Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘Courage Anthology: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope’ by Helen Hollick and Friends

On By hmalagisiIn guest post6 Comments

I am pleased to welcome Helen Hollick & Friends to my blog today to share a spotlight for their latest book, “Courage Anthology: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope.” I would like to thank Helen Hollick & Friends and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb: 

Fifteen historical short stories, covering eras from Roman to present-day by Judith Arnopp, Anna Belfrage, Derek Birks, Cathie Dunn, Patricia Furstenberg, Jean Gill, Kathy Hollick-Bater, Helen Hollick, Carolyn Hughes, Amy Maroney, Alison Morton, Elizabeth St.John, Marian L Thorpe, Antoine Vanner, Annie Whitehead. With an introduction by Lorna Fergusson. 

The lion has long been a symbol of courage, loyalty, and hope. A creature of power and, in some traditions, of the divine. We imagine it unflinching, unafraid. Yet the truest bravery is not found in the open, but within, where the lion lies hidden, waiting to be called upon. In moments of uncertainty or grief. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to face it. It is the moment when we would rather flee, but instead, find a strength we did not know we possessed. 

These powerful and often emotional stories follow men, women, and children as they face profound adversity, the resilience to endure, cling to hope for the future, and the courage to change their lives forever. 

Join these ordinary people as they uncover extraordinary strength and emerge, in their own way, lion-hearted. 

The Stories – in appearance order: (collated by Helen Hollick) 

THE SENTRY by Alison Morton 

Roman province of Noricum, AD 395 

When danger strikes, and you are on your own with only fear as a companion 

THE SAXON by Derek Birks 

Southern Britain, the frontier between the Belgae and the Atrebates. AD 471 

When escape means more than just running for your life 

THE PHOENIX by Marian L Thorpe 

Ésparias, a fictional country bordering the western sea circa AD 900 

A mother’s dilemma? To keep them safe – or let them go? 

SIFLEDE by Judith Arnopp 

London, October 1066 

When the Normans come, Southwark’s residents need to fight, flee, hide, or die. 

DAISY CHAIN by Annie Whitehead 

England, 1141 

A mother’s love. A mother’s grief 

STEPPING BETWEEN by Anna Belfrage 

Ludlow Castle, England, 1308 

When all you can do is to endure 

CONFRONTING PLAGUE by Carolyn Hughes 

England, 1361 

When courage must survive in the face of history’s cruellest plague 

KATE’S LETTER by Patricia Furstenberg 

Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, 1478 

One letter, sealed in dragon’s wax 

THE PORTRAIT’S SECRET by Amy Maroney 

Paris, 1536 

When a woman holds a secret, does she keep it or share it? 

LEGACY by Jean Gill 

Tudor England, 1558 

When a man loses everything, what is his legacy? 

A TALETELLER’S TALE by Helen Hollick 

Somewhere in the Caribbean, 1709 

When the only sound is the song of the sea, do you listen? Or do you drown in the embrace of a mermaid? 

THE GATE by Elizabeth St.John 

London, 1900  

When courage costs everything 

DARKNESS RISING by Cathie Dunn 

Venezia, June 1923 

Can the mystery of a secluded island and a murder be solved before  

time runs out? 

A SACK OF POTATOES by Antoine Vanner 

Groenhorst, outskirts of Amersvoort, The Netherlands 

November 11th, 1954 

Courage meant survival for many – but others relied on greed 

GRUMPY OLD GRANDFATHER by Kathy Hollick-Bater 

Anywhere, Present-day 

It takes courage to fight the memory of fear 

YouTube Trailer link: 

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/COURAGE-Anthology 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Author Bios:  

Helen Hollick:
About Helen – (anthology compiler) 

Originally first published in 1993, and now known for her captivating storytelling and attention to historical detail, Helen’s historical fiction, nautical adventures, cosy mysteries, and short stories invite readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between fiction and history blend together. Her historical novels span a variety of periods, with a particular focus on the Early Medieval. Her Pendragon’s Banner series offers a vivid portrayal of the King Arthur story set against a plausible reality setting, while the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings shows her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life. Her novel about Queen Emma (The Forever Queen – USA title) became a USA Today best-seller. 

In the Sea Witch Voyages, she subtly weaves in elements of supernatural fantasy against the Golden Age of Piracy, creating an immersive and addictive nautical adventure experience. 

Her Jan Christopher cosy mystery series is set during the 1970s, based around her sometimes hilarious years of working as a North London library assistant. Her 2025 release of Ghost Encounters, co-produced with her adult daughter, Kathy, reveals some benign ghosts of North Devon, where the family moved to in 2013. Helen has written several short stories, further exploring the echoes of the past, all with her compelling and convincing signature style.  

Author Links 

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

Twitter / X: @HelenHollick  https://x.com/HelenHollick 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick 

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/helenhollick.bsky.social 

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

Judith Arnopp:   
About Judith – Multi-award-winning author Judith Arnopp’s novels are set in the late medieval and Tudor period. Her main focus is on the women of the era, her meticulous research offering deep psychological analysis of well-known figures such as Margaret Beaufort, Marguerite of Anjou, Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII himself. She has also written a non-fiction How to Dress like a Tudor. 

Webpage: http://www.judithmarnopp.com 

Amazon Author Page: author.to/juditharnoppbooks 

Anna Belfrage:  
About Anna – Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance, 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, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel, The Times of Turmoil,  and is now considering how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. 

website, www.annabelfrage.com 

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG 

Derek Birks:  
About Derek – Derek writes character-driven, action-packed fiction. His debut historical novel, Feud, is the first of a series of eight books and one novella, entitled The Wars of the Roses. which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family. He has also written the Amazon bestselling series, The Last of The Romans, which focuses on the real fifth-century Romano-British character of Ambrosius Aurelianus. His first non-fiction book is: A Guide to the Wars of the Roses. Under the pen name Tom Hadley, he has also written the Liv Fisher modern thriller series, which begins with Eyes Like Blades. 

Derek has written and produced over 40 podcasts on the Wars of the Roses, and now co-hosts the podcast series, A Slice of Medieval, with historian Sharon Bennett Connolly. 

Website: https://derekbirks.com/ 

Amazon author page: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Derek-Birks/author/B0090EKZDY

Cathie Dunn:  
About Cathie – Cathie is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, mystery, dual-timeline, and romance set in Scotland, England, and France. Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy. 

Cathie lives in the south of France with her husband and two rescue pets, enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and visiting the many historic sites whenever she can. 

Find her across social media and on  

www.cathiedunn.com 

Amazon author page: https://author.to/CathieDunn 

Patricia Furstenberg:
About Patricia – Patricia is a Romanian-born, South Africa-based author of character-driven historical fiction set in medieval Eastern Europe. Her latest novel, When Secrets Bloom, part of the Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows saga, explores the turbulent world of Vlad the Impaler, weaving meticulous research with moral complexity, faith, and the quiet resilience of women navigating power and peril. Her short stories, poetry, and travel features have appeared in anthologies and online publications. Patricia blogs about overlooked corners of history and cultural heritage on her  

website: https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/ 

Amazon author page: https://author.to/PatFurstenberg 

Jean Gill:  
About Jean – Award-winning Welsh author and photographer Jean Gill lives in Provence with the best scent-hound in the world, a Nikon D750, and a man. Best known for writing epic medieval adventures in The Troubadours and The Midwinter Dragon series, Jean has published twenty-seven multi-genre books since 1988, including the dog bestseller Someone To Look Up To. 

For many years, she taught English and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in the Welsh county of Dyfed. She is a mother or stepmother to five children, so life is hectic. With Scottish parents, Welsh and French residence,e and an English birthplace, she can usually shout for the winning team in sporting events. 

She loves to hear from readers.  

Website: http://www.jeangill.com 

Amazon author pages: 

US: https://www.amazon.com/author/jeangill 

UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jean-Gill/author/B001KDUN1C?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1772723126&sr=1-3&shoppingPortalEnabled=true 

Kathy Hollick-Bater:  
About Kathy – Kathy is severely dyslexic and struggles with her reading and writing. Her passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy is now a Devon farmer’s wife, runs Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental, or physical issues. She hopes to extend her training in order to help ex-servicemen overcome PTSD. 

Kathy regularly competes at British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals. She also has the ability to see, hear, and talk to friendly ghosts, several of whom share our 1769 farmhouse. 

Website: https://www.white-owl.co.uk/ 

co-author of Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon  

Amazon: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters 

Carolyn Hughes:  
About Carolyn – Carolyn is the author of The Meonbridge Chronicles series, historical fiction set in fourteenth century England. The first Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, is set in the immediate aftermath of what we call The Black Death. Times of social change are always fascinating, and trying to depict the great upheaval in society brought about by the plague was the inspiration for the book. In the subsequent novels, Carolyn has sought to reveal the lives of mostly ordinary medieval folk through stories that tell of experiences especially pertinent to the time but which also resonate today. The stories focus particularly on the lives of women, if only because women in history often have not had much opportunity to “speak”. 

There are now eight books in the series. More will follow.  

Website: www.carolynhughesauthor.com 

Amazon series: https://mybook.to/MhkUql 

Amy Maroney:  
About Amy – Amy lives in Oregon, U.S.A., and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail; and the Sea and Stone Chronicles, which features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s community of readers on her website:  https://www.amymaroney.com/ 

Amazon Author Page:  

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Maroney/author/B01LYHPXEO

Alison Morton:
About Alison – Alison writes the thrillers she always wanted to read – ones featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution, and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue. 

All six full-length Roma Nova novels have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO, and JULIA PRIMA have been selected as Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.  

Six years’ military service, a fascination with ancient Rome, and a life of reading crime, historical, and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her contemporary thrillers, Double Identity, Double Pursuit, and Double Stakes. 

Website: https://alison-morton.com 

Amazon author page: https://Author.to/AlisonMortonAmazon 

Elizabeth St.John:
About Elizabeth – Elizabeth’s critically acclaimed historical fiction brings to life the stories of her ancestors—extraordinary women whose close connections to England’s kings and queens offer an intimate perspective on Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Inspired by family archives and historic residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, she explores ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens—and occasionally encounters a ghost. Discovering a whole different family history in The Gate, Elizabeth expands her storytelling into the early 20th century, adding a new era to her repertoire. 

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park and curator of The Lydiard Archives, where she is always searching for inspiration for her next novel. Her works include The Lydiard Chronicles, set during the English Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, exploring the mystery of the princes in the Tower. In The King’s Intelligencer, set in the court of Charles II, a young woman must decide what she is willing to risk to reveal the whereabouts of the missing princes. 

Website: www.elizabethjstjohn.com 

Amazon Author Page: https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn 

Marian L Thorpe:
About Marian – Marian’s novels are historical fiction of an imagined world, one that is close to Britain, Northern Europe, and Rome, but isn’t any of them. Her short stories, either in multiple-author anthologies or her own collections, range from urban fantasy to historical fiction, slice-of-life to climate fiction.  

After two careers as a research scientist and an educator, she decided it was time to do what she’d always wanted, and be a writer. Her first book was published when she was in her mid-50s. Her lifelong interest in Roman and post-Roman European history provided the inspiration for her first series, while her other interests in landscape archaeology and birding provide background. 

Website: www.marianlthorpe.com 

Amazon Author Page: https://relinks.me/MarianLThorpe 

Antoine Vanner:
About Antoine – Antoine spent four decades in international business, latterly at a senior executive level, and lectured in academia afterwards. He lived through military coups, a guerrilla war, negotiations with governments, storms at sea and life in mangrove swamps, tropical forest, offshore oil-platforms, and the boardroom. He has lived and worked long-term in eight countries, has travelled widely in all continents except Antarctica, and is fluent in three languages. 

He has a passion for nineteenth-century political and military history and has a deep understanding of what was the cutting-edge technology of the time. His knowledge of human nature and his first-hand experience of the locales – often surprising – of the most important conflicts of the period provide the impetus for his chronicling of the lives of Royal Navy officer Nicholas Dawlish and his magnificent wife, Florence. There are thirteen volumes so far in the Dawlish Chronicles series, the actions set in the period 1858 to 1915. 

Vanner now lives in Britain with his wife, Eva Lagassé (a journalist by background), their dog, and five horses. 

Website: www.dawlishchronicles.com 

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/4sB0MUR 

Annie Whitehead:
About Annie – is a prize-winning writer, historian, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines. She has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine’s Prose and Poetry Competition, a finalist in the Tom Howard Prize for nonfiction and shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and subsequently a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition, and was a 2024 judge for the HWA Crown Nonfiction Award and chaired the same panel in 2025. 

Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (a #1 Amazon Best-seller, published by Amberley Books) and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books). In 2023, she contributed to a new history of English monarchs, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in 2025, Murder in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Amberley Books. 

In February 202,6 she signed a contract for a new nonfiction book about the Anglo-Saxons, to be published by The History Press in 2027. 

Website: https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/ 

Amazon author page: http://viewauthor.at/Annie-Whitehead 

With an introduction by Lorna Fergusson:  
About Lorna – Lorna Fergusson is an award-winning short story writer and novelist. Founder of Fictionfire Literary Consultancy, she is an experienced editor, writing coach, and speaker. She has taught on various Oxford University writing programmes since 2002. Her stories have won an Ian St James Award, the Historical Novel Society’s Short Story Award, and been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, Pan Macmillan’s Write Now prize, and the Historical Novel Society’s First Chapters prize. She was twice runner-up for the Mogford Prize. Author of The Chase and An Oxford Vengeance, her latest book is a collection of stories set in France, One Morning in Provence. She is currently developing one of the Mogford stories as a novel, as well as working on poetry and a book on mindset for writers. Born in Scotland, she is married with two sons and lives in Oxford, England. 

Website: https://www.lornafergusson.com 

Amazon author page: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lorna-Fergusson/author/B0034PRAP6

Book Review: “Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History” by Martha Tatarnic

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

The Tudors and their tales have been told for centuries, and one of the most famous figures of this period was Anne Boleyn. A woman who caught the eye of the king became queen after he divorced his first wife in the hopes that Anne would give him a son, but she had a daughter, and had one of the most dramatic falls from grace in English history. We all know Anne’s story, but what is it about her story that has appealed to so many people for centuries? How would her story look if it were told through a feminist lens? And how did Anne’s story affect a woman Anglican priest in our modern world? Martha Tatarnic tells her tale and how Anne affected her life in her latest book, “Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History.”

I would like to thank Morehouse Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I had heard about this book on social media and a few podcasts that I follow, so I was intrigued to give it a shot. I am always looking for a new approach to the Tudors, so when I read the description, I was hoping to learn something new about Anne Boleyn.

I will say this is one of the more unique books about Anne Boleyn that I have read so far. As Tatarnic explains in her introduction, she has been fascinated by Anne Boleyn for most of her life because she didn’t fit the mold of a typical English queen and because of her religious convictions, which helped shape the Anglican Church. Anne is seen as an icon to Gen Z alongside Joan of Arc, but the question is, why these two women? Tatarnic includes her own stories in this analysis of Anne’s life, as well as some nods to modern pop culture.

I really wanted to like this book, but the more I read, the more frustrated I became.  Tatarnic tended to jump from topic to topic with no real order, so you will be reading about Anne’s fall from grace, then it jumps to the queens and children who ruled after Anne’s death, and finally, jumping back to the letters to start the whole affair. While I do appreciate Tatarnic trying something different by incorporating her story and modern pop culture references, I feel like there was a bit too much of this aspect, which took away from Anne’s story. Finally, I thought there was a place where the book should have ended because it made the most sense, but then Tatarnic continued in almost a rant. In this case, I think less is more, and expanding on her ideas would have made it a better book, even though her writing style was easy to follow.

Overall, I felt that the concept of telling Anne’s story through a feminist lens was unique, but the execution of this book fell a bit flat for me. If you are someone who wants to read about Anne Boleyn’s story through an original feminist lens, you might enjoy “Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History” by Martha Tatarnic.

Guest Post: “Excerpt from ‘Enheduanna’s Song From The Sands’ by Ellen Rachlin

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Ellen Rachlin to my blog today to share an excerpt of her novel, “Enheduanna’s Song From The Sands.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Ellen Rachlin for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 

Eight years ago, I was bitten by a desire that I can’t forget. I was seven and with my mother in Azupiranu, the City of Saffron, and Father’s birthplace. We were at the Temple when I had a vision of my paternal grandmother, the former High Priestess, whom I’d never met. Ever since she revealed herself to me, I’ve wanted to be a high priestess too. 

Even my father had no memory of her. Only rarely did my parents speak of her. And I never received a good answer to how a high priestess could give birth to a mortal son. High priestesses are married to gods. They aren’t supposed to have children. 

I assume that’s why she gave father away. She tried to protect him by sending him downriver alone in a sealed basket. Akki, the royal gardener of Kish, found Father at the riverbank and raised him. When Mother brought me to Azupiranu on holiday, I believe she was looking for him. She’d lead me along a sloped embankment to the Euphrates riverbank where Father’s journey to Kish began. 

On that long-ago trip to Azupiranu, when I was steeped in grief, my grandmother appeared to me. It was on the day before Mother’s, and I was to return home to Agade. A cooling breeze from the East set in as we arrived at grandmother’s old Temple. She lived in the giparu where usually only the High Priestess and priestesses can enter. But on this day, Mother and I were permitted inside. She tugged my hand, and I followed her across the sacred courtyard, stepping lightly on my toes with my head tilted upwards, taking in the tops of the carved stone archways. 

The current High Priestess received us in her golden throne room and invited us to spend the night. Mother was allowed to climb to the mountain house, the highest point of the Temple, to spend the night. It’s the room closest to the gods, at the meeting place of Heaven and Earth. Mother left me all alone below in the care of the priestesses. 

As she ascended all three of the mountain house’s sacred platforms, she slipped away from me, becoming smaller and smaller. I stood at the base, and tears escaped my eyes. She told me that she was going to pray to Ninurta, the god of farming and healing. 

For several hours, I barely spoke to the priestesses. They chattered at me as they led me through the temple rooms and grand kitchens. All I could think of was that Mother didn’t allow me to go with her to touch the Heavens. I vowed that one day I would serve as high priestess at a temple with a grand mountain house. Then I would decide who was permitted to enter it. But that same night, the Heavens came to me. I saw a woman who looked as familiar to me as my own face. But she was more beautiful with a narrower nose and fuller bottom lip than mine; her dark almond-shaped eyes were the same. She sat on a small curved throne, enveloped in brilliantly colored woven fabrics. One shawl, the color of the morning sun, covered her head, grazed her shoulders, and flowed down her back. She called me to 

her. I could sense her breath. I moved closer, just close enough to stare at her curiously familiar face. 

Perhaps because she was speaking to a child, her words were slow and cautious. It took some moments for me to take them in, so I don’t recall her first words. But their meaning I understood—it was a warning that women are doomed to be forgotten and that I should take advantage of my blessed birthright, tell my story, and defend the beliefs of our people. I remember her asking me, “Do you understand me?” 

Maybe because I dreamed of being a high priestess as Father intended, serving Inanna, I remember her exact words that followed: “Great men have epics pressed into tablets and live on as the gods do. High priestesses who commit their lives to the gods are forgotten. Gilgamesh and your father remembered—you and I forgotten.” 

When she spoke about the legendary king, Gilgamesh, and Father, and the scores of tablets that tell their stories, her words seemed true. Her voice became louder, more insistent, “Study history. Learn how to write so you can tell your story and achieve immortality like great men and gods.” 

I’ve told no one, not even Mother, about this. At first, I wanted something all my own that night when Mother wouldn’t let me join her. Then, I put the vision aside, but not my desire to become a high priestess and climb the mountain house whenever I wished. 

Until recently, I had almost forgotten about that vision of my grandmother. 

Blurb: 

Discover the untold story of Enheduanna, the world’s first named author, as she navigates power, betrayal, and divine destiny in ancient Mesopotamia. A mesmerizing fusion of history, myth, and female leadership that challenges how we see the past—and ourselves.

A high priestess dethroned. A rebel with a dangerous plan. One empire hanging by a thread.

When Enheduanna is named High Priestess of Ur, her connection to the gods makes her a target. Lugalanne’s coup strips her of robes, power, and home, casting her into the perilous underworld. There, amid forests of shadows and treacherous trials, she discovers that divine favor alone won’t save her—only cunning, courage, and a willingness to embrace the ruthlessness of her enemies can restore her.

Drawing on history and myth, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands follows the world’s first named author as she fights to reclaim her voice and her destiny. Political intrigue, betrayal, and divine tests collide as Enheduanna must decide whether to forgive, to fight, or to harness the power that could shake the foundations of an empire. For readers who love The Song of Achilles’s intimate heroism, Circe’s mythic depth, or The Daughters of Sparta’s fierce women, this is a mesmerizing dive into ancient Mesopotamia where courage and cunning are the only paths to survival. 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/472x5R  

Author Bio: 

Ellen Rachlin’s poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Comstock Review, Granta, Court Green, Literary Imagination, and various anthologies.  She has published two collections of her poems, Until Crazy Catches Me (Antrim House, 2008) and Permeable Divide (Antrim House, 2017), winner of the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award.   

She has a historical fiction novel, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, based on the life of Enheduanna, the Akkadian high priestess and world’s first-named author, forthcoming from Histria Books, and a collection of poems, At the Big Bang Resort, forthcoming from Red Hen Press. 

She is also the author of two chapbooks, Waiting for Here (Finishing Line Press, 2004), a finalist in the New Women’s Voices series, and Captive to Residue (Flarestack Publishing, 2009).  She received her MFA from Antioch University.  She serves as Treasurer of The Poetry Society of America and is a partner at Blue Leaf Ventures.  

Other writing genres include numerous textbooks and journal articles on the subject of finance and investing with various publishers, including Wiley. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.ellenrachlin.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ellen-Rachlin-author/61583923434907/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenrachlin/  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ellen-Rachlin/author/B002LFQWRM  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8068457.Ellen_Rachlin  

~~~ 

Praise for Enheduanna’s Song From The Sands (optional): 

“In finely detailed prose, Ellen Rachlin brings Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon, to life, as well as the mythic figures of Inanna and Ereshkigal of the Underworld. Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands is filled with conflict and intensity, each quest, not only a matter of achieving power, but of life and death.” 

~Regina McBride, author of Stranger from Across the Sea 

“Ellen Rachlin’s sumptuously detailed debut novel Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands tells the remarkable true story of the ancient high priestess Enheduanna. Rachlin guides us through the intrigues, secrets, spies and wars of Enheduanna’s times, bringing this gifted woman and the goddess she served to life.  What’s so singular about this heroine?  Daughter of a king, a spiritual leader, and a poet, she signs her hymns with her own name.  In Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, the first known author in Western recorded history is a gutsy woman!  Thanks to Rachlin’s imagination and rich research, I fell in love with Enheduanna and relished her anguished and opulent story.”  

~ Molly Peacock, Author of The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 

“Enheduanna’s hymns to the goddess Inanna are the first known literary works to name an author. Rachlin brings her to life in this novel set in 2300 BCE, a novel of sex, war, love, a baby in a basket, and a woman creating a new order of being. It’s historical fiction writing that reminds the reader of Hilary Mantel; you can’t put it down.  You want to follow the priestess to bed, to rise, to her last fighting breath. Rachlin won’t let you put this book down.” 

~Kate Gale, author of Under a Neon Sun and Swimming the Milky Way 

“I could not put this book down! As a history buff, I always love reading historical fiction, and this book was so amazing. Reading Enheduanna’s struggle and overcoming hardships as a high priestess were so inspiring and intriguing to read about. If you loved books like The Song of Achilles than you would love this book as well.”
– Elda Rastoder Net Galley Reviewer 

“I’m OBSESSED. This is a rich and beautiful story of stepping into power and making hard decisions, told with a wonderful, brilliant voice perfect for its historical setting. The blend of intense drama, action, and conflict/reflection with oneself and the world around was executed so well. I really liked the addition of the footnotes and references because they tied this fantasy story in with real history; that was a smart addition. I fell in love with Enheduanna and the ancient high priestess’ intricate story, and I simply could not put this book down. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves ancient history and feminist retellings of true stories.” 

~ Seeta Net Galley Reviewer 

“A historical fiction about an almost forgotten but formidable high priestess in Ancient Mesopotamia. Enheduanna is the daughter of the king Sargon, and has been destined to become high priestess since receiving visions of a goddess from a young age. After a brutal SA on her journey, her desire for power turns hungry from wanting revenge. She experiences isolation, punishing rebels, and mastering her intimidation. Learning that seeking divine power is not the way, she begins to once more find alignment with values and creation, which led her to become high priestess in the first place. Tracing the course of Enheduanna’s rise to power, many important aspects of Mesopotamia 2300 BCE mythology and Enheduanna’s life are explored. Enheduanna was such a powerful FMC in this book and woman in real life, I’m truly so grateful to have learned about her. Ellen Rachlin’s writing captures the powerful and divine moments of Enheduanna’s life and suspends them before you so you may be there right alongside.” 

~ Morgan ARC reader 

“Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands is a historical fantasy surrounding the life and actions of Enheduanna, the daughter of Sargon the Great and High Priestess of Ur, a powerful religious and business leader who lived approximately two thousand years before Virgil. Ellen Rachlin entwines her history with myth in a novel about the world’s first named author, who finds herself the focal point of conflict, transformation, and choices surrounding an extraordinary power rising in ancient Mesopotamia. 

From the start, the first-person story builds an evocative, compelling scenario that draws readers with passion and insight: 

Inanna, supreme in Heaven and Earth, ruler over all gods, I beg of you: restore me to my temple, bring me home! In the ancient city of Ur, I no longer breathe the salty air, lift myself from the sacred bed, or unravel Ningal’s dreams for my followers. The southern stars have slipped away from me; Now I walk the thorny brush of the northern mountainside. As I sing your blessed song, I am dying. 

A host of equally memorable characters enter Enheduanna’s life and chambers, from Darda, the son of Purushanda’s former king, to her mother and father, Sargon and Tashlultum, Uanna and Nidintu, women who are part of a core circle Enheduanna thinks she can trust, and others from different sides of an evolving rebellion. 

Enheduanna tries to fulfill her destiny, but often winds up feeling isolated and uncertain: 

“…in this forest of knowledge, the faces of some of my closest friends are becoming increasingly obscured.” 

As Enheduanna faces riots, rebels, and intrigue, her world comes to life with a host of social, political, and personal issues; all of which she navigates with authority and, sometimes, uncertainty: “I fear we’re losing real ground to our enemy.” 

Suffused with rage, she then documents the history of her world in vivid detail that readers will find engrossing and realistic. 

Librarians and readers seeking a story of ancient history come to life will find Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands rich with detail, personalized by the protagonist’s reflections as she steps into her power and makes difficult choices. 

Filled with dramatic action and confrontations with self as well as the outside world, Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands will appeal both to leisure readers and scholarly students of ancient times. The former will appreciate the high drama and personal touches; the latter the footnotes and references which cement events and fantasy in a layer of real history. 

An important footnote by the author clarifies why this novel should be in any serious collection of women’s history, as well as in fantasy and historical fiction holdings: 

I stumbled across Enheduanna while researching Sargon the Great. No one I knew, including poets, had ever heard of her or her hymns. When I began to uncover what was more broadly known about Enheduanna, it astounded me that the first-named author in history was not only a virtual unknown, but a woman who lived in a male-dominated culture.” 

~ Diane Donovan, Midwest Review, on recommended reading list

Guest Post: “Extract from ‘The Queen’s Sister’ by Carol McGrath”

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I am pleased to welcome Carol McGrath back to my blog today to share an extract from her latest novel, “The Queen’s Sister.” I would like to thank the Coffee Pot Book Club and Carol McGrath for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Extract from Chapter One 

We ride into the courtyard, myself, my lady, Madeleine, two female servants, and my six guardsmen. Stable boys come racing over the slippery cobbles to help with our horses. I had ridden most of the way north, sheltering from bitterly cold, harsh winds wrapped within my canvas cape and fur-lined gown, my underdress the warmest wool kirtle I could find in my travelling box.  My lady-in-waiting, at nineteen, only a few years older than I, sat for most of the journey in a wagon, with two servants and my travelling chests. 

A tall woman, wearing a sensible, plain gown and a coif covering a glimpse of grey hair on her brow, hurries from the porch to greet us. She is followed by a bustling, rotund man of a similar age, his kindly crinkly face creasing into smiles. My lady attendant drops a curtsey to her, and the middle-aged woman does the same to me. There is a rattling, noisy activity behind me as my luggage is unloaded from the wagon and my guard dismounts, their horses neighing and stamping the ground, puffs of steam billowing from nostrils. 

I assume the woman is the housekeeper. A ring of keys hangs from her belt. Seeing my glance at these, she speaks. ‘I am Mistress Eugenia Buxton, your housekeeper, and my husband is Master William Buxton, steward of Kexby.’ 

Master William steps forward and bows. Rising, he glances up and sniffs the bitter air. ‘My lady, welcome. Come away inside out of the bite.’ 

‘Hurry, Lady Elizabeth,’ his wife says. ‘Your messenger came in good time. There’s been a hot supper ready since he told us of your imminent arrival, and a warm chamber too. The manor has not had a mistress for many years, and the Cardinal, though much-loved here in the countryside, only visited Kexby on an odd occasion.’ She crossed herself, presumably because Cardinal Wolsey had died disgraced, on his way to London from York many years before. Hurrying me towards the door, she adds, ‘But rest assured, we have done our best to look after it all.’ 

‘I thank you.’ I turn to her husband. ‘Do you have accommodation for my household guard, Master Buxton?’ 

‘The manor has a substantial guard house beside the stables. It’s warm and comfortable. We can send meals over to them unless you prefer otherwise.’ 

‘They will eat in the hall with the rest of the household,’ I say at once. Master Buxton calls instructions to the boys minding the horses, and we all process through the enormous porch into the hall. The first thing I notice is the crackling, spluttering fire blazing in the hearth. A cloth-covered table is placed at the upper end. Another solid oak table is placed lengthwise. On either side, benches are squeezed against it.  I observe that a door along the wall opposite the fireplace must open into a screen passageway.   

Mistress Eugenia ushers myself and Madeleine to the top table, which is set with silver and generously laden with food – crisped small fishes, winter salads, pies, cheeses, meat,s and mountains of bread rolls on platters. As I take my seat, as if from nowhere, the manor’s population appear in the hall to take up places along the board. They appear awed by my presence and are quiet as they squeeze along benches to make room for the six soldiers who will remain with me for my stay in Kexby. Master William Buxton, I see, is already conversing with my sergeant and draws him to sit at the high table with us. A white-robed priest, who I am told is Father Adolphus, blesses the supper. Warmed wine smelling of spices is poured for those of us seated along the top board. Napkins are placed over our shoulders by servants, and we break bread. Determined not to appear greedy, I manage to avoid falling upon the food before me, though I am hungry as a half-starved beggar. I force myself to eat daintily as I politely converse with the housekeeper. 

‘I expect you observed a quiet Christmastide, my lady,’ Mistress Eugenia says. 

Blurb:  

A mother, a wife, a woman of substance… 

At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and has seen her Queen, Anne Boleyn, lose her life. Against the wishes of her father, she heads North, away from Wulf Hall and the court in London, to Yorkshire, determined to establish a new beginning as a landowner and businesswoman. As her family in Wiltshire curry favour with King Henry, aided by Thomas Cromwell, Elizabeth makes Kexby Manor her home, finding loyalty among her people there.

Soon, news comes to Elizabeth of the King’s desires for her sister, Jane, and while her brother, Edward, encourages her own betrothal to Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. It is a happy second marriage for Elizabeth, but it brings unwanted involvement in the dark plots and secrecy of the court, while in the wider country, changes in religious practice threaten to alter the traditions and values of all she has known…

THE QUEEN’S SISTER vividly imagines the story of the woman possibly portrayed in Hans Holbein’s beautiful painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ and is a colourful, meticulously researched novel of Tudor life behind the scenes.

What readers say about Carol McGrath’s novels:

‘Another beautifully crafted, well-researched work of historical fiction from Carol McGrath.’

‘Brimming with intrigue, tension and adventure, The Lost Queen is a powerful Medieval tale full of atmosphere, danger and emotion, and transports the reader to another world.’ 

Buy Links: 

Universal Ebook Link: https://books2read.com/u/bzExAq  

Universal Paperback Link: https://geni.us/queenssister  

Author Bio:  

Following a first degree in English and History at QUB, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from the University of London. She is published by Headline.  

The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066, was shortlisted for the RoNAs in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a Medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published in April 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and July 2024, The Lost Queen about Berengaria of Navarre and The Third Crusade. The Queen’s Sister, sequel to Mistress Cromwell, sees publication in June 2026. 

Carol writes historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022 by Pen & Sword. She speaks at Conferences and gives interviews. 

Find Carol on her website: www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk. 

Subscribe to her newsletter via her website (use the drop-down on her website Home Page). 

Author Links: 

Website: www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk  

Twitter / X: https://x.com/carolmcgrath  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolMcGrathAuthor1  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carol.mcgrath.58/  

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/swanneck.bsky.social  

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carol-mcgrath  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Carol-McGrath/author/B00D0K5YI0  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6942793.Carol_McGrath

Book Review: “The Queen’s Sister” by Carol McGrath

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The Seymour family was a gentry family that rose to prominence and nobility through their illustrious marriages. When we think about the Seymours and their marriages, the one marriage that shaped the future of the family is the marriage of Jane Seymour and King Henry VIII. But our story focuses on another Seymour daughter during the time of the Tudors. She was Jane’s sister who married three times and had numerous children. Her second marriage was to Gregory Cromwell, the son of Thomas Cromwell pushes Elizabeth Seymour straight into the middle of the Tudor court. Elizabeth soon learns that dark plots and conspiracies are afoot in the midst of religious change. Can Elizabeth and her family survive, or will the Tudor court be their downfall? Carol McGrath explores Elizabeth’s life in the Tudor court and in her family homes in her latest novel, “The Queen’s Sister.”

I would like to thank Carol McGrath and Headline Accent for sending me a copy of this novel. I have enjoyed the previous novels that I have read by Carol McGrath, so when I saw that she was exploring the world of the Tudors yet again, I was excited. I have heard of Elizabeth Seymour, but I did not know much about her story, so when Carol McGrath reached out and asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing this novel, I was thrilled. 

We begin Elizabeth’s story in 1537, when she is about to marry her second husband, Gregory Cromwell. Her sister Jane has recently married King Henry VIII after the death of Anne Bullen, and now Jane is pregnant with hopefully Henry’s heir. Elizabeth remembers her first marriage to Sir Anthony Ughtred. She had two children with Anthony, a son named Henry and a daughter named Margery, but Anthony never met his daughter as he died while Elizabeth was pregnant. Elizabeth moves to Kexby Manor and learns to be Lady Ughtred as well as a widowed mother. 

Time passes, and her family decides that Elizabeth should remarry, and the man they have chosen for her is the son of Thomas Cromwell, Gregory Cromwell. Elizabeth and Gregory built a happy life full of love and many children, but life has a way of throwing curveballs. In this case, it was religious conspiracies, a former love, spies, the Pilgrimage of Grace, and the fall of Thomas Cromwell. Elizabeth has to navigate it all while looking after her family and her beloved Kexby Manor. 

Our protagonist, Elizabeth, is a hard-working noblewoman who might have been the inspiration for Hans Holbein’s “Portrait of a Lady,” whose story deserves to be told, and McGrath was the perfect author to tell her tale. It gives more depth to the Tudor era, especially during the reigns of Jane Seymour and Anna of Cleves. If you are a fan of reading novels about lesser-known members of the Tudor court, I highly suggest you read “The Queen’s Sister” by Carol McGrath.

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘Daughter of Mercia’ by Julia Ibbotson- Book Birthday”

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I am pleased to welcome Julia Ibbotson back to my blog to celebrate the book birthday of her novel, “Daughter of Mercia.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Julia Ibbotson for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb: 

Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna’s old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6th-century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present. And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6th century and the other modern?  

As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise, and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6th-century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia? 

For fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. 

Buy Link:  

Universal Buy Link: https://myBook.to/DOMercia 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Author Bio: 

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. 

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. 

She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels, The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. 

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful storytelling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’, and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://juliaibbotsonauthor.com 

Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/@juliaibbotson 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuliaIbbotsonauthor 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia.ibbotson 

Bluesky:  https://bsky.app/profile/juliaibbotson.bsky.social 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/juliai1 

Amazon Author Page: https://Author.to/JuliaIbbotsonauthor Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/juliaibbotson

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘The Agincourt King audiobook’ by Mercedes Rochelle

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I am pleased to welcome Mercedes Rochelle to my blog today to share a spotlight for her novel, “The Agincourt King,” the audiobook edition. I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Mercedes Rochelle for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb:  

From the day he was crowned, Henry V was determined to prove the legitimacy of his house.  

His father’s usurpation weighed heavily on his mind. Only a grand gesture would capture the respect of his own countrymen and the rest of Europe. He would follow in his great-grandfather Edward III’s footsteps and recover lost territory in France. Better yet, why not go for the crown? 

Poor, deranged Charles VI couldn’t manage his own barons. The civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs was more of a threat to his country than the English, even after Henry laid siege to Harfleur. 

But once Harfleur had fallen, the French came to their senses and determined to block his path to Calais and destroy him. By the time the English reached Agincourt, they were starving, exhausted, and easy pickings. Or so the French thought. 

Little did they reckon on Henry’s leadership and the stout-hearted English archers who proved, once again, that numbers didn’t matter when God was on their side. 

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mq70Ze  

Audiobook Buy Links: 

Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cg66ye2wFqfteVEYMZXUE  

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-agincourt-king-by-mercedes-rochelle 

This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Author Bio: 

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. 

Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story.  

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received a BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri, St.Louis in 1979, then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! 

Today, she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ, with her husband in a log home they had built themselves. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://mercedesrochelle.com/  

Twitter / X:  https://x.com/authorrochelle  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercedesrochelle.net  

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorrochelle.bsky.social  

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mercedes-rochelle  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mercedes-Rochelle/author/B001KMG5P6  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1696491.Mercedes_Rochelle  

Book Review: “Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power” by Clare Hunter

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The field of history is ever-expanding as we find new artifacts and documents that change our understanding of the past. Some of the more precious artifacts are textiles, from clothing to embroidery and even wall hangings and bedding. They can tell us a lot about their owner if you understand the symbolism. While some symbolism can be rather simple, other textile symbolism could help display the voice of a woman who was silenced, like the women of the 16th century. One woman who used textiles to display her power and her own voice was Mary Queen of Scots. Clare Hunter explores Mary’s life through the textiles connected with her life in her book, “Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power.”

I have seen this book mentioned on a few pages and podcasts, and it sounded alluring to me. I have tried my hand at embroidery, so I appreciate the craft itself. I have wondered about textiles and how they could be interpreted, which is why this appealed to me so much. I couldn’t wait to own it and read it.

So how do you tell the story of Mary Queen of Scots through the textiles connected to her life? Well, for Hunter, she decided to weave her own interactions with these textiles into Mary’s life in chronological order while analyzing the textile artifacts. Each chapter focuses on a different stage of Mary’s life, as well as the textiles that fit that period. Some of the examples of the artifacts that are mentioned in this book include the gowns she wore when she was about to marry the Dauphin, the fashion dolls to help bring French fashion to Scotland, Catholic banners, and memorabilia to spread the faith. We also get to see the embroideries that she planned meticulously while in custody with Bess of Hardwick, to spread their own truths and their political power while being silenced. Finally, Hunter explores the dress that Mary wore during her execution and what happened to her clothing after her death.

I will say that this is one of the most original nonfiction books that I have read in a long time. It presented Mary’s life through a different lens and showed that she did have power even as a prisoner. It gave me a better appreciation for Mary’s life and the amount of effort it took to craft such intricate pieces of textiles. I hope Hunter writes more about the history of textiles beyond the 16th century because I think her writing style and knowledge of the subject can help grow interest in this area of historical studies. If you want a book that explores the life of Mary Queen of Scots from a different angle, I highly recommend you read “Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power” by Clare Hunter. 

Book Review: “Anne Boleyn’s First Love: The Life of Henry Percy” by Jan-Marie Knights

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Every Tudor nerd knows the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. A relationship that started with lust/love turned tragic with the execution of Anne. However, Henry VIII was not the only man who was vying for Anne’s affection. The first man who ever asked for Anne’s hand in marriage was Henry Percy, the man who would become the 6th Earl of Northumberland. The relationship obviously did not happen, and for many, Henry Percy became an obscure figure in Tudor history. Who was Henry Percy, and what happened to him after Wolsey broke up the relationship between Henry and Anne? Jan-Marie Knights explores his life in the first full-length biography of Henry Percy in her latest book, “Anne Boleyn’s First Love: The Life of Henry Percy.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I am always interested in reading about lesser-known figures during the time of the Tudors, so when I saw this title, I was intrigued. I knew a little bit about Henry Percy, so I was hoping to learn more about his life.

To understand Henry Percy’s place in Tudor society, we have to go back to the origins of the family, which traces back all the way to William the Conqueror. Knights follow the branches of the Percy tree, with the many Henrys, to the Henry Percy who this biography is about, including the infamous Henry “Hotspur” Percy. Our Henry was the son of Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, and his wife, Catherine Spencer. We get to see Henry become a page for Cardinal Wolsey and become a knight in his own right.

Henry wanted to marry and start a family with Anne Boleyn, and it seems like, at the time, she was interested in him as well. However, it was not meant to be, as King Henry VIII also had his eyes on Anne. Obviously, the King would marry Anne, and Henry would marry Mary Talbot. Both relationships did not have a happy ending. Besides his troubled marriage with Mary, we get to see how Henry dealt with conflicts near the border with Scotland and the Pilgrimage of Grace, which hit a bit closer to home. Henry died without any heirs, so Knights shows what happened to the earldom of Northumberland.

I was a bit underwhelmed with this biography. I wanted more information about Henry Percy, but I felt like his story was buried with information about his family, his father, and the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s romance. I think Knights did a decent job with the research aspect of this book. If you want a good introductory biography to the Percy family and Henry Percy’s role in the Tudor court, you might want to try “Anne Boleyn’s First Love: The Life of Henry Percy” by Jan-Marie Knights.

Book Review: “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living” by Peter Jones

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When we go into a bookstore, we will notice there are tons of self-help books from all walks of life. Self-help books tend to have more of a modern take when it comes to solutions, but what if we looked to the past for advice? It is an interesting approach to this genre of books, but what if we took it a step further and looked at how medieval people viewed their own minds through the Seven Deadly Sins? Peter Jones dives into his own life experiences and the archives to explore how the sins can help us find wisdom and understanding, which is explained in detail in his book, “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living.”

I would like to thank Doubleday Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed medieval self-help books that I have read in the past, so I wanted to see how Jones would add to this genre. I think by centering this book on the seven deadly sins, it adds depth and interest to this topic, so I was excited to see how they could be applied to one’s life. 

Peter Jones was a professor of medieval history at a university in Siberia when he fell into a dark place. He turns to the Middle Ages for help, which was an era known for self-help guides written by scholars, priests, and mystics. It is through their writings that he realized how the seven deadly sins could be used as a tool to learn about self-knowledge and forgiving oneself. 

It almost seems counterintuitive to rely on sins for advice on how to better our lives, but in a way, it makes sense. There have been many different iterations of the seven deadly sins, but the ones that we are paying attention to are: pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Each chapter focuses on a different sin, from the most hazardous sin to the least deadly sin. Jones explores his own experiences with the sins before diving into the archives to look at how historical figures from the Middle Ages dealt with the sins. That could range from their own life experiences to art and literature. Some of these stories were familiar to me, but the majority of this book included new information for me, which was rather exciting.

This was one of those books that took me a while to get used to what Jones was doing, but once I did, I learned a lot about the Middle Ages and the sins. It was a different approach, but I appreciate that he wrote about how the sins helped those in the Middle Ages and Jones himself. I think if you want a unique look at the Middle Ages and self-help, you will enjoy “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living” by Peter Jones.