Book Spotlight: Rise of the Pale Moon by Patricia Brandon

 

Forced to navigate complex relationships with each other and the master’s family in colonial South Carolina, three young women (an indentured servant, a chattel slave, and a Catawba Indian) must choose between remaining in servitude or risk a dangerous escape that could change their lives – and the course of the Revolution.

Unlikely Allies: Three Diverse Women Navigate Tumultuous Times, Risking All Amidst Revolutionary Woes. A Tale of Hope, Love, and Triumph Over Adversity.

In the heart of coastal South Carolina, during the Revolutionary War era, a profound narrative unfolds in Rise of the Pale Moon. This captivating tale is set on a plantation, where three young women of strikingly different backgrounds are held captive - a humble indentured servant from London, a resilient chattel slave, and a resourceful Catawba Indian. Their lives are intertwined, bound by the chains of their circumstances, and deeply impacted by the Master and his family.

These women, each bearing a unique perspective, must learn to navigate their relationships with each other and their captors. As they grapple with their brutal reality, their courage is put to the ultimate test. Will they risk a daring escape, knowing full well that it could result in their demise? Or will they remain, hoping to influence their fate and possibly alter the course of the war in the American South?

Rise of the Pale Moon explores the intricacies of loyalty, sacrifice, and love amidst harsh adversity. The characters' relentless pursuit of hope is a testament to their determination and resilience, offering an inspiring portrayal of human spirit. As the birth of a new nation unfolds around them, their journey reveals the transformative power of unity and friendship.

This riveting narrative is more than just a historical fiction; it is a timeless exploration of the human condition, capturing the essence of shared struggles, shared dreams, and the shared determination to survive. The characters' journey serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of hope, even in the darkest of times.

Rise of the Pale Moon is a captivating read, that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving you with a renewed perspective on life, love, and the power of resilience. The story serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the courage to fight for freedom. A must-read for anyone who appreciates a compelling historical narrative laced with poignant life lessons.

 

 Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3197yD

  

Patricia Brandon is a winner of a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award (South Carolina Writers’ Association).

Her first novel, THE CENTER OF GRAVITY, earned a Coffee Pot Book Club (UK) “Highly Recommended” 5-Star Award. It recently was awarded a bronze medal (fiction-mystery-historical category) in the Readers Favorite International Book Contest.

Her second novel, A RULE OF LIFE, was selected as a gold medal (YA, Historical Fiction category) 2021 Book of the Year by The Coffee Pot Book Club. It also was recently selected as a bronze medal (YA Mystery category) winner in the Readers Favorite International Book Contest.

RISE OF THE PALE MOON was selected as a finalist for the American Writing Awards 2025.

All novels have gleaned several excellent editorial reviews.

Check out Patricia’s interview at Meet The Author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7wk0myvCk0

Author Links:

Website:  https://patriciabrandon.com/

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

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

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

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Patricia-Brandon/author/B07DLGBJV4 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/17558288.Patricia_Brandon

 

 If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY

Book Spotlight: The Queen’s Sister by Carol McGrath

 

A mother, a wife, a woman of substance...

 At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and 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 business woman. 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

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 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 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 web-site 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

If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY

Book Spotlight: Daughter of Mercia by Julia Ibbotson

 

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 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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.

 

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 story-telling’, ‘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

 

 If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY

 

Audiobook Spotlight: The Agincourt King by Mercedes Rochelle. Narrated by Kevin E. Green.

 

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.

 

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 by 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

 

 If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY

 

Book Spotlight: What the Ocean Brings by Tonya Ulynn Brown

Quebec, Canada, 1847.

While trying to escape the Potato Famine, shipwrecked Irish immigrant Breanna Clarey awakens injured and alone on an unfamiliar beach. To make matters worse, she has been separated from her family, and her friend, Crow, is lying dead at her feet. But when Dawson Roberts, a reclusive fisherman with a guarded past and big dreams for his future, finds Breanna, he puts his plans on hold to offer her shelter and help find her family.

But life for an Irish immigrant isn't easy. Facing a deadly quarantine station, dangerous immigration officials, and grief over her missing family, Breanna struggles to exert her independence and navigate her new world. While Breanna confronts an unknown future, Dawson is plagued by a painful past. They each must determine their own course, even if it means ignoring the pull they have on each other.

When the future takes an unexpected turn, only the ocean that has brought them so much devastation can help them find their way back to where they belong.

Buy Link:

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mYjg2G 

Tonya Ulynn Brown is an award-winning historical romance author who writes emotionally rich tales of ancient castles, treacherous plots, and forbidden love. With a deep passion for the turbulent histories of England and Scotland, she brings the past vividly to life through stories where danger and desire walk hand in hand.

Tonya holds a master’s degree and teaches Reading and Writing at the elementary level. Fueled by iced coffees, beautiful books, and an enduring obsession with Mary, Queen of Scots, she fills her days writing, teaching, and researching the lives of long-dead monarchs and other historical figures. Most of all, she loves spending time with her husband, two sons, and one very spoiled French bulldog.

Author Links:

Website: www.tonyaubrown.com

Twitter / X: www.twitter.com/MrsBrownee2U

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tonyaubrown

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonyaubrown

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tonyaulynnbrown/what-the-ocean-brings/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tonya-ulynn-brown

Threads: www.threads.com/tonyaubrown

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tonyaubrown

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tonya-Ulynn-Brown/author/B08B6C9VFD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20396608.Tonya_Ulynn_Brown

 If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY