Historical Fiction Enticements 7/31

The Amber Treasure
Richard Denning

“I will take care of the body of my lord and you can carry the sword, story teller. For all good stories are about a sword.”

Cerdic is the nephew of a great warrior who died a hero of the 6th Century Anglo-Saxon country of Deira. Cynric’s body and sword were brought home by a family retainer, Grettir and a bard, Lilla.

Growing up in a quiet village, Cerdic is often told the stories of his uncle and gazes in awe at his sword. Along with his friends, the nervous agile Cuthbert and lumbering but brave Eduard, he dreams of the glories of battle and of one day writing his name into the sagas as told by Lilla. As a youth he trains for war under the guidance of the veteran, Grettir along with the youths from the area including the mysterious local boy Hussa who seems to bear him a grudge and watched by the resentful family slave, the Welshman, Aedann. As he grows he also becomes interested in a beautiful red haired village girl, Aidith who along with Cerdic’s sister, Mildrith are often about teasing and taunting the boys.

Cerdic’s dreams of glory along with his idyllic childhood years come to an abrupt end when he experiences the true horrors of war. His home is attacked, his sister kidnapped, his family betrayed and his uncle's legendary sword stolen by a cruel warlord from a neighbouring kingdom, Samlen ‘One Eyed’. In the disastrous rescue attempt that follows, the seventeen year old Cerdic is forced to take on the role of leadership in order to get his people home and comes to the attention of Deira’s King Aelle, the indecisive Prince Aethelric and hostile Earl Sabert who resents the authority given to this mere youth.

Cerdic, his friends, rivals and family are thrown into the struggles that will determine the future of 6th century Britain. In the ensuing battle he must show courageous leadership and overcome treachery, to save his kingdom, rescue his sister and return home with his uncle’s sword.

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Amazon US Paperback
Amazon UK Paperback

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The Widow's Redeemer
Philippa Jane Keyworth

It's the year 1815 in Regency era London. Letty Burton is widowed at two-and-twenty without fortune or prospects. Leaving the West Country for Town, Letty is thrust into the London Season by her domineering mother-in-law. Amid the glittering soirees and balls of the ton, Letty endeavours to hide a dark past she wishes to forget. Facing an uncertain future, all she wants is to navigate London Society as a silent companion.

Meeting old acquaintances of her husband’s, and making a few new ones of her own, Letty is calm in the thought that her past will stay buried--until a chance meeting with London’s most eligible bachelor shatters her peace and sets in motion a series of events that will bring her life under the unfriendly scrutiny of the ton.

The Viscount Beauford holds secrets of his own, and Letty finds those dark, brooding eyes inescapable. As their relationship develops, the gossip mongers' tongues start to wag, both their secrets resurface, and their worlds are pulled apart. The net of scandal, debts and rivals rapidly closes in, and as Letty is pushed to breaking point she must decide--will she let her dark past dictate her life forever? Will she learn to trust again? And most importantly, will she allow herself to love?

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Amazon US
Barnes & Noble

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Elena, Woman of Courage
Linda Weaver Clarke

The "Roaring Twenties" was a time of great change, when women raised their hemlines and bobbed their hair. It was a time of independence, courage, and adventure. In the 1920s, the new generation spoke a language their parents didn't understand. They used words like: Cat's pajamas! Ah, horsefeathers! Baloney! When referring to a woman, they used doll and tomato. When a person was in love, he was goofy. And when a woman was not in the mood for kissing, she would say, "The bank's closed." Elena, Woman of Courage: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho creates the mood of the "roaring twenties" and is filled with sweet romance, courage, and humor.

When Elena Yeates settles into a small western town as the newest doctor, a few problems arise. The town is not ready for a female doctor, let alone one so strong and independent. She must struggle against the prejudice to establish her new practice. As she fights to prove herself, the town's most eligible bachelor finds it a challenge to see if he can win her heart. When you mix a happy-go-lucky bachelor with a roaring 20s woman, you have Elena, Woman of Courage.

Suko's Notebook Reviews wrote: "Linda Weaver Clarke is outstanding at presenting the characters' thoughts, especially when it comes to romance, and she captures the highs and lows of romantic life rather adeptly."

Elena is a courageous woman who went to college during a time when women were not encouraged to be educated beyond high school. The 1920s was a time of change when women began fighting for their rights. After getting her degree as a doctor, she moves to the West to set up her own practice. When she arrives in a small town in Idaho, she meets those who oppose her from day one but Elena's stubborn nature will not allow her to give up. In her fight for equality, she learns to love the people of Bear Lake Valley and realizes she has found a home at last.

"Elena Woman of Courage is a wonderful book full of history, passion and romance, as well as a touch of suspense and humor," wrote Kim Atchue-Cusella, Book Loons.

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Summer Rain: Getsikahvda Anitsalagi 
(The Removal of the People)
Robyn Leatherman

Welcome to the life of a young Cherokee girl named Rain, as she grows into maturity just as the Trail of Tears begins. Summer Rain: Getsikahvda Anitsalagi (The Removal of the People) is an unforgettable story that taps into a sad part of American history.

This journey begins in Georgia in a typical Cherokee village in the early 1800s, where a young girl and her best friend realize there are strangers poised to take their land and home away from the Cherokee and from neighboring tribes.

The girls witness the birth of the new written language of Tsalagi in the year 1821 and the printing press in the year 1827. The Cherokee Nation’s growth is also financial, and would mark the first newspaper to ever be printed and circulated by a Native American tribe.

Rain falls in love with a white boy and is forced to follow her heart and save her own life, or to remain loyal to her family, knowing that in doing so, she could lose not only her true love, but her very life as well.

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Cawnpore
Tom Williams

After years spent in the Far East, John Williamson has joined the East India Company. Based in Cawnpore, in the North West Frontier province, he is a successful administrator, running a chunk of India on behalf of his London masters. Although he enjoys his work, he struggles to fit in with the other Europeans: a gay man in a straight society; a farm labourer's son in a world of gentleman's clubs and refined dinner parties. Uncomfortable with his compatriots, he falls in love with the country and, in particular, with a young Indian nobleman in the court of the local lord. Then the Indian troops rise in mutiny and the country is plunged into war. With the British Raj teetering on the edge of destruction and Cawnpore a by-word for horror across the Empire, Williamson has to choose whose side he is really on.

'Cawnpore' is a story firmly rooted in real historical events. Williamson finds himself at the centre of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Indian Mutiny at a crucial point in history. 'Cawnpore' is the story of events that shocked the world and shaped the future of British India. But, above all, it is a story of one man, caught in an impossible situation. It's guaranteed to make you cry.

Amazon Kindle UK  (It is also available in paperback.)
Amazon Kindle US  (Also available in paperback)

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