North America & UK Publication Date: March 24, 2015

Touchstone Publishing

Formats: eBook, Hardcover

Pages: 390

Series: Joanna Stafford, Book Three Genre: Historical Mystery

In THE CROWN, Sister Joanna Stafford searched for a Dark Ages relic that could save her priory from Cromwell’s advancing army of destruction. In THE CHALICE, Joanna was drawn into an international conspiracy against Henry VIII himself as she struggled to learn the truth behind a prophecy of his destruction.

Now, in THE TAPESTRY, Joanna Stafford finally chooses her own destiny.

After her Dominican priory in Dartford closed forever—collateral damage in tyrannical King Henry VIII’s quest to overthrow the Catholic Church—Joanna resolves to live a quiet and honorable life weaving tapestries, shunning dangerous quests and conspiracies. Until she is summoned to Whitehall Palace, where her tapestry weaving has drawn the King’s attention.

Joanna is uncomfortable serving the King, and fears for her life in a court bursting with hidden agendas and a casual disregard for the virtues she holds dear. Her suspicions are confirmed when an assassin attempts to kill her moments after arriving at Whitehall.

Struggling to stay ahead of her most formidable enemy yet, an unknown one, she becomes entangled in dangerous court politics. Her dear friend Catherine Howard is rumored to be the King’s mistress. Joanna is determined to protect young, beautiful, naïve Catherine from becoming the King’s next wife and, possibly, victim.

Set in a world of royal banquets and feasts, tournament jousts, ship voyages, and Tower Hill executions, this thrilling tale finds Joanna in her most dangerous situation yet, as she attempts to decide the life she wants to live: nun or wife, spy or subject, rebel or courtier. Joanna Stafford must finally choose.

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In this third book of what is one of my all-time favorite series, Joanna Stafford is summoned to Henry VIII’s court. She’d rather stay in Dartford with her loom to weave tapestries and be with her friends. She has had quite enough of the dangers out there. However, Joanna tapestry making has caught the attention of King Henry VIII. She knows she must go and fears for her life because of her involvement in tempting to over thrown the King. Not only that, she has made a few enemies along the way…Almost the moment she gets there her life is in danger and then starts the peril and yet-exciting- journey to find out who this time is trying to take her life….what do I mean by exciting? Just that. This story was a page turner from the start until the very end. I did not want the story to end. I wanted more. Joanna is the perfect heroine and she leads such a thrilling life. She is intelligent, courageous, a woman of unfailing faith and just an all-around true lady.

There are a few things that really stood out to me. The momentum of the narrative (thrilling), how Joanna is describing Henry’s court and how she notices details around her. For example, how she describes the chamber where the King receives ambassadors or presides over certain court functions. She gives you such a clear picture. I felt I was there standing next to her taking it all in. There are so many examples like that in the story and they are all fascinating. What I have imagined the life of the Tudor court to be is just how Bilyeau describes it.

Another thing about this story is that there is many notable historical figures…several really stood out to me. Hans Holbein-the court painter-is someone who I am highly interested in and I think that has a lot to do with my profound interest in the arts. I admire Bilyeau portrayal of him in the story. He is a famous painter who is from Augsburg, Germany. A few of the portraits he painted were of Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII-to name a few. In this story there was one person’s portrait he painted that I would like to find out from Bilyeau if he actually did….if historically he didn’t, it certainly was a great addition to the story-line.

Catherine Howard is another one that stood out to me. My heart went out to her and I wanted there to be another outcome of her fate so bad in this story but we all know the history of what happen to her and Bilyeau portrays that splendidly. I was also impressed with the themes of the Reformation, Martin Luther and some of the occult dealings in the story and Henry VIII personality and behavior. Well researched and brilliantly written.

Since having read this book there are a few other history events that was included I look forward to exploring more. I want there to be another story about Joanna Stafford from Bilyeau. That is my wish. When finished reading, The Tapestry, I already missed her…sigh. What a fantastic story.

I’ve rated this book five stars.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

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Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Ladies Home Journal. She is currently the executive editor of DuJour magazine. Her screenplays have placed in several prominent industry competitions. Two scripts reached the semi-finalist round of the Nicholl Fellowships of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her screenplay “Zenobia” placed with the American Zoetrope competition, and “Loving Marys” reached the finalist stage of Scriptapalooza. A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013. THE TAPESTRY will be released in March 2015.

Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Stay in touch with her on Twitter at @tudorscribe. For more information or to sign up for Nancy’s Newsletter please visit her official website.

The Tapestry Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 16 Review at Peeking Between the Pages Review & Interview at Words and Peace

Tuesday, March 17 Review at A Bookish Affair Review at The Eclectic Reader Review at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, March 18 Review at Writing the Renaissance Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, March 19 Review at A Book Geek Review & Interview at Tea at Trianon Interview at Writing the Renaissance

Friday, March 20 Review at Impressions in Ink

Monday, March 23 Review at CelticLady’s Reviews Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, March 24 Review at The Lit Bitch Review at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, March 25 Review at Luxury Reading Guest Post at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, March 26 Review at She Reads Novels

Friday, March 27 Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Monday, March 30 Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Tuesday, March 31 Review at The True Book Addict Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please

Wednesday, April 1 Review at Library of Clean Reads Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, April 2 Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Friday, April 3 Review at Layered Pages Review & Guest Post at Always With a Book

Publication Date: November 1, 2014

CreateSpace

Formats: eBook, Paperback

Pages: 470

Series: Daniel Cheswis Mystery

Genre: Historical Mystery

1644. The smoke of parliamentary musket, cannon, and mortar fire is in the air around the royalist stronghold of Lathom House. Though guards still stand atop its walls, it is besieged on all sides, and it is only a matter of time until the house, along with its embittered and unwavering countess, Lady Charlotte de Tremouille, falls to Parliament’s might. Yet somehow, a royalist spy still creeps, unseen, through its gates, and brings the countess Parliament’s secrets.

Barely recovered from the trials of the last few months, Daniel Cheswis is torn from his family and sent north, to uncover the identity of the traitor; though before he can even begin, Cheswis finds himself embroiled in a murder. A woman has been garrotted with cheese wire in her Chester home, suggesting there is more than just the usual hatreds of war at play.

As lives are lost and coats are turned on both sides, Cheswis is tasked with finding the murderer, uncovering the traitor, and surviving his soldierly duty long enough to see Lathom House fall.

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D.W. Bradbridge was born in 1960 and grew up in Bolton. He has lived in Crewe, Cheshire since 2000, where he and his wife run a small magazine publishing business for the automotive industry.

“The inspiration for The Winter Siege came from a long-standing interest in genealogy and local history. My research led me to the realisation that the experience endured by the people of Nantwich during December and January 1643-44 was a story worth telling. I also realised that the closed, tension-filled environment of the month-long siege provided the ideal setting for a crime novel.

“History is a fascinating tool for the novelist. It consists only of what is remembered and written down, and contemporary accounts are often written by those who have their own stories to tell. But what about those stories which were forgotten and became lost in the mists of time?

“In writing The Winter Siege, my aim was to take the framework of real history and fill in the gaps with a story of what could, or might have happened. Is it history or fiction? It’s for the reader to decide.”

For more information please visit D.W. Bradbridge’s website. You can also find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

A Soldier of Substance Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, March 19 Guest Post at What Is That Book About

Saturday, March 21 Review at Book Nerd

Monday, March 23 Spotlight at I’d So Rather Be Reading

Tuesday, March 24 Guest Post at Just One More Chapter

Monday, March 30 Guest Post at Mythical Books

Thursday, April 3 Spotlight at Unshelfish Spotlight at Layered Pages

Friday, April 3 Review at Genre Queen

Publication Date: February 20, 2015

Booktrope Formats: eBook, Paperback

270 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Ponce, Puerto Rico, at the turn of the century: Ana Belén Opaku, an Afro-Cuban born into slavery, is a proud midwife with a tempestuous past. After testifying at an infanticide trial, Ana is forced to reveal a dark secret from her past, but continues to hide an even more sinister one. Pitted against the parish priest, Padre Vicénte, and young Doctór Héctor Rivera, Ana must battle to preserve her twenty-five year career as the only midwife in La Playa.

Serafina is a respectable young widow with two small children, who marries an older, wealthy merchant from a distinguished family. A crime against Serafina during her last pregnancy forever bonds her to Ana in an ill-conceived plan to avoid a scandal and preserve Serafina’s honor.

Set against the combustive backdrop of a chauvinistic society, where women are treated as possessions, A Decent Woman is the provocative story of these two women as they battle for their dignity and for love against the pain of betrayal and social change.

Advanced Praise for A Decent Woman

“A Decent Woman brings vividly to life the world of early twentieth-century Puerto Rico through the struggles of Ana Belén, an Afro-Cuban midwife, as she attempts to live a meaningful life. Spanning almost thirty years, the story encompasses Ana’s unusual friendship with Serafina, a white woman of humble origins who marries into a wealthy, upper class family. Race, class, the lingering legacy of slavery, and a woman’s role in this neo colonial society are all effectively illustrated through the intimate depiction of these two intersecting lives.

Author Eleanor Parker Sapia lovingly evokes old Puerto Rico: the graceful colonial city of Ponce, the mixture of African and Catholic traditions, the tropical lushness of the land, and the devastating force of a Caribbean hurricane.

Overall, A Decent Woman is a powerful and moving tale; well worth reading.”

-Alina García-Lapuerta, biographer and author of La Belle Creole: The Cuban Countess Who Captivated Havana, Madrid, and Paris

“A Decent Woman opens with a birth and a hurricane and doesn’t let up. Deep with delicious detail, scrumptious characters, and full of folklore, this is a unique debut novel from Eleanor Parker Sapia, one that will win her readers over. Written in a clean style that lets the historical ambience seep through into our consciousness, this book is a tale of wonder, of life and death, of love and life and not a few twists and turns. Ana and Serafina are, indeed, decent women living in a hard time. Buy it, read it, love it.”

-Jack Remick, short story writer, poet, and author of award-winning, Gabriela and the Widow

“A Decent Woman takes the reader on a journey into the heat and steam of Puerto Rico in the early 1900s. The writing is so visceral and evocative that you almost feel the rain on your face, the pain of childbirth, fear, betrayal and redemption along with the women in this story of midwives and mothers.”

-Claudia H Long, author of The Duel for Consuelo and Josefina’s Sin

“A Decent Woman takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of friendship between two strong women set against the backdrop of colonial Puerto Rico of the early 1900s. When former Cuban slave and midwife Ana Belén delivers Serafina Martínez’ first child, an unbreakable bond is formed despite the hurricanes nature and politics thrown in their paths. A striking first novel from Eleanor Parker Sapia.”

-Arleen Williams, writer and author of The Alki Trilogy

“It’s not only that I enjoyed A Decent Woman as much as Alice Walker’s work, there is a quality to her prose. I went back and read an excerpt of The Color Purple to really identify the similarity. The only way I can describe it is that I wanted to read it in gulps. Like when you’re really thirsty. I found myself sucked into the world in three or four lines, and galloping through the prose, because reading more made me want to read more.

A Decent Woman embodies the genre of women’s fiction in the most complete sense of the word exploring the lives of women – young and old, dark- and light-skinned, poor and rich. This is an outstanding read and an important book about a little known corner of women’s history.”

-Yma Johnson, short story writer and journalist

“Eleanor Parker Sapia’s historical fiction novel, A Decent Woman, steeped in friendship, romance, politics, and mysticism, is the captivating story of Ana Belén’s struggle and perseverance to become a Certified Midwife in turn of the century Puerto Rico. Ana’s passions, joys, and plight are shared by midwives everywhere and throughout herstory.

Reading this book was inspiring. I’m sure readers will enjoy A Decent Woman as much as I did.”

-Sarahn Henderson, Midwife and Educator at Birth in the Tradition

“I really enjoyed this novel and particularly enjoyed the characters who I could visualize clearly as I moved along with the story. Eleanor’s descriptions really created such a vivid image in my mind, bringing them to life as I read. I was moved by the various events and was even brought to tears at times. I suspect it will be a huge success and certainly one that I will recommend to my circle of family and friends.”

-Gina Tsiapalis, Registered Midwife

Official Book Trailer

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Puerto Rican-born novelist and painter, Eleanor Parker Sapia, was raised in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Her passion for travel and adventure combined with her compassion for those in need have led to her careers as a counselor, alternative health practitioner, and a Spanish language social worker and refugee case worker. These life experiences inspire her writing. She facilitates The Artist’s Way creativity groups, and teaches creative writing to children and adults. Eleanor shares her passion for telling stories on her blog, The Writing Life. A Decent Woman is her debut novel. Eleanor has two adventurous and loving grown children, and currently lives in wild and wonderful West Virginia.

For more information please visit Eleanor Parker Sapia’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Sign up for Eleanor Parker Sapia’s Newsletter for news and updates.

A Decent Woman Book Blast Schedule

Monday, March 16 To Read, Or Not to Read

Tuesday, March 17 Unshelfish

So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, March 18 The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, March 19 A Literary Vacation

Flashlight Commentary

Friday, March 20 A Bookish Girl

CelticLady’s Reviews

Saturday, March 21 Griperang’s Bookmarks

Monday, March 23 History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, March 24 100 Pages a Day

Back Porchervations

Wednesday, March 25 Book Lovers Paradise

What Is That Book About

Friday, March 27 Book Babe

Saturday, March 28 Book Nerd

Monday, March 30 Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, March 31 Passages to the Past

Wednesday, April 1 Layered Pages

With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

Thursday, April 2 Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Monday, April 6 Historical Fiction Connection

Giveaway

To enter to win one of the following four prizes, please complete the giveaway form below.

* Autographed Copy of A Decent Woman * A Decent Woman eBooks (2) * $25 Amazon Gift Card

RULES

Giveaway starts on March 16th at 12:01am EST and ends at 11:59pm EST on April 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Winners will be chosen via GLEAM on April 7th and notified via email. Winners have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Direct Link to book giveaway