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.
Publication January 21, 2025-Revell Christian-Historical Fiction-Romance-416pp
Book Summary
In 1774, Juliet Catesby lives with her father and sister at Royal Vale, the James River plantation founded by her Virginia family over a century before. Indigo cultivation is her foremost concern, though its export tethers her family to the powerful Buchanan clan of Glasgow, Scotland. When the heir of the Buchanan firm arrives on their shores, Juliet discovers that her father has secretly arranged for one of his daughters to marry the Scot as a means of canceling the family’s debt. Confident it will be her younger, lovelier sister, Juliet is appalled when Leith Buchanan selects her instead.
Despite her initial refusal of him, an ensuing altercation forces Juliet to flee Virginia. Agreeing to marry, she sails with Leith to Scotland, hopeful of a better match for her sister, who accompanies her. But once in Glasgow and faced with the contentious, powerful Buchanan clan, she realizes that the man who saved her from financial ruin and scandal is the very one she must now save in return.
Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
My family heritage connecting to Scotland, along with award winning author, Laura Franz, made The Indigo Heiress a highly anticipated novel for this new year. The rumblings of pre-revolutionaries and plantation owners in 1774 Virginia and family intrigue on estates owned by tobacco lords in Scotland add to the dramatic unfolding of the life of Juliet Catesby, the indigo heiress.
Franz includes plenty of descriptions and details of indigo plantings and the processes involved in the harvesting and making of the precious blue dye. The arrival of Lord Leith Buchanan, the handsome Scottish risk taker and tobacco lord adds to the plot twists involving matchmaking, board meetings, and family betrayal. All entertaining elements.
Juliet is rooted to the family’s land in Virginia, making her journey to Scotland even more difficult. Franz eloquently captures Juliet’s emotions through dialogue with her sister, Loveday, private thoughts, and her unselfish matchmaking. Following in their mother’s footsteps, the sisters shun slave labor, concealing and assisting in the freeing of slaves. These courageous activities are greatly inspiring.
Juliet’s travels take her from Royal Vale, Virginia to Ardraigh Hall in Scotland. Along the way Juliet and Loveday are encouraged to see a change in fortune as a gift, trusting God to make a way forward. The Indigo Heiress is a reminder that “what we once loved can never be lost to us-it is forever.” Laura Franz’s mission of reaching the heart through friendship, romance, and suspense is encouraging and accomplished.
https://dumfries-house.org.uk/about/history The author chose the restored Dumfries House, near Glasgow , Scotland, now a site for lodging and events, as the basis for Leith Buchanan’s estate named Ardraigh Hall.
Award-winning, bestselling author Laura Frantz is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying. Proud of her heritage, she is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In the northernmost reaches of Scotland, where a string of little islands in the North Sea stretches towards Norway, lives Gertie MacIntyre, a proud island girl by birth. Her social circle is small but tight: family and friends, particularly the women in her knitting circle. In the whitewashed cottages of their hometown, everyone knows everyone, and the ladies of the knitting circle know more than most. In a place of long dark winters and geographic isolation, the knitting circle is a precious source of gossip, home, laughter, and comfort for them all. And while she knits, Gertie’s busily plotting what to do with the rest of her life.
When Gertie develops a crush on Callum Frost, who owns the local airline, she dares herself to take a job as an air stewardess on the little plane that serves the local islands. Terrifying at first, the sixteen-seat puddle jumper also offers the first taste of real freedom she’s ever known. Will Gertie’s future lie in the skies? Or will she need to go further afield to find the adventure she craves?
Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
Knitting is a soothing, creative way to relax. The same can be said for reading Jenny Colgan’s Close Knit. The setting is Carso, the roof of Scotland, known as the friendliest, safest, best place in the world. Colgan stitches family, love at any age, and adventure into a comforting, satisfying pattern. Gertie Mooney lives with her mother, Jean, and grandmother Elspeth, in a tiny yarn filled cottage, which is the meeting place for the Knitting Circle. These women who essentially raised Gertie, are the town busy bodies; feared, admired, and full of advice. Colgan’s humorous descriptions and truthful hints at personalities and their favorite yarns and colors make them lovable, too. Key to the story are Gertie’s friends, Morag and Nathalie, who remind her of the stings of adolescence. Gertie’s self-talk perfectly accentuates the anxieties and hurtfulness of memories and how these feelings stick with us. Morag, a female pilot whose love for flying adds a different angle to the story, is searching for a replacement for pregnant Nathalie. The adventure begins as Morag is to fly Dolly, the 16-seater airplane, for the epic primary school camping trip.
Colgan’s expressions describing the thrill of flying: “from beetling around on the surface…to breaking the bonds of gravity,” and her poignant descriptions of mountains, glens, and children singing, add comfort and overall joy to her prose.
Indulge your creative side with this self-soothing Scottish tale that delves into loneliness in spite of wealth, shaking free of the bonds of “sameness,” and gaining the courage to take Elspeth’s advice, “Live every day. Grab it!”
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels for adults, including Meet Me at the Cupcake Café and Little Beach Street Bakery. When Neil the puffin from Little Beach Street Bakery caught her readers’ attention, Jenny knew she needed a story of his own – and so the idea for Polly and the Puffin was born. Jenny is married with three children and lives in Scotland. For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter: @jennycolgan. https://www.jennycolgan.com/
Published January 3, 2023-Revell Books-Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction-416 pp
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
Religion and politics, taboo topics at social gatherings unless discussing The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz! The English Lady Blythe Hedley, a brilliant linguist, too tall and willowy to be seen as beautiful; would rather spend money “on books rather than silks and ribbons.” Due to Jacobite/Catholic sympathies her father is considered an enemy of the British crown and rumored to be hiding in France. With Blythe’s protection and possible matrimony in mind, he contacts Lord Hume, Blythe’s godfather, a long-lost connection between families. The request is for Blythe to be sequestered at Wedderburn Castle across the border in Scotland- a protestant stronghold. There you have it-the Catholic Tories vs. Protestant Whigs. Laura Frantz weaves the vast history of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion and the unwanted arrival, but undeniable chemistry between Lady Blythe and hero, Everard Hume, into a luscious romantic tapestry.
Everard Hume declares he is seeking a Scottish lass to marry, not an Englishwoman. In emotionally charged scenes with his dying father, immensely tall and foreboding Everard, slowly evolves into a thoughtful, caring Lord of Wedderburn Castle. Frantz’s tender portrayal of the new Lord Hume, carrying youngest brother, Orin, on his shoulders at his father’s funeral, and giving generous bonuses and support to the castle staff, lends depth to Everard’s changing feelings, endearing him to readers.
Blythe is involved in a tug of war between heart and head as she cannot let go of her mother’s past as a courtesan in the court of King Charles II. Frantz combines this past memory with Blythe’s longings to be loved for herself, not her assets. The blossoming connection between Lady Blythe and young Orin adds to the suspense involved with her father and the coming rebellion.
From chapters opening with quotes from the Bible, former kings, and famous poets to the vivid sensory descriptions of Edinburgh, Highlands and the Lowlands, readers are immersed in the Scottish landscape. England’s white rose, embroidered into hems and handkerchiefs and Scotland’s thistle, a badge of honor and symbol of heraldry for over 500 years, are royally and historically represented in Laura Frantz’s The Rose and the Thistle.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.
No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems–a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.
Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies–and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.
EXCERPT
The Rose and the Thistle Chapter 1, pages 11-14
“How fetching you look in your pale green gown, La Belle Hedley. Akin to a stalk of celery,” Catherine teased, knowing Blythe didn’t give a fig for fashion and lamented her height, exceeding most of the court’s gallants. “And though you may roll your eyes at me for saying so, there’s no doubt you are the best-dressed woman here and have set French society afire.” ’Tis not my fashion sense but my mother’s reputation that has done so. “I would rather spend it all on books than silks and ribbons,” Blythe replied. But her dear father wouldn’t let her. The duke was far more matrimonially minded than she. And given she lacked any outward beauty save her garments, fashion was her one asset. “You are unquestionably a la mode.” Catherine openly admired Blythe’s flawless coiffure styled into pale coils over one bare shoulder and adorned with beribboned rosettes. “I’ve heard the Duchess d’Orleans covets your hairdresser while Mary of Modena covets your gems.” Her hazel eyes slid to the choker of sapphires around Blythe’s throat and the ones set in silver and pearl adorning her ears. “Not paste gems but true brilliants. I suppose they were your mother’s. Such a blinding, bewitching blue.” Blythe touched an earring absently. “But how ridiculous I feel in red heels.” She looked down at her new slippers in bemusement before reaching into her pocket. With a practiced snap of her wrist, she unfurled a painted fan encrusted with tiny precious stones, a gift from Catherine’s aunt, lady of the queen’s bedchamber. Blythe tallied how many days she’d been exiled to—visiting—France. Sixty-three? She and Catherine strolled on with no apparent aim beneath the strengthening spring sun, their hooped, colorful skirts swaying in the breeze. “We’ve walked these paths for weeks now.” The lament in Catherine’s tone was telling. “And not one glimpse of my kindred, the ousted prince.” Blythe’s gaze swept the manicured grounds as though James Francis Edward Stuart would materialize before their eyes. Charming and highly polished, the would-be James III of England and James VIII of Scotland was the catch of the continent—if he could only regain his crown. His Royal Highness remains in Lorraine,” Blythe said quietly. Much could be learned by listening, as gossip and intrigue buzzed. at every turn. “He seeks a royal bride. One who is wealthy and polished and—” “That would be you.” Catherine cast her a knowing look. “Alas, I lack the requisite curves and double chin, plain as I am,” Blythe replied with a flutter of her fan. The foremost courtiers were voluptuous, sensuous women with heavily rouged cheeks and lips, sporting beauty patches in myriad places. “Ha! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?”
“Most men of my acquaintance seem preoccupied with face, form, and fortune, in that order. Yet I long to be loved for myself and nothing else.” A shadow passed over Catherine’s porcelain-perfect features. “Though you profess to being plain, there is no denying you are the Duke of Northumbria’s daughter.” Blythe squinted as the sun strengthened. Not just his daughter. His only daughter—and only child. The whole weight of the Northumbrian fortune and future was upon her. If she failed to marry, failed to provide an heir . . . “Alas, a duke’s daughter of scandalous lineage.” Catherine raised slender shoulders in a shrug. “’Twas long ago and best forgotten.” “Then needs be I find a man of dim memory and even greater purse than my beloved father.” “How few nobles fit, including our impoverished if dashing Stuart prince.” Catherine sighed. “I fear we shall all be branded spinsters if we leave France unaffianced.” “Marriage is not a right, nor is singleness a curse.” Blythe’s fan fluttered harder. “I’ve been pondering other paths, like becoming a nun and joining a convent in Flanders or Chaillot. Perhaps a contemplative order like the English Augustine nuns at Bruges.” “Don’t you dare!” Catherine gave a vicious pinch to Blythe’s arm as if to bring her to her senses. “You have too much to offer to shut yourself away so.” Stung but in no mood to argue, Blythe made no reply.
Christy Award-winning author, Laura Frantz, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State.
Published March 29, 2021-Reviewed for Historical Novels Society Magazine, November 2021 Issue
The book was inspired by the 600 children who were kidnapped in Aberdeen, Scotland, during the 1740s and sold into indentured servitude in the American colonies.
“Ailish Sinclair spent the earlier parts of her life dancing around and encouraging others to do the same. She now lives beside a loch with her husband and two children, surrounded by castles and stone circles, where she writes and dances (yes, still) and eats cake.”
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
The Historical Novels Review Magazine editors send pages and pages of new historical fiction novels from which the reviewers choose. I typically have a long, detailed process for making my list. This was not the case last August when I spotted the title Fireflies and Chocolate by Ailish Sinclair. I saw the setting was Aberdeen, Scotland and I was hooked! My husband and I were “stationed” in Montrose, Scotland, just south of Aberdeen, in 1975, when he was an engineer for Halliburton on a drilling rig in the North Sea. During the week he was on the drilling rig and I was at the Links Hotel or exploring the lovely town of Montrose and visiting friends in Inverbervie and Stonehaven. We lived in Montrose for several months so on the weekends we toured the countryside, locks and castles. My review of Fireflies and Chocolate is below, followed by a few “pictures of pictures” from our ancient photo album. (We were VERY young -just babies-and both had dark brown hair!)
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE BY AILISH SINCLAIR
In 1743, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Manteif was in Aberdeen, Scotland to choose a new horse. Instead, she finds herself “a kidnapped prisoner aboard a slave ship” headed to America. Elizabeth’s goal now is to get back home. Readers “survive” the difficult Atlantic crossing with Elizabeth and her protector, Peter, only to be thrust into the heartbreaking scene of children and adults being sold as slaves in Philadelphia. Ailish Sinclair captures readers’ hearts with Elizabeth’s Scottish brogue and “wee” glimpses into her childhood and even conveys hope when she escapes from her new owner into the woods to find two “quines,” one Native American and one a Negro. These girls become a link to Elizabeth’s emotional and physical survival. Ailish Sinclair weaves the plight of plantation owner, Michael, and his personal dependencies with Elizabeth’s search for Peter, writing of letters home, and passionate but dangerous quest to right the wrongs of slavery. Through heart-stopping twists of fate Elizabeth’s journey intersects the plight of slaves on a tobacco plantation with her own passage through stages of grief and coming of age in a new country.
Ailish Sinclair spins this Scottish tale filled with excitement and suspense as encouraging news of the Jacobite Rebellion and Bonnie Prince Charles reaches America; only to get the crushing reports of Culloden Moor. Scottish phrases become familiar as history and mysteries unfold; right there with Elizabeth on the gang plank of the ship heading back to her beloved Scotland. Like Elizabeth wrapped in a “plaid,” savor the pages of Fireflies and Chocolate and wait for that ‘bonny” feeling, “I’ve come home.”
Street in Montrose
Church in Montrose
Carl at Dunnottarr Castle, near Stonehaven-N of Montrose
“Amid the violent last days of the glittering Russian monarch, a princess on the run finds her heart where she least expects it.”
Bestselling author and with a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’Nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. She is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at: http://www.jnellciesielski.com.
Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
The Ice Swan opens in the chapter of Russian history, 1917, when the Bolsheviks are ridding the country of royalty. Distant relatives of the Tsar, Princess Svetlana Dalsky and family are fleeing the Blue Palace in Petrograd, seeking safety in Paris. Known as the “cold, conceited, condescending” princess, Svetlana crosses paths with Scotsman surgeon, Dr. Edwynn MacCallan, second son of wealthy Duke of Kilbride. Svetlana and Wynn, each facing fears and distanced by pride and stubbornness, are flung closer when the influenza epidemic strikes her family. A Paris hotel turned hospital is where Dr. Wynn performs daring cardiac surgery and Svetlana reveals her servant heart. Svetlana, a princess who speaks six languages and finds joy in ballet, has become indebted to Sheremetev, ruler of the underworld and the decadent White Bear Club. With his disgusting offer of marriage to offset her mother’s debts and the alarming announcement that the entire Romanov family has been executed, Svetlana races from the club with Wynn in close pursuit.
Readers will thrill to Ciesielski’s crisp details and dialogue as “revolution, murder, and survival tend to block out the pretense of happiness.” Ciesielski’s stunning descriptions of Paris streets and charming exchanges showing humor are delightful; especially as Wynn translates Scottish expressions and puns for Svetlana. Ciesielski uses analogies of caring for plants and the changing threads in a pattern to explain Svetlana’s transformation and tangled feelings. Wynn’s conundrum is very rightly compared to women’s choices and their right to vote. Readers need to bundle up to face the decisions of “duty vs. personal desires, finding grace out of ruin, and turning fear to trust.” Along with traditional Scottish kilts and bannocks, royal tiaras and vareniki, readers will weep with joy at this astonishing story. The Ice Swan, elegant Svetlana will warm readers’ hearts, and as Wynn would say, “It’s a bonny read!”
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral -Paris, Svetlana & family lived in the basement
The Grateful Reader 