Skip to main content

Blog Tour: A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower
Author: Patricia Bernstein
Publisher: History Through Fiction
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Pages: 266
Synopsis: A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the true story of persecuted Catholic noblewoman Winifred Maxwell, who rescued her husband from the Tower of London with the help of a group of devoted women friends in 1716.

     

     A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the life of Winifred Herbert Maxwell (1680-1749), who became the Countess of Nithsdale in 1699.


Set amidst the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king, George I, the novel depicts the ruthless persecution of Catholics and the relentless determination of protagonist Bethan Glentaggart to save the life of husband Gavin after he is captured and condemned to death. Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the worst snowstorms in years, and petitions an indifferent king for her husband's mercy. As a last resort, Bethan and her friends devise and execute Gavin's escape from the tower, donning disguises and foiling his jailers.


Rich with historical gossip and pageantry, Bethan’s story demonstrates the damage that politics and religious fanaticism can inflict on the lives of individuals.



Read an Excerpt!


Buy from Amazon


Author Bio



Native Texan Patricia Bernstein grew up in Dallas. After taking her degree in American Studies from Smith College, she began her public relations agency in Houston. In 2018, her second book was named a Finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters Best Book of Nonfiction. Patricia is previously published by Simon & Schuster and Texas A&M University Press. Her debut novel was published by History Through Fiction on March 7, 2023. For more information, please visit her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, and LinkedIn.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) by David Potter: A Book Review

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) Author: David Potter Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: November 4, 2015 Pages: 288 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, depict the sixth-century emperor Justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, Theodora (497-548). This majestic portrait gives no inkling of Theodora's very humble beginnings or her improbable rise to fame and power. Raised in a family of circus performers near Constantinople's Hippodrome, she abandoned a successful acting career in her late teens to follow a lover whom she was legally forbidden to marry. When he left her, she was a single mother who built a new life for herself as a secret agent, in which role she met the heir to the throne. To the shock of the ruling elite, the two were married, and when Justinian...

Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen by Lesley Hazelton: A Book Review

Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen Author: Hazelton, Lesley Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Religion Release Date: 2007 Pages: 272 Publisher: Doubleday Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  There is no woman with a worse reputation than Jezebel, the ancient qeen who corrupted a nation and met one of the most gruesome fates in the Bible. But what if this version of her story is merely one her enemies wanted us to believe? What if Jezebel, far from being a conniving harlot was, in fact, framed?      In this remarkable biography, Lesley Hazelton shows exactly how the proud and courageous queen of Israel was vilified and made into the very embodiment of wanton wickedness by her political and religious enemies. The epic and ultimately tragic confrontation between sophisticated mentalism, and is, without exaggeration, the original story of the unholy marriage of sex, politics, and religion.       ...

Guest Post by Elisa DeCarlo: From Corsets to Chemises: Fashion as Liberation

  Today's guest writer is Elisa DeCarlo. Elisa DeCarlo has published two novels, Strong Spirits and The Devil You Say as well as The Abortionist's Daughter . Her work is also in a number of anthologies. Elisa has also written and performed a number of solo shows across the country. In 2013, the Exit Press will publish an anthology of her stage work. Elisa was born in Westchester, NY, and grew up there and in New York City. As an actress, she has performed in television, radio and film. In her guest post, Elisa DeCarlo talks women's fashion in the 1910s. Be sure to check out my review of The Abortionist's Daughter soon. Thank you, Mrs. DeCarlo. From Corsets to Chemises: Fashion As Liberation In The Abortionist’s Daughter , which is set in 1916, the evolution of the main character, Melanie Daniels, is not only shown by her thoughts actions, but also her clothes.  Since I am an obsessed fashion buff, I had to write about the clothes! Queen Victoria ...