I’m delighted to welcome Stella Riley and her new book, A Splendid Defiance, a Roundheads & Cavaliers book, to the blog with an excerpt from Chapter 2: Bargaining with the enemy. Chapter 2: Bargaining with the enemy Jonas did not know if he was irritated or relieved to hear that Captain Ambrose awaited him in the shop.  He loathed the garrison but a review of the last quarter’s figures had revealed a far from satisfactory state of affairs which meant he needed the Captain’s business.  This, however, did not make him any less uncivil than usual and he said, ‘I begin to find your p ..read more

Here’s the blurb ‘My defloration was talked about in all the courts of Europe. The Prince boasted of his prowess, even as preparations were being made for his wedding, as boldly as if he had ridden across that causeway with bloodstained sheet tied to his lance.’ 1584, Italy: Twenty-year-old Giulia expects she will live and die incarcerated as a silk weaver within the walls of her Florentine orphanage, where she has never so much as glimpsed her own face. This all changes with the visit of the Medici family’s most trusted advisor, promising her a generous dowry and a husband if she agrees to a ..read more

Here’s the blurb: In the spring of 1354, all was well in the town of Colmar – until Efi Kleven discovered a hand in her pot of new ale…a hand that was not attached to a body. Now, Gritta, Appel, and Efi, the three alewives of Colmar, must solve the mystery of the severed hand before suspicion falls on them. While they attempt to keep their fledgling brewery afloat, more bodies turn up outside of town – along with more suspects. With few allies and several powerful men working against them, the alewives find themselves flummoxed: How did the hand of a man from Vogelgrun end up in a cooking pot ..read more

Here’s the blurb London, 1677. A house with a dark secret. A lawyer in pursuit of magick. A witch, dead for fifty years. Israel Cutler, dealer in second-hand goods, discovers the journals of Doctor Winter. Detailing the doctor’s relationship with a hanged witch, he recognises an opportunity. Seeking out a lawyer he knows with an interest in the occult, Cutler tries to sell the journals, but soon finds himself involved in a terrifying ritual—one that could bring black witch Lizzie Pickin back from the dead. Again. Forced into a dangerous partnership, the witch leads Cutler on a trail of murder ..read more

It feels like I’ve been talking about this book forever, but the day is finally upon us. The Royal Women Who Made England is available in hardback in the UK and US from today, and also in Kind If you’ve been hiding from me for the last few months, you might be wondering what this is all about. So here goes. Throughout the tenth century, England, as it would be recognised today, formed. No longer many Saxon kingdoms, but rather, just England. Yet, this development masks much in the century in which the Viking raiders were seemingly driven from England’s shores by Alfred, his children and grandc ..read more

I’m delighted to welcome Sheridan Brown and her new book, The Viola Factor, to the blog, with a book trailer. The Viola Factor Book Trailer The Viola Factor Book Trailer Here’s the blurb “The Viola Factor” takes place at a time when the country faced division and growth after the American Civil War. Viola Knapp Ruffner (1812-1903) struggled with what was just and fair, becoming a little-known confidant for a young black scholar from Virginia. But Viola was much more than a teacher; she was a mother, wife, game-changer, and friend. With her mother’s dying wish, a young woman alone, she left h ..read more

I’m delighted to welcome Heather Miller and her new book, Yellow Bird’s Song, to the blog with an excerpt. Excerpt 1 John Rollin Ridge, Cherokee Nation West, 1850 The evening’s red sky horizon stretched its wide arms behind Judge Kell’s dogtrot, extending into the dust. A dead tree stood as an ineffectual sentry between his corn crib and smokehouse, visible through the open-framed breezeway. I salivated, smelling pork fat lingering in the air. No longer able to afford to slaughter hogs, my family could only recall bacon’s salty taste. Inside the paddock, my appy lay on his side. Castration’s f ..read more

A huge thank you to everyone who has jumped back into the world of Coelwulf and his band of foul-mouthed warriors with The Last Viking. Having taken the step back into this series, I wasn’t about to let ‘the lads’ rest. Book 9 is far from complete, but it does have a delightfully messy first draft, and a release date in September 2024, although if I can, I will bring this forward. So, below is the new cover – and you can preorder book 9 here: https://amzn.to/3xtjAhu ..read more

Here’s the blurb EIGHTY YEARS OF SECRETS. 1940. At Yew Tree House, recently widowed Adelaide Stride is raising her two daughters alone – but it’s not just the threat of German invasion that keeps her up at night. She is surrounded by enemies posing as allies and, while war rages, she grows sure that something terrible is about to happen. A BODY THAT REVEALS THEM ALL. 2023. Soon after Stella Darnell begins her holiday at Yew Tree House, a skeleton is found in a pillbox at the bottom of the garden. The bullet hole in the skull tells her that the person was murdered. This triggers the u ..read more

Here’s the blurb Book 1 of a hilarious series of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection by Australian author Simon Yeats, who from an early age learned that the best way to approach the misfortunes of this world is to laugh about it. Simon shares his comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living life as an Aussie ex-pat and having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as the Spanish Flu in 1918. From how to keep yourself entertained when unwittingly forced to watch 11 hours of live sumo wrestling in Japan, to surviving heartbreak in India at the hands of a F ..read more