A Founding Mother- A Novel of Abigail Adams By Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Publication May 5, 2026-William Morrow-Historical Fiction-384pp

Book Summary

     In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton.

     In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

     When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans. From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab-

First Published by Historical Novels Review May 2026-

“Editors’ Choice Award”

Abigail Adams, astonishing “President’s Lady,” tells her story just in time for America’s 250th anniversary. Abigail forges her place as a founding mother; wife to second president of the United States, John Adams, and mother of sixth president, John Quincy Adams,  

     As Abigai tells her life story, she transports readers from Massachusetts Bay Colony 1765, across oceans and continents, into palaces, riots, and revolutions. She raises her family, endures sacrifices and separations in fifty years of marriage, and sets an example for future presidential wives. Dray and Kamoie have researched tomes of our rich history to provide a masterful retelling of America’s birth as a nation. Opening in 1814 with Washington ablaze and President Madison in hiding, Abigail looks back on her life as a wife, mother, entrepreneur, diplomat, and friend.

      Abigail realized “extraordinary times called for her to be an extraordinary wife and mother!”  Abigail is portrayed as a saucy, patient wife, a valuable conversationalist and diplomat, independently wealthy with an enterprising spirit and a voracious advocate for her children. Relatable to women in today’s world, Abigail balances family demands with those of her role as a “founding mother.”

     As John travels the Colonies and Europe, Abigail’s resolve comes boldly to the surface as she is abandoned with children to raise, a farm to supervise, and finances to manage. She moves households many times, always with determination to make the best of each location and situation. This domestic thread is seamlessly woven with John Adams’ burgeoning career, the political machinations of Hamilton, Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Hurray for patriotic, cheer worthy, engaging historical fiction!

STEPHANIE DRAY is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into many languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books.

A Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, LAURA KAMOIE has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. Writing with co-author Stephanie Dray allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

Publication March 24, 2026-St. Martin’s Press-Historical Fiction-330pp

Book Summary

Known for her “delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense” (People), New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict, returns with a sweeping tale of a young woman who unearths the truth about a forgotten Pharoah—rewriting both of their legacies forever.

In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert—daughter of Lord Carnarvon—whose daring spirit and relentless curiosity made the momentous find possible.

Nearly 3,000 years earlier, another woman defied the expectations of her time: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s lost pharaoh. Her reign was bold, visionary—and nearly erased from history.

When Evelyn becomes obsessed with finding Hatshepsut’s secret tomb, she risks everything to uncover the truth about her reign and keep valued artifacts in Egypt, their rightful home. But as danger closes in and political tensions rise, she must make an impossible choice: protect her father’s legacy—or forge her own.

Propelled by high adventure and deadly intrigue, Daughter of Egypt is the story of two ambitious women who lived centuries apart. Both were forced to hide who they were during their lifetimes yet ultimately changed history forever.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Enter the worlds of Highclere Castle, England and Cairo, Egypt in the 1920’s. The settings become beguiling characters each on their own. Highclere Castle’s famous long drive graciously beckons readers into Daughter of Egypt, as readers are swept straightaway into the magic and music of the Highclere Castle Ball, the first after the Great War. Fans of Downton Abbey will easily visualize the library, dining room, and the secret entrance to the music room! Lady Evelyn, Eve, has always been interested in Egyptology, and cherishes time with her father, Lord Carnarvon and his associate, archaeologist Howard Carter, over attending teas and balls as a debutante. She much prefers the excavation season digging for antiquities over the socialite’s season seeking a match. The alternate setting is Egypt: Cairo’s luxurious Shepheard’s Hotel, the Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor, the Nile, and the stately, sandy sites Howard and Eve choose for digs.  

Beginning with the introduction Marie Benedict incorporates an immense amount of Great Britain’s history of Colonial Egypt, the Great War, and the return of archaeology to the Valley of the Kings. The plot alternates between Hatshepsut’s life of Princess to Pharoh, and Lady Evelyn’s from debutante to archaeologist, transporting readers between Highclere Castle and Egypt with history, lavish descriptions, and even love stories.  Lady Evelyn’s mission is to unearth the mystery of Hatshepsut’s erasure from history. This drives her personal journey to discover more about Hatshepsut-whose tomb has never been found.

Benedict’s character development of Hatshepsut glows with her brilliance, foresight and humanness. The young Egyptian queen dazzles like sun on sand, as Benedict reveals Hatshepsut’s relatable emotions as a mother, a daughter, and a ruler. Eve is portrayed as driven by her own passions and having the fortitude to face up to her mother and the ambition to follow her archaeological dreams, which keeps the plot moving! Marie Benedict, known for her well researched novels, delivers a detailed, well-balanced view of Egypt as Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter, and Lady Eve navigate the volatile political and complex social climate in the years after WWI. Fans of historical fiction will be joyously immersed in England and Egypt as the stories, history, and legacy of two strong women triumphantly emerge in Daughter of Egypt.   

Don your khakis and get ready to dig! Treasure is guaranteed.

Marie Benedict is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Queens of Crime, The Mitford Affair, Her Hidden Genius, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Only Woman in the Room, Lady Clementine, Carnegie’s Maid, The Other Einstein, and the novella, Agent 355. With Victoria Christopher Murray, she co-wrote the Good Morning America Book Club pick The Personal Librarian and the Target Book of the Year The First Ladies.

Recipe for Joy by Monica Comas

Published March 24, 2026-Lake Union Publishing-Women’s Fiction-331pp.

Book Summary

A grieving woman finds healing and purpose through her late grandmother’s cherished recipes in a poignant and hopeful novel about rediscovering the comfort of family in the most trying of times.

Belle Sutton is a little lost these days. She has a stalled career, a New York apartment she can’t afford, and her sister, Lexie, is more estranged with each passing year. Belle’s one true consolation is her beloved grandmother, who’s powered through her own broken family ties with a tenacious zest for life and a passion for cooking. But when her grandmother suddenly passes away, a grieving Belle feels her only connection to the past is gone forever.

That’s when Belle receives a series of letters, along with a cookbook, photographs of Belle and Lexie when they were young and happy, and her grandmother’s last wish that the sisters mend severed ties before it’s too late. For the love of Gran, a challenge is met that sets Belle and Lexie on a journey of hope, reconciliation, surprising discoveries, and the nourishing power of family, forgiveness, and tradition. All they have to do is follow the directions.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Recipe for Joy is an antidote for grief. In her debut novel Monica Comas pens a love letter to her own place of grief, honoring her beloved mother. Separated into five tasty parts, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Sweet, Savory, readers experience the emotions of estranged sisters of two generations. Descriptions and analogies transport readers from NYC to the east side of Cleveland, Gates Mills, a place “where the houses stood close like a family gathered near the road in a companionable line.”

After Gran passes, the letters, pictures, and recipes that Belle and Lexie receive, deliver a level of suspense along with heartwarming memories revealed through treasured recipes and commentary. Comas’ gut felt, spot on descriptions of emotions bubbling up truly get to the heart of the relationship between Belle and her sister.

Feelings and emotions we’ve all felt are explained through the senses of fragrant aromas from the kitchen to contrasting sights and sounds of NYC and Gates Mills. The conundrum of different men Belle meets, her self-doubt, and self-talk, make her totally relatable. Belle lost her mom when very young, and now her Gran. As a friend tells Belle, “You’re a grieving train wreck!” The letters and cookbook are meant to reconnect Lexie and Belle. But what Belle needs is a manual for putting herself back together! She must reinvent herself, find a calling and move forward! This is the compelling ingredient!

Grief folded in mystery, with heaping tablespoons of heartfelt, gut-wrenching emotions, add a wise grandmother’s love of cooking – the sublime formula for Recipe for Joy.

Monica Comas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master’s in journalism from New York University. She’s worked as a newspaper reporter, a journalist covering stocks and the economy, and a financial editor. But fiction has always been her true love. Monica lives in New York with her husband, John, and their tiny shih tzu, Poirot. https://monicacomas.com/

Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson

Publication March 31, 2026-Kensington Books-Historical Fiction-1920’s-1930’s

“A Prohibition-Era story of sisterhood, reinvention and the alchemy of love.”

Book Summary

In the Prohibition-era Missouri Ozarks, three sisters take over their father’s moonshine business in an evocative story of reinvention, sisterhood, and the alchemy of love for readers of Jeannette Walls, Fannie Flagg, Sue Monk Kidd, and Donna Everhart.

Every batch of Strong moonshine has its own special flavor, thanks to the secret ingredients that matriarch Lidy Strong adds to the barrels of fermenting corn mash. Whether a bucketful of golden peaches, a ripe melon or juicy, jewel-toned berries, that extra “something something” is what makes the Strong “shine” so prized—and allows the family to survive after crop prices plummeted in the wake of the Great War.

Each of the Strong sisters, too, is distinct. Stoic, steadfast Rebecca would rather be with her beloved farm animals or off hunting in the woods than socializing. Middle sister Elsie is kindhearted, beautiful—and itching for a life more thrilling than the farm can offer. Jace, the youngest, is known far and wide as “Shine,” a name that suits her fiery personality and flaming red hair as much as her innate skill with a still.

Their father, Hiram, has been drowning himself in grief and liquor ever since his wife died. But the moonshine business is unforgiving, especially with Prohibition agents turning up in every creek and holler. When tragedy strikes, it falls to the Strong women to keep the still running, the family together, and hope burning on the horizon.

From the Ozark mountains edged in oak and pine, to the outlaw paradise of Hot Springs, Arkansas—where gangsters like Al Capone line the bar at the Southern Club—the sisters’ quests for vengeance, healing, and love will drive them forward, in search of a future as transformative and powerful as the purest Strong moonshine.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A fiery, potent experience. In Moonshine Women, Michelle Collins Anderson has blended the Strong family, their close-knit Ozark community, and the Prohibition Era, into, as Al Capone claimed of Shine’s drink, “a damn good” concoction. Moonshine Women is a mixture of secrets and steely women, muddled with two devastating crashes – one a car, two the stock market-and a heavy dash of revenge.

The hills of Missouri and Hot Springs, Arkansas become the backdrop for illegal stills, the saga of the Strong family, and how Shine, the youngest Strong sister attempts to save the family moonshine business on the banks of Kinney Creek. Anderson uses the stages of distilling moonshine to divide this haunting tale of survival into parts: Foreshots, Heads, Hearts, and Tails! Each main character gets his/her own repeating chapters where Anderson develops each unique personality and deftly explores family relationships, beliefs, and what drives each of them.  She laces the saga with history going back to the Louisiana Purchase and Native American tribes, along with stunning descriptions of the Ozark Mountains and the majestic rows of bath houses in Hot Springs. Themes of regret, guilt, revenge, forgiveness and commitment are stirred together to examine the complicated ways families are “created, tested, and constantly changed.”

Years of bootlegging, family battles, and motherless babies; a recipe for adventure and redemption in the Ozarks. Like Lidy’s batches of moonshine, this book has a special “something something.”

Michelle Collins Anderson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks — a place and a way of life that has shaped her writing. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism degree and spent the next fifteen years as a copywriter in advertising and public relations agencies in St. Louis, Palo Alto, Denver and Houston before pursuing a freelance career and teaching at the University of Missouri and Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. In 2013, she graduated with an MFA in Fiction from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. Michelle and her husband, Clay, have three adult children and live in a 1907 brick row house in St. Louis, Missouri, with two cats and a border collie. THE FLOWER SISTERS is her first novel.

Under Two Flags A Novel of World War I

By Janis Robinson Daly

Published March 26, 2026-Black Rose Writing-Historical Fiction- 281pp

Book Summary

When dreams collide with war, survival becomes the ultimate performance. In October 1916, eighteen-year-old Josephine Therese Marzynski leaves Boston for Berlin to pursue her dream of studying opera at Germany’s most prestigious music conservatory. Living with family friends and immersing herself in German culture, she finds unexpected beauty and friendship in the heart of enemy territory.

But when America enters the Great War in April 1917, Josephine’s world transforms overnight-from welcomed student to enemy of the state. Trapped in Berlin as rationing tightens and suspicion mounts, Josephine must navigate daily police check-ins, bureaucratic interrogations, and the constant threat of internment. Her survival depends on German friends who risk their own safety to protect her, while she struggles with divided loyalties between her American identity and the people who have become her chosen family.

Based on the true story from Josephine’s memoir and set against the backdrop of a city slowly starving under the weight of war, Under Two Flags is a gripping tale of resilience, moral complexity, and the transformative power of music in humanity’s darkest hours. As Josephine fights to secure passage home, she confronts impossible choices that will test everything she believes about loyalty, survival, and the true meaning of patriotism.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Under Two Flags is the retelling of the memoir of Josephine Therese Marzynski, an American woman studying opera in Berlin, 1916-1917. Janis Robinson Daly ‘s grandfather, Eliot Harlow Robinson, Sr., was the ghostwriter for Josephine’s first-hand account, With Old Glory in Berlin, published in 1918. Now Daly has recreated this riveting story, focusing on Josephine, a spunky, young Jewish girl from Boston, with an overriding desire to follow her dreams.

Janis Robinson Daly composed and directed this thrilling account of the 18-year-old opera singer’s 13-month study at the Konservatorium der Musik in 1916, before the United States entered World War I. Daly’s composition is filled with realistic emotion and immersive descriptions of the German people, their militaristic attitudes, and the exquisite scenery. The details of rationing and dwindling of necessities sink readers deep into the passions of a people experiencing war. Emotion pours through Daly’s words the way emotion pours through Josephine’s voice. Family, neighbors, classmates, Berliners and German soldiers. All are portrayed through the lens of a young woman, far away from her family, stuck in a country at war. Josephine’s patriotic, homesick sharing of an emotional July 4 with a neighbor in 1917 is a favorite.

Under Two Flags is presented in the format of an opera: an overture, acts, scenes, an intermission, and the finale. This format is the perfect stage for Daly’s enlightening use of similes to describe characters and situations by making comparisons to scenes from various operas, a charming. compelling addition to the prose.  

Brava! A piercing operatic light on a driven young woman in a chaotic, uncertain time in history. Suspenseful. Dramatic. Rewarding. Highly recommended.

Daly’s first novel, The Unlocked Path, celebrates pioneering women doctors at the turn of the 20th Century. Its sequel, The Path Beneath Her Feet, honors the work of the American Women’s Hospitals in rural America during the 1930s.

It Girl by Allison Pataki

Published March 10, 2026-Ballantine-Historical Fiction

Book Summary

New York, 1900. At the dawn of a new century, the city’s streets teem with change: electricity, automobiles, a brash young President Teddy Roosevelt—and the It Girls. As artist’s muses and working models, these independent young women soar to stardom not because of their pedigrees or inherited wealth, but because of their talent, charisma, and irresistible beauty. Pop culture is born, and in a world alight with Mr. Edison’s new bulbs, no one shines brighter than America’s sweetheart, Evelyn Talbot.

But the journey to stardom is not simple or straight. While working as a young shopgirl,  Evelyn is recruited as a studio model, and soon catches the eye of the preeminent artists of the age. When Broadway comes calling, Evelyn solidifies her status as the first self-made American female celebrity, a “Gibson Girl,” the most sought-after figure and face of her time. Enter a parade of powerful and power-hungry men, from world-famous architect Stanley Pierce, the visionary behind Manhattan’s mansions and iconic landmarks; to Hal Thorne, the shockingly wealthy railroad heir and premiere “playboy” of high society. Each man promises comfort, glamour, security—even love. But fame and fortune are cruel teachers, and Evelyn learns that the only person she can rely on is herself.

When Evelyn finds herself at the center of a murder of passion declared “the Crime of the Century,” she is blamed for the acts of the men in her life. In the media frenzy that spirals around her, Evelyn realizes that—to survive—she will have to write her own ending. But can this artists’ muse turned showgirl pull off the greatest act of her life? 
It Girl is a breathtaking ride inspired by a singular artist and icon who captured the collective imagination of American society. Allison Pataki has crafted yet another unforgettable leading lady, a heroine who must find the power to change not only the world around her, but her own destiny.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The face of the fresh century, 1901, New York City.  Evelyn is giving one of her most risqué performances, Salome, at Mrs. Vanderbilt’s with Mrs. Astor and the top of society in attendance. Her dance leaves them shocked and horrified! Such a surprising opening, it begs you to keep reading! Enter the alluring world of men that create, promote, and manipulate Evelyn Talbot, the “It” girl. All of them, maddening!

Travel with Eve from artist’s model to Broadway and Gibson Girl, and on to London, Paris, and Pittsburg. Allison Pataki adds delicious and impeccably researched details of all these settings, sinking readers into Eve’s world of wealth and indulgence.  Her rise to fame, the decadent world she lives in, the evil men and the despicable mother she endures, is absolutely mind boggling. The millionaire rivals for Eve’s attention are involved in “The Crime of the Century,” but America’s Eve writes her own ending – a shocking, roller coaster, heart stopping read.   

Allison Pataki is the multiple New York Times bestselling author of eleven books of historical fiction, children’s books and memoir, including the instant bestseller The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post and the critically acclaimed Finding Margaret Fuller.

Patriot of the Lowcountry: Eliza Wilkinson and the Fall of Charleton

A Ladies of the Revolution Novel by Tracy Lawson

Publication March 19, 2026-Gray Lion Books-Historical Fiction-

Screenshot

Book Summary

     Eliza is no stranger to both privilege and heartbreak. Widowed at eighteen, she gained self-sufficiency while managing one of her father’s plantations. Now, at age twenty-two, marauding Redcoats destroy her home and hard-won independence. With her family’s properties in ruins and their financial future threatened, Eliza’s father insists she seeks the stability of a new marriage. As she reluctantly navigates the romance and intrigue of Charles Town’s social season, two very different men vie for her attention.  The Season’s revelries come to an end amid the chaos and terror of siege, and when the city falls to the British, Eliza joins other rebel ladies in relief work, intelligence gathering, and sabotage. Danger mounts as the British banish and imprison patriots to quell civil unrest. Eliza learns of a military operation that could spell disaster for General Francis Marion, commander of the only significant rebel force left in South Carolina. Can she locate the elusive Swamp Fox and deliver a message of warning in time?

     Based on Eliza Yonge Wilkinson’s letters that recount her experiences during the American Revolution.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Tracy Lawson introduces “Lady of the Revolution,” Eliza Wilkinson; a “Rebel Lady” with a whale of a story. This addition to the series is a rewarding balance between the siege of Charles Town during the American Revolution and the patriotic efforts of Eliza Wilkinson, her commitment to family legacy, the enslaved, and duty to her country.

Lawson’s compassionate analysis of Eliza’s published letters gives readers a glimpse into the heart and soul of Eliza and her husband, Joseph. Having grown up in luxury she is a planter’s widow at 18 years old. Her short marriage to Joseph, his death, and the death of their infant son a few days later, is the bedrock of Eliza’s fortitude to carry on her family’s legacy.

From tidal marshes to Oak lined avenues, Lawson sets the scene and tone for Eliza’s re-entry into society with luscious descriptions of a forgotten world. At her father’s suggestion to remarry for the sake of the family, Lawson gently introduces readers to this possibility at a Christmas Eve ball. Eliza intrudes upon Peter Porcher’s reverie and solitude in the well-stocked library, meeting the reserved, gallant gentleman who suggests to readers and Eliza, that her grieving may have come to an end. Peter comes with an overbearing match-making mother and a pitiful, anxious sister, Mary.  Mary’s naiveté and trust in Eliza provide opportunities for education and enlightenment, revealing Eliza’s compassionate, servant heart. Mentoring Mary and the burgeoning relationship with Peter and his call to duty weave a lovely romantic but tangled web of conflict for Eliza.

As an Abolitionist, Eliza is filled with passion for her family land, the enslaved, and duty to her country. The siege of Charles Town, the British skirmishes, and coded letters keep Eliza’s involvement at the forefront of the plot. Charity work is where Eliza crosses paths with Polly Brewton. Seemingly opposites in personality, a clash ensues and Eliza admits being a friend to Polly could be social suicide. This is an excellent use of foreshadowing, leaving the reader to make predictions as harrowing schemes of sabotage take over the suspenseful plot.  

The Author’s Note is treasured in historical fiction. Tracy Lawson includes valuable information on locations, descriptions, and owners of Toogoodoo, Plainsfield and Pawletts plantations and Eliza’s family. Also included is an excellent collection of quotes from Eliza’s letters and a list of further reading.

Lawson’s Patriot of the Low Country is an excellent cocktail: equal parts history and sabotage with a splash of romance. Drink up!

Tracy Lawson’s “first” career in dance and educational theater spanned thirty-five years. She has been a teacher, a studio owner, and has choreographed thirty-seven musicals for middle- and high school students. When her family made a cross-country move for her husband’s job in 2013, Tracy also made a career change–and now has six novels, four books for children, and three nonfiction books to her credit, with another novel and another children’s book in the pipeline. The common thread that connects all her books is her characters’ pursuit of individual liberty.

 Tracy is married with one grown daughter and two spoiled cats. She and her husband Bob live outside Dallas.

Taming Lady Temperance By Karen Witemeyer

Publication February 17, 2026-Bethany House Publishing-Christian Historical Romance-336pp

Book Summary

When passion for justice conflicts with the heart, which will prevail?
Noreen O’Sullivan is an enthusiastic member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and believes herself called to defend the cause of prohibition. When she’s invited to join the Secret Society of Spinsters, Noreen jumps at the chance to rally others to her movement and shut down the local saloon for good. However, her passionate campaigning often puts her at odds with the men around her–including the local deputy.

Deputy James Paxton believes in preserving the peace, but Miss O’Sullivan has been disturbing his peace for months. If James wants to be elected sheriff, he can’t afford to be seen as her ally. But when Noreen ropes him into helping her plan a temperance march, their growing closeness sparks unexpected feelings. Then tensions escalate at the saloon and accusations fly. James must choose between upholding his badge and protecting the woman who’s captured his heart–knowing either choice could cost him everything.

Karen Witemeyer presents a swoony Western romance with a determined heroine, cowboys, prohibition, and the rivals-to-lovers and duty vs. desire tropes. Fans of Mary Connealy and frontier romances set in the Old West will savor this clean, historical read.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Fans of “rivals to lovers” Old West historical reads will be enamored with Book #1 in Karen Witemeyer’s newest series, The Secret Society of Spinsters. This clean Western set in Albany, Texas, features a feisty heroine and a discerning deputy. In 1894, Noreen is an active member of the Woman’s Temperance Union and the newly formed, Secret Society of Spinsters.  James Paxton is a deputy aspiring to one day be sheriff. The characters surrounding Noreen in the Temperance Union and the spinsters are well developed, with memorable backgrounds and all the typical skills of capable frontier women. Readers should be apprised that themes of alcohol addiction and family abuse are possible triggers. But be assured the characters and readers are constantly reminded of God’s grace and forgiveness throughout the novel. James is portrayed as a compassionate, patient deputy with a strong sense of justice and excellent listening skills! A rare, treasured commodity. Noreen’s mother-daughter relationship, along with 15-year-old Luella’s family situation, adds to the impact and suspense of tragic events in this West Texas town. Karen Witemeyer’s bold, determined characters are learning to overcome guilt and regain trust, relatable themes developed in Taming Lady Temperance.

Taming Lady Temperance is Book #1 in The Secret Society of Spinsters Series. Book #2, Wooing the Wallflower, set in Tyler, East Texas, is due in February 2027. Karen Witemeyer, a Christy Award winner, writes historical romance with happily-ever- after endings.

“Happy Trails to you, until we meet again!”

When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen

Publication January 20,2026-Berkley-Historical Fiction-448pp

Book Summary

They were an unlikely pair—a blond bombshell and a photographer determined to be taken seriously—but Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold would make a deal that would change their lives in this dazzling new novel from the national bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and The Woman with the Cure.

     In 1952, Norma Jeane Baker follows documentary photographer Eve Arnold into a powder room on the night they first meet. She has a proposition for her. Norma Jeane created Marilyn Monroe to be photographed, and she wants Eve to do it. Eve is better than anyone she’s seen at revealing a person’s inner truth. Together they can help each other. Together, she says, they can make something brilliant.
     Skeptical of this cipher of a young woman, Eve demurs. She’s looking for more serious subjects than this ambitious starlet. But she keeps getting drawn back into Marilyn’s orbit, and the women come to recognize something in each other—something fundamental. Nothing will get in the way of what they want, and when Marilyn’s star takes off to teetering heights, neither will ever be the same.
     A lavish and transporting novel, When We Were Brilliant captures the halcyon days of an icon and the grit of women determining their own futures as it explores the exceptional and complicated friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

First Published on BookBrowse for First Impressions

From Marilyn Monroe admitting, “I don’t really know who I am,” to photographer Eve Arnold’s ability to distill truth and communicate vulnerability through her lens, Lynn Cullen pulls back the curtain to show Marilyn’s fortitude in confronting chronic pain and heartbreak. In this respectful look at friendship, Cullen explores what the lives of Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold “might say to us about being human.”  This is an insightful, compelling character study of “dirty girl” Norma Jeane, who became the super star that we know as Marilyn Monroe. Eve Arnold, Norma Jeane’s only real friend, manages to illuminate her soul through photography. Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation holds the treasured photographs and was the springboard for this novel. Lynn Cullen spotlights Marilyn’s marketing genius combined with Eve’s powerful photography in When We Were BRILLIANT. As Norma Jeane would say, “Imagine!”

History has never meant a dull recounting of dates and wars for Lynn Cullen. She was trained to love the subject as a child, when her father led his large family on camping trips across the United States every summer, excursions that centered around learning about the lives of the women and men who shaped the world. By visiting their childhood homes or the places where they struggled to make their mark, Cullen was taught at an early age to seek the real people behind their legend. Continue : https://lynncullen.com/about/

Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation is a book by photographer Eve Arnold, first published in 1987, that offers an intimate look at Marilyn Monroe through Arnold’s photographs and personal commentary. The book chronicles their unique relationship, developed over a decade of photo sessions, and showcases both the public and private sides of the star, revealing the insecurity and pain behind her famous smile. It’s known for its tender, witty, and insightful images, including previously unpublished photos, and serves as a historical testament to Monroe’s life and career. http://marilyn monroe an appreciation by eve arnold

The Book Binder’s Secret by A. D. Bell

Publication January 13, 2026=St. Martin’s Publishing-Historical Fiction-400pp

Book Summary

Every book tells a story. This one tells a secret.
A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder.

      Lilian (“Lily”) Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father’s failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man’s profession. But when she’s given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder.
     Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit.
     Lily’s search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything for the books, Lilian’s world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Want to know a secret? This novel pulls the reader right into the world of collecting and restoring books in Oxford,1901. Lily, who doesn’t go anywhere without a book, narrates the tale of secrets and mysteries with a story of forbidden love hidden in a series of books. Lily has always been able to focus on a project to the point of obsession-which is exactly what happens when she discovers a letter hidden under the binding of a partially burned book.

Bell’s use of foreshadowing reveals that as Lily is drawn into the search for more books in the series with possibly more letters, her own past and the future she’s been hoping for, might be slipping away. Bell keeps up a fast-paced plot with Lily’s harrowing situations, shady dealings on train platforms, and escaping down crowded alleyways. Lily’s real-life search for the books and letters is alternated with the saga of forbidden love, an unclaimed fortune, and the fate of a missing baby sewn into the bindings.

 Lily, a lady bookbinder trying to save her father’s bookstore, is frantically following all the clues, but collectors, booksellers, lovers, and authors all have secrets. Hidden pages, juicy stories and confessions make The Bookbinder’s Secret perfect for readers searching for “that particular perfume…, the aroma of imagination, of knowledge waiting.” The secrets keep the pages turning.