About the Book: 
​
THE CRIMSON THREAD 
BY KATE FORSYTH
Publication Date: July 5, 2022
Blackstone Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction

In Crete during World War II, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation, finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies.

May 1941. German paratroopers launch a blitzkrieg from the air against Crete. They are met with fierce defiance, the Greeks fighting back with daggers, pitchforks, and kitchen knives. During the bloody eleven-day battle, Alenka, a young Greek woman, saves the lives of two Australian soldiers.

Jack and Teddy are childhood friends who joined up together to see the world. Both men fall in love with Alenka. They are forced to retreat with the tattered remains of the Allied forces over the towering White Mountains. Both are among the seven thousand Allied soldiers left behind in the desperate evacuation from Crete’s storm-lashed southern coast. Alenka hides Jack and Teddy at great risk to herself. Her brother Axel is a Nazi sympathiser and collaborator and spies on her movements.

As Crete suffers under the Nazi jackboot, Alenka is drawn into an intense triangle of conflicting emotions with Jack and Teddy. Their friendship suffers under the strain of months of hiding and their rivalry for her love. Together, they join the resistance and fight to free the island, but all three will find themselves tested to their limits. Alenka must choose whom to trust and whom to love and, in the end, whom to save.

AMAZON | AUDIBLE | BARNES AND NOBLE | INDIEBOUND 
​
Review: 

In Crete, 1941, Alenka lives near the ruins of Knossos. As the Germans invade from the sky, the proud Cretan people fight back. Alenka is determined to help the resistance and the men who came to fight for her country. Alenka takes a chance and rescues two Australian soldiers. Friends, Teddy and Jack areleft behind in the evacuation from the island. Alenka hides the soldiers in the ruins and brings them food. She teaches them how to act Greek while taking part in resistance efforts. However, Alenka's brother, Axel supports the Nazi's and is ready to report Alenka and her friend's resistance efforts at every turn.
The Crimson Thread combines several elements that I love; history, mythology and the author's own family story into an intricately woven tale of hope, resistance, and overcoming obstacles. I didn't know much about World War II in Greece and was amazed by the heart of the people there. The Nazi's seemed to take every hint of resistance out on innocent citizens. but the people kept fighting back with whatever they had. I was pleased to learn that two of Alenka's friends in the book, Phyllia and Micky Akoumianakis were real life Greek SOE. Alenka's character encompassed the feelings of the people of Crete. I was amazed at her ability to keep going, think of ways to outsmart the Nazi's and how she loved Axel even when he was bent on destroying her. Axel's character struck a chord of fear in me from the very beginning, he had something to prove and he was willing to destroy everything in order to do it. Teddy and Jack's characters were interesting, best friends that were Australian soldiers with completely different outlooks on life and relationships. From the description, I thought it would be a love triangle situation; however, it is anything but. Teddy's true colors come out immediately and Jack's humble, caring nature shines through. I wasn't sure how the Ariadne and the Minotaur story was going to be brought in except for the setting near the labyrinth; although, in the end, Ariadne, the Minotaur, Theseus and Dionysus were there all along.


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

About the Author

Kate Forsyth wrote her first novel at the age of seven, and is now the internationally bestselling author of 40 books for both adults and children.

Her books for adults include ‘Beauty in Thorns’, the true love story behind a famous painting of ‘Sleeping Beauty’; ‘The Beast’s Garden’, a retelling of the Grimm version of ‘Beauty & the Beast’, set in the German underground resistance to Hitler in WWII; ‘The Wild Girl’, the love story of Wilhelm Grimm and Dortchen Wild, the young woman who told him many of the world’s most famous fairy tales; ‘Bitter Greens’, a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale; and the bestselling fantasy series ‘Witches of Eileanan’ Her books for children include ‘The Impossible Quest’, ‘The Gypsy Crown’, ‘The Puzzle Ring’, and ‘The Starkin Crown’

Kate has a doctorate in fairytale studies, a Masters of Creative Writing, a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, and is an accredited master storyteller.

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Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastian by Jeanne Roland

Publication Date: November 13, 2021
Nepenthe Press

Genre: Renaissance Historical Fiction/Young Adult
Series: Archers of Saint Sebastian, Book One

A barracks full of beautiful boys. A girl in disguise, living among them.

It’s the 14th century, and the longbow is king. But in the northern European principality of Ardennes, archery isn’t just the nation’s defense. It’s the national obsession.

MEET THE JOURNEYS

12 young Journeyman archers, the best in the country
2 years of public competitions, in which looks count almost as much as ability
6 will win a coveted membership in the Archers’ Guild of St. Sebastian
1 will become the prince’s new Guardsman

MEET MARIEKE

15-year-old Marieke is as obsessed with St. Sebastian’s as everyone else in Ardennes. Only it’s the middle ages, and girls just don’t become elite archers. Except Marieke’s prospects as a girl aren’t promising either, after a well-timed kick from a mule has left her with a face that’s badly scarred and ruined for marriage. But when circumstances force her to leave her old life behind and flee to the guild for refuge, there are only two things Marieke really knows about the place. One is that a mysterious accident ended her own father’s time as a Journey. The other?
There are no women allowed inside St. Sebastian’s.

Marieke knows disguising herself as a boy and infiltrating the guild means embarking on a dangerous deception. But it may be her only chance to find out the truth about her father’s past and to stop a murderous plot from coming to fruition. When the dashing young Journeyman Tristan takes her under his wing as his squire, she’s got to stay – at least long enough to help him beat out his brutal arch-rival to win the competitions.

Keeping her identity a secret will be hard. Living in close quarters with a pack of gorgeous boys? That will be harder still. But the hardest thing of all will be keeping the vow she makes for herself: to see Tristan become the next Guardsman, without ever letting him find out she’s a girl – a girl, who loves him.

Part Robin Hood and part Princess Bride, with a pinch of Mulan and a dash of Cyrano de Bergerac in the mix, The Archers of St. Sebastian I: Journeys is a humorous action and adventure saga inspired by late medieval/early Renaissance Belgium and packed with romance, wit, and longbow archery. Perfect for adults who love young adult themes, Journeys is an escape into the past that reads more like romantic historical fantasy than pure historical fiction.

Unrequited love? Ugly heroines who stay ugly? Friendship, coming of age, romance, adventure, and plenty of archery competitions? A unique setting inspired by the glorious city of Bruges, with a richly imagined, immersive world set within the walls of a male-only archers’ guild? Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastianh as it all, so if you’re looking for a great escape, don your disguise and join Marieke as she enters the forbidden world of Saint Sebastian’s, and prepare to fall in love with the Journeys – that is, the twelve best and most beautiful archers in all of Ardennes, the Journeyman archers of St. Sebastian’s.

Review:  
​Since the death of her mother and brother, fifteen year old Marieke has helped her father make arrows as a fletcher in 14th Century Belgium.  An accident with a mule has scarred her face and Marieke knows her prospects for marriage are low.  Marieke begins dressing in her brother's clothes and putting more effort into fletching.  After a  trip to her father's former guild, St. Sebastian's, Marieke becomes obsessed with the Journeys.  Twelve Journeys are the top archers in the area and compete for six spots in the guild.  However, Marieke and her father's visit proves dangerous as a guild member finds her father and causes Marieke to flee.  Marieke shears her hair, and in her brother's clothes becomes Marek.  She makes her way to St. Sebastian's where she is found huddled outside the entrance. Marek initially taunted, but Journey Tristan makes Marek his squire.  No girls are allowed at St. Sebastian's, so Marek embraces being a boy and attempts to be the best squire he can be and get is determined to get Tristan through all three levels of the competition.  Tristan treats Marek as a little brother, but complications arise with Marek living among twelve Journeys and their squires. As their friendship grows, Tristan even helps Marek look into the mystery of his father; but how long can Marek live as a boy and keep a secret from the people he now calls family?

I was absolutely taken with Journeys! I could not put this book down and constantly needed to know what would happen next.  Journeys is an atmospheric, heartfelt and intense historical fiction set in Medieval Belgium.  I was enthralled with everything archery from fletching to form and butts to clouts.  I loved the camaraderie of the Journeys and squires even among the competition.   I knew I would love Marieke from the beginning, she was strong willed, outspoken and determined. All of the characters were strongly written, even with twelve different Journeys and their squires to keep track of.  I liked that Marieke was true to a fifteen year old girl; she made mistakes, ran her mouth and desperately wanted to do what she loved.  I was amazed that Marieke was able to embrace her identity as Marek and enjoyed seeing Marek grow, learn and forge new relationships with the brotherhood of the Journeys and squires.  Within her role, Marek was able to form a new family for herself.  Marek's relationships with Tristan, Taran and some of the squires were the most interesting aspects to explore.  Her opinions grew and changed and she got to know them and decided how she would use her time at St. Sebastian's.  The mystery of Marieke's father was compelling and was kept as an undercurrent throughout the entire story.  This keeps Marek at St. Sebastian's and hidden as a boy as well as fuels Marek's need to get Tristan through the competitions.  I couldn't believe the action packed ending and want to dive into the next book as soon as it is out!




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

​About the Author

Roland hails from Davis, California, where she spent most of her youth lounging at the pool, soaking up the sun, and daydreaming. She had a key ring that read ‘I’m running away to join the circus,’ and her favorite moment of the day was when the local movie theater went dark, and the slogan ‘escape to the movies’ appeared on the screen. As an adult, her passions include all things melodramatic and beautiful — everything from classic movies, British romantic poetry, ancient tragedy and epic, to Italian opera. She is now a professor of Classics in a small midwestern town, where she lives with her Greek husband, her fraternal twins, and a Bernese mountain dog named Franco Corelli.

About the Book:
THE NURSE’S SECRET 
BY AMANDA SKENANDORE
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Kensington Books
Genre: Historical Fiction

From acclaimed author and registered nurse Amanda Skenandore, The Alienist meets The Light of Luna Park in a fascinating historical novel based on the little-known story of America’s first nursing school, as a young female grifter in 1880s New York evades the police by conning her way into Bellevue Hospital’s training school for nurses…

In the slums of 1880s New York, Una Kelly has grown up to be a rough-and-tumble grifter, able to filch a pocketbook in five seconds flat. But when another con-woman pins her for a murder she didn’t commit, Una is forced to flee. Running from the police, Una lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital.

Based on Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors’ endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect.

Just as she finds her footing, Una’s suspicions about a patient’s death put her at risk of exposure, and will force her to choose between her instinct for self-preservation, and exposing her identity in order to save others.

Amanda Skenandore brings her medical expertise to a page-turning story that explores the evolution of modern nursing—including the grisly realities of nineteenth-century medicine—as seen through the eyes of an intriguing and dynamic heroine.

“A spellbinding story, a vividly drawn setting, and characters that leap off the pages. This is historical fiction at its finest!” – Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of The Codebreaker’s Secret

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | BOOKSHOP.ORG | INDIEBOUND | TARGET | WALMART​

Review: 
After her mother died in a fire and her father became lost to drink and the opium dens, Una Kelly takes to the streets of the Five Points in New York. She is picked up by Marm Blei who teaches her to be an expert pickpocket. When a deal goes wrong, a murder is pinned on Una. She escapes the police but has lost Marm Blei's protection. When Una sees an advertisement for nurse trainees at Bellevue Training School, she takes the opportunity to lie low for a while. In her new position, Una not only makes friends, but finds she might actually be good at nursing once she puts some effort into it. A life on the streets around a variety of different people as well as sickness, blood and filth has prepared her well. However, the strange murders that happened in the Points seem to be following her to the school. Una may be able to catch the killer, but she will have to expose her true self.
The Nurse's Secret is a beautifully written historical fiction story set in 1880's New York City. The characters were all intriguing and I was engrossed with Una's story from the beginning where she was observing people to steal from and then helping a younger thief at the same time. The vivid descriptions brought the Five Points neighborhood to life as well as Bellevue Training School and the medical procedures there. I enjoyed seeing Una change as well as excel in Bellevue. With her roommate, Dru, Una was able to see what true friends are like and finally trust someone as well as have them trust her back. I found it interesting that Una was able to relate to all the patients there better than some of the other nurses due to her time on the streets. The incorporation of the mystery carried suspense throughout the story even though I had a good idea of who the culprit might be. The romance was well done and did not detract from the story. Overall, The Nurse's Secret is an immersive story of 1880's New York with strong characters and a great mystery.

About the Author
Amanda is the author of Between Earth and Sky, winner of the American Library Association’s 2019 Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction, and The Undertaker’s Assistant, released from Kensington in July 2019.

She grew up in the mountains of Colorado and sang and danced her way through 68 cities on both sides of the Atlantic with the service organization Up with People before starting college. Her love of historical fiction started early with the stories of Kenneth Thomasma, Mark Twain, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

When she’s not writing, Amanda works as an infection prevention nurse. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle Lenore.
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Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction writer and registered nurse. Between Earth and Sky was her first novel. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Readers can visit her website at www.amandaskenandore.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BookBub, and Goodreads.