Book Spotlight: West of Santillane by Brook Allen

 

Desperate to escape a mundane future as a Virginia planter’s wife, Julia Hancock seizes her chance for adventure when she wins the heart of American hero William Clark. Though her husband is the famed explorer, Julia embarks on her own thrilling and perilous journey of self-discovery.

With her gaze ever westward, Julia possesses a hunger for knowledge and a passion for helping others. She falls in love with Will’s strength and generous manner, but, like her parents, he is a slave owner, and Julia harbors strong opinions against slavery. Still, her love for Will wins out, though he remains unaware of her beliefs.

Julia finds St. Louis to be a rough town with few of the luxuries to which she is accustomed, harboring scandalous politicians and miscreants of all types. As her husband and his best friend, Meriwether Lewis, work to establish an American government and plan to publish their highly anticipated memoirs, Julia struggles to assume the roles of both wife and mother. She is also drawn into the plight of an Indian family desperate to return to their own lands and becomes an advocate for Will’s enslaved.

When political rivals cause trouble, Julia’s clandestine aid to the Indians and enslaved of St. Louis draws unwanted attention, placing her at odds with her husband. Danger cloaks itself in far too many ways, leading her to embrace the courage to save herself and others through a challenge of forgiveness that will either restore the love she shares with Will or end it forever.

Praise for West of Santillane:

'"West of Santillane" is not just an account of historical events but also a story of love, resilience, and self-discovery. Brook Allen successfully blends romantic, historical, and adventurous elements, offering readers a captivating and memorable reading experience. The book is a warm recommendation for those who appreciate well-documented historical fiction and engaging life narratives.'

~ The Historical Fiction Company

'Brook Allen’s novel West of Santillane is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings, so have some tissues nearby. This book is so captivating that it begs to be adapted into a movie. Seeing these characters brought to life on the big screen would be amazing. This book will definitely be remembered as one of my favourite reads of the year.'

~ Ellie Yarde, 5* Editorial Review, The Coffee Pot Book Club

 Buy Link:

 Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/5DPlLDi 

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

 

Author Brook Allen has a passion for history. Her newest project, West of Santillane, spotlights history from a little closer to home in Botetourt County, Virginia. It’s the story of Julia Hancock, who married famed explorer William Clark. Each character of this thrilling, adventurous period was researched throughout southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It launched in March of 2024.

Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, her novel Antonius: Son of Rome won a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards, and then won First Place in the prestigious Chaucer Division in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2020. West of Santillane garnered international attention in Summer 2025 by becoming a Silver Medalist in the Independent Publishing Book Awards for best Mid-Atlantic Fiction. Also, it was a finalist for the Virginia Romance Writers Holt Medallion. Most recently, Brook appeared in Season 8 of Blueridge PBS’s WRITE AROUND THE CORNER.

 Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her award-winning Antonius Trilogy.

Brook recently retired from public education, and her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and big, black dog, Jak. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Author Links:

 Website: www.brookallenauthor.com

Twitter / X: https://x.com/1BrookAllen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Historical.FictionWriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookallen54/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@brookallen54

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

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/brook-allen

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brook-Allen/author/B07PRNR9MD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18900200.Brook_Allen

 

Brook Allen presents Crusader Knights by Mary Ann Bernal

https://www.brookallenauthor.com/blog/crusader-knights

5/24/2020

Crusader Knights

Welcome back to the blog! This week, I'd like to introduce a special guest, author Mary Ann Bernal. Her latest work takes place in the Middle Ages. So sit back, turn your imaginations on "high", and let's find out more about Crusader Knights.

Etienne, is that who you are? Why do you haunt my thoughts? (Crusader’s Path 146)

Picture an impressionable teenager reading Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott for a book report assignment. Thoughts of Hollywood blockbusters such as Prince Valiant and Knights of the Round Table resurface, romanticizing a violent era where heroic knights save the day amid insurmountable odds.

Visit the library, choosing biographies of historical figures whose feats of daring have transcended time. El Cid, the Spanish knight, combatting the Moors. King Richard I, the Lionheart, joining the Third Crusade. Edward, the Black Prince, victorious at Poitiers. William Wallace, fighting to free Scotland of the English tyrant, King Edward I.

There are the legends, Arturius and Lancelot, and Robin Hood, larger than life icons, in all probability, a composite of actual warriors whose daring feats were memorialized.

We must not forget the fictional portrayal of knightly virtue. Prince Valiant, characterized on the big screen, was also a featured comic strip that was distributed weekly to American newspapers.

That was then, and this is now.

Recently, the TV series, Knightfall, sheds light on the deeds of the Knights Templar, the most recognizable military Order established during the Crusades. On the big screen, Ironclad, Arn: The Knight Templar, and the Kingdom of Heaven re-established interest in the Crusades. In the carnage arises courageous heroes, enticing a new generation of followers, incurable romantics, which isn’t such a bad thing.

The Knights Templar

​​The First Crusade resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Crusader States. With the city in Christian control, European Pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land. The lengthy journey was dangerous, which necessitated the formation of a protective force, ensuring the safety of Christians.

In the early twelfth century, a small group of knights established the Poor-fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar, headquartered on the Temple Mount. A holy site where the First Temple once stood.

The original knights promised to protect the pilgrims, creating the vows of the Templar, based upon Benedictine rule, living an austere life. The knights swore oaths of obedience, celibacy, and poverty, giving their wealth to the Order. Prayer was a significant part of daily life with devotion to the Virgin Mary.

As the Order grew in size and stature, they developed a financial enterprise, leaving a quarter of the warrior monks to fight. They developed the first banking system, which made the Order very powerful and wealthy.  The Templars were a feared fighting force for almost two hundred years before King Philip IV of France, who was in debt to the Order, had the knights arrested on Friday, the 13th. Suffice it to say these brave warriors suffered torture and death, being condemned on trumped-up charges to fill Philip’s coffers with Templar wealth and, of course, eliminating his debt.

The Hospitallers of Saint John

In the early eleventh century, the Hospital of Saint John was established in Jerusalem. The mission was to care for the sick, poor, and injured Pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. After Jerusalem fell to the Christians in 1099, the community’s work increased, more hospitals were founded. Eventually, the Order became known as the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. The Hospitallers, also known as the Knights of Malta or the Order of Saint John, became a Military Order.

The Knights of Saint Lazarus

Based in Jerusalem, the Knights of Saint Lazarus was founded by leper knights. Most of its members suffered from the contagion. Anyone who had contracted the disease within the Hospitallers Order joined the Knights of Saint Lazarus. The Lazarists wore a green cross upon their mantle.

King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem was a leper, who fought alongside the Knights Templar against Saladin in the late twelfth century.

Etienne

I decided against romanticizing Etienne’s character in the story. Yes, he is a brave knight, skilled in warfare, and loyal to his overlord. But he is also human with flaws. He has good and bad traits and, like all of us, struggled with his conscience when tempted. Etienne was real, a role model if you will, with all the frailties of the human condition. You might agree or disagree with his choices, but at the end of the day, he took responsibility for his actions.

Publication date: 12/04/2020

Publisher: Whispering Legends Press

Twitter Handle: @BritonandDane @maryanneyarde 

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Crusaders

Crusader's Path

By Mary Ann Bernal

From the sweeping hills of Argences to the port city of Cologne overlooking the River Rhine, Etienne and Avielle find themselves drawn by the need for redemption against the backdrop of the First Crusade.

Heeding the call of His Holiness, Urban II, to free the Holy Land from the infidel, Etienne follows Duke Robert of Normandy across the treacherous miles, braving sweltering heat and snow-covered mountain passes while en route to the Byzantine Empire.

Moved by Peter of Amiens’ charismatic rhetoric in the streets of the Holy Roman Empire, Avielle joins the humble army of pilgrims. Upon arrival in Mentz, the peasant Crusaders do the unthinkable, destroying the Jewish Community. Consumed with guilt, Avielle is determined to die fighting for Christ, assuring her place in Heaven.

Etienne and Avielle cross paths in Constantinople, where they commiserate over past misdeeds. A spark becomes a flame, but when Avielle contracts leprosy, Etienne makes a promise to God, offering to take the priest cowl in exchange for ridding Avielle of her affliction.

Will Etienne be true to his word if Avielle is cleansed of the contagion, or will he risk eternal damnation to be with the woman he loves?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Mary Ann Bernal

Mary Ann Bernal attended Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she received a degree in Business Administration. Her literary aspirations were ultimately realized when the first book of The Briton and the Dane novels was published in 2009. In addition to writing historical fiction, Mary Ann has also authored a collection of contemporary short stories in the Scribbler Tales series and a science fiction/fantasy novel entitled Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire. Her latest endeavor is Crusader’s Path, a story of redemption set against the backdrop of the First Crusade.

Connect with Mary Ann: Website • Blog • Whispering Legends Press •  Twitter • Facebook.

Website: http://www.maryannbernal.com/

Blog: http://maryannbernal.blogspot.com/

Whispering Legends Press: https://www.whisperinglegendspress.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritonandDane