The Messenger

By Siri Mitchell
Bethany House, $14.99, 375 pages

This story of a strong-minded young Quaker woman and a quiet, reserved tavern owner will keep you turning the pages with anticipation. Alternating between these two narrators – Hannah Sunderland and Jeremiah Jones – this richly detailed, exciting story moves quickly through the action, and each chapter leaves you wanting to read another.

Set in British-occupied Philadelphia in 1778, this story reveals some unlikely heroes willing to risk their lives to do what is right for the patriots of the Revolutionary War. When Hannah’s twin brother ends up in jail, charged as a rebel against Britain, she is torn between following her religion, which strictly forbids getting involved in anything political, and giving in to her heart’s pull to care for her beloved brother. Jeremiah, a reluctant spy for the Colonists, finds that he needs Hannah’s help in a plot to rescue men from the same jail, so they agree to form an unlikely alliance.

As they begin to secretly work together, both struggle with internal conflicts of their own. Hannah’s involvement in this plan goes against her religious beliefs; while Jeremiah’s past wounds continue to trouble his mind and heart. Being strong-willed and determined, each begins to challenge the other to look at the world in new ways and evaluate what really matters to them. A well-written, enthralling historical novel, The Messenger will not disappoint.

Reviewed by Aimee Rasmussen

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The Rose of Winslow Street: A Novel

By Elizabeth Camden
Bethany House, $14.99, 352 pages

Elizabeth Camden has created a mesmerizing tale in The Rose of Winslow Street. Historical Fiction lovers will instantly connect with the main character, Libby Sawyer. Libby lives a quiet, predictable, straight-laced life with her father in Colden, Massachusetts in the late 1800’s. While they are away at their summer home, Michael Dobrescu breaks in and takes over the Sawyer house and claims it as his own. Dobrescu is a Romanian with many secrets and desires and an entourage of people that have secrets of their own, too. Libby is torn between loyalty to her father and an intriguing connection to Michael and the obvious love he has for flowers. As the battle of the home’s true owner plays out in court, Libby finds herself helping Michael’s family while risking her reputation with the townspeople.

Camden writes with clarity and immense emotion. The reader cannot help but fall in love with the characters of this engrossing novel. The story has plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader wanting more.

Reviewed by Seniye Groff

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Montfort: The Angel with the Sword: 1260 to 1265

By Katherine Ashe
CreateSpace, $19.99, 525 pages

If you’ve ever wondered about the founding of England’s parliament, the story of Simon de Montfort and his interactions with King Henry III is a fascinating look into the history of 13th century life. Montfort: The Angel with the Sword: 1260 to 1265 by Katherine Ashe is the final book in the Montfort series and a great addition to the historical fiction genre. Ashe’s series includes The Early Years: 1229 to 1243, The Viceroy: 1243 to 1253 and The Revolutionary: 1253 to 1260 and comes after 34 years of research by the author.

A list of characters helps readers keep track of everyone. Over 100 characters appear in the story. Those interested in further reading can make use of the included bibliography. Fans of historical fiction, England, English kings, 13th century politics, French court life, romance, deceit, intrigue, action and adventure will be delighted by Ashe’s prose. She includes a section of historical context notes that explain more about the historical facts and how she found the information. Fans of the author should check out Ashe’s next book, The Fairy Garden, a fantasy novel looking at the interaction between the spirit world and the real world.

Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin

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The Sweetest Thing

By Elizabeth Musser
Bethany House, $14.99, 397 pages

A rich, heart-warming story of friendship and faith, this novel will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Set in Atlanta during the Great Depression, this novel relates the sudden friendship of two young women, Mary “Dobbs” Dillard and Anne “Perri” Singleton, and the tragedy, betrayal and mystery that it endures.

Secure, practical Perri is happily caught up in the norms of high Southern society, despite the tough economic times – excelling at her private all-girls school, doing charity work, and properly entertaining suitors. When tragedy strikes her seemingly perfect world, she’s completely devastated. That same day, Dobbs arrives in town to stay with her aunt, a neighbor of the Singletons, while her family back home in Chicago struggles to make ends meet.

Dobbs definitely doesn’t fit in at first – she’s fiery, candid and passionate – but with her admirable faith and contagious enthusiasm for life, she helps Perri through her difficult time, and their friendship grows strong. Both girls struggle through some personal trials and challenges. Family secrets and mysteries become unraveled, and when death threatens a loved one, faith and friendship are put to the test.

Author Elizabeth Musser really brings Perri and Dobbs to life through alternating first-person point-of-view, great dialogue and enriching details. The novel flows smoothly, keeping the reader interested from start to finish, and contains satisfying depth of the other supporting characters in the story.

Reviewed by Aimee Rasmussen

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Master and God: A Novel of the Roman Empire

By Lindsey Davis
St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, 464 pages

Lindsey Davis’ Master and God tells the story of two people, Lucilla Flavia and Gauis Clodianus, living in the Roman Empire under the reign of the tyrant Domitian. Although both of these characters are involved in the royal court (Lucilla as a hairdresser to the royal women, and Gaius as a member of the Praetorian Guard and later as part of the security apparatus), they are ordinary, everyday people. This is the strength of Davis’ book. Davis is a good storyteller and skillfully develops both of her main characters, by weaving their lives together in ways that feel plausible, not manipulated. She provides readers with the sense, taste and smell of ordinary life at that time. This makes her novel simultaneously familiar and original to modern readers and grabs their attention. By looking on everyday life of common people, Davis also avoids the historian’s trap of only being interested in famous persons and characters. Some dedicated historical novels readers may object obviously modern language and slang that occasionally jars with setting of the story, but the compelling plot alone makes this book worth a read.

Reviewed by Katie Richards

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A Lasting Impression

By Tamera Alexander
Bethany House, $14.99, 430 pages

Claire Laurent, a skilled artist, finds herself confined to forging masterpieces for her father’s business. She longs to leave an impression on the post Civil War world with her own paintings, but only when tragedy strikes is she able to flee her New Orleans past and begin anew. Through uncanny circumstances, she finds herself working in Belmont Mansion, home to Adelicia Acklen, the wealthiest and most influential woman in town. Under Adelicia’s watchful eye, Claire struggles with the secrets of her past while discovering hidden aspects of others’ lives, including the man with whom she falls in love, Sutton Monroe.

Unlike many books of its kind, A Lasting Impression transcends formulaic storylines. As the characters develop and grow closer to one another, their authenticity and warmth draws in readers. You’ll find yourself sighing and laughing in tandem. The juxtaposition of two spitfire women creates a humorous, complex duo. The endearing romance between Claire and Sutton carries the bulk of the story. Though author Tamera Alexander tries to craft a vivid sense of place, the captivating relationship between Claire and Sutton overshadows most antebellum period aspects that make this piece historical fiction.

Reviewed by Halley Greene

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Wonderland Creek

By Lynn Austin
Bethany House, 390 pages, $14.99

Wonderland Creek, a highly-anticipated novel from Lynn Austin, focuses on the adventures of a librarian during the Great Depression. After losing her beloved job at the library where avid reader Alice Grace Ripley is comfortably surrounded by books, and getting dumped by her boyfriend, she must create a change of scenery in her life. Ripley takes donated books from the library across the country to rural Kentucky. Along the way, she discovers her previous life was merely the prologue to a story in which she is the heroine, adventurer and romantic.

Even the basic summary of Wonderland Creek draws in those who love books. The idea of traveling through history with a librarian is exciting. However, Lynn Austin shows readers throughout the 400 pages of her newest novel that poorly written characters and dialogue can ruin any of the best-laid plans.

Basic steps with creative writing demand creative minds to show, not tell. Austin frequently lays out character traits with simple sentences and long, unnecessary explanations. Historical inaccuracies added a little too much fiction to the historical fiction novel. Language and even social attitudes were inconsistent with the time and became distracting throughout the book. Ultimately, Austin’s editor could have done well to use the dreaded red pen more often and given stronger constructive criticism.

Reviewed by Sophie Sestero

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The American Heiress: A Novel

By Daisy Goodwin
St. Martin’s Press, $14.99, 468 pages

Daisy Goodwin’s The American Heiress is a historical novel with it’s roots in America’s Gilded Age. In a premise that is familiar to the many viewers of Downtown Abbey, wealthy young American women went to Europe to find and marry a title, often one that had prestige, but no money. This idea is the premise of The American Heiress, but this expected version of the plot all takes place remarkably quick, leaving the rest of this fairly substantial novel to dig in and explore the meat of the characters. Goodwin’s characters are a large part of what makes this novel so remarkable, as each of the main characters is richly drawn and has the complex interior and emotional life of a real person. The secondary characters are necessarily flimsier, but they still stick in one’s imagination. The novel also manages to offer a rewarding blend of the high-flown, and presumably, for most readers, out of reach settings and lifestyle (one scene talks about eating off of golden plates), with a mixture of deep humanity in the characters that will keep you spellbound until the end.

Reviewed by Katie Richards

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The Borgia Betrayal

By Sara Poole
St. Martin’s Press, $14.99, 400 pages

The Borgia family is known for using poison to deal with its foes. If you are a fan of The Borgias on television, you will love Sara Poole’s latest book, The Borgia Betrayal. Readers met heroine Francesca Giordano, the Borgia court poisoner, in Poole’s previous novel, Poison. The year is 1493 and Rodrigo Borgia (Alexander VI) is pope. Francesca is responsible for keeping him and his family safe, but the danger and threat grows. She must balance her duty with her personal desire for revenge. This historical novel mixes political intrigue with romance, adventure, crime and suspense. It can be read as a stand-alone book or as part of the series. Travel between the crypts of Rome and throughout the streets of Italy. After reading the story, enjoy an interview with the author. She reveals her future plans for Francesca, who is a fascinating character. A historical timeline puts world events and details from the story into perspective. Poole includes portraits of key players such as Rodrigo and Lucrezia Borgia. Recommended reading and book club questions will keep fans of the Renaissance era very busy.

Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin,

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The Bride’s House

By Sandra Dallas
St Martin’s Press, $14.99, 391 pages

Three generations of women made the frame Victorian their home. They all loved its red rooms and its damask wallpaper. Author Sandra Dallas pens a place where fates are changed and secrets are buried. The Bride’s House is a story of family, tragedy and survival. It tells the story of women who loved, women who lost and women who make-do. The story starts in 1880 with Nealie Bent, who at age 17 escapes an abusive father and moves to a coarse mining town in Colorado, falls in love and is forced to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. Eventually, Nealie’s home becomes her daughter’s home and her granddaughter’s place of refuge along with the men they all love. The setting is inspiring allowing the reader an accurate glimpse of history without excessive cumbersome details. However, the book is lengthy, almost 400 pages and there are a few misplaced passages some readers may notice. While the story is socially heartwarming, the characters aren’t strong enough to drive the story with any degree of depth because a “good woman knows her place.” The reader is also expected to believe that natural female conception after age fifty is commonplace, a fact disputed by Wikipedia’s chart of Over-50 Conceptions.

Reviewed by Sheli Ellsworth

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