Blog
New Release! The Sins of the Father by Annie Whitehead #Mercia #HistFic
A father’s legacy can be a blessing or a curse... AD658: The sons of Penda of Mercia have come of age. Ethelred, the youngest, recalls little of past wars while Wulf is determined to emulate their father, whose quest to avenge his betrayed kinswomen drew him to battle...
The Queen’s Spy by Clare Marchant #BookReview #CoffeePotBookClub
About the book: 1584: Elizabeth I rules England. But a dangerous plot is brewing in court, and Mary Queen of Scots will stop at nothing to take her cousin’s throne. There’s only one thing standing in her way: Tom, the queen’s trusted apothecary, who makes the perfect...
Camelot and the Victorian Era – Kingfisher by D K Marley #CoffeePotBookClub #HistoricalFiction
Welcome to D K Marley, who is giving us an insight into the fascinating historical background to her novel, Kingfisher. The Disappearance of the Halcyon Days – Camelot and the Victorian Era by D. K. Marley There are two definitions of the word halcyon. First, as an...
The Marquise of Darkness by Phil Syphe #France #poison #blog
Having just finished a book abut an Italian poisoner, I'm fascinated to have Phil Syphe here today to talk about another woman involved in poisoning. Over to Phil to tell us more. Set in seventeenth-century France, The Marquise of Darkness is based on the real-life...
Below Stairs by Charlotte Betts #Servants #History #Edwardian
I'm thrilled to welcome Charlotte Betts to my blog today to tell us about the history that features in her new novel, The Fading of The Light. I've read it, so can really recommend it as an exciting summer read. Charlotte is a winner of the Romantic Novelists...
Sisters At War – & the secret bunker in Liverpool – by Clare Flynn #WW2
Today I'm delighted to welcome back Clare Flynn, a writer whose books I have really enjoyed. Here's a lovely post about her new WWII book, Sisters At War. From Clare: Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog, Deborah. I visited once before to talk about a...
A Poisonous Trade – Join Cathie Dunn as she lurks in The Shadows of Versailles
Cathie Dunn and I have both been working on books about poisoners, so it's fab to have Cathie as a guest to give us an insight into one of the important objects in her new book, The Shadows of Versailles. Over to Cathie: Thank you so much, Deborah, for inviting me to...
A Matter of Conscience by Judith Arnopp #Review #CoffeePotBookClub #Tudor
This was a bold move by Judith Arnopp to get inside the head of Henry VIII and tell the story of his reign from his point of view. And the Henry that she has created for us is utterly believable as we chart his journey from carefree younger brother to king. The...
Launch Day for The Poison Keeper, cover reveal for The Silkworm Keeper #HistoricalFiction
I'm thrilled to see The Poison Keeper finally available for sale on paperback and ebook and in the KindleUnlimited Subscription Library. This is a novel written entirely during this Covid year without any travel. I had a first draft but was going to Naples to finish...
Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton – Review #HistoricalFiction #CoffeePotBookClub
Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it all the same. It is a love story and family drama set within a real Italian village, Fonzaso, and although set during the rise of fascism in...
An Excerpt from The Queen’s Rival by Anne O’Brien #HistoricalFiction
The Queen's Rival by Anne O' Brien I'm delighted to feature this brilliant excerpt from Anne O'Brien's new novel, The Queen's Rival. More about best-selling author Anne O'Brien can be found on her website, or chat to her on Twitter BACK COVER COPY: England, 1459. One...
White Space in Historical Fiction
The reader's reaction happens in the gaps. I've just been reading a book about time. In it, we were encouraged to take a pause for a few seconds to allow a breathing space. Later that night I was reading a historical novel as my bedtime reading, and noticed that it...
An interview with Keith Stuart – Pied Piper a #WW2 novel set in 1939
I'm delighted to welcome Keith Stuart to my blog today to tell me about his new book, Pied Piper. Here's the blurb: In September 1939 the British Government launched Operation Pied Piper. To protect them from the perils of German bombing raids, in three days millions...
The Chinese Puzzle by J C Briggs – Review #Victorian #MurderMystery
I have enjoyed several of J C Briggs books and I intend to catch up with them all eventually. This one centres around a mysterious Chinese Ambassador who appears at the opening of The Great Exhibition. At first the mystery is about tracing a missing person, a Chinese...
The Damask Rose by Carol McGrath #medieval #SheWolfQueens #Review
"Edward, always Edward. He came first. He was her husband and her King." I have read all of Carol McGrath's books and find them to be impeccably-researched and detailed evocations of the period. This one is no exception, and paints a vivid picture of Eleanor of...