I am exciting to be hosting the blog tour for The Lotus House by Ann Bennett #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #AsianHistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @annbennett71 @cathiedunn

 

The Lotus House
By Ann Bennett

A gripping, emotional drama of love and courage set in the Philippines during WW2.

1960: Nancy Drayton, an American nurse living on Lake Sebu, is visited by a stranger who hands her some faded letters, given to her by a dying man. Reading them transports Nancy back to the terror of the war years.

1941: When Nancy’s world is blown apart by the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, she volunteers to travel to the Philippines to serve at the front. She soon finds herself working in a field hospital on the Bataan Peninsula in the thick of the fighting, experiencing the horrors of war first hand.

When tending to some wounded men, she meets Captain Robert Lambert, and they become close. But the Japanese are closing in on Bataan, and when the US surrenders, they are driven apart.

As Robert struggles to survive the horrors of the Bataan Death March and the brutality of captivity in a prison camp, Nancy too finds herself a captive, fighting for her life. Will they survive to find one another again or will the forces of war keep them apart?

If you enjoy compelling historical fiction, you’ll love this sweeping story of love and war. 

Praise for Ann Bennett

‘What an amazing read!!! I didn't expect this to be a roller coaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.’

~ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking … I loved this… A must read… Amazing.’

~ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Ann Bennett

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016. 

That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia – Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina during the same period. A Rose in the Blitz – the first in the Sisters of War series and set in London during WWII, was published in March 2024.

The Lake Pagoda won a bronze medal for historical fiction in Asia in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2022. The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu won a silver medal for dual-timeline historical fiction, and A Rose in the Blitz won bronze in the historical romance category in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2024.

The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August 2024) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.

 

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

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I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for The World Turned Upside Down by Seth Irving Handaside #AmericanRevolution #UnitedStateHistory #FoundingFathers #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

 

The World Turned Upside Down 
By Seth Irving Handaside 

"The World Turned Upside Down" takes readers on an exhilarating journey through one of history's most transformative periods.

This masterful work of historical fiction follows the audacious British-American colonists, known as the Founders, as they boldly rise against the mightiest empire of their time: England. Their unprecedented struggle challenged the status quo and reshaped the foundation of global politics and human rights, ushering in the era of democracy. As the narrative unfolds with rich, immersive detail and dynamic characters, the story poses a profound question: after securing their hard-won liberty, could they preserve and nurture the fragile promise of a new world?

This compelling tale captures the spirit of revolution and the enduring quest for freedom.

Excerpt

Horatio Gates

Birthed in 1728 to the much older housekeeper of the 2nd Duke of Leeds of England, who should know more about the desire for glory than the son of a housemaid?

Horatio Gates, a thick barrel man of 50, whose job was to help organize the myriad of state regiments that composed Washington's army, barked out orders.  He thought himself very efficient in managing the camp at Cambridge.

At a soiree given by Washington for his officers at his residence on Brattle Street in the summer of 1775, Gates sat across from Nathanael Greene, whom he studied.  He stood up, his wire-rimmed glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. Glancing around the room before sitting again, he informed anyone who would listen, "Burgoyne considers himself a man of wit, fashion, and honor, a fine dramatic writer, and an officer whose courage endures beyond question.  The only thing that rattles through the thick skull of John Burgoyne is his quest to achieve fame."

Gates' muscles, especially around the mouth and eyes, twitched slightly, the image of Burgoyne stuck in his mind.

He laughed. The tone of his voice changed, and he spoke at a quicker pace.

"Many aspects of his life Burgoyne enjoyed, but none more than public recognition.  When, as a member of the House of Commons, he demanded an investigation of the East India Company, alleging widespread corruption by its officials, he basked in notoriety."

Greene rolled his eyes, successful in stifling a chuckle.

                                                       

"From a personable standpoint, Burgoyne invited criticism.  My godfather, Horace Walpole, told me in a friendly way, 'Burgoyne is the illegitimate son of Lord Bingley," informed Gates.

"He relied on competent authority from the loose tongue of a jealous woman." 

"You know much about him." 

"Yes, I feel I must; destiny stands before us."

"Really," said Greene, who had enough of Burgoyne but not Gates, whose mind itched to pick up a sword. 

"Born in 1722," continued Gates, "his father, the second son of a third Baronet, educated at Westminster School in London, where he befriended Thomas Gage and Lord James Strange, the eldest son of the eleventh Earl of Derby.  The latter would influence his life and fortunes."

Without a word, General Israel Putnam, who commanded the Army Center at Cambridge, took a seat across from Gates.  He blinked and scratched his unshaven face, knowing a good tale awaited.

"In August 1737," Gates resumed, "the Baronet entered the British Army by purchasing a commission in the Horse Guards.  He became known for his fashionable attire and earned the nickname "Gentleman Johnny." He sold his commission in 1741 but returned to the army four years later by buying a cornet's commission in the 1st Royal Dragoons.  A year later, promoted to Lieutenant, he finished the conflict as a captain."

Gates paused, pleasure radiating his face.  He smiled, but his eyes avoided his comrades.  He breathed the scent of fall that whiffed through the open windows.

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Seth Irving Handaside

Growing up in Putnam County in the town of Putnam Valley, named after General Israel Putnam, Seth Irving Handaside walked its roads.

He explored the hills and valleys that American rebels tread. But, he often thought, what would have done when the head of the state, King George III of England, ignored his rights and the rule of law?

Would he have marched to the tune of the revolution and been in a regiment commanded by General Putnam or sided with the loyalists?

Fascinated by American history since elementary school, politics runs in his veins. He has spent the last ten years researching and reading about the founding fathers and settled on six men, three boys not yet twenty, and three Virginians who risked having their necks stretched to make the American dream a reality.

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