Welcoming Tonya Mitchell and her book - A Feigned Madness - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Tonya Mitchell and her book - A Feigned Madness - 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 a review with you, but first I will introduce the book.

A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell

Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret.

She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is.

In truth, she’s working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because she’s a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, she’ll impersonate a lunatic to expose a local asylum’s abuses.

When she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision—is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme—and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York—is in jeopardy.

A Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier—a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.

Publication date: 6^th October 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller

Publisher: Cynren Press

Print Length: 392 pages

You can purchase the book via the following -

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feigned-Madness-Tonya-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B083752GHC

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Feigned-Madness-Tonya-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B083752GHC

Now for the review -

I confess I didn't know anything about journalism from this era, what alone the struggles that faced female Jouralists, so when I was offered an Advanced Readers Copy of A Feigned Madness, I jumped at the chance to read about Nellie Bly. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting, but what I got was a story that captured my imagination, pulled on my heart strings and saw me reading late into the night!

The story centres around Elizabeth Cochrane who refuses to take no for an answer when being considered for a job at the New York World. Elizabeth strikes a deal with the managing editor – a job in return for her going undercover impersonating a lunatic to gain entry to Blackwell Lunatic Asylum.

Elizabeth becomes Nellie Bly and sets out on the path to the asylum knowing the challenges ahead will not be easy. Without giving anything away, dear reader, let's just say Elizabeth has to dig deep and battle to ensure she not only gains entry, but remains there long enough to uncover the story she went there to expose. After all, her career at the New York World depends on the outcome!

I have to compliment Tonya Mitchell – it is clear that extensive research was undertaken to bring this story to life and make the reader feel as if they are truly there with Nellie. This story takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions and the plight of the inmates really moved me. A Feigned Madness is well written, well researched and I would definitely recommend it.

I look forward to reading more of Tonya Mitchell's work.

Tonya Mitchell

Ever since reading Jane Eyre in high school, Tonya Mitchell has been drawn to dark stories of the gothic variety. Her influences include Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Bram Stoker. More contemporarily, she loves the work of Agatha Christie, Margaret Atwood, and Laura Purcell. When she landed on a story about a woman who feigned insanity in order to go undercover in an insane asylum, she knew she’d landed on something she was meant to write. Her short fiction has appeared in, among other publications, Glimmer and Other Stories and Poems, for which she won the Cinnamon Press award in fiction. She is a self-professed Anglophile and is obsessed with all things relating to the Victorian period. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society North America and resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and three wildly energetic sons. A Feigned Madness is her first novel.

You can connect with Tonya Mitchell via the following platforms -

Website: https://www.tonyamitchellauthor.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tremmitchell

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmitchell.2012/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20194868.Tonya_Mitchell

I do hope you will check out Tonya Mitchell's work.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

 

Welcoming Tom Kane and his book - The Brittle Sea - to my blog

Today I'm welcoming Tom Kane and his book - The Brittle Sea (The Brittle Saga Trilogy 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 pleased to share an excerpt with you all, but first I will introduce the book.

The Brittle Sea by Tom Kane

 

The Titanic disaster is the catalyst that sparks a bloody feud between two families in early 20th century America.

Magda Asparov is travelling from her home in the Ukraine to be the chosen bride of American businessman Matthew Turner III. But the ill-fated voyage of the unsinkable ship has far reaching consequences for her and her savior.

Magda has lost her memory and a new personality, Maggie, has taken hold. The Captain of her rescue ship, Richard Blackmore, has fallen for Maggie.

A mental illness, betrayal, murder, and corruption destroy Blackmore's life until all that remains is for him to seek revenge.

  

Publication Date: 19th June 2020

Publisher: TigerBites

Print Length: 295 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase a copy of The Brittle Sea from -

Amazon (Kindle): http://mybook.to/BrittleSea-eBook

Amazon (Paperback): http://mybook.to/BrittleSeaPaperback

Now for the excerpt -

A Death on the Street - March 15, 1931

The sidewalk on 42nd wasn’t especially crowded for an early spring Sunday in New York. The well-dressed old man walked freely between passing pedestrians, jauntily swinging his cane, the cane he told everyone he needed for the war wound he had never received. He whistled a soft tune to himself, something from a bygone part of his life, a period he hated to look back on but wouldn’t leave his memories. His life was good, and he eschewed old memories. He was more than happy at what he had achieved over the years since he had become a widower, freed from his servitude.

She made my life intolerable!

He was suddenly surprised at how much vehemence the thought of her brought to his now ordered life. Anger, he told himself, was not for him. That was all in the past.

It was then, at the very instant the old man was beginning to forgive her for making him angry, that a young woman stepped out in front of him. She was wearing a nondescript dirty and threadbare blue farmer’s bib-overall, a dirty old cap and her left arm was in a sling. He noticed, looking her up and down, familiar scuffed red shoes… those familiar scuffed red shoes. He was surprised and stopped walking, amazed at the sudden familiarity of her small, sweet face. He opened his mouth to speak, maybe even daring to be impolite and ask if she was related to… but he never had the chance to speak. The girl pulled a small pistol from the sling with her free arm and levelled it at him. Too late, he realised who she was.

“Maggie.” The words formed on her lips and she smiled, clumsily cocking, and firing the pistol, twice… three times.

The old man groaned, stumbled forward but stopped his fall with his cane, gripping it tightly with both hands. He suddenly thought of her once more, leaned forward on his cane and looked up at his assailant. “You have her eyes,” he said to her, coughing blood that spattered the young woman’s dirty clothing. He smiled at her, lost his grip on his cane, and fell forward, hitting the sidewalk heavily.

The young woman screamed, and tears welled in her frightened eyes. Before she knew it, she was pulling back on the trigger to cock the gun again, levelling it this time to her right-temple. The gun belched loudly once more.

A knot of female pedestrians, caught in the tableau of hate and death unfolding before them, screamed their hysteria as one. They watched in horror as the girl staggered left, then right and then keeled forward, dropping to the floor, but managing with a gasp to stop her face hitting the hard concrete. Her arms took the full force of the fall, but soon failed and she crumpled forward, a small sob leaving her mouth.

New York rain suddenly splattered the sidewalk, hissing across the concrete and spreading onto the pools of blood forming around both victim and assailant, the blood mixing in death where in life the family blood had become tainted and poisoned, fuelled with jealousy, hate and revenge.

The old man’s eyes met the young woman’s as they lay a few feet apart. There was no hate now. No fear. A family was reunited as death took the once living into its bosom. In a final act of contrition, New York’s rain washed the blood away and the sins of a family flowed into the gutter where they belonged.

Tom Kane

As a child, Tom Kane's family always insisted he was born in the corner of the living room, behind the TV. That strange assertion, true or false, seems to have set the tone for the rest of his life. Kane's mother inspired him to write. Doctor Who and Isaac Asimov inspired his love of science fiction. Monty Python inspired him to be silly and he continues to blame Billy Connolly for his infrequent bursts of bad language In the corner or behind the TV, what is officially known about Tom Kane's birth is that it took place in England many moons ago.

You can connect with Tom Kane via the following platforms -

Website: https://www.tom-kane-author.website/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TigerBites

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

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

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

I hope you check out Tom Kane's work and enjoy.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

 

 

Welcoming Marie Macpherson and her book - The Last Blast of the Trumpet (Book 3 of the Knox Trilogy) - to my blog

Today I'm welcoming Marie Macpherson and her book - The Last Blast of the Trumpet (Book Three of the Knox Trilogy) - 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 be able to share an excerpt with you all, but first I will introduce the book.

 The Last Blast of the Trumpet by Marie MacPherson

 Conflict, Chaos and Corruption in Reformation Scotland.

He wants to reform Scotland, but his enemies will stop at nothing to prevent him.

Scotland 1559: Fiery reformer John Knox returns to a Scotland on the brink of civil war. Victorious, he feels confident of his place leading the reform until the charismatic young widow, Mary Queen of Scots returns to claim her throne. She challenges his position and initiates a ferocious battle of wills as they strive to win the hearts and minds of the Scots. But the treachery and jealousy that surrounds them both as they make critical choices in their public and private lives has dangerous consequences that neither of them can imagine.

In this final instalment of the trilogy of the fiery reformer John Knox, Macpherson tells the story of a man and a queen at one of the most critical phases of Scottish history.

Publication Date: 24 August 2020

Publisher: Penmore Press

Series: The Knox Trilogy

Print Length: 409 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Biographical Fiction

You can purchase a copy from the following places -

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Blast-Trumpet-John-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B08GN9SGNB

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Blast-Trumpet-John-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B08GN9SGNB

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-blast-of-the-trumpet-marie-macpherson/1137539926

 Praise for Marie MacPherson and The Last Blast of the Trumpet -

"Macpherson has done for Knox what Hilary Mantel did for Cromwell.’

Scottish Field

‘This richly realized portrait of a complex man in extraordinary times is historical fiction at its finest.’

Linda Porter, author of Crown of Thistles; Katherine the Queen, Royal Renegades; Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II

‘Marie Macpherson has once again given us a cavalcade of flesh and blood characters living the early days of the Scottish Reformation in a complex tale told with economy and wit.’

S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker Series and Alexander Seaton mysteries

Now for the excerpt -

Part 2: Chapter Six

Hail Mary!

Edinburgh, 19 August 1561

The mist swirling in from the North Sea banished the summer sunshine and smothered the city in a smoky grey pall. The morning was so dark that candles had to be lit and the damp cold filled the room with the chill of the grave. The worst haar Knox had ever seen was a bad omen. He shivered and straightened a blanket round his shoulders. Any day now Queen Mary would land on his shores and smite his tender young kirk. The reformed faith may have triumphed but it needed the Book of Discipline for Protestant principles and rites to filter down to the common folk, many of whom were still papists. This was no idle threat. Mary believed him to be the most dangerous man in all her realm, so Randolph had told him, and had vowed to banish him as soon as she set foot in Scotland. Let her try: Lord James would take his part. He’d made a solemn promise to forbid his sister to practise her idolatrous faith in any shape or form, especially the abominable mass. He would keep tryst, Knox thought, as the Hepburn motto popped into his mind.

The boom of cannons firing from the castle startled him. He threw down his quill and hurried to the window. Spectral shapes were emerging from the closes and wynds and disappearing down the High Street in the witch’s brew of sour, yellowish fog.

The door was flung open and Jamie bawled, ‘Queen Mary has come! She’s biding at the Lamb’s house in Leith.’

Knox stiffened. Jamie’s words filled him with foreboding. The dreaded day had arrived.

‘Favourable winds carried her ships more swiftly than expected,’ Jamie went on, ‘and they slunk in to harbour under cover of the haar at dawn. She’ll be coming up to Holyrood this afternoon. Folk are already gathering in their droves for the procession.’

Stepping out into the sunless, dripping wet street, Knox and Jamie scarcely could see the length of two pairs of boots. Clammy fingers of smirr tickled Knox’s beard and neck. He pulled his bonnet over his ears and drew his muffler up to his eyes, covering his nose and beard to stifle the stink of rotting fish mingling with smoke. As a gust of knifing wind frayed the edge of the fog, Knox caught a glimpse of the parade coming up the brae from Leith. To his surprise, this was no dazzling cavalcade with thoroughbred mounts and jewelled harnesses: it was almost puritan in its simplicity.

‘The English fleet rammed the royal ships,’ Jamie explained. ‘Mary’s galley was saved but her horses were lost so they had to cobble together some scruffy palfreys and ponies.’

A huge roar went up from the crowd as the queen approached, escorted by her half-brothers Robert and John with Lord James at their head.

Knox drew his black brows together. Even though she was mounted on a pitiful palfrey much too small for her and dressed in her deuil blanc, the black and white of mourning, the eighteen-year-old queen managed to retain a regal presence, much to his dismay.

‘The queen has a kind soul,’ he overheard a fishwife say.

‘Aye, she has that,’ her companion replied. ‘I heard she was moved to tears seeing the galley slaves chained to their oars and ordered the slave-master not to lash them with the whip.’

Once again Knox winced. Knowing her every word, every move would be reported, had the wily queen intended the act of kindness as a jibe at him, a former galley slave? Witnessing the folk’s jubilation pierced him to the very core. In an instant her beauty, youth and feminine charm had enchanted her people and if the lords couldn’t curb her power, he had everything to fear from her.

That evening, bonfires lit up the sky from one end of the city to the other and the streets filled with the people dancing and playing music. Knox turned away from the window. ‘Music! I’ll give them music and make them dance to my tune,’ he grunted and sent Jamie to muster as many of his most trusted brethren as he could to the manse. ‘Tonight we shall serenade the queen at Holyrood,’ he told them.

His supporters looked perplexed. ‘Why would we do that, master? We dinnae want her to feel welcome.’

‘Never fash,’ Knox said. ‘In France, the Huguenots demonstrate their defiance by chanting psalms on the streets. Let’s show our dissent by singing battle hymns of the Lord.’

Beneath the queen’s window, the chorus caterwauled psalms to the tune of badly played fiddles and rebecks. If the scraping and howling grated on his lugs, then the queen’s delicate ears must be seriously offended, Knox hoped. The window was flung open and a head poked out, no doubt a lackey sent to bawl them out, Knox thought, and braced himself to defend their sacred Protestant music.

‘Her Majesty praises your musical offering,’ a solemn-faced Lord James said, ‘and finds it perfectly agreeable. Nevertheless, weary after her long journey, she beseeches you to return another night.’

‘Well, that’s put a cork in our whistles,’ Jamie chuckled. ‘Snide bastard. We’ll no be back.’

For a moment, Lord James’s appearance rattled Knox. Had he already fallen under his sister’s spell? Leading the brethren away he muttered, ‘Our singing voices may be agreeable to Mary, but I wager the sound of my voice ringing from the pulpit on Sunday will not be so pleasing.’

Marie MacPherson 

Scottish writer Marie Macpherson grew up in Musselburgh on the site of the Battle of Pinkie and within sight of Fa’side Castle where tales and legends haunted her imagination. She left the Honest Toun to study Russian at Strathclyde University and spent a year in the former Soviet Union to research her PhD thesis on the 19th century Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov, said to be descended from the Scottish poet and seer, Thomas the Rhymer. Though travelled widely, teaching languages and literature from Madrid to Moscow, she has never lost her enthusiasm for the rich history and culture of her native Scotland.

Writing historical fiction combines her academic’s love of research with a passion for storytelling. Exploring the personal relationships and often hidden motivations of historical characters drives her curiosity. 

The Knox Trilogy is a fictional biography of the fiery reformer, John Knox, set during the 16th century Scottish Reformation. Prizes and awards include the Martha Hamilton Prize for Creative Writing from Edinburgh University and Writer of the Year 2011 awarded by Tyne & Esk Writers. She is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA), the Historical Novel Society (HNS) and the Society of Authors (SoA).

You can connect with Marie MacPherson on the following platforms -

Website: https://mariemacpherson.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scotscriever

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

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

Publisher: https://www.penmorepress.com/project/marie-macpherson/

You can learn more about the author and the book by visiting the other blogs taking part in the tour. Details -

 I do hope that you will check out Marie MacPherson's work.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

 

Welcoming Catherine Kullman and her book - The Potential for Love: A Regency novel - to my blog.

Today I'm welcoming Catherine Kullmann and her book - The Potential for Love: A Regency novel - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde). 

Delighted to share a review with you all, but first I'll introduce the book.

The Potential for Love by Catherine Kullmann

1816

For over six years, Thomas Ferraunt’s thoughts have been of war. Newly returned to England from occupied Paris, he must ask himself what his place is in this new world and what he wants from it. More and more, his thoughts turn to Arabella Malvin, but would Lord Malvin agree to such a mismatch for his daughter, especially when she is being courted by Lord Henry Danlow?

About to embark on her fourth Season, Arabella is tired of the life of a debutante, waiting in the wings for her real life to begin. She is ready to marry. But which of her suitors has the potential for love and who will agree to the type of marriage she wants?

As she struggles to make her choice, she is faced with danger from an unexpected quarter while Thomas is stunned by a new challenge. Will these events bring them together or drive them apart?

We are celebrating the release of the special hardback edition of The Potential for Love during this tour. With a beautiful dust jacket over an elegant laminated cover, it will enhance any library and is the perfect gift for lovers of historical women’s fiction and historical romance.

Publication date: 31 March 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance/Regency Romance/Historical Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Willow Books

Print Length: 414 Pages

You can purchase a copy of the book via the following links -

 Amazon: mybook.to/PfLhardcover

Amazon Kindle: mybook.to/ThePotentialForLove

The Potential for Love HB Waterstones: https://bit.ly/2XdXjzx

The Potential for Love PB Waterstones: https://bit.ly/2WWqtmt

The Potential for Love HB Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/2OXTE45

The Potential for Love PB Barnes and Noble : https://bit.ly/3f9kxNn

Now for the review -

I sat down, with a cold refreshing glass of juice in one hand and a copy of The Potential for Love: A Regency Novel in the other and so this brief but fulfilling love affair began. What drew me to this book is the cover. Usually, Regency Romances, have some dashing hero and windswept heroin on the cover, but this book has a portrait from the era, and I think this really set the tone for this book.

The story was tantalisingly delicious, as were the characters. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Catherine Kullmann knows how to write a dashing hero and a strong, yet feminine heroine. Their love story is the kind that makes a reader smile. There is just the right amount of romance and conflict, but as one would expect, there is a joyful, happy ending. Likewise, the historical setting has been brought back to life.

My advice to you, dear reader, is to think Jane Austen rather than Tessa Dare when you read this book, but if you like your romances sweet and your story sweeping then this novel may be right up your street.

I was given a copy of this book by the author for review consideration.

Catherine Kullmann

I was born and brought up in Dublin and moved to Germany on my marriage in 1973. Before my marriage, I was an administrative officer at the Department of Finance in Dublin. I worked as attaché at the Irish Embassy in Bonn until my eldest son was born. Following a twelve-year stint as a full-time mother, I joined the New Zealand Embassy in Bonn, where I was administration officer. My husband and I returned to Ireland in 1999 and in 2009, following a year’s treatment for breast cancer, I took early retirement from my position as Director of Administration and Human Resources at a large Dublin law firm.

I have always enjoyed writing, I love the fall of words, the shaping of an expressive phrase, the satisfaction when a sentence conveys my meaning exactly. I enjoy plotting and revel in the challenge of evoking a historic era for characters who behave authentically in their period while making their actions and decisions plausible and sympathetic to a modern reader. In addition, I am fanatical about language, especially using the right language as it would have been used during the period about which I am writing. But rewarding as all this craft is, there is nothing to match the moment when a book takes flight, when your characters suddenly determine the route of their journey.

The first quarter of the nineteenth century was one of the most significant periods of European and American history, a period whose events still resonate two hundred years later The Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1800, the Anglo-American war of 1812 and the final defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 all still shape our modern world. The aristocracy-led society that drove these events was already under attack from those who saw the need for social and political reform, while the industrial revolution saw the beginning of the transfer of wealth and ultimately power to those who knew how to exploit the new technologies.

I write historical fiction set against this background of off-stage wars, of women frequently left to fend for themselves in a patriarchal world where they have few or no rights but must make the best lives they can for themselves and their families. While real people sometimes have walk-on parts, the protagonists and their stories are pure fiction. As well as meeting their personal challenges, they must also cope with external events and the constraints imposed by society. The main story arc is romantic. I am particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on around the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them.

You can connect with Catherine Kullmann on the following platforms -

Website: https://www.catherinekullmann.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CKullmannAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15549457.Catherine_Kullmann

You can also find out more about the book by visiting the other blogs on this tour. Details here-

I do hope you check out Catherine Kullman's work.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe

 

 

Welcoming Anna Belfrage and her book - His Castilian Hawk (The Castilian Saga, Book 1) - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Anna Belfrage and her book - His Castilian Hawk (The Castilian Saga, Book 1) - 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 be able to share a review with you, but first I will introduce the book.

His Castilian Hawk By Anna Belfrage

For bastard-born Robert FitzStephan, being given Eleanor d’Outremer in marriage is an honour. For Eleanor, this forced wedding is anything but a fairy tale.

Robert FitzStephan has served Edward Longshanks loyally since the age of twelve. Now he is riding with his king to once and for all bring Wales under English control.

Eleanor d’Outremer—Noor to family—lost her Castilian mother as a child and is left entirely alone when her father and brother are killed. When ordered to wed the unknown Robert FitzStephan, she has no choice but to comply.

Two strangers in a marriage bed is not easy. Things are further complicated by Noor’s blood-ties to the Welsh princes and by covetous Edith who has warmed Robert’s bed for years.

Robert’s new wife may be young and innocent, but he is soon to discover that not only is she spirited and proud, she is also brave. Because when Wales lies gasping and Edward I exacts terrible justice on the last prince and his children, Noor is determined to save at least one member of the House of Aberffraw from the English king.

Will years of ingrained service have Robert standing with his king or will he follow his heart and protect his wife, his beautiful and fierce Castilian hawk?

Publication Date: September 28, 2020 

Publisher: Matador (paperback) & Timelight Press (ebook)

Page Length: 396 pages (paperback) 335 pages (ebook)

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase a copy of the book via -

Amazon

Now for the review -

Forced to marry the man who killed her father and brother in battle – it is a match made in Heaven!

I had heard great things about Anna Belfrage’s books, so when I was offered an Advanced Readers Copy of her latest release, I jumped at the chance. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting, but what I got was a story that made me laugh, it made me cry and it also made my heart flutter.

The story centres around Robert FitzStephan, who after saving King Edward’s life is forced to marry Eleanor d’Outremer. Robert is under no illusions that this is no love match, but it does mean that he rises in station somewhat dramatically. Robert grasps the opportunity with both hands, but he intends to change next to nothing about how he lives his life, and that includes keeping his mistress, the lovely Edith. Oh, is he in for a surprise, for his new wife, Eleanor “Noor” may have something to say about that! Their relationship is one of misunderstandings, passion, and eventually love.

The historical detailing in this book is astounding. Although I don’t know much about Edward I’s reign, I did know that he was a ruthless king. The plight of Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s wife and children really moved me. Especially when Edward knew what it was like to lose a child, and yet he somehow justifies his actions. His treatment of Elizabeth Ferrers is heartbreakingly awful.

There is a lot of story in this book, and there are several interwoven plot threads which I think is the reason that makes it so hard to put down. I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!

Anna Belfrage

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17^th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14^th century England.

More recently, Anna has published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. While she loved stepping out of her comfort zone (and will likely do so again ) she is delighted to be back in medieval times in her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love.

You can connect with Anna via the following platforms -  

Website: www.annabelfrage.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

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

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG

You can learn more about His Castilian Hawk by visiting the other blogs taking part in this tour and reading their posts. Here's the tour schedule -

 I do hope you wil check out Anna Belfrage's work.

Till the next time.

Take Care Zoe

 

Welcoming Tonya Ulynn Brown and her book - The Queen's Almoner - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Tonya Ulynn Brown and her book - The Queen's Almoner- 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 be able to share an excerpt with you, but first I'll introduce the book.

The Queen's Almoner By Tonya Ulynn Brown

Sometimes loyalty to the queen comes at a cost.

Thomas Broune is a Reformer and childhood friend of the young queen, Mary Stuart. When Mary embarks on a new life in her estranged homeland of Scotland, Thomas is there to greet her and offer his renewed friendship. But the long-time friends grow closer, and Thomas realizes his innocent friendship has grown into something more. Yet he is a man of the cloth. Mary is the queen of the Scots. Both of them have obligations of an overwhelming magnitude: he to his conscience and she to her throne. 

When he must choose between loyalty to his queen or his quiet life away from her court, he finds that the choice comes at a high price. Driven by a sense of obligation to protect those he loves, and crippled by his inability to do so, Thomas must come to terms with the choices he has made and find a peace that will finally lay his failures to rest.

Publication Date: June 30, 2020 

Publisher: Late November Literary  

Print Length: 320 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase a copy of the book via -

 Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Almoner-Tonya-Ulynn-Brown-ebook/dp/B089VRV6C4

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Almoner-Tonya-Ulynn-Brown/dp/1734100885

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-queens-almoner-tonya-ulynn-brown/1137160238?ean=9781734100884

Now for the excerpt -

We left Strathbogie at daybreak. We made a great spectacle, as over 3,000 men, most on horseback but many on foot, had joined with Mary and were now moving in unison toward Aberdeen. A sea of blacks, browns, grays, chestnuts, and every color of horse in between thundered across the plains and over the hillsides. The regal garments and royal standards of the queen’s army and the colorful tartans and humble weapons of the Highland clans who joined with her cause, merged together into one purpose. The sound of the horses alone was deafening, but when you added the powerful cries of thousands of warriors, the sound was quite bone-jarring.

“Ramses seems a little more skittish than normal, don’t you think, Thomas?” Mary observed the horse with her sharp eye as we made our way to Aberdeen.

“Aye, he has been giving me fits for two days now. He seemed especially on edge this morning as I performed his daily grooming ritual, and then dressed his saddle and bridle. I mean, all the horses seemed to anticipate the fight. But where most pranced in anxious anticipation, Ramses has trembled with nervous energy.”

We were within a few miles of Aberdeen when Lord James commanded a halt of our soldiers. We dismounted to stretch our legs, and James motioned for us to join him at the edge of a long, flat meadow.

“We will stop here at Corrichie Burn. Just over that hill is Midmar Castle. We have reason to believe that Gordon is hiding there.” James pointed to the north. A small canyon lied between where we stood and the castle on the other side.

“Marshland covers that canyon,” Sir Arrick added. “We will need to be very careful when we cross. Watch for small knolls covered in cotton grass. That is where you will want to step. The ground beneath is firmer there and will give you a sure spot to place your step. Avoid the sphagnum moss; it will be soggy and you will lose your footing.”

“How will we ever cross safely on horseback?” Mary cried. “It’s a devil’s trap.”

“You will not be crossing at all,” James said. “You will stay here, on the safety of this hill. You will be able to see everything and send messages should you find the need.”

“May I remind you who’s in command here?” Mary crossed her arms in aggravation, staring James down with those fiery green eyes.

James sighed, “Mary, please.”

“Allow me,” I interrupted, touching the queen gently under the elbow and pulling her aside. “Mary, this is a very dangerous area, as you have already observed. Your safety is the most important issue at hand. No matter what the outcome is here today on this field, if something happens to you it will all be in vain. Please, just stay here. Rizzio will keep you company and there will be soldiers here to protect you. You can still watch the whole thing unfold before you.”

The color drained from her face at my words. “You mean Rizzio and you will be here with me, correct?”

I didn’t speak for a moment, but the silence was answer enough.

“Thomas,” she hissed, “you talk of my safety, but what of yours?”

“Mary, I’m not the sovereign. If anything happens to me, the world will go on.” She opened her mouth, presumably to protest, but I continued. “I cannot stand idly by, knowing that I have the skill and strength to assist in this battle. I do it for my queen, and my queen only. Do I have your blessing?”

She stood, lips trembling and tears puddling in her eyes. “I…” she choked, unable to go on.

I pulled my sword from its scabbard and turned the blade toward me. Kneeling, I handed Mary the handle of my sword. “Your blessing, my queen…please.”

“What about your oath…to God?”

“I do not feel I am compromising my oath. If I said it was for God and queen, would that make you feel better?”

A slight smile lifted the corner of her mouth and she wrapped her hands around the guard. “You have my blessing, Reverend Thomas Broune.” She raised the sword to her lips and gently kissed the hilt. Handing the sword back to me, she added under her breath, “If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you.” The husky scratch in her voice on the word never drove her point home.

I stood and took my sword from her hands. Replacing it in my scabbard, I gave her one last look. My chest tightened, causing a shortness of breath. This woman had turned my world upside down. No matter what happened here today, I knew she held my heart in her hands.

Mary’s men assembled at the edge of the marsh. I stood holding Ramses’ reins when Sir Arrick approached me. “I have been given strict instructions to keep you within my sight at all times.”

I barked a laugh at him, “You just worry about the battle at hand. I can take care of myself.”

“Nay, I cannot defy the queen’s orders. She is concerned about your horse, and I must admit, I have seen how uneasy he is.”

“Aye, he is a little rambunctious today. I think he senses a fight.”

“Smart horse. Just be sure to stay close to me. If you don’t, she might have both of our heads.”

I nodded in understanding but made no promises. Arrick had enough to worry about without having to play nursemaid to me.

We picked our way across the bog, almost reaching the other side when a shout rang out from the top of the hill. In an instant Gordon’s men rained down on us, as we scurried to mount our horses and prepare our arms. I watched Arrick turn to the east and unman a horse before I had finished mounting. But before I could follow him on his campaign, I suddenly felt the ground shift under Ramses’ feet. The horse let out a terrible noise and reared onto his back legs. I gained control of him just in time to reflect a sword coming straight at me. I easily deflected the blade, for the man who bore it was on foot. Thrusting my own sword between his ribs, the soldier fell with a curse on his lips.

“God forgive me and give his soul rest,” I breathed. And that was the last thing I remembered.

Tonya Ulynn Brown

 Tonya Ulynn Brown was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, USA, but now calls southeastern Ohio home. She spent her younger years right out of college, living in Europe and teaching English as a second language. She attributes her time in Eastern Europe as being one of great personal growth, where her love for history, the classics, and all things European was born. Tonya holds a Master’s degree in Teaching and is now an elementary school teacher where she uses her love of history and reading to try to inspire younger generations to learn, explore and grow. Along with all the historical characters that she entertains in her head, she lives with her husband, two sons and a very naughty Springer Spaniel. Her mother has also joined their home, making for a cozy and complete little family.

You can connect with Tonya Ulynn Brown via th following platforms -

Website: https://www.tonyaubrown.com/

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53936984-the-queen-s-almoner

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Till the next time.

Take care Zoe