Category: Book Reviews

Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton

Publication Nov. 4, 2025-Grand Central Publishing-Historical Fiction-304pp

Book Summary

Set amongst the glittering backdrop of London’s iconic Savoy hotel, a young woman is forced to confront her troubled past as she uncovers the story of the hotel’s first female bartender who has been erased from the history books—”an exhilarating, tender read that will leave you smiling” (Fiona Jackson, bestselling author).
      Six years ago, Cinnamon Scott was a young writer on the rise in New York City. But since the sudden loss of her parents, she’s been stuck in place, retreating to a life of endless partying—made possible by the massive fortune she’s inherited. Despite their tragic loss, she and her older sister Rosemary have always had each other to lean on. But now, with Rosie living in London and about to give birth to twins, Cinnamon feels more lost than ever.
     When Rosie is put on bed rest, Cinnamon flies to her sister’s side, where she’s temporarily living at The Savoy. Immediately swept away by the beauty and history of the legendary hotel and its famed American Bar, Cinnamon finds ample opportunity to distract herself. When the late shift bartender tells her the story of Ada Coleman, the woman who crafted the cocktail recipes The Savoy popularized in its famous handbook a century ago, Cinnamon is inspired by the bartender’s vivid stories of Ada’s fearlessness and can’t understand why Ada’s name is nowhere to be found. After meeting a handsome historian researching the hotel and realizing that Ada is likely to be once again overlooked, Cinnamon must decide if she can overcome her demons and stand up for Ada’s story. And, along the way, she might just save her own story too.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A perfect book cocktail: One book filled with the story of Ada Coleman, first female bartender at the London Savoy Hotel and her cocktail recipes, add two sisters, one pregnant with twins and one stuck in a guilt ridden past, stir in a handsome historian, sprinkle with the rich and famous-Voila!

In this dual timeline Brisa Carleton blends the history of the Savoy and its residents seamlessly with an equal amount of present-day trauma and guilt carried by sisters, Cinnamon and Rosemary. I found both timelines compelling; the Ada Coleman portion was filled with the mystery of what happened to the well-known bartender and the Savoy Cocktail Book; and what would become of the sisters dealing with inheritance, guilt, and twins? I savored the stories of famous people residing or being served at the American Bar in the Savoy -Harry Selfridge, Cesar Ritz, Marconi, Gucci, told to Cinnamon by Joe the late-night bartender.  The addition of historian Christopher Clark adds a writer mentor, possible love interest for Cinnamon, as she becomes a “girl detective.”  

Which is better? Sipping a Manhattan at the American Bar while Joe tells stories-wondering why Ada Coleman has been erased from the cocktail book or delving into the history of the Savoy over afternoon tea with Christopher Clark, wondering what it would be like to be a writer? Read Last Call at the Savoy to enjoy both!

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree-A Festive Guide to Celebrating the Holidays

Publication September 23, 2025-Harper Celebrates-176pp-Cooking, Crafts, Entertainment, Pop Culture

Book Summary

Get the most out of your Yuletide celebrations and let the Christmas spirit ring with this full-color festive handbook to all things holiday! You will rock around your Christmas tree this season with the beloved, nostalgic #1 chart-topping song as your guide to a host of holiday fun, from recipes and crafts to party games, decor ideas, and more!

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Christmas arrives when we first hear Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee! This guide is a delightful collection of ideas to “decorate, dance, bake and celebrate” the holiday season. The lyrics of the famous song form the table of contents! So ingenious and a festive start for getting into the spirit of entertaining family and friends. The book opens with the background of Brenda Lee and Johnny Marks and the history of their music. The collection is filled with recipes, tablescape ideas, and party themes. Whether given as a gift to a Brenda Lee fan or for personal enjoyment, one can always use hosting tips, a holiday couple’s quiz, or a little mistletoe magic! Happy Holidays!

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan

Publication October 14, 2025-William & Morrow- Mystery, 320pp

Book Summary

A new holiday story set in the Scottish Highlands to warm booklovers’ hearts by Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop.

Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McPherson, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McPherson family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.

But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating.

Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside. Mirren knows that Jamie’s grandfather, the castle’s most recent laird, had been a book collector, a hoarder, and a great lover of treasure hunts. Now they must unpuzzle his clues, discovering the secrets of the house—forming and breaking alliances in a race against time.

A treat for booklovers and treasure hunters alike, The Secret Christmas Library serves up a delicious mystery with a hint of romance, and plenty of holiday spirit!

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A treasure hunt that starts in the British Museum in Bloomsbury, the elegant area of London devoted to libraries, books, and studies. What could be better?  Jenny Colgan incorporates the sheer cliffs of the Scottish Highlands, secret passageways in a crumbling castle, and the search for a valuable book that could save an estate into this gem of novel set in Scotland at Christmas time.  

Jenny Colgan truly lives in a castle in Scotland, so her descriptions vividly depict the views of the spacious grounds and cottages, the biting cold inside and out, and the long, dark corridors leading to the libraries and bedrooms. The main characters are well developed with realistic doubts and fears, expectations and hopes, and family concerns and secrets. All these feelings play into the quandary of how to save the castle that’s been in Jamie McKinnon’s family for over 500 years! Jamie’s grandfather had always been obsessed with books, puzzles, and crosswords, so no one was surprised when his only hint as to the whereabouts of the valuable book came in the form of a poem. Mirren and Theo, antiquarian booksellers, Bonnie, an amazing cook on staff, and the laird himself, Jamie; are snowed in along with Jamie’s sister, Esme, all hoping to sort through the mystery and find the book. The logic and analysis of the poem, following the clues, and the relationships that develop, all add to the suspense. If Mirren was looking for a change in her life, for an adventure? She got one!  

The Secret Christmas Library is a suspenseful, mysterious tale – a stocking stuffer with a bit of spicy romance, soul-searching, and splendid holiday discoveries. Cozy up in front of the fire for that shivery, excited feeling when opening the pages of the perfect Scottish tale.

Sweet & Salty-Cookbook for Young Bakers

Publication September 30, 2025-Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers-Nonfiction-Cooking-280pp.

Book Summary

From the most trusted American baking resource comes a collection of over eighty sweet, salty, and very, very tasty recipes that will have bakers of all ages rolling up their sleeves and breaking out their rolling pins!

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Not everyone grows up learning to bake from scratch like I did-thanks, Mom. Here’s your “teacher!” This is a step-by-step book for parents and kids who want to create in the kitchen! The Table of Contents is well designed and divided into categories for quick reference, and the recipes are leveled as Easy, Medium, or Project-an adult should help on the first attempt. The introductory pages with tips and tools are informative and include plenty of photos, without detaining “anxious to start” bakers. The sidebars are presented with explanations packed with chemistry and math; knowledge of why ingredients work-chemistry; measuring hints-math, which kids learn best in practical ways. Sweet & Salty is PERFECT for a family cookbook collection. Cue the sprinkles!    

The President’s Wife by Anna Stuart

Publication September 23, 2025-Bookouture-Historical Fiction-382pp

Book Summary

December 1941: ‘Pearl Harbor has been bombed.’ My husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, voice shakes as he tells me the devastating news. In this heart-stopping moment, I’m determined to do whatever it takes to protect America, but will it be enough?

Eleanor Roosevelt takes a deep breath. She knew this day was coming but now that it’s here she needs every ounce of courage to face it. She’s stood by Franklin’s side through thirty years of marriage and three terms in the White House but entering the war that’s been raging across the world will be their greatest challenge yet.

Eleanor watches thousands of women as they embrace their husbands for what could be the last time before they go off to war. She knows she needs to put aside the troubles in her own relationship for the sake of the country. But will the latest threat to her marriage finally tear her and Franklin apart? 

The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. This is a moment that history will never forget, and all eyes are on them. Will Eleanor succeed in her role as the president’s wife and help to save her beloved country as well as her marriage? Or will tragedy strike before the war is won…?

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A well-researched, poignant portrait of the amazing Eleanor Roosevelt; the political and private life from the First Lady’s point of view.

The novel opens as the Roosevelts move into the White House in 1933, fulfilling Franklin’s lifelong dream of becoming the President.  In this dual timeline, Eleanor’s reflections take the reader from meeting Franklin at a party in 1902 to visiting his gravesite in 1948. Stuart covers America’s political climate from before the bombing of Pearl Harbor through the end of World War II. That’s a lot of campaigning, train trips, and elections! Franklin and Eleanor’s political views and news is kept front and center: fireside chats, Eleanor’s daily news column, speaking engagements, and myriad women’s groups. Eleanor’s heart for freedom and justice for all Americans is revealed repeatedly as she makes unbelievable personal sacrifices for the good of Franklin’s career and the country.

Told from Eleanor’s perspective Stuart portrays the couple’s great respect and love for each other with compassion and candor.  Eleanor’s discovery of a bundle of violet scented letters creates a great divide in the Roosevelt marriage. Stuart shows discernment and sympathy for Eleanor’s true heart in her bold demand of two marriage conditions rather than divorce, while highlighting family relationships, the separate residences, and Eleanor’s own friends she called ‘intimates’.

Known as First Lady, but also as a writer, broadcaster, campaigner, and friend. This novel celebrates Eleanor’s cerebral bond with Franklin, her uncanny gift of being a great listener and her lifelong stand against prejudice.

The President’s Wife is a stunning jewel in Anna Stuart’s author crown.

DREAM by Barbara O’Connor

Publication August 26, 2025-Macmillan Children’s Publishing-Middle Grade-256pp

Book Summary

The highly anticipated follow up to Wish, which has spent six years on the New York Times bestseller list and is beloved by over two million readers. Dream follows a small town girl with big aspirations who discovers that anything is possible with your best friends and an adorable pup by your side!
      The sky is the limit.
Idalee Lovett is content with her life in small-town Colby, North Carolina, living in her family’s huge house with rooms for rent. But she has big dreams, just like her mama. While Mama is on tour for the summer with her cover band, Lovey Lovett and the Junkyard Dogs, Idalee decides to hone her craft as a songwriter—since her truest wish is to hear her country songs on the radio one day.
     When the local radio station announces a songwriting contest with the winning song being recorded by an up-and-coming singer, Idalee is determined to win. It would definitely be possible if only she could buy the shiny blue guitar in Asheville’s music shop. Idalee doesn’t have much money, but she knows exactly how to get it—the long-lost treasure her late granddaddy hid somewhere in their house. With the help of her friends Odell, Howard, Charlie, and an adorable little dog named Wishbone, Idalee is going to search in every nook and cranny until she finds it. But little does she know, the biggest treasure of all is only discovered when you believe in yourself with your whole heart.

     In this standalone companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Wish, nothing is impossible as Idalee learns the power of chasing her dreams one guitar strum at a time.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Friends come in all sizes, shapes and ages. Idalee learns lots of lessons as she counts on a new guitar to bolster her creativity. All ages will enjoy DREAM and the story of friendship in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I did a paired reading of this with my granddaughter Leona Claire. Her response at the end of each chapter was always, “Let’s keep reading!”

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin

Publication August 26, 2025-Harlequin Trade Publishing-Historical Fiction-336pp

Book Summary

A captivating new historical novel from Madeline Martin, set in Victorian London about a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free.
You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society…
 
London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.
       Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.
        As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society.”  Madeline Martin’s novel is an intriguing study of the lives of three Victorian ladies, their personal struggles, and how one person, through kindness and caring, made a life-changing impact on each of them. In London, 1895, the young, widowed Lady Duxbury opens her home and her extensive library to establish a bond of friendship and protection for these women who had each been abandoned in some way. Lady Duxbury encourages and supports the women in finding their voice, expressing thoughts, and discovering passions. As the women continue to meet in secret, bonds are formed, and trust is forged. Madeline Martin’s narrative sinks the reader into the restrictive, stifling lives of women during the 1800’s; a time when choosing what to wear was one of the few decisions to be made and reading was limited to choosing menus and household improvements. Novels were considered a harmful distraction! The hopefulness, inspiration, and motivation each woman finds in truthful sharing gives credence to the popularity of book clubs today. The pleasure of finding kindred spirits is celebrated.

The Secret Book Society is a delightful glance back in time, as we rejoice in knowing that choices in present day reading is a “magical retreat.”

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

Publication August 5, 2025-Scribner-Historical Fiction-304pp

Book Summary


Plucky wartime advice columnist Emmy Lake discovers that sometimes it takes losing everything to find what we need most.

London, July 1944. After nearly five years of war, the readers of Woman’s Friendmagazine are relying on the support of Emmy Lake and her team more than ever. With the city under attack, the magazine staff decamps to the countryside for the summer. Determined to help the women of Britain carry on, Emmy and friends are hard at work finding new ways to inspire resilience.

With her army officer husband Charles posted close to home, and best friend Bunty by her side, Emmy happily throws herself into rural life, juggling children, magazine assignments, and plans for a very important wedding. And then a call comes that means she may finally fulfill her long-held dream of becoming a war correspondent.

But when disaster strikes, Emmy needs her friends, her community, and her readers more than ever. Filled with courage and compassion, a lovable cast of characters, and winning wartime details, Dear Miss Lake is an enormously uplifting testament to the power of friendship and hope.






Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

I was overjoyed to receive a copy of Dear Miss Lake -like when you answer the doorbell and it’s a best friend grinning with arms open wide-kind of joy! Dear Miss Lake is the fourth and final novel in the Emmy Lake Chronicles by AJ Pearce.  From the beginning in Dear Mrs. Bird, “Emmy is a young woman who dreams of becoming a war correspondent and inadvertently becomes a secret advice columnist during World War ll.”  Follow her adventures in Yours Cheerfully, Mrs. Porter is Calling, and now Dear Miss Lake.

The Emmy Lake Chronicles is a series that has informed, entertained and inspired readers since Emmy Lake first popped round in Dear Mrs. Bird in 2018. AJ Pearce has such a delightful way with words; maybe it’s the British expressions that make the adventures at Woman’s Friend magazine so humorous OR the London Blitz so gut wrenching. The characters take up residence and will linger in readers’ memory long after the bloody war and the series ends!

The strong bonds of friendship and the supportive people that make up a family are brought to light through these fictional stories. Each reader will be reminded of a brave family member or relative who served in a war or supported troops at home. AJ Pearce perfectly portrays the fortitude and inner constitution it took to wait for news of loved ones as Emmy and Bunty do. The highest mountains of joy and the lowest valleys of despair are equally and emotionally depicted in The Emmy Lake Chronicles.

The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck

Publication August 19, 2025-Source Books-Historical Fiction-448pp

Book Summary

From bestselling author Erika Robuck comes the perilous and awe-inspiring true story
of award-winning photojournalist Dickey Chapelle as she risks everything to show the
American people the price of war through the lens of her camera.
Manhattan, 1956.
Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier,
combat correspondent Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military
accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at an
opportunity to work with an international refugee association—one with intelligence ties.
the aftermath of a refugee rescue that goes wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey— to
survive in order to be the world’s witness to war from the front lines.
Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her
camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands, to raging
seas, to luscious jungles, covering the plight of those suffering from humanity’s endless
cycle of violence. Told in an alternating prose and epistolary format, The Last
Assignment takes readers along on Dickey’s missions to the Hungarian Revolution, the
Cuban Revolution, and the earliest days of the war in Vietnam, revealing one woman’s
extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger.
And it’s along the way, in Dickey’s desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

This is the story of female paratrooper and photojournalist, Dickey Chapelle. Erika
Robuck’s extensive research is evident as the narrative of Dickey’s life story plays out on
four different continents. Robuck laces her novel with letters, diary entries, telegrams, and
radio broadcasts based on real life accounts. These add authenticity and suspense to the
novel, which is divided into three main parts, spanning 1954, New York City-to 1965, Viet
Nam. A war correspondent grieving the loss of her parents and her marriage, Dickey
Chapelle’s life story exemplifies her courage, determination and commitment to her life
goal, “making the picture to end all wars.” This is a compelling account which leaves
images etched in one’s memory of scenes written with indelible detail and vivid accuracy.
Filled with tension from prison cell to battlefields, Erika Robuck’s Last Assignment bestows
an honorable tribute worthy of the highest award and a Marine salute: To the life and
accomplishments of Dickey Chapelle. Semper Fi.

The Secret Orphanage by Barbara Josselsohn

Publication August 15, 2025-Bookouture-Historical Fiction-272pp

Book Summary

“Nobody outside the village knows the orphanage exists, Celina. We’re hidden by the mountains and everyone is sworn to secrecy. Please don’t give the soldiers a reason to come here…” 

1944-In a quiet village in German-occupied France, schoolteacher Celina ushers young Jewish children into her classroom. Watching their bright smiles as they learn how to write, she and sweet, handsome Remy promise to protect them. Every day she pretends to send them home, waving at the local police roaming the streets, as instead they sneak away to hide upstairs.

But Celina can’t stop thinking about the note left on her bedside table last night. Written in the secret code used by the Resistance, it told her a baby she’s sheltering could be reunited with its mother. Will Remy ever forgive her if she attempts to take the baby home? If she’s caught, they could discover the orphanage…

New York, present day. Haunted by a loss he refuses to speak about, Rachel’s grandfather is slowly losing his memories. Then Rachel finds a name scribbled into the old children’s book he used to read to her, which leads her to a French village with a dark and dangerous past. Nothing can prepare Rachel for what she finds behind the orphanage’s crumbling façade. But as her own future becomes entwined with her grandfather’s wartime secrets, she will learn just how much courage it takes to follow your heart. A breathtaking, emotional historical novel that will sweep you away to World War Two France, to the dangers of Nazi occupation, and the hope that prevailed in the darkest of times. For fans of Victoria Hislop, Soraya Lane and Fiona Valpy.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

After a trip to France Barbara Josselsohn was inspired to write about the courageous people who risked their lives to save Jewish children during the Nazi occupation. At the heart of this novel is a secret orphanage disguised as a school. The dual timeline alternates between a small village in the French mountains, 1942 and New York, 2018.

The aspect I enjoyed most was that the main characters in each timeline are connected by a children’s book, The Little Lost Fish by C. Tuilleur. Brielle Aimee, the name on the book’s dedication page, is the mystery that transports readers from the village where the orphanage is located, Paillettes au Sommet, the glittering summit, to a memory care center in New York.

The children’s book is about a lost baby fish searching for his mom. It connects readers to so many emotions of the main characters, Celine and Rachel. Celine’s World War II story of wanting to be a mother, a teacher, and protector, is filled with suspense and fear as she struggles to blend into a Nazi occupied village. Rachel, following a lead to discover her roots, is filled with doubt and wonder about her grandfather’s involvement in Brielle Aimee’s story. Her quest is to find the story behind the dedication page with her mom’s name on it. The constant strain of alluding the questioning police officers, searching for information and uncovering secrets adds to the novel’s suspenseful pace.  As the mystery unfolds readers wonder who is leaving clues on the pages of The Little Lost Fish? Who will stop the escape to Switzerland?

This is a book of stories and how our stories and our history tie us all together. Read The Secret Orphanage to find out -who is brave and who is a hero?  Order Here: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Orphanage

With a talent for blending history and human drama, Barbara’s novels explore complex themes of love, loss, resilience, and the enduring power of secrets. Her storytelling often spans generations, drawing readers into a tapestry of personal and historical struggles. Known for her lush descriptions and evocative prose, Barbara has garnered praise for her ability to bring history to life while crafting deeply emotional, character-driven narratives.