I would like to thank Jeffrey Archer, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for my advanced copy of Adam and Eve to review. As always, my review is entirely honest & there are no spoilers.
Screenshot
Book Blurb:
THE FINAL NOVEL FROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER
November 11th, 1918. As the guns of the Great War fall silent, two babies draw their first breath.
Eve is the daughter of an Earl. Adam, a shepherd’s son. Yet from their first meeting they form an extraordinary bond that neither privilege nor prejudice can break.
Then on a single September night in 1940, as Hitler prepares to invade the British Isles, their actions will change his mind. Determining not just their own futures but the fate of a nation.
They will show extraordinary courage. They will make unimaginable sacrifices. And the story of what they did will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
From the broads of Norfolk to the beaches of Dunkirk, Adam & Eve is a breathtaking epic of courage, sacrifice, and love forged in Britain’s darkest hour.
‘If there were a Nobel Prize for storytelling, Archer would win’ Daily Telegraph
‘Archer is a master entertainer’ Time
‘Probably the greatest storyteller of our age’ Mail on Sunday
‘Peerless master of the page turner’ Daily Mail
Jeffrey Archer’s book ‘End Game’ was a Sunday Times bestseller.
My Review:
Adam and Eve starts with all the hallmarks of Jeffrey Archer’s usual strengths: pace, clarity, and a premise that promises moral tension. For most of the book, it’s competent, readable, and engaging enough. He breaks all the rules like the master storyteller he undoubtedly is.
My problem:
The first twist is where everything collapses. Archer tries to deliver a shock reversal, but it’s so implausible, so unbelievable, and so coincidental that I found myself shaking my head in disbelief.
Then a strange swap takes place, and instead of deepening the narrative, it cheapens it. Worse still, other twists pile on top of the first one, and each one is less believable than the first.
Why it didn’t work for me:
To be fair to Archer, all the signs are there from the start of the novel that the twists are possible. However, the issue for me was that I found them utterly unbelievable and the result felt contrived rather than clever.
My overall impression:
The book is readable; Archer always is, but the ending leaves a sour aftertaste. It’s hard to recommend a novel whose twists undermine the entire structure. Readers who enjoy neat reversals may tolerate it; anyone who values believable character development will likely find it frustrating.
My verdict:
This was a solid setup undone by twists that ask too much and delivers too little. This is a two-star review because I could not finish it.
Jeffrey Archer is one of the world’s bestselling authors, with sales of over 275 million copies in 97 countries, and is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (twenty times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). He was born in London, and brought up in the West Country. He gained a Blue in Athletics at Oxford, was President of the University Athletics Club, and went on to run the 100 yards in 9.6 seconds for Great Britain in 1966. Jeffrey has served five years in the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament, and thirty years as a Member of the House of Lords.
He has written 27 novels, 7 sets of short stories, 3 prison diaries, 3 plays (all of which have been performed in London’s West End) and a gospel. His first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was sold to 17 countries within a year. It was also made into a successful serial for BBC Radio 4, and was later televised in 1990 by the BBC. He won the Prix Relay du Roman d’Évasion, a prize that rewards a novel in which readers can ‘escape from everyday life’, for his novel Paths of Glory, and the Prix Polar International Prize for the best international thriller of the year, for his novel A Prisoner of Birth. The Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven novels published between 2011-2017, topped the bestseller lists around the world.
Famous for his discipline as a writer who works on up to fourteen drafts of each book, Jeffrey also brings a vast amount of insider knowledge to his books. Whether it’s his own career in politics, his passionate interest in art, or the wealth of fascinating background detail – inspired by the extraordinary network of friends he has built over a lifetime at the heart of Britain’s establishment – his novels provide a fascinating glimpse into a range of closed worlds.
Jeffrey is also an amateur auctioneer, conducting up to 20 charity auctions a year. He has been married to Dame Mary Archer, Chair of the Science Museum Group, for 55 year, and they have two sons, two granddaughters and three grandsons. He splits his time between London, Cambridge and Mallorca – where he writes the first draft of each new novel.
The fifth book In his new William Warwick novels – the first of which, Nothing Ventured, was published in 2019 – is NEXT IN LINE which was published in September 2022.
This book is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
I would like to thank Carrie Hayes, HTPH Press, and the Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing my readers to have access to this excerpt from Carrie’s latest novel.
Blurb:
New York City, 1937. Seventeen-year-old Marigold McGrath is coming undone.
Her mother is dead. Her father is drawn to dangerous politics. The only place she feels joy is behind a camera — where she can frame the world on her own terms.
After a series of her own missteps, she reinvents herself in London: mentored by a celebrated émigré photographer, photographing Kindertransport children, working alongside Edward R. Murrow. She falls in love with Joop, a charming Dutch student, and shrugs off the war gathering around her.
Then the Blitz begins. Joop vanishes into the Dutch Resistance. And Marigold — who has always preferred to photograph the world as she wishes it were — must finally decide what kind of woman, and what kind of witness, she is willing to become.
A sweeping WWII coming-of-age novel set in wartime London.
For readers of Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn, and SL Beaumont’sThe War Photographers
Excerpt :
Running through Central Park, ice skates flopping on her shoulders, Marigold slowed to catch her breath. She studied the bridge and the frozen pond. Tall buildings framed the naked trees. Sunshine shone low behind them, casting deep shadows on the snow. She pulled at her left mitten with her teeth and unbuttoned her coat. Inside was her Brownie. It was one of the new ones, with a bellows that folded. She fumbled with its case, groaning at the other mitten hindering her efforts. At last, at last, she looked down into the lens. She moved the aperture slowly to the left and then dialed it back a fraction to the right. The trees, the light, buildings and snow.
She pressed the button and wound the film.
“Gotcha!” Pink mittens wrapped around her eyes.
Marigold staggered forward. “Trude!” She laughed and turned. “Say cheese.”
Trude put her arm in the air, a teasing coquette bundled in scarves with a pompom hat tied under the chin. Marigold blew on her fingers and moved the aperture a fraction one way, then she moved it the other. The light had changed, and Trude was in shadow. Marigold took the picture.
Then as quickly as she’d appeared, Trude ran over the bridge toward the pond. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”
A dozen other skaters moved across the ice. Girls and boys about their own age, mostly from the neighborhood. Marigold hopped on one foot and then the other. Her earmuffs just weren’t doing the trick and inside the mittens her fingers felt frozen. Trude spread a small blanket onto the snow and patted the spot next to her. “Come on, Mari, you’ll feel so much better when you’re skating.”
Marigold doubted that very much. Lacing up her skates felt like torture and she willed her knees to stop shaking. She watched Trude expertly wrap the laces around her own slim ankles then tie a knot, tucking the laces inside the socks peeping above her skates. Trude clambered onto her knees and stood to make her way to the pond. In a single move she was gliding across the ice, and then crowed, “Haha!” Somehow Trude’s fluid grace made everything seem effortless.
Marigold watched her turn a flawless figure eight as boys skated around her and everything sparkled. “Come on, Mari!” Trude waved her over.
Marigold muttered under her breath, come on, come on, chiding herself not to be so awkward, then responded, “I’m coming!” She took a deep breath and imagined herself the world-renowned figure skating movie star Sonja Henie. She extended her arms as she stepped onto the ice. But her left leg slowly slid out from her while her right leg began to move forward. Marigold’s top half suddenly felt heavy. She waved her arms, her skates stepping forward and backward, her ankles wobbling.
“You can do it,” Trude pirouetted beside her.
“I know, I know I can do it,” Marigold’s heart began thumping. The other skaters danced along the ice.
Trude whispered, “Bend your knees.”
But Marigold’s knees collapsed, pulling her bottom as if by a magnet. “I’m falling though, I am.”
“No, you’re not.” Trude held out her hand, waiting.
“I am, oh my goodness.” It was difficult to breathe, and she was suddenly warm. Her hands met the ice and her feet surrendered.
Trude still waited. “Come on, I’ve got you.” She pulled Marigold up and placed her arm around her waist, then said, “Oh look. There’s Will Carrington with a swishy, dishy friend.”
Marigold froze in horror. Why was she such a klutz?
The boys called from across the ice. “Hello, Fräuleins.”
Trude smiled and called, “Morgen, Herr Carrington. Wie gehts? Why don’t you introduce us to your friend?”
Eagerly the boys skated over. Will said, “This is Chip.”
Chip stopped in front of her, the edge of his skates making a smooth spray of ice. He held his hand out to Marigold. “You can hang on to me if you want. I’ll teach you to skate.” He placed an arm round her waist. She leant against him and he led her across the pond. Perhaps she’d be Sonja Henie after all.
“What grade are you in, Marigold?” Chip’s eyes were heavily fringed and he had a cleft in his chin.
“I’m a senior.”
Smiling, he picked up speed. “Me, too. Is this your first time on the ice?”
“Kind of.” She thought it best not to say that despite years of lessons, she was just a lousy skater. “Where do you go to school, Chip?”
“I’m at Lawrenceville. You know, in New Jersey. It’s a good place, not as many…” He gestured to a couple arguing in Yiddish. “People like that. As in New York.”
Marigold looked up at him again. She hoped he didn’t have the same lapel pin as her dad. Well, she thought to herself, at least he was handsome. Soon the streetlamps were lit. It was time to go home.
“Let’s go to my place,” Will offered. He lived in a brownstone only a block away. Everyone agreed and they went to his house, dumping their coats and skates upon ancient Chinese chairs just inside the door.
The half dozen guests traipsed upstairs, and Will procured some cocoa and cups on a tray from the housekeeper.
“Where is everybody?” Trude asked, by which she meant Will’s younger brothers.
“At the movies with Nanny.” He smiled wickedly. “Come on, let’s play a game.”
Out came a box from under the bed, inside of which was a bottle of rum. Shouts of approval went around as he generously poured it into the cups of hot chocolate. Some of the boys skipped the hot chocolate and drank the booze neat, laughing as it burned their throats and rendered them speechless.
“Let’s play records,” Trude said. Will agreed and she chose the very latest from his collection. A trumpet opened the refrain, soulful and longing, echoed by the orchestra. A man began to sing,
I’ve flown around the world in a plane,
I’ve settled revolutions in Spain, and the North Pole I have charted,
Still, I can’t get started with you . . .
Chip took Marigold’s hand. “May I?”
She moved toward him. His shoulders were square and he swayed as he danced, brushing against her. Marigold stepped closer, sensing the rise of his chest, the flatness of his stomach. She forgot having been frozen and grew toasty from the rum and Chip’s handsome touch. Resting her head upon his shoulder she saw a mouse scurry across the floor. She stifled a gasp. If there was a time not to mind the mice at Will’s house, this was the time. But the mix of the rum, her desire, and the mouse made her woozy.
“’Scuse me!” She squirmed away and stumbled to the powder room. She ran the water and rubbed her face, then looked at herself in the mirror. There was a knock on the door.
“Can I come in?” It was Trude, who promptly lifted her skirt and sat on the toilet. “Did you see the mouse?”
Marigold shuddered. “You know I did.”
Trude finished and joined her at the mirror. “That Chip seems to like you.”
Marigold flicked some water at her friend. “How would you know?”
“Because I have eyes in the back of my head.” Trude refreshed her lipstick and handed it to Marigold. “I’m a regular spy.” She then dropped her voice, “You know, like Mata Hari.”
Marigold studied her now vibrant mouth. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine.”
“I won’t be able to go skating.” The thought of days without Trude felt intolerable.
“Yes, you will.” Trude gestured to Marigold’s lower lip. “You need a bit more.”
Obediently, Marigold reapplied it.
Trude said, “Ask Chip. It’ll be the Ice Capades before you know it.”
Marigold decided not to share what she thought about Chip, murmuring, “And my only model will be my mother.”
“But’s she’s a wonderful model.”
“It’s not the same.” Movies without Trude, skating without Trude, soda fountains without her. Marigold gave herself a little shake. The fresh lipstick would look terrible if she began to cry.
Trude took off her glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief. “You’ll just have to come and visit.” She gave Marigold a cheesy smile in the mirror and held out her hand. “Come on. Back to the party.”
“I don’t want to go out there.” Marigold sighed. “I really hate mice.”
Praise:
“I read a lot ofhistorical novels… this one wasone of my favorites. From the characters to the setting to the actions depicted Ithoroughly enjoyedthe journey—I reallydidn’t want it to end!“ ~ Netgalley Review 5*
“The Making of Marigold McGrathby Carrie Hayes is the tale of a well to do American seventeen year old sent to Europe just prior toWorld War II. The book isexquisitely writtenwith a well paced dialogue. The characters are well formed and interesting. Sprinkled throughout the book are bits from news outlets that help set the larger context for the reader – they are well timed and helpful.Great read,well worth it!“ ~ Goodreads Review 5*
“The Making of Marigold McGrath explores a rarely examined aspect of WWII: the complex journeys to maturity ofyoung adults in war-torn Europeas they seek human connection and meaning. Marigold finds both, using her skills as a photographer to document the stories of refugee children. With gobs ofhistorical referencesandvivid imagery, interlaced withintrigueandromance, The Making of Marigold McGrath is agreat read!“ ~ Goodreads Review 5*
This book is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
Carrie Hayes
Author Bio:
Carrie’s first two novels, Naked Truth or Equality and Well Dressed Lies, follow the lives of the iconoclastic suffragist sisters, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin.
Carrie lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in a rambling Victorian house just outside of New York City.
I would like to thank historian David Jepsen, Historium Press, and the Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to share an excerpt from David’s latest novel, Unbelonging, on my website.
Before we jump in, here’s a rundown of what the novel is about:
Seattle, 1945. The war is ending-but for many, the hardest battles are just beginning.
In a city transformed by global conflict, four families struggle to find their place amid rising tensions, buried prejudice, and shifting identities. Victory overseas has brought hope, but at home, fear, suspicion, and inequality continue to shape everyday life.
A female defense worker, newly awakened to injustice, risks everything as she steps into the dangerous world of labor activism-threatening not only her future, but the safety of those she loves. A decorated Black war hero returns home expecting honor and opportunity, only to face a different kind of battlefield, where racism and exclusion deny him the freedoms he fought to defend. A Japanese American, released from internment, discovers that the end of war does not mean the end of hatred, and that rebuilding a life in a community that no longer trusts him may be the greatest challenge of all. A hopeful British war bride arrives chasing the promise of a new beginning, only to learn that the American dream is complicated, fragile, and not equally shared.
As labor strikes ripple through the city, racial tensions simmer, and the first shadows of Cold War hysteria begin to take hold, Seattle reveals itself as a place both beautiful and deeply divided. Old prejudices harden even as new voices rise, demanding change.
This powerful, emotionally charged novel strips away the myth of an open and enlightened city, exposing the human cost of exclusion and the quiet courage of those who refuse to accept it.
A sweeping story of resilience, identity, and the search for belonging-welcome to the City on the Sound, where no one is quite sure where they belong.
Praise:
“Just a great read and anyone who picks it up is guaranteed to learn a thing or two: from Guadalcanal to local labor disputes.”
~ Mr. K, Amazon 5* review
Today’s excerpt:
“Mrs. Novak,” Judge Long said at last. “Police took your daughter, Natalie, and five other youth into custody last night in Volunteer Park. They violated the ten o’clock curfew for children under sixteen. Two adult males were also arrested. Most of them appeared to be intoxicated. Did you know the whereabouts of your daughter last night?”
“I didn’t know anything until a juvenile officer called me, your honor. Natalie wasn’t home when I returned from work. That’s when I called Holy Names, and learned she’d skipped school.”
“You work at Boeing, I understand.”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Mrs. Novak, I have tremendous respect for defense workers. They’re doing a great service in this country’s battle against tyranny. I’ve also come to accept, although reluctantly, that many women need to work these days. Unmarried women, divorced women, women who depend on a paycheck for rent and groceries. But I’m having a hard time understanding why you work. From what I can tell, your situation is far from desperate. You own a home in a nice neighborhood. Your children attend private school. Your husband is a commissioned officer in the Navy. He likely sends home most of his monthly paycheck. What do you need that is more important than your children?”
Joanne said nothing, looking at Judge Long. There’s that question again. One her mother made a point of asking almost daily. The fact is, I’m not sure anymore. Initially it was about patriotism, my love for this country, and a desire to support my husband. But I work now. I love it. I’m good at something besides cooking pork roast and cleaning house.
“Mrs. Novak, are you okay?”
“Yes, your honor, sorry.”
Long sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “So I ask again. Is money so important that your children have to return from school to an empty house?”
Why does he think this is about money? Yes, I earn more than most women. But it was never about money. This is another kind of need, a deeper one that I can’t fully understand, let alone explain to a judge. Some internal force is pulling me away from the life I always wanted or thought I wanted. It was enough at least for a while, until I discovered the world outside. Until I saw the endless possibilities waiting to be picked like apples from a tree. The transformation has altered the landscape of my life. It is like the eastern winds that blow down the Cascades every summer, stirring the dust, bending the poplars. How can I explain that to this judge?
“Mrs. Novak! I haven’t got all day,” Long snapped.
Joanne looked at the judge and around the courtroom. How long had she been standing there?
“Again, I apologize, your honor. I choose to work because. . .”
“Mrs. Novak, I don’t care why you work. My chief concern is for the welfare of your daughter and the dozens of other youth I see in here almost every day. Whether you want to buy a new dress or pearl necklace. . .”
“Your honor! I’m not buying . . .”
“Don’t interrupt me, Mrs. Novak. You have a fine daughter here, why are you letting her out at night, getting into the backseat of cars with boys, or should I say men? She’s a minor and . . . “
“I know how old my daughter is, your honor.”
“The facts say you don’t. When you’re at work, your children are coming home to an empty house. Some people think older kids don’t need as much attention, so it’s okay if Mom gets a job. But young people – these so-called eight-hour orphans – need someone to talk to about their day. They have problems at school, and need help with their homework.”
“I help them with their homework, your honor. They’re good students and good kids.”
“I’m sure they are, Mrs. Novak, but this recent event is troubling. “
Long returned his attention to the report, tapping his fingers on the desk while reading through the facts one more time. “Mrs. Novak,” he said, looking up. “As this is Natalie’s first offense, we’re going to drop the charges and hope we don’t see her in here again. Meantime, I suggest you rethink your priorities. Natalie will be released to you in about an hour. You’ll need to take her to the doctor to be tested for VD.”
VD? Did she hear that right, venereal disease? The words wouldn’t register. “Your honor, Natalie is a good Catholic girl. She’d never. . . “
“Mrs. Novak, do you know how many good Catholic girls I see in this courtroom? VD doesn’t care if you’re Catholic or Jewish, or where you worship. There’s practically a VD epidemic raging in the city. For your information, when police arrived at the park, Natalie was in the backseat of a car with an adult male. He’s now sitting in King County jail. Police waited until Natalie dressed before she could exit the vehicle. See a doctor, Mrs. Novak.”
David J. Jepsen is a historian, writer and educator teaching Pacific Northwest and U.S. history at Tacoma Community College. His novel about racial and labor conflicts in Seattle following WW II, titled Unbelonging, was released in April 2026.
He was lead author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History (John Wiley and Sons, 2017), and he wrote and directed the award winning documentary Labor Wars of the Northwest, nominated in 2019 for Best Feature Film Made in Washington by the Gig Harbor Film Festival.
David writes a weekly post for the Washington State Historical Society titled “This Day in Washington.” He holds a master’s degree in history and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Washington.
He lives with his wife, Jackie, in Gig Harbor, WA.
The lion has long been a symbol of courage, loyalty, and hope. A creature of power and, in some traditions, of the divine. We imagine it unflinching, unafraid. Yet the truest bravery is not found in the open, but within, where the lion lies hidden, waiting to be called upon. In moments of uncertainty or grief. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to face it. It is the moment when we would rather flee, but instead, find a strength we did not know we possessed.
These powerful and often emotional stories follow men, women, and children as they face profound adversity, the resilience to endure, cling to hope for the future, and the courage to change their lives forever.
Join these ordinary people as they uncover extraordinary strength and emerge, in their own way, lion-hearted.
Triggers: adult content: some violence, rape, difficult personal circumstances.
The Stories – in appearance order: (collated by Helen Hollick)
THE SENTRY by Alison Morton
Roman province of Noricum, AD 395
When danger strikes and you are on your own with only fear as a companion
THE SAXON by Derek Birks
Southern Britain, the frontier between the Belgae and the Atrebates. AD 471
When escape means more than just running for your life
THE PHOENIX by Marian L Thorpe
Ésparias, a fictional country bordering the western sea circa AD 900
A mother’s dilemma? To keep them safe – or let them go?
SIFLEDE by Judith Arnopp
London, October 1066
When the Normans come, Southwark’s residents need to fight, flee, hide or die
DAISY CHAIN by Annie Whitehead
England, 1141
A mother’s love. A mother’s grief
STEPPING BETWEEN by Anna Belfrage
Ludlow Castle, England, 1308
When all you can do is to endure
CONFRONTING PLAGUE by Carolyn Hughes
England, 1361
When courage must survive in the face of history’s cruellest plague
KATE’S LETTER by Patricia Furstenberg
Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, 1478
One letter, sealed in dragon’s wax
THE PORTRAIT’S SECRET by Amy Maroney
Paris, 1536
When a woman holds a secret, does she keep it, or share it?
LEGACY by Jean Gill
Tudor England, 1558
When a man loses everything, what is his legacy?
A TALETELLER’S TALE by Helen Hollick
Somewhere in the Caribbean, 1709
When the only sound is the song of the sea, do you listen? Or do you drown in the embrace of a mermaid?
THE GATE by Elizabeth St.John
London, 1900
When courage costs everything
DARKNESS RISING by Cathie Dunn
Venezia, June 1923
Can the mystery of a secluded island, and a murder, be solved before
time runs out?
A SACK OF POTATOES by Antoine Vanner
Groenhorst, outskirts of Amersvoort, The Netherlands
November 11th, 1954
Courage meant survival for many – but others relied on greed
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Author Bios:
Helen Hollick: About Helen – (anthology compiler)
Originally first published in 1993, and now known for her captivating storytelling and attention to historical detail, Helen’s historical fiction, nautical adventures, cosy mysteries and short stories, invite readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between fiction and history blend together. Her historical novels span a variety of periods, with a particular focus on the Early Medieval. Her Pendragon’s Banner series offers a vivid portrayal of the King Arthur story set against a plausible reality setting, while the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings shows her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life. Her novel about Queen Emma (The Forever Queen – USA title) became a USA Today best-seller.
In the Sea Witch Voyages, she subtly weaves in elements of supernatural fantasy against the Golden Age of Piracy, creating an immersive and addictive nautical adventure experience.
Her Jan Christopher cosy mystery series is set during the 1970s, based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant. Her 2025 release of Ghost Encounters, co-produced with her adult daughter, Kathy, reveals some benign ghosts of North Devon where the family moved to in 2013. Helen has written several short stories, further exploring the echoes of the past, all with her compelling and convincing signature style.
Cathie Dunn: About Cathie – Cathie is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, mystery, dual-timeline, and romance set in Scotland, England, and France. Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy. Cathie lives in the south of France with her husband and two rescue pets, enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and visiting the many historic sites whenever she can. Find her across social media and on http://www.cathiedunn.com Amazon author page: https://author.to/CathieDunn
Judith Arnopp: About Judith – Multi award-winning author, Judith Arnopp’s novels are set in the late medieval and Tudor period. Her main focus is on the women of the era, her meticulous research offering deep psychological analysis of well-known figures such as Margaret Beaufort, Marguerite of Anjou, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII himself. She has also written non-fiction How to Dress like a Tudor.
Anna Belfrage: About Anna – Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding.
Derek Birks: About Derek – Derek writes character-driven, action-packed fiction. His debut historical novel, Feud, is the first of a series of eight books and one novella, entitled The Wars of the Roses. which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family. He has also written the Amazon bestselling series, The Last of The Romans, which focuses on the real fifth century Romano-British character of Ambrosius Aurelianus. His first non-fiction book is: A Guide to the Wars of the Roses. Under the pen name Tom Hadley, he has also written the Liv Fisher modern thriller series, which begins with Eyes Like Blades.
Derek has written and produced over 40 podcasts on the Wars of the Roses, and now co-hosts the podcast series, A Slice of Medieval, with historian, Sharon Bennett Connolly.
Cathie Dunn: About Cathie – Cathie is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, mystery, dual-timeline, and romance set in Scotland, England, and France. Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy.
Cathie lives in the south of France with her husband and two rescue pets, enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and visiting the many historic sites whenever she can.
Patricia Furstenberg: About Patricia – Patricia is a Romanian-born, South Africa-based author of character-driven historical fiction set in medieval Eastern Europe. Her latest novel, When Secrets Bloom, part of the Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows saga, explores the turbulent world of Vlad the Impaler, weaving meticulous research with moral complexity, faith, and the quiet resilience of women navigating power and peril. Her short stories, poetry, and travel features have appeared in anthologies and online publications. Patricia blogs about overlooked corners of history and cultural heritage on her
Jean Gill: About Jean – Award-winning Welsh author and photographer Jean Gill lives in Provence with the best scent-hound in the world, a Nikon D750 and a man. Best known for writing epic medieval adventures in The Troubadours and The Midwinter Dragon series, Jean has published twenty-seven multi-genre books since 1988, including the dog bestseller Someone To Look Up To.
For many years, she taught English, and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in the Welsh county of Dyfed. She is mother or stepmother to five children so life is hectic. With Scottish parents, Welsh and French residence and an English birthplace, she can usually shout for the winning team in sporting events.
Kathy Hollick-Bater: About Kathy – Kathy is severely dyslexic and struggles with her reading and writing. Her passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy is now a Devon farmer’s wife, runs Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues. She hopes to extend her training in order to help ex-servicemen overcome PTSD.
Kathy regularly competes at British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals. She also has the ability to see, hear and talk to friendly ghosts, several of whom share our 1769 farmhouse.
Carolyn Hughes: About Carolyn – Carolyn is the author of The Meonbridge Chronicles series, historical fiction set in fourteenth century England. The first Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, is set in the immediate aftermath of what we call The Black Death. Times of social change are always fascinating, and trying to depict the great upheaval in society brought about by the plague was the inspiration for the book. In the subsequent novels, Carolyn has sought to reveal the lives of mostly ordinary medieval folk through stories that tell of experiences especially pertinent to the time but which also resonate today. The stories focus particularly on the lives of women, if only because women in history often have not had much opportunity to “speak”.
There are now eight books in the series. More will follow.
Amy Maroney: About Amy – Amy lives in Oregon, U.S.A., and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail; and the Sea and Stone Chronicles, which features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s community of readers on her website: https://www.amymaroney.com/
Alison Morton: About Alison – Alison writes the thrillers she always wanted to read – ones featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue.
All six full-length Roma Nova novels have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and JULIA PRIMA have been selected as Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.
Six years’ military service, a fascination with ancient Rome and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her contemporary thrillers, Double Identity, Double Pursuit and Double Stakes.
Elizabeth St.John: About Elizabeth – Elizabeth’s critically acclaimed historical fiction brings to life the stories of her ancestors—extraordinary women whose close connections to England’s kings and queens offer an intimate perspective on Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Inspired by family archives and historic residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, she explores ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens—and occasionally encounters a ghost. Discovering a whole different family history in The Gate, Elizabeth expands her storytelling into the early 20th century, adding a new era to her repertoire.
Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park and curator of The Lydiard Archives, where she is always searching for inspiration for her next novel. Her works include The Lydiard Chronicles, set during the English Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, exploring the mystery of the princes in the Tower. In The King’s Intelligencer, set in the court of Charles II, a young woman must decide what she is willing to risk to reveal the whereabouts of the missing princes.
Marian L Thorpe: About Marian – Marian’s novels are historical fiction of an imagined world, one that is close to Britain, Northern Europe, and Rome, but isn’t any of them. Her short stories, either in multiple-author anthologies or her own collections range from urban fantasy to historical fiction, slice-of-life to climate fiction.
After two careers as a research scientist and an educator, she decided it was time to do what she’d always wanted, and be a writer. Her first book was published when she was in her mid-50s. Her life-long interest in Roman and post-Roman European history provided the inspiration for her first series, while her other interests in landscape archaeology and birding provide background.
Antoine Vanner: About Antoine – Antoine spent four decades in international business, latterly at senior executive level, and lectured in academia afterwards. He lived through military coups, a guerrilla war, negotiations with governments, storms at sea and life in mangrove swamps, tropical forest, offshore oil-platforms, and the boardroom. He has lived and worked long-term in eight countries, has travelled widely in all continents except Antarctica and is fluent in three languages.
He has a passion for nineteenth-century political and military history and has a deep understanding of what was the cutting-edge technology of the time. His knowledge of human nature and his first-hand experience of the locales – often surprising – of the most important conflicts of the period provide the impetus for his chronicling of the lives of Royal Navy officer Nicholas Dawlish and his magnificent wife, Florence. There are thirteen volumes so far in the Dawlish Chronicles series, the actions set in the period 1858 to 1915.
Vanner now lives in Britain with his wife, Eva Lagassé (a journalist by background), their dog and five horses.
Annie Whitehead: About Annie – is a prize-winning writer, historian, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines. She has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine’s Prose and Poetry Competition, a finalist in the Tom Howard Prize for nonfiction and shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and subsequently a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition, and was a 2024 judge for the HWA Crown Nonfiction Award and chaired the same panel in 2025.
Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (a #1 Amazon Best-seller, published by Amberley books) and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books). In 2023 she contributed to a new history of English monarchs, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in 2025 Murder in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Amberley Books.
In February 2026 she signed a contract for a new nonfiction book about the Anglo-Saxons, to be published by The History Press in 2027.
With an introduction by Lorna Fergusson: About Lorna – Lorna Fergusson is an award-winning short story writer and novelist. Founder of Fictionfire Literary Consultancy, she is an experienced editor, writing coach and speaker. She has taught on various Oxford University writing programmes since 2002. Her stories have won an Ian St James Award, the Historical Novel Society’s Short Story Award, and been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, Pan Macmillan’s Write Now prize and the Historical Novel Society’s First Chapters prize. She was twice runner-up for the Mogford Prize. Author of The Chase and An Oxford Vengeance, her latest book is a collection of stories set in France, One Morning in Provence. She is currently developing one of the Mogford stories as a novel, as well as working on poetry and a book on mindset for writers. Born in Scotland, she is married with two sons and lives in Oxford, England.
Richard Woulfe has just published Master Secretary: Robert Cecil, A Life in Fiction, a new collection of stories centred on one of England’s most intriguing historical figures. It’s an exciting release, and I’m delighted to share the news with you.
“Statesman, strategist, survivor: Robert Cecil stood at the very heart of England’s transition from Tudor to Stuart rule. Hunched-backed and underestimated in an age hostile to disability, he rose to become Master Secretary to Elizabeth I and James I, suppressing the Essex Rebellion, foiling the Gunpowder Plot, and negotiating peace with Spain.
In this richly imagined sequence of eighteen interlinked stories, Cecil’s voice is joined by those of his family, allies, and adversaries—Elizabeth I, Anthony and Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Ben Jonson, Arbella Stuart, and nameless spies and commoners whose lives brushed against his. From court intrigue to tavern gossip, from the grandeur of the Somerset House Peace Conference to a humble Limerick shop, these tales weave fact and fiction into a vivid portrait of one of history’s most remarkable political survivors.
Spanning his birth to his final conversation with the sculptor designing his tomb, Master Secretary opens a window onto the world Shakespeare inhabited—a world of politics and diplomacy, comedy and tragedy, faith and betrayal. Grounded in historical record yet alive with imagination, this is a compelling re-telling of the life of Robert Cecil: underestimated by many, unforgotten by all.”
Tell us about your book:
This is a cradle to almost-grave collection of stories relating to Robert Cecil, Secretary of State from 1586 to 1612, a role his father William Cecil had previously occupied. It begins on the day he was born, when William Cecil is trying to get home for news of the birth but is delayed by Queen Elizabeth and others, and ends with Robert discussing the design of his tomb with its sculptor. It covers the Lopez execution, the Essex Rebellion, the transfer of power from the Tudors (Elizabeth 1st) to the Stuarts (James 1st) and the Gunpowder Plot. Also included are Francis Bacon (Cecil’s first cousin), Ben Jonson, Walter Raleigh, Arabella Stuart. Other female voices include Cecil’s wife, Anne Bacon, Elizabeth Ist on her deathbed, an intelligencer, as well as the wife of a Limerick shop owner who had only vaguely heard of Robert Cecil.
Tell us about your research for this book. Did you discover anything unexpected?
The Lopez conspiracy was always baffling to me, as it seemed so obvious the man was innocent. Why had the Earl Of Essex persued it so doggedly? Now I realise that a motive was to discredit the Cecils and their intelligence network.
Something unexpected also related to the Earl of Essex, specifically his rebellion. The play Richard II was performed by supporters of Essex as a way of bolstering support, but when the rebellion failed Shakespeare’s company had to explain to the Privy Council why they allowed the play to be staged in the first place. I had always assumed Shakespeare himself needed to be at his imaginative best with his excuses but then found out he wasn’t actually there. No, it was an actor/manager who convinced Cecil of their innocence in that matter. Shakespeare was present though when Elizabeth ordered that a production of the play be performed one day before Essex’s execution.
What made you choose Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, as a subject?
I come from a drama background and knew Cecil to be Master Secretary when Marlowe, Shakespeare and Ben Jonson were writing. But there is a lot more; for example, Cecil was chiefly responsible for Walter Raleigh’s incarceration in the Tower, but visited Raleigh there just before his own death. What did they say to each other? This is where historical fiction excels; nobody knows what was said but I imagine Cecil not apologising but accusing Raleigh of being responsible for his own misfortune. And what was Elizabeth I thinking on her deathbed – all those whom she was convivial with dead, the succession already being orchestrated by her Master Secretary?
Or Francis Bacon, two years his senior. Francis Bacon went to Cambridge at 12, and it is reasonable to assume they two met when Francis was home. Two highly ambitious children, what did they talk about? And who get the better of who? Francis Bacon also sought the Queen’s patronage, but did their rivalry start from a younger age?
I have an admiration for Cecil – though his father helped him to rise in government, he still had to overcome so many difficulties, not least that his back was hunched. He was Secretary of State for 16 years (Thomas Cromwell by contrast only lasted 6), managed the transfer to the Stuarts despite his own father being instrumental in the death of James I’s mother (Mary Queen of Scots).
I also feel that telling his life via linked stories allows room for his defenders and critics to make their case. Cecil divided opinion in his own time, and still does.
What advice would you give new writers? Persevere. Writing and rewriting takes a hell of a lot of time, but you’ll get there if you’re confident there’s a story worth telling. Oh, and that writing is also enjoyable (most of the time).
What are you planning to write next?
The life of King Richard II, specifically from his coronation at the age of 10 to his deposition and death 22 years later. Now, there is somebody with no shortage of detractors.
“Statesman, strategist, survivor: Robert Cecil stood at the very heart of England’s transition from Tudor to Stuart rule. Hunched-backed and underestimated in an age hostile to disability, he rose to become Master Secretary to Elizabeth I and James I, suppressing the Essex Rebellion, foiling the Gunpowder Plot, and negotiating peace with Spain.
In this richly imagined sequence of eighteen interlinked stories, Cecil’s voice is joined by those of his family, allies, and adversaries—Elizabeth I, Anthony and Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Ben Jonson, Arbella Stuart, and nameless spies and commoners whose lives brushed against his. From court intrigue to tavern gossip, from the grandeur of the Somerset House Peace Conference to a humble Limerick shop, these tales weave fact and fiction into a vivid portrait of one of history’s most remarkable political survivors.
Spanning his birth to his final conversation with the sculptor designing his tomb, Master Secretary opens a window onto the world Shakespeare inhabited—a world of politics and diplomacy, comedy and tragedy, faith and betrayal. Grounded in historical record yet alive with imagination, this is a compelling re-telling of the life of Robert Cecil: underestimated by many, unforgotten by all.
Author Richard Woulfe
Richard has had two radio plays produced: one by RTE Radio based on James Joyce’s/Nora Barnacle’s time in Trieste, the other a Victorian drama by the Wireless Theatre Company. Stage plays of his have also been performed, and short stories published. Richard is from Limerick, and now lives in London.
Nicola Harris 