The Whispering Bookworm

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club: The Cleansing (A Novel of Ancient Rome. Based on a True Story) by Victoria Alvear

Based on a true story, this is not the enlightened Rome of myth. This is a city choking on fear, where blood flows on both the battlefield and altar, and where generals and politicians alike are desperate to appease rageful gods.

When 50,000 Romans fall in a single day at the Battle of Cannae, priests claim there can be only one reason the gods abandoned Rome: a Vestal Virgin has broken her vow of chastity. And they accuse Opimia (Mia), the strongest, most defiant of the six sacred Vestal priestesses.

Forced as a child into serving Vesta, the goddess of fire, Mia has always chafed against Rome’s control of her every move—especially after being separated from her childhood love, Attius. Now, accused of a crime she did not commit, she must defend herself in a hostile court to avoid being buried alive for her “crime.”

Betrayed by the high priestess, hunted by Rome’s political and religious elite, Mia must either accept her fate — or join with the Sybil of Cumae to expose the truth behind a world built on superstition, fear, and lies.

A story of personal awakening amid public catastrophe, The Cleansing is a haunting journey through a city at war with itself — and a woman who risks everything to survive it.

Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Publisher: Hypatia Press
Pages: 314
Genre: Historical Fiction

Praise for The Cleansing:

"Original, deftly crafted...[and a] historical thriller with an impressive level of literary excellence."

~ Midwest Book Review

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Victoria Alvear

Victoria Alvear has written multiple books and novels set in the ancient world, including A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii, A Song of War: A Novel of Troy, Cleopatra’s Moon, and others.

She is known as Vicky Alvear Shecter for her children’s books, which include Warrior Queens, Anubis Speaks!, Hades Speaks!, and Thor Speaks!.

Victoria has served as a docent at the museum of antiquities at Emory University for nearly twenty years.

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Monday, June 29, 2026

On tour with Yarde Book Promotions: Tides of Treachery (Beyond the Faerie Rath Book) By Hanna Par

Power was never the danger. Want was.

On Samhain night, with treachery seated beside the throne and the dead stirring beneath the House of Faces, Macha felt him at her back—steady, lethal, far too close. She was meant to hold Ulaid together, not crave the man sworn to protect her. But desire turned every choice into something dangerous.

Ruairi had already crossed death once. Macha was far more dangerous.

Macha stood before him with fire in her eyes while Ulaid cracked apart around her, and every vow he’d sworn strained toward breaking. He was her blade, her shield, the last thing standing between her and the darkness rising through the court. He was never meant to want her like this.

The dead had always spoken to Breda. She never expected them to speak his name.

As the House of Faces began to fracture, the whispers pulled her toward truths long buried within Ulaid—and toward a shadowed man who felt more like a warning than salvation. The dead were no longer content to whisper.

Cian lived with the damage he helped create—and the woman he could not save.

Old magic bound him to grief, guilt, and a past that refused to stay buried. Love had failed them before. It might fail them again.

As Samhain descends, loyalties fracture, the dead grow restless, and Ulaid begins to unravel.

Review - 5 Stars

I've been reading fantasy for many years now, and these days it takes quite a lot to surprise me. Tides of Treachery managed it.

What I enjoyed most was the richness of the world. There is a depth to the mythology that made me feel as though I was stepping into a place with a long history rather than simply reading about a fantasy kingdom. The Celtic influences gave the story a distinctive flavour that I found refreshing.

Macha was a heroine I quickly warmed to. She possesses courage and determination, but also compassion, which made her easy to admire. I was equally drawn to Ruairi. There is a sadness about him that touched me, and I found myself hoping things would work out for him.

The romance was beautifully handled. As someone who has read more than her fair share of books over the years, I appreciated that the relationship was allowed to develop naturally. The growing affection between Macha and Ruairi felt genuine, and some of the quieter moments between them were among my favourites in the book.

I must also mention the House of Faces, which I found both fascinating and rather unsettling. The older I get, the more I appreciate stories that can still send a little shiver down my spine, and this certainly managed that on occasion.

I found myself lingering over this book rather than racing through it. Not because it was slow, but because I enjoyed spending time in the world Hanna Park has created. There is a great deal to absorb, and I wanted to savour it.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and one that reminded me why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place.

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Hanna Park

I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.

I write stories that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love. Thank you, friends, for reading!

In the beginning, there was an empty page.

I am a writer who lives in Muskoka, Canada, with a husband who snores, a hungry cat, and an almost perfect canine––he’s an adorable little shit.

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On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club: The Daredevil: The Dawn of America Book #3 by Regan Walker

Before there was a Continental Navy, there was one man’s courage...

When young merchant captain Samuel Tucker learns that war has broken out between Britain and the Colonies, he cannot stand idle. Leaving the safety of London’s port, he races home across a storm-tossed Atlantic to offer his sword to liberty’s cause. Along the way, he saves a valuable ship, her crew, and her cargo—a deed that brings him before General Washington himself. The grateful commander offers Sam command of one of his newly armed schooners.

From those perilous beginnings in Washington’s shadow fleet, Sam rises through the ranks of the Continental Navy and beyond, eventually commanding a privateer that strikes deep into the British supply lines. From the fogbound wharves of Marblehead to the treacherous shoals of Halifax and Europe, he wages war with the daring of a man who seems to fear neither sea nor shot. To his men he is “the Daredevil”—fearless, quick-witted, and guided by an unshakable faith.

Yet amid the thunder of broadsides and the peril of capture, Tucker’s heart is not immune to gentler battles. Mary Gatchell, the steadfast Marblehead woman whose prayers sustain him from shore, anchors the life he risks with every voyage. But the sea is a jealous mistress, and every homecoming may be his last.

Publication Date: April 14th, 2026

Publisher: Patriotic Books Publishing

Pages: 408

Genre: Historical Fiction

Image (c) Yarde Book Promotions

Praise for The Daredevil:

"Fast paced, on the edge of your seat adventures, sea battles, romance, faith, courage and love. I think THe DAREDEVIL is my favorite of THE DAWN OF AMERICA series. A must read for American Revolution enthusiasts, and romance readers alike. An absolute pleasure to read.."

~ April R, Amazon 5* Review

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Regan Walker

Regan Walker is an award-winning author of more than twenty historical novels spanning the Georgian, Regency, Medieval and Revolutionary eras.

With meticulous research and a storyteller’s eye for drama, she transports readers from the intrigues of medieval England and the courts of eighteenth-century France to Scotland’s mist-shrouded Highlands, the cobbled streets of early nineteenth-century London, and ships riding dangerous seas.

From spies, smugglers, and pirates to masked balls and opulent palaces, her novels reveal the courage, faith, and love that endure through history’s most turbulent days.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2026

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club: The Lost Voices by Paul Rushworth-Brown

Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace.

The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction that brings to light those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked significance, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition.

This is the story of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances—individuals navigating a rigid social order shaped by obligation, fear, and quiet resistance. Here, survival depends as much on silence as on action, and choices are made not in moments of glory, but in private, under pressure, and with consequences rarely acknowledged.

The novel explores how personal truth is shaped—and sometimes erased—by authority, custom, and the need to endure. What remains are the lives history does not celebrate: the unspoken loyalties, the moral compromises, and the quiet cost of being unheard.

The Lost Voices is an intimate and powerful reflection on what history forgets—and what it leaves behind.

Publication Date: April 28th, 2026

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 466

Genre: Historical Fiction

Praise for The Lost Voices:

"Another great work by a very talented author who loves his period works and characters from his great plots. He writes with verve and intent to deliver the imagination something unexpected and greatly appreciated... Brilliant..."

Gavin, Readalot Magazine reviewer

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Paul Rushworth-Brown

Paul Rushworth-Brown is an Australian historical fiction author whose work explores ordinary people navigating forces far greater than themselves.

His writing focuses on identity, survival, and the lasting impact of historical events, examining how lives are shaped not only by what history records, but by what it leaves behind. His work has reached international audiences across the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances on PSI TV and U.S. radio, including Moments with Marianne Pestana on ABC-affiliated KMET 1490AM/98.1FM.

Through his fiction, he brings attention to the human cost of history and the individuals often overlooked within it.

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Monday, June 22, 2026

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club: Queen of Shadows by Anna Belfrage

She should have stayed in the shadows—but Leonor de Guzmán yearned for the sun

Castile in the 1330s is a place of constant turmoil. King Alfonso must contend with the incursions from the Muslim Marinids eager to reclaim Al-Andalus while struggling with repeated rebellions against his firm rule.

When Alfonso needs respite, he finds it in the arms of his Leonor—the most beautiful woman in the realm. But while he may love Leonor over all others, his lawful wife, Maria of Portugal, is tired of being constantly displaced by the fair Leonor.

Leonor loves her man. She gives him healthy sons, a place to be himself. But she is only a mistress, even if Alfonso treats her like a queen. Leonor’s enemies watch and hate.

Flying too close to the sun comes at a high price. How much will Leonor’s love cost her?

Based on the true story of Alfonso XI and his complicated relationships to wife and life-long mistress.

Publication Date: May 21st, 2026

Publisher: Timelight Press

Pages: 400

Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance

Praise for Queen of Shadows:

"Belfrage demonstrates a keen awareness of how power operates—not only through laws and titles, but through relationships, perceptions, and the fragile balance between influence and legitimacy. Her prose is measured and evocative, allowing the emotional weight of events to unfold naturally without diminishing their impact. The historical setting is rendered with careful attention to detail, creating a world that feels both authentic and immediate."
~ Yarde Book Promotions, 5* Editorial Review

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Anna Belfrage

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 two 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 just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding...

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Readers’ Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

“A master storyteller”

“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com where you will also find her post about Alfonso and Leonor.

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