Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Check out Mercedes Rochelle's fabulous series, The Plantagenet Legacy. #HenryIV #Plantagenet #Lancaster #Medieval #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @authorrochelle @cathiedunn

 



THE USURPER KING by Mercedes Rochelle
Book 4 of The Plantagenet Legacy


Publication Date: 5th April 2021
Publisher: Sergeant Press 
Page Length: 305 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.

First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.

To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.

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THE ACCURSED KING by Mercedes Rochelle
Book 5 of The Plantagenet Legacy


Publication Date: 18th April 2022
Publisher: Sergeant Press 
Page Length: 301 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

What happens when a king loses his prowess?

The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.

Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.

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Mercedes Rochelle


Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it's coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers.

Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Her new project is called “The Plantagenet Legacy” taking us through the reigns of the last true Plantagenet King, Richard II and his successors, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. 

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the University of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to "see the world". The search hasn't ended!

Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

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Monday, 27 January 2025

Check out The Lotus House by Ann Bennett #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #AsianHistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @annbennett71 @cathiedunn




The Lotus House
By Ann Bennett


Publication Date: 9th October 2024
Publisher: Andaman Press
Pages: 337 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance / Historical Asian Fiction

A gripping, emotional drama of love and courage set in the Philippines during WW2.

1960: Nancy Drayton, an American nurse living on Lake Sebu, is visited by a stranger who hands her some faded letters, given to her by a dying man. Reading them transports Nancy back to the terror of the war years.

1941: When Nancy’s world is blown apart by the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, she volunteers to travel to the Philippines to serve at the front. She soon finds herself working in a field hospital on the Bataan Peninsula in the thick of the fighting, experiencing the horrors of war first hand.

When tending to some wounded men, she meets Captain Robert Lambert, and they become close. But the Japanese are closing in on Bataan, and when the US surrenders, they are driven apart.

As Robert struggles to survive the horrors of the Bataan Death March and the brutality of captivity in a prison camp, Nancy too finds herself a captive, fighting for her life. Will they survive to find one another again or will the forces of war keep them apart?
If you enjoy compelling historical fiction, you’ll love this sweeping story of love and war. 

Perfect for fans of Kristen Hannah, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.

Praise for Ann Bennett

‘What an amazing read!!! I didn't expect this to be a roller coaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.’
Goodreads reviewer

‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking … I loved this… A must read… Amazing.’
Page Turners


Only 0.99 on #Kindle for a Limited Time
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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Ann Bennet


Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016. 

That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia – Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina during the same period. A Rose in the Blitz – the first in the Sisters of War series and set in London during WWII, was published in March 2024.

The Lake Pagoda won a bronze medal for historical fiction in Asia in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2022. The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu won a silver medal for dual-timeline historical fiction, and A Rose in the Blitz won bronze in the historical romance category in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2024.

The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August 2024) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.
 
A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. 

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Thursday, 23 January 2025

Check out The World Turned Upside Down by Seth Irving Handaside #AmericanRevolution #UnitedStateHistory #FoundingFathers #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

 



The World Turned Upside Down 
By Seth Irving Handaside 



Publication Date: 30th November 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 287 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

"The World Turned Upside Down" takes readers on an exhilarating journey through one of history's most transformative periods.

This masterful work of historical fiction follows the audacious British-American colonists, known as the Founders, as they boldly rise against the mightiest empire of their time: England. Their unprecedented struggle challenged the status quo and reshaped the foundation of global politics and human rights, ushering in the era of democracy. As the narrative unfolds with rich, immersive detail and dynamic characters, the story poses a profound question: after securing their hard-won liberty, could they preserve and nurture the fragile promise of a new world?

This compelling tale captures the spirit of revolution and the enduring quest for freedom.

Excerpt

At his temporary home in the Parisian suburb of Passy, Benjamin Franklin, as one of the Commissioners of America to France, entertained de Vergennes, the French Foreign Minister, and Pierre Beaumarchais, a Frenchman of many talents: a playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, watchmaker, inventor, horticulturist, and an arms dealer. 

Franklin notably led the two Frenchmen to continue to give valuable aid to the rebellious American Colonies.  Recent news informed him that Philadelphia and New York were securely in British hands, and he was trying to imagine what it was like to be in Washington’s shoes; realizing he would never know, he poured his guests another glass of Chardonnay.

Beaumarchais left the bottom of the wine glass firmly planted on the table.  He made a few circles with the base while de Vergennes picked up the wine glass and slightly flicked his wrist, making little circles in the air.

Turning his head, Franklin was overly showy with his swirling, making grandiose motions like he was getting ready to lasso a steer.

The Frenchmen rewarded his gesture by narrowing their eyes and letting out a slight snicker.

“My friends,” said Franklin, “it is not like you to be quiet and shy.”

“It is a story of Eighteenth-Century intrigue,” said Beaumarchais.  

“Not because of the French ministers,” said de Vergennes, “who desire to promote the cause of democracy.”

“I understand,” said Franklin, “you desire to embarrass your neighbor and ancient enemy, his Britannic Majesty.”

“Yes,” pronounced de Vergennes, “but still preserving all of the forms and proprieties of strict neutrality.”

Franklin opened his lips.  “You enjoy working behind the scenes.”

“As it is necessary to camouflage our American operations, I turned to the ingenuity of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, one of the arch intriguers of the Eighteenth Century.”

“We formed,” said Beaumarchais, “a commercial corporation known as Hortalex & Company that entered into the business of shipping arms and munitions to America.” Franklin grimaced, “But some were lost at sea, and the British captured some.”

“More serious losses occur in the Continental Army itself.  It lacks organization, discipline, and administrative experience,” said Beaumarchais.

“To such a man as Count St. Germain,” said de Vergennes.  “The American crisis diagnosis is simple.  The American commander needs competent technical advice.”

“Washington is an able and forceful leader, but he was not a trained soldier,” added Beaumarchais.  “He needs a staff officer trained in the practical business methods of conducting war.”

“It was just while St. Germain was considering this need with me,” said de Vergennes, “that his old acquaintance, Baron von Steuben, came to Paris in quest of employment.”

Looking at Franklin, “Here was the man Hortalez & Company should send to Washington.  The Baron was not an officer of high rank, but Comte de-Saint Germain had known him for years.” 
“But the American commissioners are not empowered to make any contract on behalf of the Continental Congress or promise him suitable rank or pay. 

“When the front door is closed,” said Beaumarchais, “one must find another alternative.”

“So many European adventurers have gone to America that Congress has become disgusted and has instructed the commissioners not to encourage any others,” said Franklin.

De Vergennes winked, “The Baron should not seek to make any terms with the American.

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Seth Irving Handaside


Growing up in Putnam County in the town of Putnam Valley, named after General Israel Putnam, Seth Irving Handaside walked its roads.

He explored the hills and valleys that American rebels tread. But, he often thought, what would have done when the head of the state, King George III of England, ignored his rights and the rule of law?

Would he have marched to the tune of the revolution and been in a regiment commanded by General Putnam or sided with the loyalists?

Fascinated by American history since elementary school, politics runs in his veins. He has spent the last ten years researching and reading about the founding fathers and settled on six men, three boys not yet twenty, and three Virginians who risked having their necks stretched to make the American dream a reality.

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Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Check out The Fugitive’s Sword by Eleanor Swift-Hook #HistoricalAdventure #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @emswifthook @cathiedunn



The Fugitive’s Sword 
By Eleanor Swift-Hook

Publication Date: 8th October 2024
Publisher: Schiavona Books (author’s own imprint)
Pages: 305 Pages
Genre: Historical Adventure

Autumn 1624

Europe is deeply embroiled in what will become the Thirty Years' War.

A young Philip Lord, once favoured at King James' court, has vanished without a trace, under the shadow of treason.

Outside the besieged city of Breda, Captain Matthew Rider faces the brutal reality of wintering his cavalry in the siege lines, until he crosses paths with Filippo Schiavono, a young man whose courage and skill could change everything.

Kate, Lady Catherine de Bouqulement, arrives in London prepared to navigate the dangerous politics of King James' court to ensure troops are sent to her mistress, the exiled Queen of Bohemia.

Within Breda’s walls, a foundling named Jorrit unwittingly stumbles into a lethal conspiracy when Schiavono hires him, supposedly to help sell smuggled tobacco. But Schiavono’s plans go awry and they are compelled to flee the city, only to be captured at sea.

If Schiavono is unable to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness to a savage Dunkirker privateer captain, both he and Jorrit will face certain death.

Meanwhile, in London, Kate is forced to fight her own battle against those seeking to coerce her into their schemes and finds herself trapped in a terrifying and deadly power struggle.

Driven by violence, treachery, and the sea's merciless tides, their fates collide.


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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 


Eleanor Swift-Hook

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years’ War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. 

The Soldier's Stand, book two in Lord's Learning and the sequel to The Fugitive's Sword, is now available for preorder and will be released on 25 February, 2025.

She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.

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Thursday, 16 January 2025

Check out Diomedes in Kyprios by Gregory Michael Nixon #HistoricalFiction #MythicalFiction #HistoricalMyths #Cyprus #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @doknyx73 @cathiedunn




 Diomedes in Kyprios
By Gregory Michael Nixon
Audiobook Narrator: Simon de Denet


Publication Date: November 19th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 243 Pages
Genre: Mythico-Historical Fiction

This is a historically-based novel with authentic, mythic, and fictional characters interacting across the extraordinary panorama after the Fall of Troy and the Hittite Empire during the Bronze Age Collapse. Diomedes leads his Akhaians (Achaeans) to the Isle of Kyprios (now Cyprus) to meet his lost love, Lieia, the ex-queen of the Hittites. Kyprios is where the Peoples of the Sea have gathered before their final assaults on Canaan and Aigyptos (Egypt).

But Diomedes unexpectedly meets the avatar of the Goddess Aphrodite at her Temple in Paphos, the city of her birth. Will she take him from Lieia? Will his wanderings end, or will he head back to sea to seek redemption from the past in the further unknown? Aphrodite must also deal with the beautiful, impetuous youth, Adonis, who swears he would die for her. 

The Bronze Age Collapse was a time of such chaos that empires fell, royalty was overthrown, palaces and temples were destroyed, and the hierarchy of the gods was doubted, yet people's self-reliance emerged like never before, and the ancient Great Goddess of the Cycles of Time, who had been suppressed, began to regain her former dominance.

Excerpt

“Months have gone by, and you have heard nothing from your supposed Ahhiyawa hero. Have you accepted that Diomedes never survived the Underworld cavern?”

Lieia looked down, thinking. Lilitu continued, “Lieia, you need to adjust to your new life. Lieia understood, knowing she could be made to suffer in more direct ways and perhaps might even benefit from an apparent friendship with her exotic and powerful jail-keeper.

“Adjust myself how?”

“We are now both high priestesses of Ishtar who trust each other. Ishtar demands our total devotion. Among us, she is not a goddess of motherhood or domesticity, but a goddess of war and carnal transcendence. We must share in certain private rituals, sometimes involving others, that do honour to Ishtar through sexual anguish and ecstasy—journeys through the dark world of the flesh that always end with the enlightenment of the soul. I have much to teach you.” 

Having spoken so openly, Lieia realized that Lilitu was not making a suggestion but a demand. Lieia had no real choice in the matter, and she admitted to herself that adjustment would have many benefits. Once the keeper of the royal harem, Lieia was not without experience in the ways women pleasure each other, though now such playful activity was cloaked as serious ritual. Lieia was not repulsed but curious. Lilitu was surely as alluring as Ishtar herself. Though at first she felt no desire for the platinum-haired priestess, that changed as the ritual commenced. 

“I am yours to command and yours to teach, O High Priestess. Shall we begin our devotions today?”

“Yes, O Queen. Personal slaves will arrive—you recall the two youths who have been attending you?—to purify us of our garments, bathe us together in rose water, then massage us in scented oils, after which we shall all engage each others’ bodies with the blessings of Ishtar.”

Soon Lieia succumbed to the enticements and eventually participated with shameless enthusiasm, which pleased the High Priestess greatly. Lieia felt no guilt, for the pleasures did not transport her soul into union as had those she had known with the man she loved. She knew that if Diomede lived he would have understood that circumstances were imposed upon her, and he already knew of her significant carnal energy. 

Best of all, the High Priestess believed she now had Lieia in thrall and did indeed trust her to walk freely about Ishtar’s tower and even to stroll on the stone paths of Temple Hill, always followed by her two guards, of course. 

That night when she was alone again, sipping a soothing, mildly narcotic drink under the moonlight, she reflected on recent events. She certainly did not fit the image of the princess imprisoned in a tower by an evil dragon, as it was told in Hatti children’s tales. For one thing, no prince was coming to rescue her. He had either been killed, abandoned her or awaited her on the nearby island. For another thing, the dragon may not be entirely evil, she smiled, for it sometimes shared its secret treasures of pleasure for all.

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Gregory Michael Nixon


Gregory M. Nixon is a retired university professor who, after spending his professional years publishing academic papers, was pleased to discover he still had an active imagination. He moved alone to a nice cottage overlooking magnificent Okanagan Lake in western Canada to create his mythico-historical novels set after the Trojan War and the fall of the Hittite Empire during the Bronze Age Collapse. Nigel, an outdoor cat, also sometimes lives with him.

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Tuesday, 7 January 2025

Check out No Good Deeds by E.J. McKenna #NoGoodDeeds #HistoricalFiction #FeministWestern #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @EJMcKennaWrites @cathiedunn




No Good Deeds
By E.J. McKenna


Publication Date: November 5th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 330 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Western Fiction

Annie Schaeffer is no stranger to violence. Born of an outlaw father, she was sold to a traveling show at the age of six, now finally escaping as an adult.

On the run and wounded, she finds an unlikely ally In Nathan Healey - a member of the Needham Boys gang.

As she earns her place among the outlaws, Annie’s survival hinges on her lethal skills and growing bond with Nathan.

Nate's moral compass shifts with his circumstances, especially when those he loves are involved. Upon meeting Annie, he finds himself drawn to a woman determined to live differently to the expectations others place upon her; to live freely and fairly. The way he has always wanted.

Annie's quest for independence takes a dark turn as the gang begins to collapse. Betrayal runs deep, and the cost of trust is high.

No Good Deeds is a gripping tale of resilience and retribution in the untamed West, where loyalty is fleeting and justice is won at the barrel of a gun. Annie Schaeffer's story is one of fierce determination, as she battles her past and the outlaws who seek to control her fate.

Snippet

“I ain’t a good girl, sir,” she purred threateningly, “I am an exceptional woman.”

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E.J. McKenna


E.J. McKenna is a freelance writer in the UK with a great interest in American History, and a degree in English and American Literature with Creative Writing from the University of Kent. 

At the end of 2023, she co-created a creative writing app for people of all ages to improve their writing skills in a fun, relaxed environment.

Born and raised in the UK, but a lover of traveling, she has a fascination with all social history across different countries and cultures. One of her favourite historical periods is the Victorian era, especially with United States history. 

"The juxtaposition between the established countries of Europe, and the new world of America is fascinating to me. So many people trying to survive harsh frontier life, while trying to continue the uptight decorum of Victorian society."

A huge advocate for feminism and human equity, her writing centres around determined female protagonists in traditionally male roles, tackling the perceptions of women in history. Her strong female protagonists go out of their way to change their society's expectations for the fairer.

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Monday, 6 January 2025

Silver Book Anniversary - Harold The King by Helen Hollick #1066 #BattleOfHastings #NormanConquest #AngloSaxon #EnglishHistory #PublicationSilverAnniversary #BlogTour #BookBlast #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HelenHollick @cathiedunn





Harold The King 
By Helen Hollick


Publication Date: original edition first published in 2000
Publisher: Taw River Press (UK) Sourcebooks Inc (USA)
Pages: 640 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

The events that led to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 - told from the English point of view.

Two men. One crown.

England, 1044. Harold Godwinesson, a young, respected earl, falls in love with an ordinary but beautiful woman. In Normandy, William, the bastard son of a duke, falls in love with power.

In 1066 England falls vulnerable to the fate of these two men: one, chosen to be a king, the other, determined to take, by force, what he desires. Risking his life to defend his kingdom from foreign invasion, Harold II led his army into the great Battle of Hastings in October 1066 with all the honour and dignity that history remembers of its fallen heroes.

In this beautifully crafted tale, USA Today bestselling author Helen Hollick sets aside the propaganda of the Norman Conquest and brings to life the English version of the story of the man who was the last Anglo-Saxon king, revealing his tender love, determination and proud loyalty, all to be shattered by the desire for a crown – by one who had no right to wear it.

Praise

“Helen Hollick has it all! She tells a great story, gets her history right, and writes consistently readable books”
Bernard Cornwell

“A novel of enormous emotional power”
 Elizabeth Chadwick

“Thanks to Hollick’s masterful storytelling, Harold’s nobility and heroism enthral to the point of engendering hope for a different ending…Joggles a cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill”
Publisher’s Weekly

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Helen Hollick


First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/supernatural series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She has also branched out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with her Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working as a library assistant. The fifth in the series, A Memory Of Murder, was published in May 2024.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She is currently writing about the ghosts of North Devon, and Jamaica Gold for her Sea Witch Voyages. 

Recognised by her stylish hats, Helen tries to attend book-related events as a chance to meet her readers and social-media followers, but her ‘wonky eyesight’ as she describes her condition of Glaucoma, and severe arthritis is now a little prohibitive for travel.

She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon with their dogs and cats, while on the farm there are showjumper horses, fat Exmoor ponies, an elderly Welsh pony, geese, ducks and hens. And several resident ghosts.

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Blog, supporting authors & their books: 
Monthly newsletter: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse:
Start Here: January 2024  (posted on her blog)












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Check out Nitin Nanji's fabulous novel, Lalji’s Nairobi. #HistoricalFiction #AfricanHistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

  Lalji’s Nairobi By Nitin Nanji Publication Date: 30th August 2023 Publisher: Independently Published Pages: 282 Pages Genre: Historical Fi...