On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - The Pact (The Illustrated Colonials, Book One) by Tom Durwood #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #YoungAdult @TDurwood @maryanneyarde

 

Please join me in welcoming historical fiction / young adult author, Tom Durwood onto Oh look, another book. Tom is taking his book on tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club and I am so excited to be taking part in this tour.

The Pact

(The Illustrated Colonials, Book One)

By Tom Durwood

Six international teens join the American Revolution.

Coming of age and making history.  

They went into 1776 looking for a fight. Little did they know how much it would cost them… 

Six rich kids from around the globe join the Bostonian cause, finding love and treachery along the path to liberty. 

A new perspective one on of history’s most fascinating moments. 

Amply illustrated edition of a young-adult historical fiction novel. 

Writing children's historical fiction is one of the most difficult things to do because not only is your audience very elusive, but you also have to stay true to the historical sources and make the writing simple enough to be understood. Tom Durwood has ignored all the above and has written a historical fantasy based loosely around the American Revolutionary Wars.

I won't lie, this novel did not immediately grab me. I had, and still have, no idea what the first half of the novel was about, it seemed like six very disjointed short stories about six children/teens. Thankfully, in the second half of the book, things become a little clearer. This is the kind of novel where you really have to hang in there.

Apart from the confusion as to who everyone was in the first half of this novel, the seemingly constant stream of metaphors, and the excessive amounts of famous quotes, there is a hidden gem of a story inside. This novel focuses on six very different protagonists, who are brought together because...I have no idea why they were brought together, but they are at this special school and they learn things, as you do, but they also learn from each other and somehow they go from protecting cabbages to making an unbreakable promise. It was certainly an interesting premise.

What surprised me the most about this novel was the author's genuine concern about his lack of skill as a writer. He confesses, at the end of the novel that he wants the illustrations to distract from his "failings as a writer." My advice to Mr Durwood would be this, forget your insecurities, and write, writes as much as you can every day, and one day you will write the perfect sentence and you will not need illustrations because your words will speak for themselves.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series because I think Mr Durwood has the talent to write a compelling series, he just has to believe in himself.

I received my copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. You can find your copy over on Amazon (Universal Buy Link). 

Tom Durwood

Tom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times. Tom has taught Public Speaking and Basic Communications as guest lecturer for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam’s Neck Annex of the Naval War College.

Tom’s ebook Empire and Literature matches global works of film and fiction to specific quadrants of empire, finding surprising parallels. Literature, film, art and architecture are viewed against the rise and fall of empire. In a foreword to Empire and Literature, postcolonial scholar Dipesh Chakrabarty of the University of Chicago calls it “imaginative and innovative.” Prof. Chakrabarty writes that “Durwood has given us a thought-provoking introduction to the humanities.” His subsequent book “Kid Lit: An Introduction to Literary Criticism” has been well-reviewed. “My favorite nonfiction book of the year,” writes The Literary Apothecary (Goodreads).

Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.” The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”

Tom briefly ran his own children’s book imprint, Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago). Tom’s newspaper column “Shelter” appeared in the North County Times for seven years. Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.

Social Media Links:

Websites • Website • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • Instagram • Pinterest • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads.

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker (The Golden City, Book Six) by A.B. Michaels #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @ABMichaelsBooks @maryanneyarde

 

Please join me in welcoming historical fiction author, A.B. Michaels onto Oh look, another book. A.B. Michaels is taking her book, The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker, on tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club and I am so excited to be taking part in the tour because her book is fabulous!!

The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker

(The Golden City, Book Six)

By A.B. Michaels

While exploring the remote possibility of contacting her dead husband through a spirit medium, a young widow is pronounced insane and committed to an asylum against her will. As she struggles to escape the nightmare she’s been thrust into, she is stripped of everything she holds dear, including her identity and her reason to live. The fight to reclaim what is rightfully hers will test every aspect of her being, up to and including her sanity. Is she up to the task, or has her grip on reality already slipped away?

Book Six of The Golden City series, The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker explores two major forces of early twentieth century America: the religious movement called Spiritualism and treatment of the mentally ill. Like all of A.B. Michaels’ novels, it is a stand-alone read.

You know what I am going to say – the cover is gorgeous! If I had a penny every time I said that, I would have enough money to buy all the books I want. Alas, no one, not even my husband, is willing to spend that much money on books for me, so that will not be happening any time soon.

Let me tell you about this book. Mae is the mother of a young boy and the wife of a man who recently passed away. When she upholds his practically dying wish and goes with his sister to a Spiritualism group, she finds, not a group of people she can easily say are silly enough to believe such a thing and walk away from, but a medium who is convinced Mae’s father wants to talk to her, and wants her to atone for leaving him.

When Mae’s mother-in-law, Ida, has Mae committed to an asylum, for thinking that the dead are talking to her, which Mae only told her when Ida asked, after pushing Mae to attend the group in the first place. Mae finds herself between a rock and a hard place. If she tries so much as shuffles out of line, Mae finds herself being punished, even if her actions are those of a well-meaning person. The asylum, it seems, is not somewhere to help these women get better, but a place to put those that people do not want in society, many times for the most ridiculous of reasons—to save a family name from being tarnished, or God forbid because these women had their own ideas. The asylum is a terrible place, and it made for some very difficult reading. The systems in place are not there to help but to train these women to be quiet wives, to attend to their husbands and do little more than the stereotypical wife and mother should. There is a whole irony that while Mae went into the asylum sane, she may not be when she leaves, if that can ever happen.

I’m going to say that this book might not be for everyone. This is not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy it, which I did, nor want to read it again, which I do. There are some scenes and some issues surrounding it, regarding mental health, that I feel would be harmful to some readers, and I want to forewarn any of those readers should they read my review and wish to read the book themselves. This book does deal with the stigma of mental health, especially in the past, wherein it was frowned upon and kept hidden at all costs, and the abuse Mae suffers in the asylum is simply unimaginable.

I must say, there is a character, Anton, who is an absolute darling. He is a single father to very young twin girls, and he attends the same Spiritualism group that Mae does, not that he believes in it. When Anton meets Mae, obviously sparks fly, and their children get along wonderfully, as if Mae’s son adopts Anton’s girls as his little sisters, automatically accepting the responsibilities of teaching them games and looking after them. Truthfully, Mae and Anton’s relationship is so sweet that I would happily read an entire book of their picnics and feelings for each other.

While I struggled with some of the scenes in this book, the author’s note at the end was so much worse, when I realised that the things that Mae and the others in the asylum had gone through happened to real people, and that it was almost common practice. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed the rest of the book, especially so the romance and Anton’s determination to save and protect Mae.

I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can buy yours at your favourite online bookshop, HERE. Although The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker is Book 6 in The Golden City saga if does standalone. If, you would like to read the series from the beginning, click on the book's name and buy your copy at your favourite online store:

The Art of Love (Book 1)

The Depth of Beauty (Book 2)

The Promise (Book 3)

The Price of Compassion (Book 4)

Josephine’s Daughter (Book 5)

The Madness of Mrs Whittaker (Book 6)

A.B. Michaels

A native of California, A.B. Michaels holds masters’ degrees in history (UCLA) and broadcasting (San Francisco State University). After working for many years as a promotional writer and editor, she turned to writing fiction, which is the hardest thing she's ever done besides raise two boys. She lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in Boise, Idaho, where she is often distracted by playing darts and bocce and trying to hit a golf ball more than fifty yards. Reading, quilt-making and travel figure into the mix as well, leading her to hope that sometime soon, someone invents a 25+ hour day.

Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club – Guardians at the Wall by Tim Walker #HistoricalFiction #HadriansWall #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @timwalker1666 @maryanneyarde

 

I have a wonderful excerpt for you today, from Tim Walker's book, Guardians at the Wall!

Guardians at the Wall 

By Tim Walker

Archaeology student Noah scrapes the soil near Hadrian’s Wall, once a barrier that divided Roman Britannia from wild Caledonian tribes, in the hope of uncovering an ancient artefact around which he can build a project-defining story.

He makes an intriguing find, but hasn't anticipated the distraction of becoming the object of desire in a developing love triangle in the isolated academic community at Vindolanda. He’s living his best life, but must learn to prioritise in a race against time to solve an astounding 2,000-year-old riddle, and an artefact theft, as he comes to realise his future career prospects depend on it.

In the same place, almost 2,000 years earlier, Centurion Gaius Atticianus, hungover and unaware of the bloody conflicts that will soon challenge him, is rattled by the hoot of an owl, a bad omen. 

These are the protagonists whose lives will brush together in the alternating strands of this dual timeline historical novel, one commencing his journey and trying to get noticed, the other trying to stay intact as he approaches retirement.

How will the breathless battles fought by a Roman officer influence the fortunes of a twenty-first century archaeology mud rat? Can naive Noah, distracted by the attentions of two very different women, navigate his way to a winning presentation?

Find out in Tim Walker's thrilling historical dual timeline novel, Guardians at the Wall.

[Archaeology student, Noah, continues his desk research into Centurion Gaius Atticianus]

On Monday morning, I picked up where I’d left off with the Corbridge tablets. From what I’d translated, added to guesswork on what was missing, I deduced that Gaius was at Coria to report that his unit had been attacked by unknown barbarians, whilst conveying a payroll chest from Vindolanda to Coria for safekeeping. The garrison at Vindolanda was under siege from a large force of Caledonian warriors. He had diverted his unit off the Via Vespasian (not Hadrian, as I’d earlier speculated with Sima) at milestone twenty-six, to the estate of Lucius Gabia, Magistratus, roughly a mile from the road. Here, he buried the chest of coins and the cohort standard. The rest of the report was unclear after that, but he referred to a grave marker for a Domina Drusilla Gabia.

“Hmmm, instructions on where to find buried treasure,” I said. I looked around, but none of the half dozen academics or staff were looking in my direction. My pulse had quickened and my mind was racing. Firstly, that stretch of the Roman road from Coria to the Vindolanda turn-off was constructed in the reign of Emperor Vespasian, between 69 and 79 CE. This was a new discovery, and Maggie would be pleased to hear of it. Secondly, Gaius was reporting that he had to bury the cohort payroll chest in the grounds of a villa estate, close to a tombstone, so perhaps in a family burial enclosure. This was approximately one hundred yards along a side road marked by a milestone marking twenty Roman miles. Perhaps it had been recovered, or perhaps not, particularly if all those involved in the desperate action had not lived to return at a later date. Also, it was possible others had long since read the report and recovered the chest. It was a long shot if it was still buried.

I did some investigation and found that the milestones along what came to be called the Stanegate, in the post-Roman period, started from Segedunum Roman fort, now Wallsend in Newcastle, to the east, and increased in number as they progressed west. So, 26 Roman miles, indicated on the miliarium reported by Gaius, equates to 24.5 imperial miles. A check on UK driving distances showed me the distance from Wallsend Roman Fort to Corbridge Roman town to be 24.37 miles. So, the XXVI (26) milestone would have been situated roughly two hundred yards west of the track to the Roman fortified town of Coria.

I got the detailed Ordinance Survey Map of Northumberland and measured two hundred yards west of the turning to Coria, using my ruler. The road was predictably straight, apart from a few kinks that mirrored the river course. I studied the rural location for a clue to a track that might have once led to a Roman farm estate. Green fields lined both sides of the current road, and the map showed some dotted lines to farm houses. Now, if I could only get an idea if there were Roman estates on one or both sides of the road with an entrance track close to that point.

Sima came over, curious at my sudden burst of activity and my poring over a map.

“What you doing?” she asked.

“Oh hi. I think I’ve stumbled onto something from one of the tablets. A report from…” I checked myself, wondering if I should rush into spilling the full story whilst it was still formulating. Maybe caution and further investigation on my part was prudent before talking about it. “A report from an officer at Coria in the days or hours before the fire of 180 CE. I’m just checking on something that he referred to.”

“Good for you, Sherlock. I hope it leads to something useful.” She paused and leaned closer, then continued in a hushed tone. “Thanks, Noah, for not running for the hills. I’m all right now. I’m usually calm and collected.” 

“I know, Sima. I’ve noticed. I hope it all works out for you. Remember, you can grab me anytime if you want to offload.”

There was relief in her smile when she turned towards her office, leaving me to get on with exploring my theory. I decided to send an email to Maggie, bringing her up to speed with my findings, and ask for ideas on how I could identify the location of a Roman estate to the east of Coria, one owned by the Gabia family in the year 180. If we could narrow down the search area, it might make a field study possible.

[In the year 180 CE, Centurion Gaius Atticianus is forced from the road by a barbarian attack]

A guard of shields awaited the runners as they filed through the gap into the estate, and Gaius staggered past sandstone columns to collapse in a heap beside his men on the grass, panting hard by a gravel track that led to an imposing villa. The last of the men entered and the gates were slammed shut and barred. Gaius noted that the high walls had metal spikes on the tops and grinned at his morsel of good fortune.

Paulinus rushed to his side, and helped him to his feet. “Sir! There are thirty estate workers manning the walls with our men, throwing sharp objects and rocks at the bastards!”

“Good job, Paulinus,” Gaius puffed, trying to catch his breath. “Let us hide the chest and standard and join in the fight.”

“Already in hand, sir. The lady of the house pointed out a grave that has been part-dug in their family plot, sir. Two of the boys are burying them. Remember the gravestone is in the name of Domina Drusilla Gabia. Her recently demised mother, apparently.”

“Then we must be grateful for the gap between her mother’s death and burial,” Gaius replied, holding the stitch in his side. He turned at the noise of fighting beyond the wall. “And we must also be thankful for their high walls. Do they run all around the compound?”

“Aye, sir. They cannot come behind as a high thorn hedge prevents it. There is a small gate at the rear to a covered pathway that goes through an orchard to the woods, protected on each side by thick bushes, then down to the river. The owner is a magistrate, Lucius Gabia, who had made provision for an escape should the need arise. There is a path along the riverbank to the bridge at Coria. Our escape route, if these devils don’t get behind us.”

“Praise the gods that the magistrate had enemies or is of a nervous disposition. We should send the civilians now, with the wounded and a couple of guards,” Gaius replied.

“Aye, sir,” Paulinus said, shouting orders as he ran off.

Gaius looked up at the serene, beautiful villa, with red roof tiles and a grape vine climbing up a lime-washed wall, a peaceful scene at odds with their predicament. Then he saw Aria and the other wives helping the wounded with bandages and splints in the side garden through an archway. He bowed to a matronly lady who must be the magistrate’s wife, standing in the shade of the patio, giving instructions to her fretting attendants.

He jogged past the stricken soldiers, asking how badly were they wounded, to Aria, who looked up with a cry of relief. “My love, I am so pleased to see you unhurt!” She dropped a bandage roll and threw her arms around him. Brutus ran to him and hugged his thigh with the grip of a bear cub.

“The gods be praised, I’m unhurt, Aria, but must return to my men. I have ordered two guards to take all the civilians and wounded out through the rear pathway to the river, and from there to the bridge at Coria, where the guards will look after you until we can follow.”

Her tear-stained eyes widened in fright. “No, you must come with us! To stay here is to die at the hands of those barbarians!”

“I must stay and organise an orderly retreat…”

“Come with us, Papa!” Brutus cried, squeezing his leg tight.

“You have a strong grip, my son,” Gaius said, lifting the boy. “Soon you will be the one protecting your mother. But for now, I need you both to be strong and prepare to leave. You may have to help the wounded, so do not carry anything heavy. Now pass on my instructions and organise the wounded to leave.” 

He kissed the boy’s forehead, bent and put his son on the ground, then pulled Aria to him by her slender waist. He looked into her liquid green eyes and then kissed her lips with all the passion and madness of the moment. “Go now, my love, and I promise you, I will follow.”

He held her shoulders at arms-length, then she turned away with a look of sorrow, grabbed Brutus by the hand and ran to the lady of the house to inform her. 

“May the divine Jupiter and all the Caesars protect you!” he shouted, then turned and jogged from the peaceful surroundings, through the archway and down the gravel drive, past men shovelling soil onto a grave, to the scene of chaos at the main gates.

You can grab either an eBook or a Paperback copy of this book! Or, you can read it for free on #KindleUnlimited!

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is an independent author living near Windsor in the UK. He grew up in Liverpool where he began his working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. After studying for a degree in Communication studies he moved to London where he worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years before relocating to Zambia where, following a period of voluntary work with VSO, he set up his own marketing and publishing business. He returned to the UK in 2009.

His creative writing journey began in earnest in 2013, as a therapeutic activity whilst recovering from cancer treatment. He began writing an historical fiction series, A Light in the Dark Ages, in 2014, inspired by a visit to the part-excavated site of a former Roman town. The series connects the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend and is inspired by historical source material, presenting an imagined history of Britain in the fifth and early sixth centuries.

The last book in the series, Arthur, Rex Brittonum, was published in June 2020. This is a re-imagining of the story of King Arthur and follows on from 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum. Both titles are Coffee Pot Book Club recommended reads. The series starts with Abandoned (second edition, 2018); followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); and book three, Uther’s Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker.

Tim has also written three books of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015), Postcards from London (2017) and Perverse (2020); a dystopian thriller, Devil Gate Dawn (2016); and three children’s books, co-authored with his daughter, Cathy – The Adventures of Charly Holmes (2017), Charly & the Superheroes (2018) and Charly in Space (2020).

Social Media Links:

Website • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page • Facebook Page • Twitter • Instagram • Newletter sign-up and free short story

The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #Renaissance @swiftstory @maryanneyarde

 

I am so excited to share my review of The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift. Thank you so much to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in this tour.

The Poison Keeper
 by Deborah Swift

Naples 1633

Aqua Tofana – One drop to heal. Three drops to kill.

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell Giulia the hidden keys to her success. When Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade.

Giulia must run for her life, and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan. But when Giulia hears that her mother has been executed, and the cruel manner of her death, she swears she will wreak revenge on the Duke de Verdi.

The trouble is, Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Duke’s brother, who controls the city with the ‘Camorra’, the mafia. Worse, her Aunt Isabetta, under Domenico’s thrall, insists that she should be consort to him – the brother of the man she has vowed to kill.

Based on the legendary life of Giulia Tofana, this is a story of hidden family secrets, and how even the darkest desires can be vanquished by courage and love.

‘Her characters so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf’ Historical Novel Society

Have you ever finished a book and thought, wow, that was a rollercoaster of a ride? It felt like I had been strapped into the most dangerous of rides which hurtled me, out of control, around corners, threw me upside down and tossed me around. It was only when I closed the book that I felt like I could catch my breath again. But you know when a ride is good because you immediately queue so you can experience it for a second time. If a rollercoaster was a book it would look and feel like this one. This rollercoaster played with my emotions and enslaved my attention so completely that the hours flew by. Coming in at 409 pages, The Poison Keeper is not what I would consider a short-read, but that did not matter because the author has given her readers a story where there is absolutely no let-up. It is one event after another, after another. The story is so compelling that once started I found it really difficult to turn away from. This is the kind of book that I could have easily dedicated the entire day to reading because it deserved such devotion. Alas, family life meant this book took longer to read than I would have liked, but it was very easy to slip back between the pages and immerse myself in the world that Deborah Swift has created.

The story follows the life of Giulia. At the beginning of this novel, Giulia is a frustrated young woman who wants to be given more responsibility in her mother's apothecary business. She also struggles with her feelings for Fabio, a saddler and leatherworker, who her mother would deem unsuitable but who Giulia cannot help but admire. When her mother is accused of poisoning Duke Antonio de Verdi, Giulia's life is forever changed. If she wants to live then she has to run, but Giulia is not one to keep running, she is determined to face her enemies and seek justice the only way she knows how.

This book is deeply moving and there are some utterly deplorable scenes depicted in this novel which at times made for some very difficult reading (there is a scene with a baby that left me crying ugly tears) but at the same time, I thought it demonstrated the cruelty of this era, the greed of man, but also the desperation of a people who were bullied into compliance. 

Taling of bullies... The corruption and cruelty of Duke Antonio de Verdi in Sicily is eclipsed only by his brother, Signor Domenico de Verdi, in Naples. I can not decide which of the brothers I despised the most, for both were power-crazed psychopaths, who unfortunately were in charge of a large civilian population, which is never a good idea. Their greed and their arrogance made them both exceedingly unlikeable - they are antagonists that a reader can really loathe. Like the Inquisition, these two men tortured and murdered innocent people. It is no surprise that some thought the world would be better off without them.

And yet, the protagonist of the story is also driven to murder, but she tries to make it right in her head by saying that she gives people the means to kill, but does not kill herself. Therefore is Giulia a heroine, a villain or a woman who is caught up in a series of unfortunate events? I could not decide. Did I pity her? Indeed I did. Could I understand why she did the things she did? Of course. Does that mean I agreed with everything she did? Not so much, actually not at all, but I had an empathetic understanding of why she did what she did. Therefore I felt Giulia was something of a paradox, she is on one hand inherently good and just so damn likeable, but on the other, she has the knowledge to kill with poisons and she uses that knowledge, not only to exact her revenge but to help other women as well. So, my thoughts, my feelings towards Giulia are slightly conflicted and I think that is what the author intended her readers to feel. Giulia has a realism about her, as did all of the characters, and I think it is that realism that made this book such a bloody marvel from beginning to end. 

If you are looking for a historical fiction book that will blow your mind then this is the book for you. It is one of those books that I would happily read over and over again. 

I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can grab yours from Amazon (Universal Link) If you subscribe to #KindleUnlimited then you can read this book for free.

Deborah Swift

Deborah Swift lives in the north of England and is a USA Today bestselling author who has written fourteen historical novels to date. Her first novel, The Lady’s Slipper, set in 17th Century England, was shortlisted for the Impress Prize, and her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Millennium Award winner. 

Deborah enjoys writing about ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and most of her novels have been published in reading group editions. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is a mentor with The History Quill.

Social Media Links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads 

“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.” #Loki #Marvel

 

“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.”

Oh come on, we all knew Loki didn't die— he is one of the best characters in Marvel, and I am not just saying that because I might be a tiny bit infatuated with Tom Hiddleston (don't tell my husband) but because Loki is so unpredictable and so much fun. So really, tomorrow cannot come soon enough. Forget my to-read list, tomorrow evening I will be sat in front of the telly watching Loki. If it is anything like WandaVision or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier then I am going to be hooked. Super excited!! 

Check out the trailer!

Just because there is a manual it does not mean you need to buy a tank!

You know how my husband always likes to tinker away with cars - in fact, the Haynes Manuals are the only books he reads. So who thought a visit to the tank museum would be a good idea? Hands up, yes that was me. I thought I could maybe get him into history by visiting a museum where he just might appreciate the exhibits. Now he wants to buy a tank. Give me strength!

But there were some pretty impressive tanks at the museum, and I loved their journey through the trenches of World War 1. It is certainly worth a visit. 

The Tank Museum gets a thumbs up from me and from my husband. I just hope I can convince him that we really do not need a tank!! I am now very suspicious of any packages that are addressed to him, it would not surprise me if he builds a tank by stealth! I would not put it past him, although how he is going to get the Continuous track past me remains to be seen. He will probably get it delivered to his mums!! 

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - Read my #BookReview of Sisters at War by Clare Flynn #HistoricalFiction #WW2 @clarefly @maryanneyarde

 

We are heading back to the 1940's today. It is with the greatest of pleasures that I introduce you to Clare Flynn and and her exceptionally great novel, Sisters at War.

Sisters at War

By Clare Flynn

1940 Liverpool.

The pressures of war threaten to tear apart two sisters traumatised by their father’s murder of their mother.

With her new husband, Will, a merchant seaman, deployed on dangerous Atlantic convoy missions, Hannah needs her younger sister Judith more than ever. But when Mussolini declares war on Britain, Judith's Italian sweetheart, Paolo is imprisoned as an enemy alien, and Judith's loyalties are divided.

Each sister wants only to be with the man she loves but, as the war progresses, tensions between them boil over, and they face an impossible decision.

A heart-wrenching page-turner about the everyday bravery of ordinary people during wartime. From heavily blitzed Liverpool to the terrors of the North Atlantic and the scorched plains of Australia, Sisters at War will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart.

 

 

I will begin yet another review by saying, oh my goodness, the cover is beautiful. I barely skimmed the blurb, agreeing to read this book because of the image I was presented with, and I must say, I do not regret this decision even the smallest bit.

Hannah Kidd is married to Will, who spends the majority of this book away at sea. He is a merchant seaman, and working on a ship is his contribution to the war effort. No matter how much Hannah may worry about him when he’s not there, it seems that finding a job on land is out of the question.

The household Hannah is in is a bit of a motley crew. The owner of the house is Sam, whom she was briefly illegally married to after their fathers forced together the union. When Hannah and Judith’s father, an abusive man who preached religion to get his own way, killed their mother, Sam took Hannah and Judith in, giving them a place to stay. Although deep down a caring, lonely woman, the fourth inhabitant, Nance, takes Hannah for granted, sitting back and letting Hannah do all the housework, and cook the meals. And then there is Will, who, although isn’t home much, completes the mismatched family.

I adored Will and Hannah. They are such a beautiful couple, and it was utterly heartbreaking when Will kept leaving for sea, and Hannah would watch the telegraph boy out the window, breathing a sigh of relief when he would continue past her house without stopping. Hannah is the most selfless person imaginable, and continuously gives up things for other people, namely her sister and Nance. I didn’t like Nance all that much, she put herself first and was extremely tactless about every situation anyone else found themselves in. I couldn’t quite make my mind up about Hannah’s sister, Judith. While she has had a very traumatic childhood, and the events of this story only add to that trauma, Hannah has suffered through almost exactly the same, and yet she is expected to keep going while Judith shuts down, making her sister take over. I understand that such a scenario was likely to make Judith react so, but she is so selfish towards Hannah that I had a hard time liking her.

If you have read this book, (if not, you need to!) you are aware about the scene I am about to talk about. I was sat with my hand over my mouth, not wanting to read on for fear of what would happen, but also need to continue because I needed to know what would happen. My husband happened to walk into the room at this moment, as I was sat, curled up on the sofa under a blanket, with tears streaming down my face. At first, he thought something was wrong in real life, but when he noticed my ereader, he sighed, rolling his eyes, and mumbled something along the lines of ‘why read it if it upsets you’ as he left the room again. He did return and bring me a cup of tea, but he does not, and could not, understand the emotional turmoil of this book.

I am a firm believer that if a book has the ability to make you cry, it is a good book. If I read a bad book, I’m likely just to put it down and not show any emotional response to it, other than disgust at the waste of my time it was. This was a good book. In fact, it was more than that. It was beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking – it can cause laughter and sobbing, potentially at the same time.

If you don’t have this book, and/or haven’t read it – what are you waiting for? Did you even read my review? Go and buy it right now!

I received my copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can grab yours from your favourite online bookshop HERE!!!

Clare Flynn

Clare Flynn is the author of thirteen historical novels and a collection of short stories. A former International Marketing Director and strategic management consultant, she is now a full-time writer. 

Having lived and worked in London, Paris, Brussels, Milan and Sydney, home is now on the coast, in Sussex, England, where she can watch the sea from her windows. An avid traveler, her books are often set in exotic locations.

Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Society of Authors, ALLi, and the Romantic Novelists Association. When not writing, she loves to read, quilt, paint and play the piano. 

Social Media Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, BookBub. 

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club – Read my #bookreview of The Sterling Directive by Tim Standish #HistoricalThriller #AlternateHistory #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @timstandishuk @maryanneyarde

 

Please join me in welcoming historical fiction author, Tim Standish, onto Oh look, another book. Tim is taking his book, The Sterling Directive, on tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club and I am so excited to be taking part in the tour because his book is fabulous!!

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 a possible conspiracy surrounding the 1888 Ripper murders. Seeing little choice, Maddox accepts the offer and joins the team of fellow agents Church and Green. With help from the Map Room team, Maddox (now Agent Sterling) and Church investigate the Ripper murders and uncover a closely guarded conspiracy deep within the British Government. Success depends on the two of them quickly forging a successful partnership as agents and following the trail wherever, and to whomever, it leads. 

An espionage thriller set in an alternative late 19th-century London.

As you may well know, I could drop one end of my to-read list from the top of a flight of stairs and it would reach the bottom and then some. This means that I often forget what a book is about and go into it blind. This one, however, I didn’t. I kept repeating the phrase ‘Victorian era with computers’ to myself, which made me incredibly excited to read this book.

Charles got himself into a bit of trouble a few years ago, wherein he ended up as the main suspect of murder and was told he could either join the army for ten years or be put to death. Unsurprisingly, he took the option that meant he didn’t die, and was shipped off to fight. With a few years still left, Charles’ father fell ill and Charles snuck back into London to try and see his father before his imminent demise. He has a very eventful welcome home, finding himself in a duel, then heading to Cooper’s, a place that can only be described as a fancy brothel, only to then be faced with a raid to the building that ended up with him in handcuffs.

Luckily, for him, the cell he was put in was only under the Thames, which apparently was no challenge for the agency calling themselves the Map Room to break him out and recruit him, in exchange for a pardon, allowing him to stay in the country and escape the notice of the police. They have a directive that they want him to help with – to investigate Jack the Ripper. New information has come to light, that there may not be just one man, but two working together to create the Ripper, and such information needs investigating.

Charles takes on the name ‘Sterling’ and works with another agent, Church, in the investigation. I must say, Church was one of my favourite characters, if only for his love of tea. He gets very upset when there is no tea, and, despite his distaste for coffee, he seems to end up drinking it quite often. Being British, I can assure you that this is not a stereotype, but almost an everyday occurance when there is a lack of tea available.

I also really liked Patience, who is an angsty computer hacker, who seems to spend all her time locked away in a room with a computer, getting up to one thing or another that is incredibly helpful to the Map Room, and an inconvenience to anyone else. Patience reminded me of Shuri, the Black Panther’s sister, if anyone has seen that movie.

A couple of times, I found myself doing some research as to when certain things were invented. For certain, in the Victorian times, there was no such thing as a card reader, they weren’t invented until the 1960s, so this book is definitely an alternative history novel. Somehow, though, this didn’t hinder the story at all. I liked the fact that it was modern day, minus mobile phones and internet, in the Victorian times. It created a world that I am accustomed to (not that I am accustomed to airship raids, but you get what I mean) in a historical setting and it was incredibly easy to get lost in the pages.

There is plenty of mystery and action in this book, which make you not want to put it down to do things like sleep because you want to keep on reading. This, unfortunately, poses an issue, as I like sleep and I already have an overactive child who likes waking up far too early. My usual early(ish) nights turned later and while my husband kept trying to get me to go to bed, I ignored him to keep reading. Eventually, he realised that tempting me with hot chocolate was the way to go, and I put the book down in favour of hot chocolate in bed, with tiny marshmallows.

All in all, this is a really entertaining and interesting book, with a good helping of murder and some mystery, action and technology used to season it to taste. I loved reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone wanting a good read, which doesn't demand too much historical knowledge to understand!

I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can grab yours at your favourite book shop, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Audio.

Tim Standish

Tim Standish grew up in England, Scotland and Egypt. Following a degree in Psychology, his career has included teaching English in Spain, working as a researcher on an early computer games project, and working with groups and individuals on business planning, teamworking and personal development.

He has travelled extensively throughout his life and has always valued the importance of a good book to get through long flights and long waits in airports. With a personal preference for historical and science fiction as well as the occasional thriller, he had an idea for a book that would blend all three and The Sterling Directive was created.

When not working or writing, Tim enjoys long walks under big skies and is never one to pass up a jaunt across a field in search of an obscure historic site. He has recently discovered the more-exciting-than-you-would-think world of overly-complicated board games.

Social Media Links:

Twitter • Goodreads

Author image taken by Hannah Couzens Photography.