Hello, fans of quality historical fiction! 📖
"What’s new in May 2023?"
Discover what’s happening this month, with news from blog tour hosts and Coffee Pot guests about releases, book birthdays, special editions, price reductions, and upcoming blog tours featuring new releases.
Here are our recommendations for May 2023:
May 1st, 2023
The Devil’s Glove
Lucretia Grindle
*New Release*
Northern New England, summer, 1688.
Salem started here.
A suspicious death. A rumor of war. Whispers of witchcraft.
Perched on the brink of disaster, Resolve Hammond and her mother, Deliverance, struggle to survive in their isolated coastal village. They’re known as healers taught by the local tribes - and suspected of witchcraft by the local villagers.
Their precarious existence becomes even more chaotic when summoned to tend to a poisoned woman. As they uncover a web of dark secrets, rumors of war engulf the village, forcing the Hammonds to choose between loyalty to their native friends or the increasingly terrified settler community.
As Resolve is plagued by strange dreams, she questions everything she thought she knew - about her family, her closest friend, and even herself. If the truth comes to light, the repercussions will be felt far beyond the confines of this small settlement.
Based on meticulous research and inspired by the true story of the fear and suspicion that led to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, THE DEVIL’ S GLOVE is a tale of betrayal, loyalty, and the power of secrets. Will Resolve be able to uncover the truth before the town tears itself apart, or will she become the next victim of the village’s dark and mysterious past?
Universal Buy Link
May 1st, 2023
All Manner of Things
Wendy J. Dunn
*Reduced Price*
Only 2.99 for the month of May.
Winter, 1539
MarÃa de Salinas is dying.
Too ill to travel, she writes a letter to her daughter Katherine, the young duchess of Suffolk. A letter telling of her life: a life intertwined with her friend and cousin Catalina of Aragon, the youngest child of Isabel of Castile. It is a letter to help her daughter understand the choices she has made in her life, beginning from the time she keeps her vow to Catalina to share her life of exile in England.
Friendship, betrayal, hatred, forgiveness – All Manner of Things tells a story of how love wins out in the end.
Universal Buy Link
May 1st, 2023
Abandoned / Ambrosius
Tim Walker
*Reduced Price*
Only 0.99 for the month of May.
ABANDONED BY ROME, INVADED BY BARBARIANS
In the year 410 the last Roman Governor of Britannia, Lucius, departed from the port of Londinium, never to return. Bishop Guithelin’s hopes for a smooth transition in authority to tribal chief Mandubracius leads only to disappointment. Guided by prayers and visions, Guithelin undertakes a hazardous journey to a neighbouring country to seek assistance from a noble and Christian ruler.
Abandoned is the starting point for an adventure that sets Briton nobles against each other and a foreign prince, whilst keeping an eye on raiders who spill onto the shores and over Hadrian’s Wall. Britannia’s abandonment by Rome presents opportunity for some and anguish and misery for others, as the island slowly adjusts to self-rule. Through the chaos, heroes emerge, including half-Roman auxiliary commander, Marcus Pendragon, who organises the defence of his town from deadly raiders intent on murder and plunder. Guithelin does his best at diplomacy, never giving up hope of a stable and Godly leader to rule over the tribal chiefs and provide a protective shield for the fearful people of Britannia. But is the preening Prince Constantine the right man? Marcus fights to protect his family from a range of opportunistic enemies, and by doing so establishes a legacy that will lead to his son, Uther, and grandson, Arthur, becoming kings of Britannia.
Abandoned is book one in a thrilling, action-packed series – A LIGHT IN THE DARK AGES – and is followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans; Uther’s Destiny; Arthur Dux Bellorum and the final part - Arthur Rex Brittonum.
As the light of learning and the influence of the early Christian Church is slowly dimmed in the years after the Roman evacuation, who will the desperate and hard-pressed Britons look to as a beacon of hope?
Universal Buy Link: Abandoned
Universal Buy Link: Ambrosius
May 4th, 2023
Antonius: Son of Rome
Brook Allen
*Reduced Price*
Only 0.99 from May 4th-11th, 2023.
Having proven himself as a formidable cavalry commander, Marcus Antonius finally earns a position at his kinsman Julius Caesar’s side. However, Caesar is an exacting general, demanding complete allegiance from his staff, even when his decisions put him at odds with the Senate. Marcus’s loyalty to Caesar comes at a cost, and he soon finds himself embroiled in mob violence and military mutinies. As civil war brings Rome’s Republic crashing down, many a relationship is torn asunder, including Marcus’s marriage. Determined to rise triumphant in Rome’s new era, Marcus faces his fears, his failures, and his enemies—not the least of whom is himself.
Amid the crisis of the Ides of March, Marcus must don the mantle of ruthlessness to carve his own legacy in Rome’s history. Enemies have been made, wills have been read, and heirs proclaimed.
But in Rome’s civil unrest, blood answers only to blood.
Universal Buy Link
May 13th, 2023
Secret Marriages:
Edward IV, Eleanor & Elizabeth
J.P. Reedman
*Reduced Price*
Free on Kindle from May 14th-17th, 2023.
Eleanor Talbot, newly widowed after the Battle of Blore Heath, meets Edward, Earl of March.
It is a time of trials when the Lancastrians and Yorkists fight for supremacy...and the throne of England.
The Talbots are staunch Lancastrians; Edward is the Son of York.
The Battles of Mortimer's Cross and the bloodbath of Towton lead to Edward taking the crown.
A secret marriage is hatched between the young King and Eleanor, but the “secret queen” is never announced to the Council.
King Edward’s womanising reaches new heights as, within a short time, his eye falls on another widowed beauty, Elizabeth Woodville, whom he also marries in a private, hidden ceremony.
Mortified by all that has happened, Eleanor seeks atonement in religion,...but will her past catch her up?
Will the secret remain secret?
A story of love and lust spanning two families, the Talbots and the Woodvilles, and two women both similar and yet very different. One who became Queen of England, and one who might have been.
Universal Buy Link
May 14th, 2023
Lucy: The Suffragist
Vicky Adin
*New Release*
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.
Universal Buy Link
May 17th, 2023
The Silk Code
Deborah Swift
*New Release*
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
May 18th, 2023
The Hussar’s Duty
Griffin Brady
*New Release*
His country needs him, but so does his family. Can this warrior decide between duty and devotion?
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.
Universal Buy Link
May 30th, 2023
Under His Spell
Luv Lubker
*New Release*
A beautiful love story between the Princess Royal Victoria and Fritz Wilhelm, Frederick III of Prussia
A lonely young man attends the first World's Fair - the Great Exhibition of 1851 - and meets a family who changes his life forever.
Follow the young Prince Fritz - later Friedrich III - of Prussia and his wife, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Vicky, (parents of Kaiser Wilhelm II) through their courtship and the joys and struggles of their first four years of marriage.
Fritz and Vicky dream of a peaceful united Germany, but Fritz's uncle Karl has his own dreams of power...
Discover often hinted at but unrevealed secrets of the Prussian Royal court...
Universal Buy Link
May 31st, 2023
The Lyon and the Lamb
Elizabeth Keysian
*New Release*
Pre-order now for only 0.99.
He’s dashed all her hopes. She won’t ask him for help again…
Only the production of an heir can save Lady Araminta Lamb. The problem is that she’s a childless widow who, after an abusive marriage, can’t bear the thought of a man’s touch. But when her desperate attempt to adopt a child is foiled by the powerful Leo Chetwynd, Earl of Aylsham, there’s only one option left to keep her home and her fragile sister safe. She must gamble everything on Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s outrageous matchmaking scheme.
Playing by Society’s rules hasn’t done him any favors. Perhaps it’s time to break those rules…
Leo Chetwynd needs money urgently or his precious orphans will be cast out. A disastrous business venture has cost him all his capital, and there’s nothing left to offer but himself. Marriage to an heiress is the only solution that he and his scapegrace brother can think of, but first, he must go to the Lyon’s Den and prove his skills as a lover. If Leo accepts Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s choice of heiress, sight unseen, the orphanage and the family name will be saved. He can only pray that the chosen heiress isn’t the anonymous veiled widow who has become his enemy.
She’s the last woman on earth he could ever marry…
Universal Buy Link
Make sure to check out all these wonderful books.
Happy reading! 🥰⛾
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