It might well be the second historical fiction novel I ever wrote, but I thought it could do with a little update to match The Earl of Mercia’s Father. Huge thanks to my cover designer at 100 Covers.
The new cover also means I’ve expanded the available formats. The book is now available in ebook, trade paperback (6×9), large print/hardcover combined, and the smaller, more usual-sized UK paperback (5.06 x 7.81), available via IngramSpark (use the link below). This version should also be distributed to a wider range of print retailers. And, of course, you can order a signed copy from me, too, via my online store.
The Danish King's Enemy: England: The Second Vikin ….
I’m delighted to welcome A.M.Swink and her new book, Gradarius, to the blog with a fab excerpt #romanequestrian #romanequestrianseries #gradarius #ancienthistoricalfiction #romanfiction #equestrianfiction #boudicca
I’m delighted to welcome A.M.Swink and her new book, Gradarius, to the blog with a fab excerpt
Excerpt from Gradarius
The fresh air did little to improve Decimus’s brooding humour. He stalked down the dim street, forcing Luciana to hasten to keep pace. She skirted around a timber drain dividing the roughly cobbled path and followed the centurion’s hulking shadow towards the quay. He turned to avoid the singing and laughter emanating from one of the nearby warehouses and made his way to the bridge spanning the Tamesis. Luciana, catching her breath, halted alongside him.
She gazed at him curiously. Decimus’s flinty blue-green eyes took in the collection of homes and businesses built up on the islands dotting the river’s far side. She touched his arm and felt him stiffen. She lowered her eyes to the bridge and took in the dark waves lapping beneath them.
‘Strange place to build a town,’ he murmured, shaking his head. ‘It’s nothing but a swamp.’
‘The waters here are sacred. Their boundary between the living and the dead is thin.’ Luciana folded her arms, shuddering within the folds of her wolfskin cloak. ‘It is too powerful for any one tribe to claim. But of course, you Romans have the hubris to believe you can.’
Decimus ruefully shook his head. ‘It was just a ford and an earthen fort when I visited last.’
She cocked her head at him. ‘I didn’t know you’d visited Londinium before.’
His expression hardened. ‘During the invasion.’
She heard finality in his tone and let the matter drop. She picked up one of his broad palms in both her own, twining her fingers through his. ‘Has the air cleared your head?’
He didn’t answer, eyes still locked upon the far side of the bridge. His grasp tightened as he squeezed her hands.
She felt the cool breeze whipping up from the quay and rested her head on his shoulder. A few pins fell free of her tresses, dropping into the inky waters below.
‘I’m sure you’d celebrate…if we were to withdraw from Britannia and leave you be,’ he finally said.
She clung tighter to his side and sighed. ‘I wouldn’t be unhappy, if that’s what you mean. Though I wouldn’t have any freedom to enjoy.’ She glanced up at him. ‘I’m your property, remember? I go where you bid me.’
He wound his free arm about her, drawing her into his chest. ‘You know I want nothing more than to go back to Rome.’ A lump rose in his throat. ‘But I can’t go yet. The legions can’t go yet. Not after everything…everything that’s been done.’
She gazed up at him. ‘You realise that everything that’s been done is precisely why we want you to leave?’
He lowered his head, brushing his whiskers against her brow. ‘Do you?’
‘Oh, Decimus.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I don’t know what I want anymore.’
She tore herself away and shuffled along the pier, tightly clasping her cloak to her. The thought of her mother and the Cornovii women huddled in their prison cell sprang to her mind and she shuddered. I have failed them. I’ve already turned traitor…and for what?
The wheel of Taranis burned against her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut. This is Gaius Nerfinius all over again. You’ve learned nothing, Luciana. Nothing. Do you think he loves you? Do you really love him so much that you would throw your freedom away? He is a Roman, after all…
The wind whipped about her, freeing the rest of her locks. They tumbled across her shoulders in a golden cascade, ends pulled like a flag by the gust.
‘Luciana.’
She turned to see Decimus still rooted to his spot, gazing after her. The moon peeked from behind the heavy clouds darkening the sky, illuminating all the emotion in his eyes that his stern face belied. Her pulse quickened, renewing the bond that drew her irresistibly to him. She tucked a fluttering strand behind her ear and smiled. I suppose many have turned traitor for worse.
She took a step towards him, though he stayed her with a hand. ‘Let me watch you a moment longer.’
Luciana straightened, tossing her head. She gazed at the water, letting the wind buffet her about. Decimus slowly walked to her. She glowed under the admiration shining from his eyes.
He tentatively reached out and brushed her cheek. ‘How can you be real?’
She warmed at his touch and stepped into his embrace. She took his grizzled cheeks in her hands and kissed him. Her thumb brushed the angry scar curving out of his beard, ignoring the way he winced and shifted away from her touch. Luciana recaptured his lips, savouring his hot breath and the aroma of spiced stew that clung to him. Decimus responded warmly, pressing her to him and cradling her slim form as it melded into his.
When they finally broke off to catch their breath, Luciana met his eyes. ‘It matters not what policy your emperor decides. For as long as I am yours, I go wherever you go.’
Here’s the blurb
WAR IS ON THE HORIZON
Sworn enemies turned lovers, Decimus and Luciana face new challenges that put their love to the test. Decimus, haunted by his past, struggles with his feelings in the present. Luciana, when confronted with her old friend Boudicca’s struggles, questions which of her loyalties is more important: her loyalty to Decimus, or her loyalty to her people? When sent to investigate a Roman traitor in Decimus’s legion, both will have to decide which side of the coming battle they’ll be on.
Rome and Britannia are hurtling toward a reckoning. Will Decimus and Luciana find a way forward together before war tears them apart?
A.M. Swink, the author of the award-winning Roman Equestrian series, grew up in Dayton, Ohio, obsessed with two things: books and horses. After a childhood of reading, writing, showing, and riding, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky to complete three degrees and work as a college professor of reading and writing.
She’s travelled extensively around Europe, exploring ancient sites and artefacts relating to the Iron Age and Roman era. She is fascinated by our connection to the past and the ancestral tether that draws us back into the mists of time.
I’m sharing my review for A Body in the Banjo by Elaine Spires, a historical mystery set in Dagenham #blogtour #bookreview
I’m sharing my review for A Body in the Banjo by Elaine Spires, a historical mystery set in Dagenham
Here’s the blurb
It’s November 1958 and Dagenham is excitedly awaiting Bonfire Night. Cissie Partridge isn’t too keen on fireworks but she generously donates to the local children doing Penny for the guy. Cissie is content with her lot. She loves her husband Harold. She shops, she cooks, she reads at every opportunity and she volunteers at the Dockland Settlement. Observant and sharp, she gets on with all her neighbours. Then, one morning, she finds a body…
A Body in the Banjo is an historical mystery set in 1958, just before Bonfire Night.
It is a story of a small community and one woman in particualar, Cissie, who doesn’t so much laud anything over her neighbours, but is, perhaps, a little bit of a busy body, although not so much as one who spends all her time watching her neighbours. No, instead Cissie listens to their comings and goings through the open bedroom window each night.
This is a story very much following the minutae of Cissie’s day to day existence as a 1950s housewife, and while some of it feels a little repetitive, the finale does build to a fine mystery which makes absolute sense of all the noise’s Cissie hears on the fateful night.
A really solid mystery, with a normal woman as the main character, although there are also others who take the narrative from time to time. I’m sure fans of historical mysteries will enjoy the story.
Meet the author
Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine’s keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. Elaine also writes plays and her short film Only the Lonely was made by Dan Films and won the Groucho Club Best Short Film Award 2019 and two Silver Awards at WOFFF 2019.
It’s cover reveal time for Storm of Mercia. Return to the world of young Icel in the ninth book in the Eagle of Mercia Series. #coverreveal #preorder #histficbook
Wessex has never been Mercia’s ally, neither has it been her only enemy.
Wessex, AD836
The Viking raiders’ devastation has been halted once more by the shields of Mercia as opposed to Wessex. But their whereabouts are unknown.
King Wiglaf of Mercia is keen to ensure the Viking raiders are swept from his shared border with Wessex but these Viking ships are quick and difficult to track and Icel is once more deployed with Ealdorman Ælfstan warriors to do his King’s bidding. However, Icel’s quest is beset with many more obstacles and it’s not all about the seax and shield.
Worrying news from home overshadows Icel’s every deadly encounter. Will the storms of war keep him away or has he time to make one more desperate journey back to Tamworth?
With raging seas driving him ever further from Mercia’s shores, and the threat of a new conspiracy against the Mercian kingship will Icel overpower the sands of time, or will he be defeated by his deadliest nemesis yet?
I’m delighted to welcome Harriet Taggart and Peter Stephenson and their book, The Witch of Godstow Abbey, Murders in the Abbey Series, to the blog with an excerpt.
Excerpt
From Chapter 1 – Bones of the Innocent
The autumn sun was starting to set, signaling that it was time to leave the garden, perform their ablutions and go to the chapel for Vespers. But before they could move, Isabel’s voice rang out from the far side of the garden, screaming again and again, “Sister, Sister, come quickly!”
“What on earth is it, child? Are you injured?”
Isabel was breathless. “No, Sister, no. But you must come. Hurry!” And the screaming broke out once more, raw with terror.
Agnes walked rapidly around to the other side, where Isabel was on her hands and knees, a garden claw waving wildly in her hand. There on the ground in front of Isabel, half buried in the soft, freshly-turned earth, were three tiny bodies.
Pale and shaking, Isabel could scarcely speak. She tried to catch her breath, but to no avail. “These are b… b… babies, sister. Wh.. wh… who would kill newborn infants like this?
Here’s the Blurb
A widowed academic investigating strange historical practices gets drawn back in time and into the year 1299 in Oxford. Join a cast of compelling characters-nuns, novices and outsiders-as they battle the forces of darkness. Enter their struggle against evil, clandestine organizations. Join their life-threatening fight to protect each other, be willing to die for each other, and occasionally fall in love.
Will heroic love and righteous pursuit of justice triumph? Will the horror-inducing villain be found out and overthrown? Or will the courageous troop of those fighting for what is good be overpowered and taken captive?
Set in Oxford, England, in the year 1299, a struggle takes place between the sisters of the local convent and a strange, terrifying local evil society. They discover a secret organization of men who perform unspeakable deeds. The lives of several sisters are in danger.
Join Mother Alice, Sister Agnes and Isabel, along with Lady Beatrix and Lady Harriet, as they confront and do battle with an evil, secret society intent on attacking them, taking over the convent and sacrificing a young woman.
If you love stories that keep you turning pages while imparting fascinating accounts of the past, this latest mystery in the “Murders in the Abbey” series will tingle your spine.
Praise for The Witch of Godstow Abbey:
‘Richly atmospheric and quietly gripping, “The Witch of Godstow Abbey” is a worthy addition to your bookshelf.’
Lady Harriet holds the legal title “Lady of the Manor,” as defined under English law, and traces her ancestry to Charlemagne’s royal line.
A lifelong reader and devoted genealogist for nearly fifty years, Harriet has always had a passion for stories, whether they are buried in the past or found in the pages of a good book. She is the co-author of We Are Manx, a self-published family saga that explores her Manx heritage and the history of the Isle of Man in rich detail.
She’s also a photographer who prefers being behind the lens, a word lover addicted to word games, and a fan of wooden jigsaw puzzles. She has traveled extensively, with a deep appreciation for history, diverse cultures, and the unexpected joys that can be found away from home. Her career spanned volunteerism, real estate, and systems administration, but now she happily devotes her time to more creative pursuits.
As she puts it: “I’m old enough for Medicare, but not quite old enough to get a birthday card from King Charles—were I a Brit.”
The Witch of Godstow Abbey, written in partnership with Dr. Peter Stephenson, marks her first (but certainly not last) foray into historical fiction. With photography, she creates books of images; with storytelling, she creates images made of words.
Dr. Peter Stephenson has written or contributed to over twenty books, all but one of which are non-fiction technical books. He has published over 1,000 papers in technical journals, technical trade journals, and peer-reviewed legal journals. One of his peer-reviewed papers has over 15,400 downloads.
In addition to writing, Dr. Stephenson has been playing blues and Americana music for 70 years. It is through that performing, and after earning a PhD from Oxford Brookes University, that he was given the appellation “Doc” by the owner of one of his performance venues.
Having visited Oxford several times and being employed by a UK company in nearby Malvern, it was only natural that he would set his tales in Oxfordshire. His academic experience in Oxford town sealed the deal and resulted in his first historical novel, The Whispering Dead of Rewley Abbey—Book 1 in the “Murders in the Abbey” series—which reached the Amazon Kindle bestseller list and won a Pencraft award for literary excellence in the winter of 2025. He now writes with his collaborator and writing partner, Lady Harriet.
Dr. Stephenson lives with two Savannah cats on a pond in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Starting a “new” career at the age of 80, Doc reckons that he has only about the next 20 years to finish the series and retire – again – perhaps this time to Oxford.
I’m delighted to share and excerpt and a competition to celebrate the release of Under Vixens Mere by Kit Fielding #blogtour #newrelease
Here’s the excerpt
Context: ‘You’ is Brodie, a mysterious Scotsman who has not been to Vixens Mere for fifteen years, and is invited to join a party in the Shed, which belongs to Big Ed and Milly, two long-standing residents of Vixens Mere, a community of people who live on houseboats.
Summer Walker.
You.
You give instructions to Mick, ‘Behave yourself. No barking while I’m gone.’ The dog pretends not to hear. Now you don’t really want to go to this meet-up. You’re a loner. Private. Not the mixing type. You’ve kept your own company for so many years now it’s second nature to sit on the sidelines. You’ll go for a couple of beers, some minor conversation, and then quietly slip away. But it doesn’t quite work out that way.
You see her immediately. Can’t help but look. Karen Jones. She’s sitting with a thin upright man – got to be her husband – who’s warming his bones by the wood burner. When he stands she takes his arm, and guides him outside to the toilet (Or as Big Ed calls it, the Thunderbox.) Then she guides him back. Glances again in your direction, Glances across fifteen years of time, briefly raises her hand in recognition of your presence. Gives you a strange sad smile.
You’ve been talking to Big Ed and Milly, and he’s asking what you’ve done with your life ‘thus far,’ and he laughs at his own expression. Milly reckons you’ve still a long way to go and you answer with the usual parries, the usual non-disclosure. Then Big Ed is drawing you over towards Karen Jones and the man who’s a constant at her side. Big Ed says to Karen, ‘You remember Brodie? Stayed here a long time ago.’
And then she’s in front of you and her hand is gently warm in yours and you’re seeing into and beyond a woman creeping towards middle age. You’re seeing a girl of twenty-five, eyes brimming with tears, who’s saying a goodbye that neither of you want but cannot avoid. Tonight that young woman, hiding behind her older self, is looking intently into your face and she’s saying, almost in disbelief, ‘But you haven’t changed at all, Brodie. You look just the same.’
You’re thinking that she may be older but she’s still as lovely, though it’s not words you can utter aloud. Then Big Ed is introducing, ‘Harry Jones, Karen’s husband’ and this tall thin man, whose eyes are out of focus, fumbles for your outstretched hand, latches onto it, says, ‘Pleased to meet you, Brodie,’ and he says it with such genuine honesty you feel a shadow of guilt flit over you.
Here’s the blurb
If poor Harry Jones hadn’t lowered himself into the water one freezing winter’s night, a long-buried secret would never have come to the surface.
If …
Big Ed and Milly had been able to have children,
Karen hadn’t longed for love and romance,
Lorrie hadn’t finally ditched Petra,
Dinah hadn’t found out the truth about Barry,
Jed hadn’t dealt drugs and got Anna pregnant,
Carl Thomson hadn’t come looking for him,
and Moses hadn’t heard the commotion …
then there would be no story of Vixens Mere to tell.
Kit Fielding plans and writes his novels in a motorhome at various locations around the country.
The feeling of impermanence is natural to him due to his mother’s traveller roots and a childhood succession of tied-cottages accommodation in different parts of England.
Kit Fielding says that there was always a curiosity about what was waiting, or was lurking, just around the corner. This legacy has stayed with him to the present day and it feeds into his work.
*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.
Today, I’m excited to share my review for Murder on the Cricket Green, the fourth book in Catherine Coles delightful 1940s cozy crime series #blogtour #MarthaMillerMystery
Here’s the blurb
Westleham Village, May 1948
The villagers of Westleham are excited for the first village cricket match since the end of the war. But Martha Miller has more pressing concerns – namely, the sudden reappearance of her husband, Stan, missing for two years and acting as though nothing has happened.
Martha doesn’t know what to feel, especially now that his return threatens her growing fondness for the kind-hearted village vicar, Luke. Yet she’s not the only one unsettled by Stan’s return…
As the match begins and the crowd cheers, Stan suddenly collapses – dead before he hits the ground. And all eyes turn to Martha.
To clear her name, she must uncover the truth about Stan’s missing years and his sudden reappearance. But in a village this small, everyone has something to hide. Will Martha’s amateur sleuthing find the real killer or will she pay the price for someone else’s deadly deed?
Let the investigation commence!
Find out if Martha and Luke can catch the killer in a brand new Martha Miller mystery from bestselling author Catherine Coles, perfect for fans of Lee Strauss and Beth Byers!
Murder on the Cricket Green is the fourth book in the Martha Miller historical cosy mystery series. I’ve read the previous books in this series, but I don’t hink it’s necessarily necessary for those looking for a lovely cosy mystery to read (there will be some elements that might not be understood, but they will be quickly picked up).
It’s always lovely to spend time with Martha and her allies (and enemies) in this quaint village. This latest book is a delightful, quick read, where we can all play ‘guess the murderer’ as there are any number of suspects.
Always a sure hit, this story is a light-hearted, fun, quick read. Let’s hope it’s not too long until we’re back with Martha.
Catherine Coles writes bestselling cosy mysteries set in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie series is based in North Yorkshire in the 1920’s and Catherine herself lives in Hull with her family and two spoiled dogs.
I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder at the Duomo by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime
Here’s the blurb
Even angels can have a dark side…
As the sticky heat of August settles over Florence, Dan Armstrong is ready for a well-earned break—sightseeing with fiancée Anna, daughter Tricia and her fiancé Shaun. But when a British man is found dead inside the city’s magnificent Duomo, Dan’s plans quickly change.
The victim, Tristan Angel, is a super-wealthy arms dealer with a saintly name and a devilish reputation. But what was he doing in the cathedral, and who decided to make it his final confession?
At Angel’s opulent villa in the hills of Fiesole, Dan and Commissario Virgilio encounter a colourful cast of suspects—each one hiding secrets and none too eager to talk. As tempers rise and the heat outside grows ever more intense, Dan and his four-legged sidekick, Oscar, must sniff out the truth before the killer strikes again.
Murder at the Duomo is somehow the 14th book in the Armstrong and Oscar mysteries, and I’ve read them all (apart from 1, which I seem to have missed).
This time, Dan and his friends in the Italian police force are faced with their most impossible case so far. Who killed Angel in the confessional at the Duomo, and how did they do it?
Often, these cases are very hard to solve until something becomes obvious to Dan or Oscar, and then they become quite clear-cut, but that’s not the case this time. It does make some aspects feel a little repetitive with such a small collection of suspects. However, when the solution finally becomes evident, the ending is quite exciting.
I do love these mysteries, even if they entirely put me off ever going to Tuscany, which is evidently too hot and too busy for my liking. I think I’ll let Dan and Oscar continue to enjoy it (or endure it) on my behalf.
Check out my reviews for earlier books in the series, and be sure to start at book 1, Murder in Tuscany.
Meet the author
T. A. Williams is the bestselling author of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series. Trevor studied languages at University and lived and worked in Italy for eight years, returning to England with his wife in 1972. Trevor and his wife now live in Devon.
I’m delighted to welcome Brodie Curtis and his book, Showboat Soubrette, to the blog with a guest post.
Guest Post
SHOWBOAT SOUBRETTE is my third historical novel set in the riverboat era on the lower Mississippi River prior to the Civil War. To learn about the period, I dug into a variety of research sources that are listed below. I truly got energized to tell my story by taking a drive along the Big Muddy, from Hannibal down to Natchez, stopping frequently at historical sites, and along the river itself. Had to feel it!
Brodie Curtis Looks Upriver from Natchez
UNDERSTANDING THE ANTEBELLUM DEEP SOUTH:
Romanticism of the Antebellum American Deep South could be found in the pageantry of the attire worn by the privileged, and in the heady adornment of passenger-hauling riverboats that paddle-wheeled the Mississippi. But the period exhibited almost unbelievable cruelty in its institution of slavery and in the bigoted attitudes of the times. And in its violence. Perhaps the first title listed below, Olmsted’s The Cotton Kingdom illuminates these contradictions best.
Olmsted, F. (1861). The Cotton Kingdom: A Traveller’s Observations on Cotton and Slavery in the American Slave States 1853-1861.
McDermott, J. (“Edited with an Introduction and Forward”) ( 1968). Before Mark Twain: A Sampler of Old, Old Times on the Mississippi.
Stowe, H.B. (1852). Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Northup, S. (1853). 12 Years a Slave.
Devol, G. (1894). Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi.
Jones-Rogers, S. (2019). They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South.
James, D.C. (1968). Antebellum Natchez.
Kelleher Schafer, J. (2009). Brothels, Depravity, and Abandoned Women: Illegal Sex in Antebellum New Orleans.
Sharp, A. and Sharp, G. (2009). Antebellum Myths and Folklore: A Search for the Truth.
Grant, R. (2020). The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi.
RIVERBOATS:
Is there a more majestic image than a multi-decked steamboat gliding on the river, smoke billowing from its stacks while water clicks over its paddles? Yet idyllic portraits belied the dangers, from collisions and boiler explosions to snags, sandbars, fire and ice and other in climate conditions. Thousands of boats ended up at the bottom of the river. Mark Twain’s memoir of his cub pilot days and old images in many of the sources below sparked my imagination.
Twain, M. (1883). Life on the Mississippi.
Powers, R. (2005). Mark Twain: A Life.
Brodie Curtis took in the Mark Twain Attractions in Hannibal MO
Shapiro, D. (2009). Historic Photos of Steamboats on the Mississippi.
Graham, P. (1951). Showboats: The History of an American Institution.
Allen, M. (1990). Western Rivermen, 1763-1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse.
Lloyd, J. (1855). Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory, and Disasters on the Western Waters.
Hawkins, V. (2016). Smoke up the River: Steamboats and the Arkansas Delta.
Berger Erwin, V. and Erwin, J. (2020). Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River.
Sandlin, L. (2010). Wicked River: The Mississippi When it Last Ran Wild. Buck, R. (2023). Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure.
Here’s the Blurb
FROM STAR SHOWBOAT SINGER TO PIRATE PREY ON THE WICKED RIVER!
Showboat singer Stella Parrot’s star rises in the Antebellum South with every sold-out performance along the lower Mississippi River. When a river pirate viciously assaults her, new friends Toby Freeman and John Dee Franklin foil the attack. However, the pirate’s family is bent on revenge.
Stella, Toby, and John Dee escape their riverboat with able assistance from young cub pilot Sam Clemens, only to be pursued by the notorious Burton Gang. As the trio runs for their lives, mortal perils await at every turn: a fierce storm, high-stakes gambling confrontations, deadly combat, and a cotton boat up in flames. Stella, a Cherokee Indian, and Toby, a free Black man, and their friend White man John Dee endure relentless racial prejudices and injustices in the gritty underbelly of the Wicked River while fleeing to New Orleans—where the Burtons will be waiting!
SHOWBOAT SOUBRETTE’s fast-paced lower river adventure chase features romantic showboat scenes and is unsparing in its exploration of the bigoted and sometimes lawless riverboat era.
Praise:
“Captivating characters? A fast-paced storyline? Cameos from historical figures? Brodie Curtis checks all the boxes in his novel set along the Mississippi River on the eve of the Civil War. Well done.”
Tim Wendell, author of CASTRO’s CURVEBALL and REBEL FALLS
“SHOWBOAT SOUBRETTE is a novel that transcends a simple river chase, unfolding instead as a richly textured portrait of time and place where beauty and brutality are forced to coexist. Brodie Curtis has crafted a story that entertains without simplifying, thrills without trivializing, and ultimately delivers a powerful testament to courage and solidarity on the margins of history…For readers who crave historical fiction with pace and teeth, this novel will be a compelling and unforgettable ride.”
THE HISTORICAL FICTION COMPANY
“This was an unputdownable read for me!…It’s an optimistic picture of a shocking time in American history….SHOWBOAT SOUBRETTE is ideal for fans of historical adventure fiction, especially fans of Twain himself and Percival Everett’s JAMES.”
Ruth F. Stevens, author of STAGE SEVEN and THE SOUTH BAY SERIES Books 1 and 2
“Readers of historical fiction will love SHOWBOAT SOUBRETTE…a river adventure down the great Mississippi to New Orleans in the 1850s when racial tension is ripe in the Old South…an adventure worthy of Mark Twain’s pen… Curtis is a master of description and atmosphere.”
Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of THE MYSTERIES OF MARQUETTE
“(E)xtensive research draws the reader in and carries them along on this fast-paced adventure, blending interesting historical facts with compelling fictional characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and recommend this voyage down the mighty Mississippi.”
Kris Abel-Helwig, author of THE HERO SERIES and the upcoming RULE OF ODDS.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited
Meet the Author
Raised in the Midwest, Brodie Curtis was educated as a lawyer and left the corporate world to embrace life in Colorado with his wife and two sons.
Curtis is the author of THE FOUR BELLS, a novel of The Great War, which is the product of extensive historical research, including long walks through the fields of Flanders, where much of the book’s action is set. His second novel, ANGELS AND BANDITS, takes his protagonists into The Battle of Britain. Curtis’ third novel is set on a Mississippi Riverboat prior to the Civil War.
A lover of history, particularly American history and the World Wars, Curtis reviews historical fiction for the Historical Novels Review and more than 100 of his published reviews and short takes on historical novels can be found on his website: brodiecurtis.com.
I’m welcoming The Vision Board by Siobhan Murphy to the blog #romance #blogtour @rararesources @rachelsrandomresources
Here’s the blurb
Two best friends. Two one-way tickets. And a future that might just surprise them. Bex and Amy are best friends and total opposites. Bex is cynical, Amy is romantic. Bex is chaotic, Amy is organised. With the prospect of turning 34 just around the corner, neither is where they expected to be at this point in their lives. Bex is exploring her sexuality and has a string of failed relationships, while Amy is newly single and desperate to fall in love. Armed with a photographic vision board of the future, Bex and Amy put their trust in ‘The Universe’ and fly from London to Bali, then on to Australia in search of adventure, cocktails on the beach and maybe even love. Almost immediately, Amy finds someone who is the perfect fit for her dream life. While Bex is stuck playing double dates with his best friend, the most pompous man she has ever met, but also one of the hottest. Travelling via white sand beaches, lush rainforests and road trips through idyllic scenery, the images on their vision board begin to transform into reality. However, people are not always what they seem, and first impressions are not always accurate. Add in a queer, charismatic love interest and a vindictive ex-girlfriend, and the path of true love begins to get a little more complex. When ‘The Universe’ has its own agenda, is it possible to manifest a happy ever after? An Enemies to Lovers destination romance with a sprinkling of Pride and Prejudice vibes.
Siobhan Murphy is a writer and photographer based in the UK. She writes (and reads) both light-hearted romantic comedies and contemporary women’s fiction/Bookclub fiction.
Her writing hours are sponsored by Earl Grey tea, chocolate bars several glasses of wine. When she is not writing, reading, or working in her photography day job, her hobbies are eating haribo sweets, talking nonsense and walking into rooms wondering why she is there.
She loves to travel, laugh at the absurdity of life, and enjoy a glass of wine with good friends. She loves a good TV binge session, especially shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Virgin River, Emily in Paris, or This is Us. She can be an emotional wreck who often runs out of tissues and when she was a child, her dad had to constantly reassure her that programmes on the TV weren’t real. The upside of this is that she can legitimately class her habit of binge-watching RomCom films as ‘research.’
Siobhan loves to escape into books and live in other worlds. Like most writers, she has been an avid reader from the second she hurtled into the world (well perhaps a little bit after that). Over the years she’s drifted around the world in search of adventure, hoping to figure out what to do with her life. She is not sure if she has the answer yet but writing certainly comes close. Though she suspects her long-suffering family, and her liver might not agree.
She’s impulsive and easily bored, so she’s turned her hand to many jobs over the years. She’s worked in places as diverse as the High Commission in Nairobi; a market stall selling cheese in the UK and an 80ft racing yacht in Australia. Been a secondary school English teacher and a Barista with no discernible talent for making coffee. She’s done admin work for a number of businesses but discovered that offices aren’t really for her. Her favourite job was as a bookseller for Waterstones, she loved recommending books to customers and applying those 3 for 2 stickers that people find so hard to remove. For the last 19 years she’s been a professional photographer, taking portraits of humans – often the really, really small ones.
MJ Porter 