Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: A Wicket of Lies: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait

A Wicket of Lies: A British Cozy Murder Mystery
(A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
by Victoria Tait

About A Wicket of Lies

A Wicket of Lies: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in the Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 11, 2025
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DNKN1W7P
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1917168328

Summer is in full swing in the Cotswolds… but not everyone is playing fair.
Dotty Sayers, antiques expert and amateur sleuth, is looking forward to an idyllic afternoon of sunshine, cream teas, and village rivalry at the final of a local ladies’ cricket festival.

Keya Varma, café owner and part-time crime scene expert, is delighted to be on the pitch with family and friends. The stakes are high but it’s all in good spirit… until a teammate is found dead.

At first, the death seems like a tragic accident, but when Keya is appointed crime scene manager and evidence starts turning up outside the boundary, suspicion begins to spread.

With lies spinning like a tricky googly and secrets lurking in the outfield, Dotty and Keya must team up with the local police to cut through a pitch of grudges, hidden motives, and long-buried betrayals.

Off the pitch, Dotty is facing doubts of her own. Can she let go of her fears and commit to a future with Zach?

With a murder to solve and the game underway, can Dotty, Keya, and their unlikely team of village cricketers spot the real villain before someone else gets bowled out?

A Wicket of Lies is the second book in Victoria Tait’s Cotswold Antique Mystery series, a feel-good whodunnit brimming with village life, vintage treasures, and cricketing rivalries. With determined sleuths, loyal friendships, and a community bound by justice, it’s a wonderfully English mystery with heart.

Keep your eye on the ball and uncover the truth in A Wicket of Lies today!

About Victoria Tait

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Victoria has recently been exploring the world, drawing inspiration for her books from remarkable places including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Morocco, and Malta.

You can find Victoria at VictoriaTait.com ‘

Author Links

Website: https://victoriatait.com/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

Purchase Links. Books2Read – Amazon 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW

July 20 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

July 21 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 22 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

July 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST  

July 23 – FUONLYKNEW – RECIPE 

July 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 25 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

July 26 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

July 26 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 27 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 28 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Exposing Lethal Secrets by Deena Alexander

 

Exposing Lethal Secrets
by Deena Alexander

About Exposing Lethal Secrets

Exposing Lethal Secrets
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
3rd in Series
Setting – California desert and Florida forest
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Love Inspired Suspense
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335980687
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335980687
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DFQCVR9L
Audiobook ASIN B0DK44F6MS

This bodyguard and his K-9
will do anything to uncover the truth.

Stumbling upon a burning car and rescuing an injured woman wasn’t on bodyguard Caleb Miller’s vacation itinerary—nor were the gunmen who open fire on them. But Olivia Delaney has no memory of who she is or how she got there, only that she is under threat. Vowing to protect the woman in danger, Caleb and his K-9 go on the run with Olivia. As they work to stay a step ahead of her pursuers, they must untangle her past together…before her family’s deadly schemes bury them both.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

About Deena Alexander

Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena’s love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, and she now works full time as a writer and a freelance editor.

Author Links

• Webpage: http://deenaalexander.com/index.html
• Blog: http://deenaalexander.com/blog.html
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeenaAlexanderAuthor
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DeenaAlexanderA
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20382104.Deena_Alexander
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/deena-alexander
• Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/492177/92188784823633445/share
• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Deena-Alexander/author/B08C1VKZFZ

Purchase Links
Amazon    Barnes and Noble     Kobo     Apple      Google Play

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 1 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 2 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

July 3 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 4 – OFF

July 5 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

July 5 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT

July 6 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

July 8 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 9 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

July 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

July 11 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

July 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 13 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

July 14 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

July 15 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

July 15 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

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These Blue Mountains: A Southern Fiction Novel with a Pianist Heroine for Book Clubs set between WWI and WWII in 1930s Appalachia and Germany by Sarah Loudin Thomas

 

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz's body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he'd left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she'll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.

Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.

Learn more at www.SarahLoudinThomas.com

 

My Review

 What a great job the author does putting faces of those touched by war, wars that began with Germany. A young woman pledges to marry a navy man, he goes off to fight, then isn't heard from. I can't imagine, a mom, a fiancé, in Germany waiting for fifteen years, with no word.
We travel from Europe to America, and back. We are given the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, as Hedda travels to bring home a body. Closure at last?
The lost is found, we have deportation, and secrets revealed, and all the while I was page turning for answers.
This is a love story, but I was wondering to the end if the right people would find each other? Then there are those in Germany, will they get out before its to late?
This is a read that kept giving, and I didn't know about the internment camp in NC, and I loved the epilogue!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White

 

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party―he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

 

My Review

 This was such a great read, and brought to light what was happening in France, and Europe in 1940.
The story comes alive over books, yes, we take a lot for granted, but, at this horrible time in history, people were deciding just what you could read. Easier to control people if you own all their media.
The author does a great job highlighting what was happening to people whom they considered weren't perfect, wrong religion, or were what they didn't like.
This is a sweet romance story, but so much more! There is a delightful child, that yes, should not be alive, and I love some of the solutions to make it so he could enjoy life a bit more.
Danger is everywhere, and whom can you trust? There are a few that are willing to give the ultimate, and some are here in this read.
I did enjoy the epilogue, and in the end wanted to continue on in their lives! This is a must read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Tyndale House and was not required to give a positive review.

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Murder on the Books (A Cozy Bookshop Mystery) by Toni LoTempio

 

Murder on the Books (A Cozy Bookshop Mystery)
by Toni LoTempio

About Murder on the Books

Murder on the Books (A Cozy Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Pennsylvania
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2025
Hardcover Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448315263
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448315260
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DTYF8XYF
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448315277

Newly retired mystery writer Charley James returns to her small hometown only to find herself amidst a real-life murder mystery in this first book in the brand new Cozy Bookshop mystery series by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte James, better known to her mystery fans as C.J. Barrett, decides to take a break from writing her popular Steve Sheppard mystery series. Leaving New York City, she moves back to her hometown of Austin to wind down, recuperate, and maybe come up with some new ideas for her books.

Settling into her new life, Charley reunites with her long-term friend and baker Zane who is about to open a charming double store front. But while Zane is ready to open her café, her business partner Sheila unexpectedly departs town, bailing on her bookshop and leaving nothing but a note behind.

Charley is more than happy to take over, but when she finds Sheila’s body in a chest in the store’s basement, things take a dramatic turn. Now Charley has to juggle the opening of her bookshop, a stoic but attractive Philadelphia detective, and a stray cat, all while solving Sheila’s murder Sheppard-style before the killer can strike again!

Fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, Lucy Connelly, Lauren Elliott, and Ellie Alexander will love this cozy mystery “featuring a plucky, likable heroine, plenty of suspense [and] unexpected twists” (Booklist).

“I was hooked from start to finish!” Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop mysteries, on Eat, Drink and Drop Dead

About Toni LoTempio

• T.C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. Born in New York City, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her two cats, Maxx and Rocco. Rocco prides himself on being the inspiration for her Nick and Nora series! For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco’s blog at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.tclotempio.ne
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5
• TWITTER/X: ROCCOBLOGGER
• WEBSITE:  https://www.tclotempio.net/
• Purchase Links – Amazon – B & N – Bookshop.org – Kobo – 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 1 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 2 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

July 2 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 3 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

July 4 – OFF

July 5 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 5 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

July 6 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 8 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT

July 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 9 – Jemima Pett, Author – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 10 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 11 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

July 11 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW

July 12 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog– CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

July 15 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

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Celebrate Lit Presents: Capturing You Author: Robin Patchen

 

About the Book

Book: Capturing You

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release Date: June 24, 2025

In a town shrouded by secrets, a photographer and the reclusive heir of the Ballentine fortune join forces to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

Brooklynn Wright must win a photography contest to save her gallery, and the perfect sunrise shot at a remote inlet north of town is her best hope. But when she witnesses a smuggling operation at a hidden dock and is chased by armed men, her dreams of artistic glory become a nightmare flight for survival. Rescued by a mysterious stranger, Brooklynn is forced to take refuge with him in an abandoned mansion the townspeople claim is cursed—afraid to trust her grumpy protector but with no other choice.

Billionaire Forbes Ballentine returned to Shadow Cove for answers, not distractions. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his family twenty years ago, he’s spent his life in the shadows, hunting for the truth. He believes the network Brooklynn stumbled upon is tied to his family’s deaths, but protecting the cheerful photographer means jeopardizing the investigation he’s been chasing for decades. Especially when her presence stirs feelings he’s not prepared to face.

As Brooklynn and Forbes grow closer, so do the network’s ruthless enforcers. With everyone in town hiding something, they must navigate lies, betrayal, and deadly truths. When the network closes in, they’ll have to trust each other completely—or lose everything.

Dive into this gripping romantic suspense full of mystery, secrets, and danger, where two broken souls must uncover the truth while battling the enemies outside—and the wounds within.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

More from Robin

A Mansion on the Maine Coast: The Perfect Setting for Capturing You

There’s something about old mansions that gets my imagination racing. Maybe it’s the grandeur, or the hint that secrets hide behind their towering windows. Or maybe it’s knowing that, once upon a time, entire lives were lived there.

When I first envisioned Capturing You, I knew the story needed a setting as breathtaking—and as mysterious—as the characters themselves. So I plucked inspiration from my visits to the coast of New Hampshire. I can’t help but admire the stunning mansions overlooking the Atlantic between Hampton Beach—a touristy strip filled with arcades and restaurants—and Rye, a quiet coastal community. I love to imagine the lives lived inside those walls and the histories written into their very foundations.

Naturally, when it came time to write Brooklynn and Forbes’s story, I borrowed from those daydreams.

In Capturing You, the eighteenth-century cliffside mansion functions as more than just a setting. It’s a character in its own right. Crumbling a bit with age, it stands guard over a small, secluded cove on the coast of Maine. The old home is a place of secret hiding places, bittersweet memories, and…because, you know, it’s a Robin Patchen novel…more than its share of danger. The Ballentine Mansion is the perfect backdrop for a story about a photographer who accidentally stumbles onto something she shouldn’t have seen—and a brooding recluse determined to keep her safe.

In the story, I hope you hear the waves pounding against the rocky shore, smell the salt in the air, and feel the ancient wood floors creaking beneath your feet. I hope you’ll find wonder in the whimsical spaces created by the original architect. And I hope you’ll experience nostalgia in a home that hasn’t had a family fill its halls with laughter in a generation.

Step right into that world with me—a world of danger and romance, courage and redemption, all wrapped up in a mansion that’s seen more than its share of joy and heartache. And maybe a little healing too.

I can’t wait for you to explore all its secrets with Brooklynn and Forbes.

Capturing You is available now. Immerse yourself in a fascinating mansion—and a suspenseful romance that’ll keep you reading all night long.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 1

Pens Pages & Pulses, July 1

For Him and My Family, July 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 4

Texas Book-aholic, July 5

Stories By Gina, July 6 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, July 6

Book Looks by Lisa, July 7

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 8

Blogging with Carol, July 9

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 10

Life on Chickadee Lane, July 11

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, July 12

Holly’s Book Corner, July 13

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, July 13

Pause for Tales, July 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of Protecting You!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54253

Celebrate Lit Presents: Flight of Fate (The Clockwork Chronicles Book Two) Authors: Tricia Goyer & Nathan Goyer

 

About the Book

Book: Flight of Fate (The Clockwork Chronicles Book Two)

Authors: Tricia Goyer & Nathan Goyer

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction with a Steampunk Twist

Release Date: June 10, 2025

When destined for destruction, fate must be challenged.

Curator Dante Ramono must remove the priceless Farnese Cup from its hidden vault in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli to protect it from Allied bombing. A swift betrayal places the cup in Nazi hands, but not before it reveals its mystical powers. To recover the cup, Dante must join forces with cunning Theodora. Can he trust her, or will he be deceived once more?

In Prague, Kateřina Dubová works to care for the Jews she’s hidden. In her hour of greatest need, her trusted friend, Josef, has seemingly vanished. Danger closes in, yet an unseen protector steps in again and again. Could it be Josef, hidden in the shadows?

The clock is ticking. Is the future set in stone, or can courage and faith change history? Together, these four unlikely guardians must defy the odds to stop the Germans’ dark ambitions or risk their very souls.

Betrayal, sacrifice, and destiny collide as unlikely heroes race to save a world at war from the power of a mystical relic.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Authors

Tricia Goyer is a celebrated writer, speaker, and co-host of the Daily Bible Podcast. Author of 80 books, Tricia has won four Golden Scrolls, two Carols, and a Christian Book Award. In addition to Christy and Gold Medallion nominations, her book sales exceed 4 million copies. Tricia is a highly sought-after conference speaker, sharing on writing, parenting, and purposeful living. Tricia’s most recent work, The Clockwork Chronicles, is a historical steampunk fantasy trilogy co-authored with her son, Nathan Goyer.

Nathan Goyer is an upstart designer and science fiction author who has been writing since he was young. He has written the novel Bask: City of Shadows and solo-developed the mobile RPG game Heedless, which has surpassed 30,000 downloads. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, he is now pushing forward with new endeavors, starting with his latest series, The Clockwork Chronicles, co-authored with his mother, Tricia Goyer.

More from Tricia and Nathan

Mafia in World War II? This One Fact Changed the Plot of Our Book

By Tricia Goyer and Nathan Goyer

Some discoveries in research are expected. You dig, and you find what you’re looking for. Others? Well, they blindside you. Sort of like a speeding Vespa on a crowded Italian street.

That’s what happened when Nathan and I were deep in research for Flight of Fate. I was already thrilled about weaving real history into our novel—especially the story of the Naples Museum during World War II and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. (Yes, the very volcano that buried Pompeii in AD 79.) Turns out, this volcano wasn’t done causing trouble.) But what I didn’t expect was how one innocent question would change our entire book.

The Question That Changed Everything

I had been gathering all sorts of juicy details from my online friend Raffael Romano. Raffaele is an expert on Naples history, and he runs his own tour company. (If you ever want to explore Italy without leaving your couch, check out Naples Grand Tour—you won’t regret it!)

After an information-packed interview, I asked, “So, is there anything we didn’t ask about that we should?”

Raffaele paused. Then, as casually as if he were offering me an extra scoop of gelato, he said:

“You haven’t asked about the mafia.”

Excuse me, what?!

Yes, the Mafia Had a Secret Role in WWII

Up until that moment, I had been focused on mystical artifacts, Nazi theft, stolen artwork, and volcanic chaos. But suddenly, my brain was spinning in a whole new direction.

Because, yes—while American and British forces were battling the Axis in Italy, there was another power at play in the shadows.

The Sicilian Mafia (known as Cosa Nostra) had been suppressed under Mussolini’s fascist rule in the 1920s and ’30s. However, when Allied forces invaded Sicily in 1943, something surprising happened: the Mafia made a comeback. And not just any comeback—a strategic, calculated one.

The U.S. military, scrambling for allies on the ground, reportedly turned to some rather unusual sources for help. Enter Mafia boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano—yes, the American Mafia kingpin, who was conveniently in a New York prison at the time. In exchange for some leniency, he allegedly used his underworld connections to help Allied intelligence secure Sicily.

Meanwhile, in Naples—where part of our story takes place—the Mafia was alive and well. And they weren’t just smuggling black-market goods or running gambling rings—they were also influencing who had control of their country. (Hint: the Germans may got the boot outta the Boot!)

And Just Like That, A Different Story Emerged!

With this new information, our fictional world suddenly cracked wide open. How could we tie the Mafia into the world of ancient legends and steampunk warfare? Are they good? Evil? Somewhere in-between? We could twist those scenarios into tales of sacrifice and duty we had already explored in Breath of Bones. There were lots of directions we could go, and boy did we go!

This is Why We Love History

This is what we love about writing historical fiction. It’s like stepping into a time machine and realizing that real history is so much bigger than we imagined. Stories we think we know—like the Allied liberation of Italy—have so many hidden layers. Layers of ordinary people making impossible choices. Layers of forgotten heroes … and unexpected villains.

And, sometimes, layers of the Mafia.

So, the next time you watch a WWII movie and wonder, could the Mafia really have played a role in this?—the answer might just be yes. (And don’t worry. We’re not giving away too much of the plot by sharing this!)

Now, I’m curious—have you ever learned a historical fact that completely surprised you? Drop a comment, and let’s chat! And if you love history as much as I do, be sure to check out Naples Grand Tour for a deep dive into Italy’s incredible past! Tell Raffelo that Nathan and I send you and said, “Chao!” Also, be sure to check out Book One, Breath of Bones!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 30

Simple Harvest Reads, July 1 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, July 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 2

Texas Book-aholic, July 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 4 (Spotlight)

For Him and My Family, July 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 6

The Lofty Pages, July 7

Blossoms and Blessings, July 8

Book Looks by Lisa, July 9

Artistic Nobody, July 10 (Author Interview)

Wishful Endings, July 10

Lily’s Corner, July 11

Bizwings Book Blog, July 12

Life on Chickadee Lane, July 13

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Nathan and Tricia are giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a hardcover copy of Breath of Bones and Flight of Fate!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54251