My Coffee Pot guest: Anna Belfrage Times of Turmoil

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: Times of Turmoil

Author: Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: September 29^th, 2023

Publisher: Timelight Press

Page Length: 382 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel Romance

It is 1718 and Duncan Melville and his time traveller wife, Erin, are concentrating on building a peaceful existence for themselves and their twin daughters. Difficult to do, when they are beleaguered by enemies.

Erin Melville is not about to stand to the side and watch as a child is abused—which is how she makes deadly enemies of Hyland Nelson and his family.

Then there’s that ghost from their past, Armand Joseph Chardon, a person they were certain was dead. Apparently not. Monsieur Chardon wants revenge and his sons are tasked with making Duncan—and his wife—pay.

Things aren’t helped by the arrival of Duncan’s cousin, fleeing her abusive husband. Or the reappearance of Nicholas Farrell in their lives, as much of a warped bully now as he was when he almost beat Duncan to death years ago. Plus, their safety is constantly threatened as Erin is a woman of colour in a time and place where that could mean ostracism, enslavement or even death.

Will Duncan and Erin ever achieve their simple wish – to live and love free from fear of those who wish to destroy them?

This title is available on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal link: 

https://myBook.to/ToTABG

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CJ7FYQVL

 

About the author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. 

Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.

More recently, Anna has been hard at work with her Castilian series. The first book, His Castilian Hawk, published in 2020, is set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain, while the third, Her Castilian Heart, finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain! The fourth book, Their Castilian Orphan, is scheduled for early 2024.

Anna has recently released Times of Turmoil, the sequel to her 2021 release, The Whirlpools of Time. Here she returns to the world of time travel. Where The Whirlpools of Time had Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin navigating the complexities of the first Jacobean rebellion in Scotland, in Times of Turmoil our protagonists are in Colonial Pennsylvania, hoping for a peaceful existence. Not about to happen—not in one of Anna’s books! 

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, 

www.annabelfrage.com 

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor

Instagram: 

https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage

Amazon Author Page 

http://Author.to/ABG  or  http://amazon.com/author/anna_belfrage    

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage

My Review

I would really like to know how Anna Belfrage does it - produce book after fabulous book with (or so it seems) as much ease as a conjuror pulls a rabbit out of a hat. And just how does she keep this series (The Graham Saga) going with every book about the family through the next generation - and then the next? Each new addition is so brilliantly alive and fresh! Do pass on the secret Anna!

Times of Turmoil (The Time Locket Book 2) is a gripping tale of seemingly ordinary people going about their seemingly ordinary lives in Colonial America in 1718 - although the main characters are far, far from ordinary!

The research into the period is trustworthy, the detail just right (not too much, not too little). The main plot really brings home the plight of coloured people and the attitude towards slavery - what makes it even more horrendous is that these attitudes (of a white man marrying a black woman, for instance) still exist.

The other talent Ms Belfrage has is the ability to bring in just enough back story from the previous books to fill in the family's past without overloading the detail. Every book in this series is a stand-alone read, although I'm tempted to say if you haven't yet met the Grahams and discovered their adventures, do start at Book One (A Rip In The Veil) ... but then, this one is such a good read, so the choice is yours!

I can just imagine Alex Graham sitting before her fire on a chilly evening, nodding and smiling, heartily approving of this next episode,Times of Turmoil.

5 stars * * * * * 

follow the tour

Twitter Handle: @abelfrageauthor @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @annabelfrageauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #AmericanColonialHistory #timetravel #historicalfiction #historicalromance

Tour Schedule Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/09/blog-tour-times-of-turmoil-by-anna-belfrage.html

< PREVIOUS POST

*** *** 

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

link to the entire series

New for pre-order!

(includes  a story by Anna Belfrage)

short stories by top authors

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Annie Whitehead, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage,
Elizabeth Chadwick, Loretta Livingstone, Elizabeth St.John, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Marian L Thorpe, Amy Maroney, Cathie Dunn, Cryssa Bazos, with an introduction by Deborah Swift.

or you might like these:

*

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 

https://viewbook.at/WhenMermaidSings

COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022

*

includes a story by Anna Belfrage
Amazon: FREE ebook!

www.helenhollick.net

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Have you ever thought of saying 'thank you'?
https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/summertime-history-say-thank-you.html?fbclid=IwAR0aS4fWJXlQ70RLhyopReb1dIu5n-aL80R9q7w8MelmC_28mnBdMdttKNY

My Coffee & Thorn Guest: Sisters of the Crimson Vine by P.L.McMillan

BOOKS PROMOTED or REVIEWED FOR

Coffee and Thorn Book Tours

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 SISTERS OF THE CRIMSON VINE

Click for animation

John Ainsworth nearly died in that car crash.

Soon he’ll learn there are worse fates.

After a brutal accident, John awakens in the dilapidated Crimoria Convent under the care of thirteen unconventional nuns. Grievous injuries trap him within the borders of the ruined sanctuary and its strangely successful vineyard. When his body starts healing faster than nature allows, John’s questions quickly pile up.

A pair of Church auditors arrive to look into the convent’s finances. It’s obvious the pair are unwelcome guests, but John has bigger concerns. The order’s annual ritual draws near and John begins to discover things that make him wonder if any of them are truly safe in the hands of the Sisters of the Crimson Vine.

 Amazon link: https://mybook.to/SistersCrimsonVine

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62216903

Genre:  horror / dark fantasy

Print length: 112 pages (30K words)

Age range: This is an adult book

Trigger warnings: violent death; irreligious themes

Amazon rating: 4.5

PRAISE FOR SISTERS OF THE CRIMSON VINE

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sisters of the Crimson Vine is a beautiful novella that gave me everything I want when reading a book: interesting characters, a memorable setting, creepy scenes that built up to what’s happening behind the curtains, and a shocking, beautiful, and horrifying ending that ties everything we were told before in a way we could have never imagined. The story behind the convent is sad and realistic, and you can’t help but feel bad for the sisters, even when you know something is wrong with them. The antagonist was perfect for this story, showing the reasons the sisters do what they do and why the protagonist has trouble deciding who to trust. It’s a beautiful book that I hope everyone reads at least once in their life. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SISTERS OF THE CRIMSON VINE is a heady mix of folk and cosmic horror, with notes of Shirley Jackson. This novella is a masterclass in pacing and atmosphere; McMillan creates expertly weaves a pervasive sense of wrongness about every scene and sustains this dread-inducing atmosphere throughout. It’s a chilling and shocking read with prose as smooth as a finely aged wine. And the cover is absolute FIRE! Amazon Review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

P.L. McMillan writes dark stories and loves cosmic and gothic horror in particular. Her works have been published in Sanitarium, Hinnom Magazine, Fundead Publications, among others.

To her, every shadow is an entry way to a deeper look into the black heart of the world and every night she rides with the mocking and friendly ghouls on the night-wind, bringing back dark stories to share with those brave enough to read them.

“Someone suggested to me that McMillan might be one of the next great cosmic horror writers and if [The Space Between] is a good indication of her talent and imagination, I’d say they could well be correct.” – The Miskatonic Review

Check out her website at www.plmcmillan.com

My review

I do wonder whether this is more of a long short story rather than, at 112 pages, a short novella, but that is entirely irrelevant because it is a good story. Drawing the reader in from the opening paragraph, the pace is steady and the plot builds into a rising curve of sinister intrigue, causing the reader to form theories and guesses as the pages are eagerly turned.

There is an acknowledgement to the traditional fairy tale here, crafted into the genre of suspense and horror. (As, actually, most original versions of fairy stories were... the Grimm Brothers' tales were quite, well, 'grim' - definitely not the later cozy Disney level!) 

The trick of a good story, and not always achieved by a writer, is to bring the characters to life, to make them believable no matter the genre or setting. The reader needs to feel that they are there, watching through the lens of a hidden camera, wanting to cry out, in true pantomime style: 'Behind You!' But we must remain mute, and we read on, resisting the temptation to flick to the last page in order to satisfy ourselves that all ends well... or not.

I enjoyed the read, but I do have some mild criticisms: 

It was only after checking on 'look inside' on Amazon for a couple of things needed for this review, that I discovered each part of the story had it's own sub-heading. These were not included on my Kindle edition (I had only Part One, Part Two, etc., no additional heading) which is such a shame as these sub-headings were very clever, and very relevant. (Maybe I had an ARC version, though, and the headings had been added later?)

I disagree with other comments (above) about the cover, but then, I am fussy about covers, having been severely let down by publishers in the past. The house depicted is an American 'Addams Family' style, which adequately gives a feel for the genre, but isn't remotely similar to the building described in the book, (which is clearly a two-storied building,) so immediately gives a confused imagery. It is also a very 'un-English' house. I would have gone for a cover with something simple, a vine field with one or two nuns in the distance, and include that scarecrow... Creepy! 

Although I assume the story is set in England? It is only while writing this that I realise it could be Canada. A location should not have mattered, for this is a supernatural story and could easily be set anywhere, but I found the language somewhat confusing as I wasn't sure if I was reading American English, English English, or as I have just realised, possibly Canadian English. And it did matter as each anomaly jerked me out of the story. John could smell petrol, (UK - so we're in England?) not gas or gasoline, (US) but then most Brits say 'windscreen' not 'windshield' - so perhaps USA after all? Men wear trousers in the UK, not pants. The Americanism 'gotten' was in there (Brits don't use it), but the spelling was usually UK not US, (colour not color, although I spotted tire, not tyre). Fireflies were mentioned, we call them glowworms in the UK. And then the WWII bombing is obviously the UK, but... well, I'm not sure, was this meant to be the UK, the US or Canada? (I'm not sure about Canadian spelling.) The fact that I'm still wondering about 'location' perhaps indicates that this is an important issue after all? 

I enjoyed the story, but apologies - slight spoiler alert: I was disappointed by the couple of cliched witchcraft inclusions: a naked mass, and a lesbian scene. Both were far too Hollywood Horror, and were not at all necessary. And what happened to one of the visitors? Did I miss a page or scene perhaps? Nor was it explained why the healing process went supernaturally quicker than expected, magic I suppose. So a few unanswered questions and dangling ends, but I must add that if I hadn't enjoyed the story I wouldn't be wondering about these missing answers! 

So a good read, but I think the ending could have had more of an imaginative twist, rather than the predictable one.

My only other comments would be: 

Don't read this one late at night if you are on your own in a lonely environment, or in hospital. 

And stay away from woods. 

And nuns.

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.

https://coffeeandthorn.com

https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandthorn/

https://twitter.com/CoffeeAndThorn

https://mastodon.world/@CoffeeAndThorn

< PREVIOUS POST

*** *** 

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

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

new for pre-order!

short stories by top authors

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Annie Whitehead, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage,
Elizabeth Chadwick, Loretta Livingstone, Elizabeth St.John, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Marian L Thorpe, Amy Maroney, Cathie Dunn, Cryssa Bazos, with an introduction by Deborah Swift.

My Coffee Pot Book Club Guest: The Winds of Change by Joan Fallon

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!

BOOK SPOTLIGHT

About the Book

Book Title: The Winds of Change

Author: Joan Fallon

Publication Date: 30th September 2023

Publisher: independently published

Page Length: 322

Genre: historical fiction / 20th century

The Winds of Change is a story of love, loyalty and betrayal on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, when the country is political turmoil with strikes and demonstrations, unemployment is high and the people are starving.

In this complicated love triangle we meet Ramon, a member of the Republican Left, who has accidentally killed a policeman and is on the run from the Guardia Civil and Hugo, the son of the wealthy owner of a local sherry bodega. Both men are in love with Clementina, the beautiful daughter of a well-known gypsy horse trader but there are obstacles in both their paths.

Hugo finds that when he tries to see Clementina again, both his parents and hers do everything they can to stop him.

Meanwhile Ramon's brother, Pedro, is arrested and imprisoned because he will not reveal his brother's whereabouts to the Guardia Civil. Now Ramon has to choose between his brother and the woman he loves.

This fast moving historical novel is a story of love, politics, class prejudice, intrigue and betrayal in the year leading up to the Spanish Civil War.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bzB2oL

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WINDS-CHANGE-loyalty-betrayal-Spanish-ebook/dp/B0CHJW5DN9  

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/WINDS-CHANGE-loyalty-betrayal-Spanish-ebook/dp/B0CHJW5DN9

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/WINDS-CHANGE-loyalty-betrayal-Spanish-ebook/dp/B0CHJW5DN9

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/WINDS-CHANGE-loyalty-betrayal-Spanish-ebook/dp/B0CHJW5DN9

About the Author

Teacher, management trainer and business woman, the Scottish-born novelist, Joan Fallon moved from the UK to Spain in 1998 and dedicated herself to full-time writing. She is now the self-published author of eighteen books, many of which are historical novels set in southern Spain, and focus on two distinct periods in the country’s history, the Spanish Civil War and Moorish Spain.

More recently she had turned her attention to writing contemporary crime fiction, with a series of novels entitled The Jacaranda Dunne Mysteries but her love of historical fiction has lured her back to writing about Spain in the 20th century in her latest novel The Winds of Change.

Website: 

https://joanfallon.co.uk/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/joanfallonbooks/

LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-fallon-3b097144/

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/joanfallonbooks/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joan-Fallon/author/B003B09VWY

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6440514.Joan_Fallon

 

Follow the Tour

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @joanfallonbooks @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #historicalfiction #adventure #Andalusia #SpanishCivilWar #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/09/blog-tour-winds-of-change-by-joan-fallon.html

< PREVIOUS POST

*** *** 

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

link to the entire series

New for pre-order!

short stories by top authors

https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile

Annie Whitehead, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage,
Elizabeth Chadwick, Loretta Livingstone, Elizabeth St.John, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Marian L Thorpe, Amy Maroney, Cathie Dunn, Cryssa Bazos, with an introduction by Deborah Swift.

or you might like these:

*

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)

https://mybook.to/KingArthurTrilogy

Available USA/Canada 

https://mybook.to/KingArthur_USA_Canada 

www.helenhollick.net

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Have you ever thought of saying 'thank you'?
https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/summertime-history-say-thank-you.html?fbclid=IwAR0aS4fWJXlQ70RLhyopReb1dIu5n-aL80R9q7w8MelmC_28mnBdMdttKNY