Monday 27 June 2022

#BookReview of Clement: The Templar’s Treasure (Clement, Book 3) by Craig R. Hipkins #YoungAdult #HistoricalFiction @CraigHipkins @maryanneyarde




Clement: The Templar’s Treasure
(Clement, Book 3)
By Craig R. Hipkins

Clement & Dagena return for another action packed adventure. From the cold and dreary shores of Greenland to the fabled land of Vinland. The legendary treasure of the Knights Templar awaits.


✧ My Review 


Having not read the first two books in the series I was a little apprehensive about diving in at the deep end with book three. Initially, I did find it a little confusing as to who everyone else was, but it did not take me an overly long time to figure out which character was which. Once I had identified all the characters I sat back and allowed myself to be swept away by the story.


Although this book is aimed at a young adult audience, I found myself thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. So much happens in this novel and Clement, the main character, is swept along as the events unravel in front of his eyes. Along with his friends, Clement tackles his somewhat unpredictable future head-on. There were times when I felt sorry for him (he really wants to marry Dagena but instead he finds himself in training to become a Knight's Templar). There is also a tantalising quest that he has to complete and an old enemy that he has to face.


I really enjoyed the author's take on the era the book is set in, but I also enjoyed the celestial /fantasy element as well. I can see this series becoming a firm favourite with a young adult audience. 


Purchase Link

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

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Craig R. Hipkins

Craig R. Hipkins grew up in Hubbardston Massachusetts. He is the author of medieval and gothic fiction. His novel, Adalbert is the sequel to Astrolabe written by his late twin brother Jay S. Hipkins (1968-2018) He is an avid long-distance runner and enjoys astronomy in his spare time.


Social Media Links:

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Monday 20 June 2022

✧ Book in the Spotlight ✧ Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection) by Vicky Adin #HistoricalFiction #NZBooks #BlogTour @VickyAdin @maryanneyarde



Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner
(The New Zealand Immigrant Collection)
By Vicky Adin

Publication Date: 24th July 2017
Publisher: Vicky Adin Author
Page Length: 396 Pages
Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction

Against overwhelming odds, can she save her legacy?


Gwenna's life is about to change. Her father is dead and the family business on the brink of collapse. Thwarted by society, the plucky sweet maker refuses to accept defeat.


Amid the bustling vibrancy of Auckland’s Karangahape Road, she promised her father she would fulfil his dreams and save her legacy. But thanks to her overbearing stepbrother that legacy is at risk. Gwenna must find hidden strengths and fight for her rights if she is to keep her promise. 


She falls in love with the cheeky and charming Johnno, but just when things are beginning to look up, disaster strikes. Throughout the twists and turns of love and tragedy, Gwenna is irrepressible. She refuses to relinquish her goal and lets nothing and no one stand in her way. Blind to anything that could distract her, Gwenna overlooks the most important person in her life, putting her dreams, her family, and her chance at happiness in jeopardy. 


Purchase Link:


Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner

Brigid The Girl from County Clare

The Costumier's Gift

#KindleUnlimited


Vicky Adin

Vicky Adin is a family historian in love with the past. Like the characters in her stories, she too, is an immigrant to New Zealand, arriving a century after her first protagonists and ready to start a new life. 

Born in Wales, she grew up in Cornwall until aged 12. Her family emigrated to New Zealand, a country she would call home. Vicky draws on her affinity for these places in her writing. Fast forward a few years, and she marries a fourth-generation Kiwi bloke with Irish, Scottish and English ancestors and her passion for genealogy flourishes.

The further she dug into the past the more she wanted to record the lives of the people who were the foundations of her new country. Not just her ancestors but all those who braved the oceans and became pioneers in a raw new land. Her research into life as it was for those immigrants in the mid-late 1800s and early 1900s gave her enough material to write about the land left behind and the birth of a new nation for many years. 

Vicky holds a MA(Hons) in English, is a lover of art, antiques, gardens, good food and red wine. She and her husband travel throughout New Zealand in their caravan and travel the world when they can. She hopes that younger generations also enjoy learning about the past through her stories as much as she had in writing them. 


Social Media Links:

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Wednesday 8 June 2022

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Accursed King (The Plantagenet Legacy Book 4) by Mercedes Rochelle #HistoricalFiction #Plantagenet #HenryV @authorRochelle @maryanneyarde



The Accursed King 
(The Plantagenet Legacy Book 4)
By Mercedes Rochelle

What happens when a king loses his prowess? The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had exe-cuted an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid. Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart. 

Purchase links for the series
#KindleUnlimited

Mercedes Rochelle

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

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✧ Book in the Spotlight ✧ A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley, audiobook performed by Alex Wyndham

A Splendid Defiance By Stella Riley  Audiobook performed by Alex Wyndham Publication Date: December 6th, 2012 Publisher:  Stella Riley Page ...