Sunday, April 30, 2023

Exciting Blog Tours and Book Spotlights in May 2023 #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #BookSpotlight #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

 


Hello, lovely historical fiction readers! 📚


May is upon us, and with it, the sun, flowers in bloom, blossoms everywhere, and I even harvested the first couple of strawberries yesterday. In the southern hemisphere, things are turning autumnal, hopefully with a gentle season. 

So whether you're tired after a day in the garden or spent walking, or just staying in because it's chucking down outside – you'll always find a book close at hand!


That’s why here, at The Coffee Pot Book Club, we share fabulous novels by award-winning and bestselling authors! 📚



This May, we have another great selection for you to choose your next read from. Just click on the banners to discover our exciting Blog Tours and Book Spotlights for May 2023.


In addition to the Blog Tours listed below, I’ll be adding interesting Book Spotlights & Guest Posts we have scheduled during the month. So keep checking back in!


Happy reading, friends of the Coffee Pot Book Club! 💖













Thank you for your loyalty, from the Coffee Pot Book Club team! 💟



Fancy becoming a Blog Tour Host 
and taking part in our exciting historical fiction tours?

We are currently looking for active book bloggers who read, host & review historical fiction, historical mystery & historical romance.


Click on the banner and get in touch!





Sunday Snippet: Before Beltane by Nancy Jardine #SundaySnippet #AncientHistoricalFiction #TheCoffeePotBookClub @nansjar @cathiedunn



Before Beltane

Celtic Fervour Series Prequel

by Nancy Jardine



#SundaySnippet

Publication Date: April 29th, 2022
Publisher: Ocelot Press
Pages: 268
Genre: Historical Fiction / Ancient Historical Fiction

Two lives. Two stories. One future.

AD 71, Northern Britannia

At the Islet of the Priestesses, acolyte Nara greets each new day eager to heal the people at Tarras Hillfort. Weapon training is a guilty pleasure, but she is devastated when she is unexpectedly denied the final rites of an initiated priestess. A shocking new future beckons for Princess Nara of the Selgovae…

In the aftermath of civil war across Brigantia, Lorcan of Garrigill’s promotion of King Venutius is fraught with danger. Potential invasion by Roman legions from the south makes an unstable situation even worse. When Lorcan meets the Druid Maran, the future foretold for him is as enthralling as it is horrifying…



Beltane features in the titles of the first two books of my Celtic Fervour Series, though why?

Beltane, being one of the four main Ancient Celtic festivals, is celebrated on May 1st. Symbolically, Beltane heralds the summer season, a time of warmth, rebirth, and plentiful growth. Beltane, (probably) meaning the fires of the Celtic sun god Bel, was a festival of purification. A corridor was created between two rows of fires. Cattle were driven through it in order to purify the herd, banishing diseases and ensuring healthy stock. The Beltane festival night may also have been a time when a Celtic female was at liberty to choose someone to mate with her, future fertility very much an important part of the ritual. 

Before Beltane is the prequel to the Celtic Fervour Series and was written to help clarify comments made by reviewers of Book 1, The Beltane Choice. Some readers wished for more historical background to the events in Brigantia, northern Britannia, prior to the opening of The Beltane Choice. Since the other books of the series do have more historical content in them, it was reasonable to address this. Others wanted more background characteristics of the main protagonists of The Beltane Choice before they have their tumultuous meeting at the outset of Book 1. 

It was a lot of fun creating Before Beltane, giving insight into why Lorcan of Garrigill meeting Nara of Tarras is so stunning for them.

A recent Historical Novel Society review makes the writing of Before Beltane extremely worthwhile. Part of the review states: 
"The book is packed with more character development and world building than I typically see from prequel novels. I am impressed and would definitely read more from this author and the Celtic Fervour series." ~ J. Lynne Else






Nancy Jardine




Nancy writes historical and contemporary fiction, having dabbled in non-fiction history publications during her primary teaching career. 1st Century Roman Britain is the setting of her Celtic Fervour Series. A time travel historical adventure for teens is based in 3rd Century Scotland. Victorian and Edwardian history has sneaked into two of her ancestry-based contemporary mysteries, and current writing is set in Victorian Scotland.

Her novels have achieved FINALIST status in UK book competitions (People's Book Prize 2014; Scottish Association of Writers 2017) and have received prestigious ONLINE Book Awards. Published with Ocelot Press, writing memberships include – Historical Novel Society; Romantic Novelists Association; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; and Alliance of Independent Authors.

Connect with Nancy:
Website • Blog • Twitter 




Friday, April 28, 2023

Blog Tour: Lucy the Suffragist by Vicky Adin



Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…


Lucy: The Suffragist

The Art Of Secrets

by Vicky Adin



June 1st, 2023

Publication Date: May 14th, 2023
Publisher: AM Publishing New Zealand
Pages: 327
Genre: Dual-Timeline Fiction

Emma’s curiosity is piqued by a gutsy young climate change campaigner with an antique trinket box full of women’s rights badges, but tracing their history pushes her to her limit. 

Struggling to recover from Covid-19, Emma is terrified of developing a chronic and incurable condition and becoming a burden. She tries to ignore her fears and keeps working. She has clients who rely on her. Paige is a spirited environmentalist whose wealthy father tries to curb her enthusiasm. But she is intent on making her mark on the world in spite of him. Emma is torn between untangling the mysteries of Paige’s legacy or saving herself when exhaustion threatens everything she cares about.  

In 1892, twenty-one-year-old Lucy, a dedicated suffragist is determined women shall win the right to vote this time. Since her mother died, she has grown up in the glow of her father’s benevolence. Winning the franchise has become her raison d'être, greater even than her love for Richard. She goes canvassing and is ambushed by a man who undermines her confidence. Conflicted between winning the vote or safeguarding those she loves, she redoubles her campaign efforts. But a moral dilemma puts her future in jeopardy. 


Buy Links

Universal Buy Link

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon AU • Amazon AU





Vicky Adin



Vicky Adin’s passion is writing inter-generational sagas inspired by early immigrant women’s stories in New Zealand, linked by journals, letters, photographs, and heirlooms.

As a genealogist and historian, Vicky has combined her skills to write heart-warming novels weaving family life and history together in a way that makes the past come alive.

Delve into the new dual-timeline series, The Art of Secrets, family sagas about finding your roots… or

Become engrossed in The New Zealand Immigrant Collection, suspenseful family saga fiction uncovering the mysteries, the lies and the challenges of the past.

Vicky Adin holds a MA(Hons) in English and Education. She is an avid reader of historical novels, family sagas and contemporary women’s stories and loves to travel. 


Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest 




Tour Schedule


June 1st, 2023 




Thursday, April 27, 2023

Blog Tour: The Hussar's Duty by Griffin Brady



Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…


The Hussar’s Duty

The Winged Warrior Series

by Griffin Brady



June 19th - June 30th, 2023

Publication Date: May 18th, 2023
Series: The Winged Warrior Series
Publisher: Trefoil Publishing
Pages: 538
Genre: Historical Fiction


Poland’s most valiant winged hussar is called to fight in a campaign ripe for disaster. But he must also protect those he loves from jackals waiting to pounce. How does he choose between duty and devotion when death is on the line?

When Sultan Osman II sends Poland's envoy packing, the Commonwealth must prepare for war against one of the largest armies the Ottomans have ever assembled. Tasked with repelling the invasion is Grand Hetman of the Crown Stanisław Żółkiewski, and he knows who to turn to: Jacek Dąbrowski, the Commonwealth's most valiant Polish winged hussar.

Jacek has been idle far too long, and the call to arms is a siren's song he can’t resist. But he has built a life far from the battlefield with his wife, Oliwia, and their children. If he pursues his quest for glory, who will safeguard them?

Oliwia knows her husband is restless. In fact, she’s been sending Jacek on cross-country errands for years in the hopes of quelling his lust for battle. When she realizes her efforts are futile, she resolves herself to letting him go—after hatching a scheme to accompany him.

Honor. Obligation. Devotion. These forces push and pull Jacek in different directions. His country needs him, but so does his family. Where does his duty lie? His choice will cause catastrophic ripples no matter which path he follows … and could very well bring the loss of his loved ones or his life.

Will the cost of defending king and country prove too steep for this warrior?

This is a standalone continuation in The Winged Warrior Series.


Buy Links






Griffin Brady


Griffin Brady is an award-winning historical fiction author with a keen interest in the Polish Winged Hussars of the 16th and 17th centuries.

She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Her debut novel, The Heart of a Hussar, was a finalist for the 2021 Chaucer Early Historical Fiction Award and a 2021 Discovered Diamond. 

The proud mother three grown sons, she lives in Colorado with her husband. She is also an award-winning bestselling romance author who writes under the pen name G.K. Brady.


Social Media Links:




Tour Schedule


June 19th

June 20th

June 21st

June 22nd

June 23rd






Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Blog Tour: Archibald the Grim Series by J R Tomlin



Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…


Archibald the Grim Series

The Douglas Bastard
Trust and Treason
A Time for War

by J R Tomlin



*Series Spotlight*


June 12th - June 23rd, 2023

Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Publisher: J R Tomlin
Pages: 185
Genre: Historical Fiction / Scottish Historical Fiction


Young Archibald, the Black Douglas’s bastard son, returns from exile to a Scotland ravaged by war. The war-hardened Knight of Liddesdale will teach him what he must learn. 

And with danger on every side, he must learn to sleep with one eye open and a claymore in his hand because even their closest ally may betray them...


Buy Links

The Douglas Bastard




Archibald The Grim Series





J R Tomlin


J R Tomlin is the author of twenty historical novels.

Her historical novels are mainly set in Scotland. You can trace her love of that nation to the stories of Robert the Bruce and the Black Douglas that her grandmother read her when she was small and to her hillwalking through the Scottish Cairngorms where the granite mountains have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun.

In addition to having lived in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, mainland Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.

Social Media Links:




Tour Schedule

June 12th

June 13th

June 14th

June 15th

June 16th






Monday, April 24, 2023

Check out Judith Arnopp's fabulous novel – A Matter of Faith #TheTudors #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JudithArnopp @cathiedunn



A Matter of Faith

Henry VIII: The Days of the Phoenix

The Henrician Chronicle, Book #2

by Judith Arnopp



Publication Date: March 20th, 2023
Publisher: Independently published
Pages: 209
Genre: Historical Fiction

Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII, is now married to Anne Boleyn and eagerly awaiting the birth of his son. In a court still reeling from the royal divorce and growing public resentment against church reform, Henry must negotiate widespread resentment toward Anne. He places all his hopes in a son to cement his Tudor blood line, but his dreams are shattered when Anne is delivered of a daughter.

Burying his disappointment, Henry focuses on getting her with child again, but their marriage is volatile and as Henry faces personal bereavement, and discord at court, Anne’s enemies are gathering. When the queen miscarries of a son, and Henry suffers a life-threatening accident, his need for an heir becomes critical. Waiting in the wings is Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting who offers the king comfort and respite from Anne’s fiery passions.

But, when Anne falls foul of her former ally, Thomas Cromwell, and the king is persuaded he has been made a cuckold, Henry strikes out and the queen falls beneath the executioner’s sword, taking key players in Henry’s household with her. 

Jane Seymour, stepping up to replace the fallen queen, quickly becomes pregnant. Delighted with his dull but fertile wife, Henry’s spirits rise even further when the prince is born safely. At last, Henry has all he desires but even as he celebrates, fate is preparing to deliver one more staggering blow. 

Henry, the once perfect Renaissance prince, is now a damaged middle-aged man, disappointed in those around him but most of all in himself. As the king’s optimism diminishes, his intractability increases, and the wounded lion begins to roar.





Universal Buy Link

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU



Judith Arnopp


When Judith Arnopp began to write professionally there was no question as to which genre to choose. A lifelong history enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds an honours degree in English and Creative writing, and a Masters in Medieval Studies, both from the University of Wales, Lampeter. 

Judith writes both fiction and non-fiction, working full-time from her home overlooking Cardigan Bay in Wales where she crafts novels based in the Medieval and Tudor period. Her main focus is on the perspective of historical women from all roles of life, prostitutes to queens, but she has recently turned her attention to Henry VIII himself.

Her novels include:
A Matter of Conscience: Henry VIII, the Aragon Years. (Book one of The Henrician Chronicle)
A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the years of the Phoenix (Book Two of The Henrician Chronicle)

The Beaufort Bride: (Book one of The Beaufort Chronicle)
The Beaufort Woman: (Book two of The Beaufort Chronicle)
The Kings Mother: (Book three of The Beaufort Chronicle)
 
The Heretic Wind: the life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England
A Song of Sixpence: The story of Elizabeth of York
Intractable Heart: The story of Katheryn Parr
The Kiss of the Concubine: A story of Anne Boleyn
Sisters of Arden: on the pilgrimage of Grace
The Winchester Goose: at the court of Henry VIII
The Song of Heledd: 
The Forest Dwellers
Peaceweaver

Her non-fiction articles feature in various historical anthologies and magazines, and an illustrated non-fiction book, How to Dress like a Tudor will be published by Pen & Sword in 2023.


Connect with Judith:

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram