Read my review of Frogman's Response by Heidi Voss #YoungAdult @rarevoss @RABTBookTours

Frogman's Response

By Heidi Voss

Matthew Shaw is banned from his school's online counseling forum. Is it a crime his advice posts and anarchy blog are more popular than those on the school website? Though he's being as sincere as possible, Matthew, posting as "Frogman" online, wreaks havoc at Henry Blake High with advice that causes breakups, instigates a cheerleader fistfight, and turns a school assembly into an angry mob. When Matthew's private notebook goes missing, he worries not only about blowing his secret identity but about being suspended and ruining his shot to escape Mom's hoarding house.

YA Fiction

Date Published: 09-06-2021

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Grab a copy HERE!

MY THOUGHTS

Matthew Shaw’s ‘Frogman’ posts on the school’s online counseling forum are a massive part of his life. He loves playing such an influential role, and people seem to like his advice over that of the school counselor. So, when the school ban him, and any Frogman derivative name he comes up with, from the forum, he has to do something.

Teaming up with some unlikely friends, Matthew creates a blog, full of anarchy and publishes posts fighting against the school. He resurrects Frogman, and starts trying to recreate his infamy on his own site. But things don’t run quite as smoothly as he might have hoped. His words still influence people’s decisions and actions, but rather than simply encouraging students to follow their own desires, Matthew causes chaos. Breakups, fights, wide-spread anger throughout the school… it reaches a point where Matthew must decide whether it is still safe for Frogman to exist.

Matthew is a character in a very difficult situation. He lives for his Frogman posts because his life at home is not good. He lives alone with his mother, who is a hoarder and clutters their life with junk. Matthew hates going home to a house he can barely walk through, full of his mother’s mess, but he has no other choice. At least his room is clean. I really disliked Matthew’s mother in this book. Not only does she have no respect for him at all, or allow him many freedoms, she tries to blame things on him that are not his fault. The kitchen may be filthy, but none of the plates are Matthew’s, as he pretty much lives off granola bars due to his lack of money, and to avoid conversation with his mother over food, or if she cornered him while he was in the kitchen.

The school is portrayed as, in my opinion, quite a rough school. There are some people who treat it as if it were posh and believe that everyone must follow all the rules, but a fair amount of the pupils get into fights, and arguments in the classroom are to be expected and tolerated. There is a massive lack of funding for the school, and people fight to keep their clubs running when there is not necessarily the money for everyone. In another school, Matthew’s posts may have had a completely different effect, but in one where there is already tension, and ‘school spirit’ is ridiculous, as there is nothing about their school that the students can really brag about, he just adds to the disgruntlement amongst the student population. 

This book felt quite real in the telling, as there are no magic fixes to anything. Matthew is behind on classwork, and he can’t just spend one evening on homework and catch up, it is a long haul of hard work he must commit to. His home life isn’t going to significantly improve after an argument where his mother suddenly sees his point of view and changes her ways. This book isn’t about Matthew going from a bad situation to a good one, but follows him through a small part of his life where he makes some mistakes at school, and has to deal with the consequences. He spends a lot of time worrying about school, as even though he doesn’t put much effort in, he is terrified that he won’t be able to get into college and escape home. 

Although the chapters in this book are likely no shorter than any other book I’ve read recently, they felt quite short. This book is an incredibly easy read, and you can fly through the chapters. This did mean it was very easy to fall into the ‘just one more chapter’ scenario, as you can always justify reading another chapter if the chapters do not take long to read. I found myself sneaking in a quick chapter whenever I had the chance, and I read this book in no time at all. I loved reading this book, and looked forward to getting home from work to sit down and get back to reading it. If I had the time, I easily could’ve read this whole book in one sitting. It drew me in, and I didn’t want to put it down. I think this book would make a great teen film, and I’d love to see it on the screen. As an adult I loved reading it, and I know as a teen I would’ve loved it as well. It definitely suits it’s target audience, and was a great read!

Heidi Voss’ debut novel Frogman’s Response has been praised as being “instantly engaging” and her award winning short fiction has been featured in multiple anthologies. When not writing or promoting her work, she enjoys video games and exercise.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Instagram • TikTok

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read a guest post by Heidi Eljarbo, author of The London Forgery (A Fabiola Bennett Mystery) #TheLondonForgery #fabiolabennett #DualTimelineMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HeidiEljarbo @cathiedunn

The London Forgery

A Fabiola Bennett Mystery

By Heidi Eljarbo

1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete.

A mysterious note is delivered anonymously at the door of the National Gallery in London, and the director immediately calls Fabiola’s office in Oslo and pleads with her to come without delay. The message is confusing, but it seems one of her favorite eighteenth-century portraits is in trouble.

Fabiola hops on the first plane and meets up with her vibrant side-kick Pippa Yates and the ever-loyal Detective Inspector Cary Green from New Scotland Yard. But she is not naïve enough to think untangling the purpose and meaning of the mysterious note will be as simple as a walk in Hyde Park. These things never are.

1750. Newly married Robert and Frances Andrews, members of the landed gentry of Suffolk, England, hire young and talented Thomas Gainsborough to paint their wedding portrait. Their desire is a lovely conversation piece showing their wealth and class, an artwork to remember them by for generations to come.

Little do they know the gifted artist portrays their personalities exactly how he perceives them, and the artistic symbolism is not as flattering as they’d hoped for. Even the looming clouds in the distance promise a troublesome future.

This is the first book in a new dual timeline series by Heidi Eljarbo—an intriguing spin-off from the much-loved Soli Hansen Mysteries.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Rhys Bowen, Kathleen McGurl, Kate Morton, and Katherine Neville will love this cozy historical art mystery, which takes the readers back to the nostalgia of the groovy seventies and the classical Georgian era of the eighteenth century.

Publication Date: 29th August 2023

Publisher: self-published

Page Length: about 252

Genre: Historical Mystery / dual timeline historical fiction

Grab a copy HERE!

This novel is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

GUEST POST

Throughout the centuries, paintings and sculptures have been stolen, forged, resold, used as collateral for loans, looted, robbed, art napped, defrauded, vandalized, smuggled, plundered by Nazis… Sadly, the list is long. Some of these art crimes are well-known. The most famous art heist is probably from 1911 when Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in Paris. In fact, the Mona Lisa was not as famous as it is today before it was stolen. Suddenly, all eyes of the world were on the small portrait, and it became impossible to sell it because of its fame. Fortunately, to all who want to see the mysterious lady in the Louvre today, it was recovered after two years and is since then safely guarded in the Paris gallery.

So, what is the motive for stealing such artifacts? In some areas of the world, special art can have cultural value, some paintings are targeted because the artist is famous, others because the artwork has a price tag far beyond what the average buyer can afford. Often, there’s a combination of reasons.

During WWII, Hitler had a goal of building an enormous art museum in his hometown Linz, Austria. As a young man, Hitler had applied for the Viennese art school twice and not been accepted. He kept painting, and when he became Der Führer, he had many of his soldiers work on their artistic talents, as well. He preferred nationalistic, classic artwork and banned the more modernist art. The Nazis looted a staggering number of 600 000 paintings from Jews alone. Some have been recovered—in 2011, more than 1500 paintings were found in a small apartment in Munich—but many are still lost.

Art destruction is another heartbreaking chapter in the history of art. Again, the Mona Lisa and Rembrandt’s Night Watch have been under attack several times. These are just a couple of examples of vandalism. Sometimes, protesters and climate activists ruin artwork to make a statement. Other times, art is destroyed by desperate people or in wartime situations. Some famous artists like Michelangelo and Monet have even destroyed their own art because of a violent outburst or even disappointment.

The London Forgery is the first book in a new series about art historian Fabiola Bennett who travels to different places to solve art crimes. In this novel, she’s asked to help the National Gallery in London; one of Fabiola’s favorite paintings is in trouble. The dual-timeline novel has a second story where we go further back in time to Thomas Gainsborough who painted the masterpiece.

Readers of my books may have already read the four books in the Soli Hansen Mysteries which are situated in Oslo during WWII. Soli goes undercover and works with the Resistance to rescue artwork from Nazi looting. The fun thing is, the new Fabiola Bennett Mystery Series is a spin-off from the Soli Hansen Mysteries. Fabiola is Soli’s daughter—also a sleuth—and a brilliant art historian with an eidetic memory. 

I hope you’ll enjoy The London Forgery and read about the making of Thomas Gainsborough’s famous masterpiece Mr. and Mrs. Andrews in 1750, and the desperation of an art historian in 1973, who risks all to find out what has happened to the portrait.

Happy reading!

Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.

Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have fifteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter

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

Follow the tour HERE!

Read an interview with Catherine Kullmann, author of The Husband Criteria (The Lorings, Book #3) #RegencyRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @CKullmmannauthor @cathiedunn

The Husband Criteria
(The Lorings, Book #3)
By Catherine Kullmann

London 1817

The primary aim of every young lady embarking on the Spring frenzy that is the Season must be to make a good match. Or must it? And what is a good match? For cousins Cynthia, Chloe and Ann, well aware that the society preux chevalier may prove to be a domestic tyrant, these are vital questions. How can they discover their suitors’ true character when all their encounters must be confined to the highly ritualised round of balls, parties and drives in the park?

As they define and refine their Husband Criteria, Cynthia finds herself unwillingly attracted to aloof Rafe Marfield, heir to an earldom, while Chloe is pleased to find that Thomas Musgrave, the vicar’s son from home, is also in London. And Ann must decide what is more important to her, music or marriage.

And what of the gentlemen who consider the marriage mart to be their hunting grounds? How will they react if they realise how rigorously they are being assessed?

A light-hearted, entertaining look behind the scenes of a Season that takes a different course with unexpected consequences for all concerned.

Publication Date: 24 August 2023
Publisher: Willow Books
Page Length: 297
Genre: Historical Romance / Regency Romance

Grab a copy HERE!

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview questions

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

I have always been interested in the extended Regency period, from, say, 1795—the year of the later Prince Regent’s marriage—to 1830, the year of his death as George IV, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. The events of this period include the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1800, the Anglo-American war of 1812 and the twelve years of war that ended in the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, all of which continue to shape our modern world.

At the same time, the ruling aristocracies were being challenged by those who saw the need for social and political reform, while the industrial revolution which led to the transfer of wealth to the manufacturing and merchant classes was underway. Powerful voices demanded the abolition of the slave trade. Women, who had few or no rights in a patriarchal society, had begun to raise their voices, demanding equality and emancipation. Still very much the age of sail, and of the horse, it was also the dawn of the age of steam. Within twenty years, railways would have begun to transform both the landscape and society.

I also love the music, literature, art and architecture of that time, the fashion—between hoops and crinolines—is still very wearable today, and indeed the Empire line is revived regularly.

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

No, there is a wealth of information out there. I have a large research library and also a huge data-base of historical facts and trivia. Sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint something exactly, but I have found experts to be most helpful. When I needed to know a specific detail in scoring a cricket match in 1814, for example, I contacted Marylebone Cricket Club and their research officer replied immediately with the information I needed.

The most surprising thing was the amount of coloured images that we still have from the time. It’s not only oils and water-colours, but hand-coloured engravings that cover everything from caricatures to fashion-prints to book illustrations. I have built up quite a collection of these that give a real insight into the period. This one, of a young officer presenting the Prince Regent with the spoils of war, shows us a different version of the Regency that is much less pretty.

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

I love writing about children and there is a charming scamp, four-year-old Master Jack Devenish, who twists everyone around his little finger.

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

Marfield describes Cynthia to his mother as being ‘pure gold, untarnished’. This is because she is not missish or flirtatious, speaks her mind and is not trying to trap him into a betrothal.

What was the most challenging part about writing your book?

The middle—you usually know the beginning and the end, but it is the journey that counts.

Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?

Initially, I thought to have three complete story arcs, one for each of the three girls but I realised they could not all be finished within one Season. I could have added part 2, taking up the story later, but that would have made the book very long 

What are you currently working on?

I have two WIPs; the sequel to The Husband Criteria and another, as yet untitled one with older, protagonists.

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

Read a lot, both the classics and in your own genre. Learn to edit your work ruthlessly; read and re-read it. If it feels at all ‘off’ or you find yourself skimming and skipping pages, re-write it. Consider whether a creative writing course would suit you or see if you can join a scheme like the New Writers’ Scheme of the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association. You do not have to be a UK resident to join. A writing-group may also help. But always remember that your voice is unique; if you find criticism and feedback to be destructive or demoralising rather than helpful, leave that group.

Personal Interview questions

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

I read, listen to music, go to the opera and concerts, travel, meet friends.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer. However, I was only able to start writing fiction after I took early retirement.

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

A steak salad. If I had a magic wand, I would love to be transported to a sea-side taverna in Greece for a local meal.

What would be a perfect day?

I love to travel, so a day sight-seeing, stopping off at a small restaurant for lunch and then opera in the evening.

What is the best part of your day?

There isn’t really any. I have retired from the day-job so I can manage my time as it suits me. I enjoy small pleasures e.g., when the writing goes well, or the postman delivers a new book, or I hear a favourite piece of music on the radio. 

Either or!

Tea or coffee: I love coffee but if it can only be one, then it must be tea.

Hot or cold: Cold. It is easier to get warm than it is to get cool.

Movie or book: Book every time.

Morning person or Night owl: Neither, really. I’m a day-time person.

City or country: City to live, but with the country or the sea easily reached. Dublin is perfect for that.

Social Media or book: Book

Paperback or ebook: Paperback

Catherine Kullmann was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, she moved to Germany where she lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. She has worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. Widowed, she has three adult sons and two grandchildren.

Catherine has always been interested in the extended Regency period, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. She loves writing and is particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. Her books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.

She is the author of The Murmur of Masks, Perception & Illusion, A Suggestion of Scandal, The Duke’s Regret, The Potential for Love, A Comfortable Alliance and Lady Loring’s Dilemma. 

Catherine also blogs about historical facts and trivia related to this era.

You can find out more about her books and read her blog (My Scrap Album) at her website. You can contact her via her Facebook page or on Twitter.

Social Media Links:

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

Follow the tour HERE!

Have a look at THE DEMONS RISING by Andrew S. M. Berger #Fantasy #Review @GoddessFish

THE DEMONS RISING
By Andrew S. M. Berger

A heart blackened by time, now reserved for hatred and despair. Vengeance—achievable through reaching the afterlife and gaining ultimate power—is the only way to satisfy an unquenchable thirst for justice. But, when a resurgence of hope blurs the line between retribution and madness, the blackened heart seeks to preserve what beauty is left within its grasp.

Neeksus had hopes of life, until death seemed the only path. A voice beckons him to commit a final atrocious act: he must take the lives of as many individuals as possible, as well as his own. Once in the underworld, all will be made clear.

A boy named Gabriel suits the requirements for Neeksus to attain his goal, residing in an earlier time and among space separate from the Milky Way. This boy holds a single hope: a girl dear to him, belonging to a fate worse than death.

Neeksus can save her, but only if the boy kills and collects countless souls. Many will die, who will be sacrificed in Neeksus's quest for revenge...

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 256

Grab a copy HERE!
This novel is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

My desire to write is an extension of my personal love for colorful and imaginative storytelling. Along the way, I developed a longing to discover a path to reclaim the world which once held so much beauty. Opening the minds of the masses seems the only way. My mind is a dark sanctuary, which may be of benefit.

I live on Vancouver Island. My greatest influences are The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C S. Lewis, and The Gunslinger series by Stephen King. Plus the works of Akira Toriyama.

My free time is composed of spending time with my wife and son, getting out and seeing the world, and playing music. With everything I strive towards, making time to write was difficult, but I want more. I attended the school of imagination and graduated top of my class. I also have a certificate in bookkeeping, so I know about good books—even if those books are numerical non-fiction. Seriously speaking, I began writing in my high school creative writing class, after being told I had unrivaled creativity. The desire and journey to be one of the greats had begun.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the cover of The Withering Trials of Gwendolyn Gray (The Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray, #3) by B.A. Williamson #Fantasy #ScienceFiction #YoungAdult @BAWrites @XpressoTours

The Withering Trials of Gwendolyn Gray

(The Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray, #3)

By B.A. Williamson

She Saved the City, But Lost Her Life

What would you do if your parents disappeared? How would you live, barely scraping by, lying to everyone in your life?

Two years ago, Gwendolyn Gray saved the City. But The Blackstar stole her parents and took them to another world. She lost her powers, her portals, and even her hair. So while the rest of the City is reveling in its newfound freedom, Gwendolyn has spent two years dodging the clutches of the Childkeeper and the Home for Unclaimed Children. Balancing work and school and impersonating her own parents hasn’t been great for her bipolar disorder, either.

So when a school bully and a vengeful faerie bring her carefully constructed lies crashing down around her, Gwendolyn seizes the chance to travel through the realms of story again, trying to find the world where her stolen parents are hidden. But battling bills is nothing compared to the gothic vampires and eldritch horrors she’ll meet along the way. And on a world of smoke and lightning and metal, a teenage rebel holds the key to saving her parents and getting back the life she lost.

Because growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Publication date: November 18th 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult 

Add to Goodreads!
Grab a copy HERE!

B. A. Williamson is the overly caffeinated writer of The Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray. When not doing battle with the demons in the typewriter, he can be found wandering Indianapolis with his family, singing in a tuxedo, or taming middle-schoolers and actors. Please direct all complaints and your darkest secrets to williamsonwriter@gmail.com, @BAWrites on social media, or visit gwendolyngray.com.

Website • Twitter • Instagram • TikTok

—

Read my review of A Meadow Murder (A Jan Christopher Mystery, Episode #4) by Helen Hollick #CosyMystery #CozyMystery #Devon #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HelenHollick @cathiedunn

A Meadow Murder

A Jan Christopher Mystery, Episode #4 

By Helen Hollick

"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!" ~ author Elizabeth St John

"Every sentence pulls you back into the early 1970s... The Darling Buds of May, only not Kent, but Devon. The countryside itself is a character and Hollick imbues it with plenty of emotion" ~ author Alison Morton

***

Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted?

Summer 1972. Young library assistant Jan Christopher and her fiancé, DS Lawrence Walker, are on holiday in North Devon. There are country walks and a day at the races to enjoy, along with Sunday lunch at the village pub, and the hay to help bring in for the neighbouring farmer.

But when a body is found the holiday plans are to change into an investigation of murder, hampered by a resting actor, a woman convinced she’s met a leprechaun and a scarecrow on walkabout...

Publication Date: 28th July 2023

Publisher: Taw River Press

Page Length: 153 pages

Genre: Cosy Mystery

Grab a copy HERE!

This series is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

MY THOUGHTS

Jan Christopher travels, once again, to North Devon for some time away, and to spend time with her fiancé, DS Lawrence Walker’s family. It finally seems to be a pleasant experience, with Jan able to spend some quality time with Laurie, with some charming walks to the shop with a list from Laurie’s Mum, and a celebration or two, whether for a birthday or just because they are happy and having fun.

When Dorothy Clack, a (slightly crazy) village resident, arrives on their doorstep talking about dead leprechauns, no one really knows what to believe. That is, until a dead body is found, although not quite as Dorothy claimed to have seen it. Once again, Jan and Laurie’s holiday is interrupted by a mysterious murder, but as much as he may want to, Laurie is not allowed to investigate it. He may live there, but Devon is not where he works. They must simply sit back and let the local detective take the reins.

I have, unfortunately, not made good on my desire to read the rest of the books in this series. I have read the second book, A Mystery of Murder, and no others, although it was still very easy to follow this story and know what was going on. I did love A Mystery of Murder, though, so I couldn’t exactly pass up an opportunity to read this book! Once again, we follow mainly Jan, but with a few chapters from Laurie’s perspective. Unlike in A Mystery of Murder, when they were still getting to properly know each other, Jan and Laurie are incredibly close in this book, and Jan is much more comfortable around Laurie’s family. There are still a few hints of jealousy that crop up from time to time, but they are content with the knowledge that they love each other, and past relationships are no longer current.

I loved the theme of following the races, while I have never actually been to the races, I love horses and have watched some racing on the television, so I thoroughly enjoyed joining all the characters on a trip to the races to put some small bets on the horses for a bit of fun. It was at times like at the races that I truly felt I was in the book alongside Jan and Laurie. When it came to the murder mystery, though, I was working against the characters, as I was determined to figure out the truth before they did! I didn’t succeed in this, but it was fun trying!

I found myself getting incredibly frustrated, along with Laurie, at the local constables in charge of the murder investigation. If it falls on others, not involved in the investigation and without all the proper information, to solve it, you are clearly not doing your job right! They were almost insufferable, and I just wanted them to step aside and let Laurie and Jan's uncle take over. I'm sure this book would be about 10 pages long if that were the case!

Despite the fact that this is a murder mystery, it is incredibly light-hearted, and it is a fun read. I loved every second of reading it, and whenever I had to put it down, I was left trying to follow the investigation in my head, and attempting to piece together the few facts that were available to me. This, like A Mystery of Murder, is a relatively short book, at under 200 pages, but this does not hinder the story at all. While I definitely would have liked to spend more time with Jan and Laurie, the length of the story works perfectly for it. It is rather fast-paced, which allows you to reach the conclusion quickly, without necessarily being forced to put the book down to go to bed! However, as much as I wanted to spend more time with the characters, I am very aware that this is (currently) a 4 part series, so there is plenty of story to read, just in 3 other books! I do hope to finally read books 1 and 3, as I love this series, and can't wait to spend more time with Jan and Laurie (and solve more murders with them!)

First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages.

She has also branched out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with her Jan Christopher Murder Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working as a library assistant. The front cover of episode #4, A Meadow Murder, is Helen’s actual hay meadow on her Devon farm.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon, England, and occasionally gets time to write...

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Australian Readers FB Group • Amazon Author Page • Blog  • Newsletter • Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE!

Read a snippet from The Shadow Earl by Stella Riley #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalMystery #BlogTour #The CoffeePotBookClub @RileyStella @cathiedunn

 

The Shadow Earl
By Stella Riley
Audiobook narrated by Alex Wyndham

At the end of his Grand Tour, somewhere between Athens and Constantinople, Christian Selwyn, the young Earl of Hazelmere, vanished - seemingly without a trace.

Time passes.  In London, his uncle and cousin move into his home … while his unofficial fiancée, Sophia, is left desolate and in limbo.  Finally, his friends – loyal and close as brothers – set out to search in person.  

Christian’s startling re-appearance at a grand ball takes society by storm and fuels endless speculation. Where has he been during these three missing years? What happened to him?  

And more importantly, how did it happen?  

Only one thing is clear.  The earl who left England five years ago, has returned a changed man.  A man with secrets.

Publication Date: 15th July, 2023
Publisher: Stella Riley
Page Length:  433
Genre: Historical Romance

Grab a copy HERE!

SNIPPET

On Friday morning, Christian departed for Oxfordshire.  On Friday evening at Sinclairs, Basil Selwyn heard that he had and briefly considered letting sleeping dogs lie. Then, finding himself beside inveterate gossip, Sir Denys Morton, he said idly, ‘If my cousin still intends to marry Miss Kelsall he’s taking his time about it.’

‘The betting is five to two against at White’s,’ volunteered Sir Denys. ‘If he was going to do it, they’d have announced it by now.’

‘My thoughts exactly.’

‘Of course, she nearly married you, didn’t she?’

‘She did.’  Basil gritted his teeth and, managing to sound unconcerned, added, ‘But then my cousin returned and … well, he’s an earl, isn’t he?’  

‘True.   So she wouldn’t have turned him down, would she?’

‘After waiting all this time?  Hardly.  No. If I had to guess, I’d say his tastes may have changed while he’s been away.  Not that one likes to speculate, of course … but we all know what they say about the Turks.’

‘I don’t,’ said Sir Denys, helpfully. ‘What do they say?’

Basil turned a surprised gaze on him and murmured,  ‘Oh dear.’  Then, leaning a little closer, he dropped a single word in the other man’s ear.

‘Good God!  Really?’ 

‘So I’ve heard.’

Like most people, Sir Denys did not stop to wonder where he’d heard it or from whom. ‘I thought it was all harems and exotic dancers.’

‘Oh, there’s that, too,’ agreed Basil. ‘But not solely that.’

‘I say!’  For several seconds, Sir Denys appeared incapable of speech.  Then he said,  ‘And you think that Hazelmere has taken to – to – you know.’

‘I wouldn’t like to imply that he has.  But after spending three years in a country where it’s said to be quite common … and returning to his beautiful not-quite-fiancée but still not doing the honourable thing … well.  One has to wonder, don’t you think?’

‘Yes.  One does.  One does indeed.’ 

Basil smiled, made an excuse about promising to join Lord Henley for a hand or two of basset and strolled away, well pleased with his progress.

~  *  ~

Winner of four gold medals for historical romance (Readers' Favourite in 2019, Book Excellence Awards in 2020, Global Book Awards in 2022 and Book Excellence Award in 2023) and fifteen B.R.A.G. Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.

She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the 7 book Rockliffe series  (recommended in The Times newspaper!) and the Brandon Brothers trilogy, are all available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham.

Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord.  She also has a fondness for men with long hair - hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.

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

Follow the tour HERE!