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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Have you ever wondered how an author comes up with the setting and characters in their books? Join, Josephine Greenland as she talks about that very subject! #YA #amwriting @greenland_jm @maryanneyarde

 



Embers
By Josephine Greenland



Two siblings, one crime. One long-buried secret
  
17-year-old Ellen never wanted a holiday. What is there to do in a mining town in the northernmost corner of the country, with no one but her brother Simon – a boy with Asperger’s and obsessed with detective stories – for company? 
  
Nothing, until they stumble upon a horrifying crime scene that brings them into a generations-long conflict between the townspeople and the native Sami. When the police dismiss Simon’s findings, he decides to track down the perpetrator himself. Ellen reluctantly helps, drawn in by a link between the crime and the siblings’ own past. What started off as a tedious holiday soon escalates into a dangerous journey through hatred, lies and self-discovery that makes Ellen question not only the relationship to her parents, but also her own identity.

Publication Date: 4th March 2021
Publisher: Unbound
Page Length: 336 pages
Genre: Young Adult / Crime / Mystery

GUEST POST


The main setting of Embers, the mining town of Svartjokk, is based on a real town in northern Sweden called Gällivare. All the descriptions of the main features of the town, including the museum, the train station, the town square, Mount Dundret where the siblings see the midnight sun, the hostel the siblings stay at, and the neighbourhood across the river, are all accurate descriptions of the real landmarks of Gällivare that my brother and I visited. I spent five days here with my brother on our own holiday in northern Sweden in 2017, and got to know the town pretty well through our many walks and excursions. 

Just as Ellen and Simon do in the novel, my brother and I travelled to Gällivare by the Indlandsbana, an inland railway that stretches across two thirds of the country, from Gällivare in the north above the arctic circle, to Kristinehamn down in the south. The full journey, without stops, takes twenty four hours, and most people stop somewhere along the way for the night and some sightseeing to break the trip up. Ellen and Simon, just like my brother and I did, stopped in the small town of Vilhelmina and did kayaking on the big lake there (this is only mentioned in passing in the book towards the end). 



I based all of the siblings’ experiences on my own, not only to create a realistic setting, but also as a way to get closer to them as characters. By having this shared experience, I could tap into their thoughts and feelings in more depth and understand their situation a lot more. This is especially true with their trip up Mount Dundret to see the midnight sun, which follows me and my brother’s excursion almost to the letter (with the exception of questioning the tour leader about massacred reindeer). 

The other aspect of Gällivare I wanted to capture in my book and transfer onto Svartjokk was the atmosphere and character of the town itself. A mysterious sense of displacement and “otherness” harbours over the place, due partly to mining industry, which has made the ground unstable and caused Malmberget, a small town to the north that is adjoined to Gällivare, to evacuate. Buildings are pulled down, and houses are transported on lorries to a safer site ten or so kilometres to the east. By about 2030, it is reckoned the whole town will have been moved. It’s strangely surreal to watch this process, and it feels very much like a ghost town to walk past the empty squares in the ground where houses used to be. 



Just as the setting of the novel is based on a real place and the real experiences my brother and I shared, so too are the characters of Ellen and Simon to a certain extent based on us. Ellen, in many ways, reflects the anxieties and seriousness I harboured in my late teens. She feels a great sense of responsibility for her brother, always looking out for him, and wary of never letting him out of her sight. In the first half of the novel she comes across as up-tight, having a lot of pent-up frustration towards her parents, but also as quite emotional. She is anxious for things to run smoothly and always wants to come across as polite and kind to others, and almost acts as pacifier to prevent her brother from getting into conflict with the locals. In contrast, Simon is logical and analytical right out to his fingertips. He does not care for other people’s opinions, but does what he deems to be right. In this sense, he has a tunnel-vision view of the world. Below the surface though, is an insecure young boy who struggles making sense of his feelings and who relies upon his sister as a source of security and stability a lot more than he is willing acknowledge. 

As the novel progresses, both siblings mature. When Ellen becomes more involved in the investigation, she loosens up a bit and becomes bolder, daring to take risks and speak her opinions. She starts to respect her brother and recognise his strengths, rather than seeing his taciturn nature and Asperger traits as liabilities. Simon, finally, starts to open up about his feelings and admit to mistakes. At the end of the novel, their bond is a lot tighter. 



You can pick up your copy of the book at the following bookstores:

Josephine Greenland

Josephine is a Swedish-British writer from Sweden, currently working as an English teacher in Edinburgh. She has a BA in English from the University of Exeter, and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Birmingham. She started writing novels at the age of nine, but only began writing seriously in English while at university, for her first creative writing course (2015). Since then, she’s had 14 short stories published, won two competitions and been shortlisted twice. Embers is her first novel, inspired by her travels in northern Sweden with her brother, and was her dissertation project for her MA. When not writing, she enjoys playing music, jogging, hiking, and discussing literature with her cat. 









Monday, March 29, 2021

In the spotlight today is The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg (The French Orphan Series, Book 6) by Michael Stolle #HistoricalFiction #France #BlogTour @MichaelStolle16 @maryanneyarde

 




The Dark Shadows of Kaysersberg
The French Orphan Series, Book 6
By Michael Stolle




It’s 1646 and infant King Louis XIV reigns over France; wily Cardinal Mazarin holds the reins of power - but he needs money, desperately.

Armand de Saint Paul, the younger son of a great and rich noble house, is leading a carefree life in Paris, dedicating his time to such pleasures as gambling, hunting and amorous pursuits.

Unexpectedly, Armand has to defend the honour of his house in a duel that transpires to be a deadly trap, set up by a mighty foe of the house of Saint Paul.

Will Armand be able to escape the deadly net of intrigue that soon threatens to destroy him?

How can a young man deal with love, when it’s no longer a game, but a dream beyond reach?

The leading question is: What is going on behind the façade that is Castle Kaysersberg, 
where nothing is as it seems to be … until the day when the dark shadows come alive?




Michael Stolle

Born in 1957, living and educated in Europe, Michael has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.

He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall...

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Friday, March 26, 2021

My review of Ropewalk; Rebellion. Love. Survival (The Ropewalk Series) by H D Coulter #HistoricalFiction #BookReview #BlogTour @coulter_hd @maryanneyarde

 


Ropewalk; Rebellion. Love. Survival

The Ropewalk Series

By H D Coulter



The North of England, 1831. 

The working class are gathering. Rebellion is stirring, and the people are divided. 

Beatrice Lightfoot, a young woman fighting her own personal rebellion, is looking for an opportunity to change her luck. When she gains the attention of the enigmatic Captain Hanley, he offers her a tantalising deal to attend the May Day dance. She accepts, unaware of the true price of her own free will. 

Her subsequent entanglement with Joshua Mason, the son of a local merchant, draws all three into a destructive and dangerous relationship, which threatens to drag Beatrice, and all she knows into darkness. 

Now, Beatrice must choose between rebellion, love and survival before all is lost, and the Northern uprising changes her world forever. 


Publication Date: 23rd November 2020
Publisher: Independently Published 
Page Length: 243 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction


MY THOUGHTS

Beatrice Lightfoot feels trapped. She spends her life in the midst of chaos, her only peaceful moments are early in the morning, when she sneaks away to watch the ships at the harbour. She spends the rest of her day clashing with her mother, whose personality has turned bitter and unkind, while looking after her youngest siblings and working on the intricate lace patterns she creates. She works hard, and her mother gives her no credit, criticising her every move, every decision.

Beatrice wants nothing more than to escape, to sail away on one of the boats in the harbour and start a new life, one of her own – but she can see the impracticality of such a dream, and it would never come true, so there was no point in dwelling on it. The May Day dance is fast approaching, and she does not want to go and be reminded of the differences between herself and the genteel ladies. However, when she is gifted a beautiful length of material, for the simple price of the first two dances, Beatrice’s hopes look up. She would go to the dance, with a beautiful dress made from the expensive material, and she would spend the night pretending she was one of the ladies in the room.

Although she is not directly involved, Beatrice is incredibly aware of the unrest. People cannot afford to feed their families, the wages are impossibly low, and there are not enough jobs or houses. The government had made promises that they had not delivered through with, and there is talk of a rebellion, a revolt. 

Beatrice is an incredibly strong woman who goes through so much but stands resilient. There is a definite love triangle, if one could call it such. At the start of this novel, I thought Captain Hanley was gentlemanly and kind, but I could not have been more wrong. Like Beatrice, I fell into his trap and quickly saw the error of my ways. However, unlike Beatrice, I wasn’t trapped in a situation that put me in danger, a situation that one would never want to find themselves in. 

In contrast to Captain Hanley, is Joshua Mason, who is a true gentleman, who is honestly and is sincerely in love with Beatrice with no ulterior motives. Although, there is the issue of him being of the upper class and her a mere cottage girl. If there was ever such a wonderful man in a novel, a perfect gentleman, it is Joshua. He is incredibly kind and, although he has been raised to take over the family business, to use the lower classes for his own gain, his relationship with Beatrice teaches him to see things in a new light. The lower classes should not be used as a means to expand a business, to build a fortune, especially when they can hardly afford a loaf of bread to feed their children with. 

The differences between Hanley and Joshua are stark, and the situation that is presented to Beatrice is an impossible one. Her social status means that she could never marry Joshua, even though she loves him and he, her. Hanley, however, would be a suitable and wise match for her. Even her mother thinks so. The only problem is that Beatrice cannot stand him, and he has a past that appals her and a personality that scares her. Everything is pushing her towards Hanley, while her heart pulls her towards the old harbour wall, to meet with Joshua.

The ordeals that Beatrice goes through are harrowing. While the first half of the book focuses on the rival between Hanley and Joshua for Beatrice’s affections, the second half proves their differences, prove who she belongs with and who would stop at nothing for petty revenge. The horrors that Beatrice lives through at the hands of someone who supposedly loves her are truly shocking and so incredibly well written that one cannot help but hold a hand over their mouth as they read in shock, hoping against hope that Beatrice will be okay, that she will end up living a life with the man she loves, and more importantly, that she escapes the ordeal with her sanity, let alone her life.

One thing in particular that caught my attention was that Beatrice did not suffer and walk away unscathed. She feels and suffers the effects of the trauma afflicted upon her, and her reactions are believable and heartbreaking. She should never feel the instinct to flinch away from the man she loves, but fate had dealt her hand, and he was of the male gender – fate had proved to her that they could not be trusted. The scenes are written with such delicate prose that I almost found myself in tears several times.

This novel is written with such brilliance that I have no qualms with reading it again, and I was simply devastated to find out that book 2 is not out yet, for this one ends on such a cliffhanger that I immediately wanted to pick up the next one to keep on reading. If there is any such novel that will pull you in and not let you back out, it is this one, and you are missing out if you have not read this book.

You can download this novel for just 0.99 for a limited time.


 Saving Grace; Deception. Obsession. Redemption is now available on pre-order:



H D Coulter


Hayley was born and raised in the lake district and across Cumbria. From a young age, Hayley loved learning about history, visiting castles and discovering local stories from the past. Hayley and her partner lived in Ulverston for three years and spent her weekends walking along the Ropewalk and down by the old harbour. She became inspired by the spirit of the area and stories that had taken place along the historic streets.

As a teacher, Hayley had loved the art of storytelling by studying drama and theatre. The power of the written word, how it can transport the reader to another world or even another time in history. But it wasn't until living in Ulverston did she discover a story worth telling. From that point, the characters became alive and she fell in love with the story.


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Tuesday, March 23, 2021

My review of The Test of Gold (Hearts of Gold, Book 1) by Renee Yancy #HistoricalRomance #BookReview @YancyRenee @maryanneyarde

 



The Test of Gold

(Hearts of Gold, Book 1)

By Renee Yancy



Raised in the shadow of a mother who defied convention, but won’t allow her own daughter the right to make the same choices, heiress Evangeline Lindenmayer has been groomed since childhood to marry into the British aristocracy. 

When Lindy challenges her mother’s long-laid plans by falling in love with a poor seminary student, the explosion is bigger than the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks on Independence Day.

Publication Date: 15 March 2021
Publisher: Vinspire Publishing
Page Length: 335 pages
Genre: Historical Romance


MY THOUGHTS

Oh Lindy, the things this young heroine has to go through until she is free to marry the man she loves brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. Having met Jack Winthrop in the library of her father's house (her father allowed Jack to use the library to help with his studies), Lindy inexplicably knows that life will never be the same again. As the two continue to meet clandestine, their friendship quickly turns into love, despite knowing that they could never have a future together.

Jack is a character that I instantly adored. He is so very caring and just plain loveable. His mother is dying of consumption, and the only family he has, beside his mother, is his uncle. Jack's relationship with his uncle really fascinated me, and it isn't until Jack's mother becomes progressively worse that the two of them can find common ground. Regarding Lindy, Jack knows he could never marry her, for she is out of his league, but he cannot stop his feelings and nor does he want to. He loves her—it is that simple, and unfortunately, that complicated.

Lindy's plight was absolutely desperate. Vera, Lindy's mother, is not content with her social standing and considerable wealth. She wants her daughter to marry into the British aristocracy, and then her obsessive ambitions will be fulfilled. But as she tries to manipulate and bend her daughter to her will, she soon realises that Lindy is beginning to have a mind of her own and unfortunately what Lindy wants and what her mother demands are two very different things.

At times this book made for some distressing reading. Vera is incredibly abusive to not only her daughter but also her husband and the staff. She is always right, and everyone else is wrong. Lindy has no say in anything, including what she wears. Vera is overcritical, finds fault with everything and is just horrid. If Vera was a living person rather than fictional and was alive now, then I think she would have ended up in prison because some of the things she does is really deploring. Vera will stop at nothing to get what she desires.

I thought Lindy's Aunt Gertrude brought a sense of balance to this novel. Gertrude does not give a hoot to what society thinks of her. She is certainly a breath of fresh air and is perhaps the only character in this novel who is not intimidated by Vera. Aunt Gertrude brings some welcomed relief to this story.

Although the young lovers are apart for most of this novel, which makes it remarkably different from other historical romances, their love and their fight to be together made their relationship very real in the telling.

I thought this story portrayed the era wonderfully, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this novel.




Renee Yancy



Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who writes the kind of historical fiction she loves to read – stories filled with historical detail that immerse you in another place and time. When she isn't writing historical fiction or traveling to see the places her characters have lived, she can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and two rescue mutts named Ellie and Charlie. 

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My review of Forsaking All Other by Catherine Meyrick #BookReview #Tudors #HistoricalFiction @cameyrick1 @maryanneyarde

 



Forsaking All Other
By Catherine Meyrick


England, 1585.

Bess Stoughton, waiting woman to the well-connected Lady Allingbourne, has discovered that her father is arranging for her to marry an elderly neighbour. Normally obedient Bess rebels and wrests from her father a year's grace to find a husband more to her liking.
Edmund Wyard, a taciturn and scarred veteran of England’s campaign in Ireland, is attempting to ignore the pressure from his family to find a suitable wife as he prepares to join the Earl of Leicester’s army in the Netherlands.

Although Bess and Edmund are drawn to each other, they are aware that they can have nothing more than friendship. Bess knows that Edmund’s wealth and family connections place him beyond her reach. And Edmund, with his well-honed sense of duty, has never considered that he could follow his own wishes.

With England on the brink of war and fear of Catholic plots extending even into Lady Allingbourne’s household, time is running out for both of them.

Love is no game for women. The price is far too high.

Publication Date: 16th March 2018
Publisher: Courante Publishing
Page Length: 308 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance


MY THOUGHTS!

All women wanted to marry well and obey their father in all things, but for the first time in her life, Beth Stoughton had to put her foot down. Why her father thought that Master Lichfield would make her a good husband was beyond her. Master Litchfield was old, and there was something lecherous behind his eyes. Determined not to marry Master Litchfield, Beth feels the family home and becomes a lady-in-waiting for Lady Allingbourne. Beth hopes to find a suitable husband of her own choosing.

I have stumbled across only a few historical romances set in the Tudor era, but when I have, the books have always been rich in historical detail. Forsaking All Other is no exception to this rule. I absolutely adored the characterisation of Beth. She does not want to disobey her father, but he forces her hand when he demands she marry Master Litchfield—if I had been told I had to marry him, I would have fled as well! Beth is determined to find her own husband, which made her very commendable to me. She has a strong spirit and will. Unfortunately, the one man who makes her heart flutter is the one man she cannot have for he is far above her social standing. The forbidden love theme is something I really love in historical romances. It makes every shy glance, every accidental brush of the hand more meaningful. I thought Catherine Meyrick has done a marvellous job of portraying these feelings of longing and desperate love. This was a romance that I could really believe in.

I adored everything about this novel. I was swept away by the romance, the history, and the characters themselves. If you love great historical romance’s then Forsaking All Other has to be on your to-read list.



Catherine Meyrick 

Catherine Meyrick is a writer of historical fiction with a particular love of Elizabethan England. Her stories weave fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record – tales of ordinary people who are very much men and women of their time, yet in so many ways are like us today. These are people with the same hopes and longings as we have to find both love and their own place in a troubled world.
Catherine grew up in regional Victoria, but has lived all her adult life in Melbourne, Australia. Until recently she worked as a customer service librarian at her local library. She has a Master of Arts in history and is also an obsessive genealogist. When not writing, reading and researching, Catherine enjoys gardening, the cinema and music of all sorts from early music and classical to folk and country and western and, not least of all, taking photos of the family cat to post on Instagram.

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Monday, March 22, 2021

Read an excerpt from Pied Piper by Keith Stuart #HistoricalFiction #WW2 #BlogTour @len_maynard @maryanneyarde

 


Pied Piper

By Keith Stuart



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
Page Length: 176 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII 


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.

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My review of The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance @cameyrick1 @maryanneyarde

 



The Bridled Tongue
By Catherine Meyrick


England 1586.
 
Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was--unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft. 

Thomas Granville, an ambitious privateer, inspires fierce loyalty in those close to him and hatred in those he has crossed. Beyond a large dowry, he is seeking a virtuous and dutiful wife. Neither he nor Alyce expect more from marriage than mutual courtesy and respect.

As the King of Spain launches his great armada and England braces for invasion, Alyce must confront closer dangers from both her own and Thomas's past, threats that could not only destroy her hopes of love and happiness but her life. And Thomas is powerless to help.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.


Book Title: The Bridled Tongue
Author: Catherine Meyrick
Publication Date: 1st February 2020
Publisher: Courante Publishing
Page Length: 358 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction


MY THOUGHTS!

When whispers become accusations, then your fate is in God's hands – at least you hoped it would be. But every word uttered can be spun in such a way that the verdict is reached before all the evidence has been gathered, and the evidence, the crucial evidence that would prove a woman's innocence can suddenly go missing. Only a miracle can save her now.

From the moment I sat down to read this novel, I became utterly captivated. This is the story of one woman who is falsely accused of being a witch. It is a heart-wrenching story that left me in tears. It is also a tender romance, which made the narrative all the more real in the telling. Alyce Bradley is a character that I really came to care about, and I really feared for her life on more than one occasion. Her vile family, in particular her sister, demonstrated the wickedness of jealously and the desperation of someone whose own life has not turned out the way she had hoped. Isabel is not happy, and she cannot abide that her sister is. It is a very tragic situation and one that saw me reaching for the tissues.

I thought the historical setting of this novel was masterfully portrayed. It did feel like I had stepped back in time to Elizabethan England. The ordinary citizens' everyday life has been depicted with such care and attention to detail that I felt I was living in the moment with these characters during this time. It is an extraordinary achievement on the authors part, to write such a brilliant backdrop in which to tell her story.

Aside from a wicked witch hunt, this is also a novel about unexpected love. I really enjoyed reading about Alyce and Thomas's relationship and watching the love blossom between the pair of them, and I was hoping they would have their happy ending, despite all the seemingly insurmountable barriers that were in their way.

I thought this novel was a wonderful book from beginning to end. I enjoyed every minute of it.





Catherine Meyrick


Catherine Meyrick is a writer of historical fiction with a particular love of Elizabethan England. Her stories weave fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record – tales of ordinary people who are very much men and women of their time, yet in so many ways are like us today. These are people with the same hopes and longings as we have to find both love and their own place in a troubled world.
Catherine grew up in regional Victoria, but has lived all her adult life in Melbourne, Australia. Until recently she worked as a customer service librarian at her local library. She has a Master of Arts in history and is also an obsessive genealogist. When not writing, reading and researching, Catherine enjoys gardening, the cinema and music of all sorts from early music and classical to folk and country and western and, not least of all, taking photos of the family cat to post on Instagram.

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Friday, March 19, 2021

My review of A Sword Among Ravens (The Long-Hair Saga) by Cynthia Ripley Miller #BookReview #HistoricalFiction @CRipleyMiller @maryanneyarde

 



A Sword Among Ravens
(The Long-Hair Saga)
By Cynthia Ripley Miller


In a grave, on the edge of a Roman battlefield, an ancient sword has been discovered. Legend claims it belonged to King David of Israel and carries a curse—those who wield it will tragically die—but not the chosen.   

AD 455. Arria Felix and her husband, Garic the Frank, have safely delivered a sacred relic to Emperor Marcian in Constantinople. But now, Arria and Garic will accept a new mission. The emperor has asked them to carry the sword of King David of Israel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Arria will dedicate it in her murdered father’s memory.

As Arria and Garic travel into the heart of the Holy Land, they face many challenges and dangers. Their young daughter is missing then found in the company of a strange and suspicious old monk. A brutal killer stalks their path. And a band of cold-blooded thieves is determined to steal the sword for their own gains. But when Arria confronts the question of where the sword should truly rest—old friendships, loyalties, and her duty are put to the test like never before. At every turn, Arria and Garic find themselves caught in a treacherous mission wrapped in mystery, murder, and A Sword Among Ravens.

Publication Date: 9th December 2020
Publisher: BookLocker
Page Length: 267 Pages
Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery


MY THOUGHTS

I don’t think I have ever read a historical fiction novel set in the Eastern Roman Empire in the late 5th Century. In fact, I cannot think of a single novel that has explored this era. When I was invited to read this novel, I was a little nervous because this era is not one I know anything about, and I feared I would be walking into this story blind, but thankfully, Cynthia Ripley Miller has understood the dilemma of her readers and made this historical backdrop, although rich in the telling, easy to get to grips with.

The story is about a fictional relic—The Sword of King David. But what makes this relic slightly different is that it is cursed and only the “chosen one” can wield the weapon successfully. However, for those who have the sword in their possession they can very easily become obsessed with it, whether they are chosen or not. Unfortunately, if the sword deems you unworthy, it will bring you nothing but heartache and death. I really liked the concept of a sacred sword. It reminded me a little of Tolkien’s novels, minus the whole Middle Earth idea.

The sword comes in to the possession of Emperor Flavius Valerius Marcian. He decides that the safest thing to do with the sword is to take it to Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. However, getting the sword to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will require a special kind of person. One who will not draw attention to themselves, and so he asks his late son’s wife and her new husband to take the weapon to its final resting place. And thus, the adventure begins; and what a thrilling adventure it is. It is a story of good verses evil, political corruption (the sword really belongs to the Jews, but they don’t get a look in) and surprisingly, it is also about forgiveness, which was something I was not expecting.

Death stalks the sword and even when it is in Arria and Garic’s safe keeping, death surrounds them because although they are trying to remain inconspicuous, the word is out that the sword is on the move, and this sword is worth a king’s ransom, so there are many people who would do anything to get their hands on it and then sell it to the highest bidder.

I thought the author approached the telling of this story in a really intuitive way. Instead of just seeing things from Arria’s perspective, we also get an insight into those who want to steal the sword. I thought this rounded perspective really made this story all the more realistic in the telling.

The story is incredibly fast paced and the pages simply flew by as I lost myself in the story. This is the kind of novel that is easy to read but difficult to forget. A real page turner.


Cynthia Ripley Miller



Cynthia Ripley Miller is a first generation Italian-American writer with a love for history, languages, and books. She has lived in Europe and traveled world-wide, holds two degrees, and taught history and English. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, at Orchard Press Mysteries.com, and The Scriptor. She is a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist with awards from Circle of Books-Rings of Honor and The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has reviewed for UNRV Roman History, and blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com

Cynthia is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, and A Sword Among Ravens, books 1-3 in her Long-Hair Saga series set in Late Ancient Rome, France, and Jerusalem. Cynthia lives outside of Chicago with her family, along with a cute but bossy cat. 







Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Read an excerpt from A Matter of Conscience: Henry VIII, The Aragon Years (Book one of The Henrician Chronicle) by Judith Arnopp #HistoricalFiction #Tudors @JudithArnopp @maryanneyarde

 



A Matter of Conscience: 
Henry VIII, The Aragon Years 
(Book one of The Henrician Chronicle)
By Judith Arnopp


‘A king must have sons: strong, healthy sons to rule after him.’

On the unexpected death of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, his brother, Henry, becomes heir to the throne of England. The intensive education that follows offers Henry a model for future excellence; a model that he is doomed to fail.

On his accession, he chooses his brother’s widow, Catalina of Aragon, to be his queen. Together they plan to reinstate the glory of days of old and fill the royal nursery with boys. 
But when their first-born son dies at just a few months old, and subsequent babies are born dead or perish in the womb, the king’s golden dreams are tarnished.

Christendom mocks the virile prince. Catalina’s fertile years are ending yet all he has is one useless living daughter, and a baseborn son.

He needs a solution but stubborn to the end, Catalina refuses to step aside.

As their relationship founders, his eye is caught by a woman newly arrived from the French court. Her name is Anne Boleyn.

A Matter of Conscience: the Aragon Years offers a unique first-person account of the ‘monster’ we love to hate and reveals a man on the edge; an amiable man made dangerous by his own impossible expectation

Publication Date: February 2021
Publisher: Feed a Read
Page Length: 335 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction


EXCERPT 

1505 – Henry is informed by his father that he must withdraw from his betrothal to Catherine of Aragon
Most of my companions, the older ones at least, have tasted the pleasures of women but I have no desire to dally with whores. Instead, when the curtains are drawn about my bed at night, I think of Catalina and the delights we will one day enjoy. Since there are no tutors to instruct me on such matters, I listen to the tales my friends tell of their conquests. The prospect of bedding my future wife fills me with a mix of excitement and terror. 

And then, on the eve of my fourteenth birthday, the king informs me that I must make a formal protest against the union with Spain.

“Why?” I exclaim. “I have no wish to protest against it!”

Father rubs his nose, dabs it with his kerchief, rolls it into a ball, and glares at me.

“Your wishes are of no moment. This is politics. You will do as you are told.”

I am furious but I know better than to argue. It would do me no good. I can feel my ears growing red with resentment. I clench my teeth until I hear my jaw crack. Oblivious to my feelings, Father shuffles through the papers on his desk, picks one up and reads aloud the instruction he has written there.
“You must declare, before witnesses, that the agreement was made when you were a minor and now you reach puberty you will not ratify the contract but denounce it as null and void. Your words will be set in writing and then signed and witnessed by six men.

Protestations tumble in my mind but I cannot voice them. When he dismisses me with a flick of his fingers, I bow perfunctorily, turn on my heel, and quit the room. I find Brandon in the tennis court, loudly protesting the score while his opponent, Guildford, stands with his hands on his hips.

“You are wrong, Brandon, the point is mine. Isn’t that so?” 

He turns to the others, who are lounging nearby. Having only been half attending, they shrug and shake their heads noncommittally.

“My Lord Prince,” Brandon, noticing my arrival, turns for my support. “You witnessed it, did you not? The point was mine. Back me up, Sir.”

I pick up a racket, idly test it in my hand and emitting a string of curses, hurl it across the court. Silence falls upon the company.

“What ails you, Sir?”

Brandon is the only one brave enough to come forward. He reaches out, his hand heavy on my shoulder. There are few men I allow to touch me. At the back of my mind I am aware that Brandon is merely proving to the others how high he stands in my regard. 

I should shrug him off, but I don’t.

“Walk with me,” I mutter between my teeth and then turn away, almost falling over Beau who dogs my every footstep.

“Out of my way!” I scream and he cowers from me, tail between his legs.

Tossing his racket to Thomas Kyvet, Brandon follows me.

“Henry, wait,” he calls, and I slow my step, until he has caught up.

“What has happened?”

“My accursed father.” 

I am so angry, I can hardly speak; my lips feel tight against my teeth, my head pounds with repressed fury. “He demands that I denounce my union with Catalina.”

I stop, rub my hands across my face, the blood thundering in my ears. 

“I don’t know if I am angry because I have lost her, or because I am so sick of being told what I must do. What will Catalina think? What will happen to her?”

He shrugs. “In all probability she will be sent home to Spain.”

I think of her leaving, imagine her sad little figure boarding ship for the perilous journey to her homeland. For four years she has lived at the mercy of my father’s generosity which, as we all know, is greatly lacking, and now is to be sent home like a misdirected package.

“Sometimes I feel this … this limbo will never end, and I will spend my whole life under my father’s jurisdiction.”

He flings a brotherly arm about me and I am suddenly grateful to have a friend. He speaks quietly, with feeling and I struggle not to weep like a woman.

“We are all told what to do by our fathers, Henry, and we are much alike, you and me. I am also the second son. Had my brother not died, I’d like as not be languishing in the country, wed too young to some red-cheeked matron yet here I am, your honoured servant. One day, you will be king, and I will still be at your side. The future will soon be ours, and the time for following orders will be done with.”




Judith Arnopp


A lifelong history enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds a BA in English/Creative writing and an MA in Medieval Studies.
She lives on the coast of West Wales where she writes both fiction and non-fiction based in the Medieval and Tudor period. Her main focus is on the perspective of historical women but more recently is writing from the perspective of Henry VIII himself.
Her novels include:
A Matter of Conscience: Henry VIII, the Aragon Years 
The Heretic Wind: the life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England
Sisters of Arden: on the Pilgrimage of Grace
The Beaufort Bride: Book one of The Beaufort Chronicle
The Beaufort Woman: Book two of The Beaufort Chronicle
The King’s Mother: Book three of The Beaufort Chronicle
The Winchester Goose: at the Court of Henry VIII
A Song of Sixpence: the story of Elizabeth of York
Intractable Heart: the story of Katheryn Parr
The Kiss of the Concubine: a story of Anne Boleyn
The Song of Heledd
The Forest Dwellers
Peaceweaver



Judith is also a founder member of a re-enactment group called The Fyne Companye of Cambria and makes historical garments both for the group and others. She is not professionally trained but through trial, error and determination has learned how to make authentic looking, if not strictly HA, clothing. You can find her group Tudor Handmaid on Facebook. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.