Hello, fans of quality historical fiction! 📖
"What’s new in June 2023?"
Discover what’s happening this month, with news from our blog tour hosts and Coffee Pot Book Club guests about their new releases, book birthdays, special editions, price reductions, and upcoming blog tours featuring new books.
Here are our recommendations for June 2023:
June 1st, 2023
The Silk Code
Deborah Swift
*Monthly Amazon Kindle Deal*
$0.99 / £1.99 throughout June
‘The Silk Code had me absolutely hooked… A great storyline full of bravery, trust, love, survival, betrayal and determination.’
~ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Based on the true story of ‘Englandspiel’, one woman must race against the clock to uncover a traitor, even if it means losing the man she loves.
England, 1943:
Deciding to throw herself into war work, Nancy Callaghan joins the Special Operations Executive in Baker Street. There, she begins solving ‘indecipherables’ – scrambled messages from agents in the field.
Then Nancy meets Tom Lockwood, a quiet genius when it comes to coding. Together they come up with the idea of printing codes on silk, so agents can hide them in their clothing to avoid detection by the enemy. Nancy and Tom grow close, and soon she is hopelessly in love.
But there is a traitor in Baker Street, and suspicions turn towards Tom. When Nancy is asked to spy on Tom, she must make the ultimate sacrifice and complete a near-impossible mission. Could the man she loves be the enemy?
An utterly gripping and unputdownable WW2 historical fiction novel, perfect for fans of Ella Carey and Ellie Midwood!
Universal Buy Link
June 1st, 2023
The Dark Horizon
Liz Harris
*Monthly Amazon Kindle Deal*
£0.99 throughout June on Amazon UK
From the award-winning author of The Road Back comes the first in a sweeping saga set between the wars, which introduces the Linfords, a family simmering with secrets, schemes and lies.
Oxfordshire, 1919
The instant that Lily Brown and Robert Linford set eyes on each other, they fall in love. The instant that Robert’s father, Joseph, chairman of the family’s successful building company, sets eyes on Lily, he feels a deep distrust of her.
Convinced that his new daughter-in-law is a gold-digger, and that Robert’s feelings are a youthful infatuation he’d come to regret, Joseph resolves to do whatever it takes to rid his family of Lily. And he doesn’t care what that is.
As the young couple are torn apart, the Linford family is told a lie that will have devastating consequences for years to come.
The Dark Horizon is perfect for readers of The Thorn Birds and the Cazalet Chronicles, and the novels of Fiona Valpy and Santa Montefiore.
~~~
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. (Book Readers Appreciation Group).
"Spanning the post-WWI period through the Great Depression in England and America, Harris delivers an addictive saga reminiscent of early Barbara Taylor Bradford." ~ Historical Novel Society Review.
"Motivation, a characteristic of excellent storytelling, comes over as a particular strength in this novel." ~ Carol McGrath (Amazon)
Universal Buy Link
June 1st, 2023
Guardians at the Wall
Tim Walker
*Reduced Price*
Only 99p / 99c from June 1st - June 8th, 2023
A group of archaeology students in northern England scrape at the soil near Hadrian’s Wall, once a barrier that divided Roman Britannia from wild Caledonian tribes. Twenty-year-old Noah makes an intriguing find, but hasn't anticipated becoming the object of desire in a developing love triangle in the isolated academic community at Vindolanda. He is living his best life, but must learn to prioritise in a race against time to solve an astounding 1,900-year-old mystery, and an artefact theft, as he comes to realise his future career prospects depend on it.
In the same place, in the year 180 C.E., 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 trying to get himself noticed and 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 student? Can naive Noah, distracted by the attentions of two very different women, work out who to trust?
Find out in Tim Walker's thrilling historical dual timeline novel, Guardians at the Wall.
Universal Buy Link
June 6th, 2023
But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale
Samantha Wilcoxson
*1st Book Birthday*
Only 2.99 on Amazon US & UK
"If I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down."
As the American Revolution rages around him, Nathan Hale must grapple with the true cost of freedom and liberty. Leaving behind his philosophy debates at Yale to become a spy for the Continental Army puts his ideals to the test. He is forced to choose between his patriotic duty and his one true love. Along the way, Nathan forms friendships with young men like Benjamin Tallmadge, who went on to form the Culper Spy Ring. Perhaps Nathan's deepest regret will be that he has but one life to give for his country.
But One Life is a powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice.
A must read for those who loved TURN: Washington's Spies!
Universal Buy Link
June 10th, 2023
Dangereuse
J.P. Reedman
*Reduced Price*
Only 99p / 99c from June 10th - 19th, 2023
Red-haired, wild and full of strong opinions, Dangereuse de l'Isle Bouchard thinks her marriage to Viscount Aimery is the highest honour to which she can aspire.
But then she meets his liege lord, William, Duke of Aquitaine. William the Troubadour, a former Crusader, whose court is full of music, merriment and bawdiness. Everything Dangereuse craves.
Dangereuse and William embark on a secret affair--and soon he abducts her from her husband's castle and carries her off to Poitiers, where he installs her in the Maubergeon, a tower built especially for her within his palace.
With William's angry son and two former wives bent on revenge, life in Poitiers for the two lovers is never dull. Dangereuse decides to act as peacemaker, and arranges a marriage between William's boy, Will, and her own daughter Aenor from her union with Aimery. From this arrangement is born the most famous woman in medieval history-, a bold outspoken woman cast in her grandmother's mold--the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Universal Buy Link
Alternate Endings
Historical Writers Forum
*Free on Kindle*
Free to download on Kindle on June 9th - 11th, 2023
We all know the past is the past, but what if you could change history?
We asked eight historical authors to set aside the facts and rewrite the history they love. The results couldn’t be more tantalizing.
What if Julius Caesar never conquered Gaul?
What if Arthur Tudor lived and his little brother never became King Henry VIII?
What if Abigail Adams persuaded the Continental Congress in 1776 to give women the right to vote and to own property?
Dive in to our collection of eight short stories as we explore the alternate endings of events set in ancient Rome, Britain, the United States, and France.
An anthology of the Historical Writers Forum.
Universal Buy Link
June 13th, 2023
The Poison Keeper
Deborah Swift
*Reduced Price*
Only 99p / 99c June 13th - 20th
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.
Universal Buy Link
June 16th, 2023
The Warriors’ Prize
Jennifer C. Wilson
*New Release Day*
Stirling Castle, 1498
Visiting court for the first time since her father's death, Lady Avelina Gordon finds herself drawn to the handsome warrior, Sir Lachlan MacNair. But as a woman who has seen too many of her friends lose everything for 'love', she keeps her heart guarded.
Castle Berradane, 1502
Lady Avelina is unceremoniously told to expect her new husband within the month. The man in question: Sir Lachlan.
Lachlan arrives in Berradane carrying his own secret, and a determination to control his heart. As attraction builds between the couple, they find themselves under attack and fearful of a traitor in their midst.
Can the teamwork they've shown in adversity so far pull them through one final test, and will they find the strength to risk their hearts, as well as their lives?
Universal Buy Link
June 17th, 2023
The Kindred Spirits Series
Jennifer C. Wilson
*Free on Kindle*
Free to download on Kindle on June 17th - 18th, 2023
Kindred Spirits: Tower of London
A King, three Queens, a handful of nobles and a host of former courtiers…
In the Tower of London, the dead outnumber the living, with the likes of Tudor Queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard rubbing shoulders with one man who has made his way back from his place of death at Bosworth Field to discover the truth about the disappearance of his famous nephews.
Amidst the chaos of daily life, with political and personal tensions running high, Richard III takes control, as each ghostly resident looks for their own peace in the former palace – where privacy was always a limited luxury.
With so many characters haunting the Tower of London, will they all find the calm they crave? But foremost – will the young Plantagenet Princes join them?
The Tower of London is Book 1 in the Kindred Spirits series.
Universal Buy Link
June 27th, 2023
The Godmother’s Secret
Elizabeth St.John
*Audiobook Release Day*
*Amazon Prime Reading Australia June - November 2023*
If you knew the fate of the Princes in the Tower would you tell? Or forever keep the secret?
May 1483: The Tower of London. When King Edward IV dies and Lady Elysabeth Scrope delivers her young godson, Edward V, into the Tower of London to prepare for his coronation, she is engulfed in political turmoil. Within months, the prince and his brother have disappeared, Richard III is declared king, and Elysabeth’s sister Margaret Beaufort conspires with her son Henry Tudor to invade England and claim the throne.
Desperate to protect her godson, Elysabeth battles the intrigue, betrayal and power of the last medieval court, defying her Yorkist husband and her Lancastrian sister under her godmother’s sacred oath to keep Prince Edward safe. Bound by blood and rent by honour, Elysabeth is torn between the crown and her family, knowing that if her loyalty is questioned, she is in peril of losing everything—including her life.
Were the princes murdered by their uncle, Richard III? Did Margaret Beaufort mastermind their disappearance to usher in the Tudor dynasty? Or did the young boys vanish for their own safety? Of anyone at the royal court, Elysabeth has the most to lose–and the most to gain–by keeping secret the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
Inspired by England’s most enduring historical mystery, Elizabeth St.John blends her family history with known facts and centuries of speculation to create an intriguing story about what happened to the Princes in the Tower.
Universal Buy Link
Make sure to check out all these wonderful books.
Happy reading & listening! 🥰⛾
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