Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love (Hearts of Sparta Trilogy, Book #1) by Anthea Laurelton

Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love

(Hearts of Sparta Trilogy, Book #1)

By Anthea Laurelton

Publication Date: September 8th, 2025
Publisher: Independently published
Pages: 336
Genre: Historical Romance / Historical Fantasy

To save her city, she must risk her life.
To fulfil his oath, he must harden his heart.
Together, they stand to lose everything.

Spartan warrior, Diokles, has waited years for the opportunity to right a failure that torments his heart and integrity. Sent to hunt down a threat to Sparta, this campaign may be his final chance to restore his honour and uncover the traitor whose actions blighted his life. Success is at his fingertips, but when duty forces him to take an unwilling accomplice, his plans are challenged in ways he never foresaw.

Leandra, high priestess of Apollysis, stands at the edge of revelation and ruin. Haunted by fragments of a forgotten past, she alone can uncover the truth that will save her city. To do so, she must wear the fabled Coronet of Apollo, a sacred act that could cost her life.

Bound together by necessity and desire, captor and captive race into danger the closer they draw to the shrine of Apollo. With a relentless enemy closing in, one who seeks Diokles dead and Leandra for himself, their growing passion becomes both their greatest strength and their most perilous weakness.

In a time where prophecy, honour, and blood rule, love was never part of the plan.

An epic historical adventure romance of bravery, betrayal, and forbidden desire.

Fully edited, revised version of 'Spartan Quest - Salvation' with extra scenes.

Praise for Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love:

"If you enjoy historical romance with strong characters, intriguing mythology, and a touch of adventure, this book is definitely worth reading. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series!"

~ Vanda Vadas, Scottish Historical Romance author

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Anthea Laurelton

Anthea Laurelton writes sweeping romances inspired by Ancient Sparta and Greek mythology. Her stories combine historical elements, forbidden love, dangerous quests and emotionally complex heroines for readers of mythological and historical fantasy.

A fan of sword and sandal movies, her plots blend slow-burn romance, dangerous quests, warrior culture and family intrigue for readers who crave epic adventures. Falling in love with Greek mythology at the age of thirteen, her love of the Spartans especially, came after reading Roger Lancelyn Green's THE TALE OF TROY where she cheered on Menelaus to take his queen back!

She left a career in IT to pursue her passion for storytelling and pander to an extremely spoilt German Shepherd whom she refers to as 'The Muse'.

A former equestrian, Anthea enjoys keeping active and has a bucket list of travel destinations waiting to be fulfilled.

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Via Maloram by G. G MacLeod

Via Maloram

By G. G MacLeod

Publication Date: October 3rd, 2025

Publisher: independently published

Pages: 216

Genre: Historical Fiction / Psychological Thriller / Dark Romantasy

In the shadows of Rome power bleeds red.

In the shadowed streets of ancient Rome, 37 CE, power is a blade that cuts both ways. Agrippina, a towering enigma of ambition, slips from Caligula’s gilded cage with her newborn son, Domitius, her mind a labyrinth of cold calculation. At her side prowls Messalina, a siren in scarlet, her seductive cunning as deadly as her blade. Together, they navigate a city teeming with decadence and deceit, pursued by whispers of treachery and the emperor’s wrath.

Their journey leads to the Temple of Fortuna where the enigmatic Prophet Cassandra unveils a cryptic fate – one that demands sacrifice and promises blood. As alleys echo with violence and forbidden passions ignite, Agrippina’s quest for dominion collides with Messalina’s ruthless desires. In a night where every step drips with danger, who will rise and who will fall?

VIA MALORUM is a visceral plunge into the heart of Roman darkness, blending historical intrigue with the chilling allure of giallo. Prepare for a tale where power bleeds red, and trust is a luxury none can afford.

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G.G. MacLeod

G.G. MacLeod is a 59-year-old Canadian male based in Calgary.

The author has always had a tendency of combining genres like horror and action along with drama, psychological thrillers, giallo, and sometimes even comedy.

It really depends on how the author feels from moment to moment as they write because the author likes to entertain themselves first and then hope that a smattering of other people out there in the world will like it as well.

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The Quest for the Crown of Thorns by Cynthia Ripley Miller

 

The Quest for the Crown of Thorns

The Long-Hair Saga

by Cynthia Ripley Miller

Publication Date: October 29th, 2018
Publisher: BookLocker
Pages: 211
Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery

AD 454. Three years after the Roman victory over Attila the Hun at Catalaunum, Arria Felix and Garic the Frank are married and enjoying life on Garic’s farm in northern Gaul (France). Their happy life is interrupted when a cryptic message arrives from Arria’s father, the esteemed Senator Felix, calling them to Rome. At Arria’s insistence, but against Garic’s better judgment, they leave at once.

 

On their arrival at Villa Solis, they are confronted with a brutal murder and a dangerous mission. The fate of a profound and sacred object—Christ’s Crown of Thorns—rests in their hands. They must carry the holy relic to the safety of Constantinople, away from a corrupt emperor and old enemies determined to steal it for their own gain. But a greater force arises against them—a secret cult who will commit any atrocity to capture the Crown. All the while, the gruesome murder and the conspiracy behind it haunt Arria’s thoughts.  

 

Arria and Garic’s marital bonds are tested but forged as they partner together to fulfill one of history’s most challenging missions, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns.

Praise for The Quest for the Crown of Thorns:

"Research, writing, characterization and plot combine to make Quest for the Crown of Thorns a page turner. This is a must-read book for fans of history and romance. Don’t miss it!"

~ Amazon 5* Review

"This expertly researched saga reveals an era that rarely appears in historical fiction: AD 454 Rome. Ms. Ripley-Miller skillfully weaves the food, clothes, and over-all living environment into a unique plot."
~ Amazon 5* Review

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Cynthia Ripley Miller

Cynthia Ripley Miller is a first-generation Italian-American writer with a love for history, languages, and books. She has lived in Europe and traveled worldwide, holds two degrees, and taught history and English. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, at Orchard Press Mysteries.com, and The Scriptor.

She is a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist with awards from Circle of Books: Rings of Honor and The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has reviewed for UNRV Roman History, and blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com.

Cynthia is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, and A Sword Among Ravens, books 1-3 in her Long-Hair Saga series set in Late Ancient Rome, France, and Jerusalem.

Cynthia lives outside of Chicago with her family and a cute but bossy cat.

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The Making of Marigold McGrath by Carrie Hayes

 

The Making of Marigold McGrath

Freed

by Carrie Hayes

Publication Date: April 29th, 2026
Publisher: HTPH Press
Pages: 332
Genre: Historical Fiction

New York City, 1937. Seventeen-year-old Marigold McGrath is coming undone.

Her mother is dead. Her father is drawn to dangerous politics. The only place she feels joy is behind a camera — where she can frame the world on her own terms.

After a series of her own missteps, she reinvents herself in London: mentored by a celebrated émigré photographer, photographing Kindertransport children, working alongside Edward R. Murrow. She falls in love with Joop, a charming Dutch student, and shrugs off the war gathering around her.

Then the Blitz begins.

Joop vanishes into the Dutch Resistance. And Marigold — who has always preferred to photograph the world as she wishes it were — must finally decide what kind of woman, and what kind of witness, she is willing to become.

A sweeping WWII coming-of-age novel set in wartime London.

For readers of Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn, and SL Beaumont's The War Photographers

Praise for The Making of Marigold McGrath:

I read a lot of historical novels ... this one was one of my favorites. From the characters to the setting to the actions depicted I thoroughly enjoyed the journey—I really didn’t want it to end!
~ Netgalley Review, 5*

"The Making of Marigold McGrath by Carrie Hayes is the tale of a well to do American seventeen year old sent to Europe just prior to World War II. The book is exquisitely written with a well paced dialogue. The characters are well formed and interesting. Sprinkled throughout the book are bits from news outlets that help set the larger context for the reader - they are well timed and helpful. Great read, well worth it!"
~ Goodreads Review, 5*

"The Making of Marigold McGrath explores a rarely examined aspect of WWII: the complex journeys to maturity of young adults in war-torn Europe as they seek human connection and meaning. Marigold finds both, using her skills as a photographer to document the stories of refugee children. With gobs of historical references and vivid imagery, interlaced with intrigue and romance, The Making of Marigold McGrath is a great read!"
~ Goodreads Review, 5*

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Carrie Hayes

Carrie’s first two novels, Naked Truth or Equality and Well Dressed Lies, follow the lives of the iconoclastic suffragist sisters, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin.

Carrie lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in a rambling Victorian house just outside of New York City.

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Kindle the Light of Liberty by Mirta Ines Trupp

 

Kindle the Light of Liberty 

By Mirta Ines Trupp

Publication Date: July 4th, 2026
Publisher: Independently published
Pages: 211
Genre: Jewish Historical Romance

They had no voice. They held no power. Yet they helped decide the fate of a nation.

In the bustling streets of Philadelphia, Rose Wachsman has no time for the rigid expectations of society—and even less for the infuriatingly reserved Nathan Hirsch. She is a woman of the hearth, sharp-witted and fiercely loyal to the cause of liberty; he is a man of business and tradition, seemingly more concerned with ledgers than the fires of revolution.

But as the war moves from a tradesman's chandlery to the parlors of the elite, Rose and Nathan find themselves forced into a dangerous game of intelligence and alliance. In a world that would rather forget their names, they must overcome their own prejudices to discover that their greatest adversary— might be their only hope.

Pick up your copy of 

Kindle the Light of Liberty 

HERE.

Mirta Ines Trupp

Mirta is a second-generation Argentine; she was born in Buenos Aires in 1962 and immigrated to the United States that same year. Because of the unique fringe benefits provided by her father’s employer—Pan American Airlines—she returned to her native country frequently- growing up with "un pie acá y un pie allá" (with one foot here and one foot there).

Her fascination with Jewish history and genealogy, coupled with an obsession with historical period drama, has inspired Mirta to create unique and enlightening novels. She has been a guest speaker for book clubs, sisterhood events, genealogy societies, and philanthropic organizations. Sharing Jewish historical fiction has become her passion.

Besides being an avid novel reader, she has had a lifelong love for choral music and is a devoted Beatles fan. 

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Five-Minute History - the history behind The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland

Writing this is like the story of a woman train passenger who witnessed Salvador Dali sketch a remarkable portrait. When she expressed surprise and amazement at how quickly he had drawn it, he remarked that while it was true that it had only taken him two minutes, it was equally true that it had taken him his whole life. In other words, you can say such-and-such happened on a certain date, but that event had a whole history of its arising.

Another way of looking at history is like this. You might have seen a Virginia Creeper – that’s a climbing plant – that snakes its way up walls of houses and churches, clinging to it with its feelers. The analogy with history is that what we see happening today – they’re the ends of each of the strands of that Virginia Creeper. But those tips are the terminal points of long tentacles that stretch into the ground, and whose origins are hidden beneath the soil, in the mists of history. So, we might admire the end results of history, but do we know its genesis?

Having made these qualifying remarks about a five-minute history post, here it is:

The immediate backstory to the novel is this.

1206 A.D. Genghis Khan is declared supreme ruler of the Mongol tribes. Remember, these are a bunch of illiterate, nomadic shepherds, who are united by Genghis’ vision to bring together the whole world under their god, Tengri, who resides in the eternal blue sky.

1209-1215 Genghis Khan’s army invades China, which was weakened by having been split in two: the Jin in the north and the Song in the South.

1218-1221 Genghis Khan invades Central Asia. Otrar, Samarkand and Bukhara all fall. The area is renamed Moghulistan (NB ‘Stan’ is Persian for ‘land’). The Mongols open up the Silk Road for travellers and trade. They form the world’s first postal system, a series of staging posts called the Yam, where riders can get fresh horses, and cover up to 200 miles in a day.

The history behind the novel itself is as follows.

July 1338 – The Chinese Astrological Year of the Tiger – the first case of the Black Plague occurs in the Chuy Valley, Moghulistan. The people of the time have no idea how it spreads. Some like Karia, the heroine of the novel, flee the area by joining a caravan heading west along the Silk Road. The governing influences of the time are deeply religious and so many people believe the plague is a punishment from God.

Spring 1339 – The plague reaches Tashkent, the City of Stones. Karia is forced to flee, joining the next caravan heading west.

May 1340 – The plague, carried by fleas on rats, encroaches into Samarkand, the City of Oases.

September 1340 – The plague reaches the Ark of Bukhara, aka God’s Fascination, and home to the Whirling Dervishes, an esoteric Islamic sect famous for their spiritual dancing.

March 1341 – The plague hits the City of Āmul.

July 1341 – The walls of Khiva and Ichon-Qala, its inner city, are breached by the plague.

July 1342 – Then it arrives in Little Saray on the delta of the Ural River.

August 1342 – And then onto Old Saray on the Volga River, where Öz Beg is the Khan of the Golden Horde, the western wing of the Mongol Empire.

September 1343 –An incident with a Mongol notary in Tanais on the Don River has fatal repercussions.

August 1346 - The battle of Crecy is fought between King Edward III’s English troops and King Philip VI’s French troops.

Autumn 1346 – The Crimean port of Kaffa on the Black Sea is besieged by the Mongol army, who eventually retreat when the plague ravages their numbers.

August 1347 – The English siege of the French port of Calais finally succeeds.

October 1347 – The plague reaches the Sicilian port of Messina.

Winter 1347 – The French port of Bordeaux is breached by the plague.

23 April 1348 – King Edward III institutes the prestigious chivalric Order of the Garter.

24 June 1348 – In the Chinese Astrological Year of the Rat (it had to be, didn’t it?)  – the plague arrives on a ship from Gascony at the port of Melcombe Regis, near Weymouth. 

July 1348 – Because the cemetery is full, the clergy direct the villagers to dig plague pits and erect Posy Trees. The pestilence devastates the towns and villages, fields and meadows of the land.

The map shows its spread along the Silk Road, across the Caspian and the Mediterranean 

Seas, to England.

 

Justin Newland

3rd July, 2026. 

The Spirit of the Times

By Justin Newland

Publication Date: July 28th, 2026
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Pages: 264
Genre: Historical Fiction

From a land of milk,

And a Road of Silk,

To a ring of roses,

And a dance of posies,

Comes the tale of the spirit of the times!

In fourteenth-century Central Asia, Karia is a young woman living under the yoke of Mongol occupation. But she’s different. She’s a fighter with supernatural powers. She could use them to keep the Black Plague at bay and solve the mystery of the purple skies at dawn – if only she could overcome her self-doubt.

Travelling in caravans on the Silk Road, she faces dangers seen and unseen – from sandstorms and slave traders to the desert djinn and folk who believe she’s a witch. She fears losing Abi, her little cousin, who’s fascinated by roses and the dance of the Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara.

When Karia falls in love with an English sailor fleeing the Knights Hospitaller, they sail to England with Abi to unravel the meaning of the purple skies, a dance, a posy tree, and a ring of roses.

The Spirit of the Times is part history, part fiction and part speculation: on the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times.

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Music that inspired the novel, and which beautifully evokes the Steppes of Central Asia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqRqQx_PZKg&list=RDMqRqQx_PZKg&start_radio=1

Justin Newland

Justin Newland's novels represent an innovative blend of genres, from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. 

Undeterred by the award of a doctorate in mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. Next came The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

The Coronation (Matador, 2019) features the Great Enlightenment and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

At this point in his writing career, after four self-published books, Justin was offered a part-funded contract with the Book Guild.

The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book ‘The Island of Angels’ series. It tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (Book Guild, 2024), charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

His latest novel, The Spirit of the Times (Matador, 2026), is to be published in July. It tells the story of a young Kyrgyz woman’s journey westwards along the Silk Road. With purple skies at dawn, and a supporting cast of Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, a perplexing rhyme, a ring of roses, it explores the greatest mystery of all – the spirit of the times. 

Justin’s enduring passion is to explore the origins of our current time. This prompted a broad research into what we’ve inherited from history – encompassing Egypt, China, Prussia and Tudor England.

He also writes entertaining talks which he gives to the WI, U3A, Probus, Rotary and local historical associations. Please visit his website for a current list of the talks.

Alongside the talks, Justin promotes his work with regular book signings at TG Jones (ex. WH Smith) high street stores, selling over 3,500 books since 2019. He has sponsored over 40 UK and US blog tours, given frequent radio interviews and penned many guest posts.

His current book signing motto is: Enjoy, Imagine, Discover.

As a member of the Society of Authors, he has Public and Products Liability Insurance.

Born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his lady in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

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