Welcome to a
stop on the Coffee Pot Book Tour for THE CURSE OF THE MAIDEN SCARS by Nicolette
Croft. Wow!
What a great title and book cover. We have a great excerpt for you today as well!
Settle in a give it a read!
The Details:
Book Title: The
Curse of Maiden Scars
Series: Maiden,
Mother, Crone
Author: Nicolette
Croft
Publication
Date: June 4, 2024
Publisher: Historium
Press
Pages: 286
Genre: Historical
Fiction / Women’s Fiction
Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old
Renna Covert toils away in the shadows of a Yorkshire workhouse, her days filled
with the mundane task of shelling cotton and the dangerous duty of scouting for
punters. One fateful night, she crosses paths with two sailors and finds
herself thrust into the heart of a chilling encounter at the local asylum.
These harrowing
experiences catalyze Renna’s journey, promising newfound opportunities and
revealing long-buried family secrets. Yet, at every turn, powerful forces
conspire to thwart her quest for truth, forcing her to abandon her scullery
work and embark on a daring escape to Venice alongside her steadfast
companions.
In the
labyrinthine alleys of Venice, Renna’s fate takes yet another twist. She is
ensnared by a cunning Madam who trains her as a Venetian courtesan. But beneath
the veneer of luxury lies a world fraught with danger, where Renna must rely on
her withs and resilience to navigate the treacherous waters of deceit and
betrayal.
Set against the
backdrop of Venice’s tumultuous Napoleonic invasion of 1797, this is a tale of
a girl’s struggle for survival. It is a story of resilience, defiance in the
face of adversity, and, ultimately, one young woman’s determination to reclaim
her identity.
The Curse of
Maiden Scars—Excerpt 3:
I raised the
cover to her. “Is this true? About the daughters of Venice?”
She turned her
back to me. “I’ve already told you, yes. Daughters of wealthy families whose
fathers are reluctant to pay prospective bridegrooms a suitable dowry end up in
convents. Annual donations prove lesser sums than funding valuable marriages.”
She had told me.
But I was still confused about her certainty. It was like she knew first-hand
what Aretino reported 200 years ago. “It says nuns might have sex lives as
varied as whores. That these women indulge in worldly, wild activities, but
with sisterhood secrecy.”
“Catholic
convent laws from other Christendoms do not apply to Venice nunneries,” Camilla
calmly explained. “Some Nuns become pregnant. If so, they leave the newborn
child on the church doorstep and pretend it is an abandoned infant, and thus
raise their foundlings within the convent refuge, all funded by their fathers’
dotal alms. Too bad they wouldn’t let their daughters marry in the first place,
giving the bastard children a name and a station in life.”
Knowing women of
all occupations—the poor in Yorkshire and the noble in Venice—might be locked
away without cause made me question if my new city was merely an exchange of
one confinement for another.
Chilled at the
thought, I tucked the book into my dress pocket and watched the owl. The rat’s
tail weakly battered at the owl as its claws dug into the flesh. Its slowing
movements became fatefully still. In one final dramatic effort, the rat lifted
its head before relaxing into the maw of death. I hoped neither example,
Aretino’s nuns, nor the rat, was my fate.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link:
https://books2read.com/u/mgDEOq
Author
Bio:
Nicolette Croft
can’t remember a time when she was not creating imaginary worlds inspired by
her Hungarian and American ancestors. As a neuro-divergent learner, however,
putting those stories to paper proved more challenging than imagining them.
Because her determination would not allow her to settle, she pursued an English
B.A. to improve her writing.
Young motherhood
also brought unexpected challenges, which motivated her to pursue graduate work
in twice-exceptional learners and education. She would later add an M.A. degree
in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in neurodivergent people, trauma,
and grief. Nicolette uses her natural gift of storytelling as an exploratory
method for her clients.
The Curse of
Maiden Scars is also an outgrowth of her personal journey
and marks her first publication as a novelist, having previously published
short fiction. When not at her counseling practice or researching historical
facts for her latest story, Nicolette shares treasured time with family,
friends, and her husband. Whether writing, cooking, traveling, or learning, the
act of creation is always at the center of her colorful life.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.nicolettecroft.com
Twitter: https://x.com/croft_nicolette
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoletteCroftAuthor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolette-croft-a6744929a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolettecroft22/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nicolettecroft22
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nicole-Croft/author/B0052UF75G
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/178035999-nicolette-croft
