Tag: Historical Fiction

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.

From The Valley We Rise by Elizabeth Musser

Publication June 2025-Bethany House-Historical Fiction-400pp.

Book Summary

In the heart of war-torn France, Isabelle Seauve’s resolve is tested after her father sacrifices his life to protect her involvement in the
French Resistance. Heartbroken, Isabelle becomes more dedicated to hiding Jewish children in and near the village of Sisteron despite the growing danger when she discovers a traitor within the Resistance ranks. As the shadow of betrayal looms, Isabelle’s world collides with that of US Army Chaplain Peter
Christensen, who carries emotional scars from his first position in Kentucky and his service in North Africa. Together, they face the brutal reality of war as the second D-Day–the Allied invasion of
Provence–unfolds. Fifteen-year-old René Amblard narrowly escapes a devastating German attack that claims the lives of his mother and their fellow Maquis fighters. With a Jewish orphan girl at his side, René seeks out his cousin, Isabelle, for refuge while he contemplates revenge. When the bombs of Operation Dragoon begin to fall, this unlikely group of heroes must find freedom in their souls before they can rebuild what has been destroyed.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab-First Published in Historical Novels Review Magazine August 1, 2025, for The Historical Novel Society

From The Valley We Rise, a Resistance story set in Provence, France, recounts the rebuilding of Sisteron after the Allied invasion known as “Operation Dragoon,” August 1944. Told in four parts with suspenseful plot twists and the search for a traitor, Musser’s main characters represent vital parts of the Resistance helpfully explained in an opening Lexicon.  Isabelle hides Jewish children with the assistance of her father’s expertise in forgery. Peter, a Protestant chaplain whose parents were missionaries in Algeria, serves as emotional and prayer support for the soldiers.  Real-life René Amblard is the lone survivor of a German attack on his farmhouse as he strives to protect young Delphine, formerly Sarah Levy. She represents orphaned Jewish children, names changed for protection, who were adopted and hidden by French families.

            Musser has lived in Provence for many years, providing authentic research and depictions of the Citadel, cliffs, and caves of Sisteron from personal experience. The networks of “ordinary citizens with extraordinary courage” who hid Jewish children are highlighted along with the undeniable bravery and determination of the French Resistance fighters, the Maquisard. The intriguing plot is filled with complicated personal relationships impacted by guilt, anger and fear as Peter and Isabelle compare stories of childhood and the plight of loveable, discerning Delphine and René is revealed. The high stakes relationship between Isabelle and German Tomas adds tension and suspense, while Musser’s epilogue ten years later provides a satisfying resolution to the lives of the Resistance fighters.

            Themes include finding courage, recognizing fear, and forgiving oneself to find hope and deepen trust in God.  Elizabeth Musser builds this suspenseful novel of the Resistance “one stone at a time” leading to an emotional conclusion.  From The Valley We Rise. Highly recommended for book club discussions.  For a signed copy: https://entertainmentwithasoul.square.site/product/from-the-valley-we-rise-signed-edition-/26 

ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. For over thirty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with One Collective, formerly International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Publication July 2025-Bethany House-Historical Mystery-368pp.

Book Summary

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel’s world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz’s name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz’s body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he’d left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer’s coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz’s fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she’ll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

Grateful Reader Review-First Published in Historical Novels Review Magazine-August 1, 2025 for Historical Novel Society

This is a well-balanced tale of mystery and romance set in 1930’s North Carolina. German pianist Hedda Schlagel travels to America to bring home the remains of her fiancé, Fritz, who disappeared 15 years earlier near Asheville during WWI. Hedda’s arrival and the discovery that Fritz’s casket holds the body of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances sets the grizzly scene and propels the well-paced plot. The conflict is whether Fritz is alive and why he’s never contacted Hedda?

                Appalachian author, Sarah Loudin Thomas, delves into themes of identity and belonging through multilayered characters that provide Hedda with emotional support as she searches for the truth. Eleanor, a boarder where Hedda lives, becomes a true friend whose insight and encouragement is a new experience for Hedda. As Eleanor helps Hedda explore the possibilities of staying in America they discover Joseph and Anni, teachers at Black Mountain College. This thread connects readers to Germans brave enough to start a new life in America and provides the perspective and hardships of immigrants. Hedda is faced with the difficult choice; return to Berlin to care for Lotte, Fritz’s dying mother or stay in Asheville as the search for Fritz continues. Deputy Garland’s investigation, updates, and trips to Black Mountain add much anticipation to the plot and budding relationships! Loudin’s narrative burgeons with stunning descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, analogies, and foreshadowing, while themes of guilt, acceptance, and jealousy tilt the emotional balance.   

                Readers of These Blue Mountains, filled with love, tension and heart pounding suspense will agree with Hedda, “Wunderschonen!” Beautiful! Spectacular!  

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Publication June 17, 2025-Gallery Books-Historical Fiction-384pp

Book Summary

Kristin Harmel, returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.
Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed” $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Kristin Harmel adds another World War II novel to her growing collection. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau centers on the definition of right and wrong and the gray areas that are personal to each reader. The Marceau family legacy of stealing jewelry to rebalance justice is based on the legend of Robin Hood. This moral deliberation is embedded in every jewelry heist and the lives of Annabelle and Colette are the resulting outcomes of very debatable decisions and choices. This theme of morality, combined with survival guilt, self-discovery, and the power of ordinary people makes this novel a treasure trove of discussions for book clubs.

The timeline alternates between the war in Paris, 1942 and Boston, 2018. Kristin Harmel’s mystery puzzle is framed by four corners: Annabel’s family heritage of stealing, Colette’s later life including the Tristan love story, the twin bracelets’ provenance, and the murder of Colette’s little sister, Liliane. The puzzle pieces slowly fall into place, leaving readers in great emotional suspense and anticipation as the complete picture comes into view. We know “diamonds are forever” and Kristin Harmel proves this beautiful sentiment once more in The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau.

Kristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and #1 international bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker’s Wife, and a dozen other novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages and are sold all over the world. Many of her novels have been optioned for film and television. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is coming this June.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

Publication May 27, 2025-Random House Publishing-Ballantine-Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction-336pp

Book Summary

Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events, from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls.

2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: The Smith girls—nineteen-year-old aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old war-obsessed Briar—are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together during World War II as the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island’s shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt at normalcy, Cadence and her best friend, Bess, start a book club, which grows both in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence’s dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore—and whispers of a spy in their midst. Who in their tight-knit island community can they trust? Could this little book club change the course of the war . . . before it’s too late?

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is inspired by the author’s family history and summers spent on the island off the coast of Massachusetts. Martha Hall Kelly blends the two timelines into a puzzling mystery sketched out for Mari Starwood by the local artist Mrs. Devereaux. The story of sisters Cadence and Briar Smith during 1942 is filled with historical details but the main spotlight is on those left behind on Martha’s Vineyard. The visual, aromatic descriptions of the community of Vineyard Haven, the honeysuckle hedges, and the local lore depict Martha’s special love for the island.  Kelly pays tribute to the bonds of sisterhood, familial relationships, and the profound impacts of war. These impacts are shown through the conflict involving Cadence and Briar, the plight of Tom and Bess, and the life-changing discovery on the North Shore.  

My favorite character is Cadence, whose side hustle is writing summaries and reviews. The wealthy women involved in publishing who visit the island, support Cadence and add an unexpected suspenseful layer to her dreams of working in New York City; it’s an exhilarating but exasperating thread in the novel. Briar, the quirky, independent, brilliant 16-year-old sister is a font of war information for her family and the reader! I enjoyed the precocious banter between “Briar the Liar” and the FBI agent, McManus.

There are several characters who add uncertainty and excitement to the plot. The suspicious activities of Tyson and Sandra, along with the encouraging, pie-baking Gram, and mostly irritating, unlikeable Margaret-a Jane Austen fan, so she earns points there- all have parts in the story being told by Mrs. Devereaux.  MHK has an uncanny sense of ending chapters at a point where one simply must keep reading.

As the title suggests, Martha’s Vineyard Beach & Book Club is at the heart of the book. Like most book clubs, the reading selection and discussion are important, but so is connecting daily lives! I love how Cadence calls impromptu meetings and announces the book choice in her weekly column! It turns out the Putnam yacht, Never Moor, plays a delightful role, a treat for the book club and for readers. Yes, the Putnam that published Edgar Allen Poe-you’ll learn so much and enjoy the club’s fabulous classic book selections!

Classics Mentioned in The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club

Sense and Sensibility- Last of the Mohicans- The Great Gatsby-Ben-Hur -The Song of Bernadette- Great Expectations- Rebecca- Brideshead Revisited

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris

Publication May 20, 2025-Sourcebooks Landmark-Historical Fiction, Multicultural Interest-416pp

Book Summary

She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don’t know the whole story. Portland, 1888. Amid the subterranean labyrinth of the notorious Shanghai Tunnels, a woman awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised. Celia soon realizes she’s a “shanghaied” victim on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most. Although well accustomed to adapting for survival—being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era fraught with anti-Chinese sentiment—she fears that far more than her own fate hangs in the balance.

As she pieces together the twisting path that led to her abduction, from serving as a maid for the family of a dubious mayor to becoming entwined in the case of a goldminers’ massacre, revelations emerge of a child left in peril. Desperate, Celia must find a way to escape and return to a place where unearthed secrets can prove deadlier than the dark recesses of Chinatown.

A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Girls of Good Fortune is a heart pounding, deep dive into anti-Chinese sentiments of the 19th century. Kristina McMorris sets this thrilling tale of Celia’s search for identity in Portland, Oregon, 1888. The California Gold Rush had ended in 1855, and the Transcontinental Railroad had been completed in 1869. These two events greatly impacted the American workforce where the Chinese immigrants had been willing to endure longer hours for lower pay. Now Portland’s port and labor market, ripe with racism and unsavory, illegal political dealings, intensified the danger of Celia “passing” as white. The nonlinear timeline creates intrigue and suspense as the plot sequences are set to collide. This format leads the reader through the labyrinth of the Shanghai Tunnels to the cargo hold of a ship, a San Francisco jail and even the harrowing perils of train hopping. McMorris develops Celia into an admirable, bold young woman as she navigates motherhood, the pitfalls of whom to trust, and finding her voice amidst constant perils.

The Girls of Good Fortune takes readers from the attack on Chinese gold miners at Hells Canyon in northeast Oregon to Portland’s Shanghai tunnels and along the dim alleys of Chinatown. Heartbreak, Heritage and Honor-all are at stake.

KRISTINA MCMORRIS is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of two novellas and seven historical novels, including the million-copy bestseller SOLD ON A MONDAY. The recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, she previously hosted weekly TV shows for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program, and owned a wedding-and-event-planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of “Y.M.C.A.” and chicken dances. Kristina lives near Portland, Oregon, where she somehow manages to be fully deficient of a green thumb and not own a single umbrella. For more, visit KristinaMcMorris.com

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

Publication May 6, 2025-St. Martin’s Press-Historical Fiction-320pp

Book Summary

Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

In Boston, 1865, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, have accomplished as much as women are allowed in those days. Chafing against those restrictions and inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother, now in his nineties. He sends them an original letter from his sister and invites them to come visit him in England.

In Philadelphia, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson—bachelor brothers, veterans of the recent Civil War, and rare book dealers—are also in correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England, with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be evaluated.

The Stevenson sisters sneak away without a chaperone to sail to England. On their ship are the Nelson brothers, writer Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason—wealthy daughter of a Pennsylvania state senator with her eye on the Nelsons—and, a would-be last-minute chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.

It’s a voyage and trip that will dramatically change each of their lives in ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of literature and that of Jane Austen herself.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

In a nod to Jane Austen’s use of alliteration: Lovers of literature lend me your ear! Austen at Sea is a sublime celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. Like classic Victorian novels, Natalie Jenner divides the novel into four books. Set in Boston and London,1865, Jenner’s novel packs a political punch for women. She craftily lends an eavesdropping feel as seven justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Court discuss Jane Austen’s five novels during summer recess.  Current male viewpoints on women’s right to vote, owning property, and divorce laws, the backbone of Jenner’s novel, are juxtaposed to the main female characters’ refusal to settle for the low expectations of society, including most of the males around them. Jenner’s law degree shines an infuriating light on history and precedent providing ample fodder for discussion groups, possibly necessitating another conversation and another bottle of wine!  

Natalie Jenner creates characters readers would want to spend time with long after the novel ends. Charlotte’s gift for the stage and Henrietta’s quest for research takes readers within a lecture hall and the library of Gore Hall at Harvard. A fabulous scene but also maddening since women weren’t allowed to register nor were they invited to the discussion group after auditing lectures.  The sisters’ determination and endurance in overcoming obstacles continues to develop as their journey extends across the Atlantic. Sara-Beth, vivacious and socially ambitious, sly, independent Constance, and lonely, Louisa May Alcott add different age & class dimension to the plot. Readers get a giant dose of “paternal protection” as Justice William Stevenson agonizes over his daughters’ trip across the Atlantic-without a chaperone! Tension and the male point of view is deftly created through the Nelson brothers, Justice Nash, and of course, the reason for the transatlantic crossing, Sir Francis Austen.

The narrative is rife with references to Jane Austen’s characters. Sir Francis Austen, the last living sibling of Jane, takes on the role of Emma Woodhouse, becoming an adorable, giddy, 90-year-old matchmaker, but also keeper of secrets.  Actions of Jane’s sister Cassandra and the admiral’s youngest daughter and live-in caretaker, Fanny, add an unsettling thread to a plot already laden with relationship angst and courtroom drama. In true Austen fashion Jenner transports readers from the wharves of Boston, on to the decks of the SS China, and through the streets of London. Travels include the grounds of Sir Austen’s Portsdown Lodge with views of his “beloved sea”, and even to the Austen family home and graveyard in Chawton.

Do you fancy letters, manuscripts, antiquarian bookshops, first editions, libraries? Then you know books are a gift. Austen at Sea is a stunning gift for Jane Austen fans from years past and for newfound readers. Thank you, Natalie Jenner, for inspiring another generation of readers through the world’s beloved Jane Austen. Happy 250th Birthday!

Natalie Jenner is the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls, Every Time We Say Goodbye and Austen at Sea, which have been published in over twenty languages worldwide. https://www.nataliejenner.com/

The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester

Publication April 8, 2025-Random House Publishing-Historical Fiction-448pp.

Book Summary

How did a young Parisian mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, come to lead the largest spy network in occupied France?

Morocco, 1928. Marie-Madeleine Méric is not the kind of woman who stays quietly at her husband’s side. Polyglot, pianist, and pilot, she is a woman of many skills, with unconventional interests—like driving in car rallies—that earn her a daredevil reputation. But dabbling in intelligence work to assist her military officer husband and the French government helps her recognize who she is at heart: an adventurer.

Paris, 1936. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, Marie-Madeleine is living in France, her marriage now in shambles, when a chance encounter with an enigmatic spy turns her life upside down. He recruits her to help build a resistance network, and she conceals her identity—and gender—as she navigates a perilous double life.

Eventually, she steps into the role of leader of what is now known as Alliance, despite the naysayers who doubt in a woman’s ability to do so. Capture and death are only a heartbeat away for both Marie-Madeleine and the agents under her care. At the helm of Alliance, she achieves seemingly impossible feats of espionage that help turn the tide of the war. But the most impossible, and dangerous, feat of them all? Falling in love.
New York Times bestselling author Natasha Lester beautifully brings Marie-Madeleine Méric Fourcade’s story to life in this powerful, heartbreaking tale of resilience that reminds us what it means to cherish those we love and fight for them with every breath.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Natasha Lester’s dual timeline creates the World of Intelligence lead by Marie-Madeleine Meric, the only female leader of a Resistance network in France during World War II. Said to have commanded with grace, courage, humility and flair, the Alliance grew to three thousand agents, mostly military men decades her senior. Agents known by animal names came to be called Noah’s Ark.  Lester’s impeccable research, painstaking translations from French, and vast details of the Resistance movement keep the narrative moving from Moracco in 1928, to the end of the war in Paris, 1945. Marie-Madeleine’s dedication to her children and the love of her life, second in command, Leon Faye, create the angst and heart wrenching choices she faces as a mother and leader.  Crossing borders in disguise, outwitting Nazis, the highs and lows of prison escape plans, separations, and reunions; all intriguing elements that keep hope alive.  Like the Allies receiving maps of the Normandy beaches from Noah’s Ark agents, readers will discover newfound admiration and respect for the unimaginable fortitude of the Resistance fighters in The Mademoiselle Alliance. Highly recommended

Natasha Lester is the New York Times bestselling author of eight historical novels including The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre, The Paris Seamstress, The Paris Secret and The Paris Orphan,