The President’s Wife by Anna Stuart

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

Book Summary

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

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

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

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

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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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 Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

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Publication February 25, 2025-Ballantine Books-Historical Fiction -464pp

Book Summary

An astonishing historical novel of one woman’s dangerous journey through World War II Germany and her life-changing friendship with a young woman decades later—from the #1 international bestselling author of Looking for Jane

Northern England, 2010. After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers that the mysterious elderly proprietor is harboring secrets of her own.

Berlin, 1938. Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As war looms, Ilse’s family disappears and high-ranking Nazi officers confiscate the house. In desperation, Audrey becomes their housekeeper while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic. When a shocking turn of events embroils Audrey in the anti-Hitler movement, she must decide what matters most: protecting those she loves, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.

Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during World War II, The Secret History of Audrey James is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

In alternating timelines between London 2010, and Berlin, 1938, Heather Marshall weaves the trauma in the lives of Kate and Audrey with the guilt of survival and complicated relationships.
Audrey, who is at the end of her life, shares her history with Kate, who is looking for a new start. Losses forge a quick bridge as Marshall’s emotionally drawn characters understand terror, guilt, and forgiveness by sharing their stories. Crossing the bridge that connects Audrey and Kate involves Kristallnacht, Resistance cells in Berlin, new identities, lifelong loves, escape plans and assassination attempts. Was Audrey a pianist, an assassin, or a spy? These threads of history intertwine!
This novel takes readers from the rubble of streets in Berlin to the rambling paths and gardens of Oakwood Inn on the Scottish border. The Secret History of Audrey James is an emotional, rewarding journey filled with secrets and survival.

About

Heather Marshall lives near Toronto with her family and their giant golden retriever. She worked in politics and communications before finally turning her attention to her true passion: storytelling.

The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly

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Publication Feb.18, 2025-Gallery Books-Historical Fiction-384pp

Book Summary

The author of the “enthralling” (Woman’s World) The Lost English Girl returns with a heartfelt new novel about estranged sisters who inherit their late mother’s dress shop in World War II London.
Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of her mother’s dressmaking shop, Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions, while her sister Sylvia turned her back on the family years ago to marry a wealthy doctor whom Izzie detests. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are stunned to find they’ve jointly inherited the family business. Izzie is determined to buy Sylvia out, but when she’s conscripted into the WAAF, she’s forced to seek Sylvia’s help to keep the shop open. Realizing this could be her one chance at reconciliation with her sister, Sylvia is determined to save Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions from closure—and financial ruin.
Through letters, the sisters begin to confront old wounds, new loves, and the weight of family legacy in order to forge new beginnings in this lyrically moving novel perfect for fans of Genevieve Graham and Lucinda Riley.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Dressmakers of London is cut from a perfect pattern, fitting pieces of reconciliation and family history right alongside personal reinvention to create an elegant, delightful outcome. Julia Kelly tailors this World War II novel of two sisters, Sylvia and Izzie learning to trust each other again, with Izzie’s intriguing assignment in a barrage balloon unit in the WAAF-Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.

Food rationing and coupons are standard in WWII novels, but Julia Kelly includes fascinating details of cloth rationing that started in 1941 and lasted until four years after the war ended. The Cloth Utility Scheme regulated pleats, hemlines, buttons, and cuffs on trousers. This regulation had a huge impact on Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions and Izzie’s design dreams, which Kelly stitches seamlessly into the suspense of the shop’s survival.

The characters reveal true feelings through letters that move the plot while adding anticipation and hope. Readers learn of war details and the budding relationship from letters between young Izzie and American Staff Sergeant Jack Perry from Iowa. On the “sister front” rebuilding trust occurs slowly as Sylvia and Izzie share personal and quite different memories of their mother after their father died. Sylvia’s marriage to Horrible Hugo is another thread in the unraveled fabric of Izzie’s life; coming of age, sketching her own designs, and running the dress shop. There are some especially poignant revelations in situations between Sylvia’s socialite friends and the wise Lady Winman that knit life lessons into the narrative.

The Dressmakers of London tells of a mother’s bequest that leads to emotional, surprising results and happenings-a deep feeling for legacy and family heritage. Sylvia and Izzie would agree that their story is “an honest to goodness proper triumph!”

Julia Kelly is the international bestselling author of emotional historical fiction about extraordinary women and intriguing historical whodunnit mystery novels. Her books have been translated into 13 languages. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London with her husband. Read about all of Julia’s books here: https://www.juliakellywrites.com/

The Forgotten Italian Restaurant by Barbara Josselsohn

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Publication August 21, 2024-Bookouture-WWII Historical Romance-Sisters of War Book #3-268pp

Book Summary

Italy, 1943. The girl rushes down the winding streets, tucking the handwritten menu into the wicker basket and thinking only of the code hidden on the delicate paper. Will anyone forgive her for what she’s about to do to save the man she loves?

Present day. Arriving in sun-drenched Caccipulia, Callie grips the faded restaurant menu in trembling hands. Found hidden in her family home, she is certain it will lead her to the truth about her grandmother’s life in Italy during World War Two. Why did her Nonna run away from this beautiful small town, never to return? Lost and alone in the world, could it help Callie understand who she is?

Local café owner Oliver’s dark brown eyes light up when he sees the menu. During the war, one brave family secretly fed desperate Jewish families hidden in safe houses through the village. Callie’s heart soars at the thought that her own dear grandmother was involved.

Diving into the town’s history during long walks down cobbled streets, Callie begins to feel at home under Oliver’s soft gaze. She wonders if she could build a life here with him. Until they push aside magenta flowers on a monument at the heart of the village, and uncover a secret that changes everything…

A grave mistake was made one dark night as the Nazis stalked the village, putting the whole town in terrible danger. When Callie finds out what her grandmother did, will it change the way Oliver feels about her? Will she stay and right the wrongs of the past, or be forced to leave Italy too, just like her Nonna?

A heartbreaking love story that will sweep you away to sun-drenched Italian vineyards to watch hope and bravery prevail in the darkest days of war. For fans of Kristin Hannah, Victoria Hislop and Fiona Valpy.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab First Reviewed for Historical Novel Magazine November 2024 for Historical Novel Society

Barbara Josselsohn’s Sisters of War series features Emilia as the plucky heroine in book #3, The Forgotten Italian Restaurant. As the Nazi threat intensifies, fifteen-year-old Emilia returns from a castle on the Mediterranean Isle of Parissi to her hometown of Caccipulia, Italy.

Mysteries and secrets throughout the series lead to a stunning revelation in this conclusion told in dual timeline. The timelines intersect through Callie in present day Connecticut and Emilia in 1943, Italy. Callie is traveling to the village of Caccipulia in response to newly discovered clues to her grandmother’s connection to Italy. The relationship between Callie and her older sister Pam emerges in Callie’s memories and self-talk presenting themes of sibling rivalry, guilt, and discovering home. Emilia’s timeline highlights the Nazi invasion and the family’s involvement in the Resistance. This history focuses on themes of betrayal, strength of the human spirit, and resilience. Well-developed, endearing characters Signora Jorelini, restaurant owner, and daughter, Corinna, become Emilia’s protectors, teaching her the meaning of loyalty and love. The fate of the castle and Emilia’s older sisters, Annalisa, and Giulia, becomes apparent through emotional, suspenseful, mother-daughter conversations, also enlightening Emelia to the frightening treatment of Jews during the time she was away on the island.

Josselsohn’s impeccable research and descriptions create a physical sense of the stunning architecture in the rebuilt village of Caccipulia, the aromas and tastes of luscious meals prepared by Signor Jorelini for Jewish families in hiding, and a vision of the rolling Italian countryside. An Italian feast for the senses.

A restaurant menu card with a hidden code, a train schedule, and two passports are the ingredients in this World War II mystery. The Forgotten Italian Restaurant, a portrayal of loss, dangerous relationships, and intrigue, with love for family victorious. Gratifying series finale.

Echoes of Us by Joy Jordan-Lake

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Publication Oct. 8, 2024-Lake Union Publishing-Historical Fiction-461pp

Book Summary

In the midst of World War II, a Tennessee farm boy, a Jewish Cambridge student, and a German POW forge a connection that endures—against all odds. But now everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants clash for control of the corporation they founded together. In an attempt to remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever. As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman who links them all together…and the old wounds that could tear everything apart. Told in dual timelines spanning World War II and the present, Echoes of Us follows the ripple effects of war, the bonds that outlast it, and the hope that ultimately carries us forward.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A photo of three soldiers and a beautiful young girl– torn apart, TRAITOR scratched across the back. Who is the TRAITOR in the ripped-up photo? In the present-day timeline, many questions need to be answered as Hadley and sister, Kitzie, take over organizing a reunion for descendants of the four young people in the photo. With the backdrop of Georgia’s Golden Isles and World War II, the author immerses readers in American history seldom included in textbooks. History involving catastrophic U-boat attacks off the Eastern and Southern coasts, the WASP-Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, POWs in the U.S., and the 761^st Tank Battalion. This novel is a treasure trove of facts and background supporting the men and women who defended America and the Georgia coast and eventually became pilots in WWII. The four main characters “echo” family devotion, friendship, and romantic connections throughout the war timeline. The author’s pacing of the war timeline pairs perfectly with the urgency of the characters’ life changing decisions. In the present day timeline, surprising revelations leave readers either sympathetic or heartbroken as Hadley and Kitzie slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together at the reunion. Justification for war is a theme examined through the bonds of twins, Joannie and Sam, while betrayal is explored in pacts between Hadley and Kitzie, and in Joannie’s romantic relationships. St. Simons’ King and Prince resort is the dramatic setting for the reunion as generational interlocking pieces fall into place. A heartfelt ending filled with boundless love and kindness.

**Christ Church Frederica -St. Simons Island**

https://www.joyjordanlake.com/about

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly

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Publication October 1, 2024-St. Martin’s Press-Historical Fiction-Mystery-320pp.

Book Summary

With mystery, intrigue, and the hints of romance international bestselling author Julia Kelly is known for, Evelyne Redfern returns in Betrayal at Blackthorn Park.

Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, the second in a series, features avid reader of detective mysteries, Evelyn Redfern. (Her reading list is linked below in the author bio!) Plucked from the typing pool, Evelyn is a newly trained spy for the Special Investigations Unit in London 1940. Her first mission is a security check at a country manor in Sussex, known as Blackthorn Park. Now a weapons research facility with a staff of engineers, administrators, and workers, it is the perfect setting for a mystery.

The focus of Evelyn’s mission changes from a security check for missing supplies to a murder investigation. Author Julia Kelly’s lifelong love for mysteries and detective stories lends credence to interviews of suspects, tricks of the detective trade, and summaries of clues before heading the search off in another direction.

Julia Kelly’s characters move with ease from Whitehall to Blackthorn Park. To Evelyn’s dismay her partner at Whitehall, David Poole, has been promoted to ‘handler’ in the SIU and follows her to Blackthorn. Kelly’s development of Evelyn’s view of David Poole evolves from mostly annoying to sometimes endearing, giving readers hope for a closer connection in the future. She uses clever pairings such as Mr. and Mrs. Sherman, stationmaster at Benstead and housekeeper at the manor, to make connections and confirm clues. To relax the frantic pace and drama of the mission Kelly isolates the interviews of suspects into chapters and switches to Evelyn’s London life with occasional telephone calls to best friend Moira.

Betrayal at Blackthorn takes place in one hectic week, with a day-by-day countdown to Winston Churchill’s visit for a weapons demonstration. Interviews, journal checks, letters and a secret hiding place keep readers piecing clues together until the last explosion at Blackthorn Park.

Julia Kelly is the international bestselling author of emotional historical fiction about extraordinary women and thrilling historical whodunnit mystery novels. Her books have been translated into 13 languages. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London with her husband. EVELYN REDFERNS READING LIST FROM BOOK #1 1AND #2 https://www.juliakellywrites.com/evelyne-redferns-reading-list

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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.

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