Book Blast - Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Bazos #TraitorsKnotBookBlast

Traitor's Knot by Cryssa Bazos

Publication Date: May 9, 2017

Endeavor Press

eBook; 394 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Historical

England 1650: Civil War has given way to an uneasy peace in the year since Parliament executed King Charles I.

Royalist officer James Hart refuses to accept the tyranny of the new government, and to raise funds for the restoration of the king’s son, he takes to the road as a highwayman.

Elizabeth Seton has long been shunned for being a traitor’s daughter. In the midst of the new order, she risks her life by sheltering fugitives from Parliament in a garrison town. But her attempts to rebuild her life are threatened, first by her own sense of injustice, then by falling in love with the dashing Hart.

The lovers’ loyalty is tested through war, defeat and separation. James must fight his way back to the woman he loves, while Elizabeth will do anything to save him, even if it means sacrificing herself.

Traitor’s Knot is a sweeping tale of love and conflicted loyalties set against the turmoil of the English Civil War.

“A hugely satisfying read that will appeal to historical fiction fans who demand authenticity, and who enjoy a combination of suspense, action, and a very believable love story.” - Elizabeth St. John, author of The Lady of the Tower

“A thrilling historical adventure expertly told.” - Carol McGrath, author of The Handfasted Wife

Traitor's Knot is available in eBook from Amazon

About the Author

Cryssa Bazos is a historical fiction writer and 17th Century enthusiast, with a particular interest in the English Civil War (ECW). She blogs about English history and storytelling at her blog, the 17th Century Enthusiast, and is an editor of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog site.

Cryssa's debut novel, Traitor’s Knot, a romantic tale of adventure set during the English Civil War. Traitor’s Knot is the first in a series of adventures spanning from the ECW to the Restoration and is now available from Endeavour Press.

For more information visit Cryssa's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Wednesday, May 31
Passages to the Past

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A Bookaholic Swede

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The Writing Desk

Monday, June 5
Pursuing Stacie

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Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, June 8
So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, June 9
I Heart Reading

Monday, June 12
What Is That Book About

Tuesday, June 13
Books, Dreams, Life

Wednesday, June 14
The True Book Addict

Thursday, June 15
A Holland Reads

Sunday, June 18
Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, June 19
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots (with excerpt)

Tuesday, June 20
A Literary Vacation
To Read, Or Not to Read

Wednesday, June 21
Svetlana's Reads and Views

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CelticLady's Reviews

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{Book Tour} Review--Oxford Whispers by Marion Croslydon {plus contest}

OXFORD WHISPERS

By

Marion Croslydon

Two star-crossed lovers in the English Civil War

A painting with haunting powers

A murderous ghost back for revenge

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead. She has vowed to ignore her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic gift passed down through her Louisiana family. The world of the living is where she wants to belong.

But her resolution shatters when the ill-fated lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class at Oxford—begin to haunt her. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War.

In misty present-day Oxford, Madison embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of the past and understand her personal bond with the painting. To protect herself, she must learn to accept her gift before life imitates art, in all its tragedy.

College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting.

With the spirit of a murderer in hot pursuit, Madison comes to realize that her own first love may be doomed…

Based on a real Pre-Raphaelite painting, Oxford Whispers is full of romance, drama and suspense.

Fall in love for the first time… Again.

About the author:
I am a true citizen of the world. I was born in West Africa, grew up in the South of France, and studied in Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town, and Oxford before finally settling down in London. This wide variety of cities has provided lots of inspiration for my writing. Talk about culture exposure!

In addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course. My debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country and English rock.

My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster. Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.

Visit the author:
www.marioncroslydon.com 
www.twitter.com/mcroslydon
www.facebook.com/marioncroslydon
www.youtube.com/user/marioncroslydon.



My thoughts:
Oxford Whispers has a premise that I really like in a book.  A contemporary novel which is also a historical novel, as it switches back and forth from the present to the past.  There is also the edition of a famous pre-Raphaelite painting that adds to the mystery of the past.  I'm a sucker for books that derive a story from famous paintings.  The story of Madison and Rupert and how they are tied to the past are depicted in the William Shakespeare Burton painting, The Wounded Cavalier.  Gorgeous painting (see below).  So, of course, the parts of the book that tell of the past were what drew my interest.  Unfortunately, I wish I could have felt more of a connection with the modern day characters of Madison and Rupert.  Madison especially just came across too good to be true to me.  A Louisiana girl who has a voodoo heritage, who went to Yale and at one point she says she's from Boston and that she has an ancestor who was in the Salem witch trials.  I guess the ancestor from Salem had to be introduced to explain Madison's connection to the past in England.  And then there's Rupert, a suave, aristocratic man who smokes cigarettes like the Marlboro man.  It just doesn't fit.  Maybe I just don't read enough paranormal romance to understand how this type of book works, but I just found the interaction of the characters corny and contrived.  But again, that is only in regards to the contemporary characters.  The historical parts of the book were good.  It was easy to sense the Puritanical time that the author was depicting and the strife of the English Civil War.  In all, I would say to give this one a read if you like historical novels and switches from past to present.  That is enough to make the book worthwhile.

Note:  It has been pointed out to me that the character who is from Boston and has the Salem ancestor was not Madison, but, in fact, was Jackson.  I do apologize to the author for that misstep.  I totally read that part wrong!

The Wounded Cavalier--William Shakespeare Burton, 1855

GIVEAWAY:
Marion will be giving away a $20 New Adult Reading pack --i.e. selected NA titles on Amazon to one commenter on the tour)! Check out all the stops on the TOUR for more chances to win.

Click the button to visit the tour schedule:

Thanks to Goddess Fish for having me on the tour!