Courting Mr. Lincoln

I am reviewing another Lincoln book today. There will be more during the month. Courting Mr. Lincoln is a fictionalized account of Mary Todd and Abe Lincoln's courtship and eventual marriage. However, the story alternates between the point of view of Mary and Joshua Speed, Lincoln's best friend and roommate. Can I presume that they were both courting Lincoln since they are both telling the story?

While Speed and Lincoln had a deep bond of friendship, there is a hint in one chapter that Speed may have wanted more from Lincoln. It was unclear whether Lincoln understood that or considered extending the relationship. He seemed to waver at the thought but my impression was that that Lincoln just had something else on his mind. He always had something else on his mind.

Mary Todd captivated Lincoln with her political intellect. If Speed was ever really a romantic interest for Lincoln, Speed could not compete with Mary's brain. Politics is what Mary and Abe had in common and its what their relationship was based on. Mary was a political strategist and wanted to marry a politician. Abe yearned for elective office so this was a marriage made in heaven.

I think Speed was gay. When he eventually married, his wife did not want to have sex with him. He was OK with that arrangement. Twenty years later when Speed and Lincoln were again together, traveling to his inauguration, it was mentioned that he and his wife still had no children.

This was an enjoyable, fast read. I am curious how much of the book is fiction, especially the part about Mary's political instincts. It would make sense that 2 people with nothing else in common would want to be together for a joint political future. I know plenty such couples today. Politicians look for spouses like that and politically astute people are attracted to politicians.

5 out of 5 stars!

A Founding Mother

Just in time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes this sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams. She was the wife of one president, John Adams, and mother to another, John Quincy Adams. Her willpower and wisdom helped shape our fledgling republic. The book has been meticulously researched, drawing on the extensive letters that Abigail wrote throughout her life. This 464 page novel was published on May 5, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.

From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

The story opened with Abigail and John discussing the British army successes of 1814 against the states. The British had just burned down Washington DC and destroyed the White House and Capitol buildings. Both of them feared that the republic might be lost despite a lifetime of efforts from both of them. The story then turns back in history to 1770 where the story of the Adams's marriage was also the story of the founding of the nation. 

I am impressed with the amount of historical information presented. The authors did an incredible amount of research. I enjoyed seeing the founding of our country through the perspectives of women. Women had no say in the political decisions that the men made but women were responsible for making those decisions successful. As the men fought back against the taxes, the ladies learned to make their own clothes, to spin fiber and put food on the table without the use of food staples. If the ladies had not been able to do this, independence would not have been possible. Abigail had a double portion of hardship. She had to deal with the shortages while managing her household but also had to work the fields of the family farm in order to earn money. John Adams was frequently absent due to his law practice as well as with his work for the Continental Congress. Had he been present, he would have worked the farm.

The relationships between the Adamses, Washingtons, and Jeffersons was complicated. I wasn't aware of how intertwined their friendships were. The political differences between them only surfaced after the end of the Revolutionary War. For example, Abigail was intimidated by Martha Washington. Martha was wealthy and exhibited the airs and graces of her position. Abigail on the other hand grew up as a meager parson's daughter and had to learn how to behave around those in upper social circles, especially after her husband became president. Jefferson became a close friend of both Adamses but was closer to Abigail. They shared a love of wisdom and humor but Jefferson accepted Abigail's wish to be treated as an intellectual, unusual for the era. 

A Founding Mother is a fascinating account of the events surrounding the birth of a nation. There is so much to learn from its pages and I highly recommend it. Women will definitely want to read the book. 5 out of 5 stars.

America’s First Daughter

America's First Daughter is a well researched historical novel on the life of Thomas Jefferson's daughter Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph. Patsy has to deal with the knowledge that her father loves his country more than he loves his family. When her mother dies, she rises to the challenge and becomes Jefferson's constant companion and helper. She even travels with him to France when he is appointed as America's minister to France. While they are in Paris, Patsy first learns about her father's affair with a slave named Sally Hemings who is the same age as Patsy. Both are fifteen-years-old. She loves appearing at French royal court functions where the dresses, food and atmosphere captivate her. Here, Patsy falls in love with one of her father's assistants, William Short. Short is an ardent abolitionist and has high ambitions for his political career. Patsy has a dilemma to resolve. Should she follow her heart and marry Short or continue as a devoted assistant to her father? Patsy chooses her father in this impressive historical biography and marries an American instead.

A french royal court setting is always going to be alluring for me. I just love reading descriptions of the food and dresses that the ladies wore. Post-revolution America is not as enticing but the author has written into the plot several controversial topics of the time, some of which I never heard of before and they were quite interesting. The women in the novel had to exert their power indirectly as the men had the real power in the nation and in their homes. While I know that this just reflected the times, I hate reading about women having to live this way. 

I knew nothing about Jefferson's daughter before reading this book. She certainly was a plucky character. Patsy's life story included running from the British during the Revolutionary War, handling many of her father's business affairs, helping him run the White House while he was president and, of course, giving birth to eleven kids after her marriage to her American cousin. I imagine that many women of this era had similar life stories to tell and I wish that I could find these stories. Alas, they were not written down unless they were members of famous families.

The authors also wrote a historical biography of Alexander Hamilton's wife Eliza. I loved that novel too and hope that this writing duo continues to write about the ladies of our American revolution. 5 out of 5 stars.

My Dear Hamilton

My Dear Hamilton is the story of Alexander Hamilton's wife Eliza Hamilton, from her coming of age to the end of her life. Eliza, known as Betsy by her family, grew up in Revolutionary New York as the daughter of an army general, Philip Schuyler. She is a champion of independence and when she meets George Washington's aide, Alexander Hamilton, she is captivated by his charisma and brilliant intellect. They soon fall in love and marry, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of the war. Their marriage and the new American nation are far from perfect. The Hamiltons are at the center of the glittery inaugural balls and the bloody street riots as well as the nation's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness. When her husband dies in a duel, Eliza fights her husband's enemies in order to preserve his legacy. However, long buried secrets threaten everything that Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. She tries to understand the flawed man that she married and the imperfect union he never could have created without her.

I loved this novel. I did not know much about Alexander Hamilton before reading this book and learned a substantial amount of information about him. While I always thought myself to be an expert on the founding of the U. S., I also learned a considerable number of facts about the founding of it's government. Hamilton and how the emerging nation was formed go hand in hand. We simply could not have done it without him.

The writing here is fluid, making this a fast read. The "characters" were all people in real-life and I don't think that any author could have created such characters on their own. The strengths and flaws of each person probably would not have been combined in a made up character as they do not seem to go well together. However, in this novel the author did not have to worry about that. In addition, we don't usually see how our first 5 presidents interacted with one another during both the Revolutionary War and its aftermath. This was fascinating to me. I have never read anything like this before. Another interesting fact was that Mrs. Hamilton kew Congressman Abe Lincoln. I never considered Lincoln to be a contemporary of our founding fathers and mothers but as their careers were ending, Lincoln's was beginning.

My Dear Hamilton is a fantastic historical novel and I cannot recommend it more highly. 5 out of 5 stars.

Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Lisa See's newest novel takes place in post Civil War Los Angeles. I have never read nor heard of any book concerning Chinese immigrants at this time and place. It was eye opening to learn about this era. The book was recently published on June 9, 2026.

The publisher's summary: 

In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain—America—where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.

Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.

The story is told from the alternating perspectives of each of the three friends. We read about the life stories of Moon, Petal and Dove from two different years: 1870 and 1926. In 1870 all three girls met on the ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Their families had sold them to men in America who were looking for wives. Moon is the only woman whose promised marriage was successful. Dove's marriage contract married her to an old man. Petal, unfortunately, was sold by her parents unknowingly into prostitution. The story is character-driven and quite emotional. All three girls went through horrors of their own upon arrival in America. I was astonished at how quickly they adapted to being sexually abused by their husbands and other men in both China and America. These were strong women.

The book focuses on the small community of approximately 200 Asian immigrants in Los Angeles, a county of only 5,000 people in 1870. At the time, anti-Asian sentiment was rampant and tensions built up into a night when a mob massacred 18 Chinese men. It was called The Night of Horrors and it actually happened. The book highlights this awful night in detail. We read about Chinese men being hung and shot numerous times with rifles with the mob screaming to kill more. The lengthy description of each murder was difficult for me to handle. I felt like I was there witnessing it myself.

The characters are based upon real women and men who lived in Los Angeles during the early 1870s. A list of the real characters is at the back of the book. Moon is based on Tong Yu who was married to Dr. Tong, and Dove is based on Yut Ho who was the wife of a much older merchant. Petal's character is a composite of two real life ladies. Sing Ye was kidnapped and tortured by one of her husband’s rivals. Sing Yu ran away from her brothel several times. Others include secondary characters that the girls knew. 16 of them were hanged during the Night of Horrors: hotel worker Ah Wing, laundrynan Leong Quai, cigar maker Ah Long, Moon's husband Dr. Gene Tong, Dr. Tong's assistant Chang Wan, Dr. Tong's brother Wong Gim,  liquor maker Ah Cut, cooks Wan Foo, Tong Won, Lo Hey, Ho Hing, Day Kee, Ah Waa, Wing Chee, Ah Won, storekeeper Wong Chin and Petal’s fourteen-year-old brother Ah Loo. Ah Loo had recently arrived in Los Angeles 3 or 4 weeks before his murder. Two additional men were shot to death. You will find all their names in the Wikipedia account of the event.

I am amazed that the author was able to write this fictionalized account, given the restraints of so many known facts about the event. How she wove these real life characters into the story is beyond me. I had never heard of The Night of Horrors before reading this novel. After finishing the book I read several online historical accounts of what happened. The author got all the facts right. This history was eye-opening to say the least. History always asks the question: have we learned from the past or are we destined to repeat it?

Concerning the title of the book, I am a little confused. I do not understand what it means to be a daughter of the sun or a daughter of the moon. Internet research did not find an answer so I sent an email to the author requesting information. A link to an interview with the author about the book can be found here.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Rail Splitter

The Rail Splitter is a historical fiction novel about our 12th president Abraham Lincoln. It tells about his journey from his youth living in a log cabin to his candidacy for the Presidency.

The story begins with Lincoln’s youth on the frontier, where he grows up with an ax in one hand and book in the other, determined to make something of himself. He sets off on one adventure after another, from rafting down the Mississippi River to marching in an Indian war. When he is twenty-six, the girl he hopes to marry dies of fever. He spends days wandering the countryside in grief. A few years later, he purchases a ring inscribed with the words “Love Is Eternal” and enters a tempestuous marriage with Mary Todd.

Lincoln literally wrestles his way to prominence in Illinois. He teaches himself the law and enters the rough and tumble world of frontier politics. With Mary’s encouragement, he wins a term in the US Congress, but his political career falters. They are both devastated by the loss of a child. As arguments over slavery sweep the country, Lincoln finds something worth fighting for, and his debates with brash rival Stephen Douglas catapult him toward the White House.

The story has many aspects to it. It is a coming-of-age story, an adventure story, a love story, and a rags-to-riches story. The Rail Splitter shows the reader the making of Abraham Lincoln. The story of the rawboned youth who goes from a log cabin to the White House is, in many ways, the great American story. The Rail Splitter reminds us that the country Lincoln loved is a place of wide-open dreams where extraordinary journeys unfold.

I loved this book! It was a page turning exploration into Lincoln's life. I wondered as I read whether the story would be as interesting if it was not about Lincoln. I couldn't figure that out because Lincoln is such a beloved figure in America that it doesn't matter. I also wondered what parts of the story were historical and what parts were fiction. Obviously, Lincoln's work history was true. I am wondering whether the social aspects of the story were true. The author tells us in the Acknowledgments that he found information about Lincoln's social life in the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. 

One thing that surprised me was that Lincoln's bouts of depression and anxiety began in early childhood. I had always thought that the depression began while he was in the White House. However, he had an episode of delirium that lasted 3 days before he was even 18. Later in life he tried hard not to give in to these impulses. It would be interesting what diagnosis today's psychologists would come up with. I am sure the death of his mother when he was young was a factor but I have never heard any commentary on this subject.

The book does not tell us why Abe left home at 18 but if you really think about it, there had to be trouble at home. The book shows Abe having a good relationship with his step-mother. That leaves his father Thomas as the source of the family feud. Lincoln couldn't wait to get away so this relationship had to be tense. 

Wife Mary appears sympathetic until she reaches her 50s, around the time her husband is being considered to be a candidate for the Presidency. She has become a nag and has violent arguments with Abe. She even hit him with a piece of wood on his nose,causing it to bleed. Since I am female, my mind automatically goes to menopause as the cause of her outbursts. Again, I have never heard any realistic reasons ever being given for her mental disorder.

You will not be able to put this book down. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The President's Wife

The President's Wife is a historical fiction account of the life of Edith Wilson. She married President Woodrow Wilson three years into his first term as President. She is most known for taking over his job after he suffered a stroke during his second term.  

Edith Bolling Gault was widowed, preferring to fill her days with good friends and travel. But the enchanting courting of President Woodrow Wilson wins Edith over and she becomes the First Lady of the United States. The position is uncomfortable for the fiercely independent Edith, but she's determined to rise to the challenges of her new marriage which include the bloodthirsty press and the shadows of the first World War.

Warming to her new role, Edith is soon indispensable to her husband's presidency. She replaced the staff that Woodrow found distracting, and discussed policy with him daily. Throughout the war, she encrypted top-secret messages and despite lacking any formal education becomes an important adviser. When peace talks begin in Europe, she attends the meetings at Woodrow's side. But just as the critical fight to ratify the treaty to end the war and create a League of Nations in order to prevent another, Woodrow's always-delicate health takes a dramatic turn for the worse. In her determination to preserve both his progress and his reputation, Edith all but assumes the presidency herself.

Now, Edith must contend with the demands of a tumultuous country, the secrets of Woodrow's true condition, and the potentially devastating consequences of her failure. At once sweeping and intimate, The President's Wife is an astonishing portrait of this First Lady and the sacrifices she made to protect her husband and her country at all costs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It has alot of minutiae surrounding Edith's role in her husband’s administration. However, I wondered whether readers who are not interested in politics would like the book. In the past, I always assumed that Edith was falsely accused of being acting president. After reading this book I am not so sure. She definately wanted to know how Woodrow came about making his decisions. Early on in their relationship she asked to be part of all of his meetings so that she could advise him. While there was a physical attraction between them, I think Edith sought out the power she would be able to gain from her association with Woodrow. 

The President's Wife is a well written historical biography that reads more like history than a fiction story. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Editor's Daughter

The Editor's Daughter is a historical fiction novel set in 1814 Washington, featuring Ella Rutherford. Ella is a secret editorial writer who must navigate political upheaval, romance, and the British invasion. I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. This 411 page novel was published on May 26, 2026.

The publisher's summary:  

A war. A fire. A bond written in ash and ink. And a voice that refused to be extinguished.

In Washington, 1814, Ella Rutherford grew up amid the noise of the printing press and the uproar of congressional halls as the secret protégé of her father. Skirting society's demands, she authors editorials under a false name while waging a rivalry with cynical war correspondent Grant Dashwood and avoiding every attempt at a match.

When British troops march on the capital in a night of fire and smoke, Ella loses everything. With no inheritance and even fewer options, Ella must wed—but the cost of marriage is more than she can afford. Through ruin, conspiracy, and a love written between the lines, she must choose between the people she loves and who she was meant to be.

I always enjoy historical fiction stories about feminists in earlier eras. Ella Rutherford is one such woman. She is in the fourth season of the marriage market but continues to reject every suitor. All of them wanted to stifle her intellectual curiosity and talents. Ella has no intention of being obedient to a man so she believes she cannot marry. Female obedience is expected on marriage. That said, Ella has an attraction to Grant Dashwood who has liberal ideas concerning women.

Since the backdrop to the story is the War of 1812, Dashwood tries to warn the Rutherford's that the British were soon to be in the new city of Washington where the Rutherfords reside. Ella's father decides to ignore the warning and when the British knock on his door they immediately shoot him dead. Ella flees with Dashwood and later learns that her mother and younger sister have taken refuge with their Montgomery cousins. She is now destitute and must live with them also. The British troops burned the entire city of Washington. If memory serves me correctly, Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Bangled Banner during this siege.

The story is a historical romance. Dashwood and Ella exchange letters while Dashwood is serving as a war correspondent with the American troops. Both are trying to avoid their feelings for each other. In the meantime Ella's mother has foumd another suitor for her. Thomas Gray is wealthy and Ella's family is pressuring her to marry him. Ella is concerned about his weak view of women but knows she must make a match soon.

I don't want to gave any further summary of the plot. It's best to read the book for yourselves to find out what happens to Ella. I loved her character though. She was such a strong woman for the era. Her mother, however, was the stereotypical wealthy wife bent on fitting into society at any cost. I was surprised that Ella's father gave in to her mother regarding her prospective suitors. In the beginning of the novel he always sided with Ella and let her write news stories for his paper. Grant Dashwood was, of course, dashing. 

I enjoyed this book. It gives alot of detail about the War of 1812 and I learned alot. The story was somewhat slow in parts so I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Singapore Secret

The Singapore Secret is a new release from Clair Willis. The narrative alternates between 1942 Singapore and present-day England. A young woman named Dorothy makes a promise during the evacuation of Singapore. Years later, her granddaughter Annabel finds a photo of her with an unknown man and Anabel begins to research the photo. 

The publisher's summary: 

Singapore 1942: With the war drawing ever closer, Dorothy faces a heart-rending choice to leave the country she has come to call home and the people she loves most. As she boards a boat full of evacuees with warplanes advancing across the ocean, a tiny baby is pressed into her arms. In that moment, Dorothy makes a promise that will echo through the years...

England, 2019: When Annabel's grandmother, Dotty, passes away aged one hundred she discovers a bundle of letters and photographs hidden in her desk that document her life in Singapore during the 1930s. But Dotty had always said she never travelled further than their small village in Cornwall. What could have made Dotty conceal this past life? Who is the man standing next to her in a wedding dress who is not Annabel's grandfather?

Determined to uncover the truth, is Annabel prepared for what she will find?

What a great story! I was hooked from the first chapter. Dorothy's story is extraordinary. She suffered so much during her eight years living in Singapore but ended up with a long and happy life in Cornwall. The book is written in a dual timeline which is a format that I enjoy. The chapters alternated between Dorothy's perspective and Annabel's perspective. I enjoyed Dorothy's story more because she had unusual life experiences. 

The story opened with Annabel Penrose deciding to spend the Easter holiday with her beloved grandmother, Dotty, in Cornwall. She needs to get away for awhile from her cheating boyfriend. When she arrives, she finds Dotty has suffered a fall and is in the hospital. Scans reveal Dotty has a tumor and could not have ever had children. Annabel is shocked because her father Noel has always been known to be Dotty’s son. Dotty soon passes away and Annabel finds herself traveling to Singapore to find out more about her grandmother. 

The story is set in Singapore during WWII. I didn't know much about the Japanese occupation of the island before reading the book but it was horrific. I don’t know how anyone could possibly have survived. Many died but many also forced themselves to survive on a day to day basis. The people living in Singapore at that time had harsh existences; too awful to describe. Reading how the war affected them was certainly eye-opening. 

The Singapore Secret was an engrossing read. I think it offers a unique perspective on the WWII historical fiction sub-genre. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Sapphire Child

The Sapphire Child is the sequel to The Emerald Affair. It is part of a trilogy that takes place in India during the British Raj era. The sequel concerns the same characters as well as their progeny. The book is chunky with its 515 pages and qualifies for the Big Book Summer Challenge as well as the Color Coded and Historical Fiction Challenges.

The publisher's summary:  

In 1930s Northern India, childhood friends Stella and Andrew have grown up together in the orbit of the majestic Raj Hotel. Spirited Stella has always had a soft spot for boisterous Andrew, though she dreams of meeting a soulmate from outside the close-knit community. But life is turned on its head when one scandal shatters their friendship and another sees her abandoned by the man she thought she loved.

As the Second World War looms, Andrew joins the army to fight for freedom. Meanwhile in India, Stella, reeling from her terrible betrayal, also throws herself into the war effort, volunteering for the Women’s Auxiliary Corps, resigned to living a lonelier life than the one she dreamed of as a child.

When Andrew returns to the East on the eve of battle with Japan, the two former friends are reunited, though bitter experience has changed them. Can they rekindle what they once had or will war demand of their friendship the ultimate sacrifice?

The Sapphire Child is a captivating and sumptuous novel. It is well researched with vivid descriptions of an India of yesteryear. The weather descriptions were spot on. I could feel the oppressive humidity. The pungent smell of spices were fully described. I was totally lost in this exotic setting. I didn't expect that the book would be better than The Emerald Affair but it is way more entertaining than Emerald. 

This novel was much more emotional than the Emerald Affair. I had my heart in my hands from start to finish. I worried about Stella the most. Stella was taken advantage of by just about everyone. She is a sweet woman so it always felt wrong for her to be mistreated. Esme and Tom held second place but as the plot unfolded I got tired of Tom’s depression and outbursts. Lydia, Andrew’s mother, was the villain. You knew she would hurt everyone around her and she did. When Andrew grew up he joined the army. His exploits during WWII were intense. We read alot about the progress of the war. I think Andrew was one of the most mature characters in the story, with the exception of the easy-going Esme. 

Childhood friends Stella and Andrew grew up together in the majestic Raj Hotel, owned by Andrew's father Tom Lomax.  Stella has always had a soft spot for Andrew, but she dreams of meeting a soulmate. She gets reacquainted with a man she met on the ship from Scotland to India. Hugh Keating seems to be the perfect man. He's attractive, suave, and available. Hugh proposes but avoids conversations about getting married so I knew he was too good to be true. He had both me and Stella fooled. Much more happened between these two but I don't want to be a spoiler. Suffice to say this relationship was heart-wrenching.

The Sapphire Child was enjoyable from beginning to end. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Honey in the Wound

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Honey in the Wound is the debut novel of Jiyoung Han. The story is about a Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire. The Japanese occupied Korea and parts of China during this era. It's an epic tale of five generations of one family. It was published on April 7, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother’s voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others’ dreams. These women are all of one lineage—a Korean family split across decades and borders by Japanese imperialism.

At this saga’s heart is Young-Ja, a girl who infuses food with her emotions. She revels in her gift for cooking, nourishing the people she loves with her cheerfulness. But her sunny childhood comes to an end in 1931 when Japanese soldiers crush her family’s defiance against the Empire. Young-Ja is cast adrift, her food turning increasingly bitter with grief. When a Korean rebel fighter notices her talents, however, she is whisked off to Manchuria to join a secretive sisterhood of beautiful teahouse spies. There, Young-Ja finds a new sense of belonging and starts using her abilities for the resistance. But the Imperial Army is not yet finished with her…

Decades later, Young-Ja lives alone in Seoul, withdrawn from the world until her Tokyo-born granddaughter Rinako bursts into her life with the ability to see into dreams. In cultivating a tentative bond, they confront the long-buried past in a stunning emotional climax.

As an unforgettable family perseveres in the long shadow of colonialism, Honey in the Wound transports readers to mountain forests where tiger-girls stalk, to Manchurian teahouses and opium dens where charming smiles veil secrets, and to the modern metropolises of Tokyo and Seoul where restless ghosts stir. This debut novel is a tender yet powerful multi-generational drama that shines light onto the twentieth century’s darkest corners and gives voice to those who bore witness.

I found writing my review of this book was difficult. So much happened that I didn't know where to start. It's an emotional story for sure and I felt that my emotions were overwhelmed. Heart-wrenching is the best word to describe the book. The story centers on Young-Ja, whose ability to cook her emotions into food was her superpower as a youth. This is where the magical realism joins the plot. When her family was executed by Japanese soldiers, Young-Ja ran and hid. She was lucky to survive but her overwhelming grief made her susceptible to corrupt men. Right after Young-Ja's family passed away, she was found unconscious near a lake. A barren couple took her in and treated her as their own. Young-Ja stayed with them for several years but when the husband began sexually assaulting her during the night, the wife gave her to a man who offered Young-Ja a fantastic job in China. 

The job was not fantastic. Young-Ja was forced to work long hours in a tea house kitchen in the northern area of Korea.  However, she thrived there and was promoted to hostess in the tea rooms. She and her fellow hostesses and servers listened to conversations that Japanese soldiers had among themselves. This information was given to people in the resistance movement. After nine years, the Japanese arrested the tea house owner and burned it to the ground. Unfortunately, Young-Ja ended being kidnapped and taken to Manchuria to be a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers. Her life gets even worse.

This is a sad story but realistic for the time and place. The author did a fine job writing about this unknown event in history. She showed how horribly the Koreans were treated by the Japaneses soldiers. Young-Ja's life affected me deeply. I mourned with her every time something bad happened to her. 

All of the characters were well developed. Young-Ja's grandparents had an interesting backstory. I loved reading about them. Her grandmother Myoung-Ok toiled as a farmer. When Myoung-OK eventually married Dahn, who was considered a giant by the villagers, she left her agrarian existence and moved to the mountains with him. There they gave birth to twins. Geum-Jin married Song Jung-Soon even though she had a facial disfigurement. They raised several children including Young-Ja. Their story was also intriguing and one of the best parts of the book. 

While Honey in the Wound is a good book, I don't know if I should recommend it. It made me sad for about a week after I finished reading. Who wants to deal with that! My rating of 5 out of 5 stars reflects the fantastic research that went into the story as well as the writing of this saga.

The Porcelain Maker's Daughter

The Porcelain Maker’s Daughter is a historical romance novel that is based on a true story about a sunken ship. The Tec Sing (True Star) was a large three mast Chinese junk that sank in 1822. It contained a massive cargo of porcelain and 2,000 people. Only 200 survived.

The publisher's summary:

Southern China, 1822. Looking to marry her off to a wealthy Indonesian merchant, Cheng Yafang’sfather arranges for her voyage aboard the Tek Sing—the largest trading vessel ever to sail the South China Sea. For Yafang, the second daughter in a family of master porcelain artists, there is no greater honor: a way to safeguard her family business and secure her future. But as she boards the mighty ship containing hundreds of thousands of her family’s finest porcelain, her heart—and the ship itself—harbors a secret that defies generations of tradition.

From a young age, He Zuyao was raised to hate the Chengs. After decades of rivalry rooted in their mastery of the art of porcelain-making, their disdain had grown into a bitter feud. But when he sees Yafang accosted by robbers on her way home, Zuyao doesn’t think twice before risking his life to defend her. Despite their heritage, Zuyao and Yafang vow to marry each other—a love that blossoms in the most unexpected of places.

But after Zuyao discovers her arranged marriage, their vow is pushed to a breaking point. When disaster strikes the He household and a legendary Guanyin statue is stolen, Zuyao follows its trail to the Tek Sing. Hoping to find the lost family heirloom and reunite with the woman he loves, Zuyao stows away on the ship. As the Tek Sing departs, a tragedy unfolds in the shadows of its bow. And even if they make it to the new land—can they really sacrifice their families’ honor for something as lowly as love?

Based on the true story of the “Oriental Titanic,” The Porcelain Maker’s Daughter is a moving, unputdownable saga. An immersive historical experience surrounding one of the greatest tragedies of 19th-century China.

While the book was enchanting, it was a slow read. I can't put my finger on what was the problem. I only know that I could only read it in small doses and then I started reading other books, always returning to this one. The story has a Romeo and Juliet plot. Yafang is the main character. She was born into a family of master artisans and carried both the weight of expectation and the burning desire to only marry if she was in love. She was normally quiet, respectful and reserved but could scream at her father when he discussed her future marriage to a wealthy man that she never met. Yafang was known in her community as trustworthy. I found her to be very sympathetic. Her boyfriend He Zuyao had a similar personality. They made a great couple but the He family was not rich. Also, the He and Cheng families had a long standing feud that could not be disrupted. It would anger the ancestors so the plot is definitely the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. 

The backdrop of their families being master porcelain artists was interesting to read about. I wish that there had been more of it. The descriptions of clay, firing, painting, and the translucent glazes are outstanding. These details serve not just as setting but also symbolically reflect Yafang's own internal transformation. She is fired by life challenges, shaped by relationships, and finally emerges as something beautiful.

As in real life, the Tec Sing sank in the novel, killing 1800 people. The number of people who died was 300 more than those who died on the Titanic. Most of the characters in the beginning of the story were on the ship. Some were saved, others weren't. If you want to know if your favorite character survived, read the book.  

It's nice to read a story about characters who pursue goodness and kindness. I enjoyed the story tremendously and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Emerald Affair

The Emerald Affair is the first book in The Raj Hotel trilogy by Janet MacLeod Trotter. The series is about four friends from Scotland, Esmie, Lydia, Tom, and Harold, who move to India following WWI. With 545 pages, it is 5 pages shy of being a chunkster.

The publisher's summary:

In Scotland in the aftermath of the First World War, nurse Esmie McBride meets handsome Captain Tom Lomax at her best friend Lydia’s home. Esmie is at first concerned for Tom’s shell shock, then captivated by his charm, but it’s effervescent Lydia he marries, and the pair begin a new adventure together in India.

When marriage to Tom’s doctor friend Harold offers Esmie the chance to work in India, the two sets of newlyweds find themselves living wildly different lives on the subcontinent. Esmie, heartbroken but resolved, is nursing at a mission hospital on the North West Frontier. Lydia, meanwhile, is the glamorous mistress of the Raj Hotel, where Tom hopes his sociable new wife will dazzle international guests.

As Esmie struggles with her true feelings for Tom and the daily dangers of her work, Lydia realises the Raj is not the centre of high society she had dreamed of. And when crisis strikes both couples, Esmie faces a shattering choice: should she stay the constant friend she’s always been, or risk everything and follow her heart?

The Emerald Affair is a story about life in Ralwalpindi, India in the 1920’s. The setting isn't described in too much detail which I was expecting. The fears that the British had of the natives becoming violent was about the only aspect of the setting involved in the story other than the insufferable heat and humidity. Both couples had marriage difficulties which was basically due to marrying fast, marrying the person you were expected to marry and not marrying the person they were in love with. As with all British Raj novels there were plenty of sexual affairs.

Esme is the heroine of the book. She is overly conscientious and devoted to her job as a nurse. Her husband Harold is even more married to his job as a physician. Harold has intimacy issues that Esme cannot figure out and she is unhappy in the marriage. Esme's best friend Lydia is the complete opposite. Lydia loves partying. One social event per day is not enough for her. She wants to be socializing from morning to midnight. Since Lydia's husband Tom spends most of his time trying to develop his new hotel, there is alot of conflict between them. 

It took me three reading sittings to finish the novel. This is highly unusual for me. While I enjoyed the story, the pace was a little slow. I am going to rate the book a 3.5 out of 5 stars 

The Star of Ceylon

The Star of Ceylon is the first book in a trilogy by Clare Flynn. It's an atmospheric novel about forbidden love and is set in the last days of the British Raj. The book was published in May 2025.

The publisher's summary: 

Ceylon, 1906: Stella Polegate steps off the ship in Colombo harbour, her heart beating with contradictory emotions. As her father’s unofficial research assistant, she’s thrilled to explore this island of ancient temples and verdant tea plantations—yet painfully aware that her brilliant mind will remain uncredited, her academic ambitions dismissed simply because she is a woman.

When her father’s doctoral student makes unwelcome advances that escalate to violence, Stella’s carefully ordered world shatters. With her reputation and future hanging in the balance, she finds an unexpected ally in Norton Baxter, a principled young civil servant whose growing disillusionment with colonial rule mirrors her own questioning of societal constraints.

As Stella navigates the suffocating expectations of colonial society, she must make an impossible choice. Should she accept the limitations imposed upon her gender or fight for the academic future she deserves? And can she trust Norton with her damaged heart when every man in her life has sought to control her destiny?

From the misty highlands of Kandy to the bustling port of Colombo, Stella’s journey becomes a defiant quest not only for love but for something far more elusive—the freedom to become the author of her own story.

What I loved most about the novel was the rich setting in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. As I was reading I could feel the oppressive heat and humidity of this island as well as the cultural traditions of the natives. I also loved the descriptions of the temples with their impressive architecture and colors. The names attached to the temples were funny such as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The scent of incense and flowers in the air completed this dreamy setting. 

Into this exotic place, Englishman Norton Baxter arrives. He is completely focused on his career as a civil servant but is always being pulled aside by the the government agent's spoiled and overbearing daughter, Cynthia Metcalfe, who wants to marry him from first look. Norton’s job included witnessing floggings, hangings and gathering witness statements for divorce hearings. He is horrified by the penal code and considers it barbaric while all of the other English men and women just take it in stride. They believe that they are superior people. One lady has a different viewpoint. Stella Polegate has accompanied her anthropologist father and brother Ronald to Ceylon as they research differences between the north and south Tamil people. Ronald is a bum and lives off of his father’s wealth. Stella wants to study anthropology on her own at Cambridge University. As a woman that is nearly impossible. Women were not lawfully allowed to be given degrees although in rare cases they could attend classes. When she meets Norton there is an easiness between them. However, Stella’s father wants her to marry his official research assistant Gordon Blackstone. He believes that the only way for her academic research to reach an audience is under her husband’s name. Additional characters include Norton’s new friend Paul Carberry. He is a happy go lucky tea planter. His roommate Bertie Frobischer completes the main characters. 

There is a sexual assault in the story. If this will upset you please note that it isn’t described in much detail. The era normally forced women to marry their attacker which infuriated me. The thought at the time was that the woman was sullied and had to marry the first man who took her virginity. The idea was to protect women.

In this first book of the trilogy the author has set up her story for the future. There are well developed characters, an interesting setting and tension between the characters and the native populace. The story can only grow from this foundation.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Cleopatra

Saara El-Arifi's Cleopatra is the third historical fiction account of Cleopatra's life that I have read in the past month. Many of the characters were already familiar to me when I opened the pages of this book. While the storylines are similar, all three books are different. In this particular novel Cleopatra is the narrator. Her political skills are focused upon instead of her seductive behaviors. The novel was published in February 2026. 

The publisher's summary:

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.

The story is a memoir, but told by Cleopatra while she is in the afterlife. She has been dead for over two thousand years and is aware of the lies told about her over the millennia. I thought this was an intriguing perspective for the author to write from. Much of Cleopatra's narration refutes what historians have said about her, that she was a nymphomaniac. Of course, the male historians would say that. Cleopatra instead tells us how she chose her strategies for success. While she slept with Caesar and Marcus Antonius, we see how she used them for political gain. Truth be told, she did nothing that wasn't for her gain. 

The opening scene of the book was on the day that Cleopatra became queen. She was still a teen but immediately knew how to behave as a queen as well as how to remain as queen and pharoah. Her father taught her well but it seemed that she was born for her future role. Perhaps that's more guessing on what she was like but for a woman to succeed at being pharaoh Cleopatra must have had the goods to hold onto power as long as she had. That's impressive. 

The novel included Cleopatra's relationships with her siblings. In this retelling of her life we read that she loved her brothers and sister and thought they loved her in return. She was generous to them. When each of them tried to take the throne away from her she was stunned. Eventually she had them killed. The only problem she had was her sister Arsenoe. Arsenoe made several attempts to dethrone Cleopatra. After each loss Arsenoe kept coming back. Cleopatra never agreed to execute her until after the third attempt. I loved her villainous character. Arsenoe was awesome. The author's creation of the brothers characters showed them to be weak with no political skills and easy to depose. 

The ending gives us a different perspective on how Cleopatra's life could have ended. I must say that the author was imaginative with her plot. The book was a fantastic read. I believe all readers will love it too. 5 out of 5 stars.

Daughter of Blue City

Daughter of Blue City is a sequel to Mother of Red Mountains which I read and reviewed last month. It is a historical fiction novel that takes place in post-Revolution China and continues the tale of the Zhou family into the next generation.

The publisher's summary:

How do you survive when the world you know is at war with itself? In the unyielding chaos of China's Cultural Revolution, young Lianlian's life is a constant battle against family violence, public shame and brutal poverty. Raised by a resilient mother and anchored by her little sister, she learns to endure, but with a family fractured by divorce a future seems impossible.

When the political climate finally shifts and the nation scrambles for direction, Lianlian discovers her most powerful weapon is her mind. With few options left, she fixates on a single hope: a chance at a university education. Fueled by sheer will and the quiet support of her mother, she fights for her spot at a top university, seeing it as the one true path to building a life of her own.

When the prior book ended, Lianlian's mother Jun was struggling to work and take care of her kids. Lianlian was probably two or three years old. I cannot remember. Mother of Red Mountains ended abruptly and I expected that the sequel would continue her story. However, Daughter of Blue City begins with Lianlian in middle school. The book is Lianlian's story, not Jun’s. She attends the top school in her community and hopes to attend high school and then university. Lianlian's grades were so high that she was later accepted into Peking University which was the best in China. Most of the book centers on Lianlian's educational achievements and her hopes for a top job.

Lianlian and her sister Shanshan grew up in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia which is in northern China. Hohhot is known as the blue city because of its intense blue skies. We read about how their lives were affected by politics. The author does not give us a narrative of the historical events but rather writes how the Zhou family mourned the deaths of Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong. As the politicians changed educational possibilities for the common people, Lianlian benefited and was allowed to try for higher education. Of course, as the top scoring pupil in Hohhot her possibilities were enormous and she applied for acceptance into the top three universities. Lianlian and her sister Shanshan were very close. Shanshan insisted on accompaning Lianlian everywhere. She was not interested in making friends with kids her own age.

As an admirer of all things Chinese, I couldn’t put the book down. The plot was riveting and the Zhou family characters were adorable. It would be nice if there was a third novel, maybe highlighting Shanshan or Lianlian's life after university. 5 out of 5 stars.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror is a 2004 novel by Gregory Maguire that retells the Snow White fairy tale in Renaissance Italy. It features the historical Borgia family, with Lucrezia Borgia as the "evil queen". The story follows Bianca de Nevada, a young girl whose life is upended by the Borgias, and reimagines the classic tale with historical and political intrigue, darker themes, and a focus on the cultural and artistic backdrop of the era. William Morrow published the book in September 2004 and republished it on February 3, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vincente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm— and the world comes to Montefiore. In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia—decadent children of a wicked pope—no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vincente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care—so to speak—of Lucrezia. She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest salvation can be found as well. . . .

A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White—and has a truth and beauty all its own.

The writing style of this book is bizarre. I was expecting a traditional Borgia historical fiction novel but what I got was something else. I cannot even describe it because I don’t know what I just read. There was some hope that the plot would pick up speed but it didn't. It was boring. Most of the online reviews are positive but I did not understand why. Am I missing something? Suffice to say I didn't enjoy the book. No rating.

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton

 

Jennifer Brown's The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton was just published a few days ago on April 14, 2026. It is a historical fiction account of the life of Elizabeth Barton who lived in the 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII. She claimed to have seen visions of purgatory and hell. The book is a dual timeline murder mystery set in an English country manor, when an ambitious professor discovers the long-lost manuscript of Barton.

The publisher's summary:  

Historian Alison Sage has made a groundbreaking archival discovery—she found a manuscript containing the prophecies of a 16th century nun, Elizabeth Barton. Barton’s prophecy condemning Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn led to her execution and the destruction of all copies of her prophecies—or so the world believed.

With Alison’s discovery, she is catapulted to academic superstardom and scores an invitation to the exclusive Codex Consortium, a week of research among a select handful of fellow historians at a crumbling manor in England, located next to the ruins of the priory where Elizabeth herself once lived.

What begins as a promising conference turns into a nightmare as the eerie house becomes the site of a murder. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, and it seems that answers lie at the root of a local legend about centuries-old hidden treasure. Alison’s research makes her best-suited to solve the mystery—but when old feelings resurface for a former colleague, and the stakes of the search skyrocket, everyone's motives become murky.

Alison’s cutthroat world of academia is almost as dangerous as Elizabeth Barton’s sixteenth-century England, where heretics are beheaded, visions can kill, and knowing who to trust is a deadly art. The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is a thrilling novel, crackling with the voices of the past and propelled by a mystery that will leave readers in suspense until the very last page.

I became hooked in the story from its first chapters. Initially I was more interested in Barton’s perspective but that changed as the story progressed. While the beginning chapters were longer in Barton’s timeline, this changed as Alison’s research became more prominent.

All of the characters in Barton’s timeline were actual historical figures. Barton’s mentor Father Bocking was hanged along with Barton at Tyburn. Oliver Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Cardinal Wolsey, and Thomas More all played a fairly prominent role in this timeline. None of them believed the veracity of Barton’s visions but used her to further their political and religious ambitions. Bocking was the liaison between Barton and his superiors. He told Barton what to say when she was being questioned by them and he is the person who wrote down her visions and compiled them into a book. He was aware the visions were false but he embellished them in an effort to keep King Henry in the Catholic Church. He is one of the villains of the story. Another real life character is Bishop John Fisher who is an ancestor of mine. To complete the characters are Prioress Philippa who housed Elizabeth at St. Sepulchre Priory as well as Lady Vale, owner of the manor house in which the present day story took place.

The present day story featured Dr. Alison Sage, a made up character as were all of the characters in this timeline. All seemed to be possible villains except Sage. Their character descriptions were mysterious which I assume is what the author desired. She did well by these interesting characters. While the book has been described as a murder mystery, the murder didn't occur until 70% into the story. None of the earlier storyline affected my enjoyment of the book. The plot was excellent up to this point. In fact, I forgot the book was a murder mystery. Honestly, I  thought the murder victim was going to be Barton. As the police, along with the other characters, investigated the crime more and more information, fictional, about what the Prioress Philippa and Lady Vale did after Barton’s death was clever. 

I learned a few new to me medieval terms. The hellmouth, the transi tomb and the leper's squint were fully described. A hellmouth is a an artistic rendition of the entrance to hell. It was used to scare people from straying from the fairh. The transi tomb depicts the dead person buried there as a decayed body, instead of the usual lifelike representation of the deceased. The leper's squint is basically a tiny hole in a wall used by leper's to hear the mass. The priest hole was better described than in other books I've read and the word "pursuivants" was new to me. It refers to people who were looking for Catholic sympathizers. 

After finishing the book I looked Barton up on Wikipedia. She was a real life person. I noticed that a painting of her done during her lifetime is part of the book cover. It was interesting to note that every detail of her life shown on Wikipedia was also shown in the book. I am amazed that author Jennifer Brown was able to craft a story with all of this information included within its pages. 

What interested me to get the book? It was the book cover. It was intriguing with its color pallette, an oil painting and the crossed out name of Elizabeth Barton. The cover design convinced me to read the book's summary which also intrigued me. 

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is a fascinating portrait of Barton. It may be in my top ten books of 2026! 5 out of 5 stars.