For a small New England town, Shadow Grove has an uncanny ability to attract the worst kind of trouble. Not that the residents are too concerned about the various horrors living among them.
As the leaves change color and the weather grows colder, a foul presence is making itself known by leaving peculiar gifts for the students of Ridge Crest High. At first, the presents seem harmless—and a rash of accidents seem coincidental—but when seniors Rachel Cleary and her Scottish cousin, Dougal Mackay, find a boneless body in the boiler room, things take an ominous turn.
Something vicious is on the loose in Shadow Grove, but with Orion Nebulius gone, Rachel has little hope of anyone getting out alive.
Today, I am delighted to bring you the news of a new release from the author Tony Riches. Who is happens to be the author of the best-selling Tudor Trilogy
Publication date: 5th August 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Preseli Press Ltd.
Print Length: 344 pages
1564
Devon sailor Francis Drake sets out on a journey of adventure.
Drake learns of routes used to transport Spanish silver and gold, and risks his life in an audacious plan to steal a fortune.
Queen Elizabeth is intrigued by Drake and secretly encourages his piracy. Her unlikely champion becomes a national hero, sailing around the world in the Golden Hind and attacking the Spanish fleet.
King Philip of Spain has enough of Drake’s plunder and orders an armada to threaten the future of England.
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Drake Tudor Corsair by Tony Riches, is the first installment in his newest Elizabethan Series
Francis Drake adventurous tale begins when he is twenty three years old. Sailing under Captain Thomas Hawkins, who happens to also be Drake’s cousin. Leaving everything behind, he pursues his seafaring dreams on the high seas. His experience with the Spanish on this first pirating trip, sets him on a path that will ultimately be his driving force in his future.
Written in first person, Tony Riches allows the reader to see through eyes of this illustrious historical figure. We see Drake as he rises from humble obscurity to become a force to be reckoned with. He takes his life in his own hands and rises through the ranks to become one of the most notorious sea captains.
This absorbing book allows the reader an intimate look at Sir Francis Drake’s incredible dogged determination that ensured he rose to the top as one of the most feared sea captains.He hunted down and raided every Spanish ship that came he came across his path. His exploits made him a legend and hero with Queen Elizabeth l, and the English. His dominance also led to his being known to Spanish as El Draque. We are taken along through his trials, tribulations and rewards for procuring vast amount wealth for the English crown. Francis Drake comes to life in under Riches discerning eye, with meticulous researched details you will immersed into this enjoyable storyline.
Mastery written, the author transports you with his vibrant atmospheric imagery. I was completely drawn into Francis Drakes escapades, as he takes on the English’s sea rival in this swashbuckling riveting book.
Even though he becomes wealthy and a knighted subject, he is never actually excepted amongst nobility. A son of a Devin tenant farmer, along with his relatives that exhibit pirate characteristics as they are driven to seek out and blunder other ships to expand the English presence on the seas.
This was by far my favorites of Tony Riches reads. This thought provoking novel is the perfect example that makes Tony Riches an extraordinary historical fiction author. If you are lover of intelligently invigorating books, this is by far one you do not want to pass you by.
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers
-Historical Note-
English admiral Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe from 1577-1580, helped defeat the Spanish Armada of 1588 and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era.
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors. Tony’s other published historical fiction novels include: Owen – Book One Of The Tudor Trilogy, Jasper – Book Two Of The Tudor Trilogy, Henry – Book Three Of The Tudor Trilogy, Mary – Tudor Princess, Brandon – Tudor Knight and The Secret Diary Of Eleanor Cobham. For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches
From the beloved World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes The Midnight Bargain, a sweeping, romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women’s magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.
Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them, by securing an advantageous match before their creditors come calling.
In a stroke of luck, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to becoming a Magus, but before she can purchase it, a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help her get it back, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with her adversary’s brother, the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.
The more Beatrice is entangled with the Lavan siblings, the harder her decision becomes: If she casts the spell to become a Magus, she will devastate her family and lose the only man to ever see her for who she is; but if she marries—even for love—she will sacrifice her magic, her identity, and her dreams. But how can she choose just one, knowing she will forever regret the path not taken?
Advance Praise
“C.L. Polk’s The Midnight Bargain seamlessly blends Regency class issues, subversive intrigue, and fantasy together in a heart-racing seaside romance where everything hangs in the balance. Polk’s magical elements are so integral to the romantic plot that the two are inextricable, much as all of the characters, from the leads to the seamstresses, now have a firm place in my heart. I loved every intricate inch of The Midnight Bargain and am hoping for many more tales set in this world.” —Fran Wilde
“The Midnight Bargain is exquisite. Rife with the most delightful tension, impeccably paced, and with an utterly charming cast, this is a beautiful book about forging against societal norms with spectacular magic.” —Emily A. Duncan
“A sparkling, incisive, and razor-sharp fantasy of manners. A must read for anyone who loves stories where romance and fantasy meet.” —Tasha Suri
“Incredibly timely . . . Heartfelt and witty.” —Marissa Lingen
“The Midnight Bargain is an absolute dream—at once sparkling and romantic, delightfully magical, and deeply thought-provoking. This book is a fantastical homage not only to the balls and matchmaking and strong-minded heroines of Regency romances, but the questions of gender, class, family obligation and personal ambition that lie at their beating heart.” —H. G. Parry
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
-All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
So I went into this book completely blind and choose it solely by its covers. This was a first for me and I was not disappointed one bit.
This historical fiction with mystical realism is unique and diverse. A magical alternate Edwardian England world romance, set in an alternative England that packs a feminist punch.
C. L. Polk’s beautifully vivid prose featuring a diverse cast of characters, along with an intriguing magical system.
A compelling fantasy, that captures one woman’s fierce determination to go head first against the social doctrines that seek to suppress any woman who shows signs of having a powerful talent in the magical arts. With only men being allowed to practice the higher magics. Woman have to wait until they are past child bearing years, to follow their magical inspiring dreams.
Seeking to find a Grimoire that could change her life’s path Beatrice Clayborn, is conflicted with wanting to help her family but also she wants to master her magic, and become a full Mage.
Beatrice father has gone deeply into debt to allow her to presented a very first bargaining season. He is hoping that his daughter is able to catch a wealthy husband in order to save the family from impending ruin.
Women are forced into magical suppression. Collars are placed on them on their wedding day to protect any future children from having spirit possession. That could potentially happen during the women’s pregnancy.
A growing entangled relationship with the Lavan siblings, may halt her everything that she hopes for. Beatrice faced with an impossible choice when a would be love interest with one of Lavon siblings. Ianthe poses a threat to everything doesn’t want to happen to her. starts to build. Her ever growing feelings may upset her plans for independence and her quest for higher magical abilities.
Ysbeta is eager for Beatrice to teach her how to conjure, this world grant her enabling powers to bargain with spirits, who could help her remain unmarried.
The book does a wonderful job in depicted woman’s choices that are relatable even though they are set in a fantasy atmosphere. Yes there is romance, and it is portrayed perfectly given the characters internal struggles. I was completely immersed within the pages and raced straight through this novel.
“The talent for sorcery in women is a curse when it ought to be a blessing.”
“Could she give all of that up, even for him? Could she give him up, even for power?”
C. L. Polk (she/her/they/them) is the author of the World Fantasy Award winning debut novel Witchmark, the first novel of the Kingston Cycle. Her newest novel, The Midnight Bargain, is upcoming in 2020 from Erehwon Books.
After leaving high school early, she has worked as a film extra, sold vegetables on the street, and identified exotic insect species for a vast collection of lepidoptera before settling down to write silver fork fantasy novels.
Ms. Polk lives near the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, in a tiny apartment with too many books and a yarn stash that could last a decade. She rides a green bicycle with a basket on the front.
She drinks good coffee because life is too short. She spends too much time on twitter. You can subscribe to her free newsletter on Substack.
Buy the Book: Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Audible Published by:Lake Union Publishing Release Date:August 1, 2020 Pages:399 ISBN13:978-1542006491
Lizzy Moon never wanted Moon Girl Farm. Eight years ago, she left the land that nine generations of gifted healers had tended, determined to distance herself from the whispers about her family’s strange legacy. But when her beloved grandmother Althea dies, Lizzy must return and face the tragedy still hanging over the farm’s withered lavender fields: the unsolved murders of two young girls, and the cruel accusations that followed Althea to her grave.
Lizzy wants nothing more than to sell the farm and return to her life in New York, until she discovers a journal Althea left for her—a Book of Remembrances meant to help Lizzy embrace her own special gifts. When she reconnects with Andrew Greyson, one of the few in town who believed in Althea’s innocence, she resolves to clear her grandmother’s name.
But to do so, she’ll have to decide if she can accept her legacy and whether to follow in the footsteps of all the Moon women who came before her.
“The Last of the Moon Girlsis an enchanting tale of letting go and finding forgiveness. A five-star must read.” – Bee Lee Crosby, bestselling author ofEmily Gone
“Woven through the compelling mystery and suspense that keep the pages ofThe Last of the Moon Girlsturning is a story of a powerful family legacy and the discovery of the best kind of magic—that of embracing our own gifts and finding our place in the world. A glorious, shimmering read that resonated in my soul long after I finished reading.” – Kerry Anne King, bestselling author ofEverything You Are
“The Last of the Moon Girlsis reminiscent of two of my all-time favorites, Sarah Addison Allen’sGarden SpellsAlice Hoffman’sPractical Magic, because it’s witchy, full of plant magic, and painfully human.” – Kristen Fields, bestselling author ofLily in the Light
“The Last of the Moon Girlsis a fantastic blend of mystery and magic, with the perfect dash of romance… a story of family and forgiveness and what it truly means to come home. From the first page to the last, I was riveted by the fascinating, heartbreaking story of the many generations of Moon girls – and, like all the best novels, I was sad when I turned the last page.” – Jane Healey, bestselling author ofThe Beantown Girls
“Davis uses a fine brush to draw complex, colorful characters, including a fiercely independent protagonist whose greatest obstacle is her own self-limiting beliefs. Stepped in equal parts magical realism and beguiling mystery,The Last of the Moon Girlsis a captivating story that will leave you under its luminous spell long after you turn the last page.” – Eldonna Edwards, award winning author ofThis I Knowand Clover Blue
Prologue
A body that’s been submerged in water undergoes a different kind of decomposition; harsher in some ways, kinder in other’s—or so I’ve been told. We Moons wouldn’t know about that. We choose fire when our time comes, and scatter our ashes on land that has been in our family for more than two centuries. Mine are there now too, mingled with the dust of my ancestors.
Can it really only be weeks that I’ve been gone? Weeks hovering between worlds, unable to stay, unwilling to go, tethered by regret and unfinished business. The separation feels longer, somehow. And yet, it is not my death I dwell on today, but the deaths of two young girls—Darcy and Heather Gilman—nearly eight years ago now. They’d been missing nearly three weeks when their bodies were finally pulled from the water. It was a ghastly thing to watch, but watch I did. They were dragging my pond, you see, convinced they would find what they were looking for. And why not, when the whole town was looking in my direction? Because of who I was—and what I was. Or at least what they imagined me to be.
Memory, it seems, does not die along with the body. It’s been years since that terrible day at the pond, and yet I remember every detail, replaying again and again, an endless, merciless loop. The police chief in his waders, his men with their boat. The M.E.’s van looming nearby, its back doors yawning wide in anticipation of new cargo. The bone-white face of a mother waiting to learn the fate of her girls. Whispers hissing through the crowd like electric current. And then, the telling shrill of a whistle.
A hush settles over us, the kind that carries a weight of its own—the weight of the dead. No one moves as the first body appears, the glimpse of an arm in a muddy brown coat, water pouring from the sleeve as the sodden form is dragged up onto the bank. A bloated, blackened face, partly obscured by hanks of sopping dark hair.
They’re careful with her, handling her with a tenderness that’s gruesome somehow, and agonizing to watch. They’re preserving the evidence, I realize, and a cold lick goes down my spine. So they can make their case. Against me.
A short time later a second body appears, and there comes a broken wail, a mother’s heart breaking for her darlings. And that’s how it all unraveled, the awful day that set up all the rest. The end of the farm. And perhaps, the end of the Moons.
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
A treasure of a book, of a delightful farm and a family’s legacy of customs, that expands generations of woman healers.
Lizzy Moon, “Elizabeth” had turned her back on everything her grandmother had taught and believed in. Putting extensive distance far away from her family’s farm Salem Creek. Lizzy left Moon Girl Farm nearly a decade ago to create a somewhat normal life in New York City. She stripped away the signs of the carefree young girl who’d run barefoot through her grandmother’s herbal and flower fields. She also left the stigma of what it ment to be a Moon Girl.
When an unexpected letter along with her long forgotten journal arrives.
The letter brings the news of her grandmothers Althea death.
“There are no goodbyes, my Lizzy, only turnings of a circle. Until then..”
Faced with with the dilemma of returning to her ancestral farm. She her emotions are and past rise up before her. She would have to definitely go back to the farm and take care of the lose ends and box up the rest of the remaining journals, a legacy that belonged to every other family Moon girls.
Arriving she finds the farm in ruin and the once lush lavender fields in decline.
Coming home Lizzy is faced with ongoing drama that still resides in the town folk and her late grandmother.
The horrific terrible deaths of the Gilman girls, eight years ago. Their deaths still weighs in the hearts and minds of overshadowed the small town Salem Creek.
A town that in its past had always cast a suspicious light on any Moons Girls.
Lizzy’s grandmother, Althea was still held to blame for that horrific crime.
While going through some of the passages in her grandmothers journals some key information comes to light. With this new information Lizzy seeks out to clear her grandmothers name. Along with her childhood and neighbor Andrew, they must work together to gather clues to the past events to led to the deaths of the innocents.
Lizzy is passionately driven to clear her grandmother’s good name.
But the the murder doesn’t want the evidence to turn away from Althea, who was blamed without concrete evidence all the way up to her death.
Rich in subtle magic, The Last Of The Moon Girls will captivating. The mystery and subtle romance will keep you flipping those pages long past bedtime.
The writing was excellent,the pace was perfect and the plot flowed seamlessly.
I absolutely loved the herb lore and the magical realism that is woven into the storyline. A tale that is engaging and thought provoking,
Ultimately a story about finding grace, with Lizzy exploring her own redemption and forgiveness. She will ultimately have to take the next step and decide to accept her legacy and whether to follow in the footsteps of all the Moon women who came before her. The book captivated me and left me feeling better for having read it.
Barbara Davis spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. She is the author of When Never Comes, Summer at Hideaway Key, The Wishing Tide, The Secrets She Carried, and Love, Alice. A Jersey girl raised in the south, Barbara now lives in Rochester, New Hampshire, with her husband, Tom, and their beloved ginger cat, Simon. She’s currently working on her next book. Visit her athttps://barbaradavis-author.com/
Lira and Reyker have lost everything. Including each other.
Lira of Stone watched her home burn and her clan fall beneath the sword of the warlord known as the Dragon. She believes the man she loves, a warrior who defected from the Dragon s army, is dead. Alongside her exiled brother and his band of refugees, she will fight the forces that conquered her island. But the greatest danger may come from Lira herself with the blood of banished gods running through her veins, she s become a weapon, and no one is safe from the power of her wrath.
Reyker Lagorsson thought he was done being a Dragonman. That was before he saw Lira leap from a cliff and vanish into the sea. Determined to honor her memory by protecting her people, Reyker must feign loyalty to the warlord, undermine him at every turn, and seek alliances with renegade soldiers without succumbing to the battle-madness that threatens to possess him once more.
When the Fallen Ones offer Lira a chance to defeat the Dragon, her quest leads her to a place she never expected Iseneld, the warlord s homeland. Her journey into the heart of the Frozen Sun will put her on a collision course with Reyker, costing both of them more than they ever imagined, and leaving her with a terrible choice: to save their countries, she must forsake everything she loves.
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Kingdom of Ice & Bone
“Nothing is gained by the dead envying the living, nor the living envying the dead.”
KINGDOM OF ICE AND BONE picks up just where the first book left off.
We find Lira and Reyker separated and with each believing the other has met their end.Struggling under the weight of their undeniable grief. Lira was saved by the Fallen Ones, and she is indebted to their emotional longing to be free.
Tasked with the impossible, unsure of her life’s path. Along with unpredictable powers, she still longs for her peoples revenge and her desire to see Reyker again.
Back with his brother, Draki, the Dragon, Reyker’s loyalty is tested with the darkness that surrounds his brother. Draki is malicious, and enjoys inflicting pain on others.
Solid narration the author drives the characters forward in an unnerving pace. The mythology is stunning, along with internal conflicts and the characters struggle.
This is one fantasy series that to me is really intriguing, I went in without any preconceived notions, and was captivated by this second book in the series. I do have to warn you it’s definitely darker than the first book, which I enjoyed. Criswell is a phenomenal fantasy author, her world building is expansive and vivid.
The shocking and heartbreaking cliffhanger that will have you gasping.
It was perfectly done and I am anxiously waiting for the next book the next book
Jill Criswell is a writer of Young Adult Historical Fantasy. She was born and raised in the swamps of northeastern Florida. She earned degrees in English and Psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Her greatest passion, besides reading and writing, is traveling the world; she’s visited fifty countries across six continents, falling in love with places like Iceland, Namibia, and Cambodia. She works as a university English teacher and lives in South Carolina, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and daughter (who is named after a volcano in Iceland).
Devon sailor Francis Drake sets out on a journey of adventure.
Drake learns of routes used to transport Spanish silver and gold, and risks his life in an audacious plan to steal a fortune.
Queen Elizabeth is intrigued by Drake and secretly encourages his piracy. Her unlikely champion becomes a national hero, sailing around the world in the Golden Hind and attacking the Spanish fleet.
King Philip of Spain has enough of Drake’s plunder and orders an armada to threaten the future of England.
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors. Tony’s other published historical fiction novels include: Owen – Book One Of The Tudor Trilogy, Jasper – Book Two Of The Tudor Trilogy, Henry – Book Three Of The Tudor Trilogy, Mary – Tudor Princess, Brandon – Tudor Knight and The Secret Diary Of Eleanor Cobham. For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches
Today Is My Stop On A Curse Of Gold By Annie Sullivan, Hosted By TBR & Beyond Book Tours @tbrbeyondtours
A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Publishing Date: September 22, 2020
A Curse of Gold:
-Is the highly-anticipated sequel to A Touch of Gold by author Annie Sullivan.-Is an enchanting and captivating fantasy adventure/fairy tale retelling, perfect for fans of The Wrath and the Dawn and Cinder
-Is told from the perspective of Kora, King Midas’s daughter and a strong female protagonist
-This book features a beautifully decorated cover so make sure you grab yourself a copy
Curses and queens. Pirates and kings. Gods and magic. This highly anticipated sequel to Annie Sullivan’s enchanting A Touch of Gold, the story of the daughter King Midas turned to gold, is the gripping crescendo to this sweeping fantasy adventure. The final saga of a cursed queen, a vengeful Greek god, and a dazzling kingdom in the balance.
After barely surviving thieving, bloodthirsty pirates and a harrowing quest at sea to retrieve her stolen treasure, Kora finds readjusting to palace life just as deadly. Kora’s people openly turn against her, threatening her overthrow as heir to the throne—a cursed queen who has angered Dionysus. When Dionysus puts out a challenge to kill the girl with the golden touch and burn down her kingdom, it’s not just her future on the throne in danger. Kora’s life and entire kingdom are now on contract.
As bold and brave as ever, Kora sets out to find Dionysus, the very person who is trying to kill her, on the mysterious disappearing island of Jipper. Kora has no other choice. If she wants to save her kingdom and have any chance at reversing her father’s curse, she will have to enter into a deadly game with Dionysus, the greatest trickster the world, or the underworld, has ever seen.
One winner will receive a finished copy of A Touch of Gold and Tiger Queen. This is for readers in the US and Canada only!
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Publishing Date: September 22, 2020
@blinkyabooks
A Curse of Gold is the riveting sequel and conclusion to highly imaginative retelling of the tale of King Midas. Annie Sullivan gives the reader her own take on Greek Mythology. This delves deeper into reimagined Greek mythology and lore.
The tale follows Kora, who,is the daughter of the cursed King Midas, who has the power over gold. In the first book Kora saved her father in the first book, now she up against oracles, sea gods, and Dionysus in order to save her country and the entire world. The book picks only a short time after the the first book left off.
Kora is a bold heroine who steps up and takes things in her own hand. When she sets out to find Dionysus, in her quest to save herself and her Kingdom. In hopes to reverse her father’s curse, she travels to disappearing island of Jipper.
Dionysus in this creative twist is known to as be a trickster, she enter a deadly high stakes game.
Annie Sullivan intricately plots a engaging young adult book, with mythical driven adventures.
About the Author:
Annie Sullivan is the author of the young adult novels A Touch of Gold, Tiger Queen, and A Curse of Gold. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, and she loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s working as the Senior Copywriter at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked there in Editorial and Publicity roles. She loves to hear from fans, and you can reach her via the contact form on this website or on Twitter and Instagram.
For a small New England town, Shadow Grove has an uncanny ability to attract the worst kind of trouble. Not that the residents are too concerned about the various horrors living among them.
As the leaves change color and the weather grows colder, a foul presence is making itself known by leaving peculiar gifts for the students of Ridge Crest High. At first, the presents seem harmless—and a rash of accidents seem coincidental—but when seniors Rachel Cleary and her Scottish cousin, Dougal Mackay, find a boneless body in the boiler room, things take an ominous turn.
Something vicious is on the loose in Shadow Grove, but with Orion Nebulius gone, Rachel has little hope of anyone getting out alive.
Determined to set the historical record straight, and clear her conscience, Temperance Flowerdew — the wife of Virginia’s first two governors — puts quill to paper, recounting the hardships that nearly brought the Jamestown colony to its knees, and the extraordinary sacrifice of her servant girl, Lily.
When she steps aboard the Falcon in 1609, Temperance Flowerdew was not only setting sail from England to the distant shores of America, she was embarking upon a future of opportunity. She didn’t yet know how she would make her mark, but in this new place she could do or be whatever she wanted.
Willing as she is to brave this new world, Temperance is utterly ill-equipped to survive the wilderness; all she knows is how to live inside the pages of adventure and philosophy books. Loyally at her side, Lily helps Temperance weather pioneer life. A young woman running from lifelong accusations of witchcraft, Lily finds friendship with Temperance and an acceptance of her psychic gifts. Together, they forge paths within the community: Temperance attempts to advise the makeshift government, while Lily experiences the blossoming of first love.
But as the harsh winter approaches, Lily intuitively senses a darkness creep over the colony and the veneer of civilized life threatens to fall away — negotiations with the Indians grow increasingly hostile and provisions become scarce. Lily struggles to keep food on the table by foraging in the woods and being resourceful. Famine could mean the end of days. It’s up to Lily to save them both, but what sacrifice will be enough to survive?
A transporting and evocative story, The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is a fiercely hopeful novel — a portrait of two intrepid women who choose to live out their dreams of a future more free than the past.
‘Denise Heinze has written a stirring novel about America’s first pioneers, with particular attention to the women whose pluck and forbearance made it all possible. Temperance Flowerdew’s ‘Brief and True Report’ retells the story of America’s first colony, established by English settlers in 1609, all but destroyed by Powhatan Indians twenty years later, then rescued from oblivion by remnants of Britain’s exploratory fleet. In that saga, Heinze manages to preserve the formal language of the period with a storytelling appetite for narrative, complete with native savagery, thwarted romance, the harsh realities of seventeenth-century ocean travel, and the unpredictable currents that made such explorations so daunting and so frequently fatal.’ –C. Michael Curtis, Fiction Editor Emeritus, The Atlantic
‘With a poet’s tongue and painter’s eye, Denise Heinze summons the wonder, horror, and selfless grit of the women who pioneered a new world. Temperance Flowerdew makes compulsive reading.’ –Elizabeth Cobbs, bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair
‘With careful research, and lyrical and evocative writing, Denise Heinze’s The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew transports the reader to the harrowing seventeenth-century Jamestown settlement. The richly imagined story of two pioneering women who escape a stifling old-world existence, only to face a tempest at sea, and land in a new world of hunger, thirst, and desperation, is captivating from first page to last. Temperance and Lily represent the untold stories of the heroic American Founding Mothers.’ –Tracey Enerson Wood, author of The Engineer’s Wife
‘The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew by Denise Heinze is a vivid novel about the winter of 1609-10 in Jamestown, Virginia, America’s first colony. A relentless drought preceded the winter, and a siege by natives of the region blocked access to food. Through the voices of Temperance and her housemaid and friend, Lily, Heinze takes us into the desperate days of what became known as ‘the Starving Time’ in sometimes ruthless detail. This richly researched novel, in an elegant narrative using the vernacular of the seventeenth century, is a must-read for those who love historical fiction and for all who enjoy a compelling drama well told. I read this captivating book straight through.’ –Anna Jean Mayhew, author of Tomorrow’s Bread, The Dry Grass of August, and a third novel in progress.
‘A literary thriller. This remarkable novel infuses the history of the Jamestown experiment with the tale of two women, a mistress and her servant, who find in one another the full measure of sacrifice and survival. This story is spun of silk and rendered in blood.’ –Elaine Neil Orr, author of Swimming Between Worlds
‘In this vividly imagined historical novel, Denise Heinze gives voice to one of the few survivors of the darkest period (1609-10) in the life of the Jamestown colony. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is not only an unforgettable account of the extreme hardships faced by the colonists but also the moving story of two remarkable young women who faced the challenges with courage and ingenuity.’ –Nancy Grayson, executive editor emeritus, University of Georgia Press
‘Denise Heinze skillfully resurrects a forgotten life, and puts her heroine where she belongs — at the center, not the sidelines, of early Jamestown history. Wonderfully inventive, briskly plotted, and rich with historical detail, this fact-filled novel will delight readers of historical fiction and women’s history alike.’ –Kate Bolick, bestselling author of Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own
‘At the end of Denise Heinze’s compelling new novel, main character Temperance Flowerdew wonders ‘what goes missing when the women are nowhere to be found as actors in history.’ Heinze has created a character whose life answers that question. A product of the English landed gentry, Flowerdew endures the Starving Time in the early days of the Jamestown colony. Surrounded by desperation and death, she manages to prevail, eventually documenting her story of survival and salvation using a quill from a Christmas goose. Although this book is a novel, it is a powerful, truthful, richly detailed portrayal of the daily struggle to survive in early seventeenth-century Virginia.’ –Fred Sauceman, associate professor, East Tennessee State University
‘An enthralling tale of female strength and courage against seemingly impossible odds. Denise Heinze’s Temperance is a complex, nuanced character (as is her maid, Lily, a real treat), and the world we see through her eyes is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. The research is impeccable but sits lightly on the narrative. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is more than an engaging tale of a pivotal time in America’s history — it draws the women who lived it out of the shadows and, finally, lets them take their rightful place at the center of the story.’ –Meg Keneally, author of Fled
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This tale of a well determined young woman Temperance Flowerdew sailed from England aboard Falcon in 1609. This courageous wife of Virginia’s first two governors extensively depicts the hardships that nearly brought the Jamestown colony to its knees. This is a stunning storyline, written in a captivating way to draw the reader in, and keeps you immersed right to the very end.
A story of strength and fortitude and ultimately sacrifice. Drawing on the historical events the author Denise Heinze bring to life of Jamestown and the devastating winter of 1610, dubbed “the Starving Time”
This thought provoking book with its meticulously researched content makes for a stunning historical fiction. Seen through the eyes of the women who endured this incredible hardships. Temperance Flowerdew does the unthinkable when a time women are meant to be silent. She uses ink and paper and documents this horrific experience that she and her maid lily experienced in that dreadful winter in Jamestown.
Temperance Flowerdew goes on to be the wife of Virginia’s first two govern
The author, Denise Heinz, is a descendant of Louisa May Alcott.
Denise Heinze, a former literature professor and a PhD graduate of Duke University, writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is the author of the novel Sally St. Johns and her work has appeared in Now and Then, Thought and Action, Reunions, Wow! Women on Writing, THEMA literary journal, and Gemini Magazine; her story The Grid, was a quarter-finalist for the Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is her second novel and was a finalist for the University of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab Prize. A descendant of Louisa May Alcott, she lives in North Carolina.
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 5 paperback copies of The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Denise Heinze, a former literature professor and a PhD graduate of Duke University, writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is the author of the novel Sally St. Johns and her work has appeared in Now and Then, Thought and Action, Reunions, Wow! Women on Writing, THEMA literary journal, and Gemini Magazine; her story The Grid, was a quarter-finalist for the Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is her second novel and was a finalist for the University of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab Prize. A descendant of Louisa May Alcott, she lives in North Carolina.
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