The Book Bandit's Library

Friday, 27 March 2026

Book Review: The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy) by Jennifer Ivy Walker

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

(The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy)
By Jennifer Ivy Walker

Publication Date: 1st May 2025

Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications

Print Length: 522 Pages

Genre: Arthurian Fantasy / Historical Romance Fantasy / Paranormal

In this paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, the rightful heir to the Irish crown must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads Issylte to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a Celtic healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom from the ruthless Black Widow Queen.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of King Arthur's Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his traumatic past and defend his kingdom of Cornwall against a Viking invasion from Ireland. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Two parallel lives, interwoven by fate. Haunted and hunted by the same Black Widow Queen.

Can their passion and power prevail?

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

📚📚📚📚📚

I went into The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven expecting a fairly classic historical fantasy — knights, princesses, a touch of Celtic myth, and perhaps a predictable romance threading it all together. What I didn’t expect was how quickly the story would slip into something darker, more layered, and far more emotionally tangled than I’d anticipated.

On the surface, it’s a tale of royal alliances, political marriages, and the looming threat of war between kingdoms — with introducing us to Issylte, the restless Emerald Princess, and Tristan, the driven young warrior. But what truly held my attention was the undercurrent of magic and menace that runs quietly beneath it all. The Celtic elements aren’t just decorative; they feel ancient, watchful, and at times deeply unsettling.

The magic in this world is particularly compelling. There’s a sense of something old and rooted in the land — whispers of forest spirits, fate, and unseen forces — contrasted sharply with the colder, more calculated dark magic embodied by the queen. Morag is genuinely chilling; her presence alone seems to drain warmth from a scene, and the hints of her power, especially in moments like her first interaction with Issylte, carry an almost predatory edge. It’s not loud magic — it’s subtle, invasive, and all the more frightening for it.

But what surprised me most was how the emotional centre of the story began to shift. I fully expected to be invested in the central romance between Issylte and Tristan — and while their story is engaging, it was Ronan who completely stole my attention. His presence brings something softer, more otherworldly, and unexpectedly tender into the narrative. The connection that grows around him felt so charged, so quietly intense, that it began to eclipse the more traditional romantic arc.

There were moments where I found myself actively resisting the direction the story seemed to be heading — not because it was poorly done, but because the dynamic involving Ronan felt richer, more unusual, and far more emotionally compelling. It blurred the lines between loyalty, longing, and destiny in a way that made the central pairing feel almost secondary at times.

What the book does particularly well is balance that sense of romantic tension with an ever-present danger. The world is beautiful, but it is not safe. Power is constantly shifting, alliances are fragile, and the threat of betrayal lingers in even the most intimate moments. The darker elements — especially those tied to the queen — ensure that no moment of happiness feels entirely secure.

By the final chapters, I found myself far more invested than I’d expected — not just in what would happen, but in who these characters would become.

Lush, dramatic, and steeped in both romance and shadow, this is a novel that leans into its intensity and isn’t afraid to let its characters make complicated, sometimes frustrating choices. And for me, it was Ronan — and the unexpected pull of that storyline — that lingered long after I’d turned the final page.

You can pick up your copy of this book on Amazon. It is also available to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

Jennifer Ivy Walker

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

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Friday, 20 March 2026

Audiobookclub - Listen of the month - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel

Narrated by Simon Slater

England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor.

Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.

From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage.

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

Wolf Hall

📚📚📚📚📚

I went into Wolf Hall expecting a dense slab of Tudor history — all court intrigue, heavy costumes, and perhaps a slightly distant, scholarly tone. What I didn’t expect was how immediate, fluid, and psychologically intimate it would feel.

On the surface, it charts the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII, circling the king’s desire to set aside Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn. But what drew me in wasn’t the outcome — which history has already told us — it was the constant negotiation of power, loyalty and survival happening in every glance, every conversation, every silence.

Mantle’s London is thick with texture. I could almost smell the damp wool, hear the murmur of clerks and courtiers, feel the weight of watchful eyes in narrow corridors. Yet the moments that affected me most aren’t the grand political manoeuvres; they unfold quietly, in Cromwell’s memories of his brutal childhood, or in the careful, coded exchanges where a misplaced word could mean ruin.

Cromwell’s voice — or rather, the way the narrative clings so closely to him — completely won me over. The prose moves in a kind of shifting present tense, often referring to him simply as “he”, which at first feels disorienting, almost slippery. But gradually it creates something strangely intimate, as if I’m not just observing Cromwell but inhabiting his mind, moving at the speed of his thoughts, his calculations, his private griefs. It’s not always easy, but it feels deliberate — a way of pulling the reader into the uncertainty and danger of his world.

One of the most fascinating aspects is how the novel reframes familiar history. Figures who are often flattened into legend — kings, queens, martyrs — become unpredictable, sometimes petty, sometimes magnetic, sometimes deeply vulnerable. Cromwell himself is neither hero nor villain, but something far more compelling: a man shaped by violence and intelligence, navigating a system that rewards both.

What lingered with me most is the book’s refusal to provide moral clarity or emotional comfort. Alliances shift without warning, affection coexists with calculation, and moments of triumph are always shadowed by the threat of sudden downfall. Even scenes of apparent success carry an undercurrent of unease, as if the ground beneath Cromwell is never quite stable.

When I reached the final page, I didn’t feel a sense of completion so much as continuation. The story pauses, but the tension doesn’t resolve. Instead, it leaves Cromwell — and the reader — poised on the edge of what’s to come, aware that power gained is never secure.

Quietly intense, structurally daring and far more human than I expected, this is a historical novel that feels less like a retelling of the past and more like stepping inside it. It stayed with me long after I closed the book, its voices still murmuring, its uncertainties unresolved.

Amazon

Thursday, 12 March 2026

Book Excerpt: Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II by Ian Hunter

Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II
By Ian Hunter

Publication Date: 22nd April 2021

Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH

Print Length: 277 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is discovering that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.

Jessie’s life has become a series of terrible challenges. Now she must lead her friends in the hopeless task Grandfather set them: hunt down and destroy the Time Stones. But her leadership has already failed. Tip has left them and Abe has simply disappeared, while she and Kes are trapped in the heart of an ancient empire in turmoil.

Thrust into a fractured, threatened Mexica nobility, Jessie is immersed in a way of life, fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, yet powerless before the approaching Conquistadors and the impending clash of cultures.

Even as the fabulous city of Tenochtitlan descends into savage violence, Jessie’s determination to succeed is undiminished. But with world history taking a new, bloody direction before her, she is finally forced to decide which is more important: continuing the task or simply surviving.

Praise

“Quetzalcoatl (Time Stones Book II) by Ian Hunter is a tautly gripping novel that is written with a sensitivity to the era it depicts, but it is also a story packed with adventure and magic. Hunter’s vivacious storytelling made this novel impossible to put down. It is a story that has been penned with an impressive sweep and brilliance.”

The Coffee Pot Book Club

Excerpt

“I want you to watch and listen,” Cacamatzin instructed them before the first delegates arrived. “Some of them will be lying. They will appear to be with us when they are not. Watch them closely and tell me who I can trust and who not.”

Tonauac had been frantic over the previous days, sending and receiving a constant stream of messengers from every corner of the lake. From the little he said, negotiations had been delicate and tetchy. The nobles had waivered, demanding first to have the emperor’s consent, before then challenging Cacamatzin’s authority. Finally, it seems Cacamatzin had persuaded, bullied and shamed enough to come around to his way of thinking, and his council was planned for that evening.

“Are we joining?” Jessie asked surprised.

“Yes, but no,” was Cacamatzin’s curious reply, as they entered his council chamber.

They were deep in the heart of the king’s palace, the royal rooms from where Texcoco was governed. It had a secretive air. There were no windows. A long table with plentiful low, cushioned stools along the sides was the only furniture beside the braziers burning their pleasantly sweet aroma.

“Where do you want us to sit?” she asked when they had already walked one length of the table.

“Not in here,” came his reply. “Turn away.”

They both turned their backs on him and after a few seconds silence, there was a soft rasping sound, then the quiet slap of palms against stone and a low exhalation of breath.

“Come with me,” Cacamatzin said.

Jessie turned around to see a narrow doorway in the previously solid looking wall.

“Bring a torch,” he pointed to a short wooden handle protruding from the top of the nearest brazier.

The hidden room was no more than five feet wide and seven feet long; just enough for the three of them and the two stools already there. The king took the torch, bent, and lifted two stone tiles out of the wall. Four illuminated round holes appeared in front of the stools.

“This is where you will sit,” he said to Jessie. “You can see the council table.” He raised the torch to the low roof. The ceiling had a large inverted dome in it, with a large black hole in the centre. “And you will hear everything that is said. Try it.”

Jessie settled herself on the stool and raised her eyes to the circles in the wall. She could see back into the chamber, down the long table. Ingenious, she thought. These holes must be hidden somewhere within the carved relief on the other side. She saw Tonauac enter. He looked over to where the secret door stood open and quickly made his way around the table. Jessie could hear his footfalls on the stone coming through the dome above her head.

“Lord,” his frame blocked the light in the narrow entrance, “they have arrived,” he said urgently.

Cacamatzin turned back to Jessie and Kes. “Be silent. You will hear the council, and if you make any sound, they will hear you.”

He took the torch with him, and the door shut with a muffled, ominous thud. The four glowing holes were the only source of light in the blackness which closed around them.

It took forever for the council to begin. Each king was greeted in accordance with his position. Jessie had to stifle a laugh watching Tonauac bounce up and down on his knee like a yo-yo. The kings were dressed for the occasion; all gold and feathers and precious stones. It was a solemn affair, without smiles or any display of friendship. Kinship even, Jessie thought. Weren’t they all related somehow? After the kings had settled, the remaining chairs were occupied by Cacamatzin’s loyal chiefs, their green and gold cloaks signifying allegiance to Texcoco. But not before each of them made a circuit of the table and bowed before the kings, did they settle down and the room became silent.

“Noble, great and glorious lords,” Cacamatzin began, “we are kings, princes and chiefs of the Mexica, and now, as well, we must become the saviours of our people. These Castilians are a plague, a sickness, settled on our bountiful lands and on the mind of our emperor. He welcomed them into Tenochtitlan, when many advised against it; advised another course of action. He was twice persuaded to stop them, and twice we were betrayed. Our Cholula cousins paid a heavy price for the emperor’s indecision. I counselled for a third, a fourth attempt, to destroy these foreigners. Yet our emperor surrendered once, and he has surrendered again. Malinche commands our emperor as he would a slave. The treasure of Axayácatl has been lost. That wealth, our tribute to the gods, was today surrendered to Malinche; a hopeless attempt to satisfy the Castilians’ sickness. Even now, they are scouring our territories and those of our neighbours to locate the gold they crave. Their manners are those of their animals, and, like a plague of locusts, they devour our food.”

Cacamatzin paused. He nodded at the muttering of agreement and resentment which rippled around the table.

“Like me, you have been forced to consider the fate which awaits us,” he spoke quietly. “Qualpopoca, his sons and the chiefs of Nauhtla, this is how it will end for us and our people, in the flames of the Castilian’s greed. Now is the time for us to strike, before the next disaster befalls us. Unite our cities and armies.”

Cacamatzin’s voice was becoming stronger, fervour shone in his eyes.

“Sever the head from the beast. Malinche and his captains must die, the rest will have a flowery death before Huitzilopochtli, and we shall ask his forgiveness for listening to their lies of this god on a cross.”

His passionate appeal met with enthusiastic table thumping, although Jessie noticed it was by no means unanimous. The kings, perhaps due to the gravitas of their position, didn’t join in, but neither did all of Cacamatzin’s own chiefs. It seemed this hadn’t escaped his attention either. With a stony face, he held up a hand for silence.

“You smile, Ixtlilxochitl, King of Matalcingo. Do you celebrate our triumph over these Castilians? Are you resolved to join us?”

Heads turned to the figure sitting with his back to Jessie, and she instinctively moved away from the two eye holes. Ixtlilxochitl wore a red and blue cloak, and from behind, his golden headdress with a rainbow of feathers looked like a peacock’s fan.

“First, Cacamatzin,” he replied in a measured, deep voice, “I ask who will lead this fight? What role do you see for yourself in this plan?”

There was no change on Cacamatzin’s face. He seemed prepared for the challenge.

“Texcoco is second only to Tenochtitlan,” he responded, equally measured. “As befits our importance, I will command my chiefs and those of Tenochtitlan. Yes, the answer is yes, I…”

“And,” the king of Matalcingo cut him off, “if you lead us to victory, do you expect us to bow before you as emperor? Is this your dream?”

This forthright question caused discomfort around the table. Bodies shifted, heads came together, and whispered comments rose on the air. Cacamatzin’s face simmered as he glared in silence at the far end of the table.

“This plan rests upon your lordship of Texcoco,” Ixtlilxochitl continued. “But you are forgetting it is I, not you, who is the rightful king of this city. It was the emperor’s favour, your uncle, which gave you this position. By birth, by lineage, by all our laws, it is rightfully mine.”

Cacamatzin stood up sharply, overturning his stool, which thudded dully on the floor. Ixtlilxochitl stood more slowly, and the two kings faced each other from opposite ends of the long table.

“Your jealousies and small mind make you weak Ixtlilxochitl; scalding me like an old woman. When we have to act and save our future, you are trapped in your past, arguing like a child who has lost his toy. So be it. We have no need of you, our plans are made. The armies of these great kings,” he swept his arm around the table, “will be more than enough. Our entrance to Tenochtitlan is assured. Malinche and his captains will be dead within an hour, and after we have feasted, we shall come for you.”

The king of Matalcingo walked the length of the table, to stand face to face with Cacamatzin.

“If you survive the fury of the Castilians, Cacamatzin, cast your eyes towards Matalcingo, for I will be coming to claim my right.” He turned away from the council and left.

You can pick up a copy of this book on Amazon.

Read with #KindleUnlimited

Ian Hunter

Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.

School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.

During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.

In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.

Social Media Links:
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Wednesday, 4 March 2026

Read an excerpt from Love Lost In Time by Cathie Dunn

Love Lost In Time
By Cathie Dunn

Publication Date: 28th November 2018 (ebook)
Publisher: Ocelot Press
Print Length: 274 Pages
Genre: Duel Time-Line / Historical Mystery / Romance

A reluctant daughter. A dutiful wife. A mystery of the ages.

Languedoc, France, 2018

Historian Madeleine Winters would rather research her next project than rehash the strained relationship she had with her late mother. However, to claim her inheritance, she reluctantly agrees to stay the one year required in her late mother’s French home and begins renovations. But when she’s haunted by a female voice inside the house and tremors emanating from beneath her kitchen floorboards, she’s shocked to discover ancient human bones.

The Mediterranean coast, AD 777

Seventeen-year-old Nanthild is wise enough to know her place. Hiding her Pagan wisdom and dutifully accepting her political marriage, she’s surprised when she falls for her Christian husband, the Count of Carcassonne. But she struggles to keep her forbidden religious beliefs and her healing skills secret while her spouse goes off to fight in a terrible, bloody war.

As Maddie settles into her rustic village life, she becomes obsessed with unraveling the mysterious history buried in her new home. And when Nanthild is caught in the snare of an envious man, she’s terrified she’ll never embrace her beloved again.

Can two women torn apart by centuries help each other finally find peace?

Love Lost in Time is a vivid standalone historical fiction novel for fans of epoch-spanning enigmas. If you like dark mysteries, romantic connections, and hints of the paranormal, then you’ll adore Cathie Dunn’s tale of redemption and self-discovery.

Praise

"From the richness of Charlemagne's court and the regret of a daughter, as she stands over her mother's grave, to the realisation of an enemy and a skeleton under the kitchen floor, Love Lost in Time: A Tale of Love, Death and Redemption by Cathie Dunn is the unforgettable story that traverses two very different times."

The Coffee Pot Book Club, 5* Editorial Review

"The narrative is ripe with emotions as two independent women are pulled in unexpected directions... Both landscapes are beautifully penned for readers to easily get lost in. Additionally, the storylines are engaging, and each helped bring a satisfying conclusion to the other. An enjoyable tale about love, sacrifice, and self-discovery."

Historical Novel Society

"The historical details are beautiful, and a book which could easily feel oppressively sad is cleverly lightened with the use of romance and a satisfying ending. Well written and easy to read, the historical side may be a little more compelling, but the contemporary details add a layer that cannot be ignored!"

In'DTale Magazine

"In Love Lost in Time, Ms Dunn creates a fascinating balance between a tragic love story set in the Visigoth empire of the eighth century, and a very modern historian on a quest to find her own personal history in picturesque Languedoc...

Thoroughly researched and beautifully told, both stories complement each other in narrative power and colourful scene-setting; and in the dual narrative the main characters are compelling - each a product of destiny and following their fate, regardless of the cost.

Fans of Kate Mosse will relish this book..."

Discovering Diamonds Reviews

Excerpt

15th August, AD 778

The pass at Roncevaux, western Pyrenaei

“What? The king is leaving us to these heathens?” A young Frankish lord huddling down beside him stared at the trees, his eyes wide with horror. A gash on his temple was oozing blood.

“It would seem so. Look!”

Bellon watched in astonishment as the Vascones merged back into the forest, heading south, towards where his group had come from.

“What is happening? Where are they going?”

Around him, men gathered, always scanning the trees, but the attackers had left.

The eerie silence was broken moments later when scores of cries rose at once.

Bellon’s head shot up, and he stared at the deserted path behind them. “The rear guard!”

“God save them. The heathens are regrouping.”

“Milo!” He nodded grimly. King Charles had tasked Milo, together with several Frankish lords, to maintain the safety of the baggage train.

The clashing of metal mingled with the increasingly urgent cries.

“We must help them. The bastards will be after the spoils.” He took a step but a Visigoth warrior from his group stopped him.

“Wait! We have to tell the vanguard. We are but a few and can’t face the Vascones alone.”

Bellon hesitated, knowing the warrior was right. “Then send a man to let them know.”

A messenger was dispatched to the vanguard whilst Bellon and the other survivors headed along the track, towards the growing noise. When they turned a corner, they halted.

He had not expected the sight that greeted him.

“Christ have mercy!” The Frankish soldier crossed himself.

“They’re like ants,” the Visigoth whispered hoarsely. “All over them.”

“We need more men.”

Desperate to join the melée and find Hilda’s father, Bellon blinked back tears as he watched the carnage before him. Rarely was he stunned into silence, but even when the Franks had burned Pamplona before their return, the king had allowed a level of mercy.

Those wild heathens showed none.

“Retreat!” A voice called out behind them. “By the order of King Charles, retreat!”

“No!” Bellon pushed away. “You should go back,” he told the soldiers around him. “I’m going down there.”

“And be slaughtered like the rest of them?”

“I…must!” He drew his sword and stalked down the path soon strewn with bodies, horses and donkeys. He could not make out Milo, or any other men he knew, as most of the men were already lying on the blood-soaked ground. The heathens hacked into anyone moving without flinching.

“Bellon, you have a wife; you have duties…” He barely acknowledged the voice as one of his own entourage. “It is too late.”

Tears brimmed in his eyes as he hesitated. Ahead of him lay the rearguard of Charles’ army, dying and massacred by a frenzied horde, and all the treasures they had collected in Iberia.

A howl went up. The Vascones had spotted his little group. Some let go of their victims and began to rush up the hill. Instinct told Bellon to run, loyalty to Milo to fight.

“Bellon!” He recognised the voice calling from behind him to belong to one of Charles’ closest advisers. “We must go. Retreat now or die!”

Three Vascones, their cries piercing the air, were coming closer, brandishing swings and swords, and others followed, sensing fresh blood.

“Milo…”

“He’s likely dead, Bellon. We can return later, once the heathens have gone.”

“I cannot—”

A horse approached him from behind, and the adviser pulled at his shoulder. “Come! This is an order from the king!”

He shrugged off the hand and turned to the lord. “Take my surviving men safely back to Carcassonne!”

Then he held up his shield and strode towards the approaching Vascones.

Pick up your copy at your favourite online bookstore Universal Buy Link
This book is available on #KindleUnlimited

Cathie Dunn

Cathie is an Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, dual-timeline, mystery, and romance. She loves to infuse her stories with a strong sense of place and time, combined with a dark secret or mystery – and a touch of romance. Often, you can find her deep down the rabbit hole of historical research…

In addition, she is also a historical fiction book promoter with The Coffee Pot Book Club, a novel-writing tutor, and a keen reviewer on her blog, Ruins & Reading.

After having lived in Scotland for almost two decades, Cathie is now enjoying the sunshine in the south of France with her husband, and her rescued pets, Ellie Dog & Charlie Cat.

She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Richard III Society, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Author Links:

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Monday, 2 March 2026

Book Review: Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure By Cliff Lovette

Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure

By Cliff Lovette

Publication Date: 1st March 2026

Publisher: Bim Bom Books

Print Length: 478 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Romantic Adventure / Political Intrigue

Soviet circus performers arrived in America hoping to build cultural bridges. Instead, they became unwitting pawns in a Cold War game of international intrigue.

When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 in America as the Soviet Union disintegrated, its elite performers expected to build cultural bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a perilous journey through Cold War America.

Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family’s wishes, while forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.

As the Ringmaster reminds us, “The best Soviet stories are like vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart’s desire.” This genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate us.

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend it.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure

📚📚📚📚📚

I went into this book thinking I was getting a quirky Cold War circus story, perhaps with some historical flavour and a dash of adventure. What I didn’t expect was how deeply human, strange and emotionally messy it would become.

On the surface, it’s about a Soviet circus touring America at the tail end of the Cold War, but what truly drew me in was the constant tug of war between control and freedom. The performance scenes are so vividly written I could almost feel the heat of the spotlights and hear the blare of the brass band, yet the moments that affected me most happened offstage, in dim corridors and cramped rooms where the characters wrestle with who they are allowed to be.

The Ringmaster’s voice completely won me over. He slips between past and present, sometimes narrating events, sometimes reflecting on them, almost as if he’s standing beside me sharing confidences. It could easily have felt like a gimmick, but instead it made the whole story feel oddly intimate, as though I’d been granted access not just to the show, but to the private thoughts and fears of the performers.

One of the most unusual and delightful aspects is how the book reaches beyond the page. Throughout the story there are references to specific songs and dances, along with QR codes you can scan to actually watch or listen to what the characters are experiencing. Instead of just reading about a 1960s dance craze or a piece of circus music, I could pull out my phone and see it for myself. It turns the novel into something halfway between a book and a living scrapbook, making the cultural clash between Soviet restraint and American pop culture feel immediate and tangible.

What lingered with me most is the book’s refusal to offer easy comfort. The closing scenes are chaotic, sensual and unsettling. A moment of private liberation and joy is shattered the instant authority storms in. Reading it, I felt both the exhilaration of that forbidden freedom and the sharp sting of the consequences that follow.

When I reached the final page, nothing was neatly wrapped up. Instead, I was left suspended between acts, slightly shaken, deeply curious, and keen to know what happens next. It feels less like an ending than a breath held before the next leap.

Dramatic, provocative and unlike anything else I’ve read, this is a story that doesn’t just ask to be read but to be experienced. It stayed with me long after I’d put it down, music still echoing faintly in my head.

You can pick up your copy of this book on Amazon.

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What Makes This Novel Different

Circus Bim Bom offers an innovative multimedia reading experience. The novel includes 45+ YouTube links to period music, historical speeches, and cultural moments embedded throughout—readers can listen to the actual songs characters dance to as they waltz, and watch Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech as it's referenced in the text.

The companion website (www.bimbombookclub.com) extends the story beyond the page:

• Character Avatars: 25+ talking video introductions where characters speak directly to readers

• Re-Imagined Circus Posters

• Book Club Experience: Interactive forums, live chat, and community discussions

• Historians Room (under construction): A space for Cold War history buffs to fact-check the novel, explore primary sources, and debate historical accuracy

Cliff Lovette

Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology, followed by Circus Bim Bom: The Great Escape.

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Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Read an excerpt from An American Slave in Barbary: The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones by Larry Kelley

An American Slave in Barbary:

The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones

By Larry Kelley

Publication Date: December 11th, 2025

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 459

Genre: Historical Fiction / American Historical Fiction

A Homeric American Novel

An American Slave in Barbary: The Odyssey of Winston Prescott Jones is the story of a first-generation American student whose commercial ship is captured in the summer of 1801 by Moslem pirates.

He spends the next sixteen years as a captive in Algiers. He rises to become a confidant to the Dey of Algiers, who is desperate to know what made the American shopkeepers and farmers believe they could defeat the British war machine, and how they intended to rule themselves.

In the genre created by Homer, it is a tale of suffering, sin, and redemption, and a young man's epic journey to regain his freedom.

Excerpt

We were only about thirty leagues from the Straits of Gibraltar. Adjusting the sails and riggings of our twelve-man ketch, Intrepid, we made in the morning of August 2, 1801, seven days after we left Greece, ready our departure from the Mediterranean and entrance into the Atlantic. We were on our return voyage to Boston when our passage was blocked by two Muslim pirate ships. Each was a three-masted xebec, with crews of about one hundred and fourteen cannons. They did not fire their cannons at us, because their aim was to capture our ship intact and our crew alive.

For the rest of the day, our captain, my Uncle Raymond, and his helmsman, Mr. Bagan, desperately attempted to elude the two corsairs that maneuvered about us like huge sharks. While we struggled to keep our two-masted ketch away from our pursuers, a storm gathered from the east. A menacing black cloud descended down to the water.

Captain Raymond shouted from the quarterdeck, “If’n we kin make it into that storm, we kin possibly escape these bastards!”

One of the Muslim corsairs came so close to us we could see the pirates on the larger vessel holding their grappling hooks, readying to fling them at us and pull their boat against ours to board us. During one of these close encounters, our first mate, Mr. Freeman, and the boson, Mr. Leeson, fired their muskets at our pursuers. I saw a pirate take one of the rounds and fall back onto the deck. A group of Muslim gunmen perched on the riggings of the vessel closest to us opened fire, raking our deck with lead shot. One ball hit Mr. Leeson in the neck, killing him instantly.

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Larry Kelley

Larry Kelley's life was changed by 9/11. He desperately wanted to find out who these people were who attacked us, what ordinary citizens could do to join the battle, and how those plotting to kill us in future attacks could be defeated.

Kelley has written scores of columns on the dangers of Western complacency. In his tenure as a political commentary writer, he has made a significant impact.

His feature articles have appeared in the Piedmont Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Human Events, and Townhall Magazine. Two of his articles were featured on the cover of Townhall Magazine.

His first book, Lessons from Fallen Civilizations, is the result of ten years of research, and received critical praise as a saga that begins on the plain of Marathon in 490 BC and whose main character is Western Civilization.

Website

Author Page at Historium Press