Freedom’s Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli
I was drawn in by the lovely cover and then I discovered two of them! The one on the far right might be a comp that was passed over for the final cover on the left. I’d love to hear more about that from Heidi as cover art is an ongoing fascination for me. And as a historical lover, I’m all about that lovely period dress – you can even spy the beautiful ribbon embroidery on the skirt. This novel has a dual-timeline set during the American Revolution and the Boston of today. It gives an eye-opening account of both contemporary and historical issues with a nicely sewn genealogical thread within. Congrats on the compelling debut, Heidi!
Many Sparrows by Lori Benton
I’m a fan of Lori’s novels and just about sigh with delight over the cover for her newest historical every time I look at it. Waterbrook creates stunning cover art, many like paintings. Lori is a wonderful researcher and her prose is beautiful and deep. She knowns her Native American history so well and incorporates that into all of her novels. I endorsed her first award-winning novel Burning Sky. She’s also an incredible artist and photographer as well!
Former People by Douglas Smith
To say I’m a Russian devotee is an understatement. Once upon a time I turned 21 in Russian, saw the Bolshoi ballet perform Swan Lake, and ate a very un-sugary Russian birthday cake:). Recently, after watching almost 50 episodes of Seyit & Sura, one of the most well done historical dramas I’ve ever been caught up in, I was drawn back to the Russia I find most fascinating under the last Tsar. I so hope to return to Russia one day and see again the palaces and historic sites that I saw back then. This non-fiction work is so interesting yet heartrending, full of accounts of what happened to the Russian aristocrats who fled Russia or perished along with Tsar Nicholas and his family.
Perhaps the better question is … what are YOU reading? And what do you like about it?