Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon by Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 27th February 2025
Publisher: Taw River Press
Pages: 201
Genre: Non-Fiction (with a bonus of two short stories)

Book Description

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

The Midnight of Eights by Justin Newland Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 28th October 2024
Publisher: The Book Guild
Page Length: 288
Series: The Island of Angels (This is book 2 of 2. The first book is called The Mark of the Salamander. Book 2 is written as a stand-alone, or can be read after reading book 1.)
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

1580.

Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor.

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of

Viva Violetta & Verdi by Howard Jay Smith Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: January 28th, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 256
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

A Love Affair Inspiring the World's Most Unforgettable Operas:

Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi's most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.

Set against the backdrop of Italy's

The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 302
Genre: Historical Fiction, American Civil War Spy Novel

Book Description

Politics, Friendship, or Greed? Which of these was the true author of the Confederate conspiracy to decapitate the Union? 

The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy is a masterful blend of historical fiction, human drama and moral exploration. Set against the backdrop of a racially fraught period in American history, the story does not back away from the harsh realities or racial biases of the day. 

The narrative introduces Jemm Pender, a

The Fires of Gallipoli by Barney Campbell Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: February 13th, 2025
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
Pages: 320
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWI Fiction

Book Description

The Fires of Gallipoli is a heartbreaking portrayal of friendship forged in the trenches of the First World War.  

‘In this vivid and engaging novel of war and friendship, Barney Campbell shows us once again that he is a natural writer. This is a novel of men at arms of the highest quality.’  ~ Alexander McCall Smith

Edward Salter is a shy, reserved lawyer whose life is transformed by the outbreak of war in 1914. On his way to fight in the Gallipoli campaign, he befriends the charming and

The Fugitive's Sword by Eleanor Swift-Hook Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 8th October 2024
Publisher: Schiavona Books (author’s own imprint)
Series: Lord’s Learning
Pages: 305
Genre: Historical Adventure

Book Description

Autumn 1624

Europe is deeply embroiled in what will become the Thirty Years' War. A young Philip Lord, once favoured at King James' court, has vanished without a trace, under the shadow of treason.

Outside the besieged city of Breda, Captain Matthew Rider faces the brutal reality of wintering his cavalry in the siege lines, until he crosses paths with Filippo Schiavono, a young man whose courage and skill could change

Conquist by Dirk Strasser Read An Excerpt

Publication Date: September 1st, 2024
Publisher: Roundfire Books
Pages: 360
Genre: Historical Fantasy

Book Description

Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign.

What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a

Ships of War - Murky Waters by Bradley John Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 3rd September 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: Ships of War
Page Length: 460
Genre: Naval Adventure Fiction

Book Description

1791 — England's cannon remain ever silent as her shipping is ruthlessly preyed upon, a detestable state of affairs, though soon to be remedied... England is ill prepared, Europe is in turmoil and the French Revolution is readying to sweep across the continent. A tedious uneasy peace poises on a knife's edge. Brittana rules the waves, yet as more and more ships mysteriously vanish, it is rightly thought an act of war. However, England needs more time, or all could be lost. With war looming, Lieutenant Hayden Reginald Cooper, Royal Navy, awaits in

Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes Audiobook Excerpt

Publication Date: 22/4/24 (Audiobook)
Publisher: Carolyn Hughes
Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles #1
Listening Length: 11 hours and 54 minutes
Audiobook Narrator: Alex Lee @alexleeaudio
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

How do you recover from the havoc wrought by history's cruellest plague?

The Agincourt King by Mercedes Rochelle Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 8, 2024
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Series: The Plantagenet Legacy
Pages: 260 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

From the day he was crowned, Henry V was determined to prove the legitimacy of his house. His father's usurpation weighed heavily on his mind. Only a grand gesture would capture the respect of his own countrymen and the rest of Europe. He would follow in his great-grandfather Edward III's footsteps, and recover lost territory in France.

Better yet, why not go for the crown? Poor, deranged Charles VI couldn't manage his

Under a Cloud by Luv Lubker Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 30th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: The Rival Courts
Pages: 318
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook: Will be narrated by Ella McNish, Jamie Collette and a full cast.

Book Description

Vicky's father, Albert, the Prince Consort, has just died, leaving her and her family under a heavy cloud of grief, without their dearest friend and advisor, at a most critical time: The political horizon grows dark with storm clouds at the entry of Bismarck to Germany's political stage in 1862.

Will Fritz's courage stand the test as he confronts the spider in its web? Is Prussia

Zig Zag Woman by Roberta Tracy Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 248 pp.
Genre: Historical Mystery

Book Description

The last thing LAPD Detectives McManus and Tyson expect to find behind Pantages Theatre is a body rolled up in a blanket. The last thing Margaret Morehouse, one of the city's first policewoman with arrest powers, expects to do is join the investigation. When a deadly explosion at the L. A. Times derails their efforts, Margaret finds herself at a crossroads and strikes out on her own, a path leading to delusion and self-discovery on a vaudeville stage. Her husband's nephew Leland further complicates the situation by sharing a ransom note and confiding his

The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh by R.w. Meek Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 30th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: Book II
Pages: 651
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

Sabrine, hospitalized for five years at the infamous Salpêtrière Asylum for Women, gains her release due to intervention of her sister Julie Forette and a young Sigmund Freud. The reunited sisters are introduced to the dazzling art milieu of 1886 Paris, and soon become close friends to the leading Impressionists. Sabrine attracts a cult following as a poetess, the enigmatic "Haiku Princess." Seemingly cured by Freud of her Grand Hysteria, Sabrine soon enters into a tumultuous relationship with Vincent van

The Curse of Maiden Scars by Nicolette Croft Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: Maiden, Mother, Crone
Pages: 286
Coming in August 2024: Audiobook narrated by Liz May Brice
Genre: Historical Fiction / Women’s Fiction

Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Renna Covert toils away in the shadows of a Yorkshire workhouse, her days filled with the mundane task of shelling cotton and the dangerous duty of scouting for punters. One fateful night, she crosses paths with two sailors and finds herself thrust into the heart of a chilling encounter at the local asylum.

These harrowing experiences catalyze Renna’s journey, promising newfound

Novice Threads by Nancy Jardine Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 15th May 2024
Publisher: Nancy Jardine with Ocelot Press
Page Length: 356
Series: Silver Sampler Series
Genre: Victorian Scotland Saga / Historical Fiction / Women’s Fiction

Blurb

A thirst for education. Shattered dreams. Fragile relations.

1840s Scotland

Being sent to school is the most exhilarating thing that’s ever happened to young Margaret Law. She sharpens her newly-acquired education on her best friend, Jessie Morison, till Jessie is spirited away to become a scullery maid. But how can Margaret fulfil her visions of

The Sand Vines by Michèle CallardRead an Excerpt

Publication Date: 01 May 2024
Publisher: Millefeuille Press
Series: The Vine Saga
Page Length: 400
Genre: Historical fiction

Synopsis

Bordeaux 1870 – Life is hard on the moor.

If Flore, a shepherd’s daughter, is not married by autumn, she must go into service and lose everything she holds dear.

Back from the French army, the dashing Ricar has set her heart and body on fire. Will he propose to her before it is too late?

Martial the viscount’s son adores Flore from afar. Aware that she can never be his. When a

London Tales by Tim Walker Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 8th November 2023
Publisher: Independently published
Series: Short Stories, Book Two
Page Length: 203
Genres: short stories; historical fiction; contemporary fiction; dystopian

Synopsis

This collection of eleven tales offers dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion. The first story is a tense historical adventure set in Roman Londinium in 60 CE from the perspective of terrified legionaries and townsfolk facing the vengeful Iceni

War Sonnets by Susannah Willey Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 5 July 2023
Publisher: Utter Loonacy Press
Page Length: 364
Genre: Historical Fiction / World War II

Synopsis

1942: In the war-torn jungles of Luzon, two soldiers scout the landscape. Under ordinary circumstances they might be friends, but in the hostile environment of World War II, they are mortal enemies.

Leo Baldwin, a US Army sergeant, writes sonnets. His sights are set on serving his country honorably and returning home in one piece. But the enemy is not always Japanese…Dooley wants Leo’s job, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it…Leo finds himself fighting for his reputation and freedom.

Lieutenant Tadashi Abukara prefers haiku. He has vowed to serve his emperor honorably, but finds himself fighting a losing battle. Through combat, starvation, and the threat

Burning Secret by R J Lloyd Read An Excerpt

Publication Date: 24 May 2022
Publisher: Matador
Page Length: 384
Genre: Historical Fiction


Synopsis

Inspired by actual events, Burning Secret is a dramatic and compelling tale of ambition, lies and betrayal.

Born in the slums of Bristol in 1844, Enoch Price seems destined for a life of poverty and hardship-but he’s determined not to accept his lot.

Enoch becomes a bare-knuckle fighter in London’s criminal underworld. But in a city

The Douglas Bastard by J R Tomlin Read an Excerpt - Blog Tour

Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Series: Archibald the Grim Series
Page Length: 185
Genre: Historical Fiction, Scottish Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Young Archibald, the Black Douglas's bastard son, returns from exile to a Scotland ravaged by war.

The war-hardened Knight of Liddesdale will teach him what he must learn. And with danger on every side, he must learn to sleep with one eye open and a claymore in his hand because even their closest ally may betray them...