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Thursday, May 14, 2026

Review of Beyond the Dark Oceans by Alison Huntingford



A family united, a family divided…

In 1906, the Huntingford family leaves England for a hopeful new life in Canada, but for eldest son Georgy, the promise of opportunity quickly becomes a test of endurance, responsibility, and fate. As he comes of age amid the hardships of immigrant life, the outbreak of the First World War pulls him back across the ocean and into a world forever changed by loss and sacrifice.

When Georgy’s brother disappears in the chaos of war, grief and uncertainty fracture the family he is fighting to hold together. Reunited with his cousin Nellie, Georgy finds solace in a love as powerful as it is forbidden—one that offers hope in the darkest of times while threatening to tear his family apart.

Based on true events, Beyond the Dark Oceans is a moving story of love, loyalty, and resilience, exploring how ordinary lives are shaped—and divided—by extraordinary moments in history.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must-read historical fiction novel based on a true story

Beyond the Dark Oceans is the kind of historical novel that pulls you in because the people in it feel real. You can tell these characters come from family stories and memories rather than being invented just to serve the plot, and that gives the book a warmth that stays with you.

The story follows Georgy Huntingford from his childhood in England through immigration to Canada and then into the First World War. At its heart though, this is really a book about family — about the people we cling to, the people we lose, and the strain that grief and hardship can put on even the closest relationships.

Georgy is an easy character to invest in. Watching him grow from a worried, sensitive boy into someone carrying the weight of his family on his shoulders is one of the strongest parts of the novel. The relationship between him and Nellie is handled nicely too. It develops slowly and feels believable, which makes the emotional conflict around it much stronger.

The early chapters are especially good at bringing the period to life. The details never feel showy or overdone — they’re just naturally part of the story. You get a real sense of what everyday life was like for working families at the time, both in England and later in Canada.

What I liked most was that the book doesn’t try to glamorise anything. Immigration is hard, war is cruel, and family life is often messy and emotionally complicated. The story allows its characters to be flawed, emotional and sometimes difficult, which makes them feel human.

It’s not a fast-paced novel, and there are places where it could probably have been trimmed down a bit. Some emotional scenes go on longer than they need to, and the writing can occasionally spell things out too clearly. But honestly, the sincerity of it outweighs those issues. It feels like a book written because the author genuinely cared about telling this story, not because they were trying to follow a formula.

If you enjoy big family sagas with historical detail, emotion and plenty of heart, there’s a good chance you’ll love reading this one.


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Alison Huntingford


Alison Huntingford is a writer with a deep passion for family history and storytelling. With a background rooted in the rich traditions of the Huntingford family, Alison seeks to honour the stories passed down through generations. She is the author of a successful series of works that explore historical and personal narratives. She is an only child of two only children and so has always felt a distinct lack of family. This has inspired her work.

After an upheaval in her personal life, Alison achieved a degree in humanities with literature through the Open University which helped to give her a new start. A teaching career followed which then led naturally to writing. She is now retired from full-time work, but busier than ever.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their pets, listening to music, going to the cinema, and gardening on her allotment. She also runs the South Hams Authors Network, a local writers collective based in South Devon.





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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Review of Firevein: The Awakening (Firevein Saga Book 1) by Hanna Park

 



I went to Røros for a wedding—not to fall for a man who looked at me like he had already mourned me once.

From the first moment Rurik touched me, something beneath my skin burned. Every kiss felt inevitable. Every glance pressed at the edge of memory. He says I’ve lived before, that I’ve died before, that he has loved me through it all. I don’t remember him—but the mountain does.

The tunnels beneath Røros hum when I pass. Runes flare in the stone. The deeper I fall into his arms, the more something inside me begins to awaken—hot, wild, and impossible to ignore. I was never meant to survive what should have killed me. Now something ancient is stirring, and I can’t shake the feeling that it’s because I did.

I have buried Cristabel in every lifetime—though she has worn different names.

Across centuries, I have found her and lost her to the curse my bloodline was sworn to guard. She was never meant to live this time—but she did. Now the fire in her veins is awakening too soon. The balance beneath the mountain is shifting, and the oath I have carried for generations is beginning to fracture.

I waited lifetimes to hold her again. This time, I will not let her go—even if saving her means unleashing what should have remained buried.

A steamy Nordic fantasy romance of reincarnation, fate, and fire.

Triggers: Female cancer survivor. Steamy open-door scenes. 



⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Love Story That Defies Time.

There are some books that feel carefully plotted, and then there are books like Firevein: The Awakening, which seem to move more through emotion, instinct, and atmosphere. This is very much the latter. It begins with something deceptively simple — a woman travelling to Norway for a friend’s Christmas wedding — and gradually unfolds into a story about memory, survival, longing, and the strange feeling that some connections exist long before we understand them.

From the moment Cristabel Johnson arrives, there is an undercurrent of unease beneath the festive surface. Snow-covered streets, lantern light, old wooden buildings, and a town that looks almost too perfect all create the sense of stepping into somewhere suspended slightly outside ordinary life. Even before the mythology fully emerges, the atmosphere suggests that this is a place carrying older things quietly beneath it.

The relationship between Cristabel and Rurik develops with an intensity that the novel never tries to apologise for. Their connection does not feel tentative or newly formed. Instead, it carries the weight of recognition from the beginning, as though they are stepping back into something interrupted rather than starting from nothing. What makes this work is that the emotional side of their relationship remains just as important as the physical one. The intimacy throughout the novel is tied closely to memory, trust, grief, and the fear of loss.

Cristabel herself gives the story much of its emotional depth. Beneath her humour and constant chatter is someone carrying genuine hurt, and I thought the novel handled that vulnerability surprisingly well. The quieter details surrounding her illness and abandonment reveal themselves gradually, allowing the reader to understand why joy, affection, and being wanted matter so deeply to her. Rather than defining her through suffering, the novel shows someone trying to reclaim happiness after believing she may never have it again.

Alongside the romance runs the novel’s mythological thread, which steadily grows stronger as the story progresses. Strange memories surface without warning, moments repeat with unsettling familiarity, and the boundaries between past and present begin to thin. One of the aspects I enjoyed most was the gradual realisation that not everyone inhabiting this world is entirely human. The book introduces these elements slowly enough that they feel less like sudden twists and more like truths waiting to be recognised.

The setting plays an important role in this as well. The old hotel, the forests, the frozen landscapes, and the lingering sense of old folklore create an atmosphere where the supernatural never feels entirely separate from ordinary life. Instead, it exists alongside it, half-hidden but always present.

What emerges by the end is not simply a fantasy romance, but a story about endurance — of love, memory, and identity across time. It is emotional, sensual, occasionally dreamlike, and completely sincere in the world it creates. I found myself far more invested in these characters than I expected to be, and I finished the book with the strong sense that their story is only just beginning.

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Hanna Park


I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.

I write stories that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love. Thank you, friends, for reading!

In the beginning, there was an empty page.

I am a writer who lives in Muskoka, Canada, with a husband who snores, a hungry cat, and an almost perfect canine––he’s an adorable little shit.

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Sunday, May 10, 2026

Lady of Lincoln: A Novel of Nicola de la Haye, the Medieval Heroine History Tried to Forget (The Nicola de la Haye Series, Book 1) by Rachel Elwiss Joyce


Publication Date: February 27th, 2026
Publisher: Hedgehog Books
Page Length: 462
Genre: Biographical Historical Fiction / Medieval Historical Fiction


A true story. A forgotten heroine. In a time when women were told to stay silent, could she become the saviour her people need?

12th-century England. Nicola de la Haye wants to do her duty. But though she’s taught a female cannot lead alone, the young noblewoman bristles at the marriage her father has arranged to secure her inheritance. And when an unexpected death leaves her unguided, the impetuous girl shuns the king’s blessing and weds a handsome-but-landless knight.

Harshly fined by Henry II for her unsanctioned union, Nicola struggles to salvage her estates while dealing with devastating betrayals from her husband… and his choice to join rebels in a brewing civil war. Yet after averting a tragedy and gaining the castle garrison’s respect, she still must face the might of powerful men determined to crush her under their will.

Can she survive love, threats, and violent ambition to prove she’s worthy of authority?

In this carefully researched and vividly human series debut, Rachel Elwiss Joyce showcases the complex themes of honour, responsibility, and freedom in the story of a remarkable heroine who men tried to erase from history. And as readers dive into a world defined by violence and turmoil, they’ll be stunned by this courageous young woman’s journey toward greatness.

Lady of Lincoln is the gritty first book in the Nicola de la Haye Series historical fiction saga. If you like richly textured female heroes, courtly drama, and fast-paced intrigue, then you’ll adore Rachel Elwiss Joyce’s gripping true-life tale.



Praise for Lady of Lincoln:

"Joyce’s vivid prose and masterful storytelling immerse the reader deeply into the emotional landscapes of her protagonists, making their struggles and triumphs resonate long after the final page has been turned. This debut is not only impressive in its narrative depth but also remarkable in its ability to evoke thought and reflection long after the final page is turned."
~ The Coffee Pot Book Club 5* Editorial Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Where Duty Collides with Desire and Strength Is Forged in Fire

Lady of Lincoln felt like more than just a story to me—it felt like watching someone’s life change bit by bit through every choice, mistake, and setback. It starts with the hope of love and freedom, but soon becomes a much deeper story about responsibility and the cost that can come with following your heart.

Set in 12th- and 13th-century England, the book does a great job of bringing the time period to life. From Lincoln Castle to the wider unrest of a divided kingdom, everything feels real and believable.

There’s no romanticised version of history here. Life feels uncertain, power can shift quickly, and safety is never guaranteed. The pacing is steady, giving both the personal moments and the political conflict time to breathe.

At the centre of the story is Nicola de la Haye, and she was easily the most interesting part of the book for me. She begins strong-willed and determined to choose her own path rather than accept what others expect of her. But when she chooses love over security, the consequences ripple through her whole life and the lives of others around her. What I liked most was that her growth feels real. She doesn’t become stronger overnight—she learns through mistakes, pain, and experience.

William FitzErneis is another memorable character. He is charming and easy to understand at first, but it soon becomes clear that there is something unstable beneath the surface. He isn’t written as a simple villain, which makes him more believable. Gerard de Camville, on the other hand, brings a calmer and steadier presence. He represents a quieter kind of strength through loyalty, patience, and understanding. The contrast between these relationships adds a lot to the story.

One of the strongest parts of the novel is how it shows a world shaped by duty, power, and constant uncertainty. Nicola’s position feels especially difficult, not only because she is a woman in a male-dominated society, but because every decision she makes affects more than just herself. Her leadership is shown through action and resilience rather than dramatic moments, which made it feel more genuine. Even with the large historical backdrop, the story always feels personal. Relationships are tested, trust is fragile, and survival often comes with painful sacrifices. Those quieter emotional struggles are what give the book its real weight.

The ending felt satisfying in a quiet way. Not because everything is perfect, but because Nicola has grown into someone wiser, stronger, and more self-aware than the person we meet at the start.

Lady of Lincoln is an absorbing and thoughtful read. It stayed with me because of its honesty about love, choices, loss, and the strength it takes to keep going when life becomes difficult.

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


Rachel Elwiss Joyce


After a rewarding career in the sciences, Rachel returned to her first love—history and the art of storytelling. Fascinated by the women history neglected, or tried to forget, she creates meticulously researched, emotionally resonant fiction that brings her characters’ stories vividly to life.

Her fascination with the past began early. At six years old, she was already inventing tales about medieval women in castles, inspired by her treasured Ladybird books and other picture-rich stories that transported her to another time. By the time she discovered Katherine by Anya Seton as a teenager, she knew the joy and escape that only great historical fiction can bring.

Rachel’s two grown-up children still tease her (fondly) about childhoods spent being “dragged” around castles, archaeological sites, and historical re-enactments. For Rachel, history and imagination have always gone hand in hand.

There was, however, a long gap between the stories of her childhood and her decision to write her own novel. The spark came when she discovered the remarkable true story of Nicola de la Haye—the first female sheriff of England, who defended Lincoln Castle against a French invasion and became known as “the woman who saved England,” Rachel knew she had found her heroine, and a story she was destined to tell.

Rachel lives in the UK, where she continues to explore the lives of women who shaped history but were left out of its pages.



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Thursday, May 7, 2026

That Catskill Summer by Bart Charlow



He wrote the book he lived. Now she wants to rewrite the ending.

For fans of the 1960s Catskills era of Dirty Dancing, this is a very different kind of love story.

Author Aaron Ben-Ami’s steamy novel, based on a failed youthful love affair in the "Summer of Love" Borscht Belt, is a sensation. Love was easy to come by in the resort culture of the early sexual revolution, but not so easy to keep. Now, as his story is being made into a movie starring Isobel “Izzy” Sandler, the past and present are about to collide.

Ironically, it was a chance meeting with Izzy that inspired Aaron to write the book in the first place—she was his muse. But as they grow close during filming, Izzy discovers the raw truth behind the fiction. She is the granddaughter of Elyse, the real woman who modeled for the novel’s lead—and Aaron's greatest "what if".

Set against the richly textured backdrop of a disappearing American era, That Catskill Summer is a story of what we miss in the moment and what stays with us long after. It is a journey through the humor, the heat, and the heartbreak of youth, told through the reflective eyes of someone who survived it.

Perfect for readers of emotionally rich, time-layered fiction who value reflection over resolution – and those who believe that a single summer can define a lifetime.



Bart Charlow


Bart A. Charlow is an author, consultant, and retired therapist whose writing explores the intricate intersections of memory, legacy, and the human heart. With over 45 years as a visual artist and photographer, Bart brings a painterly eye to his prose, capturing the atmospheric beauty and lingering shadows of the people and places that shape us.

Born into the carnival life of a Borscht Belt Catskills hotel family, he has never let the ordinary constrain him.

His first book, A Catskill Carnival: My Borscht Belt Life Lived, Lost and Loved, is a memoir of his early years in a unique setting, coming to terms with it and cherishing its life lessons. Pickle Barrel Tales: More Borscht Belt BS is the companion book of over 50 wry vignettes from several “mountain rats”.

A true son of the Catskills, Bart’s deep connection to the "Borscht Belt" Dirty Dancing era serves as the foundation for his storytelling. His novels delve into the complex emotional landscapes of mature characters, often focusing on the ways the past refuses to stay buried and how new love must contend with old ghosts. His latest series is “Lived-In LoveTM”, dedicated to telling realistic relationship stories with deep emotional connections, not the usual tropes.

Whether through a camera lens, a paintbrush, or the written word, Bart is dedicated to capturing the "circus of memories" that defines the mature experience.

He writes a regular column, “Bart on Art”, for The San Mateo Daily Journal.

Bart has been a favored speaker on TV, radio and in print media for decades and is recognized for his service in the United States Congressional Record.

Among honors he holds is the Jefferson Award for his community leadership and service.

He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, grown children and grandchildren.




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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Review of Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon (Six Tudor Queens) by Nicola Harris

 



Born in the glittering courts of Castile and Aragon and forged in the shadow of war, Catalina de Aragón grows up surrounded by queens, rebels, and explorers. She is her mother’s last daughter, the final jewel of a dynasty built on conquest and faith, and the one child Isabella of Castile cannot bear to lose.

But destiny has already claimed Catalina.

Promised to Prince Arthur of England since childhood, she is raised to bind kingdoms, soothe old wounds, and carry the hopes of an empire across the sea. Yet, Spain fractures under rebellion, grief, and the ruthless zeal of its own rulers.

From the burning streets of Granada to the storm lashed Bay of Biscay, Catalina and her sisters must navigate a treacherous path shaped by ambition, betrayal, and the dangerous love of men who fear the power of queens. She learns to read cyphers, to read hearts, and to stand unbroken even as her childhood is stripped from her piece by piece.

And when she finally sails for England armed with her mother’s lessons, her father’s steel, and the ghosts of the Alhambra at her back, Catalina steps into her fate not as a girl, but as a force.

A princess.

A survivor.

A daughter of Aragon.

Infidel is the story of a young woman raised for greatness and destined to reshape the fate of nations. This is Catalina, as she has never been seen before. She is fierce, vulnerable, and unforgettable.

A sweeping, intimate portrait of sisterhood, survival, and the making of a dynasty, Infidel reveals the hidden lives of a woman whose courage shaped the Tudor world.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Where Power Shapes Destiny.

I finished Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon with the lingering sense that some lives are never fully their own—that from the very beginning, they are shaped by forces far beyond personal desire. What begins as a story of childhood and royal upbringing gradually unfolds into something far more complex, where identity is formed through expectation, and the future is something prepared for long before it is understood.

The novel wastes little time establishing the world Catalina is born into. From her earliest moments, there is a sense that her life is already in motion, guided by alliances, ceremony, and the quiet weight of obligation. Her betrothal is presented not as a distant event, but as something immediate and defining. While she initially interprets it through imagination—stories of princes and distant lands—there is an undercurrent that suggests something far more fixed, something that has already been decided.

As the story progresses, that sense of inevitability deepens. Catalina’s understanding of her role grows gradually, shaped not by a single moment, but by repeated exposure to the structures around her. Court life is not simply a backdrop, but a system she must learn to navigate. Every gesture, every interaction, carries meaning, and over time she begins to recognise that she is both part of that system and shaped by it.

Running alongside her personal development is the expanding world beyond the court. Figures such as Christopher Columbus introduce a different kind of ambition—one that reaches outward rather than inward. His presence brings with it a sense of possibility, but also of uncertainty, suggesting that expansion and discovery are not purely triumphant, but carry consequences that are not fully understood. These moments widen the scope of the narrative, linking Catalina’s personal journey to larger historical movements.

One of the aspects I found particularly engaging was coming to this story without much prior knowledge of Juana or the wider family history. That unfamiliarity allowed the relationships, tensions, and outcomes to unfold more organically, rather than feeling predetermined. It made the shifting dynamics within the family—between siblings, parents, and political expectations—feel more immediate and, at times, surprising.

The novel builds through accumulation rather than sudden shifts. Moments of ceremony, conversation, and observation gradually layer together, allowing the reader to piece together the forces at play. This steady progression mirrors Catalina’s own development, as her understanding evolves alongside the unfolding events.

What stands out most is the contrast between control and resistance. While Catalina learns to observe, adapt, and fulfil expectations, Juana offers a different perspective—one that questions, challenges, and refuses to accept things at face value. Through this contrast, the novel explores not only how power is maintained, but what it costs to resist it.

Beneath it all lies a deeper exploration of identity itself. The novel suggests that who we become is not always the result of choice, but of circumstance, expectation, and the roles we are required to play. It raises the question of whether identity can ever be fully self-determined, or whether it is always shaped—at least in part—by forces beyond our control.

Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon is more than a historical novel; it is a story about formation, inheritance, and the quiet weight of becoming. I found it immersive, thoughtful, and deeply engaging, and I think it will resonate strongly with readers who enjoy character-driven historical fiction with a strong sense of context and depth.


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Nicola Harris

I’ve always been a writer, but it was only when illness forced me to stop everything that I finally had the time to write a novel. After decades of misdiagnosis, I learned I was born with a serious genetic condition, not rare, but profoundly misunderstood. The clues were there from birth, and suddenly, a lifetime of struggle made sense.

Writing became my lifeline: a way to step beyond my pain, to shape my experience into a story, and to find meaning where there had once been only endurance.

I have a lifelong love of children, Counselling, and Psychotherapy Theory and history.

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Saturday, May 2, 2026

Lucie Dumasby Katherine Mezzacappa



Publication Date: March 30th, 2026
Publisher: Stairwell Books
Pages: 278
Genre: Historical Fiction

London, 1871: Lucie Dumas of Lyon has accepted a stipend from her former lover and his wife, on condition that she never returns to France; she will never see her young son again. As the money proves inadequate, Lucie turns to prostitution to live, joining the ranks of countless girls from continental Europe who'd come to London in the hope of work in domestic service.


Escaping a Covent Garden brothel for a Magdalen penitentiary, Lucie finds only another form of incarceration and thus descends to the streets, where she is picked up by the author Samuel Butler, who sets her up in her own establishment and visits her once a week for the next two decades. But for many years she does not even know his name.


Based on true events.



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Katherine Mezzacappa


Katherine Mezzacappa is Irish but currently lives in Carrara, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea. She wrote The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria) and The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight) under her own name, as well as four historical novels (2020-2023) with Zaffre, writing as Katie Hutton. She also has three contemporary novels with Romaunce Books, under the pen name Kate Zarrelli. The Maiden of Florence was shortlisted for the Historical Writers’Association Gold Crown award in 2025 and has also been published in Italian.

Katherine’s short fiction has been published in journals worldwide. She has in addition published academically in the field of 19th century ephemeral illustrated fiction, and in management theory. She has been awarded competitive residencies by the Irish Writers Centre, the Danish Centre for Writers and Translators and (to come) the Latvian Writers House.

Katherine also works as a manuscript assessor and as a reader and judge for an international short story and novel competition. She has in the past been a management consultant, translator, museum curator, library assistant, lecturer in History of Art, sewing machinist and geriatric care assistant. In her spare time she volunteers with a second-hand book charity of which she is a founder member.

She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society, the Irish Writers Centre, the Irish Writers Union, Irish PEN / PEN na hÉireann and the Romantic Novelists Association, and reviews for the Historical Novel Review. She is lead organiser for the Historical Novel Society 2026 Conference in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

Katherine has a first degree in History of Art from UEA, an M.Litt. in Eng. Lit. from Durham and a Masters in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christ Church.




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Review of Beyond the Dark Oceans by Alison Huntingford

A family united, a family divided… In 1906, the Huntingford family leaves England for a hopeful new life in Canada, but for eldest son Georg...