Welcoming Rachel R. Heil and her book - Leningrad: The People's War - to my blog

Today I'm welcoming Rachel R. Heil and her book - Leningrad: The People's War (Leningrad book 1) - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)

I am delighted to share an excerpt with you all, but first I will introduce the book.

Leningrad: The People's War

Leningrad, 1941. As Europe crumbles under the German war machine, the people of the Soviet Union watch. There are whispers of war but not loud enough for the civilians of Leningrad to notice. Instead, they keep their heads down and try to avoid the ever-watching eyes of their own oppressive government.

University student Tatiana Ivankova tries to look ahead to the future after a family tragedy that characterizes life under the brutal regime. But, when the rumors that have been circulating the country become a terrifying reality, Tatiana realizes that the greatest fear may not be the enemy but what her fellow citizens are prepared to do to each other to survive.

As his men plow through the Russian countryside, Heinrich Nottebohm is told to follow orders and ask no questions, even if such commands go against his own principles. His superiors hold over him a past event that continues to destroy him with every day that passes. But, when given the opportunity to take an act of defiance, Heinrich will jump at the chance, ignoring what the end results could be.

Leningrad: The People’s War tells the harrowing beginning of a war that forever changed the landscape of a city, told through the eyes of both sides in a tale of courage, love, and sacrifice.

Publication Date: February 5, 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 326 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance 

You can purchase a copy of the book via -

Universal Link: mybook.to/LeningradWar

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08PMM3NX6

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PMM3NX6

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08PMM3NX6

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08PMM3NX6

You can also get this book on Kindle Unlimited.

Now for the excerpt -

The whistles squealed and Heinrich slid away his mirror, closed his bag, and stood. He threw his luggage over his shoulder, grabbed his overcoat, and headed for the door. From the small window, Heinrich could see the figure of his old friend Maximilian Rothmann waiting by the tracks, hands behind his back and leaning on his heels. So, his appointment hadn’t been accidental after all.

The train came to an uneasy stop and one of the workers opened the door for Heinrich. Before him stood a grinning Max.

“I should have known.” Heinrich stepped on solid ground.

Max strode up and held his hand. “It’s good to see you again, Heinrich.”

A friend from their days in training, Max was a handsome individual. Slightly over six feet tall with blond hair, calm brown eyes, and smooth skin, he never had issues finding a female companion. Strange he hadn’t settled down yet.

“So, when given the option, you request someone all the way from Belgium?” Heinrich chuckled. “I think you have something against me.”

“Come now, Heinrich!” Max held up his arms. “You can’t tell me you enjoyed Belgium. Hell, you nearly lost your life there.” Max motioned to his chest, where Heinrich’s injury was located.

“Still a bit sore, might I add! They weren’t planning on discharging me for another few days.”

Max rolled his eyes. “You were taking advantage of it, I’m sure.”

“Nevertheless, when the doctor gave me some pills in case it flared up, he told me to take it easy. I exploded with laughter.”

Max joined in and patted Heinrich on the back. “Come on, let me take you to your camp.”

The city of Pinsk had been taken the day before, and from Heinrich’s new company’s position, he could still see the city smoldering. Max led Heinrich into a tent. In the middle of the space was a large table with several maps and a bed in the corner.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Max advised. “Your unit is heading out early tomorrow morning.”

Heinrich placed his bag on the ground next to the table. “And what is our ultimate goal, Moscow?”

Max grinned. “Where were you born again, Heinrich?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

Max howled. “Doesn’t seem like my appointment was made out of spite, now does it?”

“No.” Heinrich sighed. “But it was foolish.”

“How do you suppose?”

“Max, it will kill me inside to bomb that city to ruins.”

“Well if the rumor I am hearing from upper command is true, then it will make you happy.” Max stood straight. “We aren’t going to bomb Leningrad.”

“No?” Heinrich raised an eyebrow.

“No. We’re going to starve it out.”

Heinrich felt his mouth drop. “Starve it out?”

Max’s forehead wrinkled. “You seem upset.”

“I applaud Higher Command for not destroying the city but starving it doesn’t seem like a mercy plea either.”

“Heinrich, I wouldn’t worry about this.” Max waved away his concerns. “At the rate the Red Army has been retreating, the city will be abandoned. No need to make yourself ill over it.”

Heinrich made himself look relaxed but inside he was stirring. Why inflict such needless suffering on civilians who wanted nothing to do with the war? He hadn’t wanted to burn the city but that seemed more humane than starving its people.
 
“In any case, you’ll have several other cities to get through before Leningrad.” Max gestured to the map. Heinrich leaned over while Max pointed to the city of Smolensk. “This is our next target. Some of the companies are already heading that way so you’ll need to catch up. I’m leaving tonight with my unit.”

Heinrich nodded. “I’m used to chasing you, so it should be fun.”

“This isn’t military school anymore, Heinrich.” Max playfully jabbed his finger into Heinrich’s shoulder. “I rank above you. Remember that.”

“Not for much longer.” Heinrich grinned.

“Fighting words, Nottebohm. Ranks are earned by blood these days. This isn’t France—or even Poland for that matter.”

His words had a serious tone to them that Heinrich did not fail to notice. “I understand.”

Max shook his head. “You don’t, but in time you will.”

Heinrich said nothing, allowing Max’s words to sink in. What had he signed up for?

Rachel R. Heil

Rachel R. Heil is a historical fiction writer who always dreamed of being an author. After years of dreaming, she finally decided to turn this dream into a reality with her first novel, and series, Behind the Darkened Glass. Rachel is an avid history fan, primarily focused on twentieth century history and particularly World War Two-era events. In addition to her love for history, Rachel loves following the British Royal Family and traveling the world, which only opens the door to learning more about a country's history. Rachel resides in Wisconsin.

You can connect with Rachel via these platforms -

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeilRachelR

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelRHeil

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-heil-90bbb6119/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelrheil/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rachel-r-heil

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-R-Heil/e/B07MY8DZT8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18802162.Rachel_R_Heil

You can learn more about the book and the author by visiting the other blogs on this tour -

Tour Schedule Page: https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2022/01/blog-tour-leningrad-peoples-war.html

That's it for now.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

Welcoming Paulette Mahurin and her book - Over The Hedge - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Paulette Mahurin and her book - Over The Hedge - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)

Delighted to introduce and spotlight this book for you all.

Over The Hedge

During one of the darkest times in history, at the height of the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1943, members of the Dutch resistance began a mission to rescue Jewish children from the deportation center in Amsterdam. Heading the mission were Walter Süskind, a German Jew living in the Netherlands, Henriëtte Pimentel, a Sephardic Jew, and Johan van Hulst, principal of a Christian college. As Nazis rounded up Jewish families at gunpoint, the three discreetly moved children from the deportation center to the daycare across the street and over the backyard hedge to the college next door. From the college, the children were transported to live with Dutch families. Working against irate orders from Hitler to rid the Netherlands of all Jews and increasing Nazi hostilities on the Resistance, the trio worked tirelessly to overcome barriers. Ingenious plans were implemented to remove children’s names from the registry of captured Jews. To sneak them out of the college undetected past guards patrolling the deportation center. To meld them in with their new families to avoid detection. Based on actual events, Over the Hedge is the story of how against escalating Nazi brutality when millions of Jews were disposed of in camps, Walter Süskind, Henriëtte Pimentel, and Johan van Hulst worked heroically with the Dutch resistance to save Jewish children. But it is not just a story of their courageous endeavors. It is a story of the resilience of the human spirit. Of friendship and selfless love. The love that continues on in the hearts of over six hundred Dutch Jewish children.

Publication Date: July 31, 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 176 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase the book via these platforms -

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/me9eZr

The book is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Paulette Mahurin

Paulette Mahurin is an international bestselling literary fiction and historical fiction novelist. She lives with her husband Terry and two dogs, Max and Bella, in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science.

Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine. Her second novel, His Name Was Ben, originally written as an award winning short story while she was in college and later expanded into a novel, rose to bestseller lists its second week out. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and made it to multiple sites as favorite read book of 2015. Her fourth book, The Seven Year Dress, made it to the bestseller lists for literary fiction and historical fiction on Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K. and Amazon Australia. Her fifth book, The Day I Saw The Hummingbird, was released in 2017 to rave reviews. Her sixth book, A Different Kind of Angel, was released in the summer of 2018 also to rave reviews. Her last four books: Irma’s Endgame, The Old Gilt Clock, Where Irises Never Grow, and Over the Hedge all made it to bestselling lists on Amazon. Her new release, Over the Hedge, was #1 in Hot New Release Amazon U.K. it’s second day out. 

 

You can connect with Paulette Mahrin via these platforms -

Website: thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mahurinpaulette

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paulette-Mahurins-Books-695108163960200

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/paulettemahurin

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/paulette-mahurin

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Paulette-Mahurin/e/B008MMDUGO

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5895757.Paulette_Mahurin

You can learn more about the book and the author by visiting the other blogs on this tour.

https://www.coffeepotbookclub.com/post/blog-tour-over-the-hedge-by-paulette-mahurin-mahurinpaulette

That's it for now.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe.

 

 

 

Welcoming Clare Flynn and her book - Sisters At War - to my blog.

  Today I'm welcoming Clare Flynn and her book - Sisters at War - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)

I'm delighted to share an excerpt with you all, but first I will introduce the book.

Sisters At War

1940 Liverpool. The pressures of war threaten to tear apart two sisters traumatised by their father’s murder of their mother.

With her new husband, Will, a merchant seaman, deployed on dangerous Atlantic convoy missions, Hannah needs her younger sister Judith more than ever. But when Mussolini declares war on Britain, Judith's Italian sweetheart, Paolo is imprisoned as an enemy alien, and Judith's loyalties are divided.

Each sister wants only to be with the man she loves but, as the war progresses, tensions between them boil over, and they face an impossible decision.

A heart-wrenching page-turner about the everyday bravery of ordinary people during wartime. From heavily blitzed Liverpool to the terrors of the North Atlantic and the scorched plains of Australia, Sisters at War will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart.

Publication Date: 1^st May 2021

Publisher: Cranbrook Press

Page Length: 314 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase a copy of the book via -

Universal Link:https://books2read.com/sistersatwar

Amazon UK: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B08Z473XG2

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-War-wartime-voyage-across-ebook/dp/B08Z473XG2/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Sisters-War-wartime-voyage-across-ebook/dp/B08Z473XG2

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Sisters-War-wartime-voyage-across-ebook/dp/B08Z473XG2/

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sisters-at-war-1

Now for the excerpt -

They were off the north coast of Ireland when the torpedo struck. Less than twenty-four hours out of Liverpool. U-47 had one torpedo left and was returning to Germany, when the zig-zag course of the Arandora Star caused the U-boat captain to guess that it was an enemy ship.

At six in the morning, Paolo was asleep on the top deck. He was woken by a loud dull thump, as the missile smashed straight into the engine room, breaking the back of the ship. Men were thrown into the sea, spewed out like ash from a volcano.

In the chaos and shock that ensued, Paolo saw that some of the lifeboats had been damaged by the explosion. The ship was listing sharply, rendering the lifeboats on the uppermost side of the ship unlaunchable – swinging uselessly on their davits over the deck rather than the sea. Those that were usable were being lowered in a frenzy of panicked activity. Prisoners, guards, crew, and some of the men who had been pitched overboard, were pulled inside them.

Many of the Italians were too terrified to move. Paralysed. A number of elderly men appeared too frail and shocked to do anything; others were screaming that they couldn’t swim. Most of the Italians were on the lowest deck and had further to climb through the ship towards safety, by which time most of the functioning lifeboats were full or on the water, requiring a jump. Some of the cabin doors on those lower decks had jammed as a result of the explosion, leaving men trapped inside.

The early morning air was rent with screams of ‘Aiuto!’ – help me! – or desperate cries of prayer and pain. This motley band of mainly blameless men: hoteliers, caterers, hairdressers, waiters, shopkeepers, and doormen, were still in shock from being torn from home and family when they had committed no crime. Most were over fifty – several in their sixties and seventies – and now they were bewildered participants in a sea battle they’d never expected.

One of the crew handed Paolo a life jacket and he spotted Alfonso several feet away. The grocer looked wretched, his eyes hollow, his face gaunt. Paolo grabbed another jacket and pushed his way through the crowd towards his friend.

‘We must get into a lifeboat. There are still spaces,’ he told him. ‘The ship is sinking. We must get in a boat now.’

But by the time he and the shocked Signor Giordano reached the last of the lifeboats, it was already full and being lowered towards the sea.

Paolo looked about. The ship was going down. His years as a seaman left him in no doubt. ‘We’ll have to jump.’

‘I can’t swim,’ Alfonso said. ‘I never learnt.’ Around them, men were diving or jumping into the sea, but there were hundreds of others rushing around on the deck in a blind panic, fuelled by terror. German voices mixed with English, and Italian. Those deciding to take their chances in the sea seemed to be predominantly German – many of them merchant seamen like Paolo, or British guards and crew, while the elderly Italians stubbornly refused to budge, clinging onto the rails. They couldn’t believe that it could possibly be safer in the water than here on the – now steeply sloping – deck.

‘I’ll help you.’ Paolo tugged his arm, desperate. ‘You have to jump. Please, Alfonso. I beg you. It’s our only chance.’ He indicated the water below where men were bobbing around. ‘Look you can see how the water level has risen up the hull. The ship is broken. Trust me, I’m a sailor. It’s going to sink.’ He tried to control the fear in his voice.

But Giordano clung to the railings, his eyes brimming with tears. ‘I can’t do it. I can’t. You go.’ His face contorted in terror.

Paolo tried to help his friend to put on the life jacket, but Alfonso shoved him away. As he did so the life vest was grabbed by someone else. Below them, the sea was littered with debris, dead bodies, men swimming towards the lifeboats and a growing slick of black oil. The stricken vessel creaked ominously.

‘No. No. I can’t.’ Alfonso’s voice, barely a whisper, dripped fear.

‘Please, come with me, Alfonso.’

‘No!’ He shook his head rapidly, the fear pulsing off him, his eyes wild. Go! Tell my Maria I love her.’ He pushed Paolo towards the railing.

Paolo wasn’t ready to die. Jumping was the only hope he would ever have of seeing Judith again, With one last pleading look at Alfonso, he clambered over the railings and let himself drop towards the waters below.

Clare Flynn

Clare Flynn is the author of thirteen historical novels and a collection of short stories. A former International Marketing Director and strategic management consultant, she is now a full-time writer.

Having lived and worked in London, Paris, Brussels, Milan and Sydney, home is now on the coast, in Sussex, England, where she can watch the sea from her windows. An avid traveler, her books are often set in exotic locations.

Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Society of Authors, ALLi, and the Romantic Novelists Association. When not writing, she loves to read, quilt, paint and play the piano. 

You can connect with Clare Flynn via these platforms -

Website: https://clareflynn.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarefly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorclareflynn

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Clare-Flynn/e/B008O4T2LC/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6486156.Clare_Flynn

Instagram https://instagram.com/clarefly

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clareflynn/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/clarefly/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/clare-flynn

You can also learn more about the author and the book by visiting the other blogs on this tour.

That's it for now.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

 

 

 

 

 

Welcoming Keith Stuart and his book - Pied Piper - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Keith Stuart and his book - Pied Piper - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)

Delighted to share an excerpt with you, but first I will introduce the book as always.

Pied Piper

In September 1939 the British Government launched Operation Pied Piper. To protect them from the perils of German bombing raids, in three days millions of city children were evacuated - separated from their parents.

This story tells of two families: one whose children leave London and the other which takes them in. We share the ups and downs of their lives, their dramas and tragedies, their stoicism and their optimism. But. unlike many other stories and images about this time, this one unfolds mainly through the eyes of Tom, the father whose children set off, to who knew where, with just a small case and gas mask to see them on their way.

Publication Date: 1st March 2021

Publisher: LMP- Len Maynard Publishing @len_maynard

Page Length: 176 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII 

You can purchase a copy of the book via -

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pied-Piper-Keith-Stuart-ebook/dp/B08VNV7HRG

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pied-Piper-Keith-Stuart-ebook/dp/B08VNV7HRG

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Pied-Piper-Keith-Stuart-ebook/dp/B08VNV7HRG

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pied-Piper-Keith-Stuart-ebook/dp/B08VNV7HRG

This novel is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

Now for the excerpt -

The next few minutes’ thoughts were drowned by the clatter of pots and cutlery and plates but there was an unusual absence of chatter. Alice and Micky always had something to say, correcting and contradicting each other about things they had been doing together and interrupting each other as they shared what they had done alone, each certain the other was being given too much time to tell. But that night they were subdued, quiet.

“Right, you two, hands washed quickly,” and I whisked Micky off his feet towards the sink, trying my darnedest to tickle his ribs and illicit a giggle. Instead, he twisted in my arms and threw his arms round my neck, pressing his warm little cheek against mine and whispered in my ear. “I don’t want to go, Daddy.” I wrapped him in my arms and clasped him so close I wanted him to melt into me so we couldn’t be parted.

“I know, Soldier, but it won’t be for long and you’re a lucky thing getting extra holiday in the country. Wish I was coming.” He could never know how much I meant that. “And you have to look after Alice, too, ’cause you know what she’s like, she won’t want to go either.”

Alice could not have heard the exchange, but she sensed the moment and came running from the sink and crashed into my legs, trying her best to join her hands round my waist and bury her face into my belly. I could feel her shoulders heaving with her sobs and, clutching my son in one arm, I reached down and clasped the back of her head and pressed her closer still. Without looking, my eyes were so tightly shut they hurt, I could see in my mind’s eye her soft, golden hair, tumbling in bubbling curls half-way down her back.

When I dared open my eyes, I found myself instinctively looking straight into Mary’s. She made no sound as tears slid down each side of her face.

“Right, you silly lot. This won’t do. We’ve got tea to eat and lots of getting ready for your adventure. You gotta choose the things you want to take, then everything’s got to be packed, Mummy’s got labels to write. And I…well I’ve got things to do, too.”

“What have you got to do, Daddy?” It was Alice who managed to join me in breaking the moment.

“Now that’s for me to know and you to find out. But you won’t be finding out till tomorrow.”

“Oh Daddy, that’s not fair. That’s teasing and you say we shouldn’t tease.” Micky had eased his cheek from mine and was looking straight at me.

“Yeah, but I’m a grown up and I’m allowed.”

As I lowered Micky to the floor again, I kissed the top of Alice’s head and inhaled as deeply as I could. I needed to lock in the smell of them both. We took our usual places at the table, Mary nearest the stove to fetch and carry, the children either side and opposite each other, and me at the end opposite Mary. It had never been decided that this is how it would be, it just happened. It was a bit like the colour of eyes, or the size of feet being handed down, inherited. It was just the way we did it and it felt right and comfortable. It was the shape of our perfect little family.

Tea was eaten more quietly than usual: the questions the children must have had I suspect could not be asked. They were too big, too difficult to voice because then they would become real issues instead of potential ones. Neither Mary nor I could guess their thoughts for certain and feared we might sow a seed of fear they might not have had if we were to explore the possibilities with them. So, we sat in a cloud of denial. Not lying to each other by saying but doing so by not.

Micky looked the most lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t right that such big things had to be considered by one so small. I daren’t even try to put myself in his place, wonder what I would have felt like at six years old, leaving my Mum and Dad to go off to who knew where, to live with who knew who, for who knew how long. One thought poked itself into my head but, as the possibility of never seeing my little ones again flitted across my thoughts, Micky spoke and a shutter seemingly came down and ‘what ifs’ returned to ‘what now?’

“Can I take Bunners?”

In all the magnitude of the situation, in a mountain of potential consequences, Micky’s troubled, almost tearful fear that he might be separated from his beloved, stuffed and threadbare rabbit broke the silence at last. And I laughed. It was so absurd, so incongruous and had I not laughed I would most certainly have cried.

Keith Stuart

Keith Stuart (Wadsworth) taught English for 36 years in Hertfordshire schools, the county in which he was born and has lived most of his life. Married with two sons, sport, music and, especially when he retired after sixteen years as a headteacher, travel, have been his passions. Apart from his own reading, reading and guiding students in their writing; composing assemblies; writing reports, discussion and analysis papers, left him with a declared intention to write a book. Pied Piper is ‘it’. Starting life as a warm-up exercise at the Creative Writing Class he joined in Letchworth, it grew into this debut novel.

You can connect with Keith Stuart via these platforms -

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bykeithstuart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bykeithstuart

You can also visit the other blogs on this tour to learn more about the book.

That's it for now.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe