09 Jul Elizabeth St.John The Lydiard Chronicles #HistoricalFiction #EnglishCivilWar #FamilyHistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

FEATURED AUTHOR: ELIZABETH ST.JOHN

It’s my pleasure to welcome Elizabeth St.John again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between June 30th – July 11th, 2025. Elizabeth St.John is the author of the Historical Fiction series, The Lydiard Chronicles, in which the books in the trilogy were published by Falcon Historical between 2016-2020. 

Below are highlights of The Lydiard Chronicles, Elizabeth St.John’s author bio, and an excerpt from the 2nd book, By Love Divided, in the trilogy.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/05/blog-tour-the-lydiard-chronicles-by-elizabeth-stjohn.html

HIGHLIGHTS: THE LYDIARD CHRONICLES
BY ELIZABETH ST.JOHN

The Lady of the Tower (Book #1)

By Love Divided (Book #2)

Written in Their Stars (Book #3)

Blurb:

Duty, passion, and power collide in The Lydiard Chronicles, a gripping trilogy inspired by true events. Follow three courageous women—survivors, strategists, and storytellers—who defy the constraints of society to shape their family’s fate and England’s future. Their voices echo through time. Their legacy changed a nation.

The Lydiard Chronicles is an award-winning, best-selling historical family saga which brings to life the remarkable true stories of the St.John family. Spanning three compelling novels—The Lady of the Tower, By Love Divided, and Written in Their Stars—the series follows the legacy of resilient and intelligent women who lived as spies, courtiers, and diarists during England’s most turbulent century, navigating the quicksand of love and war, political upheaval, and personal sacrifice.

Bound by fierce family loyalty and unforgettable love, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles defy the limits of their time with passion, courage, and unshakable independence. They endure captivity in the Tower of London, exile in the Louvre Palace, and the heart-wrenching divisions of the English Civil War—fighting not just for survival, but for their beliefs, their families, and the right to choose their own fate. Meticulously researched and vividly told, this epic saga reveals how these women created history from the shadows, leaving a legacy of resilience, defiance, and enduring influence.

Rooted in original diaries, letters, and family papers, The Lydiard Chronicles offers an intimate, biographical portrait of women who moved behind the scenes of power. Serving as trusted secret agents, military wives, and confidantes of kings, they were deeply engaged in the political and religious conflicts of their time. Through tragedy and triumph, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles shape their destinies—and the fate of a nation—in this richly researched and vividly told historical epic.

Buy Links:

Universal Series Buy Link: https://geni.us/TheLydiardChronicles

These titles are available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Hot Summer Reads:

*Each novel is priced at just 99c / 99p July 1^st – 15^th, 2025*

AUTHOR BIO: ELIZABETH ST.JOHN

Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England’s kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.

Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.

Elizabeth’s works include The Lydiard Chronicles, a family saga set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, which unravels the medieval mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. Her latest release, The King’s Intelligencer, follows Franny Apsley in the treacherous court of Charles II as she risks everything to uncover the dangerous truth behind the discovery of the princes’ bones.

Author Links:

Website     Facebook     LinkedIn     Instagram     Threads

Bluesky     Book Bub     Amazon Author Page      Goodreads

EXCERPT: BY LOVE DIVIDED

A Family at War

Lucy held her granddaughter tightly in her arms as she walked the length of the solar. The infant was sickly, and Lucy feared she would not survive. All around her hung the news of death.

With the passing months since the child’s birth came news of the war, the real war, the war where men hacked and butchered and slaughtered each other, corpses angrily eviscerated like pigs at the Smithfield meat market. Lucy prayed night and morning for the safety of Allen, James, Edward, John, George, William, her brother’s children, Eleanor’s son—all the laughing boys she loved so well. Prayer was her constant companion, a litany that ceaselessly chanted in her heart and mind, wherever she was, whatever she was doing.

Dear God, let them be safe. Dear God, keep them from harm. Dear God, never let them face each other on a battlefield.

She stood by the tall windows and gazed over the summer countryside. Lucy loved this room, of all the chambers in Owthorpe House. The wall paintings, of hunting scenes and minstrels, beautiful ladies and mythical unicorns, comforted her. And the south-facing windows caught the July twilight long after the rest of the manor was in darkness. Out of the window, a shadow against the golden wheat fields caught her eye. Lucy froze, the baby giving a small wail at her sudden stop. A troop of horse approached, twenty men, at least. She could not tell whose colors they wore. But they were headed directly for the Manor.

At the hammering on the door, Luce caught up a fire iron and ran across the darkened hall. The windows were all shuttered, and the only light came from lanterns by the cold fireplace. Her heart thumping, she gestured to Babs to hurry to the kitchen, where the few servants they had with them were supping.

“We are closed for the night. We cannot open the doors,” she shouted through the thick oak. Dear God, let them not ram the door, or force the shutters. Babs crept back, with a sorry group of men. Old Tom the gardener, seventy if he was a day, his grandson, and the simpleton kept for the kitchen chores.

“Ride on to Nottingham, travellers,” she cried. “We have nothing to offer you here.”

“Luce! Open the door. Let us in!”

Dear God. John’s voice.

Tearing at the bolts, bruising her fingers, Luce flung open the door. John and George strode in, followed by a dozen or more Roundhead soldiers.

“My darling, my darling,” she sobbed. “And George, you are safe.”

Babs gave a cry and flung herself into her husband’s arms, while John gathered Luce into a fierce embrace. Her mother ran into the hall, the fear on her face turning to joy as she understood what had happened.

“We are safe,” John said. “And ravenous. We have ridden through from Leicester tonight—”

“And we still have further to go,” added George.

“Food, for Colonel Hutchinson,” commanded Luce to the gathered servants. “And these men. Quickly. Bring whatever meats we have, ale, cheese. And lay the food all on the table here.”

She turned to George.

“We thought you lost, Brother. We heard you were on your way to the Tower.”

George nodded, running his hand through his hair. He looked exhausted, and yet elated to be home. “’Twas close. If not for Lord Grandison, I would be there now.”

“My love, my darling,” cried Babs. “But you are safe, and unharmed?”

George nodded. “That I am. And released from custody.”

“But not from the war,” interrupted John. “We are not safe here at Owthorpe any longer. Prince Rupert has sent a troop of forty from Newark to look for us. William’s release of George was not to his liking.”

“But why?” asked Luce. “We have no side in the war. We are independent.”

George looked at John. “The battle at Edge Hill—”

“Allen and Edward?”

John replied. “Safe, both of them. And James has just been recalled from Ireland.”

Luce closed her eyes. “We heard there was a battle. And that there were casualties.  But news has been unreliable here. Were many men were harmed?”

“Worse. Far worse.” John’s voice shook. “Thousands were killed. And for naught. There was no conclusion, no clear winner or loser. Those who said the war will be over by Christmas now say conflict just begins.”

“Englishman slaughtered Englishman. And all because this tyrannical king— this mere man—believes his way is the only true way.” George stood shoulder to shoulder with John, and Luce saw a new intent on their faces. “We will not let him continue this bloodshed. We join our brothers in the Parliamentarian cause and fight for the freedom of all Englishmen.”

“And that means you fight against Allen and James, and Edward,” Luce whispered. Her mother and Babs drew close. The hall was quiet, even the soldiers standing silent.

“We fight against the king,” replied John. “War has broken out over all of England. We pray that we will never meet on a battlefield.”

“But now, we must get you to safety,” continued George. “Rupert’s Cavaliers will not be so respectful this time. Tonight, under darkness, we ride on to Nottingham, all of us. The castle holds for Parliament. The fortress offers the protection that Owthorpe cannot.”

John kissed Luce’s forehead. “You must pack all you can, my darling, and be ready to leave as soon as these men have rested and eaten.”

Luce nodded. This was not the time to question or debate.  A deep calm descended upon her, and she knew what she needed to do. She turned to the group of soldiers, standing at a respectful distance.

“Eat,” she gestured to the table, now full of food. “Eat, and rest. We will be ready to leave when you are done.”

Taking Babs and her mother by the hand, she led them away from the exhausted men. Let them have their peace, and eat undisturbed.

“Listen to me,” she said. “We do not know where our beloved men fight, nor their future. We do not know any of our destinies. But we have been in terrible situations before, and we have trusted in God’s plan for us.” Luce softly blotted a tear rolling down her mother’s cheek. “And along with God’s plan, we have our own courage, and will to survive. All of us. Allen, James, Edward—they must not have the distraction of fearing for our safety from their own forces. We move into the castle, and we wait out this war.”

Her mother nodded. “God holds our fate. But we can affect our destiny.” She turned to Babs. “Come, let’s pack the needs for the children and prepare them for the journey. It is but an hour to Nottingham Castle. We must leave immediately.”

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