The Curse of Maiden Scars by Nicolette Croft An Audio Excerpt - Blog Tour

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: Maiden Mother Crone
Pages: 288
Listening Length: 11 hours 50 minutes
Narrator: Liz May Brice
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Coming-of-age, Gothic

Book Description

A Yorkshire orphan struggling for opportunity against 18th-century odds reluctantly transforms into a Venetian courtesan during the

Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake by Chris Thorndycroft Release Day Spotlight

Publication Date: August 1st, 2023
Publisher: Chris Thorndycroft
Series: The Molucca Star Quartet
Page Length: 232
Genre: Historical action and adventure

Synopsis

Bristol, 1713. When Philip Rake, pickpocket, smuggler and scoundrel is arrested and thrown in jail, he assumes he has a short walk to the gallows. But his father, a wealthy merchant who has remained a figure of mystery throughout his life, throws him a lifeline; become an indentured man on an expedition to the East Indies led by his friend, Woodes Rogers.

Woodes Rogers is looking for Libertatia - the fabled pirate kingdom of the legendary buccaneer Henry Avery - and the hoard of

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: January 3, 2023
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Co
Length: (416) pages
Format: Hardcover, Trade paperback & eBook 
Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction

Synopsis

In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach by Jas Treadwell - Book Review

Synopsis

Who is Thomas Peach?

Ah, reader! - if you would have us answer THAT question - What mysteries you shall compel us to expose!

It is the year 1785, and a gentleman of modest means has left London for the countryside, to look after his ailing wife.

Among his neighbours, tongues being to wag. Why does he keep a locked chest under the stairs? Is it really full of forbidden books? And what is exactly the matter with his wife?

For the most part, though, the couple live in peace -- until a letter arrives, threatening to cut off their livelihood and expel them from

The Queen of the Citadels by Dominic Fielder Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 26th August 2021
Publisher: Independently Published
Series: The King’s Germans, Book 3
Page Length: 550 Pages
Genre: Historical Military Fiction

Synopsis

October 1793: The French border.

Dunkirk was a disaster for the Duke of York’s army. The French, sensing victory before the winter, launch attacks along the length of the border. Menen is captured and the French now hold the whip hand. Nieuport and Ostend are threatened, and Sebastian Krombach finds himself involved in a desperate plan to stop the Black Lions as they spearhead the French advance. Werner Brandt and the men of 2nd Battalion race to Menen to

America's Daughter by Celeste De Blasis Book Review

Publication Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: America's Daughter Trilogy #1
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

With Washington’s army, she joined America’s fight for independence…

1773. The night that Addie Valencourt sneaks out to witness the Boston Tea Party, she knows that her world is about to change forever. Soon, the love and security of her tight-knit family is torn apart by the fight for American independence.

When the British lay siege to Boston, Addie’s

The Lost Diary of Alexander Hamilton by Sophie Schiller Book Review - Blog Tour - Giveaway (US Only)

The Lost Diary of Alexander Hamilton by Sophie Schiller
Publication Date: July 3, 2020
Tradewinds Publishing
Genre: YA/US Colonial & Revolutionary Period/Historical Fiction

Synopsis

The story of Alexander Hamilton’s lost childhood in the Caribbean — a land of sugar plantations and slavery — where an impoverished orphan must learn to survive despite impossible odds. It is a story of struggle, heartbreak, resilience, and ultimately, triumph.

1765. Alexander Hamilton arrives in St.

Face of Fortune by Colleen Kelly-EidingBook Review - Blog Tour - Giveaway (US only)

Today I'm one of the last stops on the blog tour for Face of Fortune, the second book in The Shadows of Rosthwaite series.

Publication Date: February 1, 2020
Phase Publishing
Paperback & eBook; 405 Pages
Series: The Shadows of Rosthwaite, Book Two
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Synopsis

Charlotte Pruitt, an auburn-haired beauty whose soul is as wild as the northern mountains she loves, lives day to day, hoping against hope that James Clarke still lives. The love of her life and father of their son had

Man of War by T.J. London Guest Post - Blog Tour - Giveaway (US only)

Today, I have the pleasure of being the first stop on the blog tour for T.J. London's recently released novel, Man of War. The author has kindly provided a guest post in which she shares her research into the two main settings of the novel: a Royal Navy warship and the city of New York. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read Man of War for the blog tour, but after reading about the research that went into it, especially of life on board a Royal Navy man of war, I'm more excited than ever to pick up this book. I hope you enjoy reading the guest post as much as I did.

Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Paperback & eBook; 681 Pages
Series: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, Book #4
Genre: Historical Fiction

BOOK REVIEW/BLOG TOUR + INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY: Child of Love & Water by D. K. Marley

Publication Date: October 19, 2018
The White Rabbit Publishing
eBook; 291 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

The year is 1722. A child is born on the isolated island of Ospo off the Georgia coast. In the midst of General Oglethorpe's vision for this new land, and the emerging townships of Frederica and Savannah, four lives entwine together on this island like the woven fronds in a sea-grass basket - the orphaned Irish girl born free of hate or prejudice, a war-ravaged British

BOOK REVIEW/BLOG TOUR: Bittersweet Tapestry by Kevin O'Connell

Publication Date: November 1, 2019
Gortcullinane Press
eBook & Paperback
Series: The Derrynane Saga, Book Three
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

A dramatic decade has passed since sixteen-year-old Eileen O’Connell first departed her family’s sanctuary at remote Derrynane on the Kerry coast to become the wife of one of the wealthiest men in Ireland and the mistress of John O’Connor’s Ballyhar – only to have her elderly husband die within months of the

CAN'T-WAIT WEDNESDAY: I Can't Wait for Josephine's Garden by Stephanie Parkyn

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

BOOK REVIEW: Captain Cook's Apprentice by Anthony Hill

In August 1768 His Majesty's Bark Endeavour, with Lieutenant James Cook as its captain, departed from Plymouth, England, primarily to observe the Transit of Venus from Tahiti.

In 2018, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of this, one of the greatest voyages of discovery ever made, Penguin Books released a new edition of Anthony Hill's 2008 novel, Captain Cook's Apprentice

Synopsis (From the back cover)

The enthralling story of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia, as seen through the eager eyes of a cabin

CAN'T-WAIT WEDNESDAY: I Can't Wait for: Fled by Meg Keneally

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

CAN'T-WAIT WEDNESDAY: I Can't Wait for Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot & Heather Webb

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

As the French Revolution is one of my favourite periods in history, I was so excited by news of this collaboration that I just had

BOOK REVIEW/BLOG TOUR: The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

Publication Date: December 3, 2018
Endeavour Quill
eBook & Hardcover; 430 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

Synopsis

In eighteenth century London, porcelain is the most seductive of commodities; fortunes are made and lost upon it. Kings do battle with knights and knaves for possession of the finest pieces and the secrets of their manufacture.

For Genevieve Planché, an English-born descendant of Huguenot refugees, porcelain holds far less allure;

BOOK BLAST: Clash of Empires by Paul Bennett

Publication Date: December 8, 2016
Paperback & eBook; 224 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1540666628
Series: The Mallory Saga, Book #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

In 1756, Britain and France are on a collision course for control of the North American continent. The eventual result can be described as the first world war, known as the Seven Year’s War in Europe and the French and Indian War in the colonies. The Mallory family uproots from eastern Pennsylvania, and moves to the western frontier, where they find

Blog Tour/Book Review: The Gilded Shroud by Elizabeth Bailey

Elizabeth Bailey is a popular author of Georgian romances. The Gilded Shroud is the first book in her Lady Fan Mystery series also set in the Georgian era.

Publication Date: June 21, 2018
Publisher: Sapere Books
ebook
Genre:Historical Fiction, Mystery, romance

Synopsis

1789, London

When Emily Fanshawe, Marchioness of Polbrook, is found strangled in her bedchamber, suspicion immediately falls on those residing in the grand house in Hanover Square.

Emily’s husband - Randal Fanshawe, Lord Polbrook

Book Review: The Crown Spire by Catherine Curzon and Willow Winsham

Georgian adventure and romance abound in this collaboration from Catherine Curzon and Willow Winsham. Just the tonic to raise those flagging spirits!

Synopsis

Scotland, 1795

When the coach carrying Alice Ingram and her niece, Beth, to Edinburgh is attacked, they're grateful for the intervention of two mysterious highwaymen who ride to their rescue. Beth is thrilled by the romance of it all, but Alice, fleeing her brutish husband, has had more than enough drama in her life.

Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner Book Review

This children's classic, first published in 1898, tells the story of John Trenchard, a fifteen year old orphan, who lives with his spinster aunt in the Dorset coastal village of Moonfleet, named after the Mohunes who were the original lords of the manor.

Growing up on tales of Colonel John 'Blackbeard' Mohune, his ghost and his lost treasure, a diamond said to be cursed, John dreams of finding it and becoming wealthy.

In the Mohune family vault he discovers a locket, inside of which is a scrap of parchment with clues to the whereabouts of the missing diamond.

Inevitably, John becomes involved in the smuggling trade and one night while helping to land cargo he and Elzevir Block, the local inn-keeper and John's self-appointed guardian, are fired upon by soldiers. The local magistrate is killed, John and Elzevir are blamed and a reward is offered for their capture. Unable to return to Moonfleet, they go off in search of 'Blackbeard' Mohune's diamond.

Ever since primary school, when I had to learn Rudyard Kipling's poem, The Smuggler's Song, I've loved stories about smugglers. For some reason I'd overlooked Moonfleet, but having read it now, I understand why this book was so popular in its heyday. In the vein of Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers and other great adventure classics, it has all the elements that appeal to young (and old) readers: haunted graveyards, cliff top chases, smugglers, lost treasure, curses, shipwrecks and even a romance, to list just a few.

I find with books written over 100 years ago it takes me a few chapters to become accustomed to the writing style, but with Moonfleet I slipped into the story right from page one. Falkner's descriptions produced such wonderful images in my mind that I was easily transported back to the 18th century and the narrative, from John Trenchard's point of view, pulled me along at a rapid pace to the end. The relationship between Elzevir and John is beautifully developed, subtly changing from one of friendship to a closer father-son relationship. This makes the ending of the book all the more poignant.

Moonfleet is an exciting tale of a boy's path to adulthood and the valuable lessons he learns along the way. I loved it. My only regret is that I waited so long before adding it to my reading pile.