I got lost in a book

Sunday, 6 July 2025

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence by Julie McDonald Zander #HistoricalFiction #WWI #Timeslip #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MacZanderAuthor @cathiedunn

Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence

By Julie McDonald Zander

Publication Date: March 7th, 2025
Publisher: St. Helen's Press
Pages: 290
Genre: Historical Fiction / World War I / Timeslip

A forgotten diary. A century-old secret. A town still haunted by its past.

When former Navy Seabee Colleen Holmes inherits an old house in Centralia, Washington, she sees it as a chance to escape her own ghosts and start anew. But as she peels back layers of history within the home’s walls, she unearths long-buried secrets tied to a dark chapter in the town’s history.

Hidden behind crumbling plaster, a faded diary and a bundle of love letters unveil the struggles of a soldier trapped in the trenches of France and the heartbreak of those left waiting at home. Yet the diary’s brittle pages hold more than just longing—they bear witness to the explosive events of November 11, 1919, when a parade meant to celebrate peace erupted into violence and bloodshed.

As Colleen pieces together the tragic choices that shattered lives and fractured a town, she realizes history is never truly buried. The wounds of yesterday still shape today, and the past is not done with her yet.

Inspired by true events, Shattered Peace is a gripping time-slip novel of love, loss, and the echoes of history that refuse to fade. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network and The Girl You Left Behind, this haunting tale of resilience, redemption, and the pursuit of truth will linger long after the final page.

This novel is avaliable on the following bookstores: Universal Buy Link

Julie McDonald Zander

Julie McDonald Zander, an award-winning journalist, earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University of Washington before working two decades as a newspaper reporter and editor.

Through her personal history company, Chapters of Life, she has published more than 75 individual, family, and community histories. Her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, won a Will Rogers Medallion and was a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award for Best Historical Novel.

She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, where they raised their two children.

Author Links:

Sunday, 15 June 2025

Book Review - 5 STARS - The Captive Princess: Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany (Medieval Babes: Tales of Little-Known Ladies Book 3) by J.P. Reedman

The Captive Princess: Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany
(Medieval Babes: Tales of Little-Known Ladies Book 3)
By J.P. Reedman

Publication Date: 30th May 2018

Publisher: ‎ Independently Published

Page Length: 241

Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction

Princess. Marriage Prize. Prisoner.

Eleanor of Brittany is sent to live in the household of her esteemed grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and brought up expecting to be the bride of a powerful prince. But when the marriage proposed for her as part of Richard Lionheart's ransom falls through and King Richard dies a few years later at Chalus, she is returned to her mother and her beloved younger brother Arthur in Brittany. John now sits on the throne of England, something Eleanor and Arthur both resent, for they are the children of his elder brother, Geoffrey, and many men say their claim to England supersedes John's. Arthur's desire for a crown leads the pair to ally with France and attack their aged grandmother in the castle of Mirabeau, a move that brings untold disaster to both. Beautiful Eleanor, the Pearl of Brittany, is held captive in England from that day forth, through the reign of two kings-never tried, charged with no offence, her only crime her royal Plantagenet blood.

I have to confess, I have never heard of Eleanor of Brittany. I have read about the dreadful thing King John did to her brother, but I have not heard anything about her. It is as if she was lost to history. Well, J.P. Reedman has put this right.

The story of Eleanor of Brittany is indeed a tragic one. Reedman has captured the very essence of not only the era but has made me think about the women of this era, how their lives have been so often overlooked by history, and how their stories are just as fascinating as the men, if not more so. Eleanor's story is one of strength and courage, and it is a story that certainly kept me engrossed, so much so that I stayed up until 2 am to finish it!

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially when told from a woman's perspective, then this is a book that is worth adding to your collection. I think this is a book that I will be reading again, as it is just such a captivating story.

This novel is available on Amazon

J.P. Reedman

J.P. Reedman was born in Canada but has lived in the U.K. for nearly 30 years.

Interests include folklore & anthropology, prehistoric archaeology (neolithic/bronze age Europe; ritual, burial & material culture), as well as The Wars of the Roses and the rest of the medieval era.

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