Tuesday, 31 March 2026

The History behind A Taste of Evil (A Hani's Daughter Mystery) by N. L. Holmes




A Taste of Evil

A Hani's Daughter Mystery
By N. L. Holmes



Publication Date: October 30th, 2025
Publisher: WayBack Press
Pages: 247
Genre: Historical Cosy Mystery

In Tutankhamen's Egypt, the vizier's head cook dies suspiciously, and it looks like murder to Neferet and Bener-ib. Only, who would want to kill a cook, a man admired by all?

Perhaps he has professional rivals or a jealous wife. But she is the longtime cook of Neferet's family, a dear retainer above reproach. Was her husband the good man he seemed to be, or did he have the shady past our two sleuths begin to suspect? 

They'd better find out soon before the waters of foreign conspiracy rise around Neferet and her diplomat father. If they can't find the killer, it could mean war with Egypt's enemy, Kheta -- and someone else could die.

Maybe one of our nosy sleuths...

***

The History behind  A Taste of Evil (A Hani's Daughter Mystery) by N. L. Holmes

Although Neferet’s murder mystery is fictional, it is set in a real historical situation within the kingdom of Mitanni (“United Kingdom”)—or, as the Egyptians would have called it, Naharin (“Land of the Two Rivers”, namely, the Tigris and Euphrates). 

Located in what is now “Kurdistan”—the juncture of inland Syria, southeastern Turkey, and northern Iraq— Naharin was one of the great powers of its day up until the early 14th century BCE. But by the middle of that century, when our story takes place, they had been essentially dismembered between the Hittite Empire and the rising kingdom of Assyria. Only a rump state still existed independently, ruled by a young king named Tushratta. Other members of the royal family were agitating to submit to the patronage of one or the other great power in the hopes of preserving themselves. 

Egypt was the farthest away, but they ruled over a farflung empire and could be trusted to protect Naharin from its aggressive neighbors to the north and east. As an Egyptian vassal state, Naharin would have maintained at least the illusion of independence. But who were these folks who ruled a powerful empire so little known to us today? 

The people of Mitanni were, from the fourth millennium at least, called Hurri, and Hurrian was their language. But their rulers in the imperial period took Indo-Aryan throne names, resembling those of northern India. They seem to be part of the dispersal of Indo-Europeans into the area around Persia and further east. Gods such as Indra and Varuna occur alongside the native Hurrian ones and the Semitic gods of their neighbors. A united kingdom indeed! 

Unfortunately little is known about the Hurrians compared to their neighbors, simply by the accident of preservation. The only Hurrian texts we have were found elsewhere—in the Hittite capital, for instance—and deal with specialized topics like horse-training or music. (If either of those subjects interests you, check out my Empire at Twilight series which features a little of both, along with Hurrian characters.) 

The Hurrian culture had a huge impact on the countries around it, including names, which were adopted by the Hittite royal family, for example. Their gods and myths were popular all over the Near East, and indirectly influenced Greek myths. Likewise, it was Mitanni that gave the region the horse and chariot, which revolutionized warfare everywhere in the ancient world. Horses became the luxury item par excellence, and chariot drivers formed the cream of elite society. 

In Mitanni, this ruling class was known as the maryannu. Eighteenth-dynasty pharaohs took three Hurrian brides, two of whom went to Amenhotep III. King Tushratta was eventually assassinated, and after his death, the kingdom sank into a state of vassalage to Assyria. But in its heyday (16th-13th c. BCE), it was a great and feared power, which even mighty Egypt needed to treat with respect.



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N. L. Holmes


N.L. Holmes is the pen name of a professional archaeologist. She has excavated in Greece and in Israel and taught ancient history and humanities at the university level for many years. She has always had a passion for books, and in childhood, she and her cousin used to write stories for fun.

These days she lives in France with her husband, two cats, geese, and chickens, where she gardens, weaves, dances, and plays the violin.


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Monday, 30 March 2026

HISTORY BEHIND THE LANCASTRIAN USURPATION by Mercedes Rochelle


HISTORY BEHIND THE LANCASTRIAN USURPATION

By Mercedes Rochelle


Henry Bolingbroke was not raised to be a king. He was the only son of the powerful John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and would have had his hands full taking care of the dukedom. But fate intervened, and Henry was placed in an impossible situation when King Richard confiscated his inheritance. His father had died while he was stuck in France, victim of an unwarranted (in his opinion) exile. No self-respecting duke would tolerate such an imposition.

So Henry of Lancaster returned to England and was gratified to discover that almost the whole country was behind him. The nobles saw how he had been treated and didn’t feel safe from King Richard’s arbitrary behavior. The commons were disgruntled with Richard’s notorious “blank charters”, holding everyone hostage for their good behavior. Everyone. Henry represented a new beginning.

And in fact, things started very well for him. Men flocked to his standard—so many that he had trouble controlling his army and had to send some home. He was cheered everywhere he went. And when it came time to claim the crown, his support was almost unanimous. Richard was deposed and Henry elected king, regardless of the fact that the Parliament was no real Parliament (only the reigning king could call Parliament, and Richard was incarcerated). Apparently, his future subjects only considered that a technicality. 


The honeymoon lasted three whole months. Unfortunately, the new nobles created by King Richard were intent on saving him. Though recently pardoned by King Henry, the Counter-Appellants (who had helped Richard destroy his enemies), instigated a revolt on the Epiphany. But they acted too soon;  Englishmen were still enamored with their new king. Most of the instigators suffered the indignity of being killed by the citizenry who took the law into their own hands. Henry was saved. But little did he know, this was only the first of many rebellions against his rule. 

During most of Henry’s reign, the country was bankrupt—or nearly so—and the first few years were the worst. It didn’t take long for the populace to cry foul, for as they remembered it, he promised not to raise taxes (untrue). Things were supposed to get better (they didn’t). Mob violence was everywhere. Even tax collectors were killed. Meanwhile, a fresh source of trouble reared its head: the Welsh. Repeated Welsh raids unsettled his border barons, who were quick to complain. During parliament—only one year after Henry’s coronation—the Commons insisted on enforcing the most repressive anti-Welsh legislation since Edward I. The Welsh were in no mood to acquiesce, and their rebellion gained steam for the next several years, sapping an already exhausted exchequer.

And then there were the Percies. The Earl of Northumberland and his son, Harry Hotspur were instrumental in putting Henry on the throne. They also ruled the north as though it was their own kingdom. This would not do, and Henry followed his predecessor’s strategy of raising up other great families as a counter to their ambitions. Disappointed that Henry did not appreciate them as much as they expected, Harry Hotspur launched a totally unexpected assault in 1403. The resulting Battle of Shrewsbury was a very close call. The fighting was ferocious; it was only Hotspur’s death on the battlefield that determined which side had won the day.

Needless to say, Hotspur’s father, Earl Henry was out for revenge. He was back two years later, leading another rebellion in conjunction with a rising led by Richard Scrope, the Archbishop of York. Northumberland’s thrust was repelled before he gained much speed, yet Scrope’s forces waited for him at York for three days before being tricked into disbanding by the Earl of Westmorland, Percy’s nemesis. Poor Archbishop Scrope became the focus of King Henry’s rage. Despite resistance from all sides, the king ordered him to be executed, creating a huge scandal and a new martyr.

Divine retribution was soon to follow. The very night after Scrope’s execution, Henry was struck with a terrible burning on his skin and he woke up shrieking “Traitors! Traitors! You have thrown fire over me!” His companions were horrified to discover that he was covered with lesions across his face and neck, and they all concluded that he was stricken with leprosy—a disease associated with God’s punishment. Although his skin healed in a few days, the symptoms came and went for the rest of his life. But there was more. A year later, Henry was struck with what he referred to as une grande accesse, and at the same time he complained of une maladie in his leg. Did he have a stroke? If not then, he certainly seems to have had another one a few years later, when witnesses thought he was dead for quite a few hours. The progressive weakness in his legs and associated attacks took away his strength and reduced him to an invalid, although he retained his clarity until the end.


However he was increasingly unable to attend the stringent duties ruling his kingdom. By then, the Welsh rebellion was coming to an end and Prince Hal (later Henry V) was available to pick up the proverbial reins of government. Shouldn’t Henry have been grateful? Well, it seems that, aided by his uncle Henry Beaufort (the king’s half-brother), Hal did too good of a job on the ruling Council. His father increasingly resented their participation. So when the day came that Beaufort and Hal approached his father and gently suggested Henry retire, the king was furious. He immediately dismissed the both of them and returned to work. For about a year. Ultimately it was too much for him and he succumbed to his illness, but not before he took his son back into his good graces. Henry V was raised to the kingship without any resistance. But the rest of Europe still considered his dynasty usurpers. He had much to prove.  


The Plantagenet Legacy Series:
Henry IV – Audiobooks

The Usurper King
The Accursed King

By Mercedes Rochelle




Publication Date: April 5th, 2021 / April 18th, 2022
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Pages: 305 / 301
Genre: Historical Fiction

Audiobooks:
Publication Date: April 24th, 2025 / June 17th, 2025
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Narrator: Kevin E. Green
Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins / 9 hrs 5 mins


The Usurper King

From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.

First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.

To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.


The Accursed King

What happens when a king loses his prowess?

The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.

Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.



Universal Buy Links:

The Usurper King


The Accursed King



The Plantagenet Legacy Series



All titles in the series are available to read on #KindleUnlimited.



Mercedes Rochelle


Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channelled this interest into fiction writing. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story.

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the University of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended!

Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

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Wednesday, 25 March 2026

The History behind the Stories in the ‘Soldier Spy’ Trilogy by Rosemary Hayes


Code of Honour

(Soldier Spy, Book #3)
By Rosemary Hayes


Publication Date: February 2nd, 2026
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Pages: 251
Genre: Historical Fiction


'A first-rate historical thriller, full of period detail, fascinating characters, unexpected twists, mystery, intrigue and action.’
~ Peter Tonkin


1812


Britain’s war against Napoleon continues.


Will Fraser and Duncan Armstrong have served their country well as spies, exposing traitors and rescuing betrayed royalists.


Now they are asked to support military operations in the Peninsular War. The French are using a new code which is proving impossible to decipher. Will and Armstrong must work with Spanish guerrillas to intercept messages between French Commanders and pass them to Wellington’s codebreakers.


Will is reluctant, however. Portugal was where he was falsely accused of cowardice and desertion and forced to leave the army. And Captain Harcourt-Browne, the jealous and vengeful officer who caused his downfall, is still serving there.


But Will is given a compelling – and personal – reason to carry out the operation. If he does so, there’s a slim chance he could be reinstated.


Enemy agents are soon on their trail; agents who want them dead. Somehow Will and Armstrong must evade them and join the guerrillas in a daring attempt to uncover Napoleon’s battle plans.


But Will’s troubled past catches up with him. Four years ago he lied to protect the woman he loved. Now he must own up to that lie to save himself.


Rosemary Hayes has written over forty books across different genres, from historical fiction to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books.


The History behind the Stories in the ‘Soldier Spy’ Trilogy 


Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington


The extent of spying, on both sides, during the Napoleonic Wars, was considerable. Not only at a diplomatic level, through overseas embassies and through the Alien Office, in London, and highly placed double agents, but among networks of ordinary people, too, who passed on maps and documents, letters, money and even arms.  Smaller documents or items of intelligence could be sewn into clothing or hidden in hollowed out walking sticks or riding crops. Or even, apparently, in a hatpin! Larger items were hidden in barrels or at drop off points on the French coast such as oyster sheds. And fishermen sometimes buried items on uninhabited islets for later collection. 


Both sides employed complex codes and ciphers to protect their communications. Codebooks and cipher wheels were standard kit. One captured French codebook was worth its weight in gold to the British Intelligence Service. 


In 1803 Britain declared war on France, ending a fragile peace between the two countries. In 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French.


 Napoleon Bonaparte


The Napoleonic Wars were global and by 1808 France dominated the majority of continental Europe. The wars finally ended in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington’s defeat of the French at Waterloo.


The ‘Soldier Spy’ trilogy is set during The Peninsular War (1808-1814) in which the British, Spanish and Portuguese fought against the French.  The war started because Portugal continued to trade with Britain. French troops marched through Spain into Portugal. Spain’s uneasy alliance with France soon broke down and French troops occupied Madrid. 


In May 1808 Napoleon’s brother Joseph was installed as King of Spain, causing rebellions across the country.


After the French suffered some defeats in Spain, Napoleon himself took charge and enjoyed some success, forcing British troops to withdraw.  


But Napoleon did not stay long and he never returned to that theatre of war.  He left in 1809 to oversee the defeat of Austria and then the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. 


His Marshalls were left in charge of the French troops in the peninsular. 


Battles continued to rage in Portugal and Spain but it was the British victory at Salamanca in 1812 that was a major factor in Napoleon’s downfall. By this time the ‘unbreakable’ Paris Cipher had been more or less cracked by the British so Wellington had advance knowledge of the battle plans of the French.


This then is the background to my three books, which begin in 1808 and end in 1812.


***


In the first book ‘Traitor’s Game’, we meet Captain Will Fraser, sent back from Portugal  having been dismissed from the army in disgrace. With him is his sergeant, Duncan Armstrong, who has been severely wounded in battle.  In London they go to find Will’s brother, Jack. But Jack has vanished and in their desperate search for him they become unwittingly involved in the murky world of espionage, with tragic consequences.


In the second book, The King’s Agent, Will and Armstrong are working as agents for the British Government. Despatched to France to rescue undercover spies who have been exposed by a traitor, they must embed themselves with the enemy and play a dangerous game of deception. And Will Fraser also has a very personal score to settle.


In the final book of the trilogy, Code of Honour, Will and Armstrong are back in the thick of the Peninsular War, but this time as spies. The French are using a new code which is proving impossible to decipher. Now they must work with Spanish guerrillas to intercept messages between French Commanders and pass them to Wellington’s codebreakers, putting themselves in constant danger.


And it is here that Will’s troubled past catches up with him. Four years ago he lied to protect the woman he loved. Now he must tell the truth to save himself.


Praise for Code of Honour: ‘First rate historical thriller, full of period detail, fascinating characters, unexpected twists, mystery, intrigue and action’ Peter Tonkin



Praise for Rosemary Hayes:


‘Rosemary Hayes' Soldier Spy is a first-rate historical thriller, full of period detail, fascinating characters, unexpected twists, mystery, intrigue and action. It reminds me of Berrnard Cornwell's brilliant, Regency-set Gallows Thief. I am pleased to see that it is the first of a trilogy and look forward to reading more about the dashing Will Fraser.’
~ Peter Tonkin, author of The Richard Mariner thrillers


‘One of the very best historical novels I have ever read.’
~ Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert


‘An absorbing tale told with sensitivity. The forgotten struggles of Huguenot refugees come to moving, heartrending life.’ 
~ Steven Veerapen, author of A Dangerous Trade




Soldier Spy Series Universal Buy Links:


Book 1 – Traitor’s Game

Book 2 – The King’s Agent

Book 3 – Code of Honour

This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


Rosemary Hayes


Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes  in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.


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The History behind A Taste of Evil (A Hani's Daughter Mystery) by N. L. Holmes

A Taste of Evil A Hani's Daughter Mystery By N. L. Holmes Publication Date: October 30th, 2025 Publisher: WayBack Press Pages: 247 Genre...