Tag Archives: Historical fiction

Iron Maiden by J.T. Maicke: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on February 22nd, 2024

Iron Maiden by J.T. MaickeIron Maiden: An Alternate History of the German Empire by J.T. Maicke

Publisher:  DX Varos Publishing, Inc. (October 31, 2023)
Category: Historical fiction, Alternate History
Tour Dates January17-February 23, 2024
ISBN: 978-1955065917
Available in Print and ebook, 411 pages
Iron Maiden

Description Iron Maiden by J.T. Maicke

What if a woman ruled Germany in 1914? This alternate history explores that very question. An elaborate attempt to rid Germany of the Hohenzollerns has left a young sole heiress, Christiana, to take the throne of the German Empire. But this is no typical princess, hidden away in a gilded cage. This college educated, expert fencer, and accomplished equestrienne is not the meek little girl the politicians think they will be able to control. She has her own ideas how to rule!

Praise for J.T. Maicke’s First  Novel The Humble Courier

“A great story of an unlikely hero during an awful time. J.T. Maicke has crafted a compelling story of an unlikely hero during a most troubling time, the rise of Nazi Germany.
This is a compelling book to read, whether you are a fan of historic fiction or simply seeking a terrific narrative and story. Maicke has created compelling and realistic characters that one can identify with, and truly care about. It is a story that will last with you long after the book is completed, and leaves one longing for new works from this author.”-John, Amazon Review

“This was an engaging read. The years between the ending of WWI and the start of WWII set the stage for events that would completely change the world. Normally when we think of the world wars, we think of Germany occupying other countries, and not other countries occupying Germany. This book takes the reader to a point in time often overlooked, and lets us step into the story through the eyes of a Catholic priest who wishes for justice, and the freedom to practice his religion and minister to his parishioners. I loved Father Harti as a character, and thought Maicke did a wonderful job bringing him to life. It was easy to get lost in the story. A great book for historical fiction lovers.”- Liliyana Shadowlyn, The Faerie Review

“I have greatly enjoyed this book. I am impressed with the historical accuracy which makes the story even more compelling. The reader is draw into the story as if they were right there.”- J. Larkin, Amazon Review

“A humble village, loving community caring Catholic priest. Sounds perfect, but then it centers in Germany in the 1930’s. The idyllic life of the priest and others is turned around affecting not only the grownups but children as well. I especially liked the references at the back of the book to places and people. At the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes.”- Christine Mueller, Goodreads Review

“An intriguing story set in Germany mainly during the early WWII era leading to thought provoking events!
Harti is a Catholic priest of the small village where he was born. Sounds like a boring life? Oh, no, not for Harti! He is consumed by a deep sense of justice… That’s only the beginning of Harti’s trail of thoughts…. What I particularly enjoyed in this novel, lies in the writing style. All along the plot, the author gives a summarized account of the political situation in Germany along with the reactions of the Allies from the end of WWI on (French occupation after the Versailles Contract had been signed). I learned details I was not aware of, particularly about the role of the Catholic church at this time. Harti referred many times to the Bible (though not overwhelmingly) in order to find a way to find justice. That was for me very interesting and definitely thought provoking! The characters are fictional, some events and real people made fitting the story, but all made sense. A compelling novel!”-Christine, Amazon Review

About J. T. Maicke

A self-described Germanophile, J.T. Maicke writes historical fiction novels that take place in Germany or among German-American communities in the Midwest. He has spent most of his life studying German history, geography, language, culture, customs, and cuisine. Maicke also spent several years living in and traveling throughout Central Europe, and he has visited many of the locations depicted in his novels. Maicke’s debut novel was ‘The Humble Courier.’

Website: https://www.jtmaicke.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jt.maicke/

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Iron Maiden by J.T. Maicke

HER: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on February 20th, 2024

HER: The Flame TreeHER: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha

Publisher:  Gival Press, (October 1, 2023)
Category: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Tour dates: January 16-Feb 23, 2024
ISBN:  978-1940724454
Available in Print and ebook, 280 pages

HER: The Flame Tree

Description HER: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha

If the fate of unrequited love survives fifty-one years, nine months, and four days in Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, it leads the way for HER: The Flame Tree, a spare, remorseless love triptych that sweeps through the rich panorama of two generations of colonial and post-colonial Vietnam. The hopeless love of a young eunuch for a high-ranking concubine is one of this novel’s three stories that illuminate the oriental mystery of Vietnam, as epic as it is persevering,

Despite a rich trove of documentary films, Western readers know little of the spiritual face of Vietnam. Framed between 1915 and 1993, HER: The Flame Tree begins in Huế, the former imperial capital Vietnam. It is in the Purple Forbidden City, that Canh, the young eunuch, fulfills his vow to be near the girl of his dreams, a villager-turned imperial concubine.

The novel begins with an expatriate Vietnamese man living in the United States who journeys back to Vietnam to search for the adopted daughter of a centenarian eunuch of the Imperial Court of Huế to find out who she really is. His world takes on a new meaning after he becames a part of her life.

Phượng. Her name is the magnificent flame tree’s flowers that grace the ancient capital of Huế. Her father, mentor of Canh the young eunuch, was a hundred-year-old grand eunuch of the Imperial Court, who had adopted and raised her since she was a baby. Their peaceful world suddenly changed when one day, sometime in the early years of the Vietnam war, Jonathan Edward came into their lives. On his quest to search for his just deceased lover’s mysterious birth, there he met Phượng, an exquisite beauty.

Through the eye of her father, history is retold. Just before the fall of the French Indochina during the last dynasty of Vietnam, a young eunuch hopelessly fell in love with a high-ranking concubine. Once the eunuch had secured the concubine’s trust, it became a fatal attraction. The eunuch died. The concubine, still a virgin, lost her mind. Her father said she was possessed by the young eunuch’s spirit who had been madly in love with her.

HER: The Flame Tree does not have the flavor of historical fiction, plot-heavy and sexually graphic. Rather, it is atmospheric and impressionistic, in the style of Snow Falling on Cedars. The magnificent poinciana flowers, which grace the ancient capital of Huế, symbolize farewell in Vietnamese adolescent romance. Its symbolic image befits Phượng for her magnanimous nature and grace, and the scarlet blossoming flowers when Jonathan Edward bids Phượng farewell is beauty without sadness—Wait and Hope.

Praise HER: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha

“In this almost folkloric saga of a royal eunuch, his adopted daughter and the tragedies and triumphs of love in their lives from the days of the emperor’s court to the war with America, Khanh Ha takes us deeply into the heart of traditional Vietnam in a tale told in such lushly poetic, descriptive language that it immerses the reader deeply and sensually into the gorgeousness of the land, the texture and taste of food, and the complex humanity of the characters. Her: The Flame Tree is an intricately woven, seductively fascinating story of family, sacrifice, loyalty and redeeming love in the face of heart-breaking loss that breathtakingly weaves the lives of individuals we come to know and care about into the saga of Vietnamese—and American—history.” —Wayne Karlin, author of Memorial Days

“Ha evokes a visceral image of Vietnam . . .  A vivid study of a country’s fraught history and how its people struggled to make sense of it.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Her: The Flame Tree is a beautiful novel, rich with evocations of natural setting in coastal Vietnam; remembered action going back more than a hundred years; and characters both extraordinary and poignantly ordinary, developed by layer upon layer of stories.”—Elizabeth Harris, judge and author of Mayhem: Three Lives of a Woman

“Early in Khanh Ha’s latest novel Her: The Flame Tree, the author describes a book made of delicate leaves of gold. Such a volume would be ideal to record this shimmering and often tender tale of love, loss, and memory.” —Steve Evans, author of The Marriage of True Minds

About Khanh HaKhanh Ha

Award winning author Khanh Ha is a nine-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for The Ohio State University Fiction Collection Prize, Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize, Prize Americana, and The Santa Fe Writers Project. He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, The Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction, The Orison Anthology Award for Fiction, The James Knudsen Prize for Fiction, The C&R Press Fiction Prize, The EastOver Fiction Prize, The Blackwater Press Fiction Prize, The Gival Press Novel Award, and The Red Hen Press Fiction Award.

Website: http://www.authorkhanhha.com
Blog: http://authorkhanhha.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KhanhHa69784776
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkhanhha
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/khanhha

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This giveaway is for 2 print or ebook copies print is open to the U.S. only. Ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on Feb 23, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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HER: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha

Kiss Of Frost And Flame by Ken Czech: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on February 7th, 2024

Kiss of Frost and Flame by Ken CzechKiss Of Frost And Flame by Ken Czech

Publisher:  Fireship Press, (June 22, 2023)
Category: Historical Fiction, Romance/Action/Adventure, Romance/Historical/Medieval, War & Military
Tour Dates January 15-February 8, 20223
ISBN: 978-1611794113
Available in Print and ebook, 304 pages
Kiss of Frost and Flame

Description Kiss of Frost and Flame by Ken Czech

When Defending the Homeland Means Defending Your Heart.

Siberia 1581. When Umey, a young outcast woman, stumbles on a ravaged
village, she uncovers a plot that threatens to devastate her beloved
homeland. It’s furs—soft gold—the invading Cossacks crave, and the
greediest of them is Yermak, the man who saved her life and raised
her.

Armed with fearsome muskets, the Cossacks plunge deeper into the
Siberian forest, crushing the tribal folk who stand in their way.
Although prejudices are arrayed against her, Umey emerges as a tribal
leader, albeit a reluctant one. She and Alexey, a Russian soldier who
has seen too much war, are soon caught in an unfolding crucible of
destruction where their courage and incipient love will be tested in a
final collision with Yermak and his horde.

Praise For Kiss of Frost and Flame by Ken Czech

“I was immediately drawn in by the atmospheric and descriptive effort that Czech put into his writing to bring the wilds of Siberia to life. I was fascinated by the customs and tribal people as well as the beauty of nature … Umey’s gentle but unwavering courage makes her a protagonist whom you grow to feel deeply for during the adventure. Overall, Kiss of Frost and Flame is a work that fans of historical adventures and cross-cultural writing are sure to enjoy as much as I did.”-K. C. Finn,  author of Caecilius Rex and The Book of Shade

Praise for Ken Czech

“… a truly excellent novel that readers will simply devour.”-K. C. Finn, author of the Caecilius Rex  series-THE TSAR’S LOCKET

“There were twist and turns throughout, but the climactic twist at the end really caught me off guard.”-Lesley Jones, for Reades’ Favorite-THE TSAR’S LOCKET

“I was drawn to this book due to a passionate interest in British history and a passing one in Russian history. The author does an outstanding job of weaving fact and fiction together in a backdrop of colorful and accurate description of the international culture of the first Elizabethan Era.
Those who shun romantic novels should not do so to this work. There are surprises and intrigue aplenty to thrill those who crave a bit of adventure. The history lover will be presented with information they may have never encountered.”- Caroleinwv, Amazon Review-THE TSAR’S LOCKET

“The journey is long and arduous over war-torn Europe from the fields of The Netherlands to the frozen marshes of Poland and Russia. Secrets are revealed, friendships are made and lost, terrible sacrifices are made, and by the thinnest of thinnest hopes Blunt finally makes it to the Promised Land. And then the locket is opened to reveal—
Well, I’ll leave that to you to find out. The journey itself is fascinating, a tour of 1580s Europe with its wars and religious squabbling, the fights over the dominance of one man by another, the lust for power of one nation over another. “-stephenmatlock.com, THE TSAR’S LOCKET

“Fans…of the Victorian era will find this book a gem.” – Historical Novels Review, BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME

“It’s a rollicking read … ” – Dr. Jim Casada, Sporting Classics Magazine, BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME

About Ken CzechKen Czech

Ken Czech is a retired history professor whose passion has turned to writing fiction.

His previous novels include BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME (All Things That Matter Press, 2017); LAST DANCE IN KABUL (Fireship Press, 2018); and THE TSAR’S LOCKET (Fireship Press, 2020). As a member of the Historical Novels Society, he has attended HNS conferences and workshops.

Website: https://www.kennethczech.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehistoricalnovelist/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-czech

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This giveaway is for 2 print or ebook copies, print is open to the U.S. only. Ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on Feb 8, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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On the Rails by Rosemary and Larry Mild: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on September 22nd, 2023

On the Rails by Rosemary and Larry MildOn the Rails: The Adventures of Boxcar Bertie by Rosemary and Larry Mild
Publisher:  Magic Island Literary Works (July 1, 2023)
Category: Historical Fiction
Tour Dates August 21-Sept 22, 2023
ISBN: 978-099054724
Available in Print and ebook, 230 pages

On The Rails

Description On the Rails by Rosemary and Larry Mild

What’s a woman to do? Bertie Patchet has just graduated from college in New Haven, Connecticut, to become a grammar school teacher. But the year is 1936, and the country is deep in the throes of The Great Depression. Securing employment is nearly impossible for everyone, let alone a single inexperienced female. Going home is an ugly option to be avoided. Bertie absolutely must get away, but travel without an income? Forget it!

Bertie dresses like a man and turns to hopping railway boxcars to make her escape to better opportunities. A female hobo? Unheard of! It’s a man’s world, so how can she maneuver in this male atmosphere fraught with risk, danger, and loss? Will she ever find a teaching job? And will she dare to find romance in the bargain?

A charming new novel with an unforgettable protagonist, a setting to die for, and a mesmerizing plotline, On the Rails is on track to become another beloved tale by dynamic husband-and-wife duo Rosemary and Larry Mild.

Praise for Rosemary and Larry Mild

Reviews for Cry ‘Ohana: Winner of the Readers Favorite, 2011 Award

“I was hooked from the very first page. The chapters are short but there is plenty of suspense, intrigue, blackmail and betrayal. The characters are very easy to connect with. The descriptions of Hawaii are excellent. Adventure and suspense make this, a book you won’t want to miss.”-Readers Favorite, for Cry ‘Ohana

“The beautiful setting, engaging characters, and lively plot combine to bring readers a story that is literally difficult to put down. The novel deftly moves between the characters and their stories concluding with a satisfying finish. It is an engaging story of tragedy, hope, and unconditional love.”- Mystery Books Site, Reviewed by Edie Dykeman, BellaOnline’s Mystery Books Editor, for Cry ‘Ohana

“Shame can tear families apart, and murder can obliterate them. Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii tells the story of a Hawaiian family who through a string of tragedies finds their family torn apart. But when the need to find justice, the family struggles to reunite. A story of family and reunion for the betterment of it all, and dedicated to Hawaiian culture, Cry Ohana is a choice pick, highly recommended.”- Midwest Book Review

Reviews for Death Rules the Night:

“Death Rules the Night will appeal to mystery readers who hold special affection for bookstores and detective stories. It tells of truck driver Tom Dwyer, whose life is derailed when fellow driver trainee Frank and he flee a hit-and-run accident that threatens their careers.

Readers who anticipate a fairly straightforward progression of events from here should be advised that Death Rules the Night chooses no easy or predictable paths. A myriad of characters are introduced, whose lives and choices feed into the main event.

The blend of literary review and community inspection added to the growing mystery’s components will delight mystery fans who like their stories multifaceted and unpredictable.

Death Rules the Night‘s lively inspections of death, marriage, threats, and redemption makes it a standout especially recommended for mystery genre readers who like their stories realistic, engaging, and full of surprises as they move into the big secret Muddy Akins is determined to keep against all odds and prying.”-Midwest Book Review

“It is not often that a reader picks up a book and gets sucked into the story from the very beginning and held in that trance until the very end. Death Rules the Night is one of those books.

Death Rules the Night has a vibe very much similar to my favorite childhood game of Clue. The buildings are historic, the characters quirky, and all under a fog of mystery. There are so many characters and storylines that one would think it would be hard to keep up with who said what and who did what. But that is not the case in this book. The authors do a wonderful job of setting up the reader by giving a list of characters with their descriptions in the book for easy reference. The mystery writer’s club is also very interesting in that the authors give the “writers” in the group a chance to share their work. The reader gets tidbits of a few different mysteries this way. Of course, one of those mysteries is Tom’s story! So very intricately planned. From the little details to the big ones, Death Rules the Night hits all of the important points needed in a successful whodunnit book.–– Kristi Elizabeth, Seattle Book Review

About Rosemary and Larry MildOn the Rails by Rosemary and Larry Mild

Rosemary and Larry Mild coauthored the Dan & Rivka Sherman Mysteries; the Paco and the Molly Mysteries; Hawaii adventure/thrillers Cry Ohana and Honolulu Heat; and four volumes of short stories, including their new one, Charlie and the Magic Jug and Other Stories. Many of their stories appear in anthologies. The Milds, a happy husband-and-wife team, make their home in Honolulu, where they cherish time with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

Website:  https://www.magicile.com/

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This giveaway is for 1 print copy and is open to the U.S. only  This giveaway ends on September 22, 2023 midnight, pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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On the Rails by Rosemary and Larry Mild