Here in Virginia, this January's temps have been utterly brutal. This morning, it was four degrees Fahrenheit. For the Mid-Atlantic region, that's a pretty deep plunge of the thermometer. Right after New Year's, we had a serious ice-storm which turned our yard into an ice-rink.
Literally.
But what is really crazy is how long this storm's ice has held on. Our driveway had about two inches of solid ice that my husband and I had to chisel away at for days. Even now, after three weeks, there is still a lot of ice in our yard. It's been so cold that hardly anything has melted.
Author friends of mine in the UK and Europe have been dealing with cold and dropping temps, too. And just yesterday, a storm swept through the southern US, leaving six inches of snow in Panama, Florida! I'm laughing to myself as I write this, because now Florida has had more snow than we have here in Virginia! Imagine that!
In this kind of weather, it's time to get our 2025 reading lists topped off and ready to rock. What are YOU reading this year? Many of you might have a special book in mind, or may wish to re-read something from years past that gave you great pleasure. However, do keep in mind the newer authors out there who are launching books, many of them as debuts.
This week on the Journal, I'd like to welcome Eleanor Swift-Hook and her upcoming novel (this February) The Fugitive Sword, which takes place in Stuart England. For those of you who enjoy this period... just preceding the Thirty Years War, this might be the perfect read for you, so I hope you'll scroll on down to where Eleanor has shared a delightful little blurb with us, giving us a taste of the story-line. Take the jump and enter into 17th century England!
And read on, everybody!
ALL ABOUT THE BOOK
Autumn 1624
Europe is deeply embroiled in what will become the Thirty Years' War.
A young Philip Lord, once favoured at King James' court, has vanished without a trace, under the shadow of treason.
Outside the besieged city of Breda, Captain Matthew Rider faces the brutal reality of wintering his cavalry in the siege lines, until he crosses paths with Filippo Schiavono, a young man whose courage and skill could change everything.
Kate, Lady Catherine de Bouqulement, arrives in London prepared to navigate the dangerous politics of King James' court to ensure troops are sent to her mistress, the exiled Queen of Bohemia.
Within Breda’s walls, a foundling named Jorrit unwittingly stumbles into a lethal conspiracy when Schiavono hires him, supposedly to help sell smuggled tobacco. But Schiavono’s plans go awry and they are compelled to flee the city, only to be captured at sea.
If Schiavono is unable to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness to a savage Dunkirker privateer captain, both he and Jorrit will face certain death.
Meanwhile, in London, Kate is forced to fight her own battle against those seeking to coerce her into their schemes and finds herself trapped in a terrifying and deadly power struggle.
Driven by violence, treachery, and the sea's merciless tides, their fates collide.
ALL ABOUT ELEANOR
Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years’ War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
The Soldier's Stand, book two in Lord's Learning and the sequel to The Fugitive's Sword, is now available for preorder and will be released on 25 February, 2025.
She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.
CONNECT WITH ELEANOR
PRE-ORDER THE BOOK
The Fugitive's Sword sounds intriguing. On the weather front, there has been more snow on the Gulf Coast in the last week than at my hometown near Seward, Alaska! Crazy upside-down world.
Thank you so much for featuring Eleanor Swift-Hook with her riveting new adventure, The Fugitive's Sword, today.
Take care,
Cathie xo
The Coffee Pot Book Club