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Articles by Mary Ann Bernal
Book Spotlight: Secrets of the Penny University by Amanda Roberts
Tilly risks everything on a promise. Amy wants the truth. “I think something terrible happened here” 2025: When Amy and her husband buy an old property on Oxford’s High Street with plans to open a new coffee shop, the discovery of a mural painted on a wall hints at a story that has lain dormant for centuries. Before long, Amy is seeing and hearing echoes of the past, and a young woman who once lived there.
Book Spotlight: The Lost Voices by Paul Rushworth-Brown
Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace. The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction that brings to light those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked significance, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition. This is the story of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances—individuals navigating a rigid social order shaped by obligation, fear, and quiet resistance.
Book Spotlight: Conquist by Dirk Strasser
Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign. What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba.
Book spotlight and excerpt: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR: A NOVEL by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
Follow the tour HERE THE BEAUTY DOCTOR: A NOVEL Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard Audiobook narrator: Lisa Bozek A Bone-Chilling Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Set in the Edwardian Era Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Award "Beauty is power," Dr. Rome told her. "And with enough power, one can achieve anything." Straightening noses, trimming eyelids, lifting jowls . . . In the year 1907, his revolutionary beauty surgery is considered daring, perhaps dangerous. Still, women want what Dr. Rome promises.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Dream Collector “Sabrine & Sigmund Freud” Book 1 by R.W. Meek
The Dream Collector immerses the reader into the exciting milieu of late 19th Century Paris when art and medicine were in the throes of revolution, art turning to Impressionism, medicine turning to psychology. In 1885, Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles, finds employment at the infamous , hospital and asylum to over five thousand disabled, demented and abandoned women, a walled city ruled by the famed neurologist and arrogant director, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot.
Coming soon: AnaRose and Pharaoh's Gold by Mary Ann Bernal
Amazon Pre-order HERE Smashwords Pre-order HERE Publication Date: February 11, 2024 A stolen relic. A ruthless cult. An ancient evil. A priceless Egyptian artifact listed for auction on the black market sparks a deadly chase between museum curator and archaeologist AnaRose Preston and a fanatical ancient sect. The Cult of Apophis will stop at nothing to reclaim the relic housing the deity’s soul. AnaRose risks her life to prevent the secret society from unleashing hell on earth.
Book Spotlight and Snippet: Beautiful Ghost by Milana Marsenich
Follow the tour HERE During the fall of 1918, the influenza pandemic crosses the nation and reaches the mining town of Butte, Montana. Marika Jovich, who wants to go to school to become a physician, works menial tasks for Dr. Fletcher. She feels useless as she tries to save friends and neighbors from the ravages of the flu. In the midst of the pandemic, she watches the town shut down, young and old perish, and her medical dreams all but evaporate.
Book Spotlight: Twelfth Cake House by Heidi Eljarbo
Follow the tour HERE Even a clever matchmaker may need a push in the right direction if she’s to find true love. When she’s asked to find a match for herself, it proves to be the most difficult task she’s ever undertaken. Mid-December 1796. Sixty-year-old spinster Miss Jemima Thurgood has three weeks to finish the preparations for her annual Twelfth Night party. In her position as a matchmaker, for over forty years she has assumed a grave responsibility.
Book Spotlight and Snippet: Millie’s Escape by Marcia Clayton
1885 North Devon, England When Emily’s neighbours inform her that Sir Edgar Grantley has also perished from the deadly disease, the old woman is distraught, for the kindly gentleman has been their benefactor for many years, much to the disgust of his wife, Lilliana. Emily is well aware that Sir Edgar’s generosity has long been a bone of contention between him and his spouse, and she is certain Lady Grantley will evict them from their cottage at the first opportunity.
Book Spotlight: The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland
Follow the tour HERE 1575. Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.
Book Spotlight: How to Dress Like a Tudor by Judith Arnopp
Follow the tour HERE Have you ever hankered to dress like a Tudor lord or lady, or perhaps you prefer the status of goodwife, or costermonger, or even a bawd? For beginner historical reenactors, the path to authenticity can be bewildering and sometimes intimidating. Judith Arnopp uses her own experience, both as a historian and a medieval/Tudor lady, to make your own journey a little easier.
Book Spotlight: The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu by Ann Bennett
Follow the tour HERE A sweeping wartime tale of secrets and love, mystery and redemption, moving from the snow-capped Himalayas to the steamy heat of battle in the Burmese jungle. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries, Victoria Hislop and Rosie Thomas. Hampshire, UK, 2015. When Chloe Harper’s beloved grandmother, Lena dies, a stranger hands her Lena’s wartime diary. Chloe sets out to uncover deep family secrets that Lena guarded to her grave.
Book Spotlight: The Redemption of Mattie Silks by Kimberly Burns
Follow the tour HERE SEEKING REDEMPTION, SHE FINDS RETRIBUTION In 1892, running one of the West’s fanciest brothels is a rough game. In a town filled with brazen criminals, corrupt police, zealous politicians, and morality committees, Madam Mattie Silks makes her fortune catering to Colorado’s gold and silver millionaires. Notorious crime boss “Soapy” Smith is at the top of the Denver underworld. There are no rules for Smith’s gang. They solve problems with bribes and bullets.
Book Spotlight and Snippet: The Bastard Prince of Versailles: A Novel Inspired by True Events by Will Bashor
Follow the tour HERE A historical novel inspired by real events,The Bastard Prince of Versailles,narrates the escapades of a misborn "prince" during the reign of Louis XIV in seventeenth-century France. Louis de Bourbon wasn't a real prince-even though his father was King Louis XIV. The illegitimate son of the King and his mistress, Louise de La Vallière, young Louis has been kept far from the court's eyes until summoned to bid adieu to his mother.
Book Spotlight: The Matchstick Boy by Rowena Kinread
Follow the tour HERE When his young brother, Josef, is killed by a rock avalanche, Jakob believes it is murder. He had seen someone on the mountain ridge, above the scree, before it began to roll. But who would want to kill a child, and why? Jakob suspects Ramun, the privileged son of the owner of a matchstick factory, but nobody takes him seriously and he is powerless to obtain justice. Thirty years later, Jakob’s profoundly deaf daughter is raped by Ramun and becomes with child.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Middle Generation: A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine by M. B. Zucker
Follow the tour HERE The classical era of American history began with the Revolution and ended with emancipation. Between these bookends lies the absorbing yet overshadowed epic of a new nation spearheading liberty’s cause in a world skeptical of freedom arriving at all, much less in slaver’s garb. M. B. Zucker takes readers back to that adolescent country in the care of an enigmatic guide, John Quincy Adams, heir to one president by blood and another, Washington, by ideology.
Book Spotlight: London Tales by Tim Walker
Follow the tour HERE This collection of eleven tales offers dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion.
OFFICIAL LAUNCH DAY PARTY - Historical Stories of Exile - a historical fiction anthology - Helen Hollick and friends
Follow the tour HERE Historical Stories of Exile Contributing Authors: Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, J G Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, Marian L. Thorpe, Annie Whitehead. With an introduction by Deborah Swift. Exile: a risky defiance, a perilous journey, a family’s tragic choice – or an individual’s final gamble to live.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham
Follow the tour HERE 1592. The Theatre, London. When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon. The coroner is convinced of her guilt. The scandal-pamphlets demonize her. Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Only handsome Matthew Hilliard offers his assistance, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?
Book Spotlight and Snippet: The Warmth of Snow by Heidi Eljarbo
Follow the tour HERE There must be a way to thaw a heart long frozen. Can she help him, or does he have other plans? Sweden 1810. August Brandell, the count of Linborg, has returned home after four years of war against the French Empire under the direction of Napoléon Bonaparte. Wounded and downtrodden, he is a meager shadow of the man he used to be. One day, a lovely young woman comes calling. She’s strong and bright and, unlike the rest, seems unaffected by his wealth and unfortunate disability.
Book Spotlight: The Moon That Fell from Heaven by N.L. Holmes
Follow the tour HERE Ehli-nikkalu, eldest daughter of the Hittite emperor, is married to a mere vassal of her father's. But despite her status, her foreignness and inability to produce an heir drive a wedge between her and the court that surrounds her. When her secretary is mysteriously murdered while carrying the emperor a message that would indict the loyalty of his vassal, Ehli-nikkalu adopts the dead man’s orphaned children out of a guilty sense of responsibility.
Book Spotlight: Times of Turmoil by Anna Belfrage
Follow the tour HERE It is 1718 and Duncan Melville and his time traveller wife, Erin, are concentrating on building a peaceful existence for themselves and their twin daughters. Difficult to do, when they are beleaguered by enemies. Erin Melville is not about to stand to the side and watch as a child is abused—which is how she makes deadly enemies of Hyland Nelson and his family. Then there’s that ghost from their past, Armand Joseph Chardon, a person they werecertain was dead. Apparently not.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Who She Left Behind by Victoria Atamian Waterman
Follow the tour HERE “Who She Left Behind” is a captivating historical fiction novel that spans generations and delves into the emotional lives of its characters.
Book Spotlight: The Winds of Change by Joan Fallon
Follow the tour HERE The Winds of Change is a story of love, loyalty and betrayal on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, when the country is political turmoil with strikes and demonstrations, unemployment is high and the people are starving. In this complicated love triangle we meet Ramon, a member of the Republican Left, who has accidentally killed a policeman and is on the run from the Guardia Civil and Hugo, the son of the wealthy owner of a local sherry bodega.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Merchant’s Dilemma by Carolyn Hughes
Follow the tour HERE 1362. Winchester. Seven months ago, accused of bringing plague and death from Winchester, Bea Ward was hounded out of Meonbridge by her former friends and neighbours. Finding food and shelter where she could, she struggled to make her way back to Winchester again. Yet, once she arrived, she wondered why she’d come. For her former lover – the love of her life – Riccardo Marchaunt, had married a year ago. And she no longer had the strength to go back to her old life on the streets.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: If It’s the Last Thing I Do by David Fitz-Gerald
Follow the tour HERE It's 1975, and Misty Menard unexpectedly inherits her father's business in Lake Placid, New York. It never occurred to her that she could wind up as the CEO of a good old-fashioned manufacturing company. After years of working for lawyers, Misty knows a few things about the law. Her favorite young attorney is making a name for himself, helping traditionally owned companies become employee-owned, using a little-known, newly-passed law.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: War Sonnets by Susannah Willey
Follow the tour HERE 1942: In the war-torn jungles of Luzon, two soldiers scout the landscape. Under ordinary circumstances, they might be friends, but in the hostile environment of World War II, they are mortal enemies. Leal Baldwin, a US Army sergeant, writes sonnets. His sights are set on serving his country honorably and returning home in one piece.
Book Spotlight: Champagne Widows, the first woman of champagne, Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg
Follow the tour HERE EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY “A-Tour-de-Force” Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize MADAME POMMERY, Creator of Brut Champagne "A tour-de-force of historical fiction, Madame Pommery is a deeply fascinating work that blends true-to-life details with artfully crafted elements." --Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Madame Pommery is a story of a woman's indomitable spirit in the face of insurmountable odds.
Book Spotlight: Burning Secret by R J Lloyd
Follow the tour HERE Inspired by actual events, Burning Secret is a dramatic and compelling tale of ambition, lies, and betrayal. Born in the slums of Bristol in 1844, Enoch Price seems destined for a life of poverty and hardship-but he’s determined not to accept his lot. Enoch becomes a bare-knuckle fighter in London’s criminal underworld. But in a city where there’s no place for honest dealing, a cruel loan shark cheats him, leaving Enoch penniless and facing imprisonment.
Book Spotlight: Drumbeats by Julia Ibbotson
Follow the tour HERE It’s 1965, and 18 year old Jess escapes her stifling English home for a gap year in Ghana, West Africa. But it’s a time of political turbulence across the region. Fighting to keep her young love who waits back in England, she’s thrown into the physical and emotional dangers of civil war, tragedy and the conflict of a disturbing new relationship. And why do the drumbeats haunt her dreams?
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Ghost of Greyson Hall British Agents Series, Book #4 by MK McClintock
Follow the tour HERE Once a year, an ancient secret walks the corridors of Greyson Hall, a place shrouded in mystery and whispered legend. When Devon Clayton inherited the stately mansion in England’s wild north from his uncle, he never imagined what secrets lurked within its walls, hidden for centuries. When his friends and brothers join him for the holiday, the British Agents and their families discover that their most unusual case will bring new meaning to Christmas spirit.
Reader Views October Book Giveaway - enter to win a copy of AnaRose and the Templar's Quest by Mary Ann Bernal
October is here, and what better way to embrace its mysterious charm than with a book in hand? The Reader Views Book Giveaway is no trick, just a treat. Featuring over 40 titles from generous indie authors, the giveaway offers something for everyone, from haunting tales to heartfelt stories.
Bookspotlight and Snippet: The Sight of Heather by Ally Stirling
Follow the tour HERE For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted. Life in the 1800s countryside, with its unforgiving climate, was both magnificent and harsh – testing cultures, beliefs and the loyalties of crofters. The first in this series, The Sight of Heather, begins a journey of allegiance, sacrifice, and fortitude in a land of bold, resilient women.
Book Spotlight: King’s Warrior:The Owerd Chronicles by James Gault
Follow the tour HERE In 11th Century England, King William has achieved almost total domination of the Englisc and turns his attention to Scotland. Owerd, possibly the last of the Britons to be deemed ‘lord’, faces powerful enemies from all quarters. He seems to hold the king’s favour by a thread, which only serves to encourage others to try and bring him down. Treachery abounds as he tries to juggle multiple roles and prove himself and his men worthy warriors for the Norman king.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Dancing in the Ring by Susan E. Sage
Follow the tour HERE Detroit in the 1920s proved to be the Paris of the West for many – including Catherine McIntosh and Robert Sage. These two law school students become as passionate about each other as they are their dreams. From a poor family in the Detroit neighborhood of Corktown, Catherine learned early on, the necessity of being resilient. She becomes one of the first women in Detroit to obtain a law degree. Bob, the ‘battling barrister,’ boxes in order to pay for law school.
Book spotlight and excerpt: The King’s Command: For God or Country by Rosemary Hayes
Follow the tour HERE 16-year-old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health, and a charming suitor, but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie and her family are committed Huguenots, and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights, and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The London Forgery A Fabiola Bennett Mystery by Heidi Eljarbo
Follow the tour HERE 1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete.
A new release from House of Punk: PUNKS Presented by Brenda Perlin
“Why are you still banging on about punk rock?” someone asked me recently. “That stuff’s been dead for over forty years, hasn’t it?” Dead? Really? Well, maybe dead in the sense that a vampire is dead, i.e., it’s a creature of the night and shuns the sunshine. But – leaving aside the fact that The Damned are still alive and performing – the strain of rebellion that characterized much of the movement is still with us.
Book Spotlight: A Meadow Murder - A Jan Christopher Mystery, Episode #4 by Helen Hollick
Follow the tour HERE "As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!" ~ author Elizabeth St John "Every sentence pulls you back into the early 1970s... The Darling Buds of May, only not Kent, but Devon. The countryside itself is a character and Hollick imbues it with plenty of emotion" ~ author Alison Morton *** Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted? Summer 1972.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Husband Criteria by Catherine Kullmann
Follow the tour HERE London 1817 The primary aim of every young lady embarking on the Spring frenzy that is the Season must be to make a good match. Or must it? And what is a good match? For cousins Cynthia, Chloe and Ann, well aware that the society preux chevalier may prove to be a domestic tyrant, these are vital questions.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: The Shadow Earl by Stella Riley - Audiobook narrated by Alex Wyndham
Follow the tour HERE At the end of his Grand Tour, somewhere between Athens and Constantinople, Christian Selwyn, the young Earl of Hazelmere, vanished - seemingly without a trace. Time passes. In London, his uncle and cousin move into his home … while his unofficial fiancée, Sophia, is left desolate and in limbo. Finally, his friends – loyal and close as brothers – set out to search in person. Christian’s startling re-appearance at a grand ball takes society by storm and fuels endless speculation.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Esperanza’s Way by Cindy Burkart Maynard
Follow the tour HERE Motivated by the memory of her mother dying in her arms, Esperanza resolves that she will one day walk the halls of the Scola Medica at Salerno and train to become a healer. Fate brought Amika, a talented herbalist, into her life and helped Esperanza take her first steps toward gaining the knowledge that would fulfill her dream. Unfortunately, a tragic accident forced Esperanza to flee Amika's home.
Book Spotlight: The Traitor Beside Her by Mary Anna Evans, Audiobook narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell
Follow the tour HERE "Evans's characters are vividly drawn, elevating this story and its revelations about women's little-celebrated contributions to the war effort."—Washington Post "An exciting read with historical tidbits, a hint of danger, and a touch of romance."—Kirkus Reviews The Traitor Beside Heris an intricately plotted WWII espionage novel weaving together mystery, action, friendship, and a hint of romance perfect for fans ofThe Rose CodeandCode Name Helene.
Audiobook Spotlight: The Briton and the Dane: Birthright by Mary Ann Bernal, narrated by Sebastian Lockwood
Two years have passed since Alfred the Great successfully defeated Guthrum, King of the Vikings. The fair land of England is at peace. That is, until the harmony is threatened by Guthrum's angry, vengeful, illegitimate son, Rigr, who is hell-bent on usurping his father's throne. Rigr demands his Birthright - an acknowledgment that he is the sole heir to the Danelaw, but his father refuses his claim. Rigr assembles his army; a motley, but formidable, cohort of disenchanted warriors.
Audiobook Spotlight and Snippet: The Lady of the Tower by Elizabeth St.John - Narrator: Bridget Thomas
Follow the tour HERE Audio Sample "Elizabeth St John has brought the Stuart Court vividly to life. She weaves together the known facts of Lucy’s life with colourful scenes of fictional imagination, drawing on innocent romance and bleak deception to create a believable heroine and an intriguing plot." Historic Novel Society Book Review "The Lady of the Tower is a beautifully produced novel with a well-crafted story that will keep you both engaged and entertained. A joy to read.
Book Spotlight: Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake by Chris Thorndycroft
Follow the tour HERE Bristol, 1713. When Philip Rake, pickpocket, smuggler and scoundrel is arrested and thrown in jail, he assumes he has a short walk to the gallows. But his father, a wealthy merchant who has remained a figure of mystery throughout his life, throws him a lifeline; become an indentured man on an expedition to the East Indies led by his friend, Woodes Rogers.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: AnaRose and the Templar's Quest by Mary Ann Bernal
A dangerous expedition. A precious artifact. A race against time. Museum curator and expert in antiquities AnaRose Preston accepts the challenge to find one of Christianity’s holy relics concealed in the hilt of a legendary dagger. Traveling throughout contemporary France, she rushes to solve a historical mystery. But members of a secret society stand in her way. AnaRose risks her life to locate the weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Life and Death in Ephesus by Finlay McQuade
Follow the tour HERE For over a thousand years, Ephesus, on the Aegean coast of what is now Turkey, was a thriving city. It was the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Wonders of the World, and a destination for religious pilgrimage long before the advent of Christianity. In the first century CE, St. John and St. Paul introduced Christianity to Ephesus, where it survived its turbulent beginnings and, in the fifth century CE, hosted the God-defining Council of Ephesus.
The Coffee Pot Book Club: Sunday Snippet: Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal
The Coffee Pot Book Club: Sunday Snippet: Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal ...: Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal #SundaySnippet Publication Date: February 14th, 2021 Publisher: Whispering Legends Press Pages: 306 Genre:...
Book Spotlight: Turning the World to Stone – The Life of Caterina Sforza Part One 1472 to 1488 by Kelly Evans
Follow the tour HERE Vilified by history, Caterina Sforza learned early that her life was not her own. Married at age ten, she was a pawn in the ever-changing political environment of Renaissance Italy. Resigned to her life as a fifteenth-century wife, Caterina adapted to the role she was expected to play: raising and educating her children, helping the poor in her new home, and turning a blind eye to her husband’s increasingly shameful behaviour.
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