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When Secrets Bloom Reviewed by the Historical Novel Society

HNR Historical Novel Society review When Secrets Bloom Feb 2026

This week brought news I have been quietly hoping for since my latest novel When Secrets Bloom first found its readers: a review from the Historical Novel Society. Penned by Williamaye Jones, the review is available on their website and is published in their print magazine Historical Novel Review HNR Issue 115 (February 2026).

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Slow Gun Poetry: Romanian Words That Endure

Zlatari Church, square photo

Slow Gun Poetry, as Romanian Words That Endure, is inspired by this year’s theme of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival Slow Gun Poetry — Poezie cu bătaie lungă (Long-Range Poetry) inspired by poet Cezar Ivanescu’s reflection on the force of a single mark on a sheet of paper: how a single word can spark ideas, shape consciousness and even ignite revolutions.

This International Poetry Festival is at its 16th edition and takes place in Bucharest, 14-20 September 2026. All images in this blog post depict Bucharest.

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Reading Over the Weekend: Fifteen First Times by D.G. Kaye

Reading over the weekend with Patricia Furstenberg

Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend about that first kiss. First heartbreak. First driving lesson. First European adventure. First real Christmas tree – in Fifteen First Times by witty D.G. Kaye

Some books ask to be analysed. Others ask to be noticed. And then there are those that make you pause halfway through a page and say, I want to remember that.

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The Lonely Return of Vlad III to Târgoviște, Reclaiming the Wanted Throne 1448, Part 3

We’re following Vlad III to Târgoviște, his father’s princely court that, at least this time, proved to be a cold and lonely space when young Vlad arrived to reclaim its most-wanted throne.

To understand Vlad Dracula we should visit more than his fortresses. We should search the Ottoman courts as well as the Wallachian and Transylvanian cities that harbored him. Additionally, the roads, mountain passes, and foreign paths that influenced his life.

The places where he lived tell part of his story. But the places where he was held, fought, fled and returned to – tell the rest.

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