Read my #BookReview of A Rip in the Veil by Anna Belfrage @abelfrageauthor @cathiedunn

A Rip in the Veil
By Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: Originally, 2012, but the new, re-edited version January 2023. Publisher: Timelight Press. Page Length: 370. Genre: Historical Fiction, Time Travel Romance

On a muggy August day in 2002 Alex Lind disappears. On an equally stifling August day in 1658, Matthew Graham finds her on a Scottish moor.  Life will never be the same for Alex – or for Matthew. 

Alexandra Lind is thrown three centuries backwards in time to land at the feet of escaped convict Matthew Graham. 

Matthew doesn’t know what to make of this strange woman who has seemingly fallen from the skies—what is she, a witch? 

Alex is convinced the tall, gaunt man is some sort of hermit, an oddball, but she quickly realises the odd one out is she, not he. 

Catapulted from a life of modern comfort, Alex grapples with her new existence, further complicated by the dawning realization that someone from her time has followed her here—and not exactly to extend a helping hand. 

Potential compensation for this brutal shift in fate comes in the shape of Matthew, a man she should never have met, not when she was born three centuries after him. But Matthew comes with baggage of his own and on occasion his past threatens them both. At times Alex finds it all excessively exciting, longing for the structured life she used to have. 

How will she ever get back? And more importantly, does she really want to?

 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 

A Rip in the Veil

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

Alexandra Lind was never going to make it to that important meeting, and the only certainty she knew was that her life was never going to be the same again. Thrown through time she finds herself in the year 1658, and her only companion is an escaped convict. Her life hangs in the balance, her fate now dependent on Matthew Graham's ability to keep himself and her alive.

A Rip in the Veil is a compelling story, filled with non-stop action and a heavy dose of romance. Initially, I did not take to Matthew as he did not come across as a very likeable character, and by the end of the book, I did feel rather torn about my opinion of him. I did not hate him, but nor did I particularly like him. Alex, however, was another story all together. I really like her, not only because she is extremely likeable but because despite being thrown back three centuries she is incredibly strong. I really enjoyed reading about her.

The plot has a very Outlander feel to it, and at times there were many similarities between Belfrage's book and Gabaldon's - although the hero was less likeable in Belfrage's. I thought the story moved along at a very steady pace. This book does contain a lot of profanities and sex, so if that is not your cup of tea then this book is not for you, but I thought the plot was very engaging and it held my attention throughout.

If you enjoy time-travel fiction then I think this book is one that you will undoubtedly enjoy. It is a really good read.

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

Anna Belfrage

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.

 

Her Castilian Heart is the third in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. 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. This latest release finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain!

Anna has also authored The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode! 

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.   

Social Media Links:

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Read an #excerpt from The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Math Girls by Tom Durwood #YAadventure #ScienceGirls #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @TDurwood @cathiedunn

The Adventures of Ruby Pi

and the Math Girls

By Tom Durwood

Publication Date: December 22nd, 2022, Publisher: Empire Studies Press, Pages: 147, Genre: YA Fiction

Young adult fiction featuring gambling, bandits, swordplay, probability and Bayes’ Theorem. An English teacher hopes to engage students with colorful STEM adventures. 

“In this outstanding collection, Tom addresses the chronic problem of our young women dropping out of STEM studies. His stories lend adventure to scientific thinking.” ~ Tanzeela Siddique, Math Instructor

Excerpt

MAYANS BURY A TABLET  

And nobody knows

Tiddely-Pom

How cold my toes

Tiddely-Pom

How cold my toes are growing.

-- A.A. Milne

From her hiding place, Bird Jaguar squinted at the giant, jagged-toothed barbarian. 

Tillers’ blood dripped crimson from his sword and shield. The barbarian grunted. He looked around, searching the battlefield for Bird Jaguar and her sister and protector, Zac Cul. 

“Come, little Toads!” bellowed the barbarian. “Let the Dark Gods embrace us together!” 

The prophecies did not mention him, noted Bird Jaguar to herself.  

She looked up. Far overhead, a flock of blackbirds split apart and rejoined.

In this year of 8. 17. 14. 12. 11, the Fifth Lord had risen from his slumbers.

The ruination of the High Maya had begun. 

* * *

“Why is he even following us?” Bird Jaguar asked Zac Cul, her older sister. 

Copper bands adorned their upper arms. They were free-women, tillers, valued members of a farming clan.

“I don’t know,” answered Zac Cul. She dried the hilt of her sword in her skirt. “Something about us must irritate him.”

This bloodthirsty, too-tall, too-strong warrior had for some reason tracked the two sisters all the way from the burning City, far from his barbarian cohort. He seemed intent on their deaths.

“You are often irritating,” said Bird Jaguar to her sister.

The Emperor had murdered his own advisors, who foretold dangers that could not be seen, or proven, and then been killed by those same dangers. The throne had fallen. The City was descending into lunacy. It had all been predicted, in the stars (with certain errors), in the detailed celestial charts.  The movement of Venus across the night skies had been insightful. 

________________________________________________________________________

The prophecies did not mention him, noted Bird Jaguar to herself.  

________________________________________________________________________

The Tillers would find a new home, new soils for their rows of vegetables and grains, in the northern hills. All would proceed, according to the fates. Most of Bird Jaguar’s tribe were already on their way north.

All that was left now was to bury the codex.

* * *

The two girls were trapped in a rocky maze of ravines and caves. Bird Jaguar, a valued scribe, held fast to the codex tablet. It must be hidden, and well-hidden, for future readers.

   

Since birth, Zac Cul had been the younger girl’s escort and protector.

This cave would do. But this entrance was unprotected.  

The giant would see them --  

“I thought you said you were telling our story,” said Zac Cul, as she glanced over the tablet and its complex pattern of glyphs. 

“These are just numbers.”  

“Our story is hidden behind a scrim of numbers,” replied Bird Jaguar.

“Really?”

Bird Jaguar nodded.          

“Am I in it?” asked Zac Cul.    

“Yes. You are prominent, sister.” 

Losing her patience. Zac Cul shouted and rushed out of their hiding place to engage the giant --  

The barbarian’s eyes widened when he saw her approach -- 

He charged, with his bahlum hatchet raised to strike – 

Seemingly out of nowhere, a soldier came hurtling down the rockface from above, landing with a thud and sweeping the barbarian’s legs out from under him.

Nimbly, the soldier rose, quicker than the clumsy giant. He stabbed the barbarian through the throat before the big man could get his balance. 

The giant roared in pain. Choking, he writhed and swung his limbs violently to and fro … 

But the soldier would not relent.       

“You shouldn’t have followed my girls,” the soldier, Smoking-Frog, told his dying enemy. “You should have stayed with your friends … ”  

Smoking-Frog was the girls’ grandfather.      

The barbarian died there, gurgling, reaching out, far from his home. A grisly death. 

“Let’s go,” urged Smoking-Frog. “Let’s bury this tablet and get out. Blackbirds are on the move.”  Grandfather thought it wise to coordinate with the creatures whenever possible. They know things we don’t, he would say.  

Inside the cave, Bird Jaguar filled in the hollow where she had hidden the codex. 

Our descendants will find this… but not for many cycles.

Bird Jaguar smiled to herself. 

They will need to be clever, if they want to read it … 

Zac Cul called.

“Coming!” said Bird Jaguar. 

You can pick up this novel at , Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Tom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times. Tom has taught Public Speaking and Basic Communications as guest lecturer for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam’s Neck Annex of the Naval War College.

Tom’s ebook Empire and Literature matches global works of film and fiction to specific quadrants of empire, finding surprising parallels. Literature, film, art and architecture are viewed against the rise and fall of empire. In a foreword to Empire and Literature, postcolonial scholar Dipesh Chakrabarty of the University of Chicago calls it “imaginative and innovative.” Prof. Chakrabarty writes that “Durwood has given us a thought-provoking introduction to the humanities.” His subsequent book “Kid Lit: An Introduction to Literary Criticism” has been well-reviewed. “My favorite nonfiction book of the year,” writes The Literary Apothecary (Goodreads).

Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.” The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”

Tom briefly ran his own children’s book imprint, Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago). Tom’s newspaper column “Shelter” appeared in the North County Times for seven years. Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.

Two of Tom’s books, “Kid Lit” and “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter,” were selected “Best of the New” by Julie Sara Porter’s Bookworm Book Alert

Social Media Links:

Website – The Math Girls, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, 

Amazon Author Page, Goodreads

Look who is in the SPOTLIGHT!!! Caledon by Virginia Crow #HistoricalFantasy #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @DaysDyingGlory @CrowvusLit @cathiedunn

 

Caledon

By Virginia Crow

Publication Date: January 22nd, 2019. Publisher: Crowvus

Pages: 293 pages. Genre: Historical Fantasy

"Go out and tell all those you meet, Caledon has risen. Caledon will be protected and defended. And to you who would cause her harm, be prepared. A new fight has come."

After the destruction of the Jacobite forces at Culloden, Scotland is divided, vulnerable and leaderless, with survivors from both sides seeking to make sense of the battles they have fought against their fellow Scots.

James Og flees Drumossie, seeking the protection of his uncle's house in Sutherland. It is here that James learns that the Northern Highlands hold a secret power only he can wield: Caledon. When Ensign John Mackay begins hunting Og's family, James realises he must harness this power to defeat the enemies of Scotland.

But, as the ageless Caledon awakes, so too does an ancient evil. When it allies with Mackay, the small Clan of Caledon faces enemies at every turn, discovering that even those closest to them may seek to destroy them.

You can pick up this novel at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

Virginia grew up in Orkney, using the breath-taking scenery to fuel her imagination and the writing fire within her. Her favourite genres to write are fantasy and historical fiction, sometimes mixing the two together. She enjoys swashbuckling stories such as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and is still waiting for a screen adaption that lives up to the book!

When she's not writing, Virginia is usually to be found teaching music. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of music, especially as a tool of inspiration. She also helps out with the John o' Groats Book Festival which is celebrating its 4th year.

She now lives in the far-flung corner of Scotland. A doting spaniel-owner to Orlando and Jess, Virginia soaks up in inspiration from the landscape as she ventures out with her canine companions.

She loves cheese, music, and films, but hates mushrooms.

Social Media Links:

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Look who is in the SPOTLIGHT!!! Sisters of Castle Leod by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard #HistoricalFiction #SistersOfCastleLeod #BlogTour @EHBernardAuthor @cathiedunn

Sisters of Castle Leod
by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Publication Date: January 19th, 2023. Publisher: Black Rose Writing. Cover Art: (c) Alison Hale, oil on glass painting. Pages: 293. Genre: Historical Fiction / Biographical Historical Fiction

Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander books and television series, but few know that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle, Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth century were among the most fascinating and talked-about women of their era. 

Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance, swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes British society with her public displays of Greek-style barefoot dancing. The differences between the sisters escalate into conflict after Sibell inherits their late father’s vast estates and the title 3rd Countess of Cromartie. But it is the birth of Sibell’s daughter that sets in motion a series of bizarre and tragic events, pitting sister against sister and propelling Sibell on a desperate mission to challenge the power of fate. 

Sisters of Castle Leod, by award-winning author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, is the emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them together.

You can pick up this novel at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA,  and Amazon AU. This novel is available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

A former touring musician/songwriter and public relations professional, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of two Amazon bestsellers: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR, "a compelling historical novel steeped in mystery with strong elements of a medical thriller" (Readers' Favorite, 5 stars), and TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL, a "resonant novel ... about the birth and demise of ragtime ... luxuriously crafted" (Publishers Weekly). 

Her books have been finalists for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, and Arizona Literary Contest; they have received 5-star ratings from Readers’ Favorite, Book Readers Appreciation Group, and historical fiction Discovered Diamonds. 

Elizabeth and her family live near Phoenix, Arizona.

Social Media Links:

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Amazon Author Page, BookBub, Goodreads

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Look who is in the SPOTLIGHT!!! The Hearts of All on Fire by Alana White #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @alanawhite1480 @cathiedunn

The Hearts of All on Fire
(The Guid’Antonio Historical Mysteries)
By Alana White

Publication Date: September 27th, 2022. Publisher: Atmosphere Press. Pages: 392. Genre: Historical Mystery

Florence, 1473. 

An impossible murder. A bitter rivalry. A serpent in the ranks.

Florentine investigator Guid’Antonio Vespucci returns to Florence from a government mission to find his dreams of success shattered. Life is good—but then a wealthy merchant dies from mushroom poisoning at Guid’Antonio’s Saint John’s Day table, and Guid’Antonio’s servant is charged with murder. 

Convinced of the youth’s innocence and fearful the killer may strike again, Guid’Antonio launches a private investigation into the merchant’s death, unaware that at the same time powerful enemies are conspiring to overthrow the Florentine Republic—and him. 

A clever, richly evocative tale for lovers of medieval and renaissance mysteries everywhere, The Hearts of All on Fire is a timeless story of family relationships coupled with themes of love, loss, betrayal and, above all, hope in a challenging world.

You can pick up this novel at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Waterstones, Parnassus Books

Alana White

Alana White’s passion for Renaissance Italy has taken her to Florence for research on the Vespucci and Medici families on numerous occasions. There along cobbled streets unchanged over the centuries, she traces their footsteps, listening to their imagined voices, including that of her protagonist, Guid’Antonio Vespucci and his friends, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Lorenzo de’ Medici.  

Alana’s first short story featuring real-life fifteenth-century lawyer Guid’Antonio Vespucci and his favorite nephew, Amerigo Vespucci, was a Macavity Award finalist and led to the Guid’Antonio Vespucci Mystery Series featuring "The Sign of the Weeping Virgin" (Book I) and "The Hearts of All on Fire" (Book II).  

She is a member of the Women’s National Book Association and the Historical Novel Society, among other organizations. 

Social Media Links:

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Read an #excerpt from Liopleurodon: The Master of the Deep by M. B. Zucker #HistoricalFantasy #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MBZuckerBooks @MichaelZucker1 @cathiedunn

Liopleurodon:

The Master of the Deep

By M. B. Zucker

Publication Date: 20th September 2022. Publisher: Historium Press Books. Cover Design: White Rabbit Arts. Page Length: 251

Genre: Historical Fantasy.

From M. B. Zucker, award-winning author of
"The Eisenhower Chronicles"

Liopleurodon ferox was the deadliest sea predator of all time, the king of the Jurassic ocean. This whale-sized reptile's return to the early twentieth century triggers a geopolitical crisis in this new historical science fiction thriller. Former President Theodore Roosevelt foresees the threat the Liopleurodon would pose if it falls into the wrong hands. The race is on as Roosevelt leads the American effort to destroy it before the Kaiser’s Germany can turn it into a weapon.

Fans of Jurassic Park and Steve Alten’s Meg series will not want to miss this adventure filled with action, political intrigue, and characters that readers will remember long after finishing this novel.

Advance Praise for Liopleurodon: The Master of the Deep

"The storyline itself was superb ---- A Jaws/Jurassic Park thriller and a bit of a spy novel all in one - and compelling."
~ The Historical Fiction Company

Excerpt

 The Liopleurodon preys upon some humpback whales.

A pod of five humpback whales migrated north, searching for plankton. They were led by two bulls, each around 15 meters long. The cows were both between 10 and 12 meters, while the calf, making the journey for the first time, was only four-and-a- half meters. He primarily drank his mother’s milk. The males were tasked with defending the pod against potential threats. Their echolocation sensed something closing in on their position. Something big.

The aggressor was larger than any the whales had ever encountered, his speed greater than they could hope to match. The animal’s black back provided camouflage; he was unaware the whales were tracking him, still unfamiliar with this new world.

The Liopleurodon hoped that preying on mammals would rebuild his body weight—still low from the Jurassic ice age— and that the mammalian blubber could compensate his energy level, which was stifled by the colder climate and reduction in oxygen. He opened his jaws, sliding his teeth together, sharpening them. The Liopleurodon’s smell locked onto the five humpbacks—their sizes, their movements, their locations. He made his pick. He wanted the calf. He formed his plan of attack.

The whales initiated a defensive strategy. The females moved toward the calf while the bulls dove to challenge the Liopleurodon, their powerful flukes propelling them deeper. The pliosaur ascended, bringing all three males on a collision course. The Liopleurodon was as agile as a sea lion, using his flippers to effortlessly dodge the bulls without slowing down. He left them behind. The females placed themselves between the pliosaur and the calf. The Liopleurodon slammed into them, knocking them aside and shattering multiple bones in all three animals upon impact. He bit down upon the calf’s fluke, breaking it. The baby struggled and the Liopleurodon thrashed his neck, trying to tear the calf in two.

The females came back, headbutting the Liopleurodon in his torso, but the reptile’s reinforced rib cage absorbed the blows. The attacks were a distraction, however, and he dove deeper, his teeth gripping the calf’s tail, trying to drown the baby and escape the females. This brought him back within the males’ range, who each slammed into him. He lost his grip on the calf.

The calf’s fluke was too hurt to function. The Liopleurodon was so large that his descent created its own current, dragging the calf from the surface. The bulls chased the pliosaur while the cows balanced the calf on their heads, trying to raise him to the surface to breathe.

The bulls pursued the Liopleurodon deeper, placing more distance between the reptile and the calf. The water darkened. The Liopleurodon tracked his pursuers with his smell; they tracked him with echolocation. He was satisfied that the males were too far away from the calf to interfere again. He turned back, dodging them once more, and closed in on the cows and calf. The cows were distracted by lifting the calf and did not detect the Liopleurodon’s return.

The Liopleurodon grabbed the larger female’s fluke in his jaws and dragged her away from the others. He released her once he felt she was no longer a threat. The mother whale could not balance her child on her own. He sank. The calf’s lungs filled with water and he used his remaining strength to sing a death song to his pod.

The carnivore bit down on the calf’s back, shattering its spine. Blood puffed from his mouth. The four adult humpbacks watched powerlessly as the ocean’s returning apex predator swam away with the youngest member of th

You can pick up your copy of this book over on Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU,

Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Kobo 

M. B. Zucker

M. B. Zucker has been interested in storytelling for as long as he can remember. He discovered his love of history at fifteen and studied Dwight Eisenhower for over ten years. 

Mr. Zucker earned his B.A. at Occidental College and his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He lives in Virginia with his wife.

Social Media Links:

Website, Twitter, Twitter Books, Facebook, 

 Instagram, Amazon Author Page,

LinkedIn, Goodreads

Tour Schedule

Look who has a new book coming out!!! Wolves of Wagria (Olaf's Saga, Book #3) by Eric Schumacher #Viking #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @DarkAgeScribe @cathiedunn

 

Wolves of Wagria
(Olaf's Saga, Book #3)
By Eric Schumacher

Three kingdoms. Two friends. Only one way to survive.

For fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden comes the tale of Olaf Tryggvason and his adventures in the battle-scarred kingdom of Wagria.

It is AD 972. Olaf Tryggvason and his oath-sworn protector, Torgil, are once again on the move. They have left the Rus kingdom and now travel the Baltic Sea in search of plunder and fame. But a fateful storm lands them on the Vendish coastline in a kingdom called Wagria.

There, they find themselves caught between the aggression of the Danes, the political aspirations of the Wagrian lords, and the shifting politics in Saxland. Can they survive or will they become just one more casualty of kingly ambitions? 

Find out in this harrowing sequel to the best-selling novels, Forged by Iron and Sigurd’s Swords.

This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited.

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

Eric Schumacher

Eric Schumacher discovered his love for writing and medieval European history at a very early age, as well as authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Bernard Cornwell, Jack Whyte, and Wilbur Smith. Those discoveries fueled his imagination and continue to influence the stories he tells. 

His first novel, God’s Hammer, was published in 2005.

You can follow Eric Schumacher on Amazon or by joining his newsletter at https://www.ericschumacher.net/readers-club.

Social Media Links:

Website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon Author Page, BookBub, Goodreads

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