The Valet's Witness by Rohn Hein

 

Publication Date: July 1st, 2026
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 307
Genre: Historical Fiction

In the summer of 1776, as the Declaration of Independence takes shape within the charged chambers of the Second Continental Congress, two lives unfold in quiet, irrevocable collision-one etched into the official record, the other deliberately erased from it.

Edward Rutledge, the youngest delegate from South Carolina, moves with calculated precision through a world of rhetoric and reputation. Brilliant, ambitious, and deeply entangled in the economic realities of his homeland, he walks a perilous line between liberty and self-preservation. He argues fiercely for independence while working just as diligently to shield the institution of slavery from scrutiny, determined that the new nation will rise without unsettling the foundation upon which his power-and his prosperity-rests.

At his side stands Pompey, his enslaved valet-unseen, unacknowledged, yet ever-present. Moving silently through corridors thick with ambition and contradiction, Pompey becomes a witness to history in its most unguarded moments. He listens where others speak freely, observes where others perform, and remembers what others choose, or need, to forget. To the men shaping a nation, he is invisible; to the truth, he is indispensable.

Among the servants and valets attending the southern delegates, a hidden network begins to take shape-men bound by circumstance yet united by awareness. In kitchens, in narrow stairwells, in the shadowed edges of candlelit rooms, they exchange fragments of overheard debates and whispered concessions. They piece together a parallel record of the nation's birth: one of uneasy compromises, moral evasions, and calculated silences. They hear the arguments over freedom and tyranny; they witness the careful removal of any language that might threaten the institution that binds them.

As Rutledge maneuvers behind closed doors-pressing to strike any condemnation of slavery from the final draft-Pompey gathers something far more fragile and far more dangerous than political victory: memory. Each conversation, each omission, each moment of hesitation becomes part of a story that has no place in the official narrative. It is a story carried not in ink, but in the minds of those denied the power to write it.

Yet history has a way of resurfacing through the voices it tried to silence.

The Valet's Witness is a sweeping, intimate reimagining of America's founding, illuminating the lives that moved just beyond the margins of recorded history. With lyrical depth and moral clarity, it reveals not only how independence was declared, but what-and who-was sacrificed to secure it. In the space between liberty and bondage, between principle and profit, a hidden truth emerges-one that challenges the very meaning of freedom in a nation built on both hope and contradiction.

Praise for The Valet’s Witness:

"The historical research underpinning the novel is extensive. The atmosphere surrounding the Second Continental Congress is recreated with confidence, and the political negotiations feel carefully grounded in the historical record. Readers familiar with the American Revolution will appreciate the author's evident knowledge of the period, while those approaching it for the first time will find themselves immersed in both the personalities and the events that shaped the emergence of a new nation."
~ Ellie Yarde, Yarde Book Promotions 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"As someone who enjoys historical fiction that remains grounded in its period, I appreciated the care that had gone into recreating this pivotal moment in history."
~ Mary Anne Yarde, The Coffee Pot Book Club 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Rohn Hein

Rohn Hein is a first-time author with fifty years of involvement in non-partisan community activism. Starting as a VISTA volunteer in 1973, he worked for five different non-profit organizations working with welfare recipients, senior citizens, urban housing, racial justice, and environmental efforts in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and New Jersey. For the last 40 years Rohn was an investment adviser while volunteering with social justice activities in affordable housing, racial justice, and environmental issues. Rohn has written testimony presented in the Minnesota and New Jersey Legislature and appeared at numerous churches, city council, county, and regional government agencies.

He works with many New Jersey non-profit organizations on racial justice issues, such as The NJ Institute for Social Justice, Salvation and Social Justice, NJ NAACP, Fair Share Housing, and  UU Faith Action. He has worked on landmark affordable housing legislation and on the enactment of a racial justice impact statement on legislation in New Jersey.

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Via Malorum by G.G. MacLeod

 

Publication Date: October 3rd, 2025

Publisher: independently published

Pages: 216

Genre: Historical Fiction / Psychological Thriller / Dark Romantasy

In the shadows of Rome power bleeds red.

In the shadowed streets of ancient Rome, 37 CE, power is a blade that cuts both ways. Agrippina, a towering enigma of ambition, slips from Caligula’s gilded cage with her newborn son, Domitius, her mind a labyrinth of cold calculation. At her side prowls Messalina, a siren in scarlet, her seductive cunning as deadly as her blade. Together, they navigate a city teeming with decadence and deceit, pursued by whispers of treachery and the emperor’s wrath.

Their journey leads to the Temple of Fortuna where the enigmatic Prophet Cassandra unveils a cryptic fate – one that demands sacrifice and promises blood. As alleys echo with violence and forbidden passions ignite, Agrippina’s quest for dominion collides with Messalina’s ruthless desires. In a night where every step drips with danger, who will rise and who will fall?

VIA MALORUM is a visceral plunge into the heart of Roman darkness, blending historical intrigue with the chilling allure of giallo. Prepare for a tale where power bleeds red, and trust is a luxury none can afford.

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G.G. MacLeod

G.G. MacLeod is a 59-year-old Canadian male based in Calgary.

The author has always had a tendency of combining genres like horror and action along with drama, psychological thrillers, giallo, and sometimes even comedy.

It really depends on how the author feels from moment to moment as they write because the author likes to entertain themselves first and then hope that a smattering of other people out there in the world will like it as well.

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The Quest for the Crown of Thorns (The Long-Hair Saga) by Cynthia Ripley Miller

Publication Date: October 29th, 2018
Publisher: BookLocker
Pages: 211
Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery

AD 454. Three years after the Roman victory over Attila the Hun at Catalaunum, Arria Felix and Garic the Frank are married and enjoying life on Garic’s farm in northern Gaul (France). Their happy life is interrupted when a cryptic message arrives from Arria’s father, the esteemed Senator Felix, calling them to Rome. At Arria’s insistence, but against Garic’s better judgment, they leave at once.

 

On their arrival at Villa Solis, they are confronted with a brutal murder and a dangerous mission. The fate of a profound and sacred object—Christ’s Crown of Thorns—rests in their hands. They must carry the holy relic to the safety of Constantinople, away from a corrupt emperor and old enemies determined to steal it for their own gain. But a greater force arises against them—a secret cult who will commit any atrocity to capture the Crown. All the while, the gruesome murder and the conspiracy behind it haunt Arria’s thoughts.  

 

Arria and Garic’s marital bonds are tested but forged as they partner together to fulfill one of history’s most challenging missions, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns.

Praise for The Quest for the Crown of Thorns:

"Research, writing, characterization and plot combine to make Quest for the Crown of Thorns a page turner. This is a must-read book for fans of history and romance. Don’t miss it!"

~ Amazon 5* Review

"This expertly researched saga reveals an era that rarely appears in historical fiction: AD 454 Rome. Ms. Ripley-Miller skillfully weaves the food, clothes, and over-all living environment into a unique plot."
~ Amazon 5* Review

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Cynthia Ripley Miller

Cynthia Ripley Miller is a first-generation Italian-American writer with a love for history, languages, and books. She has lived in Europe and traveled worldwide, holds two degrees, and taught history and English. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, at Orchard Press Mysteries.com, and The Scriptor.

She is a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist with awards from Circle of Books: Rings of Honor and The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has reviewed for UNRV Roman History, and blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com.

Cynthia is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, and A Sword Among Ravens, books 1-3 in her Long-Hair Saga series set in Late Ancient Rome, France, and Jerusalem.

Cynthia lives outside of Chicago with her family and a cute but bossy cat.

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Soldiers of Christ by Jon Byrne

 

Publication Date: April 28th, 2026

Publisher: The Book Guild

Pages: 388

Genre: Historical Adventure

In a land torn by crusade and rebellion, honour is earned in blood.

1205. Richard Fitz Simon has fled England after his title was usurped, joining the Livonian Order of Swordbrothers – a German brotherhood of warrior-monks fighting to bring the word of God to the pagan frontier. After slaying the Lithuanian champion at the Battle of Rodenpois, Richard is celebrated by the Order and their Semigallian allies.

Yet his position remains precarious. Jealous rivals question his right to stand among the brotherhood, and his master, Knight-brother Rudolf, is enraged by Richard’s disobedience. When dark secrets from Lübeck resurface, Richard also finds himself at odds with Bishop Albert, head of the Christian mission in Livonia. As he struggles to reconcile faith, duty and identity, he is drawn into a brutal world of suspicion and bloodshed.

Sent on an expedition to build a castle deep in the wilderness, Richard soon sees tensions erupt – and the path he has chosen threatens to destroy everything he has fought to become.

Excerpt

The two mailed guards at the gate of the bishop’s residence were sullen and unfriendly as they barred our entry. I brandished the sealed letter that Theodoric had given me. ‘This is an urgent message to the bishop from Abbot Theodoric. I have to see him immediately!’

‘That is not possible,’ the first guard said. He was big, burly and looked like he would be at ease in the seediest back alley. ‘The bishop is preparing to leave for the Empire. Give me the letter, I’ll make sure he receives it.’

‘I have been instructed to give it to him personally.’

The guard frowned. ‘What is it about?’

‘I cannot divulge that. This is for Bishop Albert’s eyes only. It is important!’

He folded his arms across his chest and stuck out his chin. ‘Well, in that case, if you’re not willing—’

There was no time for this. I looked past the guard and saw a priest in the yard, directing men who were loading a cart in front of the bishop’s residence. I shouted to him, waving the letter in my hand. The priest looked up and walked across towards where I stood with the two, now angry guards. ‘What appears to be the problem here?’

‘I have an important letter for Bishop Albert from Abbot Theodoric in Polozk. It is for his eyes only, but these men will not allow me entry.’

At a word from the priest, the guards let us through reluctantly and we followed him into the yard. He told us he would go and see the bishop while we were to wait outside. I looked at Kovals, who had become noticeably quiet since we had arrived in Riga. I think he must have been intimidated by the size of the town, which for me seemed ridiculously small after seeing London and Lübeck, but must have appeared like a great city to him. 

The men continued to load the wagons in the yard. I wondered what would happen for our mission here when the last of the pilgrims left. Riga would be empty of troops again just when a new war was about to break out. It was a worrying prospect.

A few moments later, the priest returned, followed by the intimidating figure of Bishop Albert. As I had thought when I’d first seen him, he was built more like a warrior than a man of God, and my heart began pounding as he frowned upon seeing me. I remembered how he had berated me in his hall.

‘Ah, the young man from the Militia of Christ that caused me such problems the last time I was in Lübeck. What do you want? Were you not sent with Abbot Theodoric’s mission to Polozk?’

‘Yes…’ I felt the intensity of his stare like a physical force. ‘He sent us to deliver this letter to you about a planned attack on our mission here by King Vladimir of Polozk.’ I handed him the letter.

‘Where is the abbot now?’

‘He was still in the city when we left.’

Albert grunted and broke the seal, reading it quickly before looking back at me. ‘This is very grave news. If you had arrived in two days’ time, I would already be on the journey back to the Empire to recruit more pilgrims. Now it seems God has decided otherwise.’

That was good. I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to ask, but when not now then probably never. I swallowed my doubts. ‘Abbot Theodoric promised a half mark of silver to Kovals if he completed the task…’

Albert looked me directly in the eye, clearly irritated. ‘It will be arranged.’ He turned to the priest who nodded and disappeared into the hall.

‘What will happen now?’ I blurted out.

There was a short pause. He examined me, clearly unhappy with what he saw. ‘I don’t see what that has to do with you. You really are an impudent young man. I think you forget your place in the order of things.’

‘I meant no offence, Your Excellency…’

‘You are nothing but trouble. I was informed by some of the merchants in Lübeck that you were an arrogant boy who thought himself better than his peers. I see now what they mean.’

I lowered my eyes and looked at the ground.

‘I suggest you return to your convent. Do not forget you are still under holy orders. But mark my words, I have not forgotten you. If the merchant’s guild in Lübeck give me more evidence when I return that you committed crimes, you will face justice. And next time, Abbot Theodoric will not be able to help you.’ He turned his back and returned into the hall leaving Kovals and me standing.

The priest reappeared and gave Kovals a small bag. We left the yard, past the surly guards and back into the street. I turned to Kovals. ‘Well, that is the leader of the Christian Church here in Livonia.’ I felt angry and humiliated about what had just happened. ‘He didn’t even thank us for risking our lives to warn him about the coming attack.’

‘No.’ Kovals said. ‘But at least he give me my silver.’ 

I smiled. ‘Yes, at least he did that.’

‘I think maybe, he might not like you.’

‘You might be right.’ I sighed. ‘It’s a long story.’

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Jon Byrne

Jon Byrne, originally from London, now lives with his German family by a lake in Bavaria with stunning views of the Alps. As well as writing, he works as a translator for a local IT company and occasionally as a lumberjack. He has studied the medieval world for over twenty years, building up a comprehensive personal library and a particular interest in the often-overlooked Northern Crusades.

Soldiers of Christ is Book Two of The Northern Crusader Chronicles, a gritty, historically grounded series focused on realism, moral ambiguity, and the brutal realities of medieval warfare.

Written for readers who value authenticity and atmosphere over romanticised adventure, the novel explores a largely forgotten crusading frontier, culminating in the first of many confrontations in a harsh wilderness of forest and swamp.

Readers who enjoy the historical detail of authors such as Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, or Ben Kane may find familiar ground here.

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