Book Title: Twelve Nights
Series: The Heavenly Charmers
Author: Penny Ingham
Publication Date: April 2022
Publisher: Nerthus
Page Length: 360
Genre: historical fiction/historical mystery

Twitter Handle: @pennyingham @cathiedunn
Instagram Handle: @penny.ingham @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn

Hashtags: #HistoricalMystery #MurderMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-tour-twelve-nights-by-penny-ingham.html

Book Title and Author Name:
Twelve Nights
by Penny Ingham

Blurb:

1592 The Theatre, London

When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon. The coroner is convinced of her guilt. The scandal-pamphlets demonize her.

Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Only handsome Matthew Hilliard offers his assistance, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?

With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer – for all other roads lead to the gallows.

Excerpt from Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham

Adam Cooper’s expression shifted from righteous fury to wide-eyed surprise. His mouth began to move wordlessly like a floundering fish, and suddenly he was on the move, ramming into her shoulder with such force as he fled that the remaining bills flew from her hand and fluttered to the ground. Magdalen watched the clergyman until he disappeared into the crowds on Three Needle Street. What had caused him to flee so hastily? Was it something she had said? Why was she always so rash? Why did she always utter the first thing that came into her head? If the Puritan chose to report her to the constable, she would be whipped through the streets as a scold.

Without Adam Cooper to incite their disapproval, the crowd was beginning to drift away. No-one offered to help her pick up the playbills, even though she knew many of them would be in the audience for Twelfth Night that afternoon. Damn them. They were all as hypocritical as Adam Cooper.

‘Madam? Can I be of assistance?’

Magdalen felt a hand at her elbow and turned sharply. She didn’t recognise the man at her side. On her guard, she retreated a pace and looked him up and down. His deep blue doublet gleamed with the distinctive sheen of satin. His thigh boots were crafted from soft, luxurious, cordwain leather, turned over to the knee. Fine apparel, and a rapier at his belt. He was high born, a gentleman. And strikingly handsome too, with jet black hair framing a long straight nose and strong, angular jawline. Almost six feet tall, he had a soldier’s build; broad shoulders tapering to a slim waist, and strong muscular legs. His mouth was curving into a hint of a smile, and she wondered what amused him. A thought struck her. Had he watched her humiliation and found entertainment in it?

‘No thank you, sir,’ she replied curtly, and bent down to retrieve the bills.

‘Here, let me.’

To her astonishment, the stranger crouched down beside her and began to help, carefully wiping each bill on his cloak. It smeared the filth and made the damage worse, but she could not deny it was a thoughtful gesture. They gathered the bills, then stood up in unison.

‘Thank you.’ She held out her hand to take his share, but he kept hold of them.

‘Would you do me the honour of telling me your name?’

Their eyes met and, unexpectedly, she felt her breathing quicken. ‘My name is Mistress Magdalen Bisset.’

‘I am honoured to make your acquaintance, Mistress Bisset.’

Magdalen couldn’t understand the effect he was having upon her. She spent her days surrounded by handsome players, and he was no fairer of face. Unnerved, her tone was sharper than she had intended.

‘And might I ask who you are, sir?’

He doffed his hat and bowed, a flamboyant, courtly gesture, all sweeping hands and swinging cloak. ‘Matthew Hilliard, at your service.’

Magdalen’s outward composure gave no hint of her inner confusion. She tried to tell herself she was not impressed by his gallantry. Will’s plays often portrayed the world of courts and kings. She saw displays of chivalry upon Burbage’s stage every day. She tried to tell herself she had met the likes of Matthew Hilliard before, over-confident young bucks at the ‘tiring house door who wrongly assumed she was the players’ whore. She had given those men short-shrift, sending them on their way with a look cold enough to freeze Hell twice over. Surely Matthew Hilliard was no different from the rest? But none of them had ever made her heart race or her skin burn as if she was standing too close to the fire.

Flustered, she said, ‘Thank you for your assistance, sir, but I must take my leave.’

‘Wait!’

She turned back warily. ‘Yes?’

‘Do you truly work at the Theatre?’

So, he had been in the crowd. He had witnessed her humiliation, and done nothing to bring it to an end. Like the rest, he had enjoyed the spectacle.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bpYRlk

Author Bio:

Penny has a degree in Classics, and a passion for archaeology – during the summer months, you will often find her on her a ‘dig’ with a trowel in her hand. She has had a variety of jobs over the years, including ice-cream seller, theatre PR, BBC local radio, and TV critic for a British Forces newspaper.

She has written four novels – ‘The King’s Daughter’ is the story of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. ‘The Saxon Wolves’ and ‘The Saxon Plague’ are set in the turbulent aftermath of Roman Britain. Her inspiration for Twelve Nights grew from her love of the theatre in general, and Shakespeare in particular.

Penny has two grown up children and lives with her husband in Hampshire.

Author Links:

Website: Penny Ingham (wordpress.com)

Twitter: Penny Ingham (@pennyingham) / Twitter

Facebook: Penny Ingham Author Page | Facebook

Instagram: Penny Ingham (@penny.ingham) • Instagram photos and videos

Amazon Author Page: Amazon.co.uk: Penny Ingham: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

Goodreads: Penny Ingham (Author of The Saxon Wolves) | Goodreads

Want to win a $100 gift card or #cash? $1.99 Award-winning memoir! Grab yours!
A poignant reminder that, “there, but for the grace of God, go I.”

Link below or here!
https://www.amazon.com/When-Angels-Fly-S-Jackson-ebook/dp/B07V6VNJVW/

Book Link

From Amazon:

The year is 1982.

This town has a distinct border, the good side and the shady side, where the townspeople battle rats for scraps of food. Mario used to live among the rich, but he now resides on the wrong side of the tracks thanks to the father who left him behind. Worst of all, he’s mourning his mother’s death and what he thinks is the loss of his lifelong dream, becoming a chef.

My Review:

Avon has penned a story full of the darker sides of and the openly raw feelings of all the individuals in this book. Mario – damaged mentally and emotionally from his father, raw wounds he tried to keep blocked away. Tess – beautiful and loving woman, loved Mario like she’d never loved a man before. Sultry is just that in the hot climate, and combined with explosive sex, this book was on fire before I opened it. Scents and flavors of Italian cooking, a bistro, a father never knowing his oldest son, the son not knowing that his father had loved his mother. Racism splits a family apart. How do fractured pieces heal and move on with life? You get to read and find out.

Book Title: The Warmth of Snow

Series: Heartwarming Christmas

Author: Heidi Eljarbo

Publication Date: 24th October 2023

Publisher: self-published

Page Length: 212

Genre: Sweet Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Scandinavian Literature

Twitter Handle: @HeidiEljarbo @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @authorheidieljarbo @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags:

#ChristmasRomance #WweetRomance #RegencyRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-tour-the-warmth-of-snow-by-heidi-eljarbo.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Warmth of Snow by Heidi Eljarbo

Blurb:

There must be a way to thaw a heart long frozen. Can she help him, or does he have other plans?

Sweden 1810.
August Brandell, the count of Linborg, has returned home after four years of war against the French Empire under the direction of Napoléon Bonaparte. Wounded and downtrodden, he is a meager shadow of the man he used to be.

One day, a lovely young woman comes calling. She’s strong and bright and, unlike the rest, seems unaffected by his wealth and unfortunate disability. He soon discovers he wants more than a sweet friendship, but a life of caring for him would not be fair to such a beautiful soul. Oh, how dearly, deeply he loves her and secretly wants her to stay, but he cannot and will not ask such a sacrifice from her…especially not when it’s out of pity for him.

Erica Gustava Ebbesdotter has primarily been left to herself since she was orphaned at an early age. Although grateful to her aunt and uncle for taking her in, they pay her no attention and even keep her in the dark about her parents.

Hearing about Count Brandell’s unfortunate fate on the battlefield, she knocks on the door at Castle Linborg to leave him a card of encouragement.

Meeting Count Brandell changes Erica’s entire world. Falling for him is utterly unexpected. Soon, he fills her heart, but he is far above her station. How can a man like him see beyond her less refined clothes and past? Worst of all, he is already betrothed.

This is a sweet and wholesome historical romance—a hauntingly beautiful tale of two hearts meant to be together.

Snippet 5:

If God would take him to Heaven then and there, he’d gladly go. His bones ached and he was empty, as if he’d said everything there was to say, and there was nothing left to talk about.

Now, he just wanted to sleep.

Ulrik helped him to bed and heated a brick to place under the blanket by his feet. The night was unpleasantly cold, and the winds howled around the castle corners, sounding like ghouls and banshees wailing and shrieking on his behalf about the pain in his legs.

As he closed his eyes, the young woman appeared in his mind, smiling, beckoning him to live—not only to exist but for the joy of being alive. Was she a fairy or a human being? There was something mesmerizing and whimsical about her, but at the same time she appeared grounded and sensible.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPerOr

Author Bio:

HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of award-winning historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance in the midst of challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking their Wheaten Terrier in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.

Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.

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

Author Links:

Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiEljarbo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorheidieljarbo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorheidieljarbo/

Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/heidieljarbo/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heidi-eljarbo

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984270.Heidi_Eljarbo

Book Title: The Moon That Fell from Heaven

Series: Empire at Twilight

Author: N.L. Holmes

Publication Date: September 26th, 2023

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

Page Length: 307

Genre: Historical fiction

Twitter Handle: @nlholmesbooks @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @nlholmes @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #Hittites #WomenProtagonists #PoliticalIntrigue #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-tour-the-moon-that-fell-from-heaven.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Moon That Fell from Heaven

by N.L. Holmes

Blurb:

Ehli-nikkalu, eldest daughter of the Hittite emperor, is married to a mere vassal of her father’s. But despite her status, her foreignness and inability to produce an heir drive a wedge between her and the court that surrounds her. When her secretary is mysteriously murdered while carrying the emperor a message that would indict the loyalty of his vassal, Ehli-nikkalu adopts the dead man’s orphaned children out of a guilty sense of responsibility.

A young cousin she has never met becomes a pretender to the throne and mobilizes roving armies of the poor and dispossessed, which causes the priority of her loyalties to become even more suspect. However, Ehli-nikkalu discovers a terrible secret that could destabilize the present regime if the pretender ever learns of it.

With the help of a kindly scribe, her brave young ward, and an embittered former soldier trapped in debt and self-doubt, Ehli-nikkalu sets out to save the kingdom and prove herself to her father. And along the way, she learns something about love.

When Angels Fly blog

Since The Moon That Fell from Heaven has two female protagonists, it might be fun to take a look at some of what we know about women in the Bronze Age kingdom of Ugarit. To be sure, it was patriarchal—we have no evidence ever of a female ruler, for example. Yet women were a visible and even powerful sector of society, and the king’s wife or mother might exercise considerable influence over her man.

In the first place, females were prominent on the heavenly scene. Male gods were never without their consorts, who were just as powerful as they. Nor were they relegated to domesticity: Anat was a bloodtirsty warrior goddess. Obviously, the divine realm isn’t a perfect reflection of the earthly, nor do human societies necessarily pattern themselves on the gods. One need only think of the ancient Greeks, whose pantheon was filled with goddesses, yet who kept their real-life women barefoot and pregnant, legal minors till the end of their days! But it does suggest a sensitivity to the female principle in the universe and to the power of maternity—this in a world where fertility might be a life or death issue.

Let’s start at the bottom, with ordinary people. Legal texts are of use to here, because they show patterns of inheritance and how citizens, male or female, were treated in legal transactions. Fortunately, a fairly large number of such documents have survived in Ugarit, thank to the fiery end to which the city was put when it fell before the advances of th Sea Peoples in the early twelfth century BCE.

What we find is that marriage—no surprise—was a contract between families, but perhaps not too strictly between the groom and the girl’s father. The bride-price offered by the groom was not always paid to the father, but at least sometimes to the bride herself, when, in case of the dissolution of the mrriage by death or divorce, she could take it with her. Once married, however, she was subordinated to her husband, who was her “ba’al”, her lord. Adultery was only an offense against a married man. His wife had no exclusive claim to him. One might expect to find polygamy in Ugarit, but in fact there is no hard evidence of it. On the other hand, people sometimes identified themselves by their mother’s lineage rather than their father’s, and women certainly served as active partners in their husbands’ businesses, capable of buying and selling property in their own name. This protection against a lopsided financial dependence on their husbands gave them a certain independence, and widows were not automatically helpless.

Whether Ugaritic women commonly had careers is unclear. Records of artisan guilds show very few few feminine names in their member lists. On the other hand, it seems almost incredible that a poor family wouldn’t employ every pair of hands in, for instance, weaving or pottery making, let alone helping on the family farm. So we must admit we just don’t have enough sources to make a judgment here.

Evidence for women in public life is limited and seems to begin late in the kingdom’s history, perhaps reflecting an adoption of the social norms of their new masters the Hittites, who accorded females a substantial presence, particularly from the time of their omnipresent queen dowager Puduhepa. Long-lived Ugarite dowagers like Ahat-milku, widow of of Niqmepa II, were prominent in diplomatic correspondences, no doubt furnishing valuable experience to their newly-crowned sons and grandsons.  Unlike Egypt, nowhere in Ugarit do we find evidence of women holding political positions of authority.

On a lower level, women were considered the equals of men before the law, were able to testify, bring lawsuits, and generally defend themselves. It isn’t clear whether women and men mingled in social settings, but mythology suggests that it’s so—taking part together, for instance, in banquets.

Thus, we find in the millennial history of this small Syrian city state an environment not too hostile to its women. They seem to have been respected, given credit for intelligence, and well treated. Perhaps the idea of their complete equality with men would have developed had the society not disappeared completely and suddenly. When one thinks about how limited the rights of American women were even in the early 20th century, things don’t look too bad there on the shores of the Mediterranean a long time ago!

Buy Links:

Universal Link:  https://books2read.com/u/mdqeeX

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moon-That-Fell-Heaven-ebook/dp/B0CGP7B5ML/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-That-Fell-Heaven-ebook/dp/B0CGP7B5ML/  

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Moon-That-Fell-Heaven-ebook/dp/B0CGP7B5ML/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Moon-That-Fell-Heaven-ebook/dp/B0CGP7B5ML/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-moon-that-fell-from-heaven-n-l-holmes/1143996343?ean=9781958231340

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/the-moon-that-fell-from-heaven

Author Bio:

N.L. Holmes is the pen name of a professional archaeologist who received her doctorate from Bryn Mawr College. She has excavated in Greece and in Israel and taught ancient history and humanities at the university level for many years. She has always had a passion for books, and in childhood, she and her cousin used to write stories for fun.

These days she lives in France with her husband, two cats, geese, and chickens, where she gardens, weaves, dances, and plays the violin

Author Links:

Website: https://www.nlholmes.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nlholmesbooks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/n-l-holmes/

Twitter: https://www.twitter/nlholmesbooks

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/n l.holmes/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nlholmes

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nlholmesbooks/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-l-holmes

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/N-L-Holmes/e/B0858H3K7S

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20117057.N_L_Holmes

Book Title: Times of Turmoil

Author: Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: September 29^th, 2023

Publisher: Timelight Press

Page Length: 382 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel Romance

Twitter Handle: @abelfrageauthor @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @annabelfrageauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #AmericanColonialHistory #timetravel #historicalfiction #historicalromance

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/09/blog-tour-times-of-turmoil-by-anna-belfrage.html

Book Title and Author Name:

Times of Turmoil

by Anna Belfrage

Blurb:

It is 1718 and Duncan Melville and his time traveller wife, Erin, are concentrating on building a peaceful existence for themselves and their twin daughters. Difficult to do, when they are beleaguered by enemies.

Erin Melville is not about to stand to the side and watch as a child is abused—which is how she makes deadly enemies of Hyland Nelson and his family.

Then there’s that ghost from their past, Armand Joseph Chardon, a person they were certain was dead. Apparently not. Monsieur Chardon wants revenge and his sons are tasked with making Duncan—and his wife—pay.

Things aren’t helped by the arrival of Duncan’s cousin, fleeing her abusive husband. Or the reappearance of Nicholas Farrell in their lives, as much of a warped bully now as he was when he almost beat Duncan to death years ago. Plus, their safety is constantly threatened as Erin is a woman of colour in a time and place where that could mean ostracism, enslavement or even death.

Will Duncan and Erin ever achieve their simple wish – to live and love free from fear of those who wish to destroy them?

Why Time Travel?

Many years ago, I attended a writer’s conference. I has several one-on-ones booked with agents and one of them gave me a bored look and sat back in his chair. The wood creaked, his shirt strained over his padded torso.

“Why the time travel?” he asked. “What’s the point?”

Huh. One can ask that about a lot of genres, IMO. Why Sci-Fi? Why Fantasy? Why all those werewolf and vampire novels? I guess those who write any of the previously mentioned would reply that they write what they love, what intrigues them.

The same goes for me and time travel. The concept is mindboggling, and even if by now I’ve given up on it being possible—Stephen Hawkins sort of nailed the lid down on my hope by pointing out that if time travel were at all to become possible, by now we’d have people from the future visiting us. The sheer circularity in that makes my head ache. After all, the future hasn’t happened yet, so there are no people there to travel back in time, and. . .

In The Whirlpools of Time, Duncan Melville falls three centuries forward in time, crashlanding in 2016. He quickly realises it’s wise not to tell anyone he is from another time—well, no one but Erin, because he has to tell someone, and he trusts her. She reacts with a major “WHAAAT?” I suppose we would all react with a certain wariness were we to come face to face with a time traveller, right? And our first reaction would be incredulity. “Poor sod: he needs help, ASAP.”

Back to my fascination with time travel. As a child, I conducted various experiments in the hope of somehow transporting myself backwards in time. I had my heart set on the twelfth century—more specifically on Richard Lionheart’s reign. Even more specifically, it was at Richard’s feet I wanted to land, riding with him as he set out on his adventures.

My experiments involved midnights, lit candles set in various formations, the consumption of pilfered whiskey (Ugh! To this day, I can’t bear the stuff) and a lot of chanting in—wait for it—German. Not that I knew any German, but I had hold of my mother’s old German grammar and read aloud from the pages and pages of verb declinations. To this day, I think things would have gone better had I instead used her Latin grammar.

My various attempts to travel through the veils of time came to an abrupt halt when, one night, my father yanked open the door to my wardrobe (I had to conduct my ceremonies in secret) and was so shocked his voice rose into a squeak as he realised that his idiot of a daughter had been lighting candles among all her clothes. Yes, yes: he had the right of it, of course, but an idiot I was not—not then, not now. I was simply gifted with an extraordinarily vivid imagination. To my father’s credit, he apologised for the idiot, but told me that he would give me the spanking of my life if he ever caught me doing something that foolish again.

He never did spank me. Instead, he spent hours making me beautiful wooden swords, shields, helmets—everything I could need to indulge in my fascination with medieval times without attempting to distort the flow of time.  It is one of the few times I recall truly bonding with my father. He was a very talented artist but spent his days running a large business. I think all those hours carefully shaping my sword did him good, and when he decorated my shield with heraldic lions he hummed under his breath while I sat beside him and shared everything I knew about dear Richard.

These days, I’ve reassessed Richard. Yes, he was flamboyant and capable and brave, but he wasn’t much of a king—at least not to the English, whom he mainly seems to have seen as a source of the money he needed for his ventures abroad. But whenever I’m in London, I detour by the statue of him outside Parliament, just to say hi.

When I started to write, I knew that at some point I would write about someone who fell through time. That’s the benefit of being a writer—I can indulge myself. In my first novel, A Rip in the Veil, the time traveller was Alex Lind, who ended up landing at the feet of Matthew Graham, a very devout Presbyterian who feared this strange woman was a witch of sort.

In Times of Turmoil, my time traveller is Erin, who sort of was dragged back through time with Duncan when he was returned to his original time. Not something she is entirely thrilled about. I am though, because other than wanting to treat myself to some time travelling by proxy, there was another reason why I wanted my female protagonist to be a time traveller. As I told that agent, having a modern protagonist in a historical setting allows for much more commentary. A woman born in the 1690s will not react to the food she eats, the clothes she wears—of course not, as they’re familiar. But having my readers experience the 18th century through a fellow modern woman gives me the opportunity to really submerge them in the past.

A modern protagonist also offers me the opportunity to comment on how restricted women were back then—at least legally. It is my personal opinion that women have often overcome these restrictions by being a powerful mover and shaker behind the scenes—like in their homes. But still: officially, a woman in the 18th century woman was chattel, accorded no rights beyond those extended to her by her husband.

Writing a time travel story does not preclude hours and hours of research. To some extent, the research becomes even more important, as it is in the small details—like how the tallow candles leave streaks of soot, or how the rope frame of the bead creaks and groans—that I truly transport my readers to my protagonist’s new reality.

I hope I’ve managed to do that in Times of Turmoil.
“Oh, you have,” Erin mutters. “But how about you do something anachronistic and have someone invent a shower, hey?”
Nope. Not happening. But I can offer her a pitcher of hot water.
“I hate you,” she mumbles.
“No you don’t. Without me, you’d never have met Duncan.”
“Maybe I’d have been happy anyway,” she retorts.
“You think?” I shake my head. Content, maybe. Happy, no.
She sighs and rolls her eyes before muttering that maybe I’m right.
Of course, I am. I share a wink with Duncan as he enters the room and enfolds Erin in his arms. She may be far from home, both in time and place, but if we’re going to be quite honest, she’s found a new home. With him.

Buy Links:

This title is available on #KindleUnlimited.

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Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Author Bio:

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. 

Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.

More recently, Anna has been hard at work with her Castilian series. The first book, His Castilian Hawk, published in 2020, is set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain, while the third, Her Castilian Heart, finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain! The fourth book, Their Castilian Orphan, is scheduled for early 2024.

Anna has recently released Times of Turmoil, the sequel to her 2021 release, The Whirlpools of Time. Here she returns to the world of time travel. Where The Whirlpools of Time had Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin navigating the complexities of the first Jacobean rebellion in Scotland, in Times of Turmoil our protagonists are in Colonial Pennsylvania, hoping for a peaceful existence. Not about to happen—not in one of Anna’s books! 

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com 

Author Links:

Website: www.annabelfrage.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG  or  http://amazon.com/author/anna_belfrage   

Book Link

From Amazon:

In this personal accounting, D.G. Kaye shares the insights and wisdom she has accrued through twenty years of keeping her marriage strong and thriving despite the everyday changes and challenges of aging. Kaye reveals how a little creative planning, acceptance, and unconditional love can create a bond no obstacle will break. Kaye’s stories are informative, inspiring, and a testament to love eclipsing all when two people understand, respect, and honor their vows. She adds that a daily sprinkling of laughter is a staple in nourishing a healthy marriage. Twenty years began with a promise. As Kaye recounts what transpired within that time, she shows that true love has no limits, even when one spouse ages ahead of the other.

My Review:

This book is a gem, a book that all couples planning to marry or already married should read. Personally, I found every word truthful. Why? My husband and I built our relationship on a strong foundation of friendship first, then love came along. Kaye writes about making sure the foundation your relationship is built is secure, secure enough to withstand anything, and everything thrown at it so the foundation doesn’t form a crevice. Part of a piece of mortar can fall off, but be right there and prepare it ASAP. Those couples who have a great foundation can weather any and all storms tossed at them. There will be many storms amid times of splendor, and if your foundation is strong, you will survive each and come out stronger and more in love than you thought possible. I know. I have this in my life. Without that strong foundation, we wouldn’t have made it, or if we did make it, the hard times would have been much worse. Both my husband and I’ve had desperate life-threatening issues, and each time, our love grew stronger. Even if you don’t think you can love a person more, that your heart already overflows, we find out how much more we love each other. Five stars.

147,675 is a lot.

147,675 is where it ends.

My efforts in regards to “when one shines, we all shine” has come to an end.

Too many want to be on the board, yet they don’t retweet me, or buy a two hour book to read for .99 cents.

My time and effort is worth more than what isn’t reciprocated.

This gives me great sadness.

I now go back and retweet those who retweet me. I will still use my coined hash tag #BooksWorthReading when I retweet.

My Twitter Circle

I humbly thank you.

I humbly thank all those who do, and did, appreciate my hard work and efforts.

Love, Mary

Book Title:   Who She Left Behind

Author:     Victoria Atamian Waterman

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Publisher:      Historium Press

Page Length: 230 Pages

Genre:                        Historical Fiction

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @victoriawatermanauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #ArmenianFiction #WomensFiction #WhoSheLeftBehind #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-tour-who-she-left-behind-by-victoria-atamian-waterman.html

WHO SHE LEFT BEHIND

Victoria Atamian Waterman

Blurb:

“Who She Left Behind” is a captivating historical fiction novel that spans generations and delves into the emotional lives of its characters. Set in various time periods, from the declining days of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey in 1915 to the Armenian neighborhoods of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the 1990s, the novel completely immerses its reader in a lesser-known era and the untold stories of the brave and resilient women who became the pillars of reconstructed communities after the Armenian Genocide.

It is a story of survival, motherhood, love, and redemption based on the recounted stories from the author’s own family history. The narrative is framed by a mysterious discovery made almost six decades later of a pair of Armenian dolls left at a gravesite. 

Excerpt 5:

The night before Lucy’s wedding, Vicky crawled into bed long after midnight, sore and chilled, but the dress and veil were finished and pressed, waiting on a hanger for the bride to arrive before church in the morning.

“You give us all so much, my love,” Pesa whispered into the dark. “I hope your sister knows how fortunate she is in you.”

Vicky kissed her husband’s shoulder and lay still while his breathing slowed, and he slipped back into sleep. Her heart banged against her chest, as though all her secrets might burst from her chest. 

I failed everyone who needed me most. 

I failed my living child. I lost her forever. 

I lied to everyone I loved and hid her from the world. 

I failed our baby girl. My body wasn’t strong enough to keep her alive. 

I failed you, my love. 

Rolling over, Vicky let her silent tears soak into the pillowcase. She would not fail Lucy and that would make up for all the secrets.

Buy Links:

Universal links:

Hardcover: https://geni.us/ze4W9eQ    
Ebook: https://geni.us/XzSFs3

Other links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Left-Behind-Victoria-Atamian-Waterman-ebook/dp/B0CHJK7YQX

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Left-Behind-Victoria-Atamian-Waterman-ebook/dp/B0CHJK7YQX

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Left-Behind-Victoria-Atamian-Waterman-ebook/dp/B0CHJK7YQX

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Left-Behind-Victoria-Atamian-Waterman-ebook/dp/B0CHJK7YQX

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144042403?ean=9781962465021

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/who-she-left-behind

Historium Press: https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/victoria-atamian-waterman

Author Bio:

Victoria Atamian Waterman is an Armenian American storyteller and speaker who draws inspiration from the quirky multigenerational, multilingual home in which she was raised with her grandparents, survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Her empowerment of today’s women and girls makes her voice ideal for telling the little-known stories of yesterday’s women leaders. Her TED Talk, “Today’s Girls are Tomorrow’s Leaders” has been seen by thousands of viewers. When she is not writing and speaking, she is reading, puzzle-making and volunteering.

Victoria lives in Rhode Island and is enjoying this next chapter of life with her husband, children, and grandchildren. “Who She Left Behind” is her first novel. 

Author Links:

Website: https://www.victoriawaterman.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.waterman.9

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorwaterman/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriawaterman/

LinkedIn Author Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/77096030/admin/feed/posts/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/victoriawatermanauthor/