Book Link

From Amazon:

George the Pony lives among the tall beautiful Thoroughbreds at Pap-pap’s farm. In spite of his short stature, George has a big personality, which makes him the boss. It doesn’t take long for George the Boss to learn about the downside of being bossy.

My Review:

George is a very bossy pony who likes to rule the roost, as in, which horse can stand under a tree with him. Soon, George finds himself alone, and that gives him time to think about his bossiness. In the end, George finds out that being bossy can be bad thing. Cute story.

Book Two in Heart of Evergreen Trilogy

Prologue

“What did you just say? The senior officer (Special Agent Thompson) of the two men from Homeland Security, that both Nancy and Kim knew prior, repeated, ‘Rob and Liza Caldwell were taken out as a hit’ in Boston last night and we think their assassin is the agent handler extraordinaire, who put out the hit job on the President, and on you, Kim, last November. The hit man’s name is Jeffrey Sanders, we do not know any alias, ethnicity, or if male or female. Security cameras were disabled before the actual hit. Rob and Liza were asleep when it happened early this morning. A silencer was used, and neighbors heard their dog barking non-stop and became worried. The couple checked on them, found them dead in their bed, and called 911. The police detectives could tell it was a professional hit and called us. Special Agent Hughes and I flew directly here from Washington, DC. A note left at the scene read, ‘Two down, eleven to go’ and the eleven to go are both of you, the President, and people unidentified. Make no mistake. The hit man will take out anyone with you, when, NOT if, they find you.” 

***

“How dare you take out my two best assets! I am coming for you, Kim, and your friend, Nancy! Never mind, my best assets died in a roll-over accident! They were after you, Kim! Now I am going to finish the job! Both of you and yours are going down! I know where you are and who you have in your life! Tit for tat. The same back to both of you!”

On Monday, 11 March 2024, of all the things to happen on my street was a cow in the yard across the street after having run away from the butcher and made a break for it. For real. It was breathing hard, had all the saliva and mucous pouring from its nose and mouth, had the nerve to pee in the yard across from me. Look at the saliva. It had been running and was chased by vehicles and police cars. Right in front of me so photos are through glass as I wasn’t going outside. It was funny, yet terrible, as the cow was so anxious and upset.

They failed to get it and it ran north two blocks and kept going. Small town of 2,500 people and police, packing plant people, and the public tried to capture three that broke loose and made a run for it. The THREE on the loose and running. It was sad to me. Hopefully, the butcher fixed their pens.

Then, mounted cowboys got into the act. It became nuttier. Finally the cattle were caught, two steers, and one bull, and placed in pens. I think if they hadn’t chased them to no end, retrieval would have gone easier on everyone involved, most the especially the cattle. Your thoughts?

Book Title: A Matter of Time: Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light (Book Three)

Series: The Henrician Chronicle

Author: Judith Arnopp

Publication Date: 2^nd February 2024

Publisher: independently published

Page Length: 302

Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction

Twitter Handle: @JudithArnopp @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @tudor_juditharnopp @thecoffeepotbookclub

Bluesky Handle: @jarnopp.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Tudor #HenryVIII #NewRelease #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/02/blog-tour-a-matter-of-time-by-judith-arnopp.html

Book Title and Author Name:

A Matter of Time: Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light

Judith Arnopp

Blurb:

With youth now far behind him, King Henry VIII has only produced one infant son and two bastard daughters. More sons are essential to secure the Tudor line and with his third wife, Jane Seymour dead, Henry hunts for a suitable replacement.

After the break from Rome, trouble is brewing with France and Scotland. Thomas Cromwell arranges a diplomatic marriage with the sister of the Duke of Cleves but when it comes to women, Henry is fastidious, and the new bride does not please him. The increasingly unpredictable king sets his sights instead upon Katherine Howard and instructs Cromwell to free him from the match with Cleves.

Failure to rid the king of his unloved wife could cost Cromwell his head.

Henry, now ailing and ageing, is invigorated by his flighty new bride but despite the favours he heaps upon her, he cannot win Katherine’s heart. A little over a year later, broken by her infidelity, she becomes the second of his wives to die on the scaffold, leaving Henry friendless and alone.

But his stout heart will not surrender and leaving his sixth wife, Katheryn Parr, installed as regent over England, Henry embarks on a final war to win back territories lost to the French more than a century before. Hungry for glory, the king is determined that the name Henry VIII will shine brighter and longer than that of his hero, Henry V.

Told from the king’s perspective, A Matter of Time: Henry VIII: the Dying of the Light shines a torch into the heart and mind of England’s most tyrannical king.

A Matter of Time

Snippet 1

Summer 1539 Greenwich – Henry looking at a painting

Ah, the discomfiture of love. I’ve been in love with one woman or another since before I reached manhood. I first met Caterina when I was a boy of ten, and when I tired of her, Anne was waiting who, in turn, was usurped in my heart by Jane.

I had not yet wearied of Jane when she was taken from me after giving me my heart’s desire – my son. I was not ready to lose her, and there was no woman waiting to take her place as my queen. Now, there is just a void where she once was and, according to my Council, it is a queen I need.

I have my son, my heir, but one boy is never enough, not for any king and especially not for me. They tell me a political match will not only secure the realm against the threat posed by the Holy Roman Emperor but will also provide a brother for Prince Edward; a young Duke of York who will stand at his sibling’s side in times of crisis – a younger stalwart brother such as I never had.

Although I did well enough.

A door opens, the curtain drifts in the movement of air, but I do not take my eyes from hers. I will make this woman my queen; she will warm my bed, she will soothe my aching need and she will further strengthen the Tudor line. She will bear my children. If anyone can give me strong sons, it is she.

A footstep, a light touch upon my arm.

I turn, still dazed by the painted vision of Christina.

“Anne,” I say, my voice husky from prolonged silence. “Is it that time already?”

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Links to the three titles in the series:

A Matter of Conscience: https://mybook.to/amoc

A Matter of Faith: https://mybook.to/amofaith 

A Matter of Time: https://mybook.to/amot

Author Bio:

A lifelong history enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds a BA in English/Creative writing and an MA in Medieval Studies. She lives on the coast of West Wales where she writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is best known for her novels set in the Medieval and Tudor period, focusing on the perspective of historical women but recently she has been writing from the perspective of Henry VIII himself.

Book Link

From Amazon:

Take a tiger, an orangutan, an elephant, an eagle, a rhino, a dragon, a spider, and a turtle. Mix with music till loud – you might want to stand back.

My Review:

This is a darling rhyming book about animals and others who play instruments in a band. The illustrations are colorful and draw the eye. Highly recommend.