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Anne Boleyn Accepts a New Challenge - an Editorial Review of "Queen of Diamonds"
Book Blurb: Anne Boleyn accepts a new challenge! For fans of Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick, Carol McGrath and Anne O’Brien. Can Anne guard her heart against those determined to take it…? France, 1515 With the departure of her mistress, Mary Tudor, back to England, Anne Boleyn now finds herself in the service of Queen Claude of France. Claude assigns Anne the role of companion to her younger sister, Princess Renée, and Anne soon discovers Renée is a handful — wilful and
DK Marley
5 days ago5 min read
A Modern Republic From the Ashes of an Old Theocracy - an Editorial Review of "It Always Rains in Estaran"
Book Blurb: A nation in turmoil. A people divided. A revolution unfinished... The great revolutionary leader, reformer, liberator, and, for some, oppressor, General Mateh Redes is dead. He leaves behind a newly formed, fragile republic crumbling under the weight of its own creation. With Estaran remade, its people struggle with the disorienting clash between past and present. Now rival factions clamor for power, and it is up to Sark Efni, the handpicked successor of Mateh Red
DK Marley
6 days ago4 min read
The Signs Are Everywhere - an Editorial Review of "Land Shadows"
Book Blurb: Winner of the Maxy Award First Runner-Up for Historical Fiction, Eric Hoffer Award Shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Land Shadows is a sweeping historical saga spanning the Scottish Highlands, Gilded Age New York, and the contested lands of New Mexico. At its heart is Murdoch McNeil, an orphaned boy shaped by loss and ambition, and Kewanee, a Potawatomi girl resisting forced assimilation at the Carlisle Indian School. Their lives entwine across decades a
DK Marley
7 days ago4 min read
The Machinery of Racism - an Editorial Review of "Skulls and Gulls"
Book Blurb: Coming Soon Book Buy Link: Coming Soon Editorial Review: Title: Skulls and Gulls Author: Joseph Kovler Rating: 4.4 "Skulls and Gulls" by Joseph Kovler, a historical fiction set in September 1938 follows Samuel Cohen Bernstein, a Jewish reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Through him, the book explores the machinery of racism, the corruption of institutions, and the possibility of reckoning. The novel depicts how prejudice masquerades as research, granting legit
DK Marley
Aug 53 min read
A Budding Socialite Haunted by War - an Editorial Review of "The Last Fatal Hour"
Book Blurb: For Leona Gladney, former woman soldier of the Union Army, life goes on despite the echoes of the battlefield in her heart. Now a suffragist and budding socialite in Brooklyn Heights, she yearns for a literary life and family. But her husband’s business partner embezzles their money and disappears. The society matrons of Brooklyn Heights turn a gimlet eye on Leona after the suspicious death of a wealthy friend. Leona will do anything to find justice for her friend
DK Marley
Jul 224 min read
Discovering Wealth Beneath Tribal Lands - an Editorial Review of "Daughter of Warriors"
Book Blurb: "As haunting as it is beautifully written, this sweeping yet intimate story of a woman’s love and loss in a world that both envied and shunned her is at once heartbreaking and triumphant—a moving testament to the imperfect resilience of the human spirit." -- PAUL MARGOLIS, AUTHOR, SCREENWRITER, AND PRODUCER Lucy Eagleton is a “Daughter of Warriors,” but even the strongest Osage lineage cannot shield her from the evils the white conquerors brought to them: deadly d
DK Marley
Jul 195 min read
No Ordinary Pawn - an Editorial Review of "The Queen Among Kings"
Book Blurb: She came to England expecting chivalry and courtly grace. What she found was betrayal, corruption, and a king more interested in favorites than his crown... Isabella of France, once the daughter of kings, became a queen stripped of lands, wealth, and influence—left to navigate a treacherous court and a husband whose obsession with Hugh Despenser threatened to ruin the kingdom. But Isabella is no ordinary pawn. With intelligence, courage, and a heart tempered by lo
DK Marley
Jul 184 min read
The Most Dangerous Weapons Are the People - an Editorial Review of "The Hazard Trade"
Book Blurb: In British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island, the most dangerous weapons are the people the enemy refuses to see. Newport, Rhode Island is the crown jewel of the colonies—one of the most beautiful cities, one of the wealthiest, with the finest natural harbor in the new world. Rhode Island is a hotbed of rebellion, and the British have made an example of it: brutally occupying the city, blockading the harbor, and cutting off trade. More than half the population has fl
DK Marley
Jun 165 min read
The High Stakes World of Classical Music - an Editorial Review of "Descending Thirds"
Book Blurb: In the high-stakes world of classical music, Alexandra von Triessen, a gifted but insecure pianist, navigates the cutthroat International Ketterling Piano Competition. Dazzled by the charming Sebastian D'Antonio, she finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue surrounding his enigmatic and estranged brother, Conrad. Just as Alexandra's star begins to rise, a shocking discovery sends her world crashing down, exposing secrets and lies that threaten to destroy everyth
DK Marley
Jun 144 min read
Every Good Folktale Reveals Both Heroes and Villains - an Editorial Review of "The Fern Flower"
Book Blurb: Russia 1908-1917 Every good folktale reveals villains and heroes. Mila Belova’s world is overflowing with both. Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child. Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turn
DK Marley
Jun 35 min read
One Small Island in the Crossfire - an Editorial Review of "Voices on the Wind"
Book Blurb: Early 1942: the fate of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil hangs on the fate of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta. Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis powers drop more bombs on Malta than London endured throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the RAF struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying…. Voices
DK Marley
Jun 24 min read
The Fight for Democracy in Ancient Greece - an Editorial Review of "The Philosopher Kings"
Book Blurb: In the year 404 BCE, democracy is dismantled in Athens by the Lacedaemonians at the end of the Peloponnesian War. Installed in its place is a group of ruthless oligarchs known as the Thirty Tyrants. Athenian exiles, under the command of Thrasybulus and his partners, rebel against their despotic regime as they endeavor to restore democracy. The Philosopher Kings is the extraordinary true story of the fight for democracy and the quest for truth in ancient Greece. Th
DK Marley
Jun 14 min read
When All is Taken, the Spirit Remains - an Editorial Review of "A Heart That's True"
Book Blurb: “A heartfelt and deeply moving story of courage, identity, and hope. This is historical fiction at its most compassionate. A powerful, engrossing and memorable read.” Artisan Book Reviews When all is taken, what remains? In 1912, twelve-year-old Joseph Cross and his cousin Elizabeth White Cloud are torn from the foothills of Montana and sent across the country to the Carlisle Indian School, where children are stripped of their language, their traditions, and even
DK Marley
May 305 min read
Two Brothers, Two Paths, One Master of Lies - an Editorial Review of "The Sewers of Stalingrad"
Book Blurb: "A massively grand novel of ideas." — Satakunnan Kansa (Regional daily newspaper) "Brilliant." — Kulttuuritoimitus (Independent arts & culture journal) The lies were crafted in Berlin. The price was paid in the ruins of Stalingrad. Berlin, 1928. The Weimar Republic is dancing on the edge of a volcano. Two brothers, Werner and Valter Greiser, arrive in the city with nothing but ambition. They seek a future in the glittering metropolis, but they find themselves swep
DK Marley
May 285 min read
Ensuring a Wealthy Bride By Any Means Necessary - an Editorial Review of "A Winter's Disgrace"
Book Blurb: Cyprian, a marquess’s heir, will not let his mother choose his next bride. Leaving a house party in a blizzard to avoid her stratagems, he finds a woman trudging half frozen toward the London road. Rosamund fled disgrace hoping to reach the one person who might shelter her, but even if she reaches a coaching inn, she has too little coin to reach London. When a gentleman offers to take her to the nearest inn, can she trust him or will it lead to worse than lying do
DK Marley
May 274 min read
Love and Perseverance Spanning Three Continents - an Editorial Review of "The Soap Maker"
Book Blurb: From the French Resistance to the liberation of Paris, to the high fashion industry of post-WWII New York, and to the bucolic valley of Sonoma California, "The Soap Maker" is a story of tragedy, love, revenge, and finally a life fulfilled. Anton is thirteen years old when WWII starts and turns his idyllic family farm life upside-down. He grows rapidly to manhood, guided by his Papy (grandfather), known as the "Soap Maker" and a member of the French Resistance. One
DK Marley
May 265 min read
An Act of God or Something Earthly and Sinister? - an Editorial Review of "Death in the Church"
Book Blurb: A controversial priest dies suddenly on the steps of the great cathedral, moments before his long-awaited restoration after years of excommunication. Church leaders hail his death as a divine sign. But Captain Aurelius - the trusted imperial aide assigned by Constantine himself to investigate - is not convinced. Was this truly an act of God, or the work of someone far more earthly? As he retraces the priest's final moments and unravels the decades of disputes that
DK Marley
May 254 min read
A Story of Hardship and Redemption - an Editorial Review of "Through Our Own Wrong Eyes"
Book Blurb: If only we could see... *** Dustbowl Colorado 1930s. At 26, Paul had ridden the rails in search of work for years and now has returned to his hometown in Lamar. There he meets Ruby,14, whose innocence bolsters his confidence. Because she sees him as more than the alcohol abuser man of many get rich dreams, she marries him and begins writing a journal that spans over 40 years. This is the fictionalized story of that remarkable journal. From Depression Era Colorado
DK Marley
May 134 min read
A Ladies of the Revolution Novel - an Editorial Review of "Patriot of the Lowcountry"
Book Blurb: “Amid the desolation, the woman of Carolina exhibited an example of more than masculine fortitude…Far from being offended at the name of rebel ladies, they esteemed it as a title for distinction and glory.” —Eliza Yonge Wilkinson Eliza is no stranger to both privilege and heartbreak. Widowed at eighteen, she gained self-sufficiency while managing one of her father’s plantations. Now, at age twenty-two, marauding Redcoats destroy her home and hard-won independence.
DK Marley
May 55 min read
Return to Salem, Not as History, But as a Mirror - an Editorial Review of "A Name Unbroken"
Book Blurb: In 1692, Susannah North Martin was hanged during the Salem witch trials. Three centuries later, one of her descendants faces a different kind of trial—growing up under the weight of religious condemnation and queer erasure. A Name Unbroken braids these stories across time to reveal how fear misjudges difference across generations, and how the refusal to be false to oneself can become an act of survival. Blending lyrical first-person narrative, documentary fragment
DK Marley
May 34 min read