Search For the Holy Grail Volume 1 by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure

 

 

Search For the Holy Grail

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure 

Volume 1 of 3
Hanover is under attack, which propels the countess Aurora of Calenberg and her handmaiden, Helena Braunschmidt, on a mission of survival. The Holy Grail sets sail only to be pursued by the worst pirates and cutthroats in the Caribbean.

Series Description
Every pirate in the Caribbean is searching for The Holy Grail—a ship carrying the treasury of Hanover and the countess Aurora of Calenberg, suspected of orchestrating the theft. Prinz Maximilian will stop at nothing to catch her and regain the fortune, even if it means following her into the deepest, darkest recesses of Samaná Bay. With pirates and cutthroats at every turn, will she be reunited with her handmaiden, Helena and her portrait painter, Dodo? Aurora’s only solace is in a bottle of Cognac with a chaser of coca-leaf powder in this vibrant, fast-paced chase through the Caribbean.

Goodreads * Amazon

No Quarter: Dominium

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure Romance

Ye All Are Warned – be gone if you abhor sex, foul language, crude humor, and beaky parrots.
Released for the first time with illustrations!

Volume 1 of 6 begins in 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica with Atia Crisp and her sister Livia shipwrecked and sold into slavery. They are separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a deadly card game at the Swiftsure Tavern until she is liberated by sugar merchant Capitaine la Roche. Hunted at every turn, they take refuge at Cherry Red's Boutique (brothel) and meet up with allies including the medication loving Dr. Strangewayes.

Series Description:
1689 Port Royal, Jamaica. Atia Crisp and her sister Livia are shipwrecked and sold into slavery. They are separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a deadly card game at the Swiftsure Tavern until she is liberated by sugar merchant Capitaine la Roche. They take refuge at Cherry Red's Boutique (brothel) and meet up with allies including the medication loving Dr. Strangewayes.

Capitaine la Roche (also known as the pirate, Gator Gar), has a past stained with blood and grief. La Roche works with a network of friends and allies including local strumpet, Cherry Banks, Theodore Binge the card shark and the kindly, Dr. Strangewayes. Soon after Atia and la Roche are ushered away to safety after a mysterious outbreak of scarlet fever wreaks havoc on the city.

Within the luxuriant tropical confines of Dr. Strangewayes's plantation at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, bonds of friendship are formed and the fierce love between Atia and Capitaine la Roche becomes absolute.

However, nowhere is safe as spies seek out both Atia and la Roche for the bounties on their heads.

Neither of them can escape the shadows of their former lives. Their journey leads them to an inevitable conflict that threatens their world, but inches them closer towards freedom.

**Get it FREE!**

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo

No Quarter: Wenches

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure, Romantic Suspense 

Released for the first time with illustrations!

The adventures from No Quarter: Dominium continue with wenches!

Volume 1 of 5 begins in 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica, where Atia Crisp is imprisoned, awaiting trial, while refugees from Strangewayes's plantation seek their new home. Guided by Capitaine la Roche, they face pursuit by the pirate hunter Big Dick and the perilous terrain of Bocas del Toro. Their future home of Sérénité hangs in the balance, complicated by the outbreak of war with France.

Series Description:

Behind every successful pirate is a cunning wench!

In 1689, Atia Crisp finds herself imprisoned in the wickedest city on earth, Port Royal, Jamaica, while the refugees from Strangewayes’s plantation in the Blue Mountains are on the run and seeking a new home, deep in the Caribbean. Captain Jean-Paul la Roche must get them to safety and find a way to liberate the woman he loves while waging a war against the English with the pirate Laurens de Graaf.

While besieged people suffer and starve, a group of women form a secret and illegal society deep from within the bowels of the city called: Wenches. A network that deals with smugglers, merchants, cutthroats and thieves. Dragged into the struggle for supremacy of the Caribbean, the women are divided and find themselves engulfed in bloodshed. The pirates of Port Royal and former enemies may be their only hope of escape.

This edition was awarded the gold quality mark by BooksGoSocial, their highest award.

**Get it FREE!**

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo

MJL EVANS wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old and in 2014 she finally got her act together and pursued her dream. She is the author of No Quarter: Dominium, No Quarter: Wenches, and Search for the Holy Grail. A huge fan of Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and other BBC shows, her time is devoted to acrylic painting, photography, catering to her senior cat, and of course, writing.

You can connect with MJL Evans on Instagram at @mjlevans or meganjlevans@gmail.com

GM O’CONNOR is a huge movie fan, writer and visual artist. A lover of sci-fi and history, half his brain lives in the 17th century while the other half sails perpetually through space. He is the author of No Quarter: Dominium, No Quarter: Wenches, and Search for the Holy Grail. He hopes to one day bring the No Quarter Series to film and/or graphic novel format.

You can connect with GM O’Connor on Twitter at @gm_oconnor or noquarterseries@gmail.com

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon giftcard,

ebook copy of No Quarter: Dominium (The Complete Series),

ebook copy of No Quarter: Wenches (The Complete Series)

- 1 winner each!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Double-Edged Sword by J.D.R.Hawkins

 

The Civil War has ended.

Confederate cavalryman, David Summers, returns home to Alabama, taking his new wife, Anna, with him. Upon arrival, he understands how much the war has changed him and has scarred his homeland. Faced with challenges of transition, he learns how to navigate his new world, along with the pain and trauma of his past. He is also forced to confront his foes, including Stephen Montgomery. Their hatred for one another inevitably boils over into a fierce confrontation, whereby David is arrested.

Will the jury believe his side of the story, even though he is an ex-Confederate? Or will he be hung for his crime?

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Read and Excerpt from Double-Edged Sword

David helped Anna down after tying the mule, and followed her inside. A lanky man who stood behind a counter looked up from the hotel register as they entered. David nodded to the man, led Anna into the dining hall, and sat down beside her at a small round table. Like before, the room was nearly unoccupied. Three Union officers sat in the far corner, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. Two men stood near the back of the room. One was playing a fiddle while the other attempted to sing a slow ballad in a low, baritone voice. The room was bright with sunlight, and lace curtains hung over the long windows. A thin, balding gentleman with an apron wrapped tightly around his waist appeared, pencil and paper poised in his hands.

“How do,” he said softly. “What would y’all like to order?”

Anna smiled up at him, but he only stared back.

“Well,” she began, “what is your specialty?”

“And more importantly, how much is it?” added David.

The waiter laughed. “More than you can afford, I’ll wager!”

David chuckled. “We have two dollars. Bring us whatever that provides.”

He glanced at his wife, who glared at him.

“It ain’t Confederate currency, is it?” the man asked.

“Silver,” responded David.

The waiter grinned and walked off into the kitchen.

Anna was still glaring. “The money you earned in prison?”

David nodded.

“You should hold on to that, sweetheart. We might need it for something important.”

He smiled. “You’re important,” he answered. “You said you needed to eat, and I’m starvin’. What could be more important than that?”

The musicians began to play another melody, and the couple listened to the lyrics.

 

“We shall meet but we shall miss him, there will be one vacant chair.

We shall linger to caress him, while we breathe our ev’nin’ prayer.

When a year ago we gathered, joy was in his mild blue eye.

But a golden cord is severed. And our hopes in ruin lie.”

 

David couldn’t help but think of the loss of his best friend. The lyrics saddened him deeply, searing his soul, rekindling the painful remembrance of discovering Jake’s lifeless body on the battlefield. He drew a heavy sigh, and took his beloved’s hand.

“It’ll be all right,” she comforted.

He nodded in confirmation, relieved when the song finally ended and the musicians broke into a lively tune.


About the Author:

J.D.R. Hawkins is an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author. She is one of a few female Civil War authors, uniquely describing the front lines from a Confederate perspective. Her "Renegade Series" includes "A Beautiful Glittering Lie," winner of the 2013 John Esten Cooke Fiction Award and the 2012 B.R.A.G. Medallion. The sequel, "A Beckoning Hellfire," is an Amazon bestseller and winner of the 2022 B.R.A.G. Medallion. "A Rebel Among Us," the third book in the series, is the recipient of the 2017 John Esten Cooke Fiction Award and winner of the 2022 B.R.A.G. Medallion. Double-Edged Sword is the newly-published, fourth book in the series. These books, published by Westwood Books Publishing, LLC, tell the story of a family from north Alabama who experience immeasurable pain when their lives are dramatically changed by the war. Ms. Hawkins has also published a nonfiction book about the War Between the States, titled "Horses in Gray: Famous Confederate Warhorses," with Pelican Publishing.  She is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the International Women's Writing Guild, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Pikes Peak Writers. Ms. Hawkins is also an artist and a singer/songwriter.

JDR Hawkins on the Web:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads * Amazon

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes Book 4 by Liese Sherwood-Fabre Genre: Historical Mystery

 

 

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait

The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes Book 4

by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

Genre: Historical Mystery 

A long-buried past. A stolen portrait. The artist’s murder. Can Sherlock discover the connection between the three before he’s stopped permanently?

Sherlock can’t shake his apprehension about a family trip to Paris. His mother’s unflappable confidence vanished months ago, and her anxiety has set the whole family on edge. His greatest fears are realized when they witness the death of one of Mrs. Holmes’ former suitors.

As Sherlock seeks to unravel the reason behind the artist’s murder, he unearths a long-buried secret about his mother and survives several attempts to keep him from getting to the truth.

Can he bring a murderer to justice before he’s buried with these hidden secrets forever?

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait is the gripping fourth case in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes. If you enjoy traditional historical mysteries, you’ll love this origin series about the world’s greatest consulting detective.

Buy The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait to learn how Sherlock’s past shaped the sleuth he became.

**On Sale for Only $2.99 until May 5th!**

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Books2Read

Liese Sherwood-Fabre knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD, she joined the federal government and worked and lived internationally for more than fifteen years. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career, garnering such awards as a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart contest and a Pushcart Prize nomination. A recognized Sherlockian scholar, her essays have appeared in scion newsletters, the Baker Street Journal, and Canadian Holmes. She has recently turned this passion into an origin story series on Sherlock Holmes. The first book, The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife, was the CIBA Mystery and Mayhem 2020 winner. 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clancy Tucker's Blog: 10 April 2022 - VENILALE TUNNELS - EAST TIMOR

Clancy Tucker's Blog: 10 April 2022 - VENILALE TUNNELS - EAST TIMOR:   VENILALE TUNNELS  - EAST TIMOR - G'day folks, These underground shelters dug by the Japanese during World War II later helped East Tim...

Blackout by Simon Scarrow Genre: Historical WWII Thriller

  

Blackout

by Simon Scarrow

Genre: Historical WWII Thriller 

During Berlin’s brutally cold winter of 1939, a serial killer stalks the city throughout the Third Reich’s forced nightly blackouts in this chilling WWII crime novel from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Scarrow—perfect for fans of Babylon Berlin, Philip Kerr’s Berlin Trilogy, Robert Ludlum, Andrew Gross, and William Christie . . .

Berlin 1939. The city is blanketed by snow and ice. In the distance, the rumble of war grows louder. In the shadows, a serial killer rises . . .

As the Nazis tighten their chokehold on the capital, panic and paranoia fester as blackout is rigidly enforced. Every night the city is plunged into an oppressive, suffocating darkness—pitch-perfect conditions for unspeakable acts.

 

When a young woman is found brutally murdered, it’s up to Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke to solve the case quickly. His reputation is already on the line for his failure to join the Nazi Party. If he doesn’t solve the case, the consequences could be fatal. 

 

Schenke's worst fears are confirmed when a second victim is found. As the investigation takes him deeper into the regime’s darkest corridors, Schenke realizes danger lurks behind every corner—and that the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets . . .

 
“That line between right and wrong gets pretty smudged in this gem of a story. Atmosphere, sharp intrigue, and a host of fascinating characters all combine to make this one the next addition to your keeper shelf."
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable. Utterly authentic and beautifully written.”
—Damien Lewis, internationally bestselling author

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Website * Kensington Books

Simon Scarrow’s passion for writing began at an early age. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer. His Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro made their debut in 2000 in UNDER THE EAGLE, and have subsequently appeared in many bestsellers in the Eagles of the Empire series, including CENTURION, THE GLADIATOR, and THE BLOOD OF ROME. Simon’s latest books, BLACKOUT, and THE EMPEROR’S EXILE are out now.

Simon is also the author of the novels YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, FIRE, AND SWORD and THE FIELDS OF DEATH, chronicling the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, and of SWORD & SCIMITAR, the epic tale of the 1565 Siege of Malta, and HEARTS OF STONE, set in Greece during the Second World War.

 Simon has also co-written with T. J. Andrews three bestselling novels set in the Roman era, ARENA, INVADER, and PIRATA.

 Writing with Lee Francis, Simon is the author of the contemporary thriller PLAYING WITH DEATH.

 Simon lives in Norfolk.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Together We Stand Volume 2 A Collection of Survivor Stories by Various Authors

  

Together We Stand Volume 2

A Collection of Survivor Stories by Various Authors

**All proceeds from the print and digital sales of this book will be donated to organizations providing relief to the Ukraine.**

We are the ones who walk barefoot through hell, making it out the other side with nothing left except sheer will and a whole lot of grit in our pockets.

By losing everything, others hailed us as beacons of hope. Our journeys were by no means glamorous. Each of us left an important part of ourselves behind so that we might start anew.

We are the survivors.

This is our chance to grab happiness by the horns and make it our own.

Join 20+ USA Today, bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they weave tales of horror, loss, persecution, and unfair struggles, leading to new lives, new romances, and most importantly, well-deserved Happily-Ever-After endings.

With stories written by

C.A. King, USA Today Bestselling Author

JA Lafrance

A.L. Morrow, USA Today Bestselling Author

AM Cosgrove

Katia Kozar

TL Mayhew

C.L. Collier

A.N. Waugh

Ryan Grey, Bestselling Author

Rose Bak

Jordan Leger

A.M. Roark

Lily Fastmore

Zorha Redwolf Edwards, International Bestselling Author & Emery LeeAnn, International Bestselling Author

Pandora Snow, International Bestselling Author

R.G. Angel

Skye Callahan, International Bestselling Author

Crystal St.Clair, Bestselling Author

M.A. Abraham

Merrie Destefano, USA Today Bestselling Author

Jodi Fahey

Sky Purington, Bestselling Author

Tricia Daniels

Cedar Rose

All proceeds from the print and digital sales of this book will be donated to organizations providing relief to the Ukraine.

**May contain MM/FF and/or triggering situations.

**Preorder Now For Only .99cents!**

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Books2Read

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$5 Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stark differences between Haves and Have-Nots are highlighted in this historical fiction novel set in 1918 Manhattan

 

However Long the Day

by Justin Reed

Genre: Historical Fiction 

However Long the Day is the tale of two strangers—Niall Donovan, a poor immigrant from Ireland, and Frederick Philips, a rich ne'er-do-well from New York's Upper East Side—who discover they look so similar they could be twins. Frederick, desperate to avoid a lecture from his father, bribes Niall to switch places for the evening. Niall finds there's more to the story than Frederick let on, and is dragged through the turbulence created by World War I, the Spanish Flu, and social upheaval, and into the corrupt belly of Manhattan on the cusp of Prohibition.

As Niall and Frederick hurtle through the next twenty-four hours, will either get what they bargained for?

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Books2Read

Justin Reed lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and four children. He was a software engineer and executive for fifteen years before he began his writing career. When not working, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering at his church, fly fishing, and agreeing to his wife’s requests to take selfies in front of libraries.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

However Long the Day will be released in a few days. I’m grateful and apprehensive to be at the point where I found out whether others see value in my work over the past few years.

I hope However Long the Day generates talk. And I don’t mean publicity and/or hype, while those would be nice. I mean talk between people who have a book in common. Talk that extracts non-fictional meaning from fictional characters and scenes. Debate that enlivens the reading experience and sparks the imagination.

It’s a lot to hope, especially for a novel with the pace of a thriller. Maybe my real hope is readers will see beyond the action and into the stuff that caused the action. 

I wrote some book group discussion questions to help with this. They’re all open ended, and meant to spur debate, especially about pie vs. cake (you’ll see):

1. Niall and Frederick discover they are doppelgängers, and both are disarmed by the experience in their own way. How would a doppelgänger (or an actual twin) change our vision of ourselves? Have you ever met your doppelgänger?

2. If you were in Niall or Frederick’s shoes, and happened to meet your doppelgänger, what do you hope they would be? Into what situation would you most like to swap?

3. Discuss the role father’s play in the lives of Niall, Frederick, Flora, and Ida. How were the main characters shaped by their relationships with their fathers? How has your own growth and experience changed your perception of adults that shaped your youth?

4. A single, dramatic twenty-four hours altered the course of the main characters’ lives. Have there been short seasons in your life—short bursts of action—that have formed your own character?

5. How were the circumstances of 1918 similar to today? What can we learn? How can we improve?

6. Niall discovered there was more to Barneby’s mansion than he first saw. This is similar to some of the characters in the book. As However Long the Day unfolded, which characters, connections, and/or relationships surprised you most? Bothered you? Satisfied you?

7. What “purpose” did each of the main characters have, and how did their goals motivate their actions? Do any of the characters’ actions seem at odds with their stated motives? What compromises do the characters make in their pursuits, and why do you think they made them? Which characters got what they deserved, and which didn’t?

8. Consider Thaddeus and Lucille’s plotline. Are they motivated by the same emotions? How does the line blur between their respective motives?

9. If you were presented with the possibility of starting a new life (maybe even taking a new name), would you take it? Why or why not? And in what circumstances? What would you keep from your current life, and what would you discard?

10. A number of characters have an ongoing discussion about the relative merits of cake versus pie, going so far as to imply one must either like cake, or pie, but not both. This fallacy is an example of false dichotomy. False Dichotomy asserts two things are more at odds than they really are and is the frequent tool of marketers, politicians, and online commenters. Discuss examples of false dichotomy in However Long the Day as well as our modern lives. And don’t dodge the question: cake, or pie?

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway