Author of Saxon historical fiction, 20th-century historical mysteries, and Saxon historical non-fiction. Book reviewer and blog host.
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I’m sharing a fab post from Robert Whanslaw to celebrate the release of his new novel today, Dark Orchid Affair (there’s a competition too) #blogtour #thriller #newrelease #blogpost
There is nothing more satisfying than writing the final words of a book. Whatever the genre—crime, historical fiction, romance, or epic fantasy—anyone who reaches that moment has my full admiration. My advice to anyone planning to write a book is simple: begin, keep going, and finish. Ideas are wonderful, but persistence is what fills the pages.
It was fifteen years ago that I first conceived Dark Orchid Affair. Back then it had a different working title, and the concept was little more than a skeletal outline. During those intervening years, I completed creative writing courses, experimented with countless short stories, and wrote one-and-a-half novels that never saw the light of day. Those abandoned projects were not failures—they were apprenticeships. That, I think, is a truth shared by writers of every genre and every era. Even the chroniclers of medieval courts, whose works survive to this day, were honing their craft long before any parchment bore their name.
If I could offer any advice about improving your writing, it would be this: write, and write often. It sounds obvious, almost simplistic, but developing a voice takes time—just as a medieval scribe took years to perfect a steady hand and a beautifully flowing script. The second essential is to read widely. And I mean widely. I have a deep appreciation for historical fiction and tremendous respect for those brave enough to venture into its demanding terrain. It is a genre where the past must be honoured, and where readers often know their Plantagenets from their Picts. Get the century wrong, or describe a weapon not yet invented, and your reader will spot it instantly.
As a crime writer, I sometimes envy the historian’s burden of accuracy—while simultaneously being relieved that my stories are not tethered to real timelines. Noir and suspense allow more invention, more shadows in which to hide. But all writers, regardless of genre, learn from one another. The joy lies in borrowing the best techniques from across the literary spectrum and melding them into your own voice. Art, after all, has always been a dialogue with the past. Medieval poets borrowed from the troubadours; the noir writers of the 1930s borrowed from the classics; and contemporary authors continue the tradition of artistic inheritance.
I used to dread writing sex scenes. Not because they weren’t relevant to my stories, but because I knew most of my readers were women, and I was anxious about striking the right tone from a male perspective. Strangely enough, it was historical fiction that helped me overcome that fear. Elizabeth Chadwick—whose novels vividly bring the twelfth century to life—offered lessons in writing intimacy with subtlety, restraint, and emotional depth. Drawing inspiration from her approach, I crafted my first sex scene in a short story. To my astonishment (and relief), it went on to win a competition.
To Elizabeth Chadwick, should you ever read this: thank you for the early guidance. I promise I now have my own polished method, but you gave me the confidence to enter a terrain that once felt daunting.
Dark Orchid Affair will be published on 1 December 2025. Whether you are a writer yourself or a devoted reader of historical fiction, perhaps you might consider giving it a place on your reading list—if only to step momentarily from the medieval courts and battlefields into a contemporary world tinged with noir.
And who knows? One day I may gather the courage to test the waters of historical fiction myself. If that ever happens, I will be standing on the shoulders of the writers who have already illuminated the past with such skill.
Ben Walker’s life shatters after one reckless night. Seduced by Maxine—a ruthless femme fatale—he wakes to a nightmare: compromising photos, blackmail, and the threat of losing everything—his marriage, career, and freedom.
Faced with impossible choices, Ben pays the price. But one payment is never enough.
Dragged deeper into a deadly web of lies and manipulation, the stakes escalate, and the noose tightens. What began as a desperate bid to protect his secrets becomes a desperate fight for survival.
With his world crumbling and prison on the horizon, Ben must confront a brutal truth—how far will he go to break free? And can anyone truly escape the sins of their past?
A gripping neo-noir thriller of betrayal, seduction, and deadly consequences.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Orchid-Affair-Love-Intrigue-ebook/dp/B0FVYFNJWG/
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Orchid-Affair-Love-Intrigue-ebook/dp/B0FVYFNJWG/
Robert Whanslaw writes noir, dark crime fiction, and psychological thrillers, grounded in grit, flaws, and the messy business of being human.
He doesn’t write about perfect people. If he did, they’d be the kind you’d want to throw off a fast-moving train.
Raised on the likes of Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain, and the raw voices of mid-century noir, Whanslaw brings a classic noir fatalism into the modern world. His stories walk the fine line between justice and survival, where everyone has a secret and most people lie.
https://gleam.io/TzcLu/win-10-x-paperback-copies-of-dark-orchid-affair-open-to-uk-us-only
*Terms and Conditions –UK & US 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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Birmingham, England, December 1944.
Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is summoned to the Dunlop Rubber Company by an irate Mrs Adams from the Buying Department on a cold Tuesday morning in December 1944.
No sooner have he and O’Rourke managed to uncover the cause of Mrs Adams’ telephone call to the police station, than events take a far more chilling turn than the rogue situation’s vacant advertisement first alluded. It might just be that they’re in the right place at the right time to prevent a terrible tragedy. Or are they?
As the barrage balloon threatens to break free from its winch truck in the terrible wind, Sam Mason makes a most unwelcome discovery. Who killed the man, but more importantly, how did he end up, roped to the barrage balloon? And with the WAAF denying their involvement, how was the barrage balloon even floated? What does it all mean? And when they discover the secret tyre formula from the Testing Department has also been stolen, Sam starts to fear there is even more at stake.
Join Mason and O’Rourke for the fourth book in the quirky, historical mystery series, as they once more attempt to solve the impossible in 1940s Erdington.
Check out The Erdington Mysteries page to discover more about the books.
Buy The Custard Corpses here, available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audio. Or, check out the signed editions page to get a copy directly from me. Book 3, The Secret Sauce, is available now, (as is book 2, The Automobile Assassination).
I’m delighted to welcome a returning Helen Golden to the blog with her new book, A Husband is Hushed Up #bookreview #historicalmystery #blogtour #avidreader @rararesources @rachelsrandomresources @helengoldenauthor
A fatal fall. A duchess determined to uncover the truth. And barely any time for tea.
Fenshire, 1891. It was meant to be a birthday celebration weekend in the country—cucumber sandwiches, polite conversation, and maybe a waltz or two. But when the Duke of Stortford is found dead in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs everything goes dreadfully sideways. The police declare it a tragic accident. His wife, Alice, has her doubts. After all, only hours before, the Duke had promised to give up his mistress and make a go of their marriage. Now he’s inconveniently deceased.
Driven by a need for answers, and helped by her fiercely loyal maid Maud, her observant footman George, and her childhood friend Lord Rushton, Alice sets about uncovering the truth. But as she navigates a house full of secrets, simmering tensions, and more than one guest with murderously bad manners, her suspect pool grows to include those closest to her. Can she piece together the truth? Or will her husband’s murderer get away with it after all?
The guests are leaving. The killer may be among them. Time is running out…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV
https://www.amazon.com/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV
A Husband is Hushed Up is the first full-length novel in Helen Golden’s new historical mystery series (I have read the prequel).
The first book takes readers to a very familiar location, and alas, also quite a familiar tragedy as a body is discovered on the staircase early one morning. Alice determines to find the truth of what happened, even though everyone else is sure it’s simply a tragic accident. While she’s driven by the need to discover the truth, it is quite possible that she might regret her actions as the story unfolds.
This is another well-plotted mystery from Helen. I do love her mysteries. They’re always a sure-fire hit for me, and a treat because a bit of a curse of also writing mysteries is that I often realise the threads and clues along the way. For this one, my suspicions were leaning in the right direction, but I’m not going to say why. That’s a writer trick:)
Another excellent mystery, and I look forward to the series continuing.
Check out my reviews for the books in Helen Golden’s Right Royal Mystery series, featuring one of Lady Alice’s descendants.
And my review for the prequel in the new historical mystery series.
Helen Golden spins mysteries that are charmingly British, delightfully deadly, and served with a twist of humour.
With quirky characters, clever red herrings, and plots that keep the pages turning, she’s the author of the much-loved A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, following Lady Beatrice and her friends—including one clever little dog—as they uncover secrets hidden in country houses and royal palaces. Her new historical mystery series, The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries, is set in Victorian England and introduces an equally curious sleuth from Lady Beatrice’s own family tree—where murders are solved over cups of tea, whispered gossip, and overheard conversations in drawing rooms and grand estates.
Helen lives in a quintessential English village in Lincolnshire with her husband, stepdaughter, and a menagerie of pets—including a dog, several cats, a tortoise, and far too many fish.
If you love clever puzzles, charming settings, and sleuths with spark, her books are waiting for you.
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I’m sharing a fab post from crime novelist Ian McFadyen about writing ‘The Twist’ to celebrate the release of The Corpse Bell #blogtour #newrelease #mystery
Having a clever and enticing plot and introducing a range of vivid, life-like and interesting characters are paramount for any successful murder story. However, in my view, the kernel of all the best and most memorable whodunits has to be the twist.
I read once that ‘plot twists can be a thrill for the reader, but they’re overwhelming for the writer’. I’d agree with that.
If the novel is constructed in such a way that the reader has absolutely no inkling it’s coming, and when it’s revealed to the audience it is as plausible to them as it is surprising, then the twist will elevate the story to a new level.
And why just have one twist, if the book has sub-plots or a series of red herrings, why not introduce a little twist with those, to add even more intrigue and, dare I say, confusion in the reader’s mind – particularly if your twist reveals that a character high on the reader’s list of suspects is, in fact, innocent of the main crime and there’s a credible reason why they have been behaving in a way you ( the reader) thought was suspicious.
If you don’t agree with me, I’d ask you to just think of your favourite murder mystery books. I’m sure they all will have many, many truly wonderful elements – the setting, the use of language, the plot, the characters for example. However, I’d wager it’s the twist that you remember.
When thinking about a new Carmichael book it’s the twist that almost always comes first. Whether it’s a character who isn’t all they seem to be, a misunderstanding which only comes to light late on in the story, or a lie that’s not unearthed at first, the twist is my starting point.
For my books, it’s only once the twist is fleshed out in my head that I feel I can then create a storyline. A plot that builds up to that twist being revealed to the reader. Then using my team of ever-present detectives and introducing new characters, I attempt to take the reader on a journey that leads to the twist.
One of my favourite twists is in ‘The Death of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie. I’ll not share the details here, for obvious reasons, but if you’ve not read that particular book, I’d recommend you give it a whirl.
However, if pushed, I’d say my favourite twist was in the TV programme, Tales of the Unexpected in 1979. In an episode written by Roald DahI, called ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’; the twist is delicious! If you haven’t seen it, look it up on YouTube.
I’ll obviously not be sharing the twist in my latest book, ‘The Corpse Bell’, but I hope you enjoy it when it arrives.
The last thing Penny Carmichael expected when she joined the local bellringing group was for her debut to be thwarted by the discovery of a body just yards from the belfry door. As her husband and his loyal team painstakingly sift through the evidence and delve deep into the dead man’s past, it’s clear that solving Peter Mackenzie’s murder may prove a challenge, even for someone with DCI Carmichael’s renowned detective prowess.
What was a man who’d lived for decades in North London doing in Moulton Bank? Was his chequered past a factor?
And what about the other members of Penny’s bellringing group. Did any of them have a reason to do Peter harm?
As the case unfolds, DCI Carmicheal and his trusty team seek answers to a complex puzzle which leads them along various paths and, at times, way outside the comfort zone of their rural Lancashire surroundings.
This fast-paced, cleverly crafted whodunit is the eleventh murder mystery in the gripping Carmichael series from the pen of Ian McFadyen.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/
https://www.amazon.com/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/
IIan McFadyen was born in Liverpool and enjoyed a successful career in marketing before becoming a writer. Ian’s titles are available in Italian and Czech and, although the author isn’t totally convinced it’s true, he’s been favourably compared with Wilkie Collins and Colin Dexter. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife but spends a great deal of his time writing in his bolthole retreat on the Norfolk / Suffolk border. The Corpse Bell is the eleventh in his series featuring DCI Carmichael.
https://www.ianmcfadyenauthor.com/
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Suzannah is at home with her fiancé, Alec, talking about choosing a name for the baby that is growing in her stomach. Alec is explaining that he wants to name their little girl her after she is born because he doesn’t want people to know until she has arrived, and he hates keeping secrets.
Alec reaches for his mug and slurps his tea. “How’s Blair? I hope I get to meet her before the wedding. I’m sorry that my work keeps me so busy, and I haven’t managed to make time for her, yet, but I promise I will when this little one is born. You’ll see a new me.”
“I can’t wait. I’m going to enjoy having you around more.”
I rest my head on his shoulder and wonder how on earth I’ll manage to visit Mason when Alec takes a step back from work. I’ll have to think of a better excuse than a non-existent friend. Maybe my boss at work will need me for meetings or a slight change of duties that require some office-based days. Oh, I don’t know, I’ll come up with something.
The doorbell rings. “I’ll get it.” I stand up and my belly rumbles. “Why don’t you get started on dinner—we’re starving.”
Alec glugs the rest of his milky beverage then picks up both mugs and walks out to the kitchen. I head to the door.
The doorbell rings again. “OK. OK. I’m coming.”
I lift the chain and unlatch the door, pulling it open and holding it ajar. My heart stops.
“Breck!”
“Suzannah.”
I glance towards the kitchen. The tap is running and Alec has switched on the speaker to play some rather hectic dance music.
I turn back to Breck, his tall, slim frame and curly brown hair still the same; it’s only the look in his eyes that’s different. “Shit, Breck, what are you doing here? I thought you were back in Ireland with your parents.”
“I am. I was. I just need to talk. Please. You can’t keep ignoring me.”
“There’s nothing to say. Nothing has changed.”
“Mason is in prison. He confessed to being an accomplice to a serial killer. Jesus Christ, Suzannah, that changes everything.”
I put a hand on my stomach. “I’m moving forward with my life, Breck. You left, remember. Ran away. Abandoned me. Please, leave me alone. If I ever find out anything about Lily, I’ll tell you. I promise. Please, just go.”
Alec hollers out from the kitchen. “Everything alright, Suzannah?”
I call down the hallway. “Just a delivery driver looking for an address. He got the wrong house.”
I eyeball Breck, one hand on my hip. “Goodbye, Breck.”
I close the door and lean back against it, praying he will leave and never come here again.
Excerpt From
The Other Mother
Heidi Field
This material may be protected by copyright.
Suzannah is pregnant with her third child. The first is in prison. The second is dead. How far will she go to keep her unborn baby safe?
When Suzannah learns she is pregnant, she feels like safety and happiness are finally within reach. Her handsome, successful fiancé, Alec, is over the moon about the baby. He proposes and pampers her. He thinks this is Suzannah’s first marriage and first child, but she’s keeping a few secrets. Actually, a lot of secrets. And they are dangerous…putting Suzannah in a position where she must choose who and what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her baby and her freedom.
Drowning in her lies, Suzannah is desperate to bury her past, but her ex-husband, who abandoned her years ago, returns, stalking her and demanding to know what really happened to their daughter. When the imprisoned serial killer who lured and groomed her son, threatens to sell his story to the press, Suzannah feels like the life she’d built and the precious one she’s growing, teeter on a precipice. Now the two children she’s hidden from Alec may be the least of her worries.
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-other-boy-11
Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest. In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Mother is Heidi’s second novel, the next book in The Peasedale Woods Killers series.
I’m sharing my review for Death of a Stranger, the first book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Matthew Cutler #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview #blogtour #TheRufflersChild #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @theboldbookclub
Here’s the blurb Haunted by the memory of a secret love affair in Nazi-occupied Prague, American intelligence officer Julius Orlinsky is caught in a deadly web of espionage when a routine assignment in Washington, D.C., disintegrates into murder, attempted murder, and blackmail. Determined to uncover the truth, Orlinsky’s quest takes him from the halls of…
I’m delighted to welcome Marcia Clayton and her new book, Annie’s Secret, to the blog #Victorian #Historical Fiction #Romance #Saga #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MarciaC89111861 @cathiedunn @marciaclayton97 @thecoffeepotbookclub
‘m sharing my review for The Accidental Plus One Down Under—Travel Tales from a Trailing Spouse (Book 2) by Alison Ripley Cubitt #blogtour #travelmemoir #bookreview
New Year’s Eve, 2019
While everyone else is popping champagne corks and ringing in a new decade, Alison—The Accidental Plus One—is crammed into a flying tin can somewhere over the Equator, obsessing over whether she remembered to lock the front door.
Can she really uproot her life halfway across the world—again?
Rural calm was sweet while it lasted, but when her partner’s job prospects dwindle, the lure of a new adventure on the far side of the planet proves irresistible.
This time, she promises herself it’ll be easy. Fewer things to pack. No dog to uproot. Renting rather than buying. And before she knows it, Alison is heading for a land of giant spiders, the world’s longest lockdown and a place where strangers call you mate.
The Accidental Plus One Down Under is a heartwarming and humorous memoir that proves sometimes love leads us on the most unpredictable journeys.
Perfect for fans of:
. Real-life expat tales
. Heartwarming stories of starting over
If you love stories about the ups-and-downs of life far from home, you won’t want to miss this next hilarious chapter!
Book 2 of the Plus One series.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accidental-Plus-One-Down-Under-ebook/dp/B0FRT3ZY64
https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Plus-One-Down-Under-ebook/dp/B0FRT3ZY64
The Accidental Plus One Down Under is a memoir of the author’s time living in Australia and her many travels while there, to New Zealand, the UK and Canada. For those who like food, travel, and knowing how much everything costs to achieve those goals, this could well be the book for you.
The memoir is at its strongest in the closing chapters, where the author is saying a farewell (for now) to Australia and takes a journey across the vastness of Australia via train. There, I feel the author’s love for the location really shines through.
I also found the chapters on Australia’s Lockdown intriguing, but lacking in enough detail for my nerdy need to equate my experiences in the UK with those in Australia.
This is a book for those who love to travel, or for those who love to travel from their armchair.
Alison Ripley Cubitt is a multi-genre author who started her writing career by winning first prize in a writing competition with a pony book. Some years later, she left New Zealand with the ability to make a white sauce without a recipe, carry three plates at once, and ride a horse (though not at the same time). Dreaming of becoming a copywriter, she landed a job as the receptionist in an advertising agency in Sydney that made the TV series Mad Men’s work culture look tame.
But after two and half years, the lure of London proved too hard to resist, and she left Australia. Landing in London at the right time, she got her break in television production and lasted 15 years, working on Channel 4’s anarchic The Big Breakfast and at Walt Disney and the BBC.
For the past five and a half years, she has divided her time between Melbourne, Australia and Jane Austen country, England.
Her published non-fiction includes travel guides and memoirs. Her fiction includes screenplays, short stories and thrillers. The Accidental Plus One Down Under: Travel Tales from a Trailing Spouse (Book 2) is her tenth book.
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I’m delighted to share a post by Lucy Elena about her new romcom, The Starling Dance #newrelease #blogtour #blogpost #romcom
Street artists and performers feature prominently in my novel The Starling Dance. As the evening sky over Rome turns pinky-purple, there’s something special about seeing musicians, mimes, jugglers and acrobats transform the ancient piazzas into their stage to delight passing tourists.
Today’s street artists are not a modern phenomenon. They were a familiar sight in the thriving multicultural metropolis of Ancient Rome, flocking to bustling market squares or busy roads, hoping to be compensated for their entertainment. Some were migrants from faraway lands, others were freed slaves, and some were simply dreamers hoping to make it big by being ‘scouted’ by a member of Roman high society. Then, as today, it was unstable work, dependent on the generosity of passersby.
I first noticed the street artists while working in Rome as a journalist. My walk to the office took me past the Colosseum and the ancient Fori Imperiali and, on the way, I passed many street performers. That ‘commute’ is something I often dream about now when I’m crammed into the tube at rush hour!
I’m someone who just can’t sit still, so I was particularly intrigued by the ‘human statues’, who, wearing creative disguises, hold poses for hours on end. There were ‘floating’ genies, cupids, and men with hats, sunglasses but no heads, among many others. I wondered what they thought about while they worked.
Some mornings, I would catch a glimpse of their real faces as they changed into their costumes. I speculated about their lives and what led them to perform.
By that time, I had developed an initial idea for The Starling Dance – a lonely woman in a foreign country spying on her neighbours – but I needed a love interest to, potentially, turn this character’s fortunes around. I started to imagine chapters filled with colourful street artists to add a magical touch. Perhaps the love interest could be a charming street performer, I thought.
Like most people who pass by, I didn’t know anything about street artistry, so, before creating a character, I wanted to find out more. I visited the ancient squares and spoke to some of the performers who worked there. At the time, I was thinking that The Starling Dance might be a film so I asked if I could film them, with the idea of compiling an atmospheric montage of their work.
First, I met a jazz band from Eastern Europe who had been performing in Piazza Navona for years. They could find alternative work, they told me, but they loved music and the freedom performing gave them. They explained about the difficulties they faced with stricter controls on performers and ever-increasing competition.
I also spoke to a charismatic Charlie Chaplin impersonator. He’d moved from Venice to Rome following restrictions on street artists there. I planned to film his performances but one day he disappeared from the square and I never found him again.
Then, there was the cowboy who stayed impossibly still in his costume – moving only occasionally and deliberately to impress passersby. He told me about his wife and child back home in Southern Asia, where he sent the money he made. In his spare time, some of the other artists were teaching him to paint with aerosols and stencils – apparently more lucrative than performing. One day, after I’d filmed his work on several occasions, he invited me for coffee and proudly showed me photos of his family. He insisted on paying for my drink – a gesture I will always remember!
Following my research, I decided to make a street artist a key character in the book – I won’t say too much for fear of spoilers, but I knew I wanted to portray him as a talented person with an interesting and credible backstory.
Including this character allowed me to introduce a vibrant cast of street performers – from the veteran clown who has been performing for decades in Rome’s old town, to the bubble blowers, impersonators and daring flame throwers. The artists in Rome add a touch of sparkle to the ancient city and I hope that I’ve managed to bring that to life in The Starling Dance.
In a sweltering Roman summer, Laure is trying to start a new life. But can she manage in a city where walls have ears, trees have eyes and even the birds are acting strangely?
It’s been exactly one year since the shit hit the fan and Laure’s anxiety exploded into a full-blown burn out. In search of a new start she’s moved to Rome – pasta, Aperol and sunshine should make everything better, right?
But with her 30s around the corner, la bella vita isn’t going to plan.
In her local café, Laure meets a handsome stranger and the sparks fly, that is until she finds herself caught in a big lie.
‘Hmmm, it’s not ideal,’ says her best friend Eva, as she puffs on a spliff in the bathtub.
Just as things are heating up, a talking tree enters the fray (as if this Roman summer wasn’t weird enough, just ask the birds).
That tree is Viviano, a dynamic and adventurous street performer who poses around the Eternal City dressed as a tree, well, sometimes a cat too and sometimes a ripe tomato. He could be thriving in life but something is holding him back. One thing is certain though: he wants to meet Laure.
Will Laure find her path? Will she accidentally put pineapple on a pizza? And is there a real love story to be found in the surreal swirls of the Italian capital?
The Starling Dance is a love story full of quirk, humour and heart-warming characters, each trying to overcome their personal obstacles and demons to give themselves a chance at life and love.
Lucy Elena is a journalist who has worked across Europe and Latin America. The Starling Dance is her debut novel. It was initially dreamt up as a film while Lucy was working in Rome and became interested in the street artists she passed every day on her way to work, eventually getting to know them. The artsy film of her imagination never materialised but The Starling Dance was born in the form of a book, with a big dose of love, fun and healing thrown in for good measure.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Starling-Dance-riotous-heartwarming-romance-ebook/dp/B0FL12DQ34
https://www.amazon.com/Starling-Dance-riotous-heartwarming-romance-ebook/dp/B0FL12DQ34
Lucy Elena is a Londoner with a love of languages and exploring new different cultures. For most of her career she has been a journalist reporting across Europe and Latin America. But she has also experimented with career forays into pasta making (yes, like an Italian nonna) and teaching. Lucy has always loved dreaming up and telling stories and The Starling Dance is her debut novel. When not writing or working, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new foods and pretending she can play the ukulele.
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I’m excited to share an extract from The Maid’s Masquerade by Catherine Tinley #blogtour #historicalfiction #historicalromance
‘I wondered if I could perhaps…be you. Just for a short time.’
‘Be me, miss?’ Bewilderment flooded through Marguerite. ‘Whatever can you mean?’
‘I should like to work as a housemaid in Derbyshire—to fetch and carry, clean and mend. To do honest work with my hands and learn new things and not be a dashed heiress!’
‘But…but…’ Marguerite could not take it in. She herself had been forced by circumstances to give up her status as the daughter of a gentleman in order to become a servant. And now here was Miss Van Bergen, an heiress, choosing to do the same. It made no sense.
It was also impractical. ‘But Lord Linford will still expect you in London!’ Did Miss Van Bergen want a hunt for her all over England? For that was what Lord Linford would be forced to do, if she did not arrive. Even if she wrote to him, he would still do it, for young ladies were not permitted to have adventures.
‘Yes. This may sound nonsensical, but you look a little like me.’ She turned back to the mirror, meeting Marguerite’s eyes in the reflection.
Marguerite was confused. ‘We look very different, miss.’
‘Yes, but you have brown hair and blue eyes. You are a similar build to me too. The miniature that Lord Linford received was not very accurate.’
‘I…see…’ It was true. They were broadly similar and, while they could never be taken for twins, they might be sisters. And Miss Van Bergen’s accent was decidedly English, despite her having grown up in New York.
‘Besides, you will be in mourning for my—your—aunt. It is likely that you will see little of him—or anyone. You will simply rest, and not work, until I return.’
To rest, read and be a lady again, for just a few weeks…Lord! Am I actually considering this? Fear rushed through her at the very notion of attempting to carry off such an audacious scheme.
Would Linford recognise her? Marguerite thought not. She could barely remember his looks, and people generally saw what they expected to see. She would arrive as Miss Van Bergen, and it was likely he would simply accept her as Miss Van Bergen. As she imagined standing in front of him, anger coursed through her veins. What he had done was unforgivable. The least he deserved was a wealthy bride who did not want him.
Abruptly, she was fiercely glad that Miss Van Bergen was going to cause him trouble. She could only imagine his consternation when his heiress returned, and he realised he had been duped by a serving maid, a person of no consequence to him.
Revenge. The discomforts, worries and fears of the past four years abruptly came together in a fiery ball of rage within Marguerite. She had no desire to ruin him, as his callousness had ruined her. No, she was better than that. But here was an opportunity to cause him discomfort, at the very least. While she had no clear plan, there might be sport to be had, and perhaps it would lessen the grief within her. In some small way, Papa would be avenged for the man’s duplicity and callousness.
An heiress and a maid swap places in brand-new duet The Heiress Switch
Undercover as the Earl’s fiancée
And to settle old scores…
Part of The Heiress Switch: On a transatlantic voyage, English maid Marguerite hatches a plan with an American heiress to temporarily trade places when they arrive in England. Forced into servitude, this is Marguerite’s chance to re-enter Society, and posing as the betrothed of Benedict, Earl of Linford—the man at fault for her circumstances—is the perfect opportunity for revenge! But her anger is soon replaced by an unsettling attraction. Still, Benedict caused her to lose everything once and she won’t lose her heart to him now—even when he reveals some unexpected truths…
Perfect for fans of:
Hidden identity
Enemies to lovers
https://mybook.to/MaidsMasquerade
Catherine Tinley is an award-winning writer from County Down. She writes witty, heart warming Regency historical romance novels. She has won a coveted Rita® Award, two RoNA Awards, and the HOLT Medallion, and her books have been translated into ten languages. Two of her books have also been published as manga graphic novels.
She also writes saga/women’s historical fiction as Seána Tinley.
After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, Sure Start, and managing a maternity hospital, she now works for a leading charity. She lives in County Down with her husband, children, cats, and dog, and can be reached via her website or on socials.
I’m sharing my review for Death of a Stranger, the first book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Matthew Cutler #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview #blogtour #TheRufflersChild #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @theboldbookclub
Here’s the blurb Haunted by the memory of a secret love affair in Nazi-occupied Prague, American intelligence officer Julius Orlinsky is caught in a deadly web of espionage when a routine assignment in Washington, D.C., disintegrates into murder, attempted murder, and blackmail. Determined to uncover the truth, Orlinsky’s quest takes him from the halls of…
I’m delighted to welcome Marcia Clayton and her new book, Annie’s Secret, to the blog #Victorian #Historical Fiction #Romance #Saga #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MarciaC89111861 @cathiedunn @marciaclayton97 @thecoffeepotbookclub
I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift and her new book, The Cameo Keeper, to the blog #HistoricalFiction #Renaissance #GiuliaTofana #Poison #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift and her new book, The Cameo Keeper, to the blog with an excerpt from the novel.
As soon as Mia opened the door Donna Olimpia came straight in, looking side to side as if to check no-one could see her.
Mia extended a hand in greeting. ‘This way, honoured Signora.’
‘What’s that smell?’
‘Lavender, Signora. For making the linen smell sweet.’ She indicated the stairs and the woman went ahead of her, heavy feet and thick ankles under her richly embroidered black skirts. At the top Mia pointed to the door off the piano nobile and followed her client into the cooler room at the back of the house.
Donna Olimpia threw back her widow’s veil to survey the sala, which was probably much smaller and more humble than any she was used to. Mia examined her client in turn, for clues as to what might cause her headaches, even though she was no expert at all.
A determined face. Thick eyebrows over shrewd eyes, and a manner that meant business.
Seeming satisfied by the look of the place, Donna Olimpia took the chair opposite Mia’s. ‘My servants tell me you are the best in Rome for women’s ailments,’ she said. ‘But you look younger than I imagined. I’d got the impression you were older.’
‘How can I help you, Signora?’
‘I have these headaches – megrim, my physician calls them. But he is no use. All his bloodletting hasn’t changed them one iota. They start with my eyes blurring and the room starts to swim, and then the headache. Torture. Like iron bands around my head. When it comes, I can do nothing but lie down in a dark room. They make me weak, and I can’t afford weakness. Not now.’
‘And how long do they last?’
‘Days. Sometimes three days at a stretch. They are debilitating and nothing seems to help.’
‘You have no headache now?’
‘Only the cardinals and their demands.’ She gave a small smile.
‘We have several remedies for headaches, but I will go down to my store and bring you something that may soothe your excess humours. Would you like refreshment while you wait?’ Mia couldn’t help the tingle of excitement that the great lady was actually sitting in her sala.
‘Nothing, thank you. I mustn’t be away from the city long or my servants will wonder where I am.’
Mia gave a small curtsey, as was the custom, and hurried downstairs to where Giulia was waiting. Giulia raised her eyebrows in question.
‘She’s here, and she says it’s a megrim. Have you anything for that?’
Giulia reached up to a high shelf. ‘I’ll give her a simple mix of vervain and lemongrass. It won’t do her any good, but it won’t do her any harm either.’ Giulia took a corked bottle down and passed it over. ‘Now hurry. The sooner we can be rid of her, the sooner I’ll be able to breathe easy.’
Mia scurried back up the stairs, but was disconcerted to see Donna Olimpia had gone through the open door to her small workroom and was now snooping through the books turned to the wall. With a jolt, Mia saw she was studying one on astrology. Even worse, she recognised it as one of the treatises favouring Galileo, a man considered heretical by the last Pope.
Donna Olimpia turned when Mia entered, still holding the book, her finger acting as bookmark in the heavy leather volume.
‘Here, Signora.’ Mia said, holding out the bottle of milky liquid. ‘This preparation has proved to be very good in cases such as yours.’
Donna Olimpia didn’t take it. ‘You have expensive tastes. Many books on the stars, and some on medicine, I see. And charts.’ She indicated the parchments of the heavens that were pinned to the walls.
This was a conversation Mia didn’t want to have. ‘I have an interest, that is all. In how it relates to healing. My main work is simple remedies from the kitchen.’ She was sweating now, fearing Donna Olimpia would denounce her to the Inquisition.
‘These are not simple tracts for the average reader. They are written in some depth. And that is a costly globe of the night sky. Very impressive. You have knowledge of the stars?’
Mia floundered. ‘No.’ The only safe answer.
‘But I wager you can make an astrological chart and do a reading?’ Donna Olimpia pinned her with a steely gaze.
‘Only for myself, in private, not—’
‘Then you could draw one up for me, could you not? And I have a very precise question. I would pay you well if you did me this favour.’
‘But I’m just an amateur, I don’t know that—’
Donna Olimpia waved the book at her. ‘Don’t dissemble with me. These are not books for the beginner.’
‘My apologies, madam, I—’
‘You will draw up my chart. Guess if you must, but I must know how long I have.’
‘You mean how long will you live?’ It was an astonishing question that no-one had ever asked, let alone a woman who was the Pope’s sister-in-law, because it was a question that could be heresy against God.
‘No, no. Not how long will I live! I don’t care about that. How long will my brother-in-law live – what do the stars say about that? In other words, how much time do I have for my vision – my quest to turn this city around?’
Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison
Remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always ― Dante Alighieri
In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.
Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.
As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.
Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo’s love is put to the ultimate test.
As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?
For fans of “The Borgias” and “The Crown,” this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Praise:
‘historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue’
~ Bookmarked Reviews ★★★★★
Deborah Swift is the author of twenty novels of historical fiction.
Her Renaissance novel in this series, The Poison Keeper, was recently voted Best Book of the Decade by the Wishing Shelf Readers Award. Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was the winner of the BookViral Millennium Award, and is one of seven books set in the WW2 era.
Deborah lives in the North of England close to the mountains and the sea.
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Author of Saxon historical fiction, 20th-century historical mysteries, and Saxon historical non-fiction. Book reviewer and blog host.
MJ Porter 