Posts Tagged ‘historical’

Goodbye Demons By JJ Harrigan ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 30, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Historical, suspense
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Suspense, Historical Fiction

Date Published: 04-24-2026

Publisher: Salty Books Publishing Company, LLC

When injuries cut short the figure skating career of Angie Fernandez
Parnell, she joins the Peace Corps. She is assigned to Tunis where she finds
her soulmate, U.S. diplomat James Whitcomb. At the conclusion of their tours
of duty, they marry, and within weeks of the wedding, he is taken captive in
the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979-81.

James, held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, endures the same demons
that afflicted the real-life hostages during the actual crisis 45 years ago.
Deprivation, bad treatment, political manipulation, and above all the
uncertainty of whether or when it would all end.

Angie, biting her nails at home, endures her own demons. How can she support
him? Should she join efforts that pressure the president to negotiate a
release? Or even a rescue? A take-charge person by nature, she follows a path
that will reap huge benefits if it works. Or destroy her life if it fails.

Goodbye Demons is a visceral, emotionally charged exploration of resilience in
the face of adversity. It is the story of a man and a woman struggling to
overcome demons beyond their control.

Enjoy this peek insideL

This was the chance of a lifetime, and Angie swore she wouldn’t
blow it. She did elaborate stretching exercises and weight training. She
followed a dietician’s meal plan and skated five days a week under the
guidance of her coach. Angie concocted a brilliant plan to capture the Gold at
Nationals and guarantee her a slot on the Olympic team.

Her coach objected. “No woman has ever done a triple axel, and
you’re not ready.”

“I did it in practice. You saw me.”

“You fell. A perfect double axel that you’re capable of doing
trumps a triple axel that you screw up.”

Angie was determined to do the triple without falling. She doubled down on her
training regime. Bruising falls came each day. It wasn’t until a week
before the competitions that she completed a triple. She grinned triumphantly
at her surprised coach. Then on the next try she took a nasty fall that left
her limping when she rose from the ice. Her coach sped over to her. After
making sure Angie had broken no bones, she again warned her to stop trying the
triple axel.

“You’re not ready. It’s a riverboat gamble.”

“I have to take the gamble when I’ve got the chance.”

“You’ll have a chance next year. You’ll be stronger and more
experienced. That’ll be the time to do it.”

“In the meantime, some other girl might do it first, and nobody will
ever hear about me. Even if I do one the next day. Can you tell me who was the
second woman to fly across the Atlantic?”

 

About Author JJ Harrigan:

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Historical thriller author JJ Harrigan is a former US Service Officer
and political science professor. He scribbles his tales of intrigue on the
banks of the St. Croix River in Minnesota, where he lives with his wife,
Sandy.

 

Contact Links

 

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

 

Purchase Link

 

Amazon

 

RABT Book Tours & PR

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Cover Reveal ~ A Strange & Terrible Wonder By Nichole Louise

Posted: July 30, 2026 in Cover Reveal, Historical
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A Strange & Terrible Wonder

By Nichole Louise

 

Publication date: August 18th 2026
Genres: Adult, Historical

Eleanor Dare, daughter of Roanoke’s Governor John White, has no choice but to accompany her overly ambitious husband Ananias and her idealist, yet inexperienced father to England’s new colony. Manteo of Croatoan wants nothing more than to cast off his association with the English and return home. Haunted by memories of an unexplainable event, he sets out to find the truth about what was brought to Roanoke by the English two years before as a weapon against the Spanish.

Based on real people who vanished from history, Eleanor and Manteo form a taboo friendship as they work against unseen forces to end the violent and otherworldly attacks upon the settlement. In the midst of this survival scenario, both Eleanor and Manteo—once powerless and marginalized in England, emerge as unlikely leaders of the ravaged colony.

Blending 16th century science, occult, and the impacts of early colonialism, A Strange and Terrible Wonder reimagines what became of the Lost Colony.

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Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

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About Author Nichole Louise:

Nichole Louise is a speculative historical fiction writer and book reviewer (NicholeLouise.com). Raven Rock (2023), a prequel to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, was recognized by Writer’s Digest, the Historical Fiction Company, and the CIBAs. Her articles and book reviews have appeared in the Journal of the American Revolution. Her second title, A Strange and Terrible Wonder (2026) is a historical folk horror tale exploring the Lost Colony of Roanoke. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, gaming, and volunteering at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram

 

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Hearth Or Heart By Emily Lane ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 16, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, historical romance
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Hearth or Heart

By Emily Lane

 

(The Bowman Girls, #1)
Publication date: July 13th 2026
Genres: Adult, Historical, Historical Romance, Romance

After her father dies, Effie Bowman and her eight sisters are left penniless, homeless, and alone. Salvation comes in the form of the new custodian of the estate, Mr Thornaby. But the more she learns of Mr Thornaby, the more she realises he needs her discretion as much as she needs his security.

In her efforts to moderate the wild Mr Thornaby, she recruits the unlikely aid of ton society’s most determined widower, Sir John Callander.

As the season progresses and Effie pulls Sir John deeper into her desperate schemes to moderate Mr Thornaby, both are forced to wonder if Effie is attempting to tame the wrong gentleman.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Of all the consequences to befall a clutch of daughters belonging to an entailed estate, this one was quite outside the common.

‘£20 a month in pin money?!’ cried Effie.

‘Each.’

Mrs Thornaby, ensconced in a cream morning gown of twilled French silk that seemed to defy her age, smiled most becomingly upon her niece.

‘That is just for your frills and affects and whatever other small accoutrements you young girls require these days,’ said Mrs Thornaby. ‘Your dresses, gowns, and hats, of course, can be drawn against my son’s account.’

‘Ma’am, I could never.’

‘Oh, yes, you could,’ said Mrs Thornaby. ‘That boy has too much money.’

Effie’s eyes flashed, and she yanked her gaze down.

Grimacing, Mrs Thornaby said, ‘So, your mother has told you a little of it, I collect.’

‘She has, ma’am,’ Effie admitted.

Mrs Thornaby looked her up and down.

‘Your mother tells me you are an exceptionally good manager.’

Now the talk of money had faded, Effie’s calm, dark eyes levelled upon Mrs Thornaby once more.

‘Yes, ma’am, it’s true.’

‘I suppose with eight sisters, borne of a mother of my sister’s temperament, you, as the eldest, should rather be forced into such a role, even if it was not of your disposition.’

A smirk crossed Effie’s features as she declared, ‘That much is true, to be sure.’

‘But men and boys are a different matter indeed.’

Effie’s hands, trying to thread a needle, paused. She set her embroidery box down and took up her cup of tea.

‘I have no brothers.’

‘Clearly,’ said Mrs Thornaby. ‘And husbands? What thoughts have you on them?’

‘Not so many, ma’am. I can scarcely imagine having one, never mind plural!’

Mrs Thornaby did not laugh. Instead she set down her teacup with a clatter.

‘As you may have heard, my son returned last night from Brighton.’ She paused. ‘My son is… a particular kind of fellow.’

Effie’s brow arched. Having heard—during the small hours of the morning—this particular kind of fellow stumble through the upstairs hallway singing about the roast beef of Great Britain, she was inclined to agree with a great many insinuations that issued from that vague sobriquet.

‘Indeed?’

‘He is now, of course, the custodian of your late father’s estate—by some contortion of family lines.’

Society in the northeast of England was sparse. Somehow, Mrs Thornaby’s son had ended up taking title to the entail of her sister’s late husband’s estate.

‘Yes.’

‘It is all that is natural, then,’ Mrs Thornaby went on. ‘That my son should marry you, to maintain my sister’s place at Barraton.’

What little of the sisterly rivalry that had been passed on to Effie permitted her to regard this piece of charity with deep suspicion. Her eyes cinched a touch.

‘With respect, ma’am, I fail to see why Mr Thornaby should want to marry me.’

‘I do not.’

Blushing, Effie picked up her embroidery box again. ‘I mean, ma’am, that Mr Thornaby must have a great many… um, admirers. I cannot see that he will mark me with any distinction.’

‘He will not, but I shall tell him he is to marry you. Likely, the novelty of it will tickle him, and he will entertain it for a while. Thereafter, it is your duty to… charm him.’

Effie touched her nose. She looked around the cavernous room.

It was an early, grey morning, but the shiny mahogany and silk furniture, glossy wallpapered walls, and great sash windows shone under the blaze of three gilded hearths.

‘Oh. I see.’

Mrs Thornaby’s eyes followed Effie’s, and she grimaced.

‘We are family, Miss Bowman. Now more than we ever were. My son represents Barraton. He is Barraton.’

Effie’s jaw quirked.

‘To put things plainly, my dear, it has lately come to my attention that my son is very much in need of the companionship, temperance, and governance that a wife must, to some unions, bring.’

Mrs Thornaby paused.

‘Now, am I saying that my son is bereft of the faculties required in choosing or acquiring a wife? I am not. But one cannot but put more faith in one’s own family, especially a family so interconnected.’

Effie bowed her head. ‘It would be in my best interests, indeed, to… govern Mr Thornaby—as a wife or no.’

‘But as a wife especially,’ Mrs Thornaby reiterated.

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About Author Emily Lane:

Emily Lane writes sweet, clean Regency Romance perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Sophia Holloway, and Sophie Irwin. Hearth or Heart, her debut, launches July 13th. By day, Emily is a Management Consultant in the Lifesciences industry – she hopes her novels have just as much chemistry as her job! She lives in Thailand, which would be inconvenient but for the hot weather.

The Bowman Girls is Emily’s first Regency romance series, with 3 books currently planned:

Hearth or Heart (out now)

Past or Promise (Late 2026)

Duty or Devotion (Late 2026)

Website / Instagram / Facebook / Newsletter

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Hearth or Heart Blitz

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San Quentin Exodus By Bill Smoot ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 10, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Historical
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What happens when a literature teacher channels her inner
Nancy Drew to break an inmate out of America’s most famous prison?

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San Quentin Exodus

by Bill Smoot

Genre: Historical Literary Fiction, Crime Drama

James, a still-water-runs-deep boy, struggles to navigate
the rough streets of Oakland, California, in the 80s. His only friend is a pit
bull he rescues from dog fighting. On the cusp of college, James commits a
crime that results in a prison term of thirty to life.

Allison, a young Indiana girl obsessed with Nancy Drew
novels, vows that her life’s mission will be to solve mysteries and help
people. Introverted yet daring, Allison moves to Berkeley to teach prep school
and volunteers as a tutor at San Quentin. She meets James when he is
approaching fifty, learns his story, and after his parole denial, channels
Nancy Drew to plan his improbable escape.

San Quentin Exodux is a braided novel about two people whose
lives cross in a quest to reset an ill-fated life. It is a story infused with
misfortune and pain, but also with hope and a fierce humanity.

“San Quentin Exodus, Bill Smoot’s deeply compelling
novel, introduces readers to the world of prison but really to the much bigger
world of his characters’ lives, inviting us to follow the trajectory of each as
it unfolds with surprise and mystery, love and loss. Like all good
literature, San Quentin Exodus ultimately asks us to reconsider
everything we believe—or think we believe. Smoot is the consummate storyteller:
restrained, wise, compassionate.”
—Lori Ostlund, author of Are You
Happy?

Amazon * Apple
* B&N
* Bookbub
* Goodreads

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Prologue

 

Wings 

In one week Allison Anderson will commit her first felony: section 4550 of the
California Penal Code, helping someone escape from a state prison. Almost
everyone who knows her would be stunned with disbelief. For her, it’s the
ultimate realization of who she is.

One autumn evening six years ago, Allison entered San
Quentin Prison as a volunteer tutor. Walking across the prison grounds, she
gazed at the forty-foot walls, the spirals of razor-wire,
and the imposing guard towers. She wondered how an inmate might escape. It was
her first time in a prison, and the question engaged her problem-solving mind.
She did not know that
one day she would devise an escape plan. She did not know that she would put
that plan into action. At the time, it was just a thought experiment, a
challenge for a woman whose childhood heroine was Nancy Drew, girl sleuth.

Allison’s most vivid memory of entering the prison that
evening was the birds. When she and her group rounded the hospital building and
walked across the yard, she saw geese and gulls scratching the ground on the
baseball field. It was mere minutes before the October sun would set, and their
white feathers glowed like gold. A single goose stretched his neck, dipped his
thick body, and with a push from his feet and a flapping of his great wings, he
rose from the ground and glided across the field, then soared over the wall.
Other geese did the same, their necks piercing the air like arrows. Sea gulls
followed. The walls and guard towers were mere landmarks below them, like trees
or outcroppings of rock, obstacles they cleared with ease. They didn’t need an escape
plan. They had wings.

 

The First Day and the Last

They
say that the two days of prison an inmate remembers most vividly are his first
and his last. Everything in between is a blur. James’ first day was 30 years
ago. His last—maybe—will be in one week. If Hemingway’s character could walk
away from war, James can declare his separate peace from prison. It’s time to
move on, regardless of what the parole board has ruled. It’s necessary. An
absolute must.

For society, James is a statistic, another Black man
languishing in prison, costing the state $75,000 a year. His escape—if it
succeeds—will save taxpayers money. For himself, it will be his personal
exodus, his promised land of another chance at life. If things go according to
plan, no one will know how he did it. He will just disappear, a man become a
ghost. Allison is a smart young lady, and he can’t find any flaws in her plan,
but he is haunted by that old saying: If it seems too good to be true, then it
probably is.

James is filled with yearning and fear. The greater danger
is not that he’ll get caught and have time added to his sentence—though that’s
a real possibility—but that the hope he’s allowed himself to feel will die.
That’s the greater risk. The loss of hope he could not bear.

He lies in his bunk, trying to conjure up positive images.
The thought of freedom makes his skin prickle. The shadows of the bars cross
his body, spill onto the concrete floor. He listens to the cell block tick with
sound, as if the walls are straining to breathe. He imagines a sea gull soaring
on the wind.

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Bill Smoot grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, and attended
Purdue University where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Purdue
Exponent. Fired as editor by the university president, he was reinstated after
protest from students and faculty. He went on to graduate school at
Northwestern University, where he received a PhD in philosophy. He has taught
for four decades at levels ranging from sixth grade to university students. He
currently teaches courses at Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin and the Osher
Institute for Lifelong Learning at UC-Berkeley. His essays and short stories
have such publications as Ninth Letter, Crab Creek Review. The Nation, Literary
Review, Crab Orchard Review, Western Humanities Review, Narrative, and
Salon.com. His the author of Conversations with Great Teachers and a novel,
Love: A Story. Mr. Smoot currently lives in Berkeley, California, with his dog
Artemis. His website is https://billsmoot.net

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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The Siren’s Daughter By Claire Fuge ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: June 30, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Historical
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The Siren’s Daughter

By Claire Fuge

 

Publication date: June 28th 2026
Genres: Historical

1126. The Norman conquest grips Wales. Rebellion stirs. And one woman’s choice could ignite it all.

Nineteen-year-old Angharad, the daughter of a Norman knight and a captive Welsh princess, arrives at Aberteifi Castle for her mother’s arranged marriage. But her new stepfather, the merciless Norman commander of the castle, has other plans. He demands that Angharad expose her mother, Nesta, as a secret rebel or be cast out to die.

To survive, Angharad presses Nesta to reveal the truth about her past: as a Welsh princess stolen by invaders, the victim of wars and betrayals, the seductress of kings and princes. As Nesta’s story unfolds, Angharad discovers a legacy more dangerous than she could have imagined, and must decide whether to protect her mother or herself…

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

In 1066, Duke Guillaume of Normandy, known to the English as William the Conqueror, won the Battle of Hastings and was crowned King of England.

In 1087, the Norman barons began their invasion of Wales.

By 1126, after countless deaths amongst the thorn-infested hills, swamps, and forests, the Normans had managed to subdue all five Welsh kingdoms. More or less.

 

Chapter 1. HOMECOMING

All Hallows’ Eve, 1126. West Wales

When the castle loomed out of the hailstorm above her, Angharad was careful not to crane her head upwards in awe as her Norman guards did. Her mother had commanded her to uphold her dignity, no matter what, so she kept her back straight and sat rigid in her saddle. Although the steepness of the hill made her feel as if spikes of ice were being hurled down at her by the castle itself, she didn’t cower. She pretended not to hear the guards cursing about having to drag a pair of heathen women out of the Welsh wildlands. She alone would be her mother’s last, unfailing support.

Angharad’s mother, Nesta, rode alongside, her imperious glare fixed on the track ahead, ignoring the water that streamed from her claw-black hair onto her horse’s flank. Even dressed in threadbare travelling clothes, Nesta didn’t look like the prisoner she was, finally recaptured by the Normans after three years of threats, bribes, and attempted ambushes. She didn’t look like a new bride either, although she was bound to marry the Constable of the castle; the contract had been sealed. No. What Nesta looked like, in the arrogant line of her jaw, in the resolute set of her flawless face, was what she was born to be.

Royalty.

During her nineteen years of life, Angharad had been reminded daily that her mother was the last living princess of Deheubarth, once the most renowned of the Welsh kingdoms. Angharad’s bloodline was the only wealth she possessed; she must look the part.

‘Amongst wolves,’ Nesta had said – and many wolves lived in the cloud-draped forests of these lands – ‘you can tell the leader of the pack from the way he draws every eye towards him. My father looked like a king from two arrowshots away, even when he was wounded from the endless wars, even when he was starving and freezing and caked in mud. Whatever fate we meet in this castle, I refuse to grovel before them. Hold your head high, Angharad. We must not disgrace the memory of our glorious ancestors.’

Luckily, deception was one of Angharad’s talents: Nesta had trained her in it since she was a child. Angharad had the skill of appearing haughty whilst at her most powerless.

When Nesta dismounted on the crest of the hill, Angharad copied, stifling a wince at the cramp in her thighs. Sixty miles they had travelled from the open meadows where they had spent their years of sanctuary amongst the Welsh: a journey of three days and nights, riding and walking through a wasteland of swamps and brambles, the Norman guards watchful behind them, bloodhounds running at their flanks to warn them of rebels and outlaws, with every hamlet full of hostile eyes and nothing to buy and almost nothing to steal. But here they were, at last.

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About Author Claire Fuge:

Claire Fuge writes historical fiction inspired by medieval Wales, the Tewdwr family and the women whose lives were shaped by conquest, loyalty and survival. Her work explores the spaces where history leaves silence, and where storytelling can bring forgotten voices back to life.

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Deadly Ruse ~ A World War II Mystery By Kate Parker

Posted: June 25, 2026 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways, Historical
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Deadly Ruse: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
by Kate Parker


Deadly Ruse: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
Historical Cozy Mystery
14th in Series
Setting – England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ JDP Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 23, 2026
Number of Pages ~300
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8993886442
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GYQCS43C
Paperback will be available on the release date.

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As the war’s outcome shifts, deception is an art–and survival depends on who’s painting the picture.

When British spy Olivia Redmond is summoned again by her elusive spymaster, she’s expecting danger–not an invitation to teach drawing to captured German generals at Trent Park House. But beneath the genteel cover of sketches and civility lies a deadly ruse: the lavish POW mansion is wired for sound, every whispered secret a weapon in Britain’s intelligence war.

Among the prisoners is Oberst Bernhard, a conflicted German officer from Livvy’s past. When murder, stolen jewels, and a suspected plot among the prisoners ignite within Trent Park, Livvy must decide whom she can trust–and how far she’ll go to expose a truth wrapped in loyalty and lies.

From the candlelit salons of wartime espionage to the shadows of betrayal, Deadly Ruse is a gripping historical mystery where every stroke of trust could be fatal.

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About Author Kate Parker

Kate Parker has long wanted to build a time travel machine. However, after several false starts, she gave up and created time travel by going back in time inside her  books. Since she’s fond of murder mysteries, it is probably best that all of her travel is inside books or police from various ages would be hunting her. When not recreating old time buildings and fashions, she can be found with a modern computer and modern air conditioning in North Carolina with her daughter and a 115 lb. puppy who could just crash through any time barrier.

Author Links
Website – Facebook 

Purchase Links –

Amazon – B&N – Kobo 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 23 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

June 24 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

June 24 – Book Hookup – REVIEW

June 25 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 26 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

June 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 29 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

June 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

June 30 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT

July 1 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author– SPOTLIGHT

July 1 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

July 2 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

July 2 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 3 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Death Of A Proper Bostonian ~ An Old Los Angeles Mystery By Anne Louise Bannom

Posted: June 14, 2026 in giveaways, Historical, Mystery
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Death of a Proper Bostonian (Old Los Angeles)
by Anne Louise Bannon


Death of a Proper Bostonian (Old Los Angeles)
Historical Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Boston, 1873
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Healcroft House, Publishers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2026
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1948616539
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GMLGMMGM

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A deadly homecoming

It’s August 1873, and at long last, physician and winemaker Maddie Franklin Wilcox makes the journey home to her beloved native Boston. Her business is to deliver her ward and apprentice, Elena Ortiz, to the local women’s medical school, and that also includes visiting her father, her sister and her family.

But at a dinner with the family of Maddie’s late and very much unlamented (at least, on her part) husband, young John Wilcox, a cousin there to entertain the guests with his nature talk, is shot. Then the next morning, the eldest of the Wilcox brothers is found shot in his bed. Maddie quickly concludes that the shooting of the oh, so charming naturalist was but a distraction for the shooting of her former brother-in-law.

Chased by a corrupt Boston police officer, confronted again and again by the relentless prejudice of the city’s medical practitioners, and in danger of losing her heart to young John Wilcox (who had plenty of reasons to want his cousin dead), Maddie’s happy homecoming becomes a morass of suspicion with someone willing to kill her and the people she loves.

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About Author Anne Louise Bannon

Author Anne Louise Bannon’s husband says that his wife kills people for a living. Bannon does mostly write mysteries, including the Old Los Angeles Series, the Freddie and Kathy series, and the Operation Quickline series. She has worked as a freelance journalist for magazines and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She and her husband, Michael Holland, created a wine education blog, and she co-wrote a book on poisons. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at AnneLouiseBannon.com.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Mastodon / BlueSky 

Pinterest / LinkedIn / Substack / Goodreads 

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble     Kobo    Books2Read    Apple    Amazon      Google    Bookshop.org 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 9 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 10 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

June 11 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 11 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT  

June 12 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 15 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

June 16 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 16 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 17 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

June 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

A Necessary Death By Terri Karsten ~ Spotlight And Giveaway

Posted: June 8, 2026 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways, Historical
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A Necessary Death
by Terri Karsten


A Necessary Death
Historical Cozy Mystery
Setting – A tavern in Colonial Pennsylvania (1764)
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wagonbridge Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1953444202
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953444202
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953444219
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FLDWVCJW

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With Penelope Corbitt in the kitchen, the tavern will never be the same.

Penelope Corbitt can turn a lump of meat and a bit of flour into a mouth-watering pie or make a tasty meal of cabbage and vinegar. But all her skill can’t save her family in the spring of 1763, when she loses everything to pay off her missing husband’s debts. Walking a tightrope between the freedom of poverty and the confines of propriety, she must accept her stingy brother-in-law’s reluctant charity to keep her family fed and her children close. The miserable journey north from Philadelphia is interrupted when the coach crashes in the mud. Penelope and her children are stranded at a run-down tavern. Penelope doesn’t think things can get worse.

Then she finds a dead man.

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About Author Terri Karsten

Living in the shadow of the Mississippi River bluffs, Terri Karsten has been a writer and educator for many years. She grew up in sunny San Jose, California, playing amid the cherry orchards that soon gave way to houses. In her search for education and adventure, she lived in Iowa and Wisconsin, Mexico and France, before settling into a hundred-year-old house in Winona, Minnesota. She spends most days in her tiny office, surrounded by books, papers, and good memories.

With more ideas than time, Terri writes a bit of everything, ranging from historical fiction novels to picture book folktales to dozens of short stories and articles in magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers.

When she is not writing, Terri loves poring over old cookbooks and recreating dishes from long ago, especially medieval, Renaissance, and colonial foods. Always ready for the next adventure, she enjoys camping, hiking, and traveling. Her latest goal is to visit National Parks in every state. Only 13 states to go!

Author Links: Website / Facebook / SubStack / Goodreads 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 4 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

June 4 – Salty Inspirations – RECIPE

June 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 5 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – Sarandipity’s – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW 

June 7 – Deal Sharing Aunt – RECIPE

June 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 8 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – RECIPE

June 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

June 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 

June 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

June 12 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 13 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author – REVIEW

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club ~ Spotlight And Giveaway

Posted: June 2, 2026 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways, Historical
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The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club by Bill Cusano Banner

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THE OLD CRANBERRY LADIES GARDEN CLUB
by Bill Cusano
June 1 – July 10, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

 

THE GHOST AND THE KEY

With a pitchfork through the man’s groin and another through his chest, it is clear that someone had murdered Chester H. Cranberry. It’s not something that could have happened accidentally. But that was 192 years ago. As Mildred Cranberry, the current family matriarch, puts it, “We have two women, two keys, two pitchforks, and one dead two-timing man.” Who in their right mind would want to dig up that cold case and try to solve it? It’s not like the murderer could be prosecuted in 2024, right? But what if a key piece of evidence can be dug up (literally)? And what if a descendant of Chester’s illegitimate child can get her hands on it? Mildred will need more than the Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club members to solve this bizarre case. The spiritual support she needs may not be what she expects when the ghost of Elcira Cranberry, the widow murderess herself, arrives to do what? Tell the truth or protect her reputation?

The Ladies Garden Club of Old Cranberry, Connecticut, has a 200-year history that has remained shrouded in secrecy for so long, it has been lost to history, until now. Elcira Cranberry and freedwoman Deborah Townsend knew the men of the town would have no interest in a garden club, so it was the perfect cover for their secret organization. Now, nearly two centuries later, the current members have no idea what those ladies were up to in the early 1800s, right here in Connecticut. But the secret will soon be out.

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THE WIDOW MURDERESS

Connecticut, 1833. A year after Chester Cranberry’s unsolved murder, the town that he founded continues to suspect that his wife, Elcira, ended his life. With insufficient evidence to bring her to trial, and little effort to find another suspect, the town gossip labels her “The Widow Murderess.” But Elcira has seven children to feed, ranging in age from three to nine, and her nanny, Deborah, a freed slave, is pregnant with her husband’s illegitimate child. All eyes are on these two women, expecting them to fail to keep the farm and the family together. When the general store cuts off Elcira’s credit and refuses to sell anything her farm produces, the alliance between Elcira and Deborah grows stronger, and the women set out to do something unthinkable, something that can cause one to be whipped and the other thrown in jail. They opened their home to runaway slaves seeking freedom along a secret route north. Behind the facade of a ladies’ garden club, the women run a clandestine school, teaching the formerly enslaved and runaways to read and write-a dangerous act that could destroy everything she’s built.

When a mysterious murder during a violent storm brings old secrets to light, the truth about Chester’s death threatens to surface. With the town’s suspicions mounting and powerful enemies closing in, Elcira must decide how much she’s willing to risk to protect those she loves and maintain the underground railroad that runs through her land.

A gripping historical novel about courage, family, and the price of freedom in pre-Civil War New England, The Widow Murderess explores how one woman’s determination to survive becomes a beacon of hope for those seeking liberty.

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THE SPARROW AND THE CROW

The last time the crows circled the old farmhouse, her husband Chester was found dead and the town named her a murderess. Thirty years later, the truth she buried with him is stirring again, the country is splitting in two, and the family she fought so hard to hold together is being pulled apart by a war that hasn’t yet been declared. Her grandson Auggie wants to fight for the Union. His mother, born to a Virginia plantation family, will do anything to drag him south instead. Millie — the rector’s daughter with golden hair and a satchel full of letters — waits at home for a boy who may never come back. And in the chapel behind the lilacs, Elcira and the women of her garden club continue the work no one is supposed to know about: sheltering freedom seekers as slave catchers tighten their grip on the Connecticut coast. Then a telegram arrives. And another. And the war everyone said would never come has come for the Cranberry’s all at once.  

Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Marie Benedict, Paulette Jiles, and Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain — a story about what families inherit, what they hide, and what they’re willing to risk when the country they believed in begins to come apart.

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery

Published by: 4610 Publishing

Series: The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club

 

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About Author Bill Cusano:

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Bill Cusano

Bill Cusano is an author, a retired deacon in the Episcopal Church and a believer that it is the process rather than the outcomes that matter most in our lives. Retired from the corporate world and an eight-year stint running a non-profit feeding program, Bill attacks every project as a ministry, giving it his full commitment. Needing to readjust to life after losing the love of his life to leukemia in April of 2024, Bill returned to writing full-time, resulting in The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club series, the motivation and inspiration for which came from his wife’s voracious appetite for reading historical fiction. While this is Bill’s debut novel, he has always been a writer, publishing short stories and poems early on, and then beginning a daily spiritual blog in 2008. You can follow Bill’s Reflections From The Garden Bench along with other writings on his Substack account.

Catch Up With Bill Cusano:

BillCusano.com Bill’s Substack Amazon Author Profile Goodreads – @billcusano Instagram – @billcusano X – @CusanoBill Facebook – @bill.cusano

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Tour Participants:

Click through the other tour stops for can’t-miss reviews, insider interviews, exclusive guest posts, and more chances to win! Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

When Crows Circle… It’s Time to Enter to Win
This giveaway is hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Bill Cusano. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

. The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club by Bill Cusano | Surprise Gift Box w/ Gift Card

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Unmasking The Marquess By Pamela Gibson ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: June 2, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, historical romance
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Unmasking The Marquess organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Pamela Gibson will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Unmasking  The Marquess

By Pamela Gibson

 

 

Genre: Historical Romance

 Synopsis

He was a licentious rogue, or was he?

Aubrey St. Clair, Marquess of Leisterbridge, a notorious rake and society fribble, abandons his bride on their wedding night to spite his father, the man who coerced him into the marriage. When his intrepid bride turns up at his personal estate to quash the scandal, they call a truce and finally get to know each other.

Lady Catherine Sturbridge considered ending her betrothal. But a threatening letter sent to her by a convicted criminal whom she chanced upon in London, changed her mind. Marrying the powerful Duke of Gresham’s heir would keep her loved ones safe, even if she must tie herself to a frivolous rogue.

When, despite her silence, her enemy abducts her godchild, Catherine is forced to confide in her husband who agrees to help her. But can she trust him to know what to do when a child’s life is at stake and they’ve been warned not to go to go the authorities?

As they work closely together, they succumb to the passionate side of their marriage. But Catherine is wary, despite finding a different man under the guise of a society dandy, and when Aubrey reveals a long-held secret, she must protect her heart because betrayal is the enemy of trust and their fragile, new-found love is about to shatter.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“A bit solemn, are you not, my dear? If you keep biting your lower lip, I shall have to offer you my handkerchief to staunch the blood, and I would hate to soil it. Smile. This is, after all, your wedding day.”

“And yours, as you now have access to a considerable dowry to fund all of your bad habits.”

The rogue put his hand on her chin and turned her face toward him. A broad grin lit up his face as if taunting her brought him the greatest of pleasures. “Now, now, Catherine. I am not as bad as all that. You might be pleasantly surprised once you get to know me. Gossip would have me sporting horns and a forked tail.”

“I remember seeing a poster with you seated on a bed surrounded by well-endowed, unclad ladies in various positions. Your face, horns, and tail were well-drawn. The only thing missing being signs of the pox.”

The laughter did not leave his face when he clutched his heart. “You wound me, wife. I do not now, nor have I ever, had the pox, if that is the cause of your sour expression.”

“I am relieved to hear it. However, this conversation must be put off. We are nearing my father’s house.”

Horses were drawn to a halt, and the marquess alighted first then turned and grabbed Catherine around the waist, swinging her in a circle before setting her on her feet.

“Milord, are you mad?” she squealed.

He tilted his head and grinned. “Perhaps. Shall we make our grand entrance through the stately front doors?”

Oh lord, what have I done?

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About Author Pamela Gibson:

Author of eight books on California history and twenty-three romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives in Southern Nevada. Having spent several years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of her latest rescue cat, Lady Diana, a dignified senior. She loves red wine, all kinds of chocolate, old Jimmy Buffet sailing songs, and curling up with a good book.

Thank you for reading. If you are so inclined, we would love for you to leave a review or rating.

Website / BookBub / Facebook / Threads / Goodreads / Amazon

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GIVEAWAY

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

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