Book Review: The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy) by Jennifer Ivy Walker

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven
(The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy)
By Jennifer Ivy Walker

Publication Date: 1st May 2025

Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications

Print Length: 522 Pages

Genre: Arthurian Fantasy / Historical Romance Fantasy / Paranormal

In this paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, the rightful heir to the Irish crown must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads Issylte to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a Celtic healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom from the ruthless Black Widow Queen.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of King Arthur's Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his traumatic past and defend his kingdom of Cornwall against a Viking invasion from Ireland. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Two parallel lives, interwoven by fate. Haunted and hunted by the same Black Widow Queen.

Can their passion and power prevail?

Praise

“A sensational, well-crafted, fantasy fiction novel, with a perfect blend of magic, mysticism, romance, tragedy, drama, and suspense.”  Finalist Award from Reader’s Choice Book Awards

“I loved the world-building, the drama…fantasy settings from actual places like France, Ireland, and Britain.”  Jennifer Ibiam, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

“An incredible tale of love, courage, sacrifice, and the everlasting fight between good and evil.”  Pikasho Deka, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

“Her world building skills are masterful. Her rich storytelling and blending of genres will delight readers and fans of paranormal, historical, and romance alike.”  Author Avis Adams

“A wildly romantic adventure, filled with the stuff of legends.”  Author Helen Johannes

“A new rival for Marion Zimmer Bradley’s crown.”  SandDancer Publications

“The world-building is second to none.”  N.N. Light’s Book Heaven

“Her wording is precise, lyrical, and beautiful, and character depictions are vivid and enthralling.”  Author Barbara Bettis

“An example of historical romance at its best.” Coffee Pot Book Club 5-star Editorial Review

“This beautiful fantasy novel captured my full attention from start to finish. Jennifer Ivy Walker infuses espionage, betrayal, love, magic, and danger throughout the story. The end left me yearning to read the sequel.”  Stephanie Chapman for Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Story of Magic, Loyalty, and the Pull of Destiny

I really enjoyed The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven. From the first few chapters I felt pulled into a world of kings, knights, and old magic. It has that classic Arthurian feel, but with a strong Celtic edge that makes it feel fresh. There are court politics, betrayals, and moments of real danger, but also quieter scenes where the story slows down and lets the characters breathe.

Issylte is a character I liked straight away. She starts out surrounded by expectations and people trying to control her future, but you can tell there’s more strength in her than anyone realises. As the story goes on, she begins to discover her own gifts and her own path. I liked watching that change happen.

And then there’s Ronan. I have to admit, he really stood out to me. He’s loyal, steady, and protective without feeling overbearing. His connection with Issylte feels natural and sincere, especially when everything around them is uncertain. Their moments together felt grounded and human (despite him being an elf), which I appreciated in a story that also has prophecy and magic swirling around it.

Tristan’s story adds another layer. His journey through knighthood, rivalry, and betrayal gives the book plenty of tension. Watching how honour and reputation can shift so quickly in a royal court kept me turning the pages.

What I liked most was the atmosphere. Avalon, the forests, the sense of ancient magic still lingering in the land—it all adds depth to the story. It feels like the characters are walking through a world that remembers older things, even if they don’t fully understand them yet.

For me, this book works because it balances adventure with emotion. There’s magic and prophecy, but there are also people trying to make the right choices in difficult situations.

I finished the book feeling like the real journey is only just beginning, and I’m curious to see where the story goes next.

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Jennifer Ivy Walker

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

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Rogues & Kings: Tales of Robin Hood by Charlene Newcomb

Rogues & Kings

Tales of Robin Hood

By Charlene Newcomb

Publication Date: February 4th, 2026

Publisher: independently published

Pages: 394

Genre: Historical Fiction

Deadly secrets. Hidden identities. A true enemy.

Silence is the only shield.

The year is 1216 and civil war rages in England. King John ravages the countryside against rebellious barons and a French invasion. Unbeknownst to him, his newest squire, Richard, is in fact the son of a man the king would hang without a second thought. A man the common folk call Robin Hood.

For years, Robin has lived as a knight in exile. But when his son is ensnared in the treachery of the royal court, Robin is forced out of the shadows, aided by his outlaw friends in the Hood.

There is no question for Richard where his loyalties lie but it’s more than his own life at risk. He has the trust of a dangerous king. Can he serve the Hood better from within John’s inner circle, or will schemes against the crown unravel? 

Rob from the rich, give to the poor takes on a whole new meaning.

Rogues & Kings is a sweeping tale of courage and betrayal in a kingdom on the edge of ruin, of a boy coming of age in the midst of war, and of legends being born.

Excerpt

A shout rose from a sentry deep in the wood, and a covey of birds burst skyward across the crescent moon. The vielle fell silent and the dancing stopped.

Slinging his quiver over his shoulder, Robin scrambled to his feet. “Rider coming.” He reached for his bow.

The revelers retrieved swords and bows, whisking them from beneath their clothing or from the weapons stashed at the edge of the gathering. Women hurrying for cover at the tree line brandished daggers and cutting knives as the great fire lighting the wedding celebration crackled and tree branches rustled.

Allan studied the ancient oaks and birch, listening, his gray-streaked blonde hair stirring in the breeze. The violent snap of a twig and the damp, grinding crunch of leaves beneath a horse’s hooves betrayed the interloper’s approach. The sound grew louder, closer, until a familiar bird call pierced the air and Allan signaled for calm.

A collective sigh of relief swept the air as wedding guests peeked out from behind moss-covered tree trunks and prickly holly bushes. Firelight glinted off polished swords as the men slowly lowered their blades.

The rider came slowly, the darkened path to the camp mired in thick brush and uneven tree roots. Curses echoed through the forest. Recognizing the voice, Robin smiled and set down his bow before the last branches were swept aside.

The outlaws waved and clapped as Little John urged his horse into the clearing. As a child, “little” described him well—he’d been smaller than his orphan-friend Allan, who’d given him the name when they’d met on the quay in London. But he’d grown. And quite large, too, standing a head above most men.

Little John sprang from his horse and strode toward Robin. The outlaws’ greetings melted away as he held up his hand, the light from the fire revealing his grim face.

“King John has taken Richard hostage.”

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Charlene Newcomb

Charlene Newcomb, aka Char, is a retired librarian, a U.S. Navy veteran, mom to three amazing humans, and grandma to three. She writes historical fiction and science fiction.

Her award-winning Battle Scars trilogy is set in the 12th century during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. Her writing roots are in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (aka Legends) where she published 10 short stories in the Star Wars Adventure Journal, and published the original novel Echoes of the Storm.

Char returned to medieval times with Rogue and her latest novel Rogues & Kings, both in her Tales of Robin Hood series.

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Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II by Ian Hunter

 

Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II 
By Ian Hunter

Publication Date: 22nd April 2021

Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH

Print Length: 277 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is discovering that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.

Jessie’s life has become a series of terrible challenges. Now she must lead her friends in the hopeless task Grandfather set them: hunt down and destroy the Time Stones. But her leadership has already failed. Tip has left them and Abe has simply disappeared, while she and Kes are trapped in the heart of an ancient empire in turmoil.

Thrust into a fractured, threatened Mexica nobility, Jessie is immersed in a way of life, fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, yet powerless before the approaching Conquistadors and the impending clash of cultures.

Even as the fabulous city of Tenochtitlan descends into savage violence, Jessie’s determination to succeed is undiminished. But with world history taking a new, bloody direction before her, she is finally forced to decide which is more important: continuing the task or simply surviving.

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Ian Hunter

Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.

School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.

During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.

In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.

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Five Minute History: The Forgotten Cold War Tour That Proved Music Could Crack Dictatorships by Cliff Lovette

 

BLOWN OUT OF POWER BY SAXOPHONES

The Forgotten Cold War Tour That Proved Music Could Crack Dictatorships

By Cliff Lovette

During the Cold War, America discovered an unlikely weapon in its ideological arsenal: music. The State Department dispatched jazz legends like Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Dizzy Gillespie behind the Iron Curtain as cultural ambassadors. The New York Times proclaimed that "America's secret weapon is a blue note in a minor key." These "Real Ambassadors" cracked open windows in the Communist world that diplomats couldn't budge.

But jazz was only the opening act. In 1970, the Nixon administration decided to deploy something more dangerous: rock 'n' roll.

Blood, Sweat & Tears was the biggest band in America. Their 1969 album had won the Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out the Beatles' Abbey Road. "Spinning Wheel" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy" dominated the airwaves. They were nine musicians at the absolute peak of their powers.

They were also trapped.

Lead singer David Clayton-Thomas was Canadian with a troubled past—a street kid who'd bounced through jails and reformatories before discovering his voice could set him free. But that criminal record now threatened everything. The State Department

denied his green card renewal. Without it, he'd be deported, and the band would be finished.

Enter Larry Greenblatt, the band's manager—a man so audacious that when they hired him, he was still in jail. Greenblatt brokered an extraordinary deal: permanent residency for Clayton-Thomas in exchange for the band becoming the first American rock group to tour behind the Iron Curtain as official representatives of the U.S. government.

The band members felt coerced. Guitarist Steve Katz was adamantly opposed. But they packed their bags for Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland.

What happened next proved something that authoritarian regimes have always feared: music is more dangerous than missiles.

In Romania, Clayton-Thomas's electrifying performances drove audiences into ecstasy. The government panicked. At the second Constanța concert, security forces locked the doors—not to keep people out, but to trap them in. Then they released the dogs. German shepherds. Soldiers with billy clubs. They attacked the audience— teenagers, 15 and 18 years old—for the crime of being too joyful.

Clayton-Thomas remembered sitting in the dressing room afterward, weeping with bassist Jim Fielder. "We didn't mean to do this," he said. "Who knew this could happen?"

A Reader's Digest reporter accompanying the tour later explained the Romanian government's terror with chilling precision: "They were afraid they would be blown out of power by saxophones... They didn't want any more people being too joyful."

The State Department had hired a film crew to document their triumph. Sixty-five hours of footage captured everything—including the dogs, the soldiers, the chaos. When the reels arrived in Washington, officials realized the material portrayed Romania too negatively. They canceled the documentary and confiscated the footage. Only an unrealistically cheerful 53-minute "travelogue" version survived, never aired, discovered decades later by an MGM archivist.

When the band returned home, they discovered they'd become the first victims of what we now call "cancel culture"—attacked from both directions simultaneously. Abbie Hoffman's Yippies picketed their Madison Square Garden concert, distributing

leaflets calling them "pig-collaborators" for working with Nixon's government. Meanwhile, the conservative Right couldn't forgive their anti-Vietnam War stance.

Caught in the crossfire of America's culture wars, their career never recovered. Rolling Stone later ranked it among the worst decisions in music history.

But here's what the cultural gatekeepers on both sides missed: the music worked.

In 2023, director John Scheinfeld released What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?, a documentary that tracked down Romanian audience members from those 1970 concerts. After more than fifty years, their memories remained vivid. One said: "The feeling of freedom it exuded was extraordinary." Another: "It was a sign for all of Romania that outside the borders there is life, and it is a very free one."

Those words echo what my characters argue in Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure. Around the Seder table in Chapter 21, Alek—one of the circus clowns— shares a story about David Bowie performing in West Berlin with speakers aimed over the Wall so East Germans could listen. When border troops tried to disperse the crowd with fire hoses, the people stood their ground, chanting 'BREAK DOWN THE WALL!' Alek calls it 'the first crack in the wall.' Joshua Horkheimer, a young Jewish intellectual, responds: 'Rock music is the universal language for dissidents.' He talks about Argentine 'Rolingas' using the Rolling Stones' hot lips logo as symbols of defiance against the military junta, and Elsa recalls Cuban rebels holding clandestine rock 'n' roll parties with guitars made from cigar boxes.

Blood, Sweat & Tears proved Joshua's theory in the most dramatic way possible. They showed that authoritarian regimes are right to fear saxophones—because joy is revolutionary, and music carries it across every wall humans build.

The tragedy is that America's tribal wars destroyed the messengers for daring to stand in the impossible middle. They were too hip for the establishment, too establishment for the counterculture. They refused to be ideologically pure—and paid the price.

But in Romania, in Poland, in Yugoslavia, teenagers heard something in that brass- fueled rock 'n' roll that their governments couldn't silence: the sound of freedom itself. 

Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure 

By Cliff Lovette

Publication Date: 1st March 2026

Publisher: Bim Bom Books

Print Length: 478 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Romantic Adventure /  Political Intrigue

Soviet circus performers arrived in America hoping to build cultural bridges. Instead, they became unwitting pawns in a Cold War game of international intrigue.

When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 in America as the Soviet Union disintegrated, its elite performers expected to build cultural bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a perilous journey through Cold War America.

Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family’s wishes, while forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.

As the Ringmaster reminds us, “The best Soviet stories are like vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart’s desire.” This genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate us.

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What Makes This Novel Different

Circus Bim Bom offers an innovative multimedia reading experience. The novel includes 45+ YouTube links to period music, historical speeches, and cultural moments embedded throughout—readers can listen to the actual songs characters dance to as they waltz, and watch Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech as it's referenced in the text.

The companion website (www.bimbombookclub.com) extends the story beyond the page:

• Character Avatars: 25+ talking video introductions where characters speak directly to readers

• Re-Imagined Circus Posters

• Book Club Experience: Interactive forums, live chat, and community discussions

• Historians Room (under construction): A space for Cold War history buffs to fact-check the novel, explore primary sources, and debate historical accuracy

Cliff Lovette

Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology, followed by Circus Bim Bom: The Great Escape.

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Both Sides of the Pond My Family’s War: 1933-1946 by Barbara Kent Lawrence

Both Sides of the Pond
My Family’s War: 1933-1946

By Barbara Kent Lawrence

Publication Date: October 15th, 2025

Publisher: Sweet Fern Press

Pages: 393

Genre: Historical Fiction

In January of 1939 when Barbara Greene, a beautiful young British actress, met Joe Kennedy, Jr., son of the American Ambassador, she could not have expected that their relationship would lead to her emigrating to the United States and learning to pilot a plane. Neither could her brother, Kent, have foreseen his bitter retreat from Dunkirk when he left England in January 1940 to fight in France, or his subsequent service on the frontlines in Cornwall, North Africa, Sicily, and Burma.

In this intensively researched war story of the author’s family, we also hear the stories of other ordinary people who survived extraordinary circumstances. Richly illustrated with photographs and documents, “Both Sides of the Pond, My Family’s War: 1933 – 1946” is a captivating book.

Praise for Both Sides of the Pond:

"Author Barbara Kent Lawrence weaves a rich tapestry of the lives of her British mother and uncle from 1933 to 1946, before, during, and just after World War II. ...
War stories are very personal. This is such a story, and it offers insight into how two young people navigated difficult years that altered the trajectories of the lives they thought they would live. It is a worthy read, written beautifully. Don’t miss it."
~ Patricia Walkow, Military Writers Society of America

"I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. History and the complexity of human relationships unfold with uncommon grace."
~ Barbara Lazear Ascher, winner, most recently, of Pushcart’s Editors Book Award for Ghosting: A Widow’s Voyage Out.

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Barbara Kent Lawrence

Dr. Lawrence is the author of many articles and nine books, including an award-winning dissertation about the influence of culture on aspirations in Maine. Her new book, Both Sides of the Pond, My Family’s War: 1933 - 1945, is available in book stores and on Amazon.

A former professor, she has taught courses in anthropology and sociology, research, and writing non-fiction and memoir. Lawrence grew up in New York City and Washington D.C., then earned a BA in anthropology from Bennington College, an MA in sociology from New York University, and an Ed.D. in Administration, Policy and Planning from Boston University.

In addition to teaching, Lawrence has worked for the Department of Social Services and the Housing Development Administration in New York, directed a small museum in Maine, co-run a brokerage and construction company, consulted for the Rural School and Community Trust and KnowledgeWorks, and started four non-profit organizations supporting the environment and students.

When not working she loves to garden, knit, and go for walks, pastimes she learned from her British mother. She lives in Maine and is working on the third novel in her Islands series.

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