Spotlight: From the Ashes by Melissa Addey

From the Ashes

by Melissa Addey

Published February 4, 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

ebook/paperback; 318 pages

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him. First in the Colosseum series. 

Amazon  |  melissaaddey.com

Excerpt:

“What were you thinking?”

The triclinium of my master’s house looks as though it has been turned into a brothel. The wall panels, which usually depict classical scenes befitting a grand holiday villa, have been repainted entirely since this morning with images more befitting… well, a brothel. The tables are opulently laid for tonight’s gathering and the couches for the guests are draped with elegant throws and plumped-up cushions, but my mistress is staring at the household slaves, who have all been stripped naked. Their newly plucked private parts have been painted in gold, the better to highlight them. They stand huddled together, faces drained with shock.

“Lucius! What were you thinking?”

My mistress is appalled. She comes from one of the best patrician families, albeit a rather impoverished and distant branch. In marrying my master, a handily wealthy import-exporter from the equestrian class, she has had to put up with many failings of etiquette over the past few years, most of which she is adept at smoothing over, but this time he has gone too far. She stands in the doorway, trying to look away from the images on the walls, which leave nothing to the imagination. Men with men, women with women, men with women, women with beasts… all in fresh, bold paint, some of it significantly larger than life. Her young daughter is coming, and she puts out an unseeing hand behind her back, seeking to push the girl away.

“To your room, Lucilla,”

“But mother –”

“To your room!”

Lucilla reluctantly departs. I’d like to follow her, but my mistress is blocking the doorway and I don’t want to draw attention to myself. Although I am the only slave fully clothed, I fear that my apparel might offend her even more than if I were naked. I stay still, pressed against the wall in the corner.

“Splendid, isn’t it,” says my master, casting a lingering glance over one of the slave boys. “It’ll be a memorable evening.”

“Memorable?” My mistress’ eyes are bulging out of her head, her already pale skin drained white. “It looks like something organised by –” her voice drops to a hiss “– Nero!”

“Fit for an emperor?” he asks. Deliberately misunderstanding.

“Fit for a madman,” she spits back. “I cannot be seen at such a gathering!”

“Just as well I’ve arranged a substitute for you then, isn’t it?” he says.

Spotlight: A Song for Lonely Wolves by Lee Evie

A Song for Lonely Wolves by Lee Evie

Publication Date: February 26, 2020

Interstice Press

Series: Joseon Detective, Book One

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

A missing woman. A frozen body.
A bonded servant girl, determined to solve a mystery.

Joseon Korea, winter, 1590.

At the foot of a jagged mountain range, an isolated village lies in muddy snow. From her bed, a young noblewoman vanishes in the dead of night and rumours of a fearsome ghost with no face echo in her wake.

Hard-working and dogged Dan Ji, arrives in the long winding valley with her own ghosts. As a damo, a tea servant of the police force, she is overlooked and undervalued. Yet this case has gripped her heart, and she craves to prove her worth beyond simply cooking and cleaning for her superiors – she is determined to solve the mystery.

With only the officer in charge on her side – a hard young man with a bloody past and secrets of his own – Dan Ji must convince the local Magistrate and his provincial policemen to trust her judgement. Yet with mistrust brewing, the investigation slowly grinds to a halt. Until a frozen body is unearthed from the deep snows of the mountain range.

It is not within Dan Ji’s nature to leave a mystery unsolved, yet soon she discovers the fine threads of this investigation run much deeper than anyone has anticipated.

A dark historical mystery set in old Korea.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

Lee Evie is a historical fiction author. She writes with a focus on Korean history and loves dark adventures with a heavy dose of danger, mystery and romance. When she's not writing, Lee Evie can be found watching drama, which she will do for hours on end. She believes drama watching is the ultimate joy of life. Even when they make her cry. An avid photography and travel lover, Lee Evie thinks stories are the most precious gift to the universe.

Website | Newsletter | Instagram | Goodreads

Spotlight: The Lost Boys of London by Mary Lawrence

The Lost Boys of London

A Bianca Goddard Mystery

by Mary Lawrence

Red Puddle Print

April 28, 2020

Historical Mystery

While her husband fights the Scots on behalf of King Henry VIII, Bianca Goddard earns her coin by concocting medicines that offer relief to London's sick. Some unfortunates, however, are beyond any remedies she can provide--like the young boy discovered hanging from a church dripstone. Examining the body, Bianca finds a rosary twisted around the child's neck. A week later, another boy is found dead at a different church. When Fisk, an impish acquaintance, goes missing, she fears he may become the third victim...

There are many villains who would prey on wayward, penniless boys. But Bianca suspects the killings are not brutal acts of impulse, but something far more calculated. In her room of Medicinals and Physickes, she examines the sole piece of evidence: a sweet-smelling, dark-stained cloth. If Bianca can unravel its secret, reputations and lives will be saved. But the expected hour of the next murder is approaching, and a single misstep may mean another boy is lost forever...

Praise for The Lost Boys of London:

"Lawrence's London is no fairy-tale setting, but her heroine is as plucky as they come."--Kirkus Reviews

"...a gripping mystery...filled with sharp details"--Foreword Reviews

"Bianca's strength and self-reliance are empowering and gratifying...an exciting and memorable historical whodunit."--Foreword Reviews

"The author has the Tudor language down to a gnat’s eyeball.--Rosepoint Publishing

"At the end of this series, we’re left with not just a superb set of mysteries, but with a clan who feel real to us, and whose futures matter"--Goodreads review

"...is confident and evocative"--Portland Press Herald

Excerpt:

The twists and turns of an inconstant king are as serpentine as the lanes and alleys of London’s Castle Baynard ward. At one end squatted massive St. Paul’s Cathedral. Licking the ward’s toes at the other ebbed the greasy, gray Thames. In between were four parishes and enough bread shops to adequately keep the inhabitants’ heads filled with guilt and their stomachs filled with gluten.
​
     This warren of tightly packed residences, ordinaries, mercers, stationers, chandlers, and cordwainers sat in unremitting penitence near the ominous cathedral, and never was their compunction more intensely felt than during the bleak days of this midwinter. The incremental gain of daylight was not enough to cheer the citizens. They didn’t notice they did not have to light their tallows quite so early, nor did the lengthening days remind them that spring would soon . . . spring. Nay, the winter felt interminable, as did its dark, shivering days.
​
     For England was at war.
​
     Harry had lightened his coffers by hiring German and Spanish mercenaries to aid his British soldiers in subjugating the Scots to the north and the French across the sea. He’d spent his money on fortifications along his southern coast and on growing his fleet of warships. Such is the price of hubris.
​
     Though King Harry grew in girth and petulance, he ignored signs of his diminishing health. His leg wound ulcerated, emitting a foul odor while his physicians scurried about trying different poultice wrappings, even cauterization, in an effort to offer the king some relief. Short of amputation (for who would dare mention, much less attempt it?) little could be done.
​
     So, Harry continued to plant apple trees in his orchard in Kent and busied himself with the politics of war. And the citizens of London, indeed of the entire realm, continued to labor and abide by the whims of their peevish king.

Spotlight: A Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann

A Sparrow Alone

by Mim Eichmann

On Sale April 15, 2020

Living Springs Publishers

eBook, Paperback; 374 pages

1890s Colorado:  desperate following her mother's sudden death, 13-year-old Hannah Owens is hired as domestic help for a wealthy doctor's family in Colorado Springs.  When the doctor declares bankruptcy and abandons his family to finance his mistress' brothel, however, Hannah is thrown into a vortex of gold mining corruption, rampant prostitution and the economic, political and cultural upheavals of the late 19th Century.

Two of Cripple Creek Colorado's most colorful historic characters, Winfield Scott Stratton, eccentric owner of the richest gold mine in Cripple Creek, and Pearl DeVere, the beautiful madam of the Old Homestead, come to life as this old-fashioned, coming-of-age saga unfolds, a tribute to the women who set the stage for women's right.

“I believe that I was most captivated by the women in Hannah’s story, and how they all continued to come together, even in times of turmoil and uncertainty. I found that this novel had incredibly strong female characters, and I could feel the unity that these women experienced. Hannah’s story is not only a wonderful historical coming-of-age tale, but also a novel about overcoming hardships, finding friendship, and female empowerment."  ~Deanna Frances, Windy City Reviews

Available for Preorder:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Mim Eichmann has found that her creative journey has taken her down many exciting, interwoven pathways. For well over two decades she was known primarily in the Chicago area as the artistic director and choreographer of Midwest Ballet Theatre and director of its home, Midwest Ballet Academy, bringing full-length professional ballet performances to thousands of dance lovers every year and was the recipient of many arts’ programming grants. A desire to become involved again in the folk music world brought about the creation of her acoustic quartet Trillium, now in its 15th year, a folk band well known for its eclectic repertoire performing throughout the Midwest that has also released four CDs. She’s also written the lyrics and music for two award-winning original children’s CDs, “Why Do Ducks Have Webby Toes?” and “Wander Down Beyond the Rainbow” and occasionally schedules concerts of her children’s music and movement programs.

Always captivated by the writings, diaries and journals of late 19th century women, as well as that era’s economic, social and political upheavals, Ms. Eichmann has now put pen to paper and the historical fiction novel she has been passionately researching, its rich synopsis gradually evolving over many years, has finally become a reality. We hope you’ll enjoy A Sparrow Alone and its sequel, Muskrat Ramble.

Author website  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads

Spotlight: Anna's Refuge by Kerryn Reid

Anna's Refuge: Wrackwater Bridge, Book One

by Kerryn Reid

Hartwood Publishing

December 3, 2019

ebook; 434 pages

Historical Romance

Lewis Aubrey has grown up in the malignant shadow of his brother Gideon. In London for the first time, with no thought of love, he is beguiled by Miss Anna Spain. Gideon steals her away and then tosses her aside like a wilted rose. Months later, horrified to learn that Anna carries Gideon’s child, Lewis tracks her down amid the grit of industrial Leeds. He’s desperate to protect her—but can he survive marriage, believing she still yearns for his brother?

Trusting and naïve, dreaming of a love that’s glorious and timeless, Anna falls for Gideon Aubrey and his lies. When he casts her aside in the middle of a ball, Lewis shields her from gossip. He becomes her rock in a world of anguish, and she grows to love him very much indeed. But what kind of woman would condemn a man to a marriage he cannot possibly want, raising a child not his own? Somehow, these two tattered souls must escape Gideon’s shadow and find their way to happiness, for the child’s sake…and for their own.

From London’s glittering ballrooms, to the grit of industrial Leeds, to a bitter winter in the Yorkshire Dales, Anna and Lewis struggle as individuals to find an honorable way through a world of heartache. Any sort of romance between them seems doomed from the start. But gradually, we feel the promise of love as they work together to forge a future. With all the hope of a new year, from the ashes of two broken families, they build a new family in Wrackwater Bridge. 

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Apple  |  Kobo  |  Google

About the Author:

Kerryn Reid grew up the daughter of a professor in a New England college town. But her mother was a devotee of ‘Olde’ England, and Kerryn followed suit. After high school, she traveled around the British Isles with her best friend. Predictably, they fell in love with a couple of Irish lads – oh, those gorgeous accents! Roaming the Rock of Cashel in the dark with your first love? Totally illicit, totally romantic!

The relationship didn’t last. But a piece of Kerryn’s heart still lives "across the pond" where those adventures took place – as well as the Regency romances she loves. So when the itch to write needs scratching, that’s where her imagination takes her. Her first novel, Learning to Waltz, won the Chatelaine award for Best Regency from Chanticleer Books.

Connect with Kerryn:

https://kerrynreid.com
https://www.facebook.com/kerrynreid.fiction/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7374237.Kerryn_Reid
https://twitter.com/Kerryn_Reid
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kerryn-reid
https://www.pinterest.com/kerrynareid/

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Lords of the Wind by C.J. Adrien

The Lords of the Wind by C.J. Adrien

Publication Date: July 3, 2019

Runestone Books

eBook & Paperback; 339 Pages

Series: The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, Book One

Genre: Historical Fiction

“For indeed the Frankish nation, which was crushed by the avenger Hasting, was full of filthy uncleanness. Treasonous and oath-breaking, they were deservedly condemned; unbelievers and faithless, they were justly punished.”

Orphaned as a child by a blood-feud, and sold as a slave to an exiled chieftain in Ireland, the boy Hasting had little hope of surviving to adulthood. The gods had other plans. A ship arrived at his master's longphort carrying a man who would alter the course of his destiny, and take him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Vikings. His is a story of a boy who was a slave, who became a warlord, and who helped topple an empire.

A supposed son of Ragnar Lodbrok, and referred to in the Gesta Normanorum as the Scourge of the Somme and Loire, his life exemplified the qualities of the ideal Viking. Join author and historian C.J. Adrien on an adventure that explores the coming of age of the Viking Hasting, his first love, his first great trials, and his first betrayal.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

C.J. Adrien is a French-American author of Viking historical fiction with a passion for Viking history. His Kindred of the Sea series was inspired by research conducted in preparation for a doctoral program in early medieval history as well as his admiration for historical fiction writers such as Bernard Cornwell and Ken Follett. C.J. Adrien’s novels and expertise have earned him invitations to speak at several international events, including the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds. For more information, please visit C.J. Adrien's website and blog. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Spotlight: Unshelled: A Tale of the Nutcracker by M.J. Neary

Unshelled: A Tale of the Nutcracker

by M.J. Neary

April 6, 2019

Crossroad Press

Historical Fiction

eBook; 94 pages

West Germany, 1915.

Marie Stahl, a stoic combat nurse in her late twenties, unhindered by her own ailments, converts her family countryside estate into a convalescent home for soldiers slapped with the controversial diagnosis "shell shock". Her only helpers are two taciturn factory girls of Slavic descent. Marie's altruistic endeavor brings on the wrath of her embittered brother Fritz, a Sergeant-Major in the Germany army. Having lost a foot in the trenches, he considers these men traitors, deserving of execution, not sympathy. The one he detests most is Christoph Ahrens, an engineering student nicknamed "Nutcracker" for his unusually strong jaw.

Despite her morose disposition, Marie finds herself intrigued by the haunted youngster, who turns out to be a pupil of her godfather, Dr. Drosselmeyer, a physics lecturer at the University of Cologne and a military technology pioneer. As Marie and Christoph grow closer, he confides in her about his nightmares. The most horrifying images are not of his experiences in the trenches but of Germany's future—the old country they have been proud to serve will not exist twenty years later. As a woman of science, Marie rejects the notion of clairvoyance, although a part of her cannot help but wonder if there is some truth to his predictions.

In the meantime, the atmosphere at the convalescent home grows more hostile as the patients turn on each other and Marie begins to question her altruism.

Set against the violence and paranoia of the Great War, Unshelled is a gritty, sinister retelling of the Christmas classic.

Readers call it "a highly compelling read" and "a unique interpretation of the classic."

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads

About the Author:

A self-centered, only child of classical musicians, Marina Julia Neary spent her early years in Eastern Europe and came to the US at the age of thirteen. Her literary career revolves around depicting military and social disasters, from the Charge of the Light Brigade, to the Irish Famine, to the Easter Rising in Dublin, to the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl some thirty miles away from her home town. Notorious for her abrasive personality and politically incorrect views that make her a persona non grata in most polite circles, Neary explores human suffering through the prism of dark humor, believing that tragedy and comedy go hand in hand.

Spotlight: The Thief's Heart by Kathleen Shoop

The Thief's Heart

by Kathleen Shoop

On Sale January 14, 2020

Historical Fiction

9781519582003

Paperback, eBook

Des Moines, 1892. After losing their promised inheritance, the Arthur family’s luck finally changes. An extraordinary woman, Violet Pendergrass, provides refuge for them to rebuild their broken lives. Or has she?

Handsome fifteen-year-old Tommy Arthur has one foot in manhood and the other dragging up the rear of his boyhood years. He strives to protect and provide for his family, but turning to booze when scared or worried creates as many problems as solutions. Unsure of who he can trust, fiery redhead Pearl Riverside challenges and excites him at every turn, softening his heart toward the idea that goodness exists in the world. 

Tension builds between Tommy and his mother as her affection for a generous man increases. At the same time, distance grows between Tommy and his twin sister, Katherine, as each chooses secrets over family. Violet Pendergrass demands more from Tommy and he begins to question her motives. 

When disaster strikes for Tommy’s little sister, Yale, the actions of a sinister judge, a crooked minister, and the infamous charlatan, Dreama, are revealed. Facing more jail time as vigilante mobs form, the clock runs down on Tommy’s chance to take responsibility for his own choices. Is it too late for him to save his family, to open his heart and fully love those who need him as much as he needs them? 

Available for preorder on Amazon

Bestselling author’s historical novel steals hearts

Kathleen Shoop’s newest title in award-winning series based on family letters

Bestselling author Kathleen Shoop has won numerous awards, been a Kindle Top 100 seller, and been lauded by major media like USA Today, Buzzfeed, and Bustle. Now she’s releasing the newest book in her award-winning historical fiction The Letter series, The Thief’s Heart (Jan. 14, 2020).

Shoop’s newest historical novel transports readers to 1892 Des Moines where, after losing their promised inheritance, the Arthur family’s luck finally changes. An extraordinary woman, Violet Pendergrass, provides refuge for them to rebuild their broken lives. Or has she? Fifteen-year-old Tommy Arthur strives to uncover Violet’s true motives while struggling to provide for his family – and develop a relationship with the fiery Pearl Riverside.  When disaster strikes and the family is threatened by an angry mob, the clock runs down on Tommy’s chance to take responsibility for his own choices. Is it too late for him to save his family, to open his heart and fully love those who need him as much as he needs them?

Spotlight: Arroyo by Chip Jacobs

Arroyo

by Chip Jacobs

Rare Bird Books

October 15, 2019

Historical Fiction

Hardcover / ISBN: 9781644280287

Set against two distinct epochs in the history of Pasadena, California, award-winning writer and debut novelist Chip Jacobs writes in Arroyo the parallel stories of a young inventor and his clairvoyant dog in 1913 and 1993. In both lives, they are drawn to the landmark Colorado Street Bridge, or "Suicide Bridge," as the locals call it, which suffered a lethal collapse during construction but still opened to fanfare in the early twentieth century automobile age. When the refurbished structure commemorates its 80th birthday, one of the planet's best-known small towns is virtually unrecognizable from its romanticized, and somewhat invented, past. 

Wrought with warmth and wit, Jacobs' vividly descriptive debut novel digs into Pasadena's most mysterious structure and the city itself. In their exploits around what was then America's highest, longest roadway, Nick Chance and his impish mutt interact with some of the big personalities from the Progressive Age, including Teddy Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, Charles Fletcher Lummis, and Lilly and Adolphus Busch, whose gardens were once tabbed the "eighth wonder of the world." They cavort and often sow chaos at Cawston Ostrich Farm, the Mount Lowe Railway, the Hotel Green and even the Doo Dah Parade. 

But it's the secrets and turmoil around the concrete arches over the Arroyo Seco, and what it means for Nick's destiny, that propels this story of fable versus fact. While unearthing the truth about the Colorado Street Bridge, in all its eye-catching grandeur and unavoidable darkness, the characters of Arroyo paint a vivid picture of how the home of the Rose Bowl got its dramatic start.

Buy on Amazon

Praise:

"Who'd have thought the ghosts clustered under an old bridge could slip so artfully into a cast of real and imagined characters? ... Arroyo is unrelentingly bizarre, perversely funny, and absurdly true —mostly. Pure jazz!" —Ron Franscell, bestselling author of The Darkest Night and The Deadline

"Chip Jacobs combines the historical deep-dives of Erik Larson and Caleb Carr with the sweep and grandeur of E.L. Doctorow's best work, albeit with a sense of ... whimsy ... Jacobs' maiden venture into the realm of fiction ... is an almost impossible blend of the historical with the supernatural...and the result is sublime." —David Kukoff, screenwriter and editor of the bestselling Los Angeles in the 1970s: Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine

"[An] amazing history ... Jacobs is one of the best wordsmiths I know, and his Arroyo and ... unique presentation of the real facts using real and imagined characters, along with a nice bouquet of romance and you have a story that is guaranteed to bring you a lot of laughs, a few tears and a very real knowledge of Old Pasadena and the important role it played in the formation of early LA. A delightful read, highly recommended" —Steve Hodel, bestselling author of Black Dahlia Avenger

"I hear T.C. Boyle. I hear Tom Wolfe ... This trans-dimensional tale revolves around the ... Colorado Street Bridge (the so-called Suicide Bridge), an iconic Southern California structure, an architectural gem with a sordid and glorious history — and some unfinished business ... Edgy and satirical, yet rooted in fact, Arroyo is a fact-paced technicolor timepiece that bridge life and death and the present" —Mike Consol, author of Hardwood

About the Author:

Chip Jacobs grew up in northeast Pasadena. In 1985, he graduated from the University of Southern California with BAs in journalism and international relations. He lives in Southern California with his wife, a USC public relations professor, and their two children. Chip's previous non-fiction books include Strange As It Seems: The Impossible Life of Gordon Zahler, The People's Republic of Chemicals, and the international bestselling Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles. His reporting has appeared in Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Daily News, CNN, The New York Times, Bloomberg, L.A Weekly, Pasadena Weekly, and San Gabriel Valley Tribune, among others.

Author Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter

Blog Tour Spotlight: In the Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark

In the Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction

Based on a true story, this gorgeous new novel follows the fortunes of three Berliners caught up in an art scandal—involving newly discovered van Goghs—that rocks Germany amidst the Nazis’ rise to power.

Hedonistic and politically turbulent, Berlin in the 1920s is a city of seedy night clubs and sumptuous art galleries. It is home to millionaires and mobs storming bakeries for rationed bread. These disparate Berlins collide when Emmeline, a young art student; Julius, an art expert; and a mysterious dealer named Rachmann all find themselves caught up in the astonishing discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent van Gogh.

In the Full Light of the Sun explores the trio’s complex relationships and motivations, their hopes, their vanities, and their self-delusions—for the paintings are fakes and they are in their own ways complicit. Theirs is a cautionary tale about of the aspirations of the new Germany and a generation determined to put the humiliations of the past behind them.

With her signature impeccable and evocative historical detail, Clare Clark has written a gripping novel about beauty and justice, and the truth that may be found when our most treasured beliefs are revealed as illusions.

Praise

“As compelling as it is expansive… In an age that has apparently lost faith in experts and verifiable sources of information, Clark’s fictionalization of the Wacker affair stands as a salutary tale for the post-truth era.” —The Guardian

“[Clark] excels at evoking the febrile tensions of the Weimar Republic… A gripping and ultimately moving story about art, artifice and authenticity.” —The Mail on Sunday

“With great skill and sympathy, Clark evokes a febrile society in which politics, love and art offer no certainties, and the ground always threatens to open beneath her characters’ feet.” —The Sunday Times

“Set over the decade of the Nazis’ rise to power, In the Full Light of the Sun loosely follows the real-life mystery of whether paintings apparently by Van Gogh that were exhibited in Berlin in the 1920s were forgeries…The most enjoyable mystery here is the matter of whether anyone is really their authentic self.” —The Times (UK)

“An engrossing read.” —Image Magazine Ireland

“Clark’s beautiful writing is as dense and layered as thick, Post-Impressionist oils.” —Tablet

“A completely fascinating novel about the early 20th century art world and its many dubious machinations. Expertly researched, compellingly narrated and full of potent resonance today.” —William Boyd, author of Sweet Caress

“Clare Clark casts her spell of time and place with casual elegance and no apparent tricks - yet caught me up in this juicy story of colossal art fraud, the passions and intrigues of her vivid and moving characters - and the truly terrifying rise of the Nazi party, with all its contemporary echoes. The atmosphere of this book lingers on.” —Laline Paull, author of The Bees

“I loved In the Full Light of the Sun, a novel about deception, self-deception, truth, love and lies that will enthrall anyone fascinated by Van Gogh, the art world and Berlin in the 1920s. Written with verve and assurance it is both engaging and humane.” —Amanda Craig, author of the Lie of the Land
“In her gripping new novel Clare Clark paints a picture of Weimar Berlin in which surface glitter hides sinister and bitter truths. Page by page she brings secret lives into the light; nothing: not love, not art, not politics, is what it seems, and few escape the brutal forces that emerge.” —Stella Tillyard, author of Aristocrats

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Earl in Black Armor by Nancy Blanton

The Earl in Black Armor by Nancy Blanton

Publication Date: March 17, 2019

Ellys-Daughtrey Books

eBook, Paperback, Hardcover

Genre: Historical Fiction

Ireland, 1635.

When the clan leader sends Faolán Burke to Dublin to spy on Thomas Wentworth, the ruthless Lord Deputy of Ireland, the future of his centuries-old clan rests upon his shoulders. Wentworth is plotting to acquire clan lands of Connacht for an English Protestant plantation. To stop him, Faolán must discover misdeeds that could force King Charles to recall Wentworth to England.

Leaving his young daughter Elvy in the care of his best friend Aengus, Faolán works as a porter in Dublin Castle, and aligns with the alluring Denisa, Wentworth’s personal assistant. She, too, spies on Wentworth, but for very personal reasons.

While Faolán knows he should hate Wentworth, he admires his prosecution of pirates and corrupt nobles who prey on Irish merchants. Supremely arrogant and cruel to his enemies, Wentworth shows loyalty, warmth and compassion for family, friends and a few select others.

A common mission takes Faolán and Denisa from Dublin to London and Hampton Court; to York and Scotland; and to the highest levels of court intrigue and power. But secrets, fears, war and betrayal threaten their love—and even their lives. And as Wentworth’s power grows, so grow the deadly plans of his most treacherous and driven enemies.

"If you are looking for an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then look no further! Get ready for court intrigue, roguish behavior, and of course, that little bit of romance... Well, then you have a book that is hard to put down." -- Rebecca Hill, Net Galley Reviewer

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

Nancy Blanton writes award-winning novels based in 17th century Irish history. Her latest, The Earl in Black Armor, tells a relentless story of loyalty, honor and betrayal in the Stuart era prior to the great Irish Rebellion of 1641. The Prince of Glencurragh, her second novel, occurs in 1634 during the English Plantation of Ireland. Her first novel, Sharavogue, is set in Ireland and the West Indies during the time of Oliver Cromwell. In non-fiction, Brand Yourself Royally in 8 Simple Steps is also a medalist, providing a valuable personal branding guide for authors, artists, and business consultants. Her blog, My Lady’s Closet, focuses on writing, books, historical fiction, research and travel. Ms. Blanton is a member of the Historical Novel Society and is proud to be an occasional guest author on the award-winning UK blog, Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots. She has worked as a journalist, magazine editor, corporate communications leader and brand manager. Her books celebrate her love of history and her Irish and English heritage. She lives in Florida.

Blog Tour Spotlight: Song of Songs by Marc Graham

Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba

by Marc Graham

Publication Date: April 16, 2019

Blank Slate Press

Paperback; 400 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings. 

When Makeda, the slave-born daughter of the chieftain of Saba, comes of age, she wins her freedom and inherits her father's titles along with a crumbling earthwork dam that threatens her people's survival. When she learns of a great stone temple being built in a land far to the north, Makeda leads a caravan to the capital of Yisrael to learn how to build a permanent dam and secure her people's prosperity. 

On her arrival, Makeda discovers that her half-sister Bilkis (also known as Bathsheba) who was thought to have died in a long-ago flash flood, not only survived, but has become Queen of Yisrael. Not content with her own wealth, Bilkis intends to claim the riches of Saba for herself by forcing Makeda to marry her son. But Bilkis’s designs are threatened by the growing attraction between Makeda and Yetzer abi-Huram, master builder of Urusalim’s famed temple. Will Bilkis’s plan succeed or will Makeda and Yetzer outsmart her and find happiness far from her plots and intrigue?

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About the Author

Marc Graham studied mechanical engineering at Rice University in Texas, but has been writing since his first attempt at science fiction penned when he was ten. From there, he graduated to knock-off political thrillers, all safely locked away to protect the public, before settling on historical fiction. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, was published in March 2017.

He has won numerous writing contests including, the National Writers Association Manuscript Contest (Of Ashes and Dust), the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest - Historical (Of Ashes and Dust, Song of Songs), and the Colorado Gold Writing Contest - Mainstream (Prince of the West, coming from Blank Slate Press in Fall 2019).

He lives in Colorado on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and in addition to writing, he is an actor, narrator, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whisky aficionado (Macallan 18, one ice cube). When not on stage or studio, in a pub, or bound to his computer, he can be found hiking with his wife and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.

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Spotlight: Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Alice Isakova

Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

by Alice Isakova

July 1, 2018

ebook; paperback: 307 pages

Historical Romance

With her temptingly large dowry, the beautiful and talented Georgiana Darcy catches the eye of numerous suitors, not all of whom wish to marry purely for love. As Georgiana navigates the treacherous waters of courtship, her story becomes intertwined with that of Anne de Bourgh, her wealthy but painfully awkward cousin, who stirs up trouble when she sets her sights on a young gentleman with a rank far below her own. In so doing, Anne encounters the opposition of her proud and domineering mother, the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and sets in motion a chain of events that brings a damaging secret to light and threatens to destroy Georgiana's dreams of happiness. Intrigues, gossip, and elopements further complicate Georgiana's efforts to find love and avoid the snares of fortune-hunters. 

Written in a sparkling, witty, humorous style on par with Jane Austen's own in Pride and Prejudice, Alice Isakova's Georgiana Darcy continues the tale that has delighted readers for over two centuries. 

Excerpt:

The following excerpt scene takes place in Bath's Sydney Gardens, where Georgiana is taking a stroll with a group of friends, among whom is a young gentleman by the name of Mr. Grey. They have just entered the labyrinth – an elaborate maze of shrubbery that was once an iconic feature of the gardens, but which sadly no longer exists. Shortly after walking into the labyrinth, Georgiana and her companions happen to overhear a conversation that was not intended for their ears.

For a minute or two, the company walked silently, each of them contemplating both the sweets and the difficulties of the married state. Close by in the labyrinth, they could hear the muffled sound of voices, where two young ladies were apparently strolling in a neighbouring corridor. Their conversation was not very audible at first, and only occasionally could a word such as 'dancing' or 'ball' be faintly made out; but as Georgiana and the rest walked on, the volume of the speech became sufficiently high that the party could hear the ladies' dialogue quite clearly.

"How handsome is Mr. Grey!" exclaimed one of them.

"Such melting, blue eyes, such a fine form, and so amusing too!" agreed the other. "I do not think I have ever met a man whose manners or person I liked more, which makes me all the more determined to have him for my husband!"

"What makes you think that he will choose you over me?" came the indignant reply.

"Well, for one thing, he danced twice with me at the ball and only once with you," was the answer.

Georgiana could scarcely restrain herself from laughing. Glancing at Mr. Grey, she was highly amused to see that he looked somewhat discomfited. What she heard next, however, sobered her countenance considerably.

Spotlight: Bound to Morocco by Leslie Hachtel

Bound to Morocco

Book One in the Morocco Series

by Leslie Hachtel

June 13, 2018

Historical Romance

ebook, print; 276 pages

What if your family sold you to a Sultan's Harem? 

Drugged and kidnapped, Shera finds herself on a ship to Morocco to serve the Sultan. Abandoned and alone, Shera must find a way to escape and confront the people who betrayed her. She gets help from an unlikely source: the man who kidnapped her. But, he has his own secrets. And, when their partnership turns to love, the two must face constant danger to endure. But will they ever be free? 

Grab the ebook edition for only 99-cents!

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Excerpt:

Spring, 1713

The throbbing was relentless. Shera, Lady Edgerton, squinted and reluctantly peeked out from beneath her eyelids. She immediately regretted it. A thousand needles of light stabbed her with brutal fury and she quickly closed her eyes again to ease the misery. She drew in a deep breath, trying to quell the pounding in her head. Mindful of the pain, she very slowly opened her eyes again, fighting the agony of vicious brightness that assailed her. Sunlight pierced the room through a narrow slit in the wall high up in the small space and pooled about her. Nausea threatened but she swallowed hard and stiffened her spine.

Gathering her senses and forcing herself to focus, she looked around. Where was she? A small room made of wood? The walls were bare except for four sets of chains attached to the wood by rings hanging a few inches from the floor. Was this an area used to confine prisoners?  But that did not answer why she was here. She was an innocent. Her being here must be a terrible mistake.

She heaved in a deep breath and listened carefully. Naught but a kind of creaking. Raising herself gently, she sat up. Her head spun and she took in a few shallow breaths to ease the dizziness. The space around her gradually took shape. She was indeed in a small room with walls of horizontal planked wood. Beneath her, the floor swayed gently back and forth. And the smell? It was the scent of despair. Someone had been held here before her. Or many someones. And there was also the unmistakable odor of the sea. I am aboard a ship? How is that possible? A slither of terror crawled up her back. Had she been kidnapped? Was her life at risk? Who did this and what did they want? The lack of answers was tormenting.

Shera soothed herself by inhaling and exhaling slowly, then took an inventory of her body. Her back ached and her arms and legs felt heavy. She was most likely bruised, but overall, she was intact. She was still dressed in her beautiful crimson velvet ball gown from the night before, but now it was dirty and the skirt was torn at the hem and along the seams. Her bracelets were missing, as were her rings. But, when she felt for her necklace, she realized it had slipped down into her bodice. She lifted it out and breathed some relief. Set with diamonds and rubies, it was worth a small fortune. She replaced it between her breasts and patted her chest. It could certainly be used as a bribe, but to whom? If she revealed it under the wrong circumstances, it could be taken from her. No, she must be careful to conceal it until the time was right.

She felt her earlobes. The left earring was gone, but the one on the right had become tangled in her hair. It, too, was set with rubies and diamonds and worth much. She extracted it and slipped it into her bodice with the other piece. Just knowing she had some wealth gave her options and more chances, perhaps, to resolve this situation, whatever it was. The possibilities went from the ridiculous to the unthinkable. It could be this was a simple prank, but the clawing in her stomach told her it was no such thing. But, she must control the terror that threatened to confound her thinking.

Blog Tour Spotlight: Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

Publication Date: October 9, 2018

Tyndale House Publishers

Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook; 480 Pages

Series: The Victorian Ladies Series, #1

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

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Praise for Lady of a Thousand Treasures:

"Sandra Byrd’s amazing cast of characters and Victorian settings pull the reader right into the story. I became happily lost in this compelling, lovely book." -Karen Harper, NYT bestselling author of The Royal Nanny

"Lady of a Thousand Treasures delivers mystery, romance, and suspense in a well-researched Victorian setting." -Julie Klassen, bestselling author

"I’m always swept away by a Sandra Byrd novel, and Lady of a Thousand Treasures will be long remembered as one of Sandra’s best." -Jane Kirkpatrick, NYT bestselling author of All She Left Behind

"Sandra Byrd is the rare writer whose evocative, prose grabs hold and doesn’t let go. The Victorian Ladies Series is off to a stunning start!" -Laura Frantz, author of The Lacemaker

"With stunning characters and impeccable research, Sandra Byrd has woven together an exquisite treasure hunt with an ending that will leave you breathless." -Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of Catching the Wind

"Sandra Byrd’s writing is an absolute piece of art! If I had to sum up this story all in one word, it would be satisfying." -Michelle Griep, award-winning author of the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas series

About the Author:

Bestselling author Sandra Byrd has published more than fifty books over her editing and writing career. Her traditionally published books include titles by Tyndale House Publishers, Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, WaterBrook Press, a Penguin Random House imprint, and Bethany House. She’s also an independent author.

Sandra’s series of historically sound Gothic romances launched with the best-selling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor’s Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, published in 2017 and was named by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the Top Ten Inspirational Fiction books of the year.

Her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.

Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype. You can also connect with Sandra on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

Publication Date: July 10, 2018

Ballantine Books

Hardcover; 448 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.

Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women, who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to her husband’s reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas II as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

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Praise for The Romanov Empress:

"Gortner’s mesmerizing historical novel (following The Vatican Princess) depicts the remarkable life of the mother of the last Russian tsar. This insightful first-person account of the downfall of the Romanov rule will appeal to history buffs; at its core, it’s the powerful story of a mother trying to save her family and an aristocrat fighting to maintain rule in a country of rebellion, giving it an even broader appeal." —Publishers Weekly

“A sweeping saga that takes us from the opulence and glamor of Tsarist Russia to the violent, tragic last days of the Romanovs. C. W. Gortner breaks new ground here, skillfully painting an intimate, compelling portrait of this fascinating empress and her family.” —Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter

“The Romanov Empress has all the glitter and mystery of a Faberge egg, the outer decadence and beauty of Imperial Russia unfolding to reveal the mysteries and horrors within. The waning days of a doomed dynasty are recounted by the vivacious but tough Danish princess who would become one of Russia's most revered tsarinas, only to see her line end in war and revolution. Gortner pens a beautiful tribute to a lost world, weaving a tale sumptuous as a Russian sable.” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

“A vivid, engaging tale of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Russia's last Tsar, her loves and her heartbreaks, bringing the troubled final decades of the Russian Empire to life.” —Eva Stachniak, author of The Winter Palace

Spotlight: Trouble the Water by Jacqueline Friedland

Trouble the Water

by Jacqueline Friedland

SparkPress

Publication date: May 8, 2018

Trade paperback ISBN 978-1-94300-654-0

338 pages

E-book ISBN: 978-1-943006-55-7

In TROUBLE THE WATER, Jacqueline Friedland’s gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Abigail Milton arrives in Charleston, South Carolina from England with only one small bag, but a lot to carry. Her family has fallen destitute and sent her away to ease their burden, and she carries this loss—and a dark secret—across the ocean with her. But Abby—fiery, strong-minded, and haunted—is determined to carve a humble life from her new opportunity in America.

Douglas Elling takes Abby in as a favor to her father, a dear family friend. Douglas has almost completely withdrawn from society, due to the untimely loss of his wife and only child two years earlier. Before the tragedy, whispers arose about him being an Abolitionist. He sought to fit in, if only to protect his underground activism. Now he remains a source of suspicion and an outsider by choice. Slowly—pulled from his isolation by the need to be polite to his charge, if nothing else—Douglas’s attempts to guide Abby rekindle his deeply buried hopes of improving people’s lives—and something in him awakens.

Set twenty years before the Civil War and filled with authentic detail about The Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist movement, TROUBLE THE WATER is a memorable and moving debut novel about painful histories, new hopes, social change, and second chances. 

Praise for Trouble the Water:

SILVER MEDAL, INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS

Best Regional Fiction – South

“… will seize readers from the first page and not let go.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Fans of Paulette Jiles and Julia Quinn will adore this triumphant novel of intrigue, secrecy, and redemption.”—BOOKLIST

“With compelling characters, a charming peek into Charleston society, a heart-racing romance, rich historical detail, and an epilogue that will have you holding your breath, Friedland has written a well-crafted novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”—Susie Orman Schnall, award-winning author of The Subway Girls, The Balance Project, and On Grace

“The complicated history of the antebellum South comes alive in Friedland's debut novel and offers readers an exciting and fast-paced literary journey that explores complicated relationships, the importance of friendship, and the necessary power of love.”—Kris Radish, best-selling author of A Dangerous Woman From Nowhere

“Friedland is a modern Bronte sister remixed with Kathleen Grissom or Leila Meacham. Trouble the Water is the riveting story of Abby, who travels across the sea, fleeing Liverpool, poverty, and an unsavory uncle, for Charleston, where a wealthy friend of her father, Douglas, lives. Douglas has pledged himself to the fight to end slavery, and for that, he has made the ultimate sacrifice. Abby fights inner demons and tries to find her place in Charleston high society while her brooding guardian reconciles the past and returns to his beloved cause. Lovers of Civil War-era historical fiction will rejoice at Friedland’s triumphant novel of love, friendship, and the most important issues of the day.”—Bethany Ball, author of What to do About the Solomons

“With a plucky heroine, a dashing hero, and the backdrop of the clandestine abolition movement in the antebellum South, Jacqueline Friedland masterfully weaves a tale full of passion and honor, duty and survival, evil and the beauty of basic human decency. Trouble the Water will make your heart pound and swell, and keep you reading well into the night. Highly recommended!”—Loretta Nyhan, author of I'll Be Seeing You, All the Good Parts, and Digging In

“In a narrative tapestry woven of brilliant threads of history and Drama, Jacqueline Friedland introduces her readers to seventeen-year-old British born Abigail Milton, her generous but reluctant benefactor, Douglas Elling and the complex world of antebellum Charleston. The evil of slavery, the nascent abolitionist movement, the courage of an operative of the underground railroad are explored against the background of the vanished world of debutante cotillions, social intrigue and the slow maturity and melding of skillfully drawn protagonists. Friedland’s research is impeccable, her writing fluid. Trouble the Water is that rare pedagogic novel that engages as it teaches.”—Gloria Goldreich, author of The Bridal Chair

Spotlight: A Jane Austen Daydream by Scott D. Southard

FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Now with a new foreword and an updated cover showcasing Jane's own handwriting, this re-imagining of Jane's life continues to charm and delight readers of literary fiction worldwide.

All her heroines find love in the end–but is there love waiting for Jane?

Jane Austen spends her days writing and matchmaking in the small countryside village of Steventon, until a ball at Godmersham Park propels her into a new world where she yearns for a romance of her own. But whether her heart will settle on a young lawyer, a clever Reverend, a wealthy childhood friend, or a mysterious stranger is anyone’s guess.

Written in the style of Jane herself, this novel ponders the question faced by many devoted readers over the years–did she ever find love? Weaving fact with fiction, it re-imagines her life, using her own stories to fill in the gaps left by history and showing that all of us–to a greater or lesser degree–are head over heels for Jane.

Scott’s thoughts on Jane Austen’s Father:

George Austen was born in 1731. He met his wife Cassandra at Oxford. They would go on to have six sons and two daughters; the youngest, they named Jane.

If A Jane Austen Daydream was a typical historical fiction, I would point to research and letters to find Jane Austen’s father. I would paint his characters with his sermons, lessons, and what he wrote to his children, basically anything that I could find… but A Jane Austen Daydream is not a normal historical fiction.

For in A Jane Austen Daydream, like with the other characters in my novel, I created George in the spirt of the fathers we see in her works. He is as loving and supportive as Mr. Bennet (enjoying Jane’s spirit and intelligence), and he is as whimsical as Mr. Woodhouse in Emma (even though the Austens never had the wealth of Emma’s family).

We do know that Jane’s father did encourage her education and her reading. We also know, thanks to the sometime questionable autobiography by Austen’s nephew (James Edward Austen-Leigh), that George tried to help Austen get her novel Pride and Prejudice published.

Jane did love her father and mourned him in letters after his passing. She also was, in many ways, mourning a life she had known in his household. For life would change for Jane with his passing; making her, her mother, and sister more of a financial burden on the sons of the household.

Sadly, when one researches Jane’s life it can be depressing. That was one of the inspirations behind A Jane Austen Daydream. I wanted to “retell” her life as one of her novels, filed with characters and situations one might imagine in her books. And then there are the new (and very surprising) twists as well, making it in many ways very different from a historical fiction. I would consider it something between an experimental literary fiction and regency fiction. And I am excited to see new readers discover it in this new fifth year anniversary edition.

Spotlight: Courage Between Love and Death by Joseph Pillitteri

Courage Between Love and Death by Joseph Pillitteri

Publication Date: March 29, 2018

Fireship Press

eBook & Paperback; 302 Pages

Genre: Historical/Romance/Medical/Political

Elspeth has recently landed a nursing position at the 1901 Pan American Exposition Hospital in Buffalo, New York. This is a big boon for her, but things are not going as expected. She has to navigate mischievous patients, egotistical doctors, rival nurses and prejudices. For an Irish girl with a temper, this is no easy feat. Now President McKinley is coming to visit the Expo and everyone is in an uproar. On the home front, her life is no less hectic as she struggles to put food on the table and look out for her younger siblings.

When the unthinkable happens, it is a turning point, not only for the medical industry and our country’s security, but also for Elspeth personally. With her career and reputation on the line, will she have the courage to overcome the challenges she faces to clear her name and continue to be there for the ones she loves?

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Praise for Courage Between Love and Death

“…Pilliterri deftly weaves together the state of medicine, the social class spectrum and a light love story…the chaos of the surgery on the President and the anxious days till his death provide palpable tension...” —Dr. Jean Richardson, Associate Professor, Emeritus, SUNY Buffalo State College

“…Joseph Pillitteri’s writing is flawless and delightful. The tension builds up very fast and doesn’t slow down until the satisfying conclusion. Courage Between Love and Death is focused, deft, and balanced, and the reader will follow the protagonist through her emotional and psychological turmoil until the very last page. A gripping story with great historical references, it’s an edge of the seat read. Courage Between Love and Death by Joseph Pillitteri is a historical novel that is well-researched and written to great satisfaction.” —Christian Sia, Readers’ Favorite

“Courage Between Love and Death is a well-researched and masterfully crafted historical novel with strong characters and a mesmerizing plot. Apart from developing a very strong conflict, Joseph Pillitteri does a brilliant job in weaving powerful dialogues and intrigue into the story. The reader is transported into an atmospheric world with medical personnel, strong personalities, and a historic event that will remain engraved in the minds of many. There is so much to enjoy in this novel — the drama, the emotional and psychological intensity of the story, the excellent prose and the compelling characters. I was sucked into the narrative from the very first page.” —Romuald Dzemo, Readers’ Favorite

About the Author

While working at Roswell Park Memorial Hospital in Buffalo, NY, Joseph Pillitteri became intrigued by the role Dr. Park played in the surgery of President McKinley at the 1901 Pan American Exposition. It was a pleasure to shape facts and fiction together to tell the story. Previous works by Pillitteri include When the Giraffe Runs Down (Dial Press), Two Hours on Sunday (Dial Press), The Abortion (Penguin Books), and Life Pulse (Penguin Books).