Check out my #BookReview of The Whirlpools of Time by Anna Belfrage #TimeTravel #HistoricalRomance @abelfrageauthor @maryanneyarde

 

The Whirlpools of Time

By Anna Belfrage

He hoped for a wife. He found a companion through time and beyond.

It is 1715 and for Duncan Melville something fundamental is missing from his life. Despite a flourishing legal practice and several close friends, he is lonely, even more so after the recent death of his father. He needs a wife—a companion through life, someone to hold and be held by. What he wasn’t expecting was to be torn away from everything he knew and find said woman in 2016…

Erin Barnes has a lot of stuff going on in her life. She doesn’t need the additional twist of a stranger in weird outdated clothes, but when he risks his life to save hers, she feels obligated to return the favour. Besides, whoever Duncan may be, she can’t exactly deny the immediate attraction.

The complications in Erin’s life explode. Events are set in motion and to Erin’s horror she and Duncan are thrown back to 1715. Not only does Erin have to cope with a different and intimidating world, soon enough she and Duncan are embroiled in a dangerous quest for Duncan’s uncle, a quest that may very well cost them their lives as they travel through a Scotland poised on the brink of rebellion.  

Will they find Duncan’s uncle in time? And is the door to the future permanently closed, or will Erin find a way back?

Publication Date: 11th June 2021

Publisher: Timelight Press

Page Length: 388 Pages

Genre: Time Travel Romance, Scottish Historical Romance

MY THOUGHTS

Duncan Melville spent his whole life feeling shunned by his family, wanting the love that they shared but never extended to him. A journey that lands him alone at a crossroads in the middle of a lightning storm may not be pleasant, but it might be the thing to lead him to what he most desires – love.

Erin Barnes is after revenge. She is sure her father and grandmother were killed by the Wilkes family because both refused to hand over the locket they had found on their own land, which the Wilkes immediately claimed belonged to them. When Erin’s investigating lands her in danger, the last thing she needs is to hit a man with her car at a crossroads in the middle of a storm. Even more so a man dressed in strange clothing who talks like someone from a reenactment group.

After he saves her from Steve Wilkes and his friends, who were pursuing her, Duncan finds himself in a strange world, waking up in a hospital. With nowhere to go, and knowing no one but Erin, Erin feels obligated to take Duncan in and help him. After all, he did save her. A relationship between the two starts to unfold as Erin teaches Duncan about the 21st century, but the danger isn’t over, and in a bid to protect themselves and the locket, Duncan and Erin find themselves transported back in time, back to the world Duncan knows. They find Duncan’s aunt beside herself with worry about his uncle, David Graham, who they can only assume has travelled to Scotland, amidst the unrest among the general populous. 

And thus begins the journey of a lifetime. Duncan and Erin give each other what the other needs – Erin gives Duncan love, and a feeling of worth, and Duncan gives Erin the feeling of security. With Erin used to the luxuries of the 21st century, finding herself in 1715 is a shock that is difficult to swallow. As a woman, and a woman who had a black father at that, the freedom that Erin had in 2016 is gone, and the stares and assumptions of people cannot be stopped. Duncan protects Erin every step of the way, at least, as much as he can – she is of the opinion that she should be free to walk around by herself, and often does not quite comprehend the danger she is putting herself in until she is in it.

On their journey, Duncan, Erin and Ben, a manservant, rescue the widow Arabella Stirling from the assault by Hamish Cruikshank. With it being unsafe for Arabella to travel alone, she joins the group as they journey on, in the direction of Scotland. Unfortunately, humiliating Cruikshank was a mistake, despite how much more he deserved, and the group find themselves the object of pursuit. Taking on yet another riding companion, one Constable Nathaniel Williams, Duncan and Erin find themselves not only on a quest to find David and bring him home, but also to solve mysteries and rid the world of men worse than scum.

I absolutely adored both Erin and Duncan. Duncan is the perfect gentleman towards Erin, although their upbringings and beliefs get them into arguments more than once. Through Erin, you can almost learn the history better, as she does not know the ins and outs of living in the 16th century, and the reader learns alongside her. Certain things, such as the intricacies about the differences between the clothing Erin is used to and the clothing she must adapt to, are explained in a detail that may be skipped over in a book that does not contain a character from the 21st century, and her presence and opinions added a great deal of depth to the story.

I loved many of Duncan’s relatives, as well, although I was on the fence about some of them. They all have immediate reactions to Erin, although that is to be expected in the time period, but the way Duncan was treated growing up is what bothered me. He was an unwanted child born from unfortunate circumstances, and even though he was as much a victim as his mother, the blame was settled on him and he was outcast from the family. He did not even bear the same family name. The members of the family seem lovely, welcoming even, when we meet them, yet I couldn’t fully trust them because of the way they let Duncan grow up, feeling unloved and unwanted. 

This book is full of tension and adventure, with the romance between Erin and Duncan running along the side. Murder and action are counteracted by tender moments and the feeling of hate is crushed by the feeling of love. This book is what you could call ‘perfectly balanced’, and is the kind of book that draws you in, the words themselves saying ‘look deep and fall’ and utterly captivating you until the closing of the covers snaps you out of the world in the pages.

Amazon

£0.00 on #KindleUnlimited

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 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England.  

Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. Her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk, has her returning to medieval times. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. Her most recent release, The Whirlpools of Time, is a time travel romance set against the backdrop of brewing rebellion in the Scottish highlands.

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

Find out more about Anna, her books and her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com .

Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Tour Schedule

Find out how Nancy Northcott's one idea became a trilogy!! #HistoricalFantasy #TimeTravel #BlogTour @NancyNorthcott @maryanneyarde

The Steel Rose 
(The Boar King’s Honor Trilogy, Book 2)
By Nancy Northcott

THE BOAR KING’S HONOR TRILOGY

A wizard’s misplaced trust

A king wrongly blamed for murder

A bloodline cursed until they clear the king’s name

BOOK 2: THE STEEL ROSE

Amelia Mainwaring, a magically Gifted seer, is desperate to rescue the souls of her dead father and brother, who are trapped in a shadowy, wraith-filled land between life and death as the latest victims of their family curse. Lifting the curse requires clearing the name of King Richard III, who was wrongly accused of his nephews’ murder because of a mistake made by Amelia’s ancestor.

In London to seek help from a wizard scholar, Julian Winfield, Amelia has disturbing visions that warn of Napoleon Bonaparte’s escape from Elba and renewed war in Europe. A magical artifact fuels growing French support for Bonaparte. Can Amelia and Julian recover the artifact and deprive him of its power in time to avert the coming battles?

Their quest takes them from the crowded ballrooms of the London Season to the bloody field of Waterloo, demanding all of their courage, guile, and magical skill.  Can they recover the artifact and stop Bonaparte? Or will all their hopes, along with Amanda’s father and brother, be doomed as a battle-weary Europe is once again engulfed in the flames of war?

The Steel Rose is the second book in the time-traveling, history-spanning fantasy series The Boar King’s Honor, from Nancy Northcott (Outcast Station, The Herald of Day).

Publication Date: April 29, 2021

Publisher: Falstaff Books

Page Length: 370 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy

Buy HERE!

This novel is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

How One Idea Became a Trilogy

by Nancy Northcott

Hi, Beatrice, and thanks for having me!

You asked about the inspiration behind The Steel Rose. It’s the second book of three, so some aspects of the story were dictated by the first book, The Herald of Day. It sets up the problem that runs through the trilogy, the efforts of the magically Gifted Mainwaring family to lift the blood curse an ancestor placed on their line.

In 1483, early in the reign of Richard III, Edmund Mainwaring used his Gifts to help agents of his liege lord, the Duke of Buckingham, sneak into and out of the Tower of London unobserved. Edmund didn’t know those agents’ mission was to kill the sons of the last king, Edward IV, who’ve become known as the Princes in the Tower. After Edward died, evidence came to light proving his marriage to his queen, Elizabeth Woodville, was bigamous. Their sons were thus ineligible to inherit. They posed no danger to the next legitimate male heir, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was recognized by Parliament as Richard III. 

Buckingham was also in the line of descent but with a lesser claim. If he wanted to seize the throne, eliminating anyone who might be considered to have a superior claim would be wise. The boys had been proclaimed bastards, but their father had been extremely popular. Why take the chance that his followers would prefer them, illegitimate or not, to Buckingham? He already planned a rebellion to remove Richard III and his superior claim.

I inserted the magic and my conjecture as to Buckingham’s possible motives. The rest is historical fact, though the proof of that earlier marriage to Lady Eleanor Butler has since disappeared. History also says the boys were last seen in the Tower in the autumn of 1483, shortly before Buckingham rebelled.

Whether or not Buckingham (or anyone else) murdered the boys is only conjecture. I find historian Matthew Lewis’s arguments in The Survival of the Princes in the Tower persuasive, and logic dictates that people would’ve noticed if the boys simply vanished one night. The Tower was a secure prison, yes, but it was also a royal residence with comfortable royal apartments. Edward’s sons had a household, people who could’ve attested to their sudden disappearance. Trotting those people out to point fingers at Richard III would’ve been in Henry VII’s best interests, especially when Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck made their own claims to the throne, saying they were the sons of Edward IV. 

Henry VII implicitly blamed Richard III for the boys’ disappearance (“shedding innocent blood,” I believe the phrase was) and painted a successful propaganda portrait of him as a heinous monster. Yet no such public display of witnesses condemning him as a murderer was ever made.

The absence of established fact leaves room for fiction. So I decided, years ago, to write a book blaming Buckingham for the murders. I set it in the reign of Charles II, not long after bones thought to be those of the missing boys were discovered under a staircase in the Tower. That claim is problematic, but that’s not what this post is about.

This is the Tower of London, where the Mainwarings’ problems started:

Playing the What If… game, I wondered how someone could be murdered in a royal fortress that’s locked up at night and busy during the day. Possibly with magic? And what would happen if the person wielding that magic had no idea what they were abetting? And then couldn’t tell the truth under the Tudors without being executed as a traitor? 

My fictional answer was that the wizard in question, Edmund Mainwaring, threw himself on the mercy of King Richard III, who told him the political situation made revealing the truth risky and ordered him to keep quiet until given leave to speak. A little less than two years later, the king died at Bosworth Field without ever telling Edmund he could reveal the truth. So Edmund wrote a confession and hid it. Unfortunately, he couldn’t trust his son to honor or pass on the duty to clear a dead king’s name. Desperate to atone for the wrong he’d unknowingly committed, Edmund cursed the male heirs of his line to not rest in life or death until the king’s name was cleared. After they die, their souls are trapped in a wraith-infested shadowland between the worlds of the living and the dead so long as the stain on the king’s honor remains. (Just by the way, the title The Boar King’s Honor is inspired by Richard III’s use of a white boar as his symbol.)

When I wrote The Herald of Day, I intended for it to be a one-off. The Mainwarings would solve their problem in that book. Until a friend said, “You know, you have room for a trilogy with this story.” I looked at it and realized she was right. So the hero and heroine of Herald do not save the day after all.

A trilogy, of course, meant plots for two more books. I knew where I wanted to focus the next part of the Mainwaring quest. The woman Edward IV first married secretly, Lady Eleanor Butler, was consigned to the dustbin of history. He never admitted to marrying her, but, as the late Dr. John Ashdown-Hill points out in his biography of her, Eleanor The Secret Queen, she behaved ever after as though she were married but separated from her husband. Eleanor had been deeply wronged, but what recourse did she have against a king? Instead of pursuing that, she got on with her life while honoring her marriage vow in the only ways open to her.

Unfortunately, Eleanor didn’t live to see the truth of her marriage revealed. She was vindicated but posthumously. And then the Tudors set to work destroying all proof of the prior marriage. Edward IV’s daughter Elizabeth was Henry VII’s queen. Henry needed her to be legitimate and Richard’s claim to be dishonored in order to prop up his shaky blood claim to the throne. Only as modern historians took another look at the situation and at Henry VII’s tendency to burn any document hostile to his claim (like the copies of Titulus Regius, the act of Parliament recognizing Edward’s marriage to Eleanor and Richard III’s claim as heir), has this been reconsidered.

So I wanted to pay tribute to Eleanor in the next book, The Steel Rose. That part of the plot was settled, but the rest of the book had to be a fitting follow-up to all aspects of The Herald of Day, not only to the Ricardian plot. In Herald, the villain has altered England’s history to set up a dictatorship of the magically Gifted. The hero and heroine are in a race to counter that and save the true timeline. So the next book needed equally big stakes.

The Regency, the period I ultimately chose for The Steel Rose, finally saw an end to twenty years of war and the threat of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Battle of Waterloo ended his dreams of empire forever. But no one knew who would win that huge battle. Afterward, Wellington described it as “the nearest run thing you ever saw” (per King’s College London website: rb.gy/x0sshp). The threat of Bonaparte plunging Europe back into war after a year of peace following his first abdication and exile to Elba seemed big enough. I love reading Regency novels but had never tried to write one. I didn’t feel I had anything unique to bring to the period. With a Ricardian quest, though maybe I did.

Bearing all that in mind, I set The Steel Rose mostly during the Hundred Days, the period between Bonaparte’s escape from Elba and the Battle of Waterloo. Then I read about that period to create the plot. Bonaparte’s wars had bankrupted the country. So why did Frenchmen flock to his banner? My hero and heroine believe a magical artifact inspires the nation’s loyalty. They set out to steal it in hopes of undercutting his support and helping the allied nations defeat him.

This artwork in the Hyde Park Corner subway (passage under the street, for my fellow Americans) at Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington’s London residence, commemorates the battle.

The heroine, Amelia Mainwaring, is a seer. She wants to save the souls of her late father and brother, who’re trapped in the shadowland between life and death. In London seeking information that can help her lift the curse, she begins having visions that presage Bonaparte’s escape. She seeks help with the family curse and with interpreting these disturbing visions from Julian Winfield, a close friend of her late brother. Julian, who is also Gifted, is the realm’s foremost authority on magic. He’s also the head of a secret organization called the Merlin Club. It masquerades as an ordinary gentlemen’s club in the exclusive St. James area of London.

The rules governing England’s Gifted, also known as wizards, forbid the use of their magic in conflicts against other nations. This rule is absolute. The Merlin Club was founded by wizards who deemed that rule not only unreasonable but foolish, especially when Gifted of other nations entered the fray to support their homelands. So the club members use their abilities in defense of Britain, most often—but not always—when Gifted are active on the other side. During the war, Julian worked overtly for the Home Office and covertly as a spy with the Merlin Club.

The book builds toward a confrontation with Bonaparte, but I wanted a more immediate problem for Julian and Amelia. I came up with Silas de Vere, the Earl of Wyndon. He is also Gifted, and like his ancestor who caused so many problems in The Herald of Day, he believes the Gifted should rule England. He has a plan to make that happen, and the Bonapartist cause has given him his opportunity.

I also wanted Julian and Amelia to be different from Richard and Miranda in The Herald of Day. Neither Miranda nor Richard had been married, and Miranda was untrained in the use of her seer Gift. Amelia, on the other hand, is accomplished as a seer. She and Julian have both lost spouses. Amelia mourns her husband, but Julian is grateful to be rid of his unfaithful, deceitful wife. For her, freeing her father’s and brother’s souls is paramount. She’ll worry about rebuilding the rest of her life after that job’s done. Julian wants time to rest from the ugliness he saw in the years before Bonaparte’s first abdication in 1814. He’ll help Amelia with her quest to save his friend’s soul, dive back into his books, and train his horses. Of course matters don’t go as either of them planned, and therein lies the story.

Thanks again for having me today, Beatrice!

Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman. Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy, history, and romance. She combines the emotion and high stakes, and sometimes the magic, she loves in the books she writes.

She has written freelance articles and taught at the college level.  Her most popular course was on science fiction, fantasy, and society.  She has also given presentations on the Wars of the Roses and Richard III to university classes studying Shakespeare’s play about Richard III. Reviewers have described her books as melding fantasy, romance, and suspense. Library Journal gave her debut novel, Renegade, a starred review, calling it “genre fiction at its best.”

In addition to the historical fantasy Boar King’s Honor trilogy, Nancy writes the Light Mage Wars paranormal romances, the Arachnid Files romantic suspense novellas, and the Lethal Webs romantic spy adventures. With Jeanne Adams, she cowrites the Outcast Station science fiction mysteries.

Married since 1987, Nancy and her husband have one son, a bossy dog, and a house full of books.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE!

Read an interview with Pam Lecky, and have a look at her new book, Her Secret War! #HistoricalFiction #Interview #WW2 @pamlecky

It's my absolute pleasure to welcome onto my blog, Pam Lecky, with an interview and to take a look at her book – it is not out yet, but it sounds so good, I strongly recommend you pre-order it right now!

Her Secret War

Pam Lecky

A moment that ruins her life

On 31st May 1941, Germany drops bombs on neutral Dublin and Sarah Gillespie loses her family and home that fateful night. Days later, the man she loves leaves Ireland to enlist in the RAF.

A decision that changes her life

With nothing to keep her in Ireland and a burning desire to help the war effort, Sarah seeks refuge with relatives in Hampshire, England. But before long, Sarah’s family history catches up with her.

A mission that could cost her life

Sarah is asked to prove her loyalty to Britain through uncovering a spy at Vickers Supermarine, the manufacturers of the legendary Spitfire fighter plane. But to progress with her mission, she must become involved with a fifth columnist. And so the most dangerous game she’s ever played ensues…

Pre-order HERE!

Out on 14th October 2021

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?

Up to this, I have written predominantly in the late Victorian era and my Lucy Lawrence Mystery series is great fun to write and set in a period I absolutely love. However, I wanted to stretch myself with something new. I have always been fascinated by the wars of the 20th century, and in particular the murky world of espionage. However, I was keen that whatever I wrote would have a strong Irish flavour. Her Secret War, set during WW2, began to formulate in my head. 

I wanted to begin the story in wartime Dublin. Ireland, still reeling from the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War which quickly followed, declared itself neutral during WW2. And despite Churchill’s attempts to get Ireland to join the Allies, the government stood firm for the duration of the war. 

But then the Luftwaffe bombed Dublin on 31st May 1941. Tragically, twenty-eight men, woman and children died, and ninety were injured. The enclave of North Strand, where the largest bomb fell, was decimated with almost three hundred homes destroyed or damaged and nearly four hundred people were left homeless. Germany claimed they dropped the bombs on North Strand in error and eventually compensated the Irish Government. However, the incident occurred only a couple of miles from where I grew up. As I considered the plot of Her Secret War, I felt this event would be the perfect opening for the book. 

I decided to take my readers on a journey with a strong female lead overcoming the direst of circumstances. My main character, Sarah Gillespie, is the only one of her family to survive the North Strand bombing. Her plight resonates with the thousands who survived similar incidences throughout the war, all over the world. From the ruins of her life, Sarah must make some difficult decisions. Like many Irish, she has family in Britain and when they hold out the offer of a new life and a job, Sarah decides to leave Ireland. Unfortunately, her new life slowly falls apart as she is drawn into the dark world of WW2 espionage.

Both my family and local history inspired Her Secret War. My mother and her sisters left rural Ireland to work in Britain during WW2. One aunt was following her boyfriend who had joined the RAF, and she went to work in a factory making munitions. Another aunt wanted to study nursing, and my mother was a ‘clippie’ on the Birmingham buses. Her Secret War is not their story, but there are glimpses of their experiences hidden amongst the fiction. Her Secret War will be published by Avon Books UK/Harper Collins on 14th October 2021 and is now available for pre-order.

Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?

Luckily, I have always had an interest in the era, mainly, I suppose, because of my family history. There are a multitude of resources to tap into as well. From the outset, I wanted to write a spy story and I was extremely fortunate to come across a book by Tim Tate, Hitler’s British Traitors. The book was fascinating. I had not realised how large and difficult a problem the fifth columnists in Britain were. Officially, it was always denied, mostly because it was felt the knowledge would damage the morale of the people when they faced such a dangerous enemy. When I found connections with the IRA and Ireland, it tied in perfectly with the Irish angle I wanted for the story.

I was at a slight disadvantage in that I knew a lot about the bigger picture, but not a huge amount about life on the home front. So, I had to spend a lot of time researching the more day-to-day aspects of life in the 1940s. However, research is something I love, and often it throws up ideas for sub-plots or new characters. In this case, I came across a wonderful website all about Vickers Supermarine, the makers of the Spitfire [https://supermariners.wordpress.com]. The owner of the site, David Key, provided a vast amount of invaluable information about the workings of Supermarine at Hursley Park, where much of the story is set.

If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be and why?

Loyal, headstrong, and brave. My protagonist, Sarah, has a pretty hard time of it in the book. She needed to be all these things to survive. Her loyalty is put to the test throughout.

What was the most challenging part about writing your book?

There was one piece of information that I could not find online or in books. It is only available in the National Archives at Kew in the UK. Until Covid restrictions are lifted, it will not be possible to travel and complete my investigation. Luckily, this information only affects the sequel, which will not be published until 2022, but it bothers me when I do not have an answer to something! As soon as I can, I will be off to London to hunt it down.

What are you currently working on?

Editing work will begin on the sequel to Her Secret War (title yet to be decided) in the next few months. In the meantime, I am finalising the edits on The Art of Deception, which is the third book in my Victorian mystery series (The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries). All going well, this book will be published before the end of the year. During the autumn, I will be working through some ideas for new projects, including a totally new genre I would like to explore.

What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?

If you have been bitten by the writing bug - just go for it. Tell your stories, your way. Be aware that your voice may not be commercial enough for a publisher, but you have options. Consider self-publishing but only if you are prepared for the financial cost of doing it properly, i.e., cost of editing and getting a professional cover. I was extremely lucky to sign with an agent several years ago, and I do not believe I would be where I am today without her help and guidance. I would also add that an experienced editor is invaluable; you will learn so much about the craft from them.

Personal Interview questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I am a qualified horticulturist and at one point, I had hoped to be a garden designer. In 2008, I designed and built a show garden in Bloom 2008 (the Irish equivalent of Chelsea). However, the 2008 crash put pay to that ambition. However, I am still a keen gardener and pottering about amongst the plants helps me relax. When I’m not in the garden, you will usually find me out walking along the local beach, or when the weather is inclement, with my nose in a book. 

What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?

Penang curry – it is such a simple dish to make (I prefer baking to making dinners – so I always go for the easy option!) I’d rather be somewhere in Italy enjoying some fabulous pasta dish or a yummy pizza!

What would be a perfect day?

Walk on the beach, followed by a pleasant lunch with hubby or a friend, and an afternoon sitting in the shade, reading a good book. Chocolate and my fav cocktail (French martini) might also feature!

Either or!

Tea or coffee: Tea

Hot or cold: Cold

Movie or book: Book

Morning person or Night owl: Morning person

City or country: Country

Social Media or book: Book

Paperback or ebook: Eek! Both – paperback for research books, ebook for reading for pleasure.

Pam Lecky is an Irish historical fiction author, writing crime, and mystery with a dash of romance. Pam is represented by the Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency in London. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Society of Authors and has a particular love of the late Victorian era/early 20th Century. 

In November 2020, Pam signed with Avon Books UK/Harper Collins in a two-book deal. The first book in the historical thriller series, Her Secret War, will be published in October 2021; the sequel in 2022.

Her debut novel, The Bowes Inheritance, was awarded the B.R.A.G Medallion; shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize 2016; and long-listed for the Historical Novel Society 2016 Indie Award. 

Her short stories are available in an anthology, entitled Past Imperfect, which was published in April 2018. 

June 2019, saw the release of the first book in the Lucy Lawrence Mystery series, No Stone Unturned, a fast-paced Victorian mystery/crime, set in London and Yorkshire which was recently awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion. The sequel, Footprints in the Sand, set in Egypt, was released in March 2020. She is currently working on the third book in the series, The Art of Deception, which will be published in late 2021.

Amazon • Facebook • Twitter • Website • Instagram • Goodreads

Check out my #BookReview of Kingfisher (The Kingfisher Series, Book One) by D. K. Marley #HistoricalFiction #TimeTravel @histficchickie @maryanneyarde

 

Kingfisher

(The Kingfisher Series, Book One)

By D. K. Marley

The past, future, and Excalibur lie in her hands.

Wales, 1914. Vala Penrys and her four sisters find solace in their spinster life by story-telling, escaping the chaos of war by dreaming of the romantic days of Camelot. When the war hits close to home, Vala finds love with Taliesin Wren, a mysterious young Welsh Lieutenant, who shows her another world within the tangled roots of a Rowan tree, known to the Druids as ‘the portal’.

One night she falls through, and suddenly she is Vivyane, Lady of the Lake – the Kingfisher – in a divided Britain clamoring for a High King. What begins as an innocent pastime becomes the ultimate quest for peace in two worlds full of secrets, and Vala finds herself torn between the love of her life and the salvation of not only her family but of Britain, itself.

"It is, at the heart of it, a love story – the love between a man and a woman, between a woman and her country, and between the characters and their fates – but its appeal goes far beyond romance. It is a tale of fate, of power, and, ultimately, of sacrifice for a greater good." - Riana Everly, author of Teaching Eliza and Death of a Clergyman

Publication Date: June 28, 2021

Publisher: The White Rabbit Publishing (HFC Press)

Page Length: 530 Pages

Genre: Historical Time Travel

MY THOUGHTS

I don't often read historical fantasy, but I do have a passing interest in the legends of King Arthur, but my knowledge is very rudimentary, so I was looking forward to reading this novel. The book opens in 1914, and we are introduced to a family whose foundations is one of the most famous legends of them all - but they don't know that, yet!

With a mentally ill mother and the clock ticking forever onwards, Vala cannot help but wonder if she will ever find true love, she is way past the marriageable age and yet, she has a hint of wildness about her. She is, I guess pushing against the conventional role of women in the early 20th Century. To escape this mundane existence she escapes into her imagination and it is Camelot that inspires these imaginations. What she was not expecting was that this fascination was grounded in reality - her reality.  And the reason why she has not found her "true love" yet was because... Shh! I must not give away the story, but what I can say is that Vala discovers two things (well, she discovers a few more things but these two are quite important), the first is the reason behind her mother's so-called madness and the second thing is her own true calling.

While Britain begins to mobilise to fight in what would later be called the Great War, Vala has an even greater battle to face. She must embrace her true self, kick-off convention go back in time and meet her destiny head-on.

Kingfisher is the story of the Lady of the Lake, her origins, her enemies and her mission! She has to make sure the Uther has a son "Arthur". It is a heavy burden to carry, especially when Uther is not the nicest of men on first meeting (and I think his accent is meant to be Scottish - which usually endears a character to me, but not so much in this case)! Although he does mellow as the story progresses and like Vala, I hoped he would have a better end than the one legend foretold.

A character that I really adored was Taliesin - his story both in the early 20th Century and back in Avalon is, well, let's call it complicated, magical but complicated. But his compassion, his love and his determination really drew me towards him. I enjoyed reading the scenes that he is in very much.

Kingfisher is a must read for lovers of Arthurian romance, or anyone else who enjoys a well researched (both in history and legend) novel.

Amazon

£0.00 on #KindleUnlimited

D. K. Marley is a Historical Fiction author specializing in Shakespearean adaptations, Tudor era historicals, Colonial American historicals, alternate historicals, and historical time-travel. At a very early age she knew she wanted to be a writer. Inspired by her grandmother, an English Literature teacher, she dove into writing during her teenage years, winning short story awards for two years in local competitions. After setting aside her writing to raise a family and run her graphic design business, White Rabbit Arts, returning to writing became therapy to her after suffering immense tragedy, and she published her first novel “Blood and Ink” in 2018, which went on to win the Bronze Medal for Best Historical Fiction from The Coffee Pot Book Club, and the Silver Medal from the Golden Squirrel Book Awards. Within three years, she has published four more novels (two Shakespearean adaptations, one Colonial American historical, and a historical time travel).

When she is not writing, she is the founder and administrator of The Historical Fiction Club on Facebook, and the CEO of The Historical Fiction Company, a website dedicated to supporting the best in historical fiction for authors and readers. And for fun, she is an avid reader of the genre, loves to draw, is a conceptual photography hobbyist, and is passionate about spending time with her granddaughter. She lives in Middle Georgia U.S.A. with her husband of 35 years, an English Lab named Max, and an adorable Westie named Daisy.

Social Media Links:

Website • Blog • Group • Podcast • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Read my #BookReview of Landscape of a Marriage by Gail Ward Olmsted #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub

 

Landscape of a Marriage 

By Gail Ward Olmsted

A marriage of convenience leads to a life of passion and purpose. A shared vision transforms the American landscape forever.

New York, 1858: Mary, a young widow with three children, agrees to marry her brother-in-law Frederick Law Olmsted, who is acting on his late brother’s deathbed plea to "not let Mary suffer”. But she craves more than a marriage of convenience and sets out to win her husband’s love. Beginning with Central Park in New York City, Mary joins Fred on his quest to create a 'beating green heart' in the center of every urban space. 

Over the next 40 years, Fred is inspired to create dozens of city parks, private estates and public spaces with Mary at his side. Based upon real people and true events, this is the story of Mary’s journey and personal growth and the challenges inherent in loving a brilliant and ambitious man. 

Publication Date: July 29, 2021

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Page Length: 314 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

MY THOUGHTS

Left widowed at 28 with three children, Mary Olmsted finally returns to America, after travelling around Europe after the death of her husband. However, with no home to return to, Mary cannot help but feel apprehensive about returning. The only solution she can see is to go to her brother-in-law, Fred, and ask for his help. He would be able to help her, to get her settled. She doesn’t envisage that going to Fred would lead to marrying him, but stranger things have happened.

Despite having a wife and adopting three children, Fred is no less absorbed by his work. He is working to create a park in the middle of New York, and the task seems almost impossible. Yet, he is determined to bring what he can see in his imagination to fruition, and Mary supports him every step of the way. When the long-awaited Central Park is finished, there is a strong desire among many for Fred to design parks, in other places. Mary is patient while Fred spends long hours at work, and little time at home, but his absence weighs heavily on their relationship. He spends weeks at a time away from his family, on business trips and to talk to potential clients, and Mary cannot help but wish he would cut back on the work a little, to spend more time with her and their children.

Mary finds a lovely friendship in Anne Vaux. The two families, the Vaux and the Olmsteds spend some time living together in a large house, and with the men as business partners, and the children good friends, Mary and Anne become very close. Mary does not have many friends other than Anne, and she can talk to Anne about anything and be sure that no one else will find out. When Mary needs Anne, and vice versa, they are there for each other. With husbands who often cause them grief, such a friendship is vital, and it was lovely to read about the pair.

While there is clearly love between Mary and Fred, I couldn’t help but feel that Fred didn’t appreciate Mary too much, and did not treat her the way she deserved. Mary gives up so much, time and time again, for Fred, including packing up the entire family and moving around the country so he could take on new ventures, yet he barely graces the dinner table with his presence, and rarely shares a bed with Mary, preferring to sleep in the office or the spare room. I desperately wanted him to change, but it seems he was always supposed to be a bachelor, and marrying did not change him into a husband. 

Mary’s family was lovely to read about, and I adored the interactions with the children, and watching them grow up. There is some heartbreak in this novel, following loss, but while they may be gone, they are never forgotten. In particular, I enjoyed reading about how the youngest child, Rick, escaped bath time by hiding in the dumbwaiter, which he used in preference to the staircase. 

As is usually the case in many historical novels, much is known about the men and not so much about the women. Frederick Law Olmsted is a name that many people know, and in this novel, many people knew of him as well. Yet, Mary is the central character in this novel, and the story of a well-known man is told through the eyes of a woman from the background. She is not heavily involved in his career, at least at the beginning, but that doesn’t mean that she was not important, nor worth being forgotten. Creating a story out of such little information is a feat of brilliance, and I think it has been pulled off fabulously in this book.

This book is on the slightly longer side, for there is a lot to fit in when you are writing about the entire length of someone’s marriage, yet it did not take me too long to read. The chapters are short, giving little snapshots of Mary’s life, glimpses through the curtains into the world of a woman whose life was just as important as her husbands, and yet no one knows who she is. If you would like to find out about Mary, and about her life and marriage, this book is the one you need. Even if you have never heard the name ‘Olmsted’ before, this book is well worth a read, as it is entertaining, educational, and emotional, all in one.

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Publisher

Gail Ward Olmsted

Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a fulltime basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before she began Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical work of fiction fea-turing landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary. 

For more information, please visit her on Facebook and at GailOlmsted.com. Gail can also be found on the following social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, BookBub, Amazon and Goodreads.

Tour Schedule

#HistoricalRomance author M. C. Bunn is talking about the inspiration behind her novel, Where Your Treasure Is #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @MCBunn3 @maryanneyarde

 

Where Your Treasure Is

By M. C. Bunn

Feisty, independent heiress Winifred de la Coeur has never wanted to live according to someone else’s rules—but even she didn’t plan on falling in love with a bank robber.

 

Winifred is a wealthy, nontraditional beauty who bridles against the strict rules and conventions of Victorian London society. When she gets caught up in the chaos of a bungled bank robbery, she is thrust unwillingly into an encounter with Court Furor, a reluctant getaway driver and prizefighter.  In the bitter cold of a bleak London winter, sparks fly.

 

Winifred and Court are two misfits in their own circumscribed worlds—the fashionable beau monde with its rigorously upheld rules, and the gritty demimonde, where survival often means life-or-death choices.

Despite their conflicting backgrounds, they fall desperately in love while acknowledging the impossibility of remaining together. Returning to their own worlds, they try to make peace with their lives until a moment of unrestrained honesty and defiance threatens to topple the deceptions that they have carefully constructed to protect each other.

A story of the overlapping entanglements of Victorian London’s social classes, the strength of family bonds and true friendship, and the power of love to heal a broken spirit.

Publication Date: 23rd April 2021

Publisher: Bellastoria Press

Page Length: 454 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Victorian Romance

Grab a copy HERE!

GUEST POST

First, thank you for hosting me! I’ll try to explain what inspired Where Your Treasure Is, though if I any deeper insight into the depths of my writing process, I might not need to write. I love romance and adventure, a legacy of my father’s, and Treasure has both. 

In my early twenties, I spent time in London and Norfolk, where Treasure is set, but my fascination with England dates back to childhood, novels, television, and films.

Like many writers, I’m a magpie, always collecting details, consciously or not. When I lived in London, I didn’t earn much money. I went sightseeing and visited museums. I attended the theater on cut-price tickets. When I was at the end of my pay packet, I’d buy a Tube ticket, get off the train in part of the city I hadn’t yet visited, and wander back to my room. I loved Camden Town’s market. I sat in chip shops, observing, listening. Strangers shared the most extraordinary details about their lives. 

Some writers say that stories find them. That’s what happened with Where Your Treasure Is about a decade ago, one late August afternoon. It was dreadfully hot—too hot to walk our dear, now sadly-departed English pointer, Bella. The sun had dipped behind the poplars. I was cramming in the last of the summer’s pleasure reading before getting serious about lesson plans for the high school English classes I taught at the time. 

Maybe I nodded off, but I don’t think so. I heard voices and saw a Victorian woman and man arguing. It was like being in a movie theater with a bad sound system. Her enunciation was fine, like her dress, which was a brilliant emerald green. His Cockney accent and purple velvet coat marked him as some sort of driver—dapper, but louche and terribly shabby. Her freezing hauteur and his brash indifference were fronts, but only I seemed aware of that. She was terrified of him. He was frightened as well, but of whom or what?

The man’s words became distinct. “What you needs is tamin’!”

Though I’m used to living with scenes and dialogue percolating, this couple’s exchange felt different, electric. As quickly as it sparked, the scenario dimmed. 

As I walked Bella a few evenings later, the pair flashed before my mind’s eye again. As soon as I got home, I wrote Treasure’s opening: Winifred’s trip to the Royal Empire Bank on the eve of her dreaded twenty-fifth birthday. 

Words spilled out: Winifred’s beloved Uncle Percival and his valet Morrant, her mother’s fabulous Indian necklace, her irritation with her suitors and her deeply conflicted attraction to George, her handsome, roguish neighbor. Court and his friends’ ill-conceived debt-collection scheme at the bank soon followed. 

During the next months, I wrote when I could—before work, late at night, weekends. Characters popped out of nowhere, proliferated, and propelled me to prizefights, horse races, brothels, bank and estate offices, Egyptian boats and Continental trains. Scenes unfurled while I waited in traffic, grocery shopped, scrubbed dishes, or graded quizzes. 

As it grew, I read the draft to my mother. “Are these people real?” she asked. They felt real. They obsessed me. It was only after I’d chased down the whole story and revised it several times that I realized what was going on. 

In 2006 my father passed away suddenly after a routine operation. For a couple of years my mother did much better on her own than anyone thought she would. I should have known better. They were business partners for over 30 years and had offices at their house. When he died, they were planning the next stage of their life, the transition to semi-retirement, a trip to Italy, and a drive cross-country to see Air Force buddies. By 2010, Mother still had not sold Daddy’s golf clubs or cleaned out his closets and office. She was having mini-strokes and showing all the signs of incipient dementia.

Daddy had been a brilliant story-teller. His family tales were so entertaining that my cousin said she didn’t care whether they were true or not.” They usually were. I’m not funny like he was, but I can hear his turns of phrase in my mind, his descriptions of a country childhood during the Depression, his impressions of traveling abroad in post-war Europe for the first time. 

He was also a passionate reader who cherished his books. He read to us during supper: classics, National Geographic, his Sunday school lesson, spy thrillers, James Herriot, travel guides. He particularly loved history and had a stack of overdue books which kept him perpetually in arrears with libraries in several counties. 

One Christmas when I was about eight years old, he let me stay up past midnight to watch Great Expectations. We started the book, and I still hear his voice as he read Chapter III’s whimsical opening lines. Pip says, “It was a rimy morning, and very damp. I had seen the damp lying on the outside of my little window, as if some goblin had been crying there all night, and using the window for a pocket-handkerchief.” 

“Isn’t that wonderful, the way Dickens does that,” Daddy asked.

I’m not sure that before then I’d ever considered that a writer did anything except write the story. Daddy was the least didactic of men. He never said we were going to read because it was good for me. He just wanted to share his appreciation of finely crafted writing, his boyish wonder and joy in a story well-told. 

As much as my father loved literature, he also loved fairy tales and children’s books, and re-read the westerns and comics that brought his own imagination to life. He never forgot where he was from, so to speak. He kept a connection to childhood and was ever loyal to his first book-friends. In many ways, the man who read me Great Expectations remained the country boy who sat alone in the woods, reading and dreaming of the life he would create in the big world when he grew up. I’m amazed by all he did with his years and all he gave to our family. He identified with Pip’s ambition to become a gentleman and would’ve understood Court’s desire to transform his life.

There are tales we have to re-tell. For pleasure, for love, for remembrance. To work through our troubles. I think John Irving said that writers have one story and write variations of it, over and over. I’ve kept many of Daddy’s favorite books. I hold and smell them, and re-read the stories we loved. Writing Treasure was a way to honor his many gifts to me. I hope he would’ve enjoyed it. Dreams live in the stories we tell and write, that we pass on with love.

M. C. Bunn grew up in a house full of books, history, and music. “Daddy was a master storyteller. The past was another world, but one that seemed familiar because of him. He read aloud at the table, classics or whatever historical subject interested him. His idea of bedtime stories were passages from Dickens, Twain, and Stevenson. Mama told me I could write whatever I wanted. She put a dictionary in my hands and let me use her typewriter, or watch I, Claudius and Shoulder to Shoulder when they first aired on Masterpiece Theatre. She was the realist. He was the romantic. They were a great team.”

Where Your Treasure Is, a novel set in late-Victorian London and Norfolk, came together after the sudden death of the author’s father. “I’d been teaching high school English for over a decade and had spent the summer cleaning my parents’ house and their offices. It was August, time for classes to begin. The characters emerged out of nowhere, sort of like they knew I needed them. They took over.” 

She had worked on a novella as part of her master’s degree in English years before but set it aside, along with many other stories. “I was also writing songs for the band I’m in and had done a libretto for a sacred piece. All of that was completely different from Where Your Treasure Is. Before her health declined, my mother heard Treasure’s first draft and encouraged me to return to prose. The novel is a nod to all the wonderful books my father read to us, the old movies we stayed up to watch, a thank you to my parents, especially Mama for reminding me that nothing is wasted. Dreams don’t have to die. Neither does love.”  

 

When M. C. Bunn is not writing, she’s researching or reading. Her idea of a well-appointed room includes multiple bookshelves, a full pot of coffee, and a place to lie down with a big, old book. To further feed her soul, she and her husband take long walks with their dog, Emeril in North Carolina’s woods, or she makes music with friends. 

“I try to remember to look up at the sky and take some time each day to be thankful.” 

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

TOUR SCHEDULE

Head over to The Coffee Pot Book Club to follow the tour.