Shoot the Horses First: A Collection of Histories by Leah Angstman Cover Reveal + Blog Tour Giveaway (US only)

Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Publisher: Kernpunkt Press
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook; 238 pages
Genre: Literary / Historical / Short Stories

***Finalist for the Shorts Award for Americana Fiction***

Through a historian’s lens and folkloric storytelling, the pieces in SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST revel in the nuances, brutality, mythology, and tiny victories of our historical past. A launderer takes us inside the linens of the richest families in early Baltimore. A child on the Orphan Train has his teeth inspected like a horse. Civil War soldiers experience PTSD. While one woman lands on an island of the Wampanoag tribe, a woman 200 years later finds Apache in a

The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth Book Review + Blog Tour Giveaway (US only)

Publication Date: July 5, 2022
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

In Crete during World War II, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation, finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies.

May 1941. German paratroopers launch a blitzkrieg from the air against Crete. They are met with fierce defiance, the Greeks fighting back with daggers, pitchforks, and kitchen knives. During the bloody eleven-day battle, Alenka, a young Greek woman, saves the lives of two Australian soldiers.

Cragside: A 1930s Murder Mystery by M. J. Porter Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: 14th April 2022
Publisher: M J Publishing
Page Length: 234 Pages
Genre: Historical Mystery

Synopsis

Lady Merryweather has had a shocking year. Apprehended for the murder of her husband the year before, and only recently released, she hopes a trip away from London will allow her to grieve. The isolated, but much loved, Cragside Estate in North Northumberland, home of her friends, Lord and Lady Bradbury, holds special memories for her.

But, no sooner has she arrived than the body of one of the guests is found on the estate, and suspicion immediately turns on her. Perhaps, there are no friendships to be found here, after

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue by Ella Carey Book Review

Publication Date: July 7, 2022
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: Daughters of New York #4
Format: ebook, print and audio
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

New York, 1938: Martha pulled the door of her Fifth Avenue apartment closed, her heart thumping, re-reading the telegram she’d been dreading. Her beloved sister Charlotte needed her help. She was alone in Paris, and the threat of Nazi invasion was growing ever stronger. The time had come for Martha to make the bravest decision of her life. She needed to bring Charlotte home.

As Martha looks out of her bedroom window at the blossom-covered trees in Central Park,

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?  

Raleigh - Tudor Adventurer by Tony Riches Book Review

Publication Date: 1st May 2022
Publisher: Preseli Press
Page Length: 332 Pages
Series: The Elizabethan Series, Book 3
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Tudor adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh has been called the last true Elizabethan.

He didn’t dance or joust, didn’t come from a noble family, or marry into one. So how did an impoverished law student become a favourite of the queen, and Captain of the Guard?

The story which began with the best-selling Tudor trilogy follows Walter Raleigh from his first days at the Elizabethan Court to the end

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

The Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt Book Review

Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: June 16, 2022
Format: ebook, print and audio
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII

Synopsis

Nazi-occupied Vienna, 1940: A young nurse finds herself with the chance to save innocent children. An unmissable and heartbreaking story—based on devastating real events—about tragedy, hope and courage in the face of impossible odds.

“These children, who the Nazis don’t even see as human, these children are innocent. And, Hannah, if you have the chance to save even one of them, you know what you have to do. Even if it puts your own life at risk.”

The Wistful and the Good by G. M. BakerRead an Excerpt

Publication Date: 4th April 2022
Publisher: Stories All the Way Down
Page Length: 341 Pages
Series: Cuthbert’s People #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

The mighty are undone by pride, the bold by folly, and the good by wistfulness.  

Elswyth's mother was a slave, but her father is a thegn, and Drefan, the man she is to marry, is an ealdorman's son. But though Elswyth is content with the match, and waits only for Drefan to notice that she has come to womanhood, still she finds herself gazing seaward, full of wistful longing.

From the sea come Norse traders, bringing wealth, friendship, and tales of distant lands.

A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle Book Review

Synopsis

November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton carrying 2,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage to New York.

When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye.

Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting. Its very existence is known only to its owner . . . and the dead man.

With just days remaining until they reach New York, and even Temple's purpose on board

Classics Club Spin #30: The Number Has Been Announced!

The result of the Spin has been announced. It is #5!

In the 20 books I'd listed for this spin, five were set in Australia and I was hoping for one of these.

Well, I'm very happy with the outcome of the spin as I Know My Love by Catherine Gaskin, set in 1850s Australia, was #5 on my list. I need to read this book by August 7th, 2022.

Gaskin is more famous for her other novel set in colonial Australia, Sara Dane, which was my introduction to this author in my early teenage years.

Classics Club Spin #30

Another Classics Club Spin is coming up!

My track record with Classics Club spins is woeful, not that I've participated in that many. I hope this time I've chosen my books wisely and that I'll finish reading whatever the spin dictates AND post a review.