The Coffee Pot Book Club Cover of the Year 2025 – A Scottish Shield Maiden by Heide Middlebrook #HistoricalRomance #Romantasy #CoverOfTheYear

*Book Cover of the Year 2025*

A Scottish Shield Maiden

(Scotlanders – Mythic Clans)

by Heide Middlebrook

Publication Date: 23rd July 2025

Publisher: Passion Leaf Press

Page Length: 355

Genre: Historical Romance

A Northman will risk it all to protect a captured Scottish maiden whose clan bloodlines from ancient mythic kings unleashes a power in her grasp unlike any other.....

Trapped: LadyCatriona MacLaenden is by her stepfather’s cruel demands as she yearns to learn the skills belonging to a warrior. The chief forces Catriona to hunt using her “instinct in senses”, a strength unleashed from her clan’s mythical origins. When harnessed after she presses her palm onto solid terrains, her power finds weight signatures tracking those unseen in the distance.

Fate takes hold when Catriona is discovered by Northman spy, Lord Rorik Kolbeck, who sees the makings of a possible shield maiden shadowed within her. Lord Kolbeck seeks to strike an accord in exchange for a bold escape – Catriona’s sister’s happiness for his lost brother being found.

A chance taken will lead her into the battles for The Kingdom of Norway, whose lands have been ravaged in a hundred-year war by kings fighting for the throne.

Dare she trust a Northman whose ancestors once hunted her own? The battle will not only lie with swords and training needed to survive the war-torn kingdom, but the sparks she feels in a betrayal toward her clan’s ancestry when her passions begin to rise for the Northern warrior, whose bold and protective ways may steal her heart.

Scotlanders - Mythic Clans is a series of standalone books each featuring a protective swoon-worthy hero, a strong bold heroine, rich historical settings, daring adventures, spice, and an epic happily ever after!

Universal Buy Link

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Heide Middlebrook

Heide Middlebrook writes historical romance novels and stories as an independent author. History captured her interest as a young girl after touring historical sites, then as a teenager a love for romance reading took root. Earning her career diploma in freelance writing led her to pen magazine articles, but it was an overwhelming desire to weave a love story occurring during a historical event that inspired her to pursue her dream of becoming a novelist. Why the romance genre? Those happily ever afters!

Many of her novels are set atop of the Scottish Highlands because of her fascination about the fierce spirit of the people found within Scotland’s history coupled with her Scottish heritage.

She currently resides in south Florida with a herd of four legged friends, including one very opinionated cat.

When not creating stories, she loves to connect with fellow writers in the literary community and continues to hone her craft by attending writing conferences. Her recent activities include the 2024 Historical Novel Society virtual conference in England, along with the 2024 Writing Workshops of Boston, Tampa, Texas, and the February 8th and 9th, 2025 History Quill virtual convention.

In 2024 she established her imprint Passion Leaf Press.

She is a proud member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Historical Novel Society, and the Romance Writers of America.

Connect with Heide:

Website • Facebook

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Book of the Month: Hecate's Moon by Carol Anne Dobson #HistoricalRomance #Devon #FamilySaga #Alsace #RecommendedReading

Hecate’s Moon

by Carol Anne Dobson

A compelling tale of mystery, romance and witchcraft set in England during the French Revolution.

Revolution and oppression have caused Esther Cerfbeer and Armand de Delacroix to flee their homeland of Alsace; Isabella is the ward of Raphael McAlpine of Crow House.

Their lives coincide in 1794 against a background of witchcraft and treachery in North Devon where young women are disappearing and two men have been killed, their eyes pecked out.

Praise for Hecate's Moon:

“The story is eerie and unpredictable without being ridiculous and the details of Devon life and the period in general feel authentic.”

~ Kathleen Buckley, Amazon 5* Review

“This is a great book which really evokes well the dark moods of the West Country and the north Devon coast in particular. The plot is sound and the dialogue historically well set and convincing. The whole structure of the story has an excellent pace and it s quite a page turner, if you like some west of england mysterious goings on this is the book for you.”

~ Paul D, Amazon 5* Review

Universal Buy Link

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Carol Anne Dobson

Carol Anne Dobson is a qualified teacher and librarian with a BA in English, French and Russian. She has lived in Devon for most of her life, and North Devon provides the setting for much of Hecate’s Moon.

Alsace in France came to be a second home when her daughter lived there for six years, and it is this Germanic region of France which also features in the novel.

Connect with Carol Anne:

Website • Facebook

Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Book of the Week: Tailored Truths by Nancy Jardine #HistoricalFiction #Victorian #Saga #WomensFiction #RecommendedReading

Tailrored Truths

(Silver Sampler Series, Book #2)

by Nancy Jardine

An engrossing Victorian Scotland Saga (Silver Sampler Series Book 2)

Is self-supporting success enough for Margaret Law or will her future also include an adoring husband and children? She might secretly yearn for that though how can she avoid a repeat of relationship deceptions that disenchanted her so much during her teenage years?

Employment as a lady’s maid, and then as a private tutor in Liverpool in the 1860s bring thrilling opportunities Margaret could never have envisaged. Though when those posts end, her educational aspirations must be shelved again. Reliance on her sewing skills is paramount for survival when she returns to Dundee.

Meeting Sandy Watson means love, marriage and starting a family - though not necessarily in that order – are a striking development though it entails a move north to Peterhead. Yet, how can Margaret shed her fear of commitment and her independence and take the plunge?

Jessie, her sister-at-heart, is settled in Glasgow. Frequent letters are a life-line between them but when it all goes horribly wrong, the contents of Margaret’s correspondence don’t necessarily mirror her awful day-to-day realities.

Praise for Tailored Truths:

"... an enchanting masterpiece that pulls readers into its intricate narrative, making the pages seem to turn themselves in a delightful whirl of emotions. The story is written with rich, vivid details and profound emotional depth, resonating deeply within the hearts of its audience."

~ The Coffee Pot Book Club, 5* Editorial Review

"Author Jardine Jardin immerses the reader in the everyday worlds of upper and working class Scottish people facing dynamics changes in the environment and to their family structure. Even though Tailored Truths is the second book in the series, there is sufficient backstory to read the novel as a standalone, but loose ends will need to be resolved in another book. Vivid descriptions of various locations add to the historical authenticity.The story offers insight in the challenges faced by both men and women whose livelihoods are heavily impacted by rich industrialists. One of the more interesting aspects of the tale is how sewing machines were introduced into tailor shops."

~ Linnea Tanner, author, 4* Review

"Engrossed in the story, as I was, I found myself firmly in those times without even noticing it."

~ Miriam Drori, author, Goodreads 5* Review

Universal Buy Link

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.