No Good Deeds by E.J. McKenna - #blog tour #excerpt #extract

 

Today I am bringing you a mini extract from the book, No Good Deeds by E.J. McKenna. Enjoy!

The Blurb

Annie Schaeffer is no stranger to violence. Born of an outlaw father, she was sold to a traveling show at the age of six, now finally escaping as an adult.

On the run and wounded, she finds an unlikely ally In Nathan Healey - a member of the Needham Boys gang.

As she earns her place among the outlaws, Annie’s survival hinges on her lethal skills and growing bond with Nathan.

Nate's moral compass shifts with his circumstances, especially when those he loves are involved. Upon meeting Annie, he finds himself drawn to a woman determined to live differently to the expectations others place upon her; to live freely and fairly. The way he has always wanted.

Annie's quest for independence takes a dark turn as the gang begins to collapse. Betrayal runs deep, and the cost of trust is high.

No Good Deeds is a gripping tale of resilience and retribution in the untamed West, where loyalty is fleeting and justice is won at the barrel of a gun. Annie Schaeffer's story is one of fierce determination, as she battles her past and the outlaws who seek to control her fate.

The Excerpt

“You know what I want beyond all else in this world? Four walls and a roof. All my own. Don’t even need another room.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “I know it’s simple, but I ain’t never had that. It’d be out of town, but not too far out, maybe close to a river, I dunno. I’d be a Bounty Hunter or a Trapper or somethin’, to pay any costs I have. And I’d live off the land, all quiet like."

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1962465670

Publisher:  Historium Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  330 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

E.J. McKenna is a freelance writer in the UK with a great interest in American History, and a degree in English and American Literature with Creative Writing from the University of Kent. 

At the end of 2023, she co-created a creative writing app for people of all ages to improve their writing skills in a fun, relaxed environment.

Born and raised in the UK, but a lover of traveling, she has a fascination with all social history across different countries and cultures. One of her favourite historical periods is the Victorian era, especially with United States history. 

"The juxtaposition between the established countries of Europe, and the new world of America is fascinating to me. So many people trying to survive harsh frontier life, while trying to continue the uptight decorum of Victorian society."

A huge advocate for feminism and human equity, her writing centres around determined female protagonists in traditionally male roles, tackling the perceptions of women in history. Her strong female protagonists go out of their way to change their society's expectations for the fairer.

You can also find her at:

Historium Press

Twitter / X

Linked In

(all media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Reading Roundup for February 2024

 

Here we are at the end of another month, and it is time to tell you about all the books I have read in February.

My reading time is still being impacted by my new puppy shaped friend who will, in time, be a wonderful reading and writing companion. However, at the moment, it is a case of preventing her from getting into too much mischief!

Have you read anything good this month? I would love to hear your recommendations. 

Books I Have Read

Fourteen Days: An Unauthorized Gathering - Edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston - This is a really unusual collaborative work which made for an interesting read. You can read my review by clicking here.

Our Georgeous Baby by Smriti Halls - This is a delightful picture book about the arrival of a new baby. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley - A feminist retelling of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four. You can read my review by clicking here.

L is for Love by Atinuke - I reviewed this book for pre-schoolers on Valentine's Day as it seemed so apt. You can read my review by clicking here.

Next of Kin by Hannah Bonham-Young - This is a lovely book filled with humour and chemistry between the main characters. You can read my review by clicking here.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - I read this with my Book Group and it had a mixed reception. However, I really enjoyed it and you can read my review by clicking here.

My Brilliant Life: An Unforgettable Memoir of Love, Loss and the Ability of the Heart to Heal by Rachelle Unreich - This is a very moving memoir, told by a daughter about her mother's experience during the Holocaust. You can read my review by clicking here.

Adiel and the Fuhrer by Elyse Hoffman - I read this as part of the blog tour and very glad I did. You can read my review by clicking here.

Snack, Please! by Georgie Birkett - My review of this lovely picture book will be up next week.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - This particular book was a little over sentimental for my taste but it was a good story.

The Story Collector by Iris Costello - This was a five star timeslip novel and was excellent. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Books I Did Not Finish

Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook - Absolutely nothing wrong with this book but I needed to prioritise other books so have set it aside for the moment.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Reading this I learnt that puppies and Russian literature are not a good combination!

Books I am Currently Reading

The Shadow Network by Deborah Swift

In Sickness and in Health/Yom Kippur in a Gym by Nora Gold

The London Bookshop Affair by Louise Fein

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh

Newborn by Kerry Hudson

Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keech - BookReview

 

 I was born in the midst of a storm, when the waves rose so high up the cliffs of Tintagel it was feared the entire castle would be dragged into the sea. Though my mother never spoke of it, my nurse Gwennol often told the tale - how Lady Igraine's cries fought with the thunder, her pain carried off on the screaming wind, lightning illuminating her struggle and the dangerous labour she never had with my two sisters.

'For a while we were sure she would die,' Gwennol would say, holding me rapt, over the music of Cornwall's swirling clifftop breeze. 'Hours she lay there, howling like a banshee, bone-tired. We were about to lose the light when your lady mother sat up, staring at the window as if seeing the Angel Gabriel himself. 'The sea has come!' she cried. 'Risen up to bear us away!'...

***

An atmospheric, feminist retelling of the early life of famed villainess Morgan le Fay, set against the colourful chivalric backdrop of Arthurian legend.

When King Uther Pendragon murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage, Morgan refuses to be crushed. Trapped amid the machinations of men in a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, she discovers secret powers. Vengeful and brilliant, it's not long before Morgan becomes a worthy adversary to Merlin, influential sorcerer to the king. But fighting for her freedom, she risks losing everything – her reputation, her loved ones and her life.

***

This book is being published today and I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy. It was a fabulous read and I am already certain that it will be one of my favourite reads of the year.

It is not an easy task to write a re-telling of an age old story in a completely different way. This feminist perspective of Morgan was empowering to read. In a time period which was strongly patriarchal, the author did a fantastic job in creating this alternative depiction of the Arthurian legend.

I equally enjoyed her portayal of Merlin which was completely different to the friendly wizard we have come to expect from other versions of him. Ms. Keech describes him as a sinister character who Morgan distrusts from the very beginning. As soon as we encounter him we know that the author is offering the reader an engaging alternative of this story.

I loved the strong female characters and relationships in this book; from the time Morgan spends in the nunnery right through to the strong relationship she has with Alys and other secondary female characters. Even her mother, whilst not so obviously a strong female character, is vital in enabling Morgan to receive an education - an avenue not open to women of the period.

It is very much a character driven novel which is told at a sedate pace. The author possesses the ability to inhabit her characters, bringing them perfectly to life on the page.

The prose is beautifully written and I enjoyed reading every word of this fabulous novel. This is the author's debut novel. She is a skilled storyteller and I cannot wait to read more from her.

ISBN: 978 0861545193

Publisher:  Magpie

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages:  352 (hardback)

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

About the Author:

Sophie Keetch has a BA in English Literature from Cardiff University, which included the study of Arthurian legend. She is Welsh and lives with her husband and son in South Wales. For her debut novel, she was drawn to Morgan le Fay because of the progression of her character through time, becoming ever more villainous as she was written and rewritten in the words of men. But beneath the infamy, Sophie felt there was an unsung story and was compelled to seek out the woman behind the myth and give a voice to her contradictions.

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

(ARC courtesy of NetGalley)

(author photo courtesy of The Soho Agency)

(Author info courtesy of GoodReads)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Three Rival Sisters by Marie-Louise Gagneur & Translated by Anna Aitken and Polly Mackintosh #BookReview

 

The village of Domblans lay deep in a lovely verdant valley in the Jura. The houses were all tucked away discreetly behind layers of foliage, and from neighbouring hilltops one could just make out brown roof tiles and the angular spire of the church through the dense line of poplars that wound its way along the river.

***

Much acclaimed amongst her contemporaries and yet all but forgotten today, Marie-Louise Gagneur was a defining voice in French feminism. These stories, translated into English for the first time, critique the restrictions of late nineteenth-century society and explore the ways in which both men and women are hurt by rigid attitudes towards marriage.

In 'An Atonement', the Count de Montbarrey awakes one morning to find his wife dead, leaving him free to marry the woman he really loves. Could the Count have accidentally killed his wife? And how can he atone for his crime? 'Three Rival Sisters' tells the story of the rivalry between Henriette, Renée and Gabrielle as they compete for the affections of one man. But marriage does not necessarily guarantee happiness, as the sisters are about to find out.

Steeped in wit, empathy and biting social criticism, and with echoes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Kate Chopin, the stories show Gagneur to be worthy of renewed attention.

***

This is very much a book of two parts as it consists of two unrelated short stories, Three Rival Sisters and Atonement.

Personally, I found the titular story to be the superior of the two. It was interesting to watch the behaviour of the three sisters, Henriette, Renee and Gabrielle as they vie for the attention of a single man.

It was entertaining and witty and not unlike Jane Austen in the authors portrayal of the situation. She has put everything into place in order that the reader can come to their own conclusion as to how this scenario will play out. The prose, which is beautifully composed, suggests that marriage and love do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Atonement paled in comparison to its predecessor. It reminded me a little of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, in its theme. Again, it was nicely written, but the story did not have the same complexity and I was not engaged by the characters or how the story would resolve itself.

ISBN: 978 1910477953

Publisher: Gallic Books

No. of Pages: 224 (paperback)

About the Author:

Marie-Louise Gagneur was a French feminist, writer and activist, born in Domblans in 1832. She wrote essays, short stories and more than 20 novels, often focusing on anti-clericalism and issues surrounding the status of women in society. She later called for a reform on divorce laws and challenged the Académie Française to feminise French job titles. Gagneur was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 1901 and died in 1902.

(author photo courtesy of Wikipeadia)

(biographical info courtesy of Belgravia Books)