I’m delighted to welcome back Colin Garrow to the blog with a historical crime novel set in Edinburgh #blogtour #histfic #bookreview #mystery

I’m delighted to welcome back Colin Garrow to the blog with a historical crime novel set in Edinburgh #blogtour #histfic #bookreview #mystery

Here’s the blurb

Edinburgh, Christmas Eve, 1936. A gruesome double murder. A white-faced killer. A mysterious stranger…

Still haunted by his recent past, Professor Finlay MacBeth is called in to assist the police following an horrific double murder. Traces of greasepaint and white cotton lead MacBeth and Inspector Callaghan to the Christmas Circus, but while they search for clues, someone else is watching them.

Meanwhile, bent cop Kilmartin still has MacBeth in his sights…In this thriller series set in Edinburgh, Overkill is book #2 in the Finlay MacBeth series.

Purchase Link

Amazon: https://geni.us/q05E

Draf2Digital: https://books2read.com/u/mlBxwW

My Review

Overkill is another success for Colin Garrow. This time we travel to 1936 and a very cold Christmas in Edinburgh. There could certainly be better times for a violent killer to strike than when snow lies thickly on the ground and no one has a decent pair of wellingtons to be found for love nor money.

I love that Colin’s novels are straight to the plot, and also, all plot. There is no time for extraneous activities, and this ensures his books, and I include Overkill in this, are quick reads while being very intriguing. I also appreciated the appearance of some Scottish words and found that they didn’t distract from the story but rather added to it.

I powered through Overkill and very much enjoyed the interplay between the main characters (even though the murders are particularly violent). This isn’t so much a ‘guess the culprit’ but rather a cat and mouse game where we hope the police will get to the killer before he strikes again.

Meet the author

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.

He has published more than thirty books, and his short stories have appeared in several literary mags, most recently in Witcraft, and Flash Fiction North. Colin lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.

Connect with Colin

Check out my reviews for Colin’s other books

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I’m welcoming An American Slave in Barbary – The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones by Larry Kelley to the blog #HistoricalFiction #BarbaryCoast #SlaveTrade #AmericanRevolution #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m welcoming An American Slave in Barbary – The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones by Larry Kelley to the blog #HistoricalFiction #BarbaryCoast #SlaveTrade #AmericanRevolution #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
@KelleyComment @cathiedunn
@thecoffeepotbookclub

I’m welcoming An American Slave in Barbary – The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones by Larry Kelley to the blog

Here’s an excerpt from An American Slave in Barbary

Now, as the sun lowered in its westward descent toward the Atlantic, my thirst and my need to know if my brother might have survived left me no choice. I walked out the dunes, across the flat beach, down onto damp sand that descended at a steep angle into the surf. Without worrying if anyone could see me, I made my way toward Sale. I reasoned that unless, by an unlikely twist of fate, I was found by some friendly villager who wished to take me in and hide me, I would turn myself over to the mercies of the Moroccan authorities of Sale and or their agents, in exchange for a cup of water.

As I reached the portion of the beach near the outskirts of the city, two natives in a horse-drawn cart rode toward me near the waterline. The cart held an unarmed man driving and, next to him, a man armed with a scimitar, pistol, and ammunition belts strapped across his torso. The cart stopped abruptly in front of me. The armed man leaped out of the cart and ran toward me with his sword drawn, pointing at me. “Infidel, don’t move! Come here,” he yelled at me in Arabic as he motioned that I move toward the back of his cart.

As he led me there, I saw in the rear bed two of my shipmates and close friends, Moore and Etheredge. “Jones!” they cried in unison. As I climbed into the back of the cart, they reached out their hands to mine with tears welling up in their eyes.

My new jailor was remarkably a man I recognized as one who boarded our ship when we were captured in the Mediterranean and was among the pirates who sailed it off into the storm. As he ran a chain through the ring in my ankle iron, which I still wore from our original capture, I said, “Lads, do you know if my brother, Robbie, made it ashore?”

Their looks told me what I feared had to be true. They shook their heads while looking down at the floor of the cart.

Here’s the blurb

An American Slave in Barbary: The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones is the story of a first-generation American student whose commercial ship is captured in the summer of 1801 by Moslem pirates. He spends the next sixteen years as a captive in Algiers. He rises to become a confidant to the Dey of Algiers, who is desperate to know what made the American shopkeepers and farmers believe they could defeat the British war machine, and how they intended to rule themselves.

In the genre created by Homer, it is a tale of suffering, sin, and
redemption, and a young man’s epic journey to regain his freedom.

Purchase Link

https://geni.us/cgYHz

Meet the author

Larry Kelley’s life was changed by 9/11. He desperately wanted to find out who these people were who attacked us, what ordinary citizens could do to join the battle, and how those plotting to kill us in future attacks could be defeated.

Kelley has written scores of columns on the dangers of Western complacency. In his tenure as a political commentary writer, he has made a significant impact. His feature articles have appeared in the Piedmont Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Human Events, and Townhall Magazine. Two of his articles were featured on the cover of Townhall Magazine.

His first book, Lessons from Fallen Civilizations, is the result of ten years of research. And received critical praise as a saga that begins on the plain of Marathon in 490 BC and whose main character is Western Civilization.

https://www.larrykelley.com

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I’m welcoming Rebecca Langston-George to the blog, with her new book, One Fine Voice #OneFineVoice #HistoricalFiction #MiddleGrade #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m welcoming Rebecca Langston-George to the blog, with her new book, One Fine Voice @RebeGeorge @cathiedunn
@rebeccalangstongeorge @thecoffeepotbookclub #OneFineVoice #HistoricalFiction #MiddleGrade #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m welcoming Rebecca Langston-George to the blog, with her new book, One Fine Voice

Here’s an excerpt

Chapter 2

The pianist hit a wrong note in the chorus, causing Mama to wince, just as the church’s back doors wheezed open. A girl with a big blue hair bow in the next pew turned to look at me. Our eyes locked. Then she turned toward the doors behind us. I followed her gaze. That’s when I first saw them.

White robed men wearing pointed hoods paraded up the center aisle. They marched together in pairs until they reached the altar where my daddy had just kneeled; then half went left and half went right, forming a line across the front of the church. Their faces were masked save for the cut-out eye holes. Those sunken, shadowed holes all stared right at me, it seemed, pulling my eyes toward them, locking me in their dark gaze, paralyzing me with their murky eyes.

I tried to sing. I knew every song in the hymnal by heart. But just like the white masks staring at me I didn’t have a working mouth. I tried to read the words in the hymnal, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those blank stares. The one thing in my body that worked was my memory. It jabbed a stick in a deep muddy pool of my mind that usually only bubbled up in my nightmares.

Four years ago, a winter’s day. A crust of ice crunched underfoot as I walked with my uncle to his barn. A lamb had gotten loose and had frozen to death near the fence. Its white wool stiff with sparkling ice crystals. A black crow was perched atop its head, a dark berry dangling from its beak. The crow flew away, and I saw that the lamb’s eyes had been picked out. Its cold, empty eye sockets stared through me, and I screamed.

I felt that same urge to scream right then and run clear down the street away from our new church. I even turned my head toward the back door, but something stopped me. The girl—the one with the big blue bow—she was singing, –like she probably did every Sunday. I blinked. I turned my head the other way. Daddy sang along in his strong tenor. Blink. Reverend Dewhurst held his hymnal high and sang toward the ceiling. The pianist plunked on. Mama was the only other one that looked confused. Everyone around us was acting as if nothing unusual was happening, like masked robed men marching into church was perfectly normal. Was this normal for Grayson, Indiana?

Here’s the blurb

All her life, Esther Hopkins has been told she has a mighty fine voice.

Still, she can’t believe her luck when just days after moving to town she’s invited to sing a solo at the 1923 Independence Day picnic.

But the group sponsoring the picnic is not the benevolent fraternal order they claim to be. Worse, they’ve recruited her father, the town’s freshly ordained Baptist minister, to become their chaplain.

When they target the immigrant family of her new best friend, Esther must risk her father’s anger, the KKK’s revenge, and her family’s safety to follow her conscience, salvage her friendship, and find the strength to speak truth to power even if it costs all she holds dear.

Triggers: xenophobia, racism

Purchase Link

https://geni.us/BYaF8Z

Meet the author

Rebecca Langston-George is the author of nineteen books for young readers including the globally popular For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story. Though she’s long been known for nonfiction, One Fine Voice is her first middle grade historical fiction.

A retired teacher credentialed in both single subject language arts for upper grades and multiple subjects for younger grades, Rebecca is a popular school presenter for all ages, encouraging students to investigate and tap into their personal interests when writing.

She serves on the board of The California Reading Association and is the Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI Central-Coastal California, helping other writers achieve their dreams.

She splits her time between California’s scenic coast and its agricultural heartland, writing (and mostly rewriting) at one mile per hour on a treadmill desk. Read more at Rebecca Langston-George | Children’s Book Author.

www.rebeccalangston-george.com

https://www.historiumpress.com/rebecca-langston-george

www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-langston-george

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Today I’m reviewing Kelly Oliver’s fabulous new Golden-Age crime mystery, The Case of the Christie Curse #newrelease #cosycrime #blogtour

Today I’m reviewing Kelly Oliver’s fabulous new Golden-Age crime mystery, The Case of the Christie Curse #newrelease #cosycrime #blogtour #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks #TheCaseofTheChristieCurse @KellyOliverBook @rararesources @theboldbookclub

Today I’m reviewing Kelly Oliver’s fabulous new Golden-Age crime mystery, The Case of the Christie Curse #newrelease #cosycrime #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

The BRAND NEW page-turning, historical cozy mystery series from Kelly Oliver 🏝️🏺☠️

Mesopotamia, 1930: When Agatha Christie invites fellow members of the Detection Club to witness the famous excavations at the ruins of Ur, Dorothy L. Sayers, her quick-witted assistant Eliza Baker, and Theo Sharp expect ancient wonders – not fresh corpses.

But when an archaeologist is found dead in the sand, whispers of a deadly curse sweep through the camp. Eliza suspects something far more dangerous than superstition. Amid glittering artifacts and fragile alliances, every guest harbors the Woolleys, whose marriage is shadowed by tragedy; a journalist hungry for scandal; even academic Max Mallowan, whose loyalties are not what they seem.

As theft, forgery, and coded messages surface, the line between archaeology and espionage blurs. And when Eliza and Theo find themselves in danger, they must face not only the truth about the murder – but also the truths they’ve long denied about each other. Can they uncover the killer before the desert claims another victim? Or will this dig unearth secrets too dangerous to survive?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/CaseChristieCurse

My Review

The Case of the Christie Curse is the third book in the Detection Club series of cosy historical crime novels, in which our beloved crime writers from the 1920s and 1930s feature as characters.

This time, we’re off to Mesopotamia to discover why Agatha Christie has summoned Dorothy, Eliza and Theo to assist her. And what they discover when they arrive is a tangled web of lies and conspiracy, which some suspect is really the Queen’s Curse from the excavation site.

I thought the mystery was trundling along at a reasonable rate to begin with, and I was enjoying it, but then, suddenly, the storyline really escalated in the second half of the book, and I just had to sit and read it until its conclusion.

The author often writes slightly flippant characters, but in this book, we do start to see something deeper from Theo and Eliza, which is a great change, and I do hope it might mean we get a little less ‘will they, won’t they’ and a whole lot more thrilling mystery to solve in future books.

A thrilling new addition to the series of historical, cosy mysteries. (I’ve also been rewatching all of the David Suchet Poirot series, and I must say, this reads very close to the episodes set in exotic locations – huzzah.)

Check out my review for The Case of the Christie Conspiracy and The Case of the Body on the Orient Express.

Check out my reviews for the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery books Chaos at Carnegie Hall, Covert in Cairo, Mayhem in the Mountains, Arsenic at Ascot and Murder in Moscow by the same author.

Meet the Author

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee

Connect with Kelly

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KellyOlivernews

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I’m delighted to welcome The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann to the blog, with a fascinating extract #BlogTour #NewReleaseBook #WW2

I’m delighted to welcome The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann to the blog, with a fascinating extract

Here’s an extract from The Silent Resistance

For centuries, the people living along the coast of Norway, made their living from fishing or shipping. The women were used to their men being away for long periods of time, and managed as best the could. There were letters, telegrams, some ways to stay in touch. During the war, the fleet stayed away, and the families had to survive on their own. Sometimes a letter or message came through, and sometimes the news was life shattering.

Extract

‘I’m Lars’ wife,’ she muttered. And soon, maybe even this year, the war will be over, and Kerber will be gone for good. And … and Lars will come home, and life will be as if the war never happened.

Anni stared at the Christmas tree. She knew she should take down all the decorations, and use the tree for firewood, but she didn’t have the heart to do it yet.

She wrapped the knitted rug around herself, and felt warm and contended. Soon, she fell asleep on the sofa.

When someone hammered on the door, she almost fell on the floor. Confused, she hesitated to go to the door. Could it be soldiers? Perhaps Kerber had decided to show his true self, and had sent them to arrest her.

She realised Ingrid would wake up if she didn’t put a stop to it. She pulled the rug tighter around the shoulders, and hurried out of the lounge.

When she came out in the hallway, she closed the door behind her, and put on her coat. She knew it would be freezing out there.

She opened the door and the cold wind woke her up. There wasn’t anyone on the doorstep. There were no signs of the dreaded soldiers.

What the hell is going on? she thought.

Anni looked around again, and caught sight of Martin in the shadows.

‘What are you doing here?’ she said, walking over to him. ‘What if Kerber had been in the house?’

Martin shook his head. ‘I know he’s not, Anni. He’s gone to Bergen. They said so at Hagland.’

Anni shook her head. ‘You have to be quick, Martin. He’s coming back tonight, and he could be here any moment.’

Martin looked concerned. ‘This couldn’t wait,’ he said.

‘What’s the emergency?’ Anni sighed. ‘It’s Guri, isn’t it? She did something foolish. Is she okay? Should I go to the farm?’

‘No, no, nothing is wrong with Guri. This is something else,’ he said, looking more and more uncomfortable. ‘I have a letter for you. I thought you would want it as soon as possible.’ Martin didn’t meet her eyes. Something was off.

Anni felt a sharp pain in her stomach. ‘It’s Lars, isn’t it? Is he dead? Did a torpedo sink his ship?’

‘No, as far as I know, he’s fine, but Anni, I’m sorry.’ Martin looked took a deep breath. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Stop saying that.’ Anni touched his arm. ‘What’s going on? Is Lars sick, is that it?’

Martin handed her a thin envelope. ‘Read the letter, Anni. Please.’

Anni looked at the envelope, scared to open it. It had been such a long time since they last had heard from Lars. She didn’t want to read it. Judging from Martin’s face, it was bad news. If Lars wasn’t sick or dead, then what?

‘Did you read it, Martin?’ Anni’s mind was racing with horrible scenarios.

‘No.’ Martin looked horrified at the thought. ‘I would never do that.’

‘But you know what it’s about? Because why else would you apologize to me?’

Martin nodded. ‘You’re right. I do know.’

Anni opened the letter. She could see from the date that it was written over a year ago. ‘Damn,’ she said. ‘This isn’t a response to my letter. He hasn’t received the photos of Ingrid.’

‘I don’t know how this letter found its way to Shetland. You know how it is,’ Martin said.

Anni nodded, not looking up from the letter. Lars’ handwriting was so familiar, it made her want to cry. Guri will be delighted when she sees this, she thought and started reading.

Dear Anni,

I hope this letter finds you well.

The rest of the letter made no sense.

Here’s the blurb

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma.

London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Purchase Link

http://tinyurl.com/2n6sr5b6

Meet the authors

Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …

Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.

https://linktr.ee/NatalieNormann

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I’m reviewing The Secrets of Morgarten by LS Mangos #historicalfiction #bookreview #blogtour #fourteenthcentury

I’m reviewing the Secrets of Morgarten by LS Mangos #historicalfiction #bookreview #blogtour #fourteenthcentury

Here’s the blurb

A young nation in peril.
A web of deception.
A triangle of forbidden love.

The year is 1315. The fledgling nation of Switzerland – the Helvetic Confederation – is under threat from the Habsburgs. In France, the Knights Templar have been disbanded and declared heretics by the king.

Magda, a beautiful weaver living near the alpine village of Morgarten, befriends Walter, a messenger who is the son of the legendary Wilhelm Tell. Walter and Magda’s budding romance is threatened by the arrival of Sébastien, a French fugitive.

What secrets is this foreigner hiding? Can Walter solve the mystery of a murder and a stolen religious artefact before a mighty battle with the Habsburgs ensues? And who will be the victors in their turbulent triangle of love?

https://amzn.to/46Gxr2G

My Review

The Secrets of Morgarten is a historical fiction/romance novel set in the early 1300s, following three main characters through about a year of their lives. The characters of Magda, Wilhelm and Sebastian all offer different, if not strictly, opposing, viewpoints of events as they unfold.

It is a story of conflict and love against a backdrop of intrigue and approaching war, and the narrative moves quickly between the twin storylines, so that the conflict occurs between the characters as well as in the wider world.

It is a slower-paced novel, rich in detail and complex political machinations that builds towards its conclusion (the theft not occuring until quite late in the book) which thrusts our three main characters into the midst of the unevitable conflict where decisions must be made that will have far-reaching consequences. It’s an intriguing novel, depicting events I’ve not previously read about before.

Meet the author

Louise Mangos grew up in the UK but has spent more than half her life in Switzerland. Her debut psychological suspense Strangers on a Bridge was a finalist in the Exeter Novel Prize and long listed for the Bath Novel Award. She has published four further psychological suspense novels – The Art of Deception, The Beaten Track, Four Fatal Flaws and The Girl in the Doorway.

She lives in the foothills of the Alps, a stone’s throw from the site of the Battle of Morgarten, with her Kiwi husband and two sons. When she’s not writing you can find her on the cross-country ski trails or wild swimming in the lake by
her home, depending on the season. Louise also writes short fiction which has won prizes and been published in more than twenty print anthologies. She holds a Masters in Crime Writing from the University of East Anglia.

Find her on Twitter, Instagram or BlueSky
@LouiseMangos and Facebook @LouiseMangosBooks

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I’m delighted to welcome Clare Flynn and Under a Southern Sky to the blog #NewReleaseBook #BookCompetition #HistoricalFictionBook

I’m delighted to welcome Clare Flynn and Under a Southern Sky to the blog

Here’s the blurb

After a German fighter sinks her husband’s ship in the icy Atlantic, grief-stricken Hannah Kidd flees the rubble and ration queues of wartime Liverpool for a new life on the other side of the world. In sun-soaked Sydney, she discovers more than just refuge from nightly bombing raids—she finds unexpected family connections, meaningful work, and the handsome Eddie Greenbank.

As Hannah explores the golden beaches of Sydney’s eastern shores, the misty valleys of the Blue Mountains, and the rolling scenery of the Hunter Valley, she begins to believe that happiness isn’t lost forever. But even in Australia, the war’s long shadow threatens everything she’s begun to rebuild. Hannah must decide: will she let grief define her, or will she fight for the future she never thought she’d have?

A sweeping story of resilience and renewal set against the dramatic backdrop of wartime Australia, Under a Southern Sky explores how far we must sometimes travel—both in miles and in spirit—to find our way home.

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/u/47oMPq

Meet the author

Clare Flynn is the award-winning author of nineteen historical novels. She is the 2020 Selfies Adult Fiction prize winner for The Pearl of Penang and the 2022 Indie Champion for the Romantic Novelists Association. Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Historical Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists Association. She lives in Eastbourne on the south coast of England.

Giveaway to Win a a signed paperback of The Star of Ceylon (Open to UK Only)

https://gleam.io/0uZWS/win-a-a-signed-paperback-of-the-star-of-ceylon-open-to-uk-only

*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.

Blog banner for the Under A Southern Sky blog tour by Clare Flynn

Check out Clare’s last visit to the blog here.

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I’m welcoming Susan D Levitte to the blog with an excerpt from her new book, The Secrets in the Woods, 1871Fire #PeshtigoFire #WIHistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m welcoming Susan D Levitte to the blog with an excerpt from her new book, The Secrets in the Woods

Here’s a snippet

The assignment was going to mark the anniversary of a tragic period in the region’s history. The Peshtigo Fire, or the Great Fire as those on this side of the bay often referred to it, killed at least fifteen hundred white people and countless American Indians in a few hours.

Because it had happened sixty years ago, there were not many people left to tell their stories. Many of those still alive had just been small children at the time, with memories dimmed and shaded by stories they had heard in hushed tones during their lives.

When Edna Mae was told she would be interviewing a woman who had been fifteen when the fire happened…

Here’s the blurb

On October 8, 1871, fire turned night into a living hell.

While Chicago’s blaze claimed the headlines, a fiercer and more devastating inferno swept across Wisconsin’s Green Bay peninsula-obliterating farms, forests, and families in its path.

Here, among immigrant settlers carving new lives from the wilderness, survival came down to split-second choices: to run, to hide, to fight the flames. Mothers shielded children with their bodies, fathers vanished into smoke, and neighbors faced the firestorm with nothing but faith and will.

Inspired by forgotten accounts and newspaper fragments, Secrets in the Woods brings to life the untold human drama of one of America’s most harrowing nights-a story of resilience, loss, and the fragile hope that rises from the ashes.

Triggers: Corporal punishment, spousal abuse, deaths by natural disaster, death in childbirth.

Purchase Link

books2read.com/u/4AB0oA

Meet the author

Susan was born and raised as the fifth generation to live on the family land in Northeast North Dakota (nearly Canada). She moved to Wisconsin in 1997, living in Door and Manitowoc County and now resides in the pastoral Kewaunee County. Married to Quentin, they share their home with Olive and Penny, their silly Labrador retrievers, and Gil, their ever-lazy cat.

As a devoted reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, she brings her passion for history and desire to educate readers into her work. With twenty-five years of experience in global advertising and marketing, she holds a master’s degree in communications and currently contributes her expertise to the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.

Website: https://1871fireproject.com/

Author’s Page at Historium Press: https://www.historiumpress.com/susan-levitte

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2510908841

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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 #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?

Purchase Link

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Meet the Author

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.

Connect with the Author

Website Bluesky

Follow the Gradarius blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club

Check out the first book in AM Swink’s series

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I’m delighted to welcome Lady Harriet (Harriet Taggart) and Dr. Peter Stephenson and their book, The Witch of Godstow Abbey, to the blog #TheWitchOfGodstowAbbey #HistoricalMystery #MurderMystery #theladyandthedoc #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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.’

~ Yarde Book Promotion, 5* Editorial Review

Buy Link

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Meet the Authors

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.