Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: Search For the Holy Grail Tour and Giveaway

Search For the Holy Grail

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure

Volume 1 of 3
Hanover is under attack, which propels the countess Aurora of Calenberg and her handmaiden, Helena Braunschmidt, on a mission of survival. The Holy Grail sets sail only to be pursued by the worst pirates and cutthroats in the Caribbean.

Series Description
Every pirate in the Caribbean is searching for The Holy Grail—a ship carrying the treasury of Hanover and the countess Aurora of Calenberg, suspected of orchestrating the theft. Prinz Maximilian will stop at nothing to catch her and regain the fortune, even if it means following her into the deepest, darkest recesses of Samaná Bay. With pirates and cutthroats at every turn, will she be reunited with her handmaiden, Helena and her portrait painter, Dodo? Aurora’s only solace is in a bottle of Cognac with a chaser of coca-leaf powder in this vibrant, fast-paced chase through the Caribbean.

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Countess Aurora of Calenberg was dragged, complaining, to the east entrance of Angelin Castle. Soldiers roughly herded her to the point where townsfolk were being prevented from leaving. A figure in a red robe approached her as a lavish carriage arrived, delivering Prinz Maximilian, clad in full blue steel armor studded with gemstones. With him was Count Molke, looking sullen in a long, shimmering robe.

“Oh, Maxi, you really had me going,” said Aurora.

“Silence, witch!”

“Witch?” Her mouth turned down. “Maxi!”

“Countess Aurora is to be burned, immediately,” said Count Molke.

“I agree.” Cardinal Grimaldi’s lips curled upwards into an evil grin. “Make an example of her for Emperor Leopold. Be sure the townspeople all witness the execution. This should send a clear message.”

Guards were dispatched to round up more townsfolk.

“Execution?” Aurora’s heart pounded. “Maxi, what are you doing?”

“She cannot be burned without a trial,” the Baron of Leipzig put in.

“God decides when to execute justice, Baron. God wants to burn her right now.”

“With pleasure.” Maximilian indicated a sheltered terrace. “Right over there.”

“Maxi, you don’t want to hurt me.” Aurora’s heartbeat thrashed in her ears. “The terrace? I remember that’s where I said it was tiny. I was joking. I didn’t mean to laugh. It was cold out! You know what happens when they get cold!”

Guards dragged her to the wood structure, which was now being doused with oil.

“Maxi, I was always there for you!” Aurora’s breathing grew shallow as her eyes darted around, seeking escape. Soldiers dragged her forward and threw her to her knees. Before her was a drift of unblemished snow, sparkling in the moonlight, which led down the sloped barrier wall, into some woods beyond which, she knew, was a cliff and a creek.

“Do you confess to being in league with Satan?” Cardinal Grimaldi demanded.

She gave him a cold stare. “I will if you will.”

“Confess!”

Aurora’s breath hung in the air as she scanned the snowy woods again. “A hex on you, you bastard!”

“Confess, witch!” the cardinal yelled, eliciting angry shouts from the crowd.

Aurora gathered up her skirt and, momentarily freed from the soldiers, darted for the snowbank ahead. A mighty leap put her at the mouth of the woods. She straightened her white ostrich-feather hat and plowed through the thicket of trees ahead of her.

“Halt!” Maximilian bellowed, as his men stood uncertainly. “Well, seize her!”

Gunpowder ignited and shots flew in Aurora’s direction. She crouched down, the white shimmer of her ballgown blending into that of the sparkling snow. She unpinned her headpiece and placed it on a tree stump. Then, keeping low, she went on, navigating quickly around bushes, fallen branches and mossy rocks coated in frost. Suddenly, her footing gave away and she stumbled down an embankment to the creek.

“There!” Maximilian shouted and a barrage of shots was accompanied by the metal clang of soldiers fumbling in the snow. “Move!” There was more clattering of metal and several thuds. “Set up a perimeter around the grounds. Do not let her escape.”

Aurora regained her footing and crossed a clearing into another heavily wooded area.

Echoing behind her was Cardinal Grimaldi’s voice. “You’ve lost her!”

“Time is of the essence,” Count Molke reiterated.

“Surround the woods and cut her off,” Maximilian ordered.

No Quarter: Dominium

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure Romance

Ye All Are Warned – be gone if you abhor sex, foul language, crude humor, and beaky parrots.
Released for the first time with illustrations!

Volume 1 of 6 begins in 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica with Atia Crisp and her sister Livia shipwrecked and sold into slavery. They are separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a deadly card game at the Swiftsure Tavern until she is liberated by sugar merchant Capitaine la Roche. Hunted at every turn, they take refuge at Cherry Red's Boutique (brothel) and meet up with allies including the medication loving Dr. Strangewayes.

Series Description:
1689 Port Royal, Jamaica. Atia Crisp and her sister Livia are shipwrecked and sold into slavery. They are separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a deadly card game at the Swiftsure Tavern until she is liberated by sugar merchant Capitaine la Roche. They take refuge at Cherry Red's Boutique (brothel) and meet up with allies including the medication loving Dr. Strangewayes.

Capitaine la Roche (also known as the pirate, Gator Gar), has a past stained with blood and grief. La Roche works with a network of friends and allies including local strumpet, Cherry Banks, Theodore Binge the card shark and the kindly, Dr. Strangewayes. Soon after Atia and la Roche are ushered away to safety after a mysterious outbreak of scarlet fever wreaks havoc on the city.

Within the luxuriant tropical confines of Dr. Strangewayes's plantation at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, bonds of friendship are formed and the fierce love between Atia and Capitaine la Roche becomes absolute.

However, nowhere is safe as spies seek out both Atia and la Roche for the bounties on their heads.

Neither of them can escape the shadows of their former lives. Their journey leads them to an inevitable conflict that threatens their world, but inches them closer towards freedom.

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No Quarter: Wenches

Volume 1

by MJL Evans & GM O'Connor

Genre: Historical Pirate Adventure, Romantic Suspense

Released for the first time with illustrations!

The adventures from No Quarter: Dominium continue with wenches!

Volume 1 of 5 begins in 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica, where Atia Crisp is imprisoned, awaiting trial, while refugees from Strangewayes's plantation seek their new home. Guided by Capitaine la Roche, they face pursuit by the pirate hunter Big Dick and the perilous terrain of Bocas del Toro. Their future home of Sérénité hangs in the balance, complicated by the outbreak of war with France.

Series Description:

Behind every successful pirate is a cunning wench!

In 1689, Atia Crisp finds herself imprisoned in the wickedest city on earth, Port Royal, Jamaica, while the refugees from Strangewayes’s plantation in the Blue Mountains are on the run and seeking a new home, deep in the Caribbean. Captain Jean-Paul la Roche must get them to safety and find a way to liberate the woman he loves while waging a war against the English with the pirate Laurens de Graaf.

While besieged people suffer and starve, a group of women form a secret and illegal society deep from within the bowels of the city called: Wenches. A network that deals with smugglers, merchants, cutthroats and thieves. Dragged into the struggle for supremacy of the Caribbean, the women are divided and find themselves engulfed in bloodshed. The pirates of Port Royal and former enemies may be their only hope of escape.

This edition was awarded the gold quality mark by BooksGoSocial, their highest award.

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MJL EVANS wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old and in 2014 she finally got her act together and pursued her dream. She is the author of No Quarter: Dominium, No Quarter: Wenches, and Search for the Holy Grail. A huge fan of Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and other BBC shows, her time is devoted to acrylic painting, photography, catering to her senior cat and of course, writing.

You can connect with MJL Evans on Instagram at @mjlevans or meganjlevans@gmail.com

GM O’CONNOR is a huge movie fan, writer and visual artist. A lover of sci-fi and history, half his brain lives in the 17th century while the other half sails perpetually through space. He is the author of No Quarter: Dominium, No Quarter: Wenches, and Search for the Holy Grail. He hopes to one day bring the No Quarter Series to film and/or graphic novel format.

You can connect with GM O’Connor on Twitter at @gm_oconnor or noquarterseries@gmail.com

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