Editorial Book Review: Amid the Oncoming Storm by Juliane Weber #HistoricalFiction #IrishHistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #RecommendedReading #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Amid the Oncoming Storm

The Irish Fortune Series, Book #3

by Juliane Weber

"A heartbreakingly emotional read. The pages practically turn themselves."
~ Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion

It’s the spring of 1847 and there’s much for Quin and Alannah to look forward to. And yet, the previous years’ hardships have left their mark. The famine that’s had Ireland in its grasp for the past two seasons continues to rage unabated, with hunger and disease sweeping across the land. As thousands lie dying, dissension spreads among the Irish people, the British government’s carelessness and their landlords’ ruthlessness breeding hatred in the poor and the oppressed.

With suffering all around them Quin and Alannah hold onto what happiness they’re able to. But can they trust the people living on their estate?

Set amongst the anguish of Ireland’s most devastating time in history, Amid the Oncoming Storm is a story of hope and resilience in a land struggling to rise from the depths of despair.

“Quin froze, feeling suddenly as if he'd stumbled upon something he had no right to be part of.

"Gentlemen," he said slowly, doffing his hat and doing his best to look agreeable as he peered around the room...”

Amid the Oncoming Storm is the third book in Juliane Weber's evocative, award-winning Irish Fortune Series. It can easily be read as a standalone book, as previous events are hinted at within the plot. Set over the span of 1847-1848, we follow Alannah and Quin Williams as they try to survive bad weather and the constant threat of famine alongside their tenants on their family estate.

The story opens with the great news of Alannah's pregnancy. But having previously miscarried, her feelings are an emotional blend of total bliss and wariness. Thrilled at the baby's movements, hopeful that this time all would be well, she can't shake off a niggling sense of apprehension. But she does well in trying to hide her thoughts from her English husband, Quin.

When the couple are invited to spend a weekend at the manor house of acquaintances – the in-laws of Oliver, one of Quin's three best friends from his days in the British army – they welcome the change, even though they don't hold the most positive memories of that family. The undercurrents between the different family members are quite apparent. As expected, the visit doesn't pass without disagreements, but at the end, Alannah has discovered a good friend in Oliver's wife, Anne. However, the arrival of a group of beggars on the doorstep serves as a dark reminder of the harsh realities of life in rural Ireland. When Quin and Alannah provide them with food and a few coins, their hosts are appalled.

Glad to return home, they soon also face new arrivals in their tenant village – starving workers who'd lost families to hunger and disease. Quin allows them to stay, and to work on the farm with the other tenants. But little does he know that amongst the group there are those who wish ’his types’ harm...

Meanwhile, Alannah's pregnancy progresses well, much to her delight, but dark clouds descend again on their happiness. One fairly good harvest helps, but it's not enough to feed a whole country of starving people. And the worry about the next harvest never leaves their minds.

But most worryingly, there are rumours of rebellion by the starving Irish against their British oppressors. And soon, Quin and Alannah realise that these are far too close to home for comfort...

Will they manage to stay on their land whilst the country around them falls apart?

Amid the Oncoming Storm is a truly enthralling novel. The moving plot is heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. The story begins calm enough, in the vein of a sweeping family saga, without any major dramas, but it doesn't take long for the reality of the times to rear its ugly head.

Quin and Alannah are a couple who put much store into the welfare of their employees and their tenant farmers. But their good intentions aren't welcomed by everyone, and the supportive work they're doing doesn't count in the rebels’ blind thirst for revenge on anyone English.

They are a really likeable couple, caring, aware of what went on around them, and yet (unlike many in society circles) not uncritical of the government of the day. Reading the papers, both keep themselves informed of the horrors around them – starvation, eviction, harsh sentencing, or a dreadful death on the numerous ’coffin ships’ that take those poor souls to the New World. Through their eyes, we experience the desperation of the Irish population, and the often blatant ignorance (accidental or intentional) of those in charge – of whichever background.

The narrative doesn't paint a pretty picture of the British handling of the times, and the brutal evictions and deportations that happened regularly. But the author also doesn't shy away from laying part of the blame on those Irish who took advantage of the situation – firmly through the eyes of our intelligent, realistic protagonists. A very clever feat by the author.

And whilst we admire the glorious green, fertile landscape, we learn that this beautiful land was not enough to feed an Empire – and the local population.

The amount of research Ms Weber has undertaken is incredible. Not only does she share the darkest details of the situation in rural Ireland in the mid-1840s, but the way she describes it really makes you think. It's a challenge to the reader to discover more about what happened beyond of the basic lines we learn at school. 

Amid the Oncoming Storm is a thrilling read – heart-warming and evocative, yet shocking and sad at the same time. But the author doesn't lose herself in blind stereotypes. All the characters are well fleshed out, with their own views and attitudes on full display. Alannah and Quin are caring, yet realistic; Quin's father – the baron – is very old-school English; Mr Murphy – one of the antagonists – is aggressive and vile, but without turning into a caricature. And then there are others whose quirks and foibles gave me a few giggles, much needed given the dark historical background of the novel. And despite the seriousness of the situation, Ms Weber doesn't forget to show us the warmth, hospitality, and friendship of ordinary people, too.

If you enjoy intriguing plots interwoven with real history, you should not miss this truly compelling novel. Trust me, you will learn something new – and enjoy a wonderful story at the same time.

I would definitely recommend Amid the Oncoming Storm to readers who love sweeping family sagas full of drama, history, danger, passion, and ultimately, love.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Cathie Dunn

The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Juliane Weber

Juliane Weber is a scientist turned historical fiction writer, and author of the Irish Fortune Series. Her stories take readers on action-packed romantic adventures amid the captivating scenery and folklore of 19th century Ireland. 

Under the Emerald Sky, the first book in the Irish Fortune Series, was awarded bronze medals in The Historical Fiction Company 2021 Book of the Year Contest and The Coffee Pot Book Club 2022 Book of the Year Contest.

The second book in the series, Beneath the Darkening Clouds, was selected as an Editors' Choice title by the Historical Novel Society and was awarded a bronze medal in The Historical Fiction Company 2022 Book of the Year Contest.

Juliane spent most of her life in South Africa, but now lives with her husband and two sons in Hamelin, Germany, the town made famous by the story of the Pied Piper.

Connect with Juliane:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Bluesky
Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
BookBub • Instagram

Author Rosemary Hayes talks about Will Fraser, protagonist of her new release, Traitor's Game #HistoricalFiction #NapoleonicWars #CharacterDescription

Traitor’s Game

Soldier Spy, Book #1

by Rosemary Hayes

'Right from page one you know you are in the hands of a talented storyteller... An exciting tale of espionage and adventure in the classic mould.'

~ R.N. Morris, author of The Gentle Axe

1808.

Captain Will Fraser has just returned from the Front in the Peninsular War. He is disgraced and penniless, the victim of a conspiracy led by a jealous and influential officer. Fraser has been falsely accused of insubordination and cowardice and dismissed from his regiment.

Fraser and Duncan Armstrong, his wounded Sergeant, arrive in London to seek out Will’s brother, Jack, who works for King George’s Government.

But Jack has disappeared. He vanished from his lodgings a week ago and no one has seen him since. Friends and colleagues are baffled by his disappearance as is the young woman, Clara, who claims to be his wife.

Then Will is viciously attacked, seemingly mistaken for his brother, and only just escapes with his life. When news of this reaches Jack’s colleagues in Government, Will is recruited to find his brother and he and Armstrong set out to follow a trail littered with half-truths and misinformation.

For their task is not quite what it seems.

Will closely resembles his brother and it becomes evident that he is being used as a decoy to flush out Jack’s enemies. These are enemies of the State, for Jack Fraser is a spy and his colleagues believe he has uncovered evidence which will lead to the identity of a French spymaster embedded in the British Government.

Will’s search leads him to France but in this murky world of espionage, nothing is straightforward.

The soldier turned spy must unmask a traitor, before it's too late.

Rosemary Hayes has written over forty books across different genres, from historical fiction to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books.

Who is Captain Will Fraser?

by Rosemary Hayes

Captain Will Fraser is the main character in Traitor’s Game, the first of three novellas set at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, and we follow his progress from being an officer sent back in disgrace from fighting in the Peninsular Wars, through to becoming a spy for the British Government.

In this first story we don’t learn much about the circumstances of his dismissal from his regiment; details of this come out in a later book, but I am careful not to say that he was cashiered.

It was extremely rare for an officer to be cashiered from the military in the 19th century and would only happen following imprisonment and a trial. If found guilty, he could be publicly humiliated which could involve a parade-ground ceremony in front of assembled troops with the destruction of his symbols of status. His epaulettes would be ripped off his shoulders, his badges and insignia stripped, his sword broken, his cap knocked away and his medals torn off and dashed to the ground. It also meant that the amount he had paid for his commission was lost, as he could not sell it on.

Will is a complex character. He’s not from the stable of well-bred officers in whose company he finds himself in the army.  He is the son of a tenant farmer, and he is more comfortable in the company of men of lower rank. It had always been Will’s dream to join the army and serve his country, and it had been a real struggle for his father to find the money to buy his commission. However, Will had soon proved his worth. He had excelled as a leader, fought bravely, and been popular with the men under him.

But his fellow officers had not been so accepting, particularly one – a young man from an influential family, riven with jealousy, not only of Will’s ability but also of his success with women. Will’s liaison with the object of the young officer’s affections only served to twist the knife. The jealous young man had bided his time, then seized an opportunity to falsely accuse Will of cowardice and insubordination and trick him into fighting an (illegal) dual, witnessed and reported by others.

Desperate to clear his name, Will returns, penniless, to London, and seeks out his brother, Jack, to ask for help, only to find that Jack has vanished. In Will’s efforts to find Jack, he encounters a variety of shadowy figures and his search leads him along false trails and into the clutches of criminals and double agents.

Too late, he realises that he is being used as a puppet by a spymaster to run Jack to earth – and that Jack is himself a spy and has damning evidence about a double agent at the heart of the British Government.

In a terrifying voyage across the Channel to France, accompanied by his friend and wounded Sergeant, Duncan Armstrong, Will is in a race against time.

Can he find his brother before more secrets are passed to the enemy and a murder is committed?

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Rosemary Hayes

Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes  in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.

Rosemary has now turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel The King’s Command is about the terror and tragedy suffered by a French Huguenot family during the reign of Louis XIV.

And Traitor’s Game, the first book in the Soldier Spy trilogy, set during the Napoleonic Wars, has recently been published.

Connect with Rosemary:

Website • Twitter • Amazon Author Page