2014 Release: The Crimson Ribbon by Katherine Clements

I came across this new release today and had to immediately post about it. Not only does is the synopsis very intriguing, but the cover is to die for! I only see a UK release at this point, but will be on the lookout for a US release.

Publication Date: March 27, 2014
Headline
Hardcover;352p
ISBN-10: 1472204190

England 1646. The Civil War is raging and society turned upside down.

What should be a rare moment of blessing for the town of Ely takes a brutal turn and Ruth Flowers is left with little choice but to flee the household of Oliver Cromwell, the only home she has ever known. On the road to London, Ruth sparks an uneasy alliance with a deserting soldier, the battle-scarred and troubled Joseph. But when she reaches the city, it’s in the Poole household that she finds refuge.

Lizzie Poole, beautiful and charismatic, enthrals the vulnerable Ruth, who binds herself inextricably to Lizzie’s world. But in these troubled times, Ruth is haunted by fears of her past catching up with her. And as Lizzie’s radical ideas escalate, Ruth finds herself carried to the heart of the country’s conflict, to the trial of a king.

Based on the real figure of the extraordinary Elizabeth Poole, The Crimson Ribbon conjures a mesmerising story of two women’s obsession, superstition and hope.

Giveaway: Illuminations by Mary Sharratt

To wrap up the successful virtual book tour for Mary Sharratt's novel, Illuminations, I have an international giveaway here at Passages to the Past!  

The reviews from the tour have been phenomenal, reviewers have responded very positively to Sharratt's fascinating story of Hildegarde von Bingen.  To check out the reviews, guest posts and interviews, please see here.

IlluminationsPublication Date: October 15, 2013
Mariner Books
Paperback; 288p
ISBN-10: 0544106539

Skillfully weaving historical fact with psychological insight and vivid imagination, Illuminations brings to life one of the most extraordinary women of the Middle Ages: Hildegard von Bingen, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.

Offered to the Church at the age of eight, Hildegard was expected to live in silent submission as the handmaiden of a renowned, disturbed young nun, Jutta von Sponheim. But Hildegard rejected Jutta's masochistic piety, rejoicing in her own secret visions of the divine. When Jutta died, Hildegard broke out of her prison, answering the heavenly call to speak and write about her visions and to liberate her sisters. Riveting and utterly unforgettable, Illuminations is a deeply moving portrayal of a woman willing to risk everything for what she believed.

Blogger Praise for Illuminations 

"Were it possible to drown in another's words I might very well have been lost to author Mary Sharratt's pen while reading Illuminations. I really hate to gush, but there is no other way to describe my experience with this book. Easily one of the best books I've read this year, Illuminations is a vibrate and captivating portrait of an enigmatic woman defined by her desire to love as she herself felt loved by God." - Erin, Flashlight Commentary 

"With a distinctive first-person POV and a great narrator, veteran author Mary Sharatt makes reading Hildegard's impressive story an experience." - Jessie, Ageless Pages Reviews 

"I really enjoyed reading Sharratt’s Illuminations for its compelling prose, its lovely verbiage, her superb use of narrative and first-person POV, and her development of Von Bingen from history to the page. I was enthralled, curious, and ignited. I highly recommend this as a thought-provoking read, yet one that will absorb you so completely you’ll never use your bookmark." - Erin, Hook of a Book

Author Praise for Illuminations

"An enchanting beginning to the story of the perennially fascinating 12th-century mystic, Hildegard of Bingen. It is easy to paint a picture of a saint from the outside but much more difficult to show them from the inside. Mary Sharratt has undertaken this with sensitivity and grace." —Margaret George, author of Mary, Called Magdalene

"I loved Mary Sharratt’s The Daughters of Witching Hill, but she has outdone herself with Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard Von Bingen. She brings one of the most famous and enigmatic women of the Middle Ages to vibrant life in this tour de force, which will captivate the reader from the very first page." —Sharon Kay Penman, author of the New York Times bestseller Time and Chance

"I love Mary Sharratt. The grace of her writing and the grace of her subject combine seamlessly in this wonderful novel about the amazing, too-little-known saint, Hildegard of Bingen, a mystic and visionary. Sharratt captures both the pain and the beauty such gifts bring, as well as bringing to life a time of vast sins and vast redemptions." —Karleen Koen, author of Before Versailles and the best-selling Through a Glass Darkly

Official Book Trailer




Buy Links

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Indiebound


About the Author

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe author of four critically acclaimed historical novels, Mary Sharratt is an American who lives in the Pendle region of Lancashire, England, the setting for her acclaimed Daughters of the Witching Hill, which recasts the Pendle Witches of 1612 in their historical context as cunning folk and healers. She also lived for twelve years in Germany, which, along with her interest in sacred music and herbal medicine, inspired her to write Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen. Illuminations won the Nautilus Gold Award for Better Books for a Better World and was selected as a Kirkus Book of the Year. 

For more information, please visit Mary’s website and blog. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Giveaway

I have one paperback copy of Illuminations up for grabs. To enter, please complete the form below. Giveaway is open internationally and ends on November 26.  
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 photo 9b01d636-3e63-4747-9420-8131fe8ee58a.jpg

2014 Release: Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

It's going to be one exciting year for author Stephanie Thornton as she has two novels slated for release. The first up is Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt, which is due to be released in May, and Tiger Queens, due for publication in November.

Stephanie arrived on the historical fiction scene this year with her debut novel, The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora, and if you haven't read it yet you are really missing out. It's excellent! I will be waiting with bated breath for this upcoming release!

Publication Date: May 6, 2014
NAL Trade
Paperback; 448p
ISBN-10: 0451417798

Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.

Hatshepsut enters a loveless marriage with her half brother, Thut, to secure his claim to the Horus Throne and produce a male heir. But it is another of Thut’s wives, the commoner Aset, who bears him a son, while Hatshepsut develops a searing attraction for his brilliant adviser Senenmut. And when Thut suddenly dies, Hatshepsut becomes de facto ruler, as regent to her two-year-old nephew.

Once, Hatshepsut anticipated being free to live and love as she chose. Now she must put Egypt first. Ever daring, she will lead a vast army and build great temples, but always she will be torn between the demands of leadership and the desires of her heart. And even as she makes her boldest move of all, her enemies will plot her downfall....

Once again, Stephanie Thornton brings to life a remarkable woman from the distant past whose willingness to defy tradition changed the course of history

About the Author

Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.

For more information, please visit Stephanie Thornton’s website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway: Aiding the Enemy by Julie Rowe eBook + $10 Gift Card

Today begins Julie Rowe's virtual tour for her novel, Aiding the Enemy, and in honor of the kick off Passages to the Past is hosting a giveaway! Up for grabs is an eBook of Rowe's historical romance novel and a $10 gift card to an eBook retailer of your choice.

Julie will be on tour through November 15, to follow the tour see the schedule of stops below.

Aiding the EnemyPublication Date: October 7, 2013
Carina Press
eBook
ASIN: B00E1UY67I

German-occupied Brussels, Belgium
December 1915

Rose Culver is in grave danger. For months the Red Cross head nurse has been aiding Allied soldiers caught behind enemy lines, helping them flee into neutral Netherlands. It's only a matter of time until she's caught. Which makes it the wrong time to fall in love with a handsome German military doctor as devoted to the sanctity of human life as she is.

The Great War has caused Dr. Herman Geoff to question everything he once believed. He knows Rose has been hiding British soldiers in her hospital—he's even treated some of them, refusing to go against his own Hippocratic oath. As a doctor, he admires Rose's skill and conviction. As a man, he can no longer deny his attraction to her. But when Rose is arrested for treason, Herman must choose between love for her and duty to his country...

For more tales of love and war, download Saving the Rifleman and Enticing the Spymaster, available now!

Buy Links

Amazon
Carina Press
Kobo

About the Author

Julie Rowe
Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!”. In addition to writing contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has a short story in the Mammoth Book of ER Romance (releasing Sept 15, 2013). Her book SAVING THE RIFLEMAN (book #1 WAR GIRLS) won the novella category of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Romantic Times Magazine, Today’s Parent, and Romantic Times Magazine. 

For more information, please visit Julie Rowe's website. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, November 11
Review, Guest Post & Giveaway at Romantic Historical Reviews

Tuesday, November 12
Review at Just One More Chapter
Interview & Giveaway at Book-alicious Mama

Wednesday, November 13
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, November 14
Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, November 15
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Guest Post & Giveaway at History Undressed

Giveaway 


Thanks to Julie Rowe I have one eBook of Aiding the Enemy and a $10 gift card to an eBook retailer of your choice. To enter, please complete form below. Open internationally. Ends on November 21. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 photo ffe2be04-02da-4ac3-9d74-a910e40c48de.jpg
Related Posts with Thumbnails
 

Passages to the Past
All rights reserved © 2013

Custom Blog Design by Blogger Boutique

Blogger Boutique