Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

Historical Fiction

On Tour: A Rose in the Blitz by Ann Bennett @annbennett71 @cathiedunn #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #WorldWarII #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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Book Title: A Rose In The Blitz
Series: Sisters of War
Author: Ann Bennett
Publication Date: 29th March 2024
Publisher: Andaman Press
Page Length: 270
Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance

BLURB

Escape into the dramatic world of London during the Blitz in this sweeping family saga of love, war and betrayal.

Northamptonshire: 1980: Wealthy landowner Hadan Rose is dying. His daughter, May, rushes to his country estate, Rose Park, with her daughter, Rachel, to nurse him through his final days.

In the afternoons, while Hadan sleeps, May tells Rachel about her wartime experiences.

In 1940, Three of the four Rose sisters leave Rose Park to serve the war effort. May, the youngest is left behind. But she soon runs away from home to join an ambulance crew in London. She experiences the horrors of the Blitz first-hand but what happens to her there has remained secret her whole life.

In 1980, at Rose Park, Rachel wanders through the old house, looking at old photographs and papers, uncovering explosive family secrets from ninety years before. Secrets that her grandfather wanted to take to his grave.

At the local pub, Rachel meets Daniel Walters, a local journalist and musician who takes an interest in her. But can she trust him, or does he have an ulterior motive for seeking her company?

As the secrets of the past gradually reveal themselves, both Rachel and May realise that their worlds are forever changed.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop will love this escapist wartime saga, Book 1 in the Rose Park Chronicles.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/KFAR

Author Bio:

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest, was inspired by researching her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own travels in South-East Asia. Since then, that initial inspiration has led her to write more books about the second world war in SE Asia. Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife, A Daughter’s Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter’s Club, The Amulet and her latest release The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu are also about WWII in South East Asia. All seven make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, both set in French Indochina. The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.

Author Links:

Website: www.annbennettauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annbennett71
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annbennettauthor/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-bennett
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00D21SJ7A
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14975489.Ann_Bennett

On Tour: The Falconer’s Apprentice, by Malve von Hassell @MvonHassell @cathiedunn #HistoricalFiction #HolyRomanEmpire #FrederickII #CasteldelMonte #falconry #MedievalMedicine #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: The Falconer’s Apprentice
Author: Malve von Hassell
Publication Date: January 30, 2024 (second edition)
Publisher: Malve von Hassell
Pages: 214
Genre: Historical Fiction

BLURB

THE FALCONER’S APPRENTICE is a story of adventure and intrigue set in the intense social and political unrest of the Holy Roman Empire in the thirteenth century.

“That bird should be destroyed!”

Andreas stared at Ethelbert in shock. Blood from an angry-looking gash on the young lord’s cheek dripped onto his embroidered tunic. Andreas clutched the handles of the basket containing the young peregrine. Perhaps this was a dream—

Andreas, an apprentice falconer at Castle Kragenberg, cannot bear the thought of killing the young female falcon and smuggles her out of the castle. Soon he realizes that his own time there has come to an end, and he stows away, with the bird, in the cart of an itinerant trader, Richard of Brugge.

So begins a series of adventures that lead him from an obscure castle in northern Germany to the farthest reaches of Frederick von Hohenstaufen’s Holy Roman Empire, following a path dictated by the wily trader’s mysterious mission. Andreas continues to improve his falconry skills, but he also learns to pay attention to what is happening around him as he travels through areas fraught with political unrest.

Eventually, Richard confides in Andreas, and they conspire to free Enzio, the eldest of the emperor’s illegitimate sons, from imprisonment in Bologna.

BUY LINKS

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/31BMjD

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-falconers-apprentice-malve-von-hassell/1121105739?ean=9781737101185/

AUTHOR BIO

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell’s memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich – Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994).

She has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer.

Malve has published two children’s picture books, Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2023), and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012).

The Falconer’s Apprentice (2015/KDP 2024) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945, as well as a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany, Tapestry of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences (Next Chapter Publishing, 2021), also available in German, Bildteppich Eines Lebens: Erzählungen Meiner Mutter, Fragmente Und Schweigen (Next Chapter Publishing, 2022), and is working on a historical fiction trilogy featuring Adela of Blois.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: https://www.malvevonhassell.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MvonHassell
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/malvevonhassellauthor/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malve-von-hassell-02b61517/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvonhassell/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/malvevonhassell.bsky.social
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471746.Malve_von_Hassell
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/malve-von-hassell
Amazon author link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Malve-von-Hassell/author/B0CTGLDQ7P/

On tour: The Dartington Bride, by Rosemary Griggs @RAGriggsauthor @cathiedunn #HistoricalFiction #Devon #Elizabethan #FrenchWarsOfReligion #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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Book Information

Book Title: The Dartington Bride
Series: Daughters of Devon
Author: Rosemary Griggs
Publication Date: 28th March 2024
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Page Count: ~ 368 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook narrated by Rosemary Griggs

Blurb:

1571, and the beautiful, headstrong daughter of a French Count marries the son of the Vice Admiral of the Fleet of the West in Queen Elizabeth’s chapel at Greenwich. It sounds like a marriage made in heaven…

Roberda’s father, the Count of Montgomery, is a prominent Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion. When her formidable mother follows him into battle, she takes all her children with her.

After a traumatic childhood in war-torn France, Roberda arrives in England full of hope for her wedding. But her ambitious bridegroom, Gawen, has little interest in taking a wife.

Received with suspicion by the servants at her new home, Dartington Hall in Devon, Roberda works hard to prove herself as mistress of the household and to be a good wife. But there are some who will never accept her as a true daughter of Devon.

After the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Gawen’s father welcomes Roberda’s family to Dartington as refugees. Compassionate Roberda is determined to help other French women left destitute by the wars. But her husband does not approve. Their differences will set them on an extraordinary path…

Excerpt

Chapter One
The Regicide
1559, Paris

‘Ton père a tué le roi!’ screamed the woman from the doorway. ‘Your father has killed the king!’ I stirred on the bed and my eyes flew open. Snatched from my dreams in a heartbeat, I strained my ears. Again, those words. ‘Your father has killed the king,’ but softer, quavering, less strident. The third time the voice was hardly more than a breath, cracking and breaking as the words dropped into the silent room like slivers of ice.

In the clammy heat of that night I had thrown the bed covers aside and my shift was clinging about me, the crumpled linen wound around me like a shroud. Caught between sleep and waking, I scrambled wildly to pull the velvet coverlet right up over my head. Knees curled up, I made myself as small as I could and tried to shut out the thumping noise thrashing in my ears. It was the sound of my heart banging like a drum.

Curiosity got the better of me and, trembling, I peeped out. A shaft of moonlight fell on the ghostly face of a woman framed in the doorway. A scream fought its way up to my voice box but no sound came. I swallowed hard and forced myself to look. She wore Clotilde’s clothes, the same green kirtle and crisp clean apron Clotilde had on when she put me to bed. But the woman was not Clotilde. My Clotilde had twinkling brown eyes set in a merry face as round and rosy as a Normandy apple. She had a soft, silvery voice as even and contented as a cat’s purr. The woman framed in the stone arch, the not-Clotilde, had put on a white mask; she had bulging, goggly eyes and a gaping mouth. She shook her head from side to side and twisted her hands in her apron as she croaked out the words again in brittle little gasps.

‘Your father has killed the king!’ So said the not-Clotilde.

‘Vite, Clotilde! Vite! Dépêche-toi.’ Other servants scurried in, pushing past her, frantically waking my sisters, shouting that they must dress quickly. I shrank back behind the hangings and tried to hide in the great bed.

All the shouting jolted her into action. The not-Clotilde stumbled forward, rushed to my coffer, picked up a cloak and heaped underwear and sleeves and caps and gowns onto it all higgledy-piggledy. She snatched the necklace from the little wooden casket by my bed, added that to the pile and knotted the cloak round it all. Somehow she got me into some clothes; not the pretty blue dress embroidered with pearls; not my best shift with the blackwork collar. Instead, with rough hands, the not-Clotilde bundled me into a plain shift and an old woollen kirtle. She was about to pick me up when I found I could scream.

‘Diane! I want Diane!’

The not-Clotilde groaned as she bent to retrieve the doll and tied the ribbon round my middle. Diane was always getting lost and this precaution saved a lot of searching.

The not-Clotilde grabbed me and clasped me to her chest, running through unlit passageways close on the heels of a scurrying maid. The maid’s hand trembled so much the candle she carried sputtered and all but died, only for the flame to revive and cast even more grotesque shadows on the old stone walls. That brought me out of my mute terror. I found my voice again and shrieked and kicked and hollered. But the not-Clotilde just gripped me more tightly as she ran on. Her breathing was ragged and wheezy by the time we were down the steps and out of the door. Strong arms hoisted me up onto a horse. I held tight to Diane the doll with one hand and rubbed the plump little fingers of my other hand up and down the familiar soft silky fabric of her gown.

The blanket they used to secure me in front of Alain du Bois, Papa’s sergeant-at-arms, was scratchy and rough. Alain had a prickly beard and his breath smelled of ale and onions. I heard muffled voices, then the hooves hammered on the cobbles, metallic echoes that lingered long in the still night air. I clutched my doll as she bumped along under the blanket. After a while I rested my head on Alain’s chest and eventually the steady beat of his heart must have lulled me to sleep.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/books/2/The%20Dartington%20Bride/

Author Bio:

Author and speaker Rosemary Griggs has been researching Devon’s sixteenth-century history for years. She has discovered a cast of fascinating characters and an intriguing network of families whose influence stretched far beyond the West Country and loves telling the stories of the forgotten women of history – the women beyond the royal court; wives, sisters, daughters and mothers who played their part during those tumultuous Tudor years: the Daughters of Devon.

Her novel A Woman of Noble Wit tells the story of Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother, and features many of the county’s well-loved places.

Rosemary creates and wears sixteenth-century clothing, a passion which complements her love for bringing the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment. Her appearances and talks for museums and community groups all over the West Country draw on her extensive research into sixteenth-century Devon, Tudor life and Tudor dress, particularly Elizabethan.

Out of costume, Rosemary leads heritage tours of the gardens at Dartington Hall, a fourteenth-century manor house and now a visitor destination and charity supporting learning in arts, ecology and social justice.

Author Links:

Website:https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAGriggsauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladykatherinesfarthingale
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griggs6176/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@griggs6176
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ragriggsauthor.bsky.social
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rosemary-Griggs/author/B09GY6ZSYF
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21850977.Rosemary_Griggs

On Tour: Stay With the Wagons, by David Fitz-Gerald #HistoricalFiction #WesternAdventure #AmericanWest #Pioneers #BlogTour @AuthorDAVIDFG @cathiedunn

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BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: Stay with the Wagons
Series: Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail
Author: David Fitz-Gerald
Publication Date: March 15, 2024
Publisher: David Fitz-Gerald
Page Length: 221
Genre: Western, Historical Fiction

Series Trailer: https://youtu.be/sWvp6dtbXvA

Blurb:

Venture deep into the uncharted wilderness and crest the continental divide.

Stay with the Wagons is the enthralling third chapter in the Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail series. Dorcas Moon has discarded her mourning dress and yearns for freedom and independence amidst the vast frontier. But a perilous world and a commanding wagon master keep her tethered. Ultimately, it’s a brutal bout of fever and ague that confine her to camp.

Relentless disasters and beguiling challenges unfold in this installment. A young man is crushed beneath a wagon wheel. Dorcas’ son breaks an arm, a grizzly bear attacks the wagon train, and the looming threat of attacking outlaws whips the emigrants into a worried frenzy. How many must perish before they reach the end of the trail?

As chaos reigns, her troubled daughter, Rose, disappears once again, leading Dorcas on a perilous quest. Tracking Rose to a sacred site, they encounter a blind seer and a legendary leader, Chief Washakie. Rose’s enchantment with Native American adornments sparks Dorcas’ concern about an unexpected suitor and raises worries about Rose’s age.

Stay with the Wagons is bursting with action, adventure, and survival. It is a story of resilience and empowerment on the Oregon Trail.

Claim your copy now and re-immerse yourself in a tale of high-stakes survival, unexpected alliances, and the indomitable spirit of Dorcas Moon.

Buy Links:

This title / series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link:
https://books2read.com/stay-with-the-wagons

Author Bio:

David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.

Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.

Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.

 

Author Links:

Website: https://www.itsoag.com/GATOT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorDAVIDFG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaveFITZGERALD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordavefitzgerald/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorDaveFITZGERALD/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/david-fitz-gerald
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/dfitzgerald
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17341792.David_Fitz_Gerald
Linktree https://linktr.ee/authordavidfitzgerald

On Tour: Covered in Flour, by Charles Presti #HistoricalFiction #1968 #coveredinflourjourney #comingofage #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

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BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: Covered in Flour
Author: Charles Presti
Publication Date: October 10th, 2023
Publisher: Charles Presti
Page Length: 220
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

It’s 1968 in Whisper Haven, and 8-year-old Carl Pozzi’s world is about to change.

For eight-year-old Carl Pozzi, 1968 begins like any other year—playing kickball with friends and enjoying the comforting aroma of Mom’s pasta dinners in their predominantly white suburban Whisper Haven home. But when Carl’s teacher introduces lessons about racial prejudice and injustice, his worldview cracks wide open.

How far can innocence stretch before it snaps?

As Carl flips through the pages of his 3-ring binder, each lesson serves as a gateway to a journey of self-discovery and understanding. It’s an expedition that not only changes him but reshapes his whole concept of family and justice—especially as he watches his father put on a police uniform during one of the most fraught periods in American history.

“Covered in Flour” is not just a heartfelt stroll down memory lane. It’s a captivating coming-of-age saga that digs deep beneath the surface of suburban tranquility. It beckons you to reconsider long-held family values and confront the societal norms you’ve taken for granted.

Written with genuine love, humor, and a tinge of sorrow, this story blends the nostalgia of tradition with the inevitability of change, offering a stirring mix that leaves you pondering long after the last page is turned. This book isn’t just a delightful read; it’s a catalyst for introspection, freshly baked and served for your soul.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link:
https://books2read.com/u/3LdWED

Reflections from the Author:

Reflecting on 1968 from the perspective of being eight at the time and in the context of “Covered in Flour,” the preparation of my father for police riot control is the event most indelibly etched in my memory. Witnessing my father don his riot gear—white helmet, wooden baton, and notably, the sap, a leather-wrapped club filled with a metal rod—left a profound imprint on my young mind. The sap, in particular, symbolized the seriousness and danger of the situation, a stark contrast to the innocent and mundane aspects of my daily life.

The severity of the unrest during 1968, including the riots that erupted in nearby urban neighborhoods, was brought home not just by seeing my father prepare for duty but through the collective anxiety that permeated our household.

Much of what I learned about the events of that year came through snippets of overheard conversations, the tense and worried expressions of my family, and the fragmented images broadcast on television. School also played a role, with discussions and mock elections mirroring the national climate of division and unrest. Yet, the personal experience of my father’s involvement in riot control brought the reality of these historical moments to life for me, offering a firsthand glimpse into the complexities and dangers of adult responsibilities and societal conflicts.

This duality of witnessing both the public and private responses to the crisis of 1968 through the eyes of a child intertwined with the reflections of the adult I would become underscores the profound impact of that year. It was a turning point not just for the nation but in my understanding of the world, marking the end of innocence and the beginning of a more complex awareness of the societal forces around us.

Author Bio:

Charles Presti, emerging from the sun-drenched shores of Pensacola, Florida, crafts narratives that echo with the richness of his varied life. His journey from a USF College of Medicine graduate to a storyteller is as unconventional as it is inspiring. Drawing from his days as a physician and informatics specialist, Charles infuses his writing with a rare blend of scientific precision and heartfelt emotion. His debut novel, “Covered in Flour,” is a vivid tapestry of his Italian-American heritage, his experiences in the whirlwind era of the 1960s, and his personal journey as a gay man. These elements converge to create stories that not only entertain but resonate deeply with themes of family, discovery, and the delicate dance of life’s everyday moments.

Charles’s passion for storytelling is paralleled only by his commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. Alongside his husband, Mike Bruce, and their beloved Wheaton Terrier, Zoey, he is a vibrant force and founder of “Sunday’s Child,” a local charity dedicated to nurturing inclusion and empowering LGBTQ+ and  other marginalized communities through grants to local charities. A pillar in the Emerald Coast Writers group, he continually explores the nuances of identity, heritage, and a sense of belonging. Discover more about Charles’s captivating world and “Covered in Flour” at www.coveredinflour.com, where each story is a window into a life lived fully and authentically.

Author Links:

Website: www.coveredinflour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552112886658
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckpresti/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covered_inflour/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/covered-in-flour-1968-a-young-boy-s-perspective-on-school-family-and-changing-times-by-charles-presti
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/charlespresti
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45201473.Charles_Presti

On Tour: The Château de Verzat Series, by Debra Borchert @debraborchert @cathiedunn #HistoricalFiction #FrenchRevolution #ChateauDeVerzatSeries #HerOwnLegacy #HerOwnRevolution #DebraBorchertAuthor #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub

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SERIES INFORMATION

Series: Château de Verzat
Author: Debra Borchert
Book Titles:
   Her Own Legacy (Book 1)
   Her Own Revolution (Book 2)
Publication Date:
   Her Own Legacy: 9/1/22
   Her Own Revolution: 7/14/23
Publisher: Le Vin Press
Page Length:
   Her Own Legacy: 568
   Her Own Revolution: 422

Blurb

Her Own Legacy:

A Woman Fights for Her Legacy as the French Revolution Erupts

Determined to inherit her family’s vineyard, Countess Joliette de Verzat defies society’s rules, only to learn of her illegitimate half-brother, the rightful heir.

 

 

Her Own Revolution:

A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine

If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one. A suspenseful page-turner led by a renegade heroine whose compassion for innocent people leads to both loss and love.

 

Buy Links:

*Her Own Legacy will be only 0.99 in the UK, CA and AU stores
from March 5th – 15th, 2024!*

Universal Buy Links:  

Her Own Legacy: https://books2read.com/u/bWYod1

Her Own Revolution: https://books2read.com/u/m0aJVl

Series Buy Links:

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B9KN1536

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B9KN1536

EXCERPT

Her Own Legacy
Nantes, August 21, 1792
Joliette must board a ship during a storm

The officer clambered up the ropes to the ship’s deck fast as a monkey. A few lights from the vessel blinked and shimmered against the choppy water. The sky was indiscernible from the water. Darkness, as deep as that of the tunnels, fell.
Henri whispered to Étienne and turned to me. “You must climb the ropes. I will be above you, and Étienne will be below you.”
Everything stopped—my breath, my heart, my thoughts. The wind stirred a cacophony of waves crashing against the hulls. Cold spray drenched me. I stared at Henri’s eyes, dark and pinched.
“Climb…to the ship?”
He tied a rope around my waist and the other end around his own. He put out his hand. “Hurry. Before the storm worsens.” My mouth would not open. Henri’s fingers wrapped around my wrist. He stepped onto the rope ladder.
Étienne held out the bottom rung. My feet were part of the deck, as if rooted to it. Étienne took my other hand and coaxed, “Do not look down. Only up, at Henri.”
The makeshift ladder swayed above. Waves leaped through its rungs. Henri’s foot slipped, but he caught himself. “The first step’s the most difficult, but you’re braver than I am.” He gently tugged me.
Like Papa. They both knew I could not resist a challenge. I pressed my feet to the deck, lifted my foot, then grasped the side rope. A wave crashed, and the deck dropped from below me, leaving my foot pawing the air. I screamed but did not hear it. I clung to the side rope. Étienne’s hand pressed my foot onto the rung. I panted for breath and pressed my forehead against the ship. Cold, black waves jumped and swallowed my foot.
“Keep looking up!” Étienne shouted.
My legs vibrated so I pressed all my weight into my foot as soon as it found a rung. A sliver of pale light spilled over the ship’s deck. I wanted to fly to it.
The wind skirled, twisting the rope and me around so I faced out over the harbor. Like a giant hand it pushed me away from the ship, then slammed me back against its hull. My breath burst from me. I lost my grip. Henri held me tighter, and another hand grasped my flailing arm. My legs pedaled. Hands gripped my arms and hauled me up over the rail and onto the deck, landing me like a fish. I lay on my stomach, gasping as the world spun and rain thundered.
Henri draped a woolen blanket over me. He crouched down, helped me to sit up, and rubbed my back.
As if by magic, a pair of tall, shiny black boots appeared before us. The man’s uniform was spotless, all white, trimmed in red and blue, with brass epaulettes broadening his shoulders—le Capitaine. He looked down. Water streamed off his tricorne and puddled onto the blanket.
“You wish passage?” His voice was rough as the wind.
Henri stood. “Yes, Monsieur, le Capitaine.”
The man chuckled. “With a woman?”
Feeling like I still clung to the rope, I pushed myself up with the words searing my mouth. “I arranged for the wine shipment—”
Henri gripped my arm and pulled me back.
Le Capitaine let out a grunt, turned, and walked away. “We sail when the tide turns.”

Author Bio

Debra’s the author of the Château de Verzat series that follows headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard, and its legacy of producing the finest wines in France during the French Revolution. Her Own Legacy published 2022, Her Own Revolution published 2023, and Her Own War will be published in 2024. A passionate cook, she also wrote a companion cookbook to the series: Soups of Château de Verzat, A Culinary Tribute to the French Revolution, 2023.

A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her historical fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle, named after a fine French Champagne.

Author Links:

Website: https://debraborchert.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/debraborchert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraBorchertAuthor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-borchert-10b8305/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraborchertauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debraborchert/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debra-borchert
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Debra-Borchert/author/B00CSW9MH0
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7787729.Debra_Borchert