Thursday, October 24, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — A Home for Christmas by MK McClintock #ChristmasRomance #HistoricalWesternRomance #ChristmasSpecial #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

 


A Home for Christmas 
By MK McClintock

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 them both. 

"Teton Christmas" 
Heartache and a thirst for adventure lead McKensie Stewart and her sister to Wyoming after the death of their parents. With the help of a widowed aunt and a charming horse breeder, McKensie discovers that hope is a cherished promise, and there is no greater gift than love. 

"Lily's Christmas Wish" 
Lily Malone has never had a real family or a real Christmas. This holiday season, she might get both. From an orphanage in New York City to the rugged mountains of Colorado, Lily sends out only one wish. But when the time comes, can she give it up so someone else’s wish can come true? 

If you love inspirational romance and heartfelt holidays, then you'll enjoy this trio of stories as we remember the true meaning of love any time of the year.

Doesn't this book sounds fabulous?! You can grab your copy over on Amazon.

MK McClintock

MK McClintock is an award-winning author of historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond. 
 
MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains. You can find her online at www.mkmcclintock.com.

•••

Her works include the Montana Gallagher, Crooked Creek, British Agent, and Whitcomb Springs series. She has also written A Home for Christmas, a heartwarming collection set in 1800s Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, and The Case of the Copper King, a romantic and adventurous western mystery set in 1899 Colorado. 




Saturday, October 12, 2024

October audio book of the month - The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton, narrated by Mary Galloway

 


The Secret Pianist 

By Andie Newton
Narrated by Mary Galloway

Sisters. Traitors. Spies.

When a British RAF Whitley plane comes under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands…

The occupation has taken much from the Cotillard sisters, and as the Germans increase their forces in the seaside town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Gabriella, Martine and Simone can’t escape the feeling that the walls are closing in.

Yet, just as they should be trying to stay under the radar, Martine’s discovery of a British messenger pigeon leads them down a new and dangerous path. Gaby would do anything to protect her sisters but when the pianist is forced to teach the step-daughter of a German Commandant, and the town accuses the Cotillards of becoming ‘Bad French’ and in allegiance with the enemy, she realizes they have to take the opportunity to fight back that has been handed to them.

Now, as the sisters’ secrets wing their way to an unknown contact in London, Gaby, Martine and Simone have to wonder – have they opened a lifeline, or sealed their fate?


Firstly, let’s talk about the narrator, Afterall, I did listen to this book on audio. Mary Galloway is the perfect choice, her voice is utterly mesmerising, and I thought she really brought the characters and the story to life. I shall certainly be looking out for more books narrated by this actor.

Now, for the writing. The story follows the lives of the three Cotillard sisters. They are trying their best to keep their noses clean and stay out of trouble, but fate has other ideas for them.

This story is incredibly fast paced, and an awful lot happens in this novel. Some of the characters sent shivers down my spine and there are a few hair-raising moments when the sisters are on the brink of discovery, but their bravery and love for each other carries them forward. 

Now, I must talk about the pigeons. It is sad to think that pigeons are now considered vermin when they did so much for the war effort. These birds are so important in this story as it is through their instinct to fly home that messages can be sent from occupied France back to England. 

I thought the plot was very appealing and the characters were interesting. There are a few characters who I certainly did not like, but there were also some surprises at the end of the novel that made me rethink my initial first impressions.

If you love world war II historical fiction, then this book will certainly be right up your street. I thought it was fabulous, and I will certainly be reading more books by this author.

This book is well worth the read, or listen to. You can find your copy over on Amazon.

Andie Newton

Andie Newton is the USA Today bestselling author of The Secret Pianist, A Child for the Reich, The Girls from the Beach, The Girl from Vichy, and The Girl I Left Behind. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Washington State University and a master’s in teaching. When she’s not writing gritty war stories about women, you can usually find her trail running in the desert and stopping to pet every Yellow Lab or Golden Retriever that crosses her path. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — The Signare of Gorée by Laura Rahme #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn


The Signare of Gorée
By Laura Rahme


1846. In the heat of West Africa, the French navy uncovers the corpses of two French soldiers. Inspector Maurice Leroux arrives at the island of Gorée. It seems death has come to this small colonial outpost off the Senegal coast, home to the prosperous mixed-blood women known as the signares.

The navy suspects that the Bambara people, emboldened by approaching emancipation, may be out for blood. While confronted by the locals’ strange magical beliefs, Maurice remains skeptical. Does malevolence play a part, or are these deaths accidental, brought upon by the brutality of nature in an island known as the white man's grave?

But when murder strikes, it becomes clear that a killer is stalking Gorée.

Swept by a mystery unlike any he has known, Maurice meets Signare Angélique Aussenac. The proud métis, deserted by her wealthy Bordeaux lover, casts her spell upon Maurice.

But beyond the throbbing sounds of the tam-tams and the glittering signare soirées, danger lurks. Someone is watching. And the deaths go on.

Could the killer be one of the rich Bordeaux merchants? Or are they hiding among the powerful signares?

A historical mystery spanning France and Senegal, THE SIGNARE OF GORÉE explores a world of magic, murder, and passion.


If this book tickles your fancy then you can find your copy over on Amazon, and get this if you have #KindleUnlimited you can read for FREE! Bargain!

Laura Rahme


Laura Rahme is the author of seven historical novels. Born in Dakar, Senegal where she spent her early childhood, she moved to Australia at the age of ten. A graduate of two Honors degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Psychology, she has worked over two decades as an IT professional. Her greatest joy comes from travel, researching history, and penning historical mysteries. She now lives in France with her screenwriting husband.

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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — Operation Tulip by Deborah Swift #WW2 #HistoricalFiction #Holland #Romance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @swiftstory @cathiedunn




Operation Tulip
By Deborah Swift


Holland, 1944: Undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan has been given her toughest case yet. A key member of the Dutch resistance has been captured, and Nancy must play the role of a wealthy Nazi to win over a notorious SS officer, Detlef Keller, and gain crucial information.

England: Coding expert Tom Lockwood is devastated that the Allies have failed to push back the Nazis, leaving Northern Holland completely cut off from the rest of Europe, and him from his beloved Nancy. Desperate to rescue the love of his life, Tom devises Operation Tulip, a plan to bring Nancy home.

But as Nancy infiltrates the Dutch SS, she finds herself catching the eye of an even more senior member of the Party. Is Nancy in too deep, or can Tom reach her before she gets caught?

Inspired by the true events of occupied Holland during WW2, don't miss this utterly gripping story of love, bravery and sacrifice.

Doesn't this book sound amazing?! You can find your copy over on Amazon.

Deborah Swift


Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author of twenty books who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today. 

Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade Award, and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal. Her most recent books are The Silk Code and The Shadow Network both set in the Second World War.

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Monday, September 30, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - The Pirate’s Physician: A Thrilling Companion Novella to the Sea and Stone Chronicles by Amy Maroney #Renaissance #HistoricalRomance #PirateBooks #SeaAdventure #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @wilaroney @cathiedunn

 


The Pirate’s Physician
(A Thrilling Companion Novella to the Sea and Stone Chronicles)
By Amy Maroney


When her world shatters, she dares to trust a pirate. Will she survive what comes next?

The Pirate's Physician is the story of Giuliana Rinaldi, a student at Salerno's famed medieval medical school, whose lifelong dream of becoming a physician crumbles when her uncle and mentor dies suddenly. 

Faced with an unwanted marriage to a ruthless merchant, Giuliana enlists the help of a Basque pirate and flees home for the dangers of the open sea. 

Will she make it to Genoa, where her only remaining relative awaits? Or will this impulsive decision seal her own doom?

A delightful seafaring adventure packed with romance and intrigue, The Pirate's Physician is a companion novella to the award-winning Sea and Stone Chronicles series of historical novels by Amy Maroney: Island of Gold, Sea of Shadows, and The Queen's Scribe.

Doesn't this book sound utterly amazing? You can grab your copy over on Amazon.

Amy Maroney


Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction.

Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy’s new series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean. 

To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s readers’ group at www.amymaroney.com

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Sunday, September 29, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - The Dragon Tree by Julia Ibbotson #medieval #TimeTravel #Romance #Mystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @JuliaIbbotson @cathiedunn



The Dragon Tree 
By Julia Ibbotson


A haunting medieval time-slip (#2 in the Dr DuLac series, sequel to A Shape on the Air, but can be read as a stand-alone)

Echoes of the past resonate through time and disturb medievalist Dr Viv DuLac as she struggles with misfortune in the present. She and Rev Rory have escaped to the island of Madeira on a secondment from their posts, yet they are not to find peace – until they can solve the mystery of the shard of azulejo and the ancient ammonite. Viv’s search brings her into contact with two troubled women: a noblewoman shipwrecked on the island in the 14th century and a rebellious nun at the island convent in the 16th century. As Viv reaches out across the centuries, their lives become intertwined, and she must uncover the secrets of the ominous Dragon Tree in order to locate lost artefacts that can shape the future.

Doesn't this book sound amazing! You can grab your copy over on Amazon. And get this, if you have #KindleUnlimited subscription then it is free to read.

Julia Ibbotson


Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics.

After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone.

Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful storytelling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

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Thursday, September 26, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - ‘Tho I Be Mute by Heather Miller #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #CherokeeHistory #AmericanHistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HMHFR @cathiedunn




‘Tho I Be Mute
By Heather Miller


Clarinda faces a moment of profound reality—a rattlesnake bite, a harbinger of her imminent mortality—and undertakes an introspective journey. In her final days, she immortalizes not only her own story but that of her parents—a narrative steeped in her family’s insights into Cherokee heritage during the tumultuous years preceding the forced removal of Native communities.

In 1818, Clarinda’s father, Cherokee John Ridge, embarks on a quest for a young man’s education at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut. Amidst sickness, he finds solace and love with Sarah, the steward’s quiet daughter. Despite enduring two years of separation, defamatory editorials, and societal upheaval due to their interracial love affair, the resilient couple weds in 1824. This marks the inception of a journey for Sarah as she delves into a world both cherished and feared—Cherokee Territory. As John Ridge advocates for the preservation of his people’s land and that of his Muskogee Creek neighbors against encroaching Georgia settlers and unscrupulous governmental officials, the stakes are high. His success or failure hinges on his ability to balance his proud Cherokee convictions with an intricate understanding of American law. Justice remains uncertain.

Grounded in a true story, ‘Tho I Be Mute resonates with a compelling historical narrative, giving an intimate voice to those heard, those ignored, those speechless, urging readers to not only hear but to truly listen.

Excerpt

Chapter 5: Laundry, Sarah Bird Northrup

As the morning progressed, we continued in quiet through laundry day. Mother joined us when the sun crept over the hill. Absent her customary grace and stature, she stepped in front of the rinse tub and filled it with water from buckets. She gripped the large paddle, smooth from weekly use, and stirred away the clothes’ soapy remnants. 

With one basket ready to hang on the line, Cornwall woke with people beginning the routine of their daily lives. Some mimicked our ritual. Some hoed in garden beds. Some opened stores of flour and cloth. Some hunched over Bibles and English textbooks. Cornwall was both ordinary and blessed at the same time. 

The wind continued until late afternoon after Jane and Mother returned inside. The final basket overflowed with wrung and twisted heaps. I bent over, grabbed a tangled sheet, and flipped it into the wind. I tossed it two more times to unfurl its length and crossed the hem over the line. Mother insisted I use the pegs on the sheets, so the crease would be at the seam rather than down the middle. 

Under the amber afternoon, a walking silhouette approached from behind already dry, sheeted walls, fluttering, stretching in the breeze. The shadow’s gait was slow but steady, rising on its left side, aided by a single crutch. It wore boots that clung to thin, tall legs. The fitted frock coat tails lifted and cast an unusual shape, as if it had tail feathers. The silhouette’s head rode atop its neck, grand, chin pronounced, and short, wavy hair brushed away from his forehead. John’s eyes found me, separated by the hanging sheets.

I spoke to his shadow. “You’re early. Are you unwell?” I stretched from the waist, grabbed more pegs, and stepped down the line. I avoided his gaze, but his gravity made my arms heavier. 

“Doctor Gold is coming by this afternoon, so I must be well,” he replied, with a hint of tiredness. He often spoke of his family’s expansive farm, so I imagine he was bored, sitting in class studying crop rotations when he wanted to read philosophy.

“Good.” It was all I managed to say, mispronouncing the word with clothes pegs between my lips. I unfurled another sheet. If Doctor Gold was coming, that explained why Jane and Mother made their premature departure from the washboard and tub.

I paralleled the line, and John pantomimed my movements with a moment’s delay. Pulling the peg from my mouth, I sighed and trapped the right end of the sheet, frustrated with the endless work. 

John looked at me inquisitively. “What’s troubling you, Miss Sarah?”

“Nothing more than washing day.” My impatience hid the truth. “Mother and Jane still think I am younger than I am.”

“So, you’re ready to fly the nest?” he asked with a measured pace and chuckled.

“Not necessarily, I just do not wish their constant reminders of things I do by habit.” He did not deserve my short temper.

He hummed a single note and replied, “Since I have been from home, I have taken care of myself a great deal. But when I return, it’s the same for me. My mother reminds me to cork the ink and to take off my boots before falling asleep. I can hear her say it now as if she stood here among the drying.”  

We saw one another again in the absent space on the line. I said, “You must miss home. Your mother and father wish for your return. Your father said so when he was here.”

“I miss them, but Elias eases my loneliness. He is my father’s brother’s son.”

“Yes, I remember. He’s your cousin?” Surely John knew the word. 

“Yes,” he said. “But we are as close as brothers, and my father is his in many ways, as his father is mine. Therefore, that is a better description. Elias plans to leave soon to attend Andover Theology School. Here, he has more friends than I do, but I am a better student. He is witty and personable, a wonderful storyteller, a skill I do not have.”

John smile straightened, saddened by Elias’ pending departure. His expression brought lonely thoughts to my mind. Affirming what I already knew to be true, I said, “. . . and you want to make people think. Your talents are a gift from God. It is a noble weight you look to carry.”

“It is why I was sent here: to study, to learn the ways of your lives. It is what our elders insist must happen. Thomas Jefferson warned the Cherokee to learn what it meant to be American. My people must seek the education provided to us. Now, Cherokee land carries my people, but in the future, we may have to learn to carry it with us.” 

“Made any discoveries?” I asked. 

He answered, “How hurried everyone seems. Except you.” Then, he paused mid-thought, speaking with a younger expression on his face, one more reminiscent of his age. He seemed to catch the memory of his home in the wind, squinting against the fading sun. “Light. I miss the light. I miss running my horse along the edge of the Oostanaula River in the morning’s glow. I miss the green haze above acres of grass bordered by trees as far as one can see. I miss council meetings with enormous fires under starry skies in autumn. Mountains and coves pebbled with spectrums of color. . . I miss . . .”

I interrupted his musings, sensing his sadness, and changed the subject. “Have you slept with your boots on?” My mind imagined him doing so, and I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my grin. 

“Only when my mother cannot see.” 


Doesn't this excerpt want to make you read on?! Well, I have news for you, you can find your copy over on Amazon and do just that! 

 Heather Miller


History is better than fiction.
We all leave a legacy.

As an English educator, Heather Miller has spent twenty-four years teaching her students the author’s craft. Now, she’s writing it herself, hearing voices from the past. Heather earned her MFA in creative writing in 2022 and is teaching high school as well as college composition courses. 

Miller’s foundation began in the theatre, through performance storytelling. She can tap dance, stage-slap someone, and sing every note from Les Miserables. But by far, her favorite role has been as a fireman’s wife and mom to three: a trumpet player, a future civil engineer, and a RN. Alas, there’s only one English major in her house.

Heather continues writing the Ridge Family Saga. Her current work-in-progress, Stands, concludes the Ridge Family Saga. 

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On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — A Home for Christmas by MK McClintock #ChristmasRomance #HistoricalWesternRomance #ChristmasSpecial #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

  A Home for Christmas  By MK McClintock Will six strangers find hope, love, and family at Christmas? A collection of three historical weste...