Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion: February 2025

Nicolette Croft

Nicolette Croft can’t remember a time when she was not creating imaginary worlds inspired by her Hungarian and American ancestors. As a neuro-divergent learner, however, putting those stories to paper proved more challenging than imagining them. Because her determination would not allow her to settle, she pursued an English B.A. to improve her writing.

Young motherhood also brought unexpected challenges, which motivated her to pursue graduate work in twice-exceptional learners and education. She would later add an M.A. degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in neurodivergent people, trauma, and grief. Nicolette uses her natural gift of storytelling as an exploratory method for her clients.

The Curse of Maiden Scars is also an outgrowth of her personal journey and marks her first publication as a novelist, having previously published short fiction. When not at her counseling practice or researching historical facts for her latest story, Nicolette shares treasured time with family, friends, and her husband. Whether writing, cooking, traveling, or learning, the act of creation is always at the center of her colorful life.

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Offers of Atonement (Regency Tales Book 5) by Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Offers of Atonement
(Regency Tales Book 5)
By Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Publication Date: 1st September 2023
Publisher: Ars Rönnei Media
Page Length: 457 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

"We shall need a corpse."

When Captain James Hartcourt’s best friends ask him for an unusual favour, he doesn’t hesitate. Losing fortunes at cards, London’s shady underworld, his mother’s schemes – few things daunt him. Until he meets Lady May.

Destitute, Lady May stakes her reputation in one great gamble to retrieve her family’s estate. Arriving alone in London with a proposition he cannot refuse, she discovers that Captain Hartcourt is a cardsharp with emerald eyes, dangerous kisses, and a shed that seems to house horrendous secrets. Soon she must wonder whether he is a murderer too.

Set in 1820, just as George III has died and all of London is plunged into mourning, Offers of Atonement is the fifth stand-alone novel in the Regency Tales series. For those who loved Northanger Abbey, this romantic comedy of manners takes a grittier twist to paint a realistic portrait of the era, outside the polished salons.

Regency Tales is an epic series of evocative dramas of love and jealousy, friendship and deceit, spanning the years following the horrendous battle of Waterloo against a backdrop of political tension, societal pressure, and the opulence of the British aristocracy.

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Offers of Atonement

Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Hello, I'm Maria Yrsa Rönneus – author, artist, graphic designer.

As a child, I wanted to grow up to be three things: a ballerina, a farmer, and a writer. Many years and five published novels later, I think that one out of those three isn’t bad.

Amongst my earliest memories is crayoning by the kitchen table and making up stories about the drawings, and I’ve been doing that ever since. Yet it was decades before I had enough courage to pursue it professionally; when I finally did, it was burnout from stress and childhood abuse that tipped the scale.  

At university, I studied art and philosophy mainly, but also film, literature, physics, and logic. I tried many different professions: teacher, project manager, care assistant, library assistant; I’ve been a cabbie and (briefly) a prison guard. I pursued a career in politics and was elected for public office. But, whilst many of these roles were rewarding, great privileges even, they were never a perfect fit. I treasure all of these experiences as they make me better at what I was meant to do – tell stories. 

Born and raised in rural Sweden, rambles through fields and forests shaped me and continue to influence all my work; animals and plants are ever present. Whether images or words, I immerse myself wholly in my work. There’s a story behind every brush stroke, an image behind every word, although only a small fraction ever gets processed enough to share with others. The majority of my stories are written in English and, most commonly, in the genres of historical fiction, contemporary romance, or short stories inspired by Scandinavian mythology and folklore.

Being a life-long history buff, I like to fancy myself a bit of an amateur historian and digging through archives and chasing facts for my novels is precisely my idea of a good time. Luckily, I also enjoy dancing, else I might never have met my husband. We live in the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula where, in the words of Voltaire, we cultivate our garden.

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Orbits of Attraction (Regency Tales Book 4) by Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Orbits of Attraction

(Regency Tales Book 4)

By Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Publication Date: 24th May 2021
Publisher: Ars Rönnei Media
Page Length: 445 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

"Men are universally babbling buffoons!"

Rich and beautiful beyond compare, Miss Juliet Wynne is the darling of society. Little does anybody suspect that behind those turquoise eyes dwells a genial mind dedicated to astronomy. Repelled by dull suitors that line up to recite poetry to her, she is fully contented with never marrying. Until she meets the broad-shouldered war-veteran with eyes like moonbeams who defies all her prejudice.

Beneath the elegant gowns, she is still a tomboy caught in society’s expectations and she prefers to immerse herself in science, observing the universe, and fencing with her beloved brother. When she dresses up as a man to be able to attend a scientific lecture, she is caught by the one man who piques her interest.

Privileged and brilliant, fellow astronomer, Lord Giles Whysleigh hides his tender heart behind a facade of arrogance and propriety. Although deep down a romantic, he takes pride in his conservative self-control.

The burning passion that unexpectedly flares up between them takes them both by surprise. Secure in the loving support of her boisterous, avant-garde family, Juliet dreads losing control. She must learn that change is inevitable and Lord Giles must overcome his own preconceptions to let go of his inhibitions and win her trust.

Cleverly mixing science, farce, and sex, this fairytale romance connects the dots between astronomy and Shakespeare, weaving an original drama of fear, family, and a love larger than life.

The fourth Regency Tale is a relatable story of vulnerability and fear of change told with warmth and humour filled with homely feel-good. Author Maria Yrsa Rönneus takes us to the year 1818, to an England still reeling in the aftermath of the many years of war. Against a backdrop of political tensions, societal pressure, and the opulence of the British aristocracy, this unusual woman and this powerful man orbit each other like twin stars.

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Orbits of Attraction

Maria Yrsa Rönneus

Hello, I'm Maria Yrsa Rönneus – author, artist, graphic designer.

As a child, I wanted to grow up to be three things: a ballerina, a farmer, and a writer. Many years and five published novels later, I think that one out of those three isn’t bad.

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Kingbreaker (II): A Star and Streams by David Pilling

Kingbreaker (II): A Star and Streams

By David Pilling

Publication Date: 5th February 2025

Page Length: 100 Pages

Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction

“Treason! Treason!”

1470. The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, has been restored to his throne. John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, is now Lord High Constable of England. He and his allies, Warwick 'the Kingmaker' and the Duke of Clarence, now rule England. The mad king, meanwhile, is ruled by his formidable queen, Margaret of Anjou.

The Yorkist cause is far from lost. Edward IV has escaped abroad, where he plans to return and reclaim his throne. Soon he sails for England to rally his supporters. The fragile peace of England is shattered, and the weary kingdom once again plunged into civil war.

Defeated at Barnet, Oxford is forced to flee to Scotland and then to France, where he begs the French king for aid. He collects a fleet and turns to piracy, attacking Yorkist ships in the Channel, before descending on Cornwall. There, he raises the banner of Lancaster once more...

KINGBREAKER (II): A STAR AND STREAMS is by David Pilling, author of The Bloody Hand series, The Champion,, Leader of Battles, Reiver, Caesar's Sword, Edward I and Wales, and many other fiction and nonfiction works.

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Kingbreaker (II): A Star and Streams

David Pilling

I'm a writer and researcher, addicted to history for as long as I can remember. The medieval era has always held a fascination for me, perhaps because I spent much of my childhood exploring the misted ruins of castles in Wales. I also have an interest in the Byzantine Empire, the post-Roman period in Britain and the British & Irish Civil Wars.

I am a prolific author and have written and published a number of series and stand-alone tales. These include my first published novel, Folville’s Law, which chronicled the adventures of Sir John Swale in the last days of the reign of Edward II of England. This was followed by The White Hawk series, set during the Wars of the Roses, a six-part Arthurian series, and many more. I have also co-written two high fantasy novels with my good friend, Martin Bolton.

I am currently working on a book about the Montfortian civil wars in England in the late 13th century, and hope to produce more nonfiction works in the future, as well as continuing to work on fiction.

Most of my books are available as ebooks and paperbacks, and many are in the process of being converted to audio.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Diomedes in Kyprios by Gregory Michael Nixon

Diomedes in Kyprios
By Gregory Michael Nixon

Publication Date: November 19th, 2024

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 243 Pages

Genre: Mythico-Historical Fiction

This is a historically-based novel with authentic, mythic, and fictional characters interacting across the extraordinary panorama after the Fall of Troy and the Hittite Empire during the Bronze Age Collapse. Diomedes leads his Akhaians (Achaeans) to the Isle of Kyprios (now Cyprus) to meet his lost love, Lieia, the ex-queen of the Hittites. Kyprios is where the Peoples of the Sea have gathered before their final assaults on Canaan and Aigyptos (Egypt).

But Diomedes unexpectedly meets the avatar of the Goddess Aphrodite at her Temple in Paphos, the city of her birth. Will she take him from Lieia? Will his wanderings end, or will he head back to sea to seek redemption from the past in the further unknown? Aphrodite must also deal with the beautiful, impetuous youth, Adonis, who swears he would die for her.

The Bronze Age Collapse was a time of such chaos that empires fell, royalty was overthrown, palaces and temples were destroyed, and the hierarchy of the gods was doubted, yet people's self-reliance emerged like never before, and the ancient Great Goddess of the Cycles of Time, who had been suppressed, began to regain her former dominance.

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Diomedes in Kyprios

Gregory Michael Nixon

Gregory M. Nixon is a retired university professor who, after spending his professional years publishing academic papers, was pleased to discover he still had an active imagination. He moved alone to a nice cottage overlooking magnificent Okanagan Lake in western Canada to create his mythico-historical novels set after the Trojan War and the fall of the Hittite Empire during the Bronze Age Collapse. Nigel, an outdoor cat, also sometimes lives with him.

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A Turbulent Peace by Paul Walker

A Turbulent Peace

By Paul Walker

Publication Date: 22nd June 2022

Publisher: Sharpe Books

Page Length: 305 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

January 1919.

Following the armistice, Mary Kiten, a volunteer nurse in northern France, is ready to return home to England when she receives a surprise telegram requesting that she report to Paris. The call comes from her Uncle Arthur, a security chief at the Peace Conference.

Within minutes of arriving at the Majestic Hotel in Paris, Mary hears a commotion in the street outside. A man has been shot and killed. She is horrified to learn that the victim is her uncle. The police report the attack as a chance robbery by a known thief, who is tracked down and killed resisting arrest.

Mary is not convinced as circumstances and the gunshot wound do not indicate theft as a motive. A scribbled address on Arthur’s notepad leads to her discovery of another body, a Russian Bolshevik. She suspects her uncle, and the Russian, were murdered by the same hand.

To investigate further, Mary takes a position working for the British Treasury, headed by J M Keynes.

But Mary soon finds herself in the backstreets of Paris and the criminal underworld.

What she discovers will threaten the foundations of the congress.

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A Turbulent Peace

Paul Walker

Paul is married and lives in a village 30 miles north of London. Having worked in universities and run his own business, he is now a full-time writer of fiction and part-time director of an education trust. His writing in a garden shed is regularly disrupted by children and a growing number of grandchildren and dogs.

Paul writes historical fiction. He inherited his love of British history and historical fiction from his mother, who was an avid member of Richard III Society. The William Constable series of historical thrillers is based around real characters and events in the late sixteenth century. The first two books in the series - "State of Treason" and "A Necessary Killing" - were published in 2019. The third book, titled, "The Queen’s Devil", was published in the summer of 2020.

He took a diversion to the early 20th century and wrote a thriller based at the peace conference in Paris at the end of the First World War. "A Turbulent Peace" was published in 2022. Now, it's back to the sixteenth century and more Elizabethan intrigue for William Constable and his confederates.

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The Muse of Freedom: a Cévenoles Sagas novel (The Huguenot Trilogy Book 1) by Jules Larimore

The Muse of Freedom: a Cévenoles Sagas novel

(The Huguenot Trilogy Book 1)

By Jules Larimore

Publication Date: 13th September 2022

Publisher: Mystic Lore Books

Page Length: 464 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

IN THE MYSTERIOUS CÉVENNES MOUNTAINS OF LANGUEDOC, FRANCE, 1695, Jehan BonDurant, a young nobleman forcibly held in a Dominican prieuré as a child, comes of age only to inherit a near-derelict estate and his Huguenot family’s dangerous legacy of secrets. While he cherishes his newfound freedom apprenticing as an apothecary, his outrage mounts over religious persecutions led by King Louis XIV’s Intendant Basville, who is sent to enforce the King’s will for “One King, One Law, One Faith”.

The ensuing divisions among families and friends and the gradual revelation of his own circumstances lead Jehan to question his spiritual choices. He embarks on an odyssey, in pursuit of his life’s purpose and the meaning of love, that unfolds in a way he least expects. Deep in the enchanting Gorges du Tarn, he discovers his muse and soul mate, Amelia Auvrey, a free-spirited, mystic holy woman who offers guidance, revealing ancient healing practices and spiritual mysteries.

Along the way, they befriend young Huguenot peasants and inspirés, a Roma couple, and the Commandeur of the Knights of Saint Jean Hospitallers, and learn of Jehan’s Jewish and Cathar ancestors. Together, Jehan and Amelia quest for peace and spiritual freedom by aiding the persecuted until the Intendant’s spy reports their activities and the King’s dragoons are sent out after them. To retain their freedom, they must choose to live in hiding in a remote wilderness, join a festering uprising or fight against it, or flee their cherished homeland with thousands of other refugees in search of hope.

Inspired by the true story of Jean Pierre Bondurant dit Cougoussac, distilled and blended with Cévenole magic lore, this is a vividly told coming-of-age adventure and family saga of courage, tenacity, and the power of love.

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The Muse of Freedom

Jules Larimore

Jules Larimore is the author of emotive, literary-leaning historical fiction with a dose of magic, myth, and romance to bring to life hopeful human stories and inspire positive change. She is a member of France’s Splendid Centuries authors’ collaborative, a board member of the Historical Novel Society of Southern California, and lives primarily in Ojai with time spent around the U.S. and Europe gathering a rich repository of historical research in a continued search for authenticity.

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Raleigh: Tudor Adventurer (The Elizabethan Series, Book 3) by Tony Riches

Raleigh: Tudor Adventurer

(The Elizabethan Series, Book 3)

By Tony Riches

Author: Tony Riches
Narrator: Nigel Peever
Publisher: Preseli Press
Publication Date: 2nd January 2025
Series: The Elizabethan Series, #3
Listening Time: 11 hours, 4 minute
Edition description: Unabridged

Tudor adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh has been called the last true Elizabethan.

He didn’t dance or joust, didn’t come from a noble family, or marry into one. So how did an impoverished law student become a favourite of the queen, and Captain of the Guard?

The story which began with the Tudor trilogy follows Walter Raleigh from his first days at the Elizabethan Court to the end of the Tudor dynasty.

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Raleigh: Tudor Adventurer

Amazon UK and Amazon US

Tony Riches

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his new Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter @tonyriches.

Monday, 3 February 2025

Twilight of Evil by George Alexander

Twilight of Evil
By George Alexander

Publication Date: 10th January 2025

Publisher: Old Monk Publishing

Page Length: 242 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

What if Adolf Hitler cheated death in the ruins of Berlin? Prepare to be shaken as we delve into the controversial tale of Adolf Hitler's escape from the ruins of Berlin, his dreams of a thousand-year Reich still fuelling his dark ambition.

Did the Fuhrer truly perish in the crumbling capital, or did he evade capture and flee to the distant shores of South America?

Twilight of Evil delves into the controversial and intriguing tale of Adolf Hitler's escape from Berlin during the closing days of the Third Reich and his post-war life. Join David Hazel, a young Jewish researcher, as he probes into the shocking truth behind Hitler's disappearance through the work of the renowned American scholar, Dr. Peter Alex.

The novel transports readers to the chaotic final days of the Nazi regime, where the crumbling empire and the desperate measures taken by its leaders are depicted. The book probes into the dramatic exploration of Hitler's ultimate fate, revealing the truth behind his disappearance and the people who crossed his path.

Witness the secret escape of Hitler, Eva Braun, Martin Bormann, and Gestapo Chief Heinrich Müller—a select group of Nazi officials. From secret alliances to deadly betrayals, this novel takes you on a journey through the escape and post-war life of some of history's most notorious figures.

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Twilight of Evil