Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...

Thursday, 10 September 2026

The Coffee Pot Book Club & Yarde Book Promotions: Peggy Joque Williams Braving the Dawn

Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds real and fictional,
meet interesting people, visit exciting places
and find good books to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

Book Title: Braving the Dawn: A Novel of New France

Series: Sequel to Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles

Author Name: Peggy Joque Williams

Publication Date: January 15, 2026

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Pages: 371

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: Some violence when main character is kidnapped and several people are killed

Audiobook narrated by Mallory Fuccella

Banished from France by King Louis XIV, once royal favorite Sylvienne d'Aubert must make the dangerous ocean crossing with a group of young women eager to secure husbands in the French colony of Quebec as Filles du Roi (Daughters of the King). Sylvienne, however, scarred by an abusive, arranged marriage in France, vows never to wed again. She is determined to one day return to her beloved homeland and to her lover, Etienne.

Clinging to hope that her true love still lives, she must first survive hardships and challenges unique to the Canadian frontier and rebuild her life in a young colony that is at once welcoming and dangerous. She finds friendship in unexpected places and allies among the Native people while developing a resilience she didn't know she possessed.

But the king's reach is long, and Sylvienne's past haunts her at every turn in this saga of new beginnings, survival, and determination of the heart.

Praise for Braving the Dawn:

"Peggy Joque Williams captures readers with a gripping frontier saga of love, loss, and struggle-proving even the wilderness of New France isn't far enough away from the mother country to escape the long arm of the Crown."

~ Cam Torrens, bestselling author of the Tyler Zahn suspense series

Buy Links:

Amazon Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/u/m0RMJ0

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Additional links:

Amazon Audible:

https://www.amazon.com/Braving-Dawn-Novel-New-France/dp/B0GX2W6D52/

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/braving-the-dawn-peggy-joque-williams/1148871668?ean=9781685136987

Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/braving-the-dawn-a-novel-of-new-france-peggy-joque-williams/e3fb2dae0db93b35

Black Rose Writing:

https://www.blackrosewriting.com/historicaladventure/p/bravingthedawn

Author Bio:

Award-winning author Peggy Joque Williams writes historical fiction inspired by her love of genealogy and her deep historical research into her European, French-Canadian, and Ojibwe ancestors.

Prior to Braving the Dawn, she first penned Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles, a prequel following her character Sylvienne’s rise and fall at court. She has also co-authored two contemporary mystery novels: On the Road to Death’s Door and On the Road to Where the Bells Toll.

A retired elementary school teacher, Peggy has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education. She enjoys travel, gardening, and spending time with family. She lives Madison, Wisconsin.

Author Links:

Website:

https://peggywilliamsauthor.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PeggyJoqueWilliamsAuthor

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/peggyjoque/

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/peggyjoquewilliams.bsky.social

Book Bub:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2598702672

Threads:

https://www.threads.net/@peggyjoque

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@peggyjoquewilliams

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/peggy_joque_williams

Goodreads: : https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4900279.Peggy_Joque_Williams

Follow the tour:

Twitter / X Handles: @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

Instagram Handles: @peggyjoque @thecoffeepotbookclub @yardereviews

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #FillesduRoi #DaughtersoftheKing #ReaderReach #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #YardeBookPromotions

Tour Schedule Page:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/08/blog-tour-braving-the-dawn-by-peggy-joque-williams.html

(Helen has not yet read this title)

< PREVIOUS POST

scroll down to leave a comment...

"Amazing stories written by highly skilled writers" Smorgasbord Book Magazine

https://mybook.to/COURAGE-Anthology

You might also like books written by Helen Hollick

Website: https://blog.helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page:

https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

cosy mysteries : historical fiction
nautical supernatural adventure

1066 : King Arthur
ghosts : non-fiction

anthologies

2025 annual award winner

THANK YOU!

Wednesday, 9 September 2026

The Coffee Pot Book Club: The Irish Ties That Bind by Michael J. Hopkins

Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds real and fictional,
meet interesting people, visit exciting places
and find good books to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

Book Title: The Irish Ties That Bind: A Shared One Hundred-Year Journey

Author Name: Michael J. Hopkins

Publication Date: August 20th, 2026

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 356

Genre: Historical Fiction / Irish Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: systematic oppression, famine, religious and political conflict, racial and ethnic injustice, gender inequality, alcoholism, war and combat trauma

From the green hills of southern Ireland to the heartland of America, four families are united by faith, perseverance, and an enduring legacy that spans generations.

As famine and hardship drive Irish immigrants across the Atlantic in the mid-nineteenth century, the Power and Coughlin families plant new roots in the American Midwest. Their daughters answer a higher calling, joining the fledgling Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Through the remarkable leadership of Sister Emily and Sister Samuel, these women help shape a religious community that will educate thousands and leave an indelible mark on the nation.

Their story intertwines with those of the Cullen and Hynes families, whose lives are transformed by the sisters’ influence. Seeking refuge from the unrest of postwar Chicago, they settle in Dixon, Illinois, where friendship, faith, and family bind them to another rising family—the Reagans. As Ronald Reagan grows from a small-town boy into a radio broadcaster, actor, and emerging public figure, the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Americans intersect in unexpected ways.

Set against the backdrop of immigration, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the dawn of the Cold War, The Irish Ties That Bind is a sweeping historical saga of courage, devotion, and the families whose quiet strength shaped generations. It is a powerful testament to the bonds of family, faith, and heritage that endure long after history's tides have turned.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: mybook.to/rKwaAM

Author Bio:

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Michael J. Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Beloit College, subsequently obtaining a degree in history from Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He furthered his academic pursuits by completing a Master of Arts in the Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Mr. Hopkins concluded a distinguished forty-year tenure in secondary education, having served as a social studies instructor at Darlington High School for thirty-nine years.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he dedicated many years to coaching basketball, baseball, and football at the same high school. His contributions to athletics were formally recognized in 2021 with his induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Following his retirement from education, he has transitioned into a career as an author. In 2025, he published his autobiographical memoir, Embracing A Competitive Life: Trials, Triumphs, and 150 Life Lessons in Six Decades of Competition, which chronicles his experiences as both an athlete and a coach.