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Tuesday 27 June 2023

My Coffee Pot Guest: Nancy Northcott - The King’s Champion

 The Boar King’s Honour Trilogy, Book 3

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real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
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About the Book
Book Title: The King’s Champion

Series: The Boar King’s Honor Trilogy

Author: Nancy Northcott

Publication Date: May 1, 2023

Publisher: Falstaff Books

Page Length: 378

Genre: Historical fantasy with romantic elements

The Boar King’s Honor Trilogy

A wizard’s misplaced trust

A king wrongly blamed

A bloodline cursed until they clear the king’s name.

Book 3: The King’s Champion

Caught up in the desperate evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France in the summer of 1940, photojournalist Kate Shaw witnesses death and destruction that trigger disturbing visions. She doesn’t believe in magic and tries to pass them off as survivor guilt or an overactive imagination, but the increasingly intense visions force her to accept that she is not only magically Gifted but a seer.

In Dover, she meets her distant cousin Sebastian Mainwaring, Earl of Hawkstowe and an officer in the British Army. He’s also a seer and is desperate to recruit her rare Gift for the war effort. The fall of France leaves Britain standing alone as the full weight of Nazi military might threatens. Kate’s untrained Gift flares out of control, forcing her to accept Sebastian’s help in conquering it as her ethics compel her to use her ability for the cause that is right.

As this fledgling wizard comes into her own, her visions warn of an impending German invasion, Operation Sealion, which British intelligence confirms. At the same time, desire to help Sebastian, who’s doomed by a family curse arising from a centuries-old murder, leads Kate to a shadowy afterworld between life and death and the trapped, fading souls who are the roots of her family’s story. From the bloody battlefields of France to the salons of London, Kate and Sebastian race against time to free his family’s cursed souls and to stop an invasion that could doom the Allied cause.

The King’s Champion concludes Nancy’s Northcott’s exciting Boar King’s Honor Trilogy.

 The Road to The End by Nancy Northcott

This trilogy started out with a single idea, and I originally meant to write only one book. So how did it become three? Well, things got out of hand, as things sometimes do.

I wanted to write a story blaming the Duke of Buckingham for the murders of the Princes in the Tower, Edward IV’s sons and Richard III’s nephews, who were last reported seen in the Tower of London in the fall of 1483. I thought he was the most likely candidate—assuming the boys were murdered at all, something I think there’s plenty of room to doubt. Regardless of one’s view on that question, a fair number of historical novels have been written on the topic. I wanted to do something different.

So I started thinking of angles. The Tower of London was not only a prison. It was also a royal residence, probably the most secure one in the realm. People going in and out were observed by guards and workers. So how could assassins kill two boys, bury them under a staircase, as the traditional view holds they did, and get out but have no one see them in the act or raise a hue and cry and point fingers afterward?

Because I love fantasy and science fiction, an answer popped into my head—magic. So I started on the chain of what if so familiar to writers. I put a wizard, Edmund Mainwaring, Earl of Hawkstowe, in Buckingham’s affinity and had him, mistakenly trusting his liege lord, help Buckingham’s agents accomplish their murderous mission unseen.

When Edmund learned what he had done, he threw himself on the mercy of King Richard III. The king told him, because of the political situation, not to say anything until the king gave him leave. But Richard III died at Bosworth Field before doing so.

The Tudors who followed him smeared his reputation, denied his claim to the throne, and blamed him for the boys’ deaths. Speaking up during their reigns would’ve cost Edmund his head. Tormented by guilt, he cursed all the heirs of his line to not rest in life or death until they cleared the king’s name.

At that point, I started writing The Herald of Day. I threw in altered history to raise the story’s stakes. A wizard figures out how to travel through time and changes the past to establish a dictatorship of the magically Gifted. The lead characters must figure out what happened, who did it, and how to undo it before the grim reality that results from the changes becomes permanent. Along the way, they tried to figure out how to lift the Mainwaring curse.

I reached the end of the book and decided that was maybe too easy. A friend suggested making the book the first of a trilogy with the curse storyline running through it. The more I thought about that, the more I liked the idea. I needed something with high stakes for the main plots in the next two books, though. I finally hit on Napoleon’s escape from Elba and the Battle of Waterloo for the second book, The Steel Rose, and the Battle of Britain and Operation Sealion for The King’s Champion. These two books have different lead characters, but two of the main characters from The Herald of Day, Richard and Miranda Mainwaring, the Earl and Countess of Hawkstowe, appear in prominent supporting roles as ghosts in both of these later books.

Because the lead characters from The Steel Rose aren’t cursed, they don’t play a role after their book. Nor do they have any part in The Herald of Day, which is set 131 years before The Steel Rose. Since The King’s Champion is the final book and occurs 125 years after The Steel Rose, the lead characters in The King’s Champion appear only in their book.

Richard and Miranda, though, have lived in my head for a long time. I first came up with the idea for The Herald of Day about twenty-five years ago and have thought about them regularly since then. I know how many children they had, what they dealt with during the long years of their existence, and even how and when they died though the books don’t go into that. I can use them (and have done) in other stories, of course, but their quest to lift the family curse reaches its final disposition in The King’s Champion. At that point, they move from the main stage to the wings.

When I wrote the final scene about the curse, I choked up a little, to my great surprise. Miranda and Richard are characters in books. Imaginary people. Not friends from my neighborhood. Yet they’ve occupied space in my brain for so long that I felt almost as though they belonged there. Finishing the trilogy gives me a sense of accomplishment, but it’s also bittersweet in a way I think is understandable to most writers and to many readers who loves series with recurrent characters.

Regardless, I love having the complete trilogy out in the world. I hope readers enjoy it. 

This has been fun! Thanks for having me, Helen.

 H: My pleasure!

This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Links:   

The Herald of Day

Universal Buy Link

The Steel Rose

Universal Buy Link

 

The King’s Champion

Universal Buy Link

 

The Boar King's Honor Trilogy Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon AU

Amazon CA

About the author

Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman.  Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy, history, and romance.

Nancy earned her undergraduate degree in history and particularly enjoyed a summer spent studying Tudor and Stuart England at the University of Oxford. She has given presentations on the Wars of the Roses and Richard III to university classes studying Shakespeare’s play about that king. In addition, she has taught college courses on science fiction, fantasy, and society.   

The Boar King’s Honor historical fantasy trilogy combines Nancy’s love of history and magic with her interest in Richard III. She also writes traditional romantic suspense, romantic spy adventures, and two other speculative fiction series, the Light Mage Wars paranormal romances and, with Jeanne Adams, the Outcast Station space mystery series.

Social Media Links:

Website: 

https://www.NancyNorthcott.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NancyNorthcott

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nancynorthcottstreetteam

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nancynorthcottauthor/

Pinterest: 

https://www.pinterest.com/nancynorthcott/

Book Bub: 

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-northcott

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nancy-Northcott/author/B00ITY5KLS

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3468806.Nancy_Northcott

Follow the tour:

Twitter Handle: @NancyNorthcott @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @NancyNorthcottAuthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFantasy #WWII #Dunkirk #RomanticFantasy #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Blog Tour Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/05/blog-tour-kings-champion-by-nancy-northcott.html




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You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 




The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch


A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate 
COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022


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Thursday 22 June 2023

My Coffee Pot Guest: Griffin Brady - The Hussar’s Duty

The Winged Warrior Series Book #3


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


About the Book

Book Title: The Hussar’s Duty

Series: The Winged Warrior Series

Author: Griffin Brady

Publication Date: May 18, 2023

Publisher: Trefoil Publishing

Page Length: 538

Poland’s most valiant winged hussar is called to fight in a campaign ripe for disaster. But he must also protect those he loves from jackals waiting to pounce. How does he choose between duty and devotion when death is on the line?

When Sultan Osman II sends Poland's envoy packing, the Commonwealth must prepare for war against one of the largest armies the Ottomans have ever assembled. Tasked with repelling the invasion is Grand Hetman of the Crown StanisÅ‚aw Żółkiewski, and he knows who to turn to: Jacek DÄ…browski, the Commonwealth’s most valiant Polish winged hussar.

Jacek has been idle far too long, and the call to arms is a siren’s song he can’t resist. But he has built a life far from the battlefield with his wife, Oliwia, and their children. If he pursues his quest for glory, who will safeguard them?

Oliwia knows her husband is restless. In fact, she’s been sending Jacek on cross-country errands for years in the hopes of quelling his lust for battle. When she realizes her efforts are futile, she resolves herself to letting him go—after hatching a scheme to accompany him.

Honor. Obligation. Devotion. These forces push and pull Jacek in different directions. His country needs him, but so does his family. Where does his duty lie? His choice will cause catastrophic ripples no matter which path he follows … and could very well bring the loss of his loved ones or his life.

Will the cost of defending king and country prove too steep for this warrior?

This is a standalone continuation in The Winged Warrior Series.

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://readerlinks.com/l/3336453

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2VZ2963/

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2VZ2963/

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C2VZ2963/

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C2VZ2963/

Read An Excerpt

Excerpt #2: Chapter 23 – Tremors

Oliwia had donned her cloak and exited the castle walls, making for St. Lawrence’s vaulted vestibules, black-and-white marble tiled floors, and high windows that threw down prismed light. She should have arranged for a male escort, but said males in her party were engaged in the tiltyards. Besides, Nadia walked beside her, they were within the walls of the city, and the sun was high in the early afternoon sky.

They scurried across Viche Square into the welcoming embrace of the cathedral’s walls. Nerves that had been jangling off and on for days suddenly calmed as she dipped her fingers in the font’s cool water, genuflected, and crossed herself under the watchful eyes of the archangels high above the glorious altar. She had come to love those angels.

The place was stunning … and mostly empty, which gave her an opportunity to linger as long as she pleased. She lit candles for each of her children, her brother, and Jacek, before selecting a pew close to the front. Kneeling, she bent her head over her hands clasped in prayer, dimly aware that Nadia sat several pews back.

Mary, Mother of God, I beseech you, please protect …

How long her prayers ran on and how much she repeated them, she could not say. When she lifted her head, shadows moved across the high windows. Glancing over her shoulder, she glimpsed Nadia sitting, rather than kneeling, and the maid seemed to be asleep. Oliwia suppressed a smile and sent one last prayer heavenward. She made to rise, but her knees and lower legs had gone numb. Eyes cast downward, she rearranged herself and grasped the pew to heave herself to her feet. A looming shadow, followed by a rank smell, had her eyes flying fully open. A man she did not recognize stood beside her, broadside to the altar so that he faced her side.

He crowded her. “Ain’t this a fortunate coincidence?” Breath fouled with the smell of decaying teeth and spirits blasted her, and his raspy voice sent alarm bells clanging in her head. She knew that voice! She turned to run, but a viselike grip clamped down on her arm. “Such a fine, fine lady. I have been dreaming of you ever since our encounter, my pet. Let’s go somewhere quiet where we can become better acquainted and tend to our unfinished business.”

My pet?

Terror seized her, and she kicked out, landing a blow to the man’s inner thigh. She had missed her mark, but he howled nonetheless, giving her a split second to whirl and run to the main aisle. Nadia startled to life and took off in the opposite direction toward one of the chapels. Behind Oliwia, the man thumped his way along the pew, though his steps were clumsy, uneven.

Finally unhampered by the pew, Oliwia ran shrieking down the aisle. “Help! Highwayman! Help!”

A stunned priest and several worshippers were congregated in a portal. The priest shouted for a guard, and Oliwia slowed enough to look over her shoulder. Her would-be attacker was headed for the sanctuary with all haste, but Nadia … Where was Nadia?

About the Author

Griffin Brady is an award-winning historical fiction author with a keen interest in the Polish Winged Hussars of the 16th and 17th centuries. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Her debut novel, The Heart of a Hussar, was a finalist for the 2021 Chaucer Early Historical Fiction Award and a 2021 Discovered Diamond.

The proud mother three grown sons, she lives in Colorado with her husband. She is also an award-winning bestselling romance author who writes under the pen name G.K. Brady.


Social Media Links

Website: 

https://www.griffin-brady.com/historical-fiction/

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/griffbrady1588

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGriffinBrady

Book Bub: 

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/griffin-brady

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/author/griffinbrady

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20675881.Griffin_Brady


FOLLOW THE TOUR 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Twitter Handle: @griffbrady1588 @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WingedHussars #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/04/blog-tour-hussars-duty-by-griffin-brady.html


*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 



The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch

* * *
THE SAXON SERIES
the events that led to 1066
the Battle of Hastings

1066 - the events that led to the
Battle of Hastings
from Amazon
Harold the King  (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US/Canada edition)
1066 Turned Upside Down -
an anthology of alternative stories

* * *
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy

 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... KING ARTHUR

There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot.
Instead, the man who became our most enduring hero.

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 
New Editions available worldwide 
(except USA/Canada)

Available USA/Canada 


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Friday 16 June 2023

My Coffee and Thorn Guest: Katie Crabb - Sailing by Orion's Star


BOOKS REVIEWED FOR
Coffee and Thorn Book Tours

Sailing by Orion's Star 
(The Constellation Trilogy Book 1) 


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
In the 18th century West Indies, stories hold the ultimate power. Sailors spin yarns about pirates. Newspapers tell tales full of half-truths. Myths spread like whispered wildfire.

East India Company sailor Nicholas Jerome has no patience for pirates, determined to leave his father’s thieving past behind. After a convict and an enslaved woman escape his grasp with the aid of an aristocrat’s mysterious wife, he faces one last chance to save his career. Finding an unexpected home with a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, the son of his wealthy captain and the grandson of Jamaica’s cruel governor.

But there’s a storm brewing in the Delacroix household. For René and his best friend Frantz, the Robin Hood tales about legendary pirate Ajani Danso and his famed female quartermaster are a lifeline amidst the governor’s abuse. Danso robs greedy merchants, frees slaves, and shelters queer sailors, inspiring the downtrodden across the New World.

When death and betrayal shatter the lives they knew, René and Jerome each face a choice: obey, or rebel.

A war for history’s favor begins, and as an uprising against colonialism erupts on the ocean, everyone must choose a story to believe in.

Sailing by Orion's Star is the origin story of The Constellation Trilogy, a familial epic spanning from 1695 to 1718. The trilogy pulls on the hidden threads of the past and uncovers the truth behind who pirates really were--people of color, poor sailors, desperate runaways, women, and queer people--an army of all nations who dared to fight for a better world.


Amazon link: 
Goodreads link: 
Genre:  Historical fiction, slavery, pirates, LGBTQ
Print length: 470 pages (137K words)
Age range: This is an adult book, but would be suitable for young adults
Trigger warnings: slavery, racism
Amazon Rating: 5*

PRAISE FOR SAILING BY ORION’S STAR
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was a WONDERFUL read. The characters, the history, the setting—all of it was masterfully done! I really think the core of this story though are the characters. They’re all so different and complicated, each with their own needs and wants that’s fleshed out with room to grow in the sequels. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A pirate’s tale for a new generation, Sailing by Orion’s Star is jam packed with well developed characters and enough action to keep the story moving. It is set over a wide span of time, which is deftly handled. Indeed, it’s necessary for growth and change in the characters’ relationships. Some characters improve, some get worse with age, and some grow up. I was invested In their journey to a more diverse and inclusive society, all while attempting to put the main villain -the East India Company – in its proper place. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
An exciting historical adventure about what we are—and aren’t—willing to give up for what we believe in. Beautifully researched and featuring multiple compelling found families, this book takes the usual stereotypes of pirates and flips them on their heads. A very enjoyable tale well told. Amazon review


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katie is a librarian and activist by day, a writer of historical fiction by night, and a lover of musicals always. You can usually find her talking about Les Mis, pirates, Paris, and anything to do with The Phantom of the Opera. Her work focuses on queerness, challenging historical narratives, what makes up a family, and the space between grief and resilience.





My review
by Helen Hollick

If you are looking for a Pirates Of The Caribbean/Jack Sparrow/Errol Flynn romanticised story about the derring do of pirates in the early era of the Golden Age, then this might not be for you. This is more of the warts an' all type story, where the fictional pirates echo the truth of real pirates - let's be honest here, pirates were not nice people! The pirates of the late 1600s - early 1700s were the terrorists of that age, out for personal gain no matter how they got it. They were not freedom fighters or human rights defenders. And that, in this well crafted story, is made very plain.

What I liked:
The characters were believable and realistic, with their good intentions and marked flaws, as were the events depicted. The sailing detail was well done, the historical research equally as skillfully undertaken. 

The plot was carefully thought out, also being realistic and believable. I liked the references to the stars, that was a nice, clever, touch, as the constellations were extremely important to sailors of the past, with their limited navigational abilities.

Slavery, indentured convicts, the cruelties of ordinary men and seafaring officers alike were well portrayed, as was the greed for power and profit, balanced with well-intentioned characters who went against the horrors of the time, but who had little hope of altering the way things were.

What I wasn't so keen on:
Present tense. Not the author's problem, but mine, I don't get on with present tense. I find I have to persevere to get into stories written in this style, but as with other books, once I had pressed on through a few chapters I started not to notice the style, and to enjoy the story for itself.

Personally, I would advise a new cover design. At first glance I would assume, from the cover's content, style and graphics, that this is a young adult tale, which it very much isn't. I would have the stars (in particular, Orion) as they should be, as an actual constellation hanging bright and dominant above the ship. There's no need for the almost cartoonish characters to be included - the ship and Orion, bold and simple, is all that is needed for an eye-catching dramatic effect. 

On the whole, a good tale which is intriguing enough to steer a reader to the other stories in the series.

4 stars ****


COFFEE AND THORN PROMOTES QUALITY FICTION, FOCUSING ON WORK PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY OR THROUGH SMALL PUBLISHING HOUSES. WE WORK WITH LOVE. ALL PAYMENTS TO US GO DIRECTLY TO FUND EDUCATION FOR GIRLS FROM A SLUM COMMUNITY IN SIERRA LEONE.




*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

including 
The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch


A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate 
COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022


LATEST IN THE SERIES
GALLOWS WAKE  VOYAGE 6
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NON-FICTION


and a host of other historical fiction novels
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