Crowvus Book Blog

 Today it is my absolute pleasure to share with you Samantha Wilcoxson's new release, But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale . I have to admit, being from this side of the pond, Nathan Hale is not a name I was familiar with, but I have loved sharing in Samantha's posts in the lead-up to the launch and feel I now know this inspiring individual rather well. Let's meet the book... Revolution. Friendship. Sacrifice. But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale is an intimate retelling of the life of a great American patriot. As a young man, he debated philosophy at Yale and developed his personal politics of the revolution. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Continental Army and volunteered a spy in 1776. How did Nathan become a man willing to sacrifice himself with just one regret – that he had but one life to give for his country? Experience the American Revolution alongside Nathan, his brother, Enoch, and good friends like Benjamin Tallmadge. They dream of liberty and indepe...

   This week, I'm delighted to once again be teaming up with  The Coffee Pot Book Club ! Today I'm sharing an excerpt from the stunning book,  Muskets & Minuets  by Lindsey S. Fera! So let's begin by meeting the book... Love. Politics. War. Amidst mounting tensions between the British crown and the American colonists of Boston, Annalisa Howlett struggles with her identity and purpose as a woman. Rather than concern herself with proper womanly duties, like learning to dance a minuet or chasing after the eligible and charming Jack Perkins, Annalisa prefers the company of her brother, George, and her beloved musket, Bixby. She intends to join the rebellion, but as complications in her personal life intensify, and the colonies inch closer to war with England, everything Annalisa thought about her world and womanhood are transformed forever. Join Annalisa on her journey to discover what it truly means to be a woman in the 18th century, all set against the ba...

  This week's #HistFicThursdays blog is a guest post from Phil Hughes. His fantastic new book, The Alcoholic Mercenary ,   is currently touring with  Coffee Pot Book Club  and the blurb just caught me (yes, I did spot it mentions Byron)! So, when I was given the chance to ask about the quote, I leapt on it! But before the guest post, here's the book cover and blurb. Then scroll down to read all about the pull which Naples has for Phil Hughes and the inspiration behind that quote... Blurb They said, “See Naples and then die!” Rachel had thought it was to do with the natural beauty of the place. A misconception she soon lost after climbing down from the C130 troop carrier. The suspicious death of her predecessor, followed by the murder of a sailor, and an enforced liaison with a chauvinistic and probably corrupt cop saw to that. “See Naples and then die!” Some said the saying was anonymous. Some attributed it to Goethe. Still, others said it was Lord Byron, or maybe K...

  Today it is my absolute pleasure to be hosting Jenny Knipfer and her wonderfully unique book, Under the Weeping Willow , as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Let's meet the book... A HISTORICAL NOVEL ABOUT A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER AND THE SECRET SHAPING THEIR ROCKY RELATIONSHIP 1918: Just as Robin Holcomb settles into married life with her husband, Willis, on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Wisconsin, WWI calls Willis away. With an unknown future and a child on the way, Robin makes the best of life among people she barely knows. After the birth of her child, Robin struggles with depression and battles to overcome her inner demons before despair and hopelessness drive her to attempt to take her own life. Will Robin survive her dive into postpartum depression, let alone see Willis again? 1983: Enid Fenton clears out her Mother’s house and puts the family farm up for sale, trying to not be consumed by guilt for installing her mother into the county nursing home. Reading through some ...

Today's #HistFicThursdays blog is not fiction at all! Instead, I'm delighted to be sharing a Book Review for Simon Elliott's book Alexander the Great versus Julius Caesar - Who was the Greatest Commander in the Ancient World? I'm so grateful to Pen and Sword Books for providing me with a copy of this book. These are two men I knew about vaguely, all the myths and legends and very little of the facts. And this book certainly took me deep into the intricacies of their military campaigns. It debunked a few of those myths I thought I knew, setting the record straight, and quite honestly making this pair a whole lot more engaging. From the word go, I liked this book. Even before I got to the introduction, I loved the dedication. From it, I thought I might just have an inclination of which way the competition would go! The honesty of the author made the book very accessible, as he listed the fellow possible challengers for the title and why he had chosen these two. There ar...

Out now! The Gecko Without An Echo by Cheryl Bannerman (Author) and Anushka Bansal (Illustrator) Blurb: In a hollowed tree, in the woods, by the bay, lived Earl the Squirrel and Tim the Gecko. With his best friend right beside him, Tim wandered through the forest, calling out high and low – hoping to hear his echo. But sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us! Let's find out how Tim discovered that when you need someone to listen, all you need to do is reach out to those who love and surround you. Author Bio: Cheryl Denise Bannerman is an award-winning, multi-genre author of seven self-published books. She is the winner of the 2018 Book Excellence Award for her book of poetry, Words Never Spoken, and winner of the Best Books Awards in the category of African American fiction in 2020 for Black Child to Black Woman. She is also a Semi-Finalist in the MLC Audiobook Awards with a 2020 IMDb Nomination for Book 1 of the Anna Romano Mystery Series, Cats, Cannolis, and a C...

    This HistFic Thursday, I am pleased to be teaming up with Goddess Fish Promotions in hosting Ashby Jones and his evocative historical novel,  The Crossing . Let's meet his book: The Crossing is a powerful and haunting love story of surprising discovery set in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen during Prohibition. Its mission seeks to reconcile love and guilt, grief and promise. Set apart from other stories, it combines history, fact, surrealism, and reality into an ever-recycling boost of the human spirit. Irish-born Johnny Flynn, a former British soldier, is banished from his homeland and sent to America on a ship so riddled with disease that he realizes the voyage was meant to murder him. When he survives the trip, the captain forces him to walk the plank into the Hudson River. Miraculously, Johnny is rescued by a rumrunning Irish gang, the Swamp Angels, and given a job running whisky in Hell’s Kitchen just as Prohibition makes liquor a hugely profitable, dangerous business...

  This HistFic Thursday, I am delighted to be teaming up with Goddess Fish Promotions in hosting Darcy Burke and her enthralling historical romance, Indecent . Let's meet her book: If Bennet St. James, the Viscount Glastonbury, doesn’t find a bride with a sizeable dowry, he’ll be in the poorhouse along with his interminable number of female relatives—all of whom he loves but are a drain on the negative fortune his father left when he died of a broken pocketbook. Desperate, he hatches a scheme to snare an heiress only to be foiled by a most vexing and alluring—and unfortunately equally destitute—paid companion. Lady’s companion Prudence Lancaster is single-minded about finding her mother and filling in the missing pieces of her life. But a villainous viscount interrupts her plans, and his surprising charm and understanding tempts her in the most indecent ways. Soon, she’s dreaming of the future instead of wallowing in the past. But when Bennet shares a dark secret, her hopes are das...

Excerpt: I play outside and breathe sweet air. There are flowers and animals around me everywhere. Just like the wiggly worm, the curious cat, and the giant trees, My life has a special purpose; I am on a unique journey. This is what it means to be me. Review: "What It Means to Be Me" is a book with a great message - helping children to make sense of what makes them special and unique, but also what they have in common with others.  As a teacher, it made me think of the requirement in the Curriculum for Excellence for pupils to: "I recognise that we have similarities and differences but are all unique." This book totally has that outcome covered!  The book starts with a very lengthy opening, which I did feel may have been more audience-appropriate if it had been split over a few pages. The rest of the book carries on at a really good pace, mixing short snippets of advice and guidance with dazzling and/or dreamy illustrations. The book is written in a gentle rhyme, b...

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the book tour for this really enjoyable book "Mrs Murray's Home" by Emily-Jane Hills Orford! Mrs Murray's Home Blurb Home is where the heart is, or so they say. It’s also been said that a home is a person’s castle. But home is also with family and friends. Mrs. Murray longs for home, the family home, a castle an ocean away. The Brownies also crave for home, the same castle Mrs. Murray considers home. And Granny? Mary’s Granny hasn’t been home since she was Mary’s age. It’s time to visit the homeland, Scotland. Mary’s excited to tag along with Granny, Mrs. Murray and the Brownies. And then there’s the witch. The one they thought they’d killed. And the treasure. The one they had found. And it all ties together, for better or for worse. Join the adventure in book 3 of the popular “Piccadilly Street Series”. Review I loved most of the characters, in particular Brunny. He seemed human (although, of course,...