringers of Bay Town and the Lambs of Ravenscar. Waging a war for control of the contraband that flows through England’s northern cities.
After a lifetime of violence and bloodshed, Jim Hood returns to his hometown of Whitby with his friend Samuel Comus, their pockets heavy with prize money from their exploits along the African coast. They dream of respectability, of turning their backs on their past, but old friends and enemies await, and old habits die hard…
When tragedy strikes, and Jim’s well-laid plans turn to ash, Jim is forced to return to the brutal world he’d sworn to leave behind.
Now he must navigate the deadly currents that flow between rival smuggling empires, where childhood loyalties war with newfound enemies, and where the price of survival might be the very soul he’d fought so hard to reclaim.
Perfect for the fans of Bernard Cornwell, Ken Follett and Dan Jones.
Harbour of Thieves is a rollicking good read set in the 1840s, in and around the coastline of Whitby and Scarborough (North Yorkshire) and focuses on the underbelly of smuggling as two rival bands face not one, but two enemies, and are riven with discord between each other as well.
We have multiple characters in this thrilling, fast-paced tale, and we also need to give a shout-out to the Yorkshire weather! There are many characters we simply despise, a few we quite like, and others we can perhaps admire, while being grateful never to be faced with the decisions they have to make. We have strong women, even stronger women and those we think we should pity but who, in their own way, are perhaps the strongest of all. We have villains aplenty, from the excise man to the leader of the Lambs, who is a nasty piece of work.
The story is fast and satisfying, as events wrap around our would-be heroes, forcing them to make hard decisions to survive. This is a thrilling adventure of high stakes and high seas, and I devoured it in only 24 hours!
Check out my review for Rebellion, the first book in the Chronicles of the Black Lion series.
Meet the author
Richard Cullen is a writer of historical adventure and epic fantasy. Previously published by Head of Zeus and Orbit Books, his new historical adventure series for Boldwood, Chronicles of the Black Lion, set in thirteenth-century England, will launch in October 2024.
I’m delighted to welcome Vicky Adin and her new book, Sarah’s Destiny, to the blog, #HistoricalFiction #VictorianWomen #workingclasswomen #enduringlove #Bristol #widows #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
@thecoffeepotbookclub.com
I’m delighted to welcome Vicky Adin and her new book, Sarah’s Destiny, to the blog,
Read about Vicky Adin’s inspiration for writing Sarah’s Destiny
My inspiration stretches back well into the seventeen hundreds as I hunted for my family history. Genealogy research always turns up interesting snippets of information. A name on one document, repeated on another and linked to another often leads to the discovery of the places, people, and occupations associated with their lives. I was in for a surprise as I abandoned the direct line and drifted along another branch to twigs and leaves.
Sarah’s story was one of those sideways leaps as I searched for extra details relating to my third and fourth great-grandparents. With a love of history and genealogy, such research can provide details beyond the facts, however, there are always gaps and to me that’s where the stories lie. I love filling in the gaps.
My third great-grandfather intrigued me. In those times, several branches of an extended family and generations of a direct line would live in that same area over long periods, with the sons often continuing the father’s occupation. In this case, a daughter maintained that tradition and in keeping with the naming patterns of the day, Sarah was the third daughter to be given that name in memory of two others. She must have carried a huge sense of responsibility. Such traditions are invaluable to a genealogist, but ….
Sometimes, the information doesn’t quite add up. When my great-grandfather’s dates didn’t quite match and when his daughters broke tradition and moved away from the family, I researched the one who remained. A gut instinct told me she could well be the key to what I was searching for. And I was right. The more documents I found about her life, the more fascinated I became.
Sarah lived her life in the Victorian era from 1834 to 1907. During that time, she was to have two husbands and eight children and lost three, but her marital status and the children’s names and dates were often confusing, suggesting more to the story than the hard facts provided. She was literate and worked as a licenced victualler, a pub landlord, in her own right, just like her father. She was, without doubt, loyal, determined, and defied conventions. But what was she really like? That is the one question genealogy research will never answer, especially that far back. That is where a writer’s intuition takes over.
Next came the historical research about Bristol, where she lived and worked her entire life. In its heyday Bristol was a progressive and prosperous city that sparked my curiosity. I’d never been to Bristol so I used Google Earth to ‘wander’ down the same streets that Sarah would have done. I found the pub, one among many, where she’d grown up beside the Welsh Back and where bars and restaurants still dot the landscape today, just as they were in her day. I love the fact that the core of England never changes. Some new buildings and some road realignments but in essence what Sarah knew, I could view.
A ‘back’ is a Bristolian word for a wharf and the Welsh Back is the cobblestone street running along the length of the famous floating harbour built in 1809. That is where the trows, (specially designed boats with folding masts to get under the low bridges) from Wales came across the notorious Bristol Channel and tied up to unload their wares.
The more I looked into Bristol’s history, the more I realised the city itself had a story to tell. So too, her lover.
I took Sarah’s facts and the spirit of Bristol and recreated her life. I filled the gaps, taking into account Bristol’s unique words and dialect and all the numerous and wonderful Victorian revelations, the likes of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and the serialisation of Dickens novels, the completion of the Bristol Suspension Bridge and so much more. We can never know exactly what people said, how they behaved, or what they thought, but understanding the mores and laws of the time offers a likely premise.
Sarah’s Destiny is inspired by a true story, the facts guided her time frame, and the history embellished the storyline, but Sarah’s soul captured my imagination.
Here’s the blurb
Young Sarah Daniels is the heart, soul and future of The White Hart Inn on the Welsh Back. Alongside the quay and wharves on Bristol’s floating harbour, she dreams of finding love, and a destiny where she can escape the drudgery and tragedy that life usually delivers Victorian women. But dreams are free, and few share her ideals. When reality strikes, and Sarah learns the hard way that life is unkind, one man offers her hope.
Through many decades of heart-aching loss, false promises and broken dreams, the young widow clings to that one hope. With six children to care for, she takes risks few others would consider. She breaks conventions and makes sacrifices to keep that hope alive.
Will her wishes come true, or is she destined to be another unfortunate in the sea of many?
Any Triggers: Grief, abuse, attempted rape (gentle)
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Meet the author
Like the characters in her books, Vicky has a passion for family history and a love of old photos, antiques, and treasures from the past. After researching the history of the time and place, and realising the hardships many people suffered, Vicky knew she wanted to write their stories. Tales of love and loss, and triumph over adversity. Her latest release, Sarah’s Destiny, Book 1 of The Ancestors series, is inspired by a true love story set in Bristol.
Vicky particularly enjoys writing inter-generational sagas, inspired by true stories of early immigrants to New Zealand, linked by journals, letters, photographs, and heirlooms.
She’s an avid reader of historical novels, family sagas and women’s stories and loves to travel when she can. She has a MA(Hons) in English and Education. Her story of Gwenna won gold in The Coffee Pot Book Club Women’s Historical Fiction Book of Year in 2022 and several of her books carry the gold B.R.A.G medallion.
I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder in Rome by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime
I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder in Rome by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime
Here’s the blurb
The BRAND NEW instalment in the bestselling, beloved Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mystery series!
A road leading to Rome
Former DCI Dan Armstrong has been living and working in Florence for nearly three years—yet somehow, Rome has always eluded him. That is, until glamorous TV celebrity Tamsin Goodfaith turns up with a request he can’t refuse: investigate her uncle’s suspicious death in the Eternal City.
Murder at the castle
Philip Hastings was a billionaire financier, found dead at his magnificent—if slightly spooky—medieval castle in the Roman hills. Dan and his faithful canine companion, Oscar, soon find themselves surrounded by luxury, secrets and more suspects than sightseeing opportunities.
This time it’s personal. But when a second murder follows close behind, the case turns dangerously personal. With whispers of ghosts and crumbling alibis, Dan and Oscar must sniff out the truth before he becomes the next victim. Harder to crack than castle walls—and harder still than stopping Oscar from stealing snacks—this Roman holiday is anything but relaxing. .
Murder in Rome is somehow the 15th book in the Armstrong and Oscar mysteries, and I’ve read them all (apart from 1, which I seem to have missed).
This latest outing sees Dan taking a trip to Rome, somewhere he’s not been before, with Oscar at his side. What he encounters is a palatial residence that seems to be hiding its own secrets, but his remit is simple, determine if Philip was murdered, or whether he really did commit suicide. As Dan begins to investigate there are strange goings-on in the dysfunctional, wealthy family.
Murder in Rome unfolds as earlier books in the series. The reader genuinely doesn’t know who can and can’t be trusted until there is a huge breakthrough. For this one, I loved the historical elements as it’s passed time Anna was able to help Dan solve his cases. Of course, Oscar has a starring role once more too.
Always a guaranteed good read, I didn’t guess who did it! I do love this series.
Check out my reviews for earlier books in the series, and be sure to start at book 1, Murder in Tuscany.
Meet the author
I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I studied languages at Nottingham University a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to work in Italy for seven years. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only thirteen years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.
I started off writing romances but after 28 of them, I knew I wanted to try something different, and so the first of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, Murder in Tuscany, was born three years ago. I’ve been having a lot of fun ever since getting to know the dynamic duo (and introducing them to people all over the world). These books are cosy crime [a genre I didn’t even know existed when I started writing them). They are murder mysteries, but not gory, over-violent stuff, but stories designed to exercise the brain of the reader and to put a smile on their face. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations all over my beloved Italy.
I’m welcoming Maryka Biaggio and her new book, Margery and Me, to the blog #MargeryandMe #historicalfiction #realpeople #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour
I’m welcoming Maryka Biaggio and her new book, Margery and Me, to the blog #MargeryandMe #historicalfiction #realpeople #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour
Here’s the blurb
In the 1920s, Margery Crandon captivated both Boston society and psychic researchers with her astonishing seances. At her gatherings, her deceased brother Walter regularly appeared, entertaining the circle with his witty and cheeky remarks. Margery’s abilities earned her the admiration of luminaries, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats. But one man stood in opposition: Harry Houdini, the legendary magician, who was determined to expose her as a fraud.
Margery and Me tells the true story of the medium who mystified scientists, challenged skeptics, and sparked a sensation across America and Europe. As Houdini and Margery clashed in a battle of wits and wills, the question remained: Could the master illusionist unmask her, or would her extraordinary powers be enough to convert even the most resolute of doubters?
Maryka Biaggio is a psychology professor-turned-novelist who brings forgotten lives back into the light. Specializing in historical fiction inspired by real people, she crafts emotionally resonant narratives anchored in careful research.
Her debut novel, Parlor Games (Doubleday, 2013), launched a distinguished career that includes Gun Girl and the Tall Guy and Margery and Me. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including the Willamette Writers Award, Oregon Writers Colony Award, Historical Novel Society Review Editors’ Choice, La Belle Lettre Award, and a Publishers Weekly pick.
Biaggio is celebrated for illuminating overlooked historical figures with psychological depth and narrative grace.
I’m welcoming John Anthony Miller and his new book, Another Soul Saved, to the blog @authorjamiller @maryanneyarde @yardereviews
@maryanneyarde.bsky.social #BlogTour #HistoricalFiction #WWIIFiction #HolocaustFiction #WomenInHistory #YardeBookPromotions
I’m welcoming John Anthony Miller and his new book, Another Soul Saved, to the blog
Research required to write the novel Another Soul Saved
An author’s goal in writing a novel is to create an imaginary world with make-believe characters that keep the reader immersed in the story. When writing historical fiction, the story is usually grounded in fact—actual places, events, or historical accounts. To keep the reader fully engaged, the author needs to mimic the every-day life of people who lived during that time. Details lend credibility to the narrative, and details require research.
Another Soul Saved is my nineteenth published novel, and I typically approach each one from the same perspective. Usually, I start by choosing a location and time period, or a world event that drives the plot. Once I have the basic concept underway, I start the research.
I begin with the names of the characters. Another Soul Saved is set in Vienna, Austria, in the early days of WWII. Assuming the characters are around thirty years old, and the book takes place in 1941, I searched online for popular Austrian baby names in 1910 – the year around when the characters would have been born. I use a legal pad and make three columns: female names, male names, and surnames. Then I match them based on my image of the character. I actually spend a lot of time on names because I want them to flow, especially for the main characters.
Next, I researched the city of Vienna, where the book takes place. I have been to Austria, but not the neighbourhood where the book is set, so I used Google Earth—it has a dropdown feature where you can actually “walk the streets.” It helps me describe buildings and use actual street names. Since some of the book takes place in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, I had to find the floor plans, including those of burial crypts in the basements, which are used in the novel to hide escaping Jews.
To create the right atmosphere, I had to understand the city of Vienna as it existed in 1941. Ninety-nine percent of the residents supported the policies of Adolf Hitler, but my novel uses the voice of the one percent who didn’t—those risking their lives to save others, knowing that friends, neighbors, and even family members could betray them. I had to create the underlying tension so the reader felt the same fear that the main characters lived with. I read books about the Austrian Resistance movement and the nation’s policies and treatment of the Jewish population, so I understood what their lives were like.
Another Soul Saved tells the story of Monika Graf, a wealthy woman who risks everything to rescue Jewish children, with no recognition or reward, betraying both her country and her husband. Unable to have children of her own, she impulsively rescues two Jewish children from the Nazis, which starts a whole underground movement. To realistically portray the process, I had to research real-life events. How did Jewish children escape the Nazi regime in Austria? A limited number were permitted to emigrate. What process was followed to get them out of the country? Many more children posed as Catholics, sheltered by the church in orphanages, convents, and seminaries. How was this accomplished? Other children were hidden on farms where it was easy to blend in with the farmer’s family, with much less exposure to soldiers or citizens who supported them.
Topics specific to the novel that I had to research included train travel, a nearby concentration camp, the workings of St. Stephen’s Cathedral—how many priests and what duties were they assigned, food rationing, the Gestapo presence in Vienna—headquarters and processes, and a timeline for the Jews in Vienna.
And lastly, I conducted research common to any historical novel: clothing worn during the time period, women’s hairstyles, local foods, and popular automobiles.
My goal as an author is to blend the different levels of research into a world the reader doesn’t want to leave.
Here’s the blurb
Vienna, 1941
Monika Graf, the wife of a wealthy Austrian military commander, steals two Jewish girls from the Nazis—a crime often punishable by death. With soldiers in rapid pursuit, a homeless Jew named Janik, a mysterious man who lurks in the shadows, helps her escape.
Unable to have children of her own, she finds a new purpose in life—rescuing Jewish children from the horrendous Nazi regime. She asks the Swiss for help, trading military secrets she gleans from her husband for the lives of Jewish children. With Janik’s continued support, she also enlists Father Christoff, a priest at St. Stephen’s Cathedral coping with unexpected emotions and doubting his commitment to God. Monika quickly forms bonds that can’t be broken, feelings exposed she never knew existed.
Relentlessly pursued by Gestapo Captain Gustav Kramer, Monika combats continuing risk to her clandestine operation. When her husband, a rabid Nazi, returns from the battlefield severely wounded, she gets caught in a cage that she can’t crawl out of.
Wrought with danger, riddled with romance, Another Soul Saved shows humanity at both its best and worst in a classic struggle of good versus evil.
Any Triggers: Holocaust storyline; Nazi characters
John Anthony Miller writes all things historical—thrillers, mysteries, and romance. He sets his novels in exotic locations spanning all eras of space and time, with complex characters forced to face inner conflicts—fighting demons both real and imagined. He’s published twenty novels and ghostwritten several others, including Another Soul Saved. He lives in southern New Jersey.
I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift and her new book, The Enemy’s Wife, to the blog #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #TheEnemysWife #HistoricalFiction #WW2 #Shanghai @swiftstory @cathiedunn
@deborahswiftauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub
I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift and her new book, The Enemy’s Wife, to the blog #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #TheEnemysWife #HistoricalFiction #WW2 #Shanghai
The Political Melting Pot of Shanghai by Deborah Swift
My novel The Enemy’s Wife is set in Shanghai during the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. At this time, China was already deeply embroiled in turmoil—both from foreign invasion and internal political conflict. Understanding the situation requires looking at two overlapping struggles: the war against Japan and the civil war within China itself.
The External War with Japan
Pic of Japanese arrival in French concession
China had been fighting Japan since the Second Sino-Japanese War, which began years before Pearl Harbor. Japan had occupied major parts of eastern China, including key cities like Shanghai and Nanjing, so that the Chinese capital had moved inland to Chongqing. The war was brutal, with events like the Nanjing Massacre, where thousands of women were raped and murdered, still fresh in memory. Commanders at Nanjing were later found guilty of war crimes and executed. These barbaric crimes were not isolated incidents, so by 1941, China was exhausted but still resisting.
The Internal War – Two rival Chinese governments
China was politically divided between two main factions, firstly, the Nationalists (Kuomintang), the official government of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, and supported by the United States and other Allies.
On the other side were the Communists, led by Mao Zedong who controlled vast swathes of northern China. When the Japanese invaded, these rebel communist factions used guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. They were extremely influential amongst the workers and the lower classes in China.
To defeat the Japanese, The Nationalists and Communists agreed to a temporary alliance called the Second United Front to resist Japan. But in reality, cooperation was limited and mistrust remained high. Both sides were already positioning themselves for a future power struggle, so fierce clashes between them still occurred even during the anti-Japanese war. The civil war within China was still going on beneath the invasion of the Japanese.
Pic – Collapse of United Front Propaganda Poster
The Impact of Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor dramatically changed China’s situation. The United States officially entered the war and became a major ally of China, which meant China was now part of the broader Allied war effort against Japan.
In turn, this meant that American aid (military supplies, training, and financial support) began increasing, mainly to the Nationalists. This did not please the communists, who saw it as arming their enemy!
Corruption Rots the Government
Corruption created a sharp contrast between the ruling elite and ordinary people. Many officials lived soft lives of relative comfort, while ordinary civilians suffered deprivation and hardship.
A large portion of foreign aid (especially from the U.S.) was lost to corruption. Supplies like weapons, fuel, and food were stolen, hoarded, or sold on the black market. Some officers in the Nationalist army inflated troop numbers known as ghost soldiers to collect extra pay. Even so, frontline soldiers were often under-equipped and underfed despite the incoming aid. Officials embezzled funds or mismanaged resources. The government printed large amounts of money to cover costs, contributing to hyperinflation, so that ordinary people saw their savings become nearly worthless. This resulted in more support for the communists, and growing anger toward the government.
Pic of Chinese army
The Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, capitalized on this by promoting strict discipline and anti-corruption policies. Communist forces often treated peasants better and redistributed land in some areas, and their image as more egalitarian helped them gain grassroots support. By the end of World War II, these weaknesses contributed directly to the Nationalists’ defeat in the resumed Chinese Civil War.
So writing a novel including all these factions was interesting. Not only was corruption rife in government, but there was also prostitution, gambling, and drug wars to contend with! I have a character in the Japanese army, but also several who are part of the Communist rebel faction fighting against them. This is a book where women too play a major part, both in resisting the Japanese through distributing anti-Japanese propaganda, and more directly by helping prisoners of war held by the Japanese.
As a place to set a novel, Shanghai offers plenty of opportunity for tension, conflict and plot. I hope you will enjoy The Enemy’s Wife.
Here’s the Blurb
‘A fast-paced, beautifully written, and moving story. Refreshing to read a book set in a different theatre of war. Wartime Shanghai jumped off the page’ CLARE FLYNN
A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.
1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.
Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.
As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.
Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?
Readers love The Enemy’s Wife:
‘A gorgeous novel that will truly pull at your heartstrings‘ CARLY SCHABOWSKI
‘I loved The Enemy’s Wife – a gripping, fast-paced and evocative story about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WW2 – and really rooted for the brave and selfless central character, Zofia. Highly recommended’ ANN BENNETT
‘Such an emotional and moving read, grounded in immaculate research that never overshadows the heart of the story’ SUZANNE FORTIN
Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.
I’m welcoming JP Reedman and Bridee of the Devil to the blog #medieval #HistoricalFiction #Norman #WomenInHistory #BiographicalFiction #BlogTour @stonehenge2500 @cathiedunn
@jpreedmanhistorical @thecoffeepotbookclub #TheCoffeePotBookClub
I’m welcoming JP Reedman and Bride of the Devil to the blog #medieval #HistoricalFiction #Norman #WomenInHistory
Here’s the blurb
She is a great heiress; he is the wickedest man in Normandy.
Known to men far and wide as ‘The Devil,’ Robert de Belleme terrorises France alongside his equally fearsome mother, Mabel the Poisoner. But even a Devil needs an heir, and Mabel chooses the wealthy heiress Agnes of Ponthieu to be her son’s bride. The marriage is unhappy, though the longed-for son and heir is eventually born…but when Robert is away on one of his military campaigns, Agnes flees back to her father’s castle.
She is not safe; her young son William is not safe.
This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Meet the author
J.P. Reedman was born in Canada but has lived in the U.K. for over 30 years.
Interests include folklore and anthropology, prehistoric archaeology (neolithic / bronze age Europe; ritual, burial & material culture), as well as The Wars of the Roses and the rest of the medieval era. Novels include the popular I, Richard Plantagenet series about Richard III, The Falcon and the Sun (featuring other members of the House of York), and Medieval Babes, an ongoing series about lesser-known medieval queens and noblewomen.
I’m delighted to share my review for Adam Lofthouse’s Tribune and the Sword, #historicalfiction #bookreview #RomanEra #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @AdamPLofthouse @rararesources
I’m delighted to share my review for Adam Lofthouse’s Tribune and the Sword #historicalfiction #bookreview #RomanEra
Here’s the blurb
August. 383 AD. Flavius Maximus has declared himself emperor and crossed into Gaul. The civil war with Gratian has been short, and the rightful ruler of the West lies in an early grave.
Now two men face off across an empire. Theodosius in the east, his armies large but reliant on mercenaries. Maximus in the west, his forces small, but battle hardened and loyal to a fault.
In the middle of the chaos, at the heart of a dying world, two old friends march at the heads of opposing forces. Tribune Sixtus Victorinus fights for the West. Not out of loyalty to Maximus, but to his two sons who are bound by oath to fight for the pretender.
And General Gaius Felicius for the East. Outcasted by Maximus, he will stop at nothing to see the usurper toppled. But if his old friend stands in his path, is the road to vengeance still one he will choose to tread?
War is coming, and both men must look inside themselves and decide what is greater: the cause they fight for, or the bonds of fellowship. 🔥⚔️
This is the third book in the series featuring Victorinus and Felicius. What began on the Wall of Hadrian now takes us far from the frigid north of England and to the heart of two emperor’s kingdoms. And as if discord between them isn’t threat enough, there is a new conspiracy to plague our two war-weary warriors and Victorinus and Felicius are in it up to their necks.
This is such a well-paced novel, the conspiracy and action building, layer upon layer, and I have absolutely devoured it. Do I recommend starting at the beginning of the trilogy? Yes, I do, but equally, if you want to start here, then I do think it would be readable as a standalone.
Another triumph for Adam. I do love his books, and it’s his fault my historical fiction reading now extends back into the Roman era.
Adam has for many years held a passion for the ancient world. As a teenager he picked up Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden, and has been obsessed with all things Rome ever since.
After ten years of immersing himself in stories of the Roman world, he decided to have a go at writing one for himself, and hasn’t stopped since. Check out the books on the website, or follow Adam on Social Media for regular updates.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamPLofthouse Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/AdamPLofthouse Instagram: adamplofthouse
I’m sharing my review for Sacrilege by Keith Moray, a brand new historical mystery set in 1361 #bookreview #blogtour #newrelease #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @KeithMorayTales @rararesources #Sacrilege
I’m sharing my review for Sacrilege by Keith Moray, a brand new historical mystery #bookreview #blogtour #newrelease
Here’s the blurb
A nun is found dead.
A priest is horribly attacked.
An evil older than sin is loose in Yorkshire…
Marske, 1361. Sir Ralph de Mandeville with his assistants Peter and Merek have recently come from Reeth to hold a court session in Marske but are pulled away at the news of a most heinous crime having been discovered further down the River Swale.
A boat has been found, floating down the river. Inside is a truly horrifying scene – the body of a nun, her wrists cut and her hands fixed in the sign of benediction… As Ralph uses his astute skills of inspection, his mind asks a most difficult question – is this self-murder or murder most foul? Were her last moments spent in benediction prayer… or malediction warning? With both Marrick Priory and Easby Abbey within a stone’s throw of Marske, it appears something is not quite right in the house of God…
When the body of a priest is found mutilated as if by a wild animal, the villagers fear the nun’s body has opened the gates and let loose a monster from Hell… but Ralph starts to wonder if something much more human is at the root of these evils.
As he follows the grim clues, he fears he knows where this miserable sacrilegious journey will end. The question is, can he catch the murderer and prevent more grisly deaths – his own included?
Sacrilege is the second book in the Ralph de Mandeville historical mysteries. I’ve read the first book, so you can check out my review down at the bottom.
Sacrilege starts quicker than the first book, and our first encounter is with Ralph and his two assistants, Merek and Peter, as Ralph holds court in Marske, but the day quickly takes a turn when the body of a nun is found on the river. And so begins another very grizzly, high-body-count mystery that involves both a priory and an abbey, a nobleman, a queen, and the local villages, and is deeply rooted in the area, with its iron smelting and fast-flowing river.
The mystery is tightly plotted and filled with increasing tension as Ralph finds himself butting heads with an uptight nobility who don’t want his interference, as well as a few jobs-worths along the way. And there are many people with secrets they don’t want Ralph to uncover, as well as a brief appearance from Queen Phillipa.
This is an engaging, if sometimes slightly gruesome, read, with no end of peril for our main characters. It is written in such a way that it feels ye-olde-worldly, and the characters embody the thoughts of the day. You can tell Keith has a great deal of medical knowledge! It will certainly appeal to fans of the genre (me), and I do think it can be easily read as a standalone for anyone keen to jump right in with this second book in the series.
Check out my review for Desolation, the first book in the series.
Meet the author
I was born in St Andrews and studied medicine at the University of Dundee in Scotland. I lived and worked in Wakefield in Yorkshire for 40 years, within arrow-shot of the ruins of a medieval castle, the base for a series of historical novels.
I am a retired GP, medical journalist and novelist, writing in several genres. As Keith Moray I write historical crime fiction in the medieval era and in ancient Egypt, The Inspector Torquil McKinnon crime novels set on the Outer Hebridean island of West Uist, and as Clay More I write westerns. Curiously, my medical background finds its way into most of my fiction writing.
In my spare time I enjoy the movies, theatre and making bread. I play golf and I run at carthorse speed. As a frustrated actor I have found occasional solace as a supporting artist, but enough said about that!
I now live in Stratford-upon with my wife Rachel and whichever of our children and grandchildren who happen to pop in.
I’m sharing my review for Operation Berlin by Michael Ridpath #blogtour #bookreview #OperationBerlin #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @michaelridpathauthor
I’m sharing my review for Operation Berlin by Michael Ridpath #blogtour #bookreview
Here’s the blurb
In a city rebuilding from war, truth can be the most dangerous weapon of all.
Berlin, 1930.
Historian Archie Laverick, scarred mentally and physically by the Great War, travels to Berlin to research a famed Prussian general. His quiet study is shattered when he crosses paths with Esme Carmichael, a spirited young American intent on making her name as a foreign correspondent. When a shooting at a Saxon castle leaves a young Jewish woman accused of murder, Archie and Esme are drawn into a perilous hunt for the truth.
Their investigation cuts through the glittering façades and lingering scars of a nation still reeling from war – where resentment simmers, political alliances shift, and the first shadows of a new conflict fall across Europe. Amid whispers of blackmail and betrayal, the pair must navigate intrigue and danger to unmask a killer hiding in plain sight.
A tense, atmospheric mystery set in a world between wars – perfect for fans of Philip Kerr’s Berlin Trilogy, Robert Harris’s Fatherland, and Alan Furst’s spy novels.
Operation Berlin wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but if anything, that’s a good thing. I was expecting a somewhat taut thriller, but instead was pleasantly surprised to read something with more of a cosy crime feel, though deeply steeped in the era’s events.
Archie and Esme are entertaining characters, both with their own backstories, and while the storyline engages with the social mores of the time, it is far from shocking in this day and age. I also enjoyed the addition of Moses and hope he might appear in future books. I very much enjoyed Archie’s quest to track down information on the general he’s researching, as it meant I was educated on more than just 1930s Berlin.
Overall, a very pleasant surprise. I imagine I will try more of Michael’s books in the future.
Meet the author
Michael Ridpath is the bestselling author of over 20 crime novels and thrillers. His first novel, after a career in finance, was Free to Trade, a No 2 bestseller about the murky world of bond trading which was translated into over thirty languages. He is currently writing the Foreign Correspondent series of murder mysteries set in the capitals of Europe in the 1930s. He splits his time between London and Massachusetts.
MJ Porter 