About the Book: 
QUEEN OF HELL
BY DANAE L. SAMMS
Publication Date: November 9, 2020
Paperback & eBook; 446 pages
Series: Persephone, Book One
Genre: Historical Fiction


1765. Persephone Nicholas has lived her twenty years with a father she cannot stand. Secluded on their plantation, Persephone feels she has a life destined for spinsterhood. “Life is Heaven for men and Hell for women” is her mantra. But on a visit to her cousin’s wedding, she meets young Mr. Elijah Parker. Opportunities show that things can be much sweeter, and Persephone begins to question her thoughts on life. As the world continues to throw her hardships and struggle, Persephone chooses to fight and master the life she’s been handed to become Queen of the Hell she living in.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
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Review: 
​Life has not treated Persephone Nicholas all that well.  Her mother and siblings have all died, leaving her with an abusive father on their tobacco plantation in 1765.  At twenty years old, Persephone has conceded to a life of spinsterhood, In a rare chance to escape her father, Persephone is invited to her cousin's plantation for a wedding.  There, she meets Elijah Parker who shows Persephone that things can be better.  However, Elijah is a competitor to her father's tobacco plantation and before Elijah and Persephone can get together, Persephone is locked away and Persephone is married off to her father's friend, Abe Savidge.  Mr. Savidge has been through several wives who have all mysteriously died after not producing an heir.  Persephone is determined to not let this happen to her and holds out hope of returning to Elijah.

Queen of Hell combines elements from mythology and historical fiction into a dramatic story that builds a strong woman hell bent on revenge.  The phrase "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" applies heavily to Persephone. She believes "life is Heaven for men and Hell for women" as she is constantly at the mercy of men's whims.  Persephone finds hope in the little things that bring her joy and finds strength in learning about herbs from her maid, Abigail and learning about how to properly run a plantation from Abe's library.  I enjoyed seeing Persephone rise up with the help of her lawyer, William Newberry, who believed in her.  It was interesting to see how her strength was tarnished by her past abuse and trials.  The effects of a woman scorned were very apparent in her actions. I was surprised that after being treated as a piece of property that Persephone wasn't more sympathetic to her slaves and granting them freedom.  I am very interested to see what Persephone does with her newfound situation in the future. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author

Danae L. Samms has always been a creator. Loving books, television, and being outside fueled her imagination. Her writing began when she was four with her first play, and continued to grow to a degree in journalism. Finding newspapers terrible and websites tolerable, she paid the bills as a freelance writer. Eventually, her creativity produced a novel and a thousand ideas waiting to become novels. Regularly, she keeps up with a blog of Unqualified Advice on Writing and Everything Else. The only thing she’s been doing longer than writing is horseback riding. While horse shoes were never her forte, Danae has spent plenty of time riding and training. Most of that is with her horse Maggie.
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WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

About the Book: 
THE POISON KEEPER
BY DEBORAH SWIFT
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
Quire Books
Paperback & eBook; 406 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Naples 1633

Aqua Tofana – One drop to heal. Three drops to kill.

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell Giulia the hidden keys to her success. When Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade.

Giulia must run for her life, and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan. But when Giulia hears that her mother has been executed, and the cruel manner of her death, she swears she will wreak revenge on the Duke de Verdi.

The trouble is, Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Duke’s brother, who controls the city with the ‘Camorra’, the mafia. Worse, her Aunt Isabetta, under Domenico’s thrall, insists that she should be consort to him – the brother of the man she has vowed to kill.

Based on the legendary life of Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, this is a story of hidden family secrets, and how even the darkest desires can be vanquished by courage and love.
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AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | BARNES AND NOBLE | INDIEBOUND

Review: 
​Giulia d'Adamo wants nothing more than to learn her mother's craft as an apothecary in 1633 Palermo.  However, Giulia's mother is overly cautious when it comes to training Giulia in anything more than the kitchen arts since the herbs she works with not only have the power to heal, but the power to harm.  Before her mother is able to teach her anything more, Giulia's mother is accused and killed for supplying the poison to the wife of the Duke de Verdi in an attempt to kill the abusive and treacherous Duke. Giulia flees to Naples to live with her Aunt Isabetta, a courtesan.  Giulia must take up the trade in order to earn her keep.  However, the Duke di Verdi's brother, Domenico, runs Naples and the Camorra, a mafia to control and extort the citizens of the town and the Duke di Verdi is still looking for Giulia in connection to her mother.  Giulia decides to seek retribution on her own and supplies the wife of the equally villainous Domenico with the poison necessary to kill him.  Other women soon begin to come to Giulia with similar issues and word spreads of Giulia's talent. With Domenico's death, the Duke di Verdi knows who must be responsible and begins to close in on her. 

Based on the life of Giulia Tofana, The Poison Keeper weaves a dangerous tale of how and why Giulia Tofana became known as the most notorious and effective poisoners of her time.  At first, Giulia is difficult to like.  She is defiant and does not understand the intricacies of her mother's business. However, she is forced to grow up quickly after her mother's death and must learn that society does not treat everyone fairly, especially women.  With vibrant detail, the city, clothing and buildings of Renaissance Italy come alive.  I loved learning about herbs and poisons and the power they hold alongside Giulia.  I also enjoyed the relationships that Giulia was able to build with other women that she helped and how they eventually rallied her effectively when the Duke di Verdi had decided her fate.  With family secrets, exciting friendships and a tumultuous political backdrop, The Poison Keeper is a fast-paced and exciting read.   While there is much speculation about the life and death of the real Giulia, I'm glad that her story can continue after The Poison Keeper and I'm excited to see what she does next. 

This story was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author

Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!). Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.
She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.

For more information, please visit Deborah Swift’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.