New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan Spotlight & Free Kindle Download December 14th/15th (PST)

This weekend marks the official launch of Lance Morcan's epic novel New Zealand. In celebration, a free Kindle download is being offered.

The promotion will take place over two days, December 14th and 15th (PST). Time converter HERE

Publication Date: 6 December 2024
Publisher: Sterling Gate Books
Format: Kindle and paperback
Hardcover and audio available early in 2025.
Pages: 391 (print length)
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

It’s 1768. A chance meeting at London’s dockyards sees medical student Nicholas Young recruited as Surgeon’s Boy to serve under Captain James Cook aboard a bark

Georgia's Folly by Deborah Chase Spotlight

Publication Date: September 2024
Pages: 322 manuscript pages
Genre: Dual-Timeline/Split Time Historical Romance

Book Description

For fans of "Antiques Roadshow" and "American Pickers" - this is the one for you!

Beginning at a cluttered flea market and ending at a glittering art auction, Georgia’s Folly tells the compelling story that blends past and present and the search for a valuable and elusive antique. Chloe Bishop grew up in foster care. She loves shopping at flea markets, picking up family heirlooms like old pottery or vintage furniture to fill in for the family and home she never had.

As Chloe walks through the Brooklyn Flea

A Home for Christmas by MK McClintock Spotlight Tour

Publication Date: November 5th, 2014
Publisher: Trappers Peak Publishing
Pages: 227
Genre: Historical Western Romance/Christmas

Book Description

Will six strangers find hope, love, and family at Christmas? A collection of three historical western short stories to inspire love and warm the heart. 

"Christmas Mountain"  In search of family she barely knows and adventure she’s always wanted, Katherine Donahue is saved from freezing on a winter night in the mountains of Montana by August Hollister. Neither of them expected that what one woman had in mind was a new beginning for

Her Own War by Debra Borchert Spotlight

Publication Date: July 14th, 2024
Publisher: Le Vin Press
Series: Château de Verzat Series, Book #3
Page Length: 438
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

As Napoleon Rises from the Ashes of The French Revolution, One Woman Dares to Spy Against Him

Sentenced to eight months in an insane asylum for the crime of impersonating a man, Geneviève LaGarde fears giving birth in a filthy cell will mean certain death for her and her unborn child. Desperate for her release, her husband, Louis, trades his freedom for hers and must join Bonaparte’s army in Egypt.

The Sea Witch Voyages by Helen Hollick Spotlight

Publisher: Penmore Press & Taw River Press
Series: 6 in the series & 1 prequel novella
Genre: Nautical Adventure with a touch of Supernatural Fantasy
Note: Contains adult language and behaviour.

Book Description

Trouble follows Captain Jesamiah Acorne like a ship’s wake...

The early 1700s: from the sun of the Caribbean to the eerie mists of 

The Virgins of Venice by Gina Buonaguro Spotlight

Today, the spotlight shines on Gina Buonaguro's novel set in sixteenth-century Venice, where one young noblewoman dares to resist the choices made for her.

Publication Date: December 13, 2022
Publisher: HarperAvenue
Pages: 432
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook narrator: Carlotta Brentan

Book Description

Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just sixteen, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna.

Trouble in Assisi by Heidi Eljarbo Spotlight

Today, the spotlight is shining on another winning combination of history, mystery and art: the second book in Heidi Eljarbo's Fabiola Bennett mysteries.

Publication Date: 28th May 2024
Publisher: Independently published
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery
Pages: ~ 225 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery / Dual Timeline Mystery

Blurb

Assisi, 1973.

On art historian Fabiola Bennett’s first day in Assisi, a local gentleman takes her aside to ask for advice about a painting that has wondrously appeared in the basilica’s bell tower. So much for enjoying relaxing days filled

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

A Matter of Faith by Judith Arnopp Spotlight

Publication Date: March 20th, 2023
Publisher: self-published
Series: The Henrician Chronicle
Page Length: 209
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII, is now married to Anne Boleyn and eagerly awaiting the birth of his son. In a court still reeling from the royal divorce and growing public resentment against church reform, Henry must negotiate widespread resentment toward Anne. He places all his hopes in a son to cement his Tudor blood line, but his dreams are shattered when Anne is delivered of a daughter.

Burying his disappointment, Henry focuses on getting her with child again, but their marriage is

The Hearts of All on Fire by Alana White Spotlight

Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Series: The Guid’Antonio Historical Mysteries
Page Length: 392
Genre: Historical Mystery

Synopsis

Florence, 1473. An impossible murder. A bitter rivalry. A serpent in the ranks.

Florentine investigator Guid’Antonio Vespucci returns to Florence from a government mission to find his dreams of success shattered. Life is good—but then a wealthy merchant dies from mushroom poisoning at Guid’Antonio’s Saint John’s Day table, and Guid’Antonio’s servant is charged with murder. Convinced of the youth’s innocence and fearful the killer may strike again

The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Mystery by J. Lawrence Matthews Spotlight

The end of the year is fast approaching and there is a plethora of Christmas-themed novels being released.

My Christmas reading usually takes the form of historical mysteries and I'm excited to share that the latest novella from J. Lawrence Matthews, the author of One Must Tell the Bees, is another interesting case involving Sherlock Holmes and, of course, Dr Watson.

Synopsis

Christmas morning, 1902: Sherlock Holmes discovers that the wine in a bottle of French Beaune (intended as a gift for Dr. Watson) has been switched with sand, and he suspects it means threat to the newly crowned King of England. Or does it? With Dr. Watson's help, he soon finds out...

I'm adding this to my Christmas reading list!

Spotlight On: A Turbulent Beginning, The Mallory Saga, Book 5 by Paul Bennett

The Mallory Saga Series

Follow the Mallory family as they attempt to live a peaceful life on the PA frontier in 1756.

They face tragedy and loss as they become embroiled in The French and Indian War - Clash of Empires.

In Paths to Freedom, the colonies are heading to open revolt against King George III, and the Mallory's are once again facing the spectre of war.

Crucible of Rebellion continues the Mallory story through the early years of The Revolutionary War.

Book 4, A Nation is Born completes the Revolution and The Mallory's have played

A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen Spotlight and Excerpt

Publication Date: July 5, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Length: (352) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook 
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of La Belle Époque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, who shattered the boundaries of fashion with her magnificently sensual and enchantingly unique designs.

Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, and texture in ways few people can begin to imagine. But is the male dominated world of haute couture, who would use her art for their own gain, ready for her?  

Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner by Vicky Adin Spotlight

Publication Date: 24th July 2017
Publisher: Vicky Adin Author
Page Length: 396 Pages
Series: The New Zealand Immigrant Collection - suspenseful family saga fiction about overcoming the odds
Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction

Synopsis

Against overwhelming odds, can she save her legacy?

Gwenna's life is about to change. Her father is dead and the family business on the brink of collapse. Thwarted by society, the plucky sweet maker refuses to accept defeat.

Amid the bustling vibrancy of Auckland’s Karangahape Road, she promised her father

Spotlight On: The Feathered Nest by Ellen Read

Publisher: Crimson Cloak Publishing
Publication Date: 14th March 2022
Series: The Thornton Mysteries, Book 4
Page Length: 372 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Cosy Murder Mystery

Synopsis

Murder comes to Norfolk Island, but is the killer after Alexandra Archer’s Tahitian black pearl or a lost illustration of the rare Green Parrot?

The Thorntons, along with a small team of people, mount an expedition to Norfolk Island, a small island in the South Pacific, to study the Green Parrot and set up research programmes to help protect it and other endangered birds.

As a birthday surprise, Alexandra’s father tells her she is to be the official photographer for the expedition. Her father gives her a black pearl

Spotlight on Her Country Gentlemen by Sian Ann Bessey, Sarah M. Eden & Rebecca Connolly

Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Mirror Press
Series: Timeless Georgian Collection (Book 1)
Length: (300) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook
Genre: Historical Romance, Georgian Romance, Inspirational Fiction
ISBN: 978-1952611216
Tour Dates: March 7-20, 2022

Synopsis

Her Country Gentleman is the first book in the Timeless Georgian Collection, a new anthology series from Mirror Press. The book features three novellas from bestselling historical romance authors whose stories reveal that not all love is found in London.

Mendota and the Restive Rivers of the Indian and Civil Wars 1861-65 by Dane Pizzuti Krogman Spotlight

Publication Date: 15th March 2021
Series: The Simmons family saga
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 416 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

This is the fictional story set in Mendota, Minnesota of the Simmons family who are faced with the consequences of the Dakota Sioux Uprising of 1862 that swept across the state as well as the Civil War.

The father, Dan enlists in the 1st regiment of Minnesota volunteers as a teamster. His two sons, who are both underage join the 2nd Regiment. John, aged 16 becomes a bugler and William, aged 15 becomes a drummer. Their sister, Sara is left behind with their

The Sterling Directive by Tim Standish Spotlight

Publication Date: 20 August 2020
Publisher: Unbound
Page Length: 304 pages
Genre: Alt-historical thriller

Synopsis

It is 1896. In an alternative history where Babbage’s difference engines have become commonplace, Captain Charles Maddox, wrongly convicted of a murder and newly arrested for treason, is rescued from execution by a covert agency called the Map Room. 

Maddox is given the choice of taking his chances with the authorities or joining the Map Room as an agent and helping them uncover

The Woodsman's Rose by Gifford MacShane Spotlight

Publication Date: January 25th 2021
Publisher: Independently Published
Series: (Donovan Family Saga, Book 2)
Page Length: 329 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Western Romance

Synopsis

1880s Arizona

Daniel Donovan wants nothing more than to get married, unless it's to restore his friendship with his closest friend, Alec Twelve Trees.

Alec is raging about his mother's murderer, whose identity Daniel knows but will not reveal, as the killer is dead and the family he left behind would be compromised if the knowledge

Restitution by Janet Lee Berg Spotlight

Publication Date: 30th September 2020
Publisher: Koehler
Series: Sequel to "Rembrandt's Shadow"
Page Length: 262 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

“Restitution” is the riveting, multigenerational story of Sylvie Rosenberg, a Holocaust survivor traumatized by the memory of her art dealer father forced to trade paintings with the Nazis in an attempt to save their large extended family.  Sylvie’s adult life in 1970s New York is plagued by survivors’ guilt and bitterness.  But when her self-destructive ways threaten to upend the life of her Vietnam-vet son, Sylvie finally needs to face