History and Mystery! Melanie Dickerson’s Newest Release, “A Treacherous Treasure”

You know what? I really do admire Melanie Dickerson. She has a knack for creating heroes and heroines that are accurate, believable, and so realistic and relatable that you feel like you’ve known them your whole life. I still haven’t recovered – maybe recovered isn’t the right word – I haven’t been the same writer since I read The Silent Song Bird. Here’s a look at her latest release, book two in the Imperiled Young Widows Series, entitled, A Treacherous Treasure.

Rebecca Heywood thought marriage would make her happy, but that hope was destroyed by her husband’s infidelity. When he is murdered, everyone assumes it was at the hands of the angry husband of one of his paramours. Then rumors emerge of a pirate’s treasure buried somewhere on their estate, and she discovers a long-lost treasure map among her late husband’s grandfather’s papers. Could her husband have been murdered by treasure hunters? 

Thomas Westbrook hoped for a quiet life in the country after the horrors of war. But when he hears a gunshot the day after his neighbor is murdered, he finds himself coming to the aid of the young widow. Falling for the widow of his back-stabbing former friend would be a grave mistake. But he feels drawn to the kind and beautiful Rebecca, and when her life is threatened, he realizes he would do anything to save her. 

Rebecca can’t imagine marrying again after her husband’s many betrayals. She also can’t deny her feelings for Thomas Westbrook. But how can she ever trust men, attraction, or marriage again—the very things that ruined her happiness? 
Rebecca and Thomas must find the treasure first, before the murderers and would-be thieves, even as their growing feelings for each other wage war against all their deepest fears. 

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Silent Songbird, The Regency Spies of London series, and Court of Swans.

For more information or to purchase the book, click here

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Meant for Each Other: Sally Britton’s “Her Unsuitable Match”

Every once in a while, a new author will catch my eye that has it all – the heroine, the plot, the conflict, the history, the killer book cover, and of course, a little bit of romance. Let me introduce you to my newest author find – Sally Britton.

While she put out a number of books last year – four that I counted off hand! Wow! – the latest if her books to catch my is entitled, Her Unsuitable Match.

Intrigued? Read on.

Lady Philippa must wed to gain her fortune and freedom. A former soldier wants only peace and seclusion. Marriage to each other is their best solution.

Lady Philippa Gillensford is three and twenty, an heiress, and sister to a penny-pinching earl. After rejecting every bachelor her mother approves of, Philippa is ready to take her future into her own hands. Though she doubts she’ll marry for love, she is more than willing to marry for freedom from her family’s influence. 

Myles Cobbett has withdrawn from Society, content to remain alone after surviving the horrors of the Napoleonic wars. When a friend convinces Myles to attend a ball benefiting wounded veterans like himself, Myles meets the lively Lady Philippa. Shortly thereafter, to help Philippa avoid scandal, Myles rescues her from a complete cad. 

Sensing a chance to escape her family’s control, Philippa convinces Myles he must marry her to save her reputation. In exchange for this favor, Philippa promises him the very thing he thought he always wanted: a quiet life, alone in the country. 

While the two put on a show of marital happiness for their neighbors, both realize they want much more from this arrangement. Can they take a marriage of convenience and turn it into a love match? 

Her Unsuitable Match is a sweet Regency romance and can be read as a stand-alone or as the sequel to Sally Britton’s previous novel, His Unexpected Heiress.

It is also part of the upcoming Supposed Scandal series.

Sally Britton is a wife, mother, and author who loves the world of romance, received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.

Sally primarily lives in Oklahoma with her husband, four children, and Izzie the Aussie Shepherd. She loves researching, hiking, and eating too much chocolate.

Follow Sally’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook, and check out her website!

http://www.authorsallybritton.com

For more information, or to purchase the book, click here.

Against Unbeatable Odds: Mercy Givens’ First Installment in the Katie Galloway Adventures Series – A Recommendation

Have you read one of Mercy Givens’ books? Do you love Gone With the Wind and stories of the young United States? Rich in historical detail, my good friend Mercy Givens engulfs her readers in a hoop-skirts and turbulence among our then young countrymen. Interested? Read on for more about book one in the Katie Galloway Adventures series, Almost Home.

Peering ahead, Katie saw a light shining through the darkness. It was a lantern set in a window. She recognized the house from which that beacon shone; they were almost home… Born into a world torn by the politics of slavery and civil war, Katie Galloway is dragged back and forth between her mother’s fruitless world of high society and the lonely life of her father’s Texas ranch. As the South struggles to rebuild itself Katie searches for hope, truth, and a place to call ‘home’. Along the way she wrangles cattle, finds a school, loses her family, saves a man’s life, and survives the worst small pox epidemic the world has known; all by the age of sixteen. Just as it seems that Katie has found her way, a series of tragic events hurls her into desperate circumstances. Katie’s story is a powerful testament of family, human rights, and tenacity. Will she finally find the home she‘s been searching for? Join Katie for the adventure of her life.

For more information, or to purchase the book, click here.

Against Unbeatable Odds: Mercy Givens’ First Installment in the Katie Galloway Adventures Series – A Recommendation

Have you read one of Mercy Givens’ books? Do you love Gone With the Wind and stories of the young United States? Rich in historical detail, my good friend Mercy Givens engulfs her readers in a hoop-skirts and turbulence among our then young countrymen. Interested? Read on for more about book one in the Katie Galloway Adventures series, Almost Home.

Peering ahead, Katie saw a light shining through the darkness. It was a lantern set in a window. She recognized the house from which that beacon shone; they were almost home… Born into a world torn by the politics of slavery and civil war, Katie Galloway is dragged back and forth between her mother’s fruitless world of high society and the lonely life of her father’s Texas ranch. As the South struggles to rebuild itself Katie searches for hope, truth, and a place to call ‘home’. Along the way she wrangles cattle, finds a school, loses her family, saves a man’s life, and survives the worst small pox epidemic the world has known; all by the age of sixteen. Just as it seems that Katie has found her way, a series of tragic events hurls her into desperate circumstances. Katie’s story is a powerful testament of family, human rights, and tenacity. Will she finally find the home she‘s been searching for? Join Katie for the adventure of her life.

For more information, or to purchase the book, click here.

Hidden Beauty: Tea Cooper’s “The Girl in the Painting”

I love discovering new, talented authors with a story to tell. Tea Cooper is a prime example. Take a look at her 2021 release, The Girl in the Painting.

A young prodigy in need of family.

A painting that shatters a woman’s peace.

And a decades-old mystery demanding to be solved.

Australia, 1906

Orphan Jane Piper is nine years old when philanthropist siblings Michael and Elizabeth Quinn take her into their home to further her schooling. The Quinns are no strangers to hardship. Having arrived in Australia as penniless immigrants, they now care for others as lost as they once were.

Despite Jane’s mysterious past, her remarkable aptitude for mathematics takes her far over the next seven years, and her relationship with Elizabeth and Michael flourishes as she plays an increasingly prominent part in their business.

But when Elizabeth reacts in terror to an exhibition at the local gallery, Jane realizes no one knows Elizabeth after all—not even Elizabeth herself. As the past and present converge and Elizabeth’s grasp on reality loosens, Jane sets out to unravel her story before it’s too late.

From the gritty reality of the Australian goldfields to the grand institutions of Sydney, this compelling novel presents a mystery that spans continents and decades as both women finally discover a place to call home.

“Combining characters that are wonderfully complex with a story spanning decades of their lives, The Girl in the Painting is a triumph of family, faith, and long-awaited forgiveness. I was swept away!” —Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of The Paris Dressmaker and the Hidden Masterpiece novels

  • Stand-alone novel with rich historical details
  • Book length: 102,000 words
  • Includes discussion questions for book clubs and historical note from the author
  • Also by this author: The Woman in the Green Dress

About the Author

Tea Cooper is an established Australian author of historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist, and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling. She is the winner of two Daphne du Maurier Awards and the bestselling author of several novels, including The Horse Thief, The Cedar Cutter, The Currency Lass, and The Naturalist’s Daughter.

For more information about the book or to purchase the book, click here.

A Lady in Blue: Roseanna M. White’s Upcoming Release “To Treasure an Heiress”

I’m a sucker for the color blue, but that’s not why I’m recommending the second book in Roseanna M. White’s The Secrets of the Isles series. Here’s a sneak peak of what looks like another page-turner from Roseanna M. White.

1906 

Beth Tremayne has always been drawn to adventure. During her childhood, she fed that desire by exploring every inch of the Isles of Scilly. Now, after stumbling across an old collection of letters and a map buried on her family’s property, she’s found more adventure than she ever anticipated in the hunt for pirate treasure. But in order to discover where the clues lead, she must search alongside Lord Sheridan, a man she finds insufferable. 

Sheridan has spent years pursuing whatever archaeological interests pique his imagination. And when he discovers that Beth’s search connects with one of his far-removed pirate ancestors, he can’t help getting involved. Plus, he finds her irresistible, even though she insists he stole a prized possession of hers. 

As they work together following different clues and drawing closer to danger, they start to piece together a story of tragic love and piratical adventure. But which treasure will bring the greatest surprise–the one they find in each other or the one just out of their reach?

About the Author

Roseanna M. White (www.roseannamwhite.com) is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. She pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of numerous novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at http://www.roseannamwhite.com.

For more information or to pre-order the book, (it comes out January 18th, 2022!), click here.

What’s That You See? Kate Breslin’s New Release: “As Dawn Breaks”

Kate Breslin, smashing author of the novel, Not By Sight, has done it again. Check out this dazzling new release that takes place during the Great War in England entitled, As Dawn Breaks.

Her daring bid for freedom could be her greatest undoing.

Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.

RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna’s factory is likely next. Fearing for his family’s safety, he’s also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family–until Alex receives orders to surveil her. 

Rose squirms beneath Alex’s scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers’ respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future. 

“With her trademark attention to historical detail, Kate Breslin sweeps readers to a Great War home front full of intrigue, suspense, danger, and courage.” –JOCELYN GREEN, Christy Award-winning author of Shadows of the White City

“Readers will be captivated by this exquisite blend of historical intrigue and heartfelt romance from one of the finest voices in inspirational fiction.” –AMANDA BARRATT, author of My Dearest Dietrich and The White Rose Resists

“Breslin uses an exhilarating plotline and tender romance amid the tension of espionage to craft a gripping tale rife with double agents, corrupt foreign arms dealers, and secret missions. Ultimately, this is a story of forgiveness and family, and readers will revel once again in Breslin’s superb chronicling of women’s vital contributions to the war effort.” –Booklist 

“Breslin keeps the tension up. . . . The stakes could not be higher–in both love and war–in this espionage tale drenched in intrigue.” –Publishers Weekly

About the Author

A Florida girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin was a bookseller for many years. She is a Carol Award winner and a RITA and Christy Award finalist and lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Find her online at http://www.katebreslin.com.

For more information or to purchase the book, click here.

Out of the Darkness – Julie Klassen’s Upcoming Release “Shadows of Swanford Abbey”

Whether you love the 19th Century or you spew Jane Austen quotes on a daily basis, you’ve probably read a book by Julie Klassen. Check out her upcoming release!

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this atmospheric Regency tale brimming with mystery, intrigue, and romance.

When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favor: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother’s desperate state, she reluctantly agrees. 

The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumored to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey’s cloisters. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past–including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick–magistrate, widower, and former neighbor–who long ago broke her heart. 

When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Frederick begins questioning staff and guests and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Frederick searches for answers but is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .

About the Author

Julie Klassen (www.julieklassen.com) loves all things Jane– Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit http://www.julieklassen.com.

For more information or to pre-order the book, click here.

What’s the Buzz About? Kimberly Duffy’s New Release “Every Word Unsaid”

Stumbling upon this new release by chance, I can’t help but recommend it! Have you heard the buzz about Kimberly Duffy? Read on to find out more!

Augusta Travers has spent the last three years avoiding the stifling expectations of New York society and her family’s constant disappointment. As the nation’s most fearless–and reviled–columnist, Gussie travels the country with her Kodak camera and spins stories for women unable to leave hearth and home. But when her adventurous nature lands her in the middle of a scandal, an opportunity to leave America offers the perfect escape. 

Arriving in India, she expects only a nice visit with childhood friends, siblings Catherine and Gabriel, and escapades that will further her career. Instead, she finds herself facing a plague epidemic, confusion over Gabriel’s sudden appeal, and the realization that what she wants from life is changing. But slowing down means facing all the hurts of her past that she’s long been trying to outrun. And that may be an undertaking too great even for her. 

Praise for Kimberly Duffy:

“Duffy shines in elegant, flowing prose and delicate precision that underscores the nineteenth-century setting.”— BOOKLIST starred review 

“An author to watch.”— LIBRARY JOURNAL 

“Duffy’s writing is beautiful, deep, and contemplative.”
–JOCELYN GREEN, Christy Award-winning author of Shadows of the White City

“Duffy [has a] capable pen and inimitable passion for portraying India.”–RACHEL MCMILLAN, author of The London Restoration andThe Mozart Code

About the Author

Kimberly Duffy (www.kimberlyduffy.com) is a Long Island native currently living in Southwest Ohio, via six months in India. When she’s not homeschooling her four kids, she writes historical fiction that takes her readers back in time and across oceans. She loves trips that require a passport, recipe books, and practicing kissing scenes with her husband of twenty years. He doesn’t mind.

For more information or to purchase the book, click here.

Reign in the Sails for Tracie Peterson’s new release “Waiting on Love”

If you love Christian Historical Fiction as much as I do, and have been reading it for as long as I have, you’ve read at least one book by Tracie Peterson. She’s a legend in this genre, and has just released a new book in her Ladies of the Lake series called Waiting on Love.

Hooked? Read on.

She’s made big promises. It’ll take everything she’s got to keep them. 

Crisscrossing the Great Lakes onboard her father’s freighter ship, the Mary Elise, Elise Wright has grown up cooking and caring for the crew. It is a life she loves. Unlike her estranged sister, Elise has turned down numerous opportunities for a “respectable life” with their wealthy relatives. And now, because of promises she made to her dying mother, she’s bound to the ship and her deeply grieving father more than ever. 

Nick Clark is grateful to be hired on as the Mary Elise’s first mate as he works to overcome his own guilt and others’ censure for a fatal decision he made captaining another ship. He feels protective of the Wrights and their generous natures, especially when a rough new sailor seems intent on causing serious trouble. 

As the sailor’s misdeeds grow, tragedy swells up from another corner. Left to pick up the pieces of the commitments they’ve made to themselves and to each other, Nick and Elise will have to rely on their faith to see them through.

About the Author

Tracie Peterson (www.traciepeterson.com) is the award-winning author of over 100 novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit http://www.traciepeterson.com to learn more.

For more information or to purchase the book, click here.