Reviews – Ocelot Press

September 13, 2022September 13, 2022

Ocelot Authors Nancy Jardine and Cathie Dunn Take Gold and Bronze in Prestigious Awards

There’s a lot going on at Ocelot Press right now. We’re thrilled to announce that two Ocelot Press authors, Nancy Jardine and Cathie Dunn, have done extremely well in the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Awards 2022. Congratulations to both!

Nancy’s Before Beltane, a prequel to her atmospheric Celtic Fervour series, took the gold medal in the Ancient World Historical Fiction category.

Cathie Dunn’s The Shadows of Versailles, set amidst the intrigue of Louis XIV’s glittering court, took the bronze medal in two categories: European Historical Fiction and Early Modern Historical Fiction.

Both books are cracking reads. You can read more about them and buy copies on the links below:

Before Beltane is on its way!

This post is by Nancy Jardine.
Before Beltane, the Prequel to Nancy Jardine’s Celtic Fervour Series, is now a few days old and it has gained its first review on Amazon. The 5***** star review has come from a paperback book reader and is a brilliant start to sharing impressions of the stories with potential readers.

Here’s the review:

“The Prequel to the Celtic Fervour Series by Nancy Jardine is a very enjoyable read which takes the reader back to the early years of the first century AD in Iron Age Britain before the full Roman invasion of Brigantia. The book gives an early sense of the Celtic people and has something for every reader of historical novels.“

Nancy Jardine (and Ocelot Press) heartily thanks the reviewer. Receiving a review really helps to give the book visibility in online settings and it endorses the writer’s time, diligence and effort in creating the fiction.

Before Beltane is effectively Book 0 (Zero) and is the introduction to the Celtic Fervour Series of historical adventures set in late 1st Century Roman Britain.

Before Beltane and the other 5 novels in the series can be bought from Amazon in kindle and paperback formats. You can also order a paperback in bookstores like B&N, WH Smith, Waterstones or independent bookstores.

Happy Reading!

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020

An announcement, and a birthday offer!

What’s new? Well, this week, for me, quite a lot… Two things in particular, that I’m excited to share with you.

This week, I’ll be celebrating my birthday in Lockdown, and as I type out this post, I’m very aware that I should have been out in town, celebrating with friends, and having a general giggle about all sort of things. Happily, I am lucky enough to have a very good friend living just a couple of hundred metres from my flat, and I’m hoping, weather-permitting, to pop around to her front garden, and enjoy a slice of cake and glass of fizz, all from a safe distance.

I did still want to celebrate though, and so I’m also offering you all a gift from me. For a limited time this week, I’m delighted to be sharing The Raided Heart, free as an ebook! Click here, to be taken to your local Amazon domain, and download your copy today…

And to tempt you in, here’s what reviewers have been saying so far about The Raided Heart:

“Exciting, passionate and ultimately the ending keeps the spirit of true love alive.”

“The Raided Heart is a Story of forbidden love, a marriage of convenience, heartache, survival and hope.”

“A beautiful, realistic romance with dark undertones…”

And the second thing? Well, I’m thrilled to announce my first non-fiction title is now available for pre-order!

A Novel Approach brings together my 2019/20 series of writing workshops, and a talk I delivered during Swanwick 2019. Have you ever thought about writing long-form fiction? In A Novel Approach, I’ll talk you through every step of the process, from generating ideas, creating believable characters, and tackling the ever-thorny issue of ‘showing vs. telling’, all the way through to developing your presence online.

The book itself will launch on the 8th August, and I’ll be sharing more details as we get nearer to the date.

I can’t wait to share this with you!

January 28, 2020March 21, 2020

Agricola’s Bane Blog Tour ends with a flourish!

“If you enjoy Historical Fiction or you’re curious about the genre, I highly recommend this series. The books should be read in order, in my opinion. I had no qualms about giving this 5 stars!“

The Blog Tour arranged for Agricola’s Bane, Book 4 of Nancy Jardine’s Celtic Fervour Historical Saga Series is now over and what a tour it has been!

Four Guest Posts written by the author were very well-received; one really entertaining Author Interview was conducted; four Extracts were posted; and along with general promotional material, a wonderful new clutch of 10 Reviews has been gained for the novel.

Choosing which of the reviews to mention here is a difficult task since they have been highly complimentary of the writing of the series and/or really positive. The variety of comments has been extremely helpful to Nancy as she progresses with the series.

A huge thank you goes to all of the participating bloggers and to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for organising such a well-executed and professional tour.

Here are a few of the review comments:

“As I’ve come to expect with a Nancy Jardine novel, the narrative is full to the brim with fascinating insights and historical details.”

“Nancy Jardine has done it again with Agricola’s Bane! I am in love with this series and I cannot rave about it enough. This is how Historical Fiction should be done.”

“As ever, I have enjoyed the story from both sides of the battle lines. The Celts and their unyielding determination to remain free of the Roman yoke is inspiring to read. Equally, the complexity of the ever-expanding Roman empire and their struggles in a new challenging climate are really interesting too!”

You can access all the Reviews, Guest Posts, Extracts and Interviews via Nancy’s own blog HERE

The Celtic Fervour Saga Series is available in ebook and paperback formats from Amazon; paperbacks can be ordered from your nearest bookstore.

Enjoy your Ocelot reading!

November 8, 2019November 2, 2019

The Raided Heart – One week until launch, and an early review…

It’s nearly time for the next release from Jennifer C. Wilson – a historical romance, The Raided Heart, set in the world of the border reivers.

Excitingly, The Raided Heart has already received its first review, along with a coveted Coffee Pot Book Club Award. You can read the full review here, on Mary Anne Yarde’s blog, but we couldn’t resist sharing some snippets, as well as the beautiful award graphic the novel has been awarded…

“Will. Oh, Will. How I adored the hero of this story. It is all so terribly romantic, and Will is just fabulous. I was utterly captivated by Will. He is a marvellous example of what a historical romance hero should be.”

“If you are looking for your next tender historical romance, then look no further than The Raided Heart (Historic Hearts, #1) by Jennifer C. Wilson. I, for one, cannot wait to read the second book in what promises to be a fantastic series.”

If that tempts you in, don’t forget to join in the Virtual Launch, on Facebook, on the 15th November!

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