Monday, November 25, 2024

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby


 

The Immigrant Queen
by Peter Taylor-Gooby



Hated as a foreigner, despised as a woman, she became First Lady of Athens.

Aspasia falls passionately in love with Pericles, the leading statesman of Fifth Century Athens. Artists, writers and thinkers flock to her salon. She hides her past as a sex-worker, trafficked to the city, and becomes Pericles’ lover.

Her writings attract the attention of Socrates, and she becomes the only woman to join his circle. She is known throughout the city for her beauty and wit and strives to become recognised as an intellectual alongside men.

Pericles’ enemies attack him through Aspasia and charge her with blasphemy. As a foreigner she faces execution, but her impassioned address to the jury shames the city and saves her. Pericles is spellbound, they marry, and she becomes First Lady of Athens.

Sparta besieges the city; plague breaks out and Pericles is once again in danger.

THE IMMIGRANT QUEEN tells the true story of  how Aspasia rose to become the First Lady of Athens and triumphed against all the odds.


You can grab your copy of this book from the following bookstores: Amazon UKWaterstonesTroubadour Publishing

Peter Taylor-Gooby

Peter Taylor-Gooby is an academic who believes that you can only truly understand the issues that matter through your feelings, your imagination and your compassion. That’s why he writes novels as well as research monographs. He worked in India as a teacher, in a Newcastle social security office, and as an antique dealer.

Now he’s professor of social policy at the University of Kent, a Fellow of the British Academy, loves playing with his grandchildren and writes novels in what time is spare.

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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.

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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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On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club — The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby

  The Immigrant Queen by  Peter Taylor-Gooby Hated as a foreigner, despised as a woman, she became First Lady of Athens. Aspasia falls passi...