#ThrowbackThursday ~ Sitting Murder: A Lancashire Detective Mystery by A.J. Wright #Historical #CrimeFiction

Posted in Book Review, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

Sitting Murder was originally published in 2017 and choosing this book for my Throwback Thursday choice has reminded me I have the next book on my kindle.

Set in a North-Western English town during the late 19th century, this murder/mystery whodunnit brings the history of the era to life with the terraces of houses, local dialect and a community living in close proximity to one another. The main source of work were the cotton mills and the mines. Alice Goodway, only married a year, has lost her husband, Jack, in a mining accident, which also took the life of her friend’s husband. Since her husband’s death, Alice has become a medium, offering comfort to those who have lost loved ones, through her spiritual contact with Jack.

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1Apr2021

#ThrowbackThursday ~ The Curse of Arundel Hall by J. New, 1930’s #HistoricalFiction

Posted in Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

This is the second installment of The Yellow Cottage Vintage Mysteries, featuring Ella Bridges in a cosy mystery series with paranormal undertones.

The ghost residing in the secret dining room beyond the pantry was causing Ella some problems in that Mrs Shaw, the housekeeper-cum-cook, refused to enter the pantry. Ella’s temporary solution was to move the food stuff into the kitchen proper, but she was determined to try and solve the mystery of who the woman had been and how she died. Ella decided she needed to visit her friend, Harriet, a local historian, to see if she could research The Yellow Cottage and shed any light on who the mysterious spirit was. Harriet is the founder of the local library and that’s where Ella finds her. It seems Harriet had found a connection between the cottage and Arundel Hall, now owned by Harriet’s old friend, Sir Robert Harlow. Harriet discovered that Ella’s cottage was once The Dower House belonging to the Hall.

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25Mar2021

#Extract ~ Old Cases New Colours (A Dudley Green Investigation) by @ActScribblerDJ #HistoricalFiction @rararesources

Posted in Blog Tour, Extract, Historical Fiction by Cathy

Today I’m pleased to help launch the blog tour for Old Cases New Colours by Madalyn Morgan, with an extract from Chapter One, courtesy of the author and Rachel’s Random Resources.

Intro: After the war in 1945, Ena worked for The Home Office as head of the cold case department. After exposing the mole at MI5 and learning that the man she had worked with for thirteen years – and had respected for as long – was the head of the spy cell, Ena left her job. She was a good investigator but didn’t want to work for the government or the intelligence services, so she started a private investigation agency.

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5Mar2021

Historical Stories of Betrayal by Judith Arnopp, Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage et al #HistoricalFiction #ShortStories #RBRT

Posted in Anthology, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Uncategorized by Cathy

Published: November 2020 by Historical Fictioneers

“Loyalty breaks as easily as a silken thread.”

Misplaced trust, power hunger, emotional blackmail, and greed haunt twelve characters from post-Roman Britain to the present day. And betrayal by family, lover, comrade can be even more devastating.

Historical Stories of Betrayal is a wonderful collection of short stories written by a variety of authors, with dates ranging from AD 455 when Roman leader Ambrosius needs people around him he can trust, up to 1849 and the present when Carina must discover the ancestor who betrayed the family or it will result in devastation for the family.

A couple of my personal favourites include Heart of a Falcon by Amy Maroney which tells the story of Estelle, a young Frenchwoman, whose family live in Rhodes town where her father is falconer to the Grand Master. When Estelle is invited by the King of Cyprus to be companion to his daughter and tutor his forthcoming grandchild her dreams are dashed as she soon discovers the underlying reason behind her being sent away.

Road to the Tower by Elizabeth St. John tells of events in 1483 when Lady Elysabeth Scrope stood as godmother to the young Prince Edward. When she received an urgent summons for herself and her husband from the Duke of Gloucester her husband was not at home. King Edward IV was dead and the prince was in danger. He must be taken to London immediately for the coronation. Elysabeth believed in Sovereynté – the right of women to make their own decisions…so she undertook the journey to London.

All the stories are of a high standard, offering a glimpse into the past when treachery, injustice and treason were rife, and includes historical figures such as Thomas Percy who is trapped in a no-win situation, Francis Drake coping with trouble at sea, Margaret Beaufort found guilty of treason, and pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack to name but a few. Anyone who loves historical fiction would find stories to enjoy in this collection.

***I chose to read and review* Historical Stories of Betrayal for *Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on the digital copy received.***

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US |

A concise synopsis of each story from Amazon…

AD455—Roman leader Ambrosius is caught in a whirlpool of shifting allegiances

AD940—Alyeva and cleric Dunstan navigate the dangers of the Anglo Saxon court

1185—Knight Stephan fights for comradeship, duty, and honour. But what about love?

1330—The powerful Edmund of Kent enters a tangled web of intrigue

1403—Thomas Percy must decide whether to betray his sovereign or his family

1457—Estelle is invited to the King of Cyprus’s court, but deception awaits

1483—Has Elysabeth made the right decision to bring Prince Edward to London?

1484—Margaret Beaufort contemplates the path to treason

1577—Francis Drake contends with disloyalty at sea

1650—Can James Hart, Royalist highwayman, stop a nemesis destroying his friend?

1718—Pirate Annie Bonny, her lover Calico Jack, and a pirate hunter. Who will win?

1849/present—Carina must discover her ancestor’s betrayer in Italy or face ruin.

23Feb2021

The Winterkeeper by Anna Schmidt #HistoricalFiction @annaschmidt70 #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Historical Fiction by Cathy

Author: Anna Schmidt

Published: March 2019 by Bucket Line Books

Category: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gardiner MT, just outside Yellowstone National Park, Winter, 1933.

Three people—each with the toughness and desire to survive whatever adversity fate throws in their path. But will that be enough to overcome a financial Depression in its third year with no sign of abating or the brutally cold wilderness that is Yellowstone in winter?

Fourteen year old Millie Chase had never known her father, he’d been killed in battle just before she was born, so it had been just her and her mum…until Roger Fitzgerald had come into their lives. Now Millie was standing watching as her mother’s coffin was lowered into the ground.

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19Feb2021

#Extract from Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan @mitchelljkaplan #HistoricalFiction #FridayReads

Posted in Extract, Historical Fiction by Cathy

It’s my pleasure to share an extract from Rhapsody, the upcoming novel from Mitchell J Kaplan, due for publication on 2nd March 2021.

Gershwin lowered himself to the Steinway shoving his tails behind the bench. Whiteman raised his baton and that klezmer clarinet embarked upon its crazy discourse, complaining, wheedling, sulking. A hush fell over the audience. They had never heard anything like this.

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12Feb2021

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams #HistoricalFiction based on fact #NetGalley #FridayReads

Posted in Book Review, Historical Fiction, Murder/Mystery by Cathy

Author: Hope Adams

Due to be published 4th March 2021 by Penguin

Category: Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Book Review

London, 1841.

The Rajah sails for Australia.

On board are 180 women convicted of petty crimes.

Daughters, sisters, mothers – they’ll never see home or family again. Despised and damned, they have only one another.

Until the murder.

As the fearful hunt for a killer begins, everyone on board is a suspect . . .

Based on the very real 1841 voyage of the convict ship Rajah and including several historical characters, Dangerous Women is the story of a group of women, convicted mostly of petty crimes, being transported to Tasmania, then known as Van Diemen’s Land. The chapters alternate between ‘then’ and ‘now’ giving insights into the women’s individual situations, how and why they found themselves being deported. Many had been forced into petty thievery by controlling husbands or fathers. Others stole just in order to survive.

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9Feb2021

#BookReview ~ The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister #HistoricalFiction @theladygreer #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Courtroom Drama, Historical Fiction by Cathy

Author: Greer Macallister

Published: Published November 2020 by Melia Publishing Services Ltd

Category: Historical Fiction, Courtroom Drama, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A dozen women join a secret 1850s Arctic expedition—and a sensational murder trial unfolds when some of them don’t come back.

Eccentric Lady Jane Franklin makes an outlandish offer to adventurer Virginia Reeve: take a dozen women, trek into the Arctic, and find her husband’s lost expedition. Four parties have failed to find him, and Lady Franklin wants a radical new approach: put the women in charge.

Based around two historical figures, Greer Macallister has woven a tale with its roots in the true story of Lady Jane Franklin’s determined attempts to find her husband’s lost Arctic expedition.

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2Feb2021

#Spotlight on forthcoming #debutnovel The Reincarnationist Papers by @EricMaikranz #TheReincarnationistPapers #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Crime, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller by Cathy

The Reincarnationist Papers, with elements of thriller, mystery, fantasy, crime and historical fiction, is due for publication later this year. It’s also being turned into a movie, releasing this summer by Paramount Pictures under title of “Infinite,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejoifor.

About the Book

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19Jan2021

Meet Me In Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb #HistoricalFiction #Romance @msheatherwebb @HazelGaynor #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Historical Fiction, Romance by Cathy

Authors: Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb

Published: September 2019 by WmMorrowPB

Category: Historical Fiction, Romance, Book Review

Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique to fend off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy.