WINNER and Runner-Up of the 2015 Historical Fiction Award #SundayBlogShare

The 2015 Golden Rose Book Award for Historical Fiction

went to Zoe Saadia with Two Rivers

Meet Zoe

Zoe Saadia is the author of several novels of pre-Columbian Americas. From the glorious pyramids of Tenochtitlan to the fierce democrats of the Great Lakes, her novels bring long-forgotten history, cultures and people to life, tracing pivotal events that brought about the greatness of Meso and North America.

Having researched various pre-contact cultures of this continent for more than a decade, she is convinced that it’s a shame that such a large part of history was completely overlooked, by historical fiction most of all. Both Americas has an extremely rich, diverse, fascinating history long before this continent came in contact with the rest of the world.
So her professional motto is set. America has not been ‘discovered’, not yet. Not in her novels.

Find Zoe on Twitter @ZoeSaadia

Book Description

Having survived the failed raid on the enemy lands, Tekeni had no illusions. He was nothing but an enemy cub, adopted into one of the clans, but not accepted, never for real. To fit in was difficult, to run away – impossible. To get into trouble, more often than not, was the only available option. They did not expect anything else from him, anyway.

However, when a meaningless row during a ballgame grew out of proportion, resulting in a fight, Tekeni has found himself in a truly grave trouble. Neither he nor anyone else could have foreseen the chain of events the consequences of this fight would release, when the highly esteemed but controversial Two Rivers decided to help Tekeni out.

Two Rivers was a strange person with unacceptable notions and ideas. He maintained that to war on and on was a mistake of disastrous consequences. He went as far as suggesting a negotiation of peace with some of the neighboring nations. Even Tekeni, the despised enemy, thought such ideas to be far-fetched and wild. And yet…

With their trouble mounting and the revengefulness of some people around them growing, both Tekeni and Two Rivers find themselves pushed beyond limits.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Silver Award went to

Frances Evesham with Danger At Thatcham Hall

Meet Frances

Frances Evesham writes mystery stories: the Exham on Sea contemporary crime series set in a small Somerset seaside town, and the Thatcham Hall Mysteries, 19th Century historical mystery romances set in Victorian England.

She collects grandsons, Victorian ancestors and historical trivia, likes to smell the roses, lavender and rosemary, and cooks with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other. She loves the Arctic Circle and the equator and plans to visit the penguins in the south one day.

She’s been a speech therapist, a professional communicator and a road sweeper and worked in the criminal courts. Now, she walks in the country and breathes sea air in Somerset.

Catch up with Frances on Twitter @FrancesEvesham

Book Description Danger At Thatcham Hall published by Wild Rose Press

Ambitious lawyer Nelson Roberts, embittered by war, jilted by his fiancée, and trusting no one, aims to make his name solving the mysterious thefts and violence at Thatcham Hall, a country house in Victorian England.

Olivia Martin, headstrong and talented, will stop at nothing to overcome the conventions of the day, avoid a miserable fate as a governess and fulfill dreams of a musical future.

The pair stumble on a body. Is the farmhand’s death a simple accident, or something more sinister? Who attacked the livestock at the Hall and why are the villagers so reluctant to talk? Can Nelson and Olivia overcome their differences and join forces to unravel the web of evil that imperils the Hall?

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Final congratulations to all our Historical Fiction nominees.

Alison Williams with THE BLACK HOURS

William Savage with AN UNLAMENTED DEATH

Tony Riches with OWEN

Vanessa Matthews with THE DOCTOR’S DAUGHTER

ANNOUNCING winners and runners-up in the 2015 Rosie Amber Golden Rose Book Awards #TuesdayBookBlog

Welcome to the Official Awards Ceremony of the 2015 Rosie Amber #RBRT Book Awards. We had almost one thousand votes. A Huge thank you to all the nominees and their supporters.

Here Are The Results

 

Congratulations!

2015 Rosie Amber Book Award

Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Winner of the Golden Rose is

Barb Taub with One Way Fare

 

  

Runner-up and receiver of the Silver Rose is

John Privilege with The American Policeman

 

 

 

 

Congratulations!

2015 Rosie Amber Book Award

Mystery and Thriller

Winner of the Golden Rose is

Rose Edmunds with Concealment

 

Runner-up and receiver of the Silver Rose is

Robert Leigh with Any Man Joe

 

Congratulations!

2015 Rosie Amber Book Award

Contemporary

Winner of the Golden Rose is

Mark Barry with The Night Porter

 

Runner-up and receiver of the Silver Rose is

Terry Tyler with Last Child

 

 

Congratulations!

2015 Rosie Amber Book Award

Romance

Winner of the Golden Rose is

Lynne Shelby with French Kissing

 

Runner-up and receiver of the Silver Rose is

Patricia Sands with The Promise Of Provence

 

Congratulations!

2015 Rosie Amber Book Award

Historical Fiction

Winner of the Golden Rose is

Zoe Saadia with Two Rivers

 

Runner-up and receiver of the Silver Rose is

Frances Evesham with Danger At Thatcham Hall

A round of applause please for all our finalists;

Dylan J Morgan

C.S Boyack

Rewan Tremethick

Celine Jeanjean

Geoffrey West

Noelle Granger

Rob Sinclair

Faith Mortimer

Sue Hewitt

Laura Wilkinson

Tonia Parronchi

Dena Haggerty

Helen Pollard

Heather Hill

Donna Brown

Emily Arden

Alison Williams

William Savage

Tony Riches

Vanessa Matthews

I will be posting feature posts on the Winners and Runners-Up authors over the next few days.

 

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT The Young Jaguar by @ZoeSaadia #Aztecs #Bookreview

Today’s team review comes from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Cathy chose to read and review The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia

Fifteen years have passed since Tecpatl and Sakuna left the Anasazi people and returned to the capital city of Axacapotzalco in the Tepanec Empire. Now the Chief Warlord and with many successes on the battlefield, Tecpatl returns only to find the old Emperor, Acolnahuacatl, is dying. He is charged with supporting Acolnahuacatl’s choice of successor but two of the old Emperor’s sons are competing for their father’s title. Tecpatl and his family are caught in the middle of the conflict caused by the brothers.

Atolli, the oldest of Tecpatl and Sakuna’s three children, wants to excel in his military training in order to be accepted as one of the elite warriors and be like his father. But Atolli is reckless and headstrong and has been caught out in a serious misdeed, which he compounds by an even worse offence, bringing disgrace upon his family.

Atolli is drawn into the intrigue and politics between the old emperor’s two sons, as is his mother and father. The resulting situation helps him grow and mature. Atolli accepts he is in the wrong and works out a way to put things right without help, which makes his father proud. The city is in disorder and there is unrest everywhere. Tecpatl is forced by the scheming of others into a less than ideal situation and is compelled to choose between the two things he lives for.  Sakuna takes unorthodox measures to help her man, and all three are fighting against unfavourable odds.

The relationship between Tecpatl and Sakuna is intense, powerful and monogamous, which is unheard of, and doesn’t follow the customs dictated by the Tepanec tradition, putting them at a certain disadvantage with their peers. Sakuna is considered a savage, a barbarian by the people of Axacapotzalco and they cannot understand why Tecpatl refuses to take another wife, specifically one of Tepanec blood.  The marked contrast between Sakuna and the women of the time, how they are treated and regarded by the menfolk, also how they view and conduct themselves, is depicted perfectly by actions and during conversations.

The believable, well drawn characters, the realism of the setting and way of life are described in memorable detail, all evoking strong and clear images. An excellent taste of this pre Aztec period, breathing colourful life into a culture long since disappeared with an exciting, action filled storyline, beautifully woven together with the history of the time.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s book Review Team #RBRT At Road’s End by @ZoeSaadia #Aztec #bookreview

Today’s team review comes from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com

Cathy chose to read and review At Road’s End by Zoe Saadia

Tecpatl, a proud warrior, is reduced to the role of guide to a group of traders who are far beneath him in the hierarchy of the Azcapotzalco people from the shores of Lake Texcoco. An error of judgement means Tecpatl is disgraced and has to vindicate himself by accompanying and protecting the merchants, although he longs to return home as war is imminent. On their way through the canyons the party discover the slaughtered inhabitants of a village, littered across the canyon floor. There is one survivor, a young woman called Sakuna, whose father, an important person in his community of Great Houses, arranged her marriage to a man from the ravaged village.

Sakuna guides Tecpatl and the merchants to her father’s home in Great Houses. The cliff dwelling Anasazi are a reasonably peaceful people, happy to farm the land and use the crops as sacrifices to the gods. Their philosophy and lack of social status is incomprehensible to Tecpatl who, as well as a strict class system, recognises blood sacrifices as an established custom. Sakuna can’t comprehend Tecpatl’s warrior nature and it seems the two have no common ground.

Sakuna’s father wants Tecpatl to take the merchants on another trip while they wait to trade until after the Summer Solstice, eight days away. But trouble is coming to Great Houses. Tecpatl believes the settlement is about to be attacked by the same band of warriors who ravaged the village and needs to convince the leaders to take action before it is too late. This proves to be an onerous task.

I have little to no knowledge of Mesoamerican history but Zoe Saadia has a wonderful ability to transport me, through extremely well researched and vivid stories, to times long past. The attention to the details of life, the customs and culture of the characters is comprehensive and incredibly interesting, showing the vast differences, both in social behaviour and way of life,  between the populations of the time. The suggestion of how the Anasazi race ceased to exist is an interesting one and could easily be as near to the truth as any other proposed explanation.

Tecpatl and Sakuna are well-developed characters, both fiery, strong and stubborn and the development of their relationship is completely realistic. Their story is based around historical facts during a time characterised by turbulence and unrest, just before the Aztecs’ rise to power. The world building is impressive, as is the amount of research, coupled with the inventiveness and imagery of the narrative. The historical and cultural dictates are woven in to the story smoothly and cleverly from the differing perspectives of the protagonists.

I’m looking forward to following on with the series.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s Book review Team #RBRT Noelle Reviews The Young Jaguar by @ZoeSaadia #Aztecs

Today’s team review comes from Noelle, she blogs at http://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Noelle chose to read and review The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia

Book Review: The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia

 

The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia is the first book in a pre-Aztec trilogy, and introduces us to Atolli, a teenager in the Tepenic Empire of Central America, whose father is Tecpatl, the Chief Warlord. Prior to the rise of the Aztec Empire, this Empire was strong and growing. Tecpatl’s position is very high within the social structure and he is very content, having returned from a series of successful wars, and he loves his family. His wife, Sakuna, followed Tecpatl home when he warred in her native land of the Anasazis, and theirs is a deep and respectful love that has withstood the criticism of the Tepenic elite. Atolli is a hot-headed daredevil, who climbs the walls of the palace with the skill and cunning of a jaguar, just for fun.

The story begins when Atolli, his best friend Mecatl and some other adventurous boys from the warrior school that Atolli attends, roam the palace walls at night, drinking octli, a potent drink reserved for the warriors of the tribe. This is a serious transgression, but an adventure they have taken before. This time, they are discovered and chased and Atolli and Mecatl fall over the wall into one of the palace gardens. There they meet Chictli, the beautiful daughter of the second son of the Emperor, and Atolli is smitten.

His position as Tecpatl’s son saves him from serious punishment, but he has to vow to support Chictli’s father in the future as one of his warriors. At the same time, the Emperor dies, making Tecpatl vow to support his first son as the new Emperor, thus putting him at odds not only with his son, but much of the Tepenic elite. Tecpatl is thus forced to choose between his duty to the new Emperor and his family, which ultimately puts them all in danger. Sakuna uses her skill with herbs and healing to deal with the crisis.

I become completely immersed in Zoe Saadia’s historical novels. The characters come alive; because of her detailed research on everything involved in tribal life – customs, food, clothing , jewelry – the reader feels like they are there, amidst the action. Family dynamics, especially in this book, are very recognizable, even though the tribal dynamics are complex. Zoe makes it clear that people haven’t changed much over the centuries: they are greedy, power-hungry, loving, driven, devious, envious, bored and frustrated. These emotions fuel this story.

I highly recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction but more widely to any reader who likes a barn burner of a story with great characters and lots of action. What’s even better is that you can follow Atolli on his journey to adulthood through the next book in the series, The Jaguar Warrior.

Zoe Saadia is the author of two trilogies and one series (11 full-length novels), all covering the turbulent history of Mesoamerica when the Aztecs were busy coming to power. All are based on more than a decade of research of pre-contact cultures. She is convinced this history of the Americas has been completely overlooked, and she brings it to life through her writing.

She has also written The Peacemaker Series of four books, stories surrounding the creation of the famous Iroquois Confederacy, one of the oldest democracies on earth. I reviewed Two Rivers, one of these books, in a previous post.

When I can fit them into my copious free time, I intend to read all of these!

You can find a copy of this book here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

Beach Reads Blog Tour 2015 Day 11 #BeachBooks @june_kearns

It’s Day 11 of our wonderful book tour holiday, pull up a deck chair and feel the sand between your toes.

Today my guest is June Kearns.

 

Beach Reads Blog Tour

My ideal holiday spot for relaxing and reading? Cromarty. (From the shipping forecast? Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne and Dogger.) The tiny historic town at the tip of the Black Isle, way up in the north of Scotland has warm seas (Gulf Stream), seals, kites and bottlenose dolphins. The rest of the family can swim, sail, fish, play golf, tennis and everything else that they like to do, while I sit in the sun with a book. Bliss!

 

A book I’ve been meaning to read for ages: Love & The Goddess by Mary Elizabeth Coen

I’d already spotted this and admired the cover, but it was the feature on A Woman’s Wisdom Blog that made me fly to the buy button on Kindle. Described as one of those Wonderful Feel Good Books, perfect for a lazy weekend or holiday read, and likened to Sex and the City meets Eat, Pray, Love (I loved both), made it irresistible.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

A book from my favourite genre: The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Fabulously funny, sad, sensitive – this book is all of those things. Was it the first Anne Tyler that I read, the one that hooked me in? I just love it, and have several paperback copies in case one is loaned or lost. A storyline about a man whose life goes into a tailspin after his son dies and his marriage breaks up doesn’t sound much fun, but the appearance of frizzy-haired dog-trainer Muriel from the Meow-Bow dog clinic, turns everything around. Gorgeous.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

A book I could truly escape with: The Republic of Love by Carol Shields

This is a book that I really did escape with on my first ever camping trip with family to the south of France. That first night, I lay on my little cot with flies circling overhead and thought: ‘Help! This is just like Tenko! ’ (TV series about a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.) It’s such a wonderful read – a love-story, yes, but so fresh and sparkling and surprising. Love it. (I have 3 paperback copies of this one, too!)

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

A book that interests me from a genre I’ve never read: Two Rivers by Zoe Saadia

Although I have actually read quite a lot of historical fiction, Zoe Saadia’s books sound completely different to anything else. Instinct tells me to start at the beginning of the series and I’ve read some wonderful reviews of this particular book, (‘cracking good story,’ ‘writing flows beautifully’). I read a lot of Native American history when researching my first book and just wish I’d had access to Zoe Saadia’s series at that time, with all the information and history packaged in a really entertaining read. (On my Kindle)

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

One of my own books?

Well if like me, you’re a sucker for romance, threaded with history and humour – The 20’s Girl might appeal.

Even before the remake of Gatsby and advent of Downton, there was just something in the air about the 1920s – the music, style and fashion. The story was also inspired by a 1920s newspaper headline: ‘A million women too many! 1920 husband hunt!’ – about that generation of surplus women in England after the First World War, who were left with little hope of love or marriage. They were given advice: ‘If you’re hoping for a husband – be warned. Nice young men have no time for jazzing flappers.’

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

And if you’re still looking for some really great holiday reads, let me add the three latest books from my friends and allies in the New Romantics Press, all of which are on Kindle and in paperback.

Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb, Secrets of the Heart, Adrienne Vaughan and Twins of a Gazelle, Mags Cullingford.

Happy Reading!

 

 

 

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Beyond The Great River by @ZoeSaadia

Today’s team review comes from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry chose to read and review Beyond The Great River (People of The Longhouse book 1) by Zoe Saadia

BEYOND THE GREAT RIVER

(People of the Longhouse Book 1) by Zoe Saadia

4 out of 5 stars

This series takes place a short while after the Peacemaker series, which brought about the Great League of the Iroquois.

The story centres around Kentiko, a young girl who does not behave as a young woman of her tribe should; she wants to fight, track, explore, rather than engage in domestic matters. Disappointingly for their warrior father, her brother, Migisso, does not feel comfortable with the path laid out for him, either. He does not want to follow in his father’s footsteps but instead follows the tribal medicine man and knows he has a gift for healing. He was my favourite character. The third main character is Okwaho, from a neighbouring tribe, who becomes part of a small force that invades Kentiko and Migisso’s village. Then Kentiko and Okwaho meet…

As with Zoe Saadia’s other books, I was aware all the way through it of the detailed research that goes into her work. It’s more than just research, though; she seems to have an innate feel for the people of the time, so much that the reader is not able to tell which bits stem from fact and which from her own imagination: the evidence of a truly talented historical fiction writer. The domestic detail is the part that fascinates me the most, giving a real insight into the way these people lived.

The book is beautifully written as ever, and shows the story so well from all points of view. For me this book was a bit detail rather than event heavy, but I still read it in just a few sittings; it was interesting rather than being a ‘what’s going to happen next???’ page turner like the Peacemaker series. Given the ages of the main characters, and their dilemmas, I had a feeling more of a YA novel, too; it would definitely appeal to teenagers—and, of course, for anyone with an interest in ancient American history all this writer’s books are an absolute treat.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

May Book Reviews For Fleet Life and EH Directory

Here are the books which made it to my magazine book review pages for the month of May.

For the online version of Fleet Life go to http://www.fleetlife.org.uk, click on the online directory, load and turn to page 32

Last Child by Terry Tyler

The Faerie Tree by Jane Cable

The Last Dragon Slayer by Martyn Stanley

A Spell in Provence by Marie Laval

Back Behind Enemy Lines by Chris Bridge

For the online version of EH Directory go to http://www.ehd.org.uk, click on the online directory, load and turn to page 9

The Gift Of Charms by Julia Suzuki

Two Rivers by Zoe Saadia

The Magic and Mystery of Birds by Noah Strycker

Death in a Dacron Sail by N.A Granger

Britannia Part II: The Watchmen by Richard Denham

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Jessie reviews The Highlander by Zoe Saadia

Today we have a review from Jessie, she blogs at http://behindthewillows.com/

Jessie chose to read and review The Highlander by Zoe Saadia

The Highlander by Zoe Saadia by Jessie

Can you say… Tenochtitlan, Tepanecs, Tlaxcala and Nezahualcoyotl three times fast?

Yeah, me neither.

But at least now I know what they are! (An Aztec capital, a mesoamerican tribe, a town, and an heir to Texcoco, in case you were wondering.)

The Highlander jumps right to the story, immerses it in history and never pauses to lecture on the subject. This can be a bit confusing when mesoamerica circa 1400’s is completely new to you (as it was to me) but worth it. If given the choice between initial confusion and interrupting the flow of a story to give a history lesson, I’ll choose initial confusion every time. And, as happens in well done historical fiction, by the end of this fairly short book I had many of the unfamiliar terms, towns and people sorted out in my brain – even if I still can’t pronounce a single one of them.

Saadia is also great at writing adolescent boys. The trouble is adolescent boys are not my favorite. Teenage boys were annoying when I was a teenager, and they haven’t gotten less so just because they are fictional. And, yes, because my husband asked, I didn’t even like Harry Potter that much during his teenage years. And, no, in case you are wondering I didn’t know my husband when he was that age. And, no, I will not speculate on what I might have thought of him then.  The two main characters in this story are boys brimming with adolescent, angst-ey, angry, hormonal, warrior energy. All their boy shenanigans are a great way to tell the story, immerse the reader in history and keep it exciting. It’s just that all those warrior hormones seem to get in the way of other things – like brains. I found myself yelling at them, “Seriously boys, what are you doing? Just think!” Initially I thought perhaps they could have been written differently but then I remembered back to when I spent time with fifteen year old boys – and figured she was writing them just right.

Would I recommend it? I loved learning some of the history of a place and time entirely new to me and the book does have a pretty fantastic female character hiding in the wings but those boys… I just don’t love those boys…

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Cathy reviews Across The Great Sparkling Water by Zoe Saadia

Today’s review comes from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com

Cathy chose to read and review Across The Great Sparkling Water by Zoe Saadia

The incredible journey of the Great Peacemaker continues with more action and adventure. Two Rivers and Teneki have crossed the Great Sparkling Water (Lake Ontario) but fighting the currents and rapids has left Two Rivers injured. They find refuge in a clearing in the woods where an old woman, Jikonsahseh, lives. She also wants peace and helps anyone passing through her clearing who is in need. Staying with her is Onheda, a runaway captive from Teneki’s tribe. Onheda has been travelling for days trying to reach her own people. Jikonsahseh found her, too exhausted and weak to continue and nursed her back to health.

From Onheda and Jikonsahseh, Two Rivers and Teneki learn of Hionhwatha, the former leader who wanted to stop the feuding and unite the Onondaga people. The gatherings were peaceful until those who opposed Hionhwatha resorted to violence and after the death of his wife and children Hionhwatha left to live alone in the woods. It takes some persuasion from Two Rivers and Teneki to convince him to take part in the peace talks.

The story is developing wonderfully and moves along at a great pace, with characters, old and new adding depth, to an atmosphere I can all but feel, and sense of place. Two Rivers from the start has been, and is, a highly developed and charismatic character. Teneki and Two Rivers are now faced with the task of seeking meetings with tribes, whose members are very wary and view strangers as a possible threat, with their message of peace.

The chemistry and growing attraction between Two Rivers and Onheda is a touching romantic addition which I hope will continue. But for the moment Two Rivers is totally focused on his task and destiny, even to the point of fulfilling the part of his prophecy which requires him to carry out a life or death act.

Facts presented in fictional form really bring history to life, making the people and situations a reality and creating a fascinating insight into the past. Zoe Saadia has achieved this brilliantly.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com