Bio: ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her favorite pastimes include reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. She resides in Texas with her charming pup Mr. Bingley Crosby. One might categorize her books as Historical Romance, but Angela likes to describe them as “A Cuppa Victorian Whimsy” because it sounds so much more poetical.
Whenever you need a respite from the 21st century hustle, visit her imaginary parlor at AuthorAngelaBell.com where she can be found waiting with a pot of tea and a great book. You can also subscribe to her newsletter and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, and Goodreads.
Susie Finkbeiner joins us for a chat about her beloved state of Michigan, what draws her to write stories set in the 50s and 60s, and her latest releaseThe All-American. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! Widow Minerva Jenkins has lived alone in her small mountain home for 40 years where she has guarded her husband’s deathbed request. When a young reporter comes calling and inquires about a rumored box of gold on her property, an unlikely friendship forms. Will she go to her grave with her husband’s secret, or will the weight of it be the death of her?
For today’s Pinch of the Past we are looking at some little-known facts about sequences. Did you know that Egyptomania thrust sequences into the fashion spotlight in the 1920s? For more, listen to the episode.
Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Angela Bell. “Where the Last Rose Blooms by Ashley Clark is everything I’d hoped it would be. Poignant. Beautiful. With the warmth and southern charm of my Granny’s hand-stitched quilt.” (Full review here.)
Alice runs a New Orleans flower shop alongside her aunt, but thoughts of her mother, who went missing during Hurricane Katrina, are never far from her mind. After getting off on the wrong foot with a handsome yet irritating man who comes to her shop, Alice soon realizes their worlds overlap—and the answers they both seek can be found in the same place.
In 1861 Charleston, Clara is known to be a rule follower—but the war has changed her. Unbeknownst to her father, who is heavily involved with the Confederacy, she is an abolitionist and is prepared to sacrifice everything for the cause. With assistance from a dashing Union spy, she attempts to help an enslaved woman reunite with her daughter. But things go very wrong when Clara agrees to aid the Northern cause by ferrying secret information about her father’s associates.
Faced with the unknown, both women will have to dig deep to let their courage bloom.
THE REVIEW
In 2021, I discovered The Heirloom Secrets series and fell in love with Ashley Clark’s writing. Her stories ministered to my heart in a way I hadn’t experienced with a series before, and her characters stayed with me long after I turned the final page. Both The Dress Shop on King Street and Paint and Nectar made it onto my Favorite Reads of 2021 list, so needless to say, I had high expectations going into book three. As a reader, there’s nothing quite so disappointing as falling in love with a series only to have the final book fall flat.
Dear reader, I’m ever so pleased to report that Ashley Clark stuck the landing!
Where the Last Rose Blooms is everything I’d hoped it would be. Poignant. Beautiful. With the warmth and southern charm of my Granny’s hand-stitched quilt. Clark’s pacing is masterful, perfectly balancing intense scenes with moments of levity. Once again, she’s created a diverse cast of characters and tackled relatable issues with authenticity and respect. I could see myself in Lucy’s battle with anxiety, depression, and grief. I could feel her pain, and more importantly, I could feel my hopes rising as Lucy found new hope in the midst of pain. God spoke to me through the pages of this book. He used the story to help me see my own in a new way and left me with comforting truths to ponder long after The End.
Ashley Clark’s The Heirloom Secrets series is one I will treasure and gush about for years to come. One I will read again when I need my hope restored or simply want to visit some old friends.
If you’re new to Christian fiction, read this series. If you’ve been reading Christian fiction since Love Came Softly, read this series. If you’ve never read Christian fiction or have a negative impression of the genre, please, read this series. It is not one to be missed!
THE AUTHOR
Ashley Clark is the acclaimed novelist of The Heirloom Secrets Series. She writes women’s fiction set in the South, and her stories are filled with faith, sweet romance, and lots of family secrets. She loves all things vintage and the almost-forgotten stories of the past. Ashley finds her writing interests influenced by the spaces shared between femininity + strength, loss + legacy, and beauty + memory. She is an English adjunct instructor, a wife and homeschool mama, and she adores her adopted senior Cocker Spaniel.
Disclaimer: The author offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same–until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie’s inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling’s injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he’s tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.
Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper’s daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.
As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling’s lives in World War II, it seems yesterday’s tides may sweep them all into danger again today.
THE REVIEW
Emotional. Poignant. Riveting. “Yesterday’s Tides” is a sweeping historical drama, brimming with espionage and romance! Thoroughly researched and beautifully crafted, this novel is one to be savored. One enlivened by a cast of diverse characters who move the heart and enriched by profound spiritual themes that uplift the soul.
For the longtime fan of Roseanna M. White, “Yesterday’s Tides” is a must read, filled with delightful cameos by beloved characters from series past. For the reader who’s yet to pick up one of White’s novels, “Yesterday’s Tides” serves as a marvelous introduction to her work, sure to result in the binge-reading of her phenomenal backlist.
If you enjoy period dramas set in the First and Second World Wars, “Yesterday’s Tides”is sure to be your cup of tea!
THE AUTHOR
Roseanna M. White 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.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
Constable Jackson Forge intends to make the world safer, or at least the streets of Victorian London. But that’s Kit Turner’s domain, a swindler who runs a crew that acquires money the old-fashioned way—conning the rich to give to the poor. When a local cab driver goes missing, Jackson is tasked with finding the man, and the only way to do that is by enlisting Kit’s help. If Jackson doesn’t find the cabby, he’ll be fired. If Kit doesn’t help Jackson, he’ll arrest her for thievery. Yet neither of them realize those are the least of their problems.
THE REVIEW
“The Thief of Blackfriars Lane” by Michelle Griep is a rollicking adventure from beginning to end! With edge-of-your-seat action and Dickensian flair, Griep has created a fun story that will transport readers to the Victorian Era.
On the streets of London, Griep introduces us to dynamic duo Kit Turner and Jackson Forge. Upon making their acquaintance, I quickly realized I’d follow this savvy heroine and earnest hero just about anywhere. And follow them I did—through darkened alleys, underground railways, and slimy sewers, oh my! When I wasn’t reaching for my smelling salts, I was laughing at Kit and Jackson’s witty banter and thoroughly enjoying the colorful cast of quirky side-characters.
If you fancy a fast-paced historical romance brimming with humor and mystery, “The Thief of Blackfriars Lane” is sure to be your cup of tea!
Read more about Michelle at her website. (www.michellegriep.com)
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The author offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
In 1910 Michigan, Perliett Van Hilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor convinced she practices quackery. It doesn’t help that her mother is a spiritualist who regularly offers her services to connect the living with their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she must rely on both the local doctor and an intriguing newcomer for assistance.
In the present day, Molly Wasziak’s life has not gone the way she dreamed. Facing depression after several miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband’s purchase of a peculiar old farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a century-old murder case and a web of deception, all made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds inside the farmhouse.
Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time forever silence their truths?
THE REVIEW
The Mistress of the Macabre is BACK and better than ever!
If “The Premonition at Withers Farm” doesn’t secure Jaime Jo Wright her second Christy Award, I’ll eat my hat! Okay, maybe not my hat—because it’s cute and vintage and straw seems rather tough to chew—but I’d certainly throw said hat across the room in shock and dismay.
Why, you ask? I shall tell you, dear reader.
“The Premonition at Withers Farm” showcases Wright’s distinctive style and masterful storytelling at its BEST! Her atmospheric prose envelope the imagination like an eerie mist, and within a few lines, the reader is utterly lost in the story. The gothic tone conjures goosebumps at every turn, and the enthralling mystery makes it nigh on impossible to stop turning pages. Wright’s characters feel like real, complex, vulnerable people, and she’s not afraid to let them ask tough questions about life and faith. As a result, the spiritual themes of this novel are powerful, poignant, and boldly thought-provoking.
If you’re obsessed with true crime and love gothic fiction, you’re sure to agree that “The Premonition at Withers Farm” is a haunting read!
THE AUTHOR
Jaime Jo Wright is the author of six novels, including Christy Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap’n Hook; and their littles, Peter Pan and CoCo.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
The one man who could help her, must never know her name.
If Kate Chamberlin can’t reveal her true identity to the world, she must settle for sharing only her talent. Hired as a musician for KDKA radio, Kate plays everything from sponsors’ jingles to complex sonatas. As long as the whispers around the broadcasting room refer to her as “Killjoy Kate” and not “Catarina the crime boss’s daughter,” then her life is safe from danger. Or so she thinks.
When anonymous, violent threats surface, Kate’s wary of accepting protection from the handsome private investigator, Detective Jennings. His save-the-world attitude is as charming as his manners, but no one, especially him, can know the gruesome realities of her birth.
The 1924 Pittsburgh underworld is as complicated as it is elusive, and though the dealings of the Salvastanos have dwindled, Rhett Jennings is certain the man responsible for his father’s death is still at large. But his personal hunt for justice must be set aside when his day job requires him to investigate threats directed at a young radio broadcaster with enamoring brown eyes and secretive behavior.
When danger surrounds them, will the truth of Kate’s past become the key to their survival?
THE REVIEW
The Mobster’s Daughter distills the atmospheric haze of a Noir film, the heel-kicking excitement of the Jazz Age, and the romantic tension of an almost kiss into a concoction as intoxicating as moonshine. Rachel Scott McDaniel sweeps the imagination off its feet with evocative prose and drops it in the Roaring Twenties, wearing a new pair of T-strap shoes.
The plot is fast-paced and the characters multifaceted. I was moved by Catarina’s battle with panic attacks, and I loved the way music was used to develop her relationship with Rhett. With this riveting story of redemption, McDaniel has solidified her place on my auto-buy authors list.
If you’re in the mood for a page-turning historical romance, speak easy at the nearest bookstore and get your copy of The Mobster’s Daughter!
THE AUTHOR
Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The author offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
In 1929, a spark forms between Eliza, a talented watercolorist, and William, a charming young man with a secret that could ruin her career. Their families forbid their romance because of a long-standing feud over missing heirloom silver. Still, Eliza and William’s passion grows despite the barriers, causing William to deeply regret the secret he’s keeping . . . but setting things right will come at a cost.
In present-day Charleston, a mysterious benefactor gifts Lucy Legare an old house, along with all the secrets it holds—including enigmatic letters about an antique silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney, whom Lucy’s been avoiding since their disastrous first date, is set on buying her house for his family’s development company. As Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, its garden, and the silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history’s sake but also for her own.
THE REVIEW
With her debut novel The Dress Shop on King Street, Ashley Clark stitched herself into the fabric of my Must Buy Authors list. When I learned it was the first book in a series, I was thrilled…and a little worried the sequel wouldn’t live up to my expectations.
Dear reader, I needn’t have worried.
Reading an Ashley Clark book is like drinking a glass of iced tea on a summer’s day—you simultaneously want to swig back the whole thing and savor the sweetness of every sip!
Paint and Nectar, book two in Clark’s Heirloom Secrets series, is a work of art from beginning to end. Inhabited by a cast of multifaceted characters and brimming with southern charm, this book solidified Clark’s place on my Favorite Authors list. My head spins thinking of the work that goes into crafting a dual time novel, but Clark pulls it off like an old pro, weaving the plots and timelines together seamlessly. Her use of metaphor is exquisite, tugging at the heartstrings without breaking them, and her sassy, steel magnolia wit is an utter delight.
If you love southern fiction and nuanced dual time stories, Paint and Nectar is sure to be your cup of tea!
THE AUTHOR
Ashley Clark is the acclaimed novelist of The Heirloom Secrets Series. She writes women’s fiction set in the South, and her stories are filled with faith, sweet romance, and lots of family secrets. She loves all things vintage and the almost-forgotten stories of the past. Ashley finds her writing interests influenced by the spaces shared between femininity + strength, loss + legacy, and beauty + memory. She is an English adjunct instructor, a wife and homeschool mama, and she adores her adopted senior Cocker Spaniel.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.
After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.
Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim—Eunhee’s granddaughter—to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.
Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women—grandmothers and granddaughters—intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.
THE REVIEW
I picked up “Heirlooms” by Sandra Byrd on a whim. I’d never read her work before, and I hadn’t heard anything about this latest release. With no preconceived notions or expectations, I read the opening lines and was immediately transported to the 1950’s by historical details that evoked nostalgia for a time I’d never experienced. Then the characters stepped onto the page—diverse, endearing, complex—and the story seemed to shift from black and white to brilliant technicolor. As the daughter of a former special education teacher, I was particularly touched by the thoughtful and heart-felt depiction of characters with autism and down syndrome.
“Heirlooms” is a story of friendship. A story of family and legacy. One with rich spiritual themes. More than once, I was moved to tears by poignant scenes of grief where the characters were allowed to ask tough questions and weren’t given blithe answers. Instead, Byrd digs deep into the heart of her characters’ pain, sorting through the soil of raw emotion and planting roots of truth, so they can grow and reemerge into the sunlight with newfound beauty and hope.
If you’re a fan of women’s fiction and dual time narratives, you’re sure to agree that “Heirlooms” is a beautiful bouquet of a book!
THE AUTHOR
Bestselling author Sandra Byrd continues to earn both industry acclaim and high praise from readers everywhere. The author of more than fifty traditionally published books, her work has received many awards, nominations, and accolades. She’s also an independent author and book coach.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
After losing the love of her life to a big city journalism job, Elissa Tillman pours herself into the suffragette movement and her secretarial work helping keep her father’s Pittsburgh newspaper afloat.
Cole Parker returns to the steel city with the phantom failures of his past nipping his heels. All he asks of the future is a second chance with the woman he once spurned.
The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to prove to her father and the world that she’s a serious journalist. But there’s a catch—she has to compete for the story. Against none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.
THE REVIEW
I fell in love with Rachel Scott McDaniel’s writing when I read her hidden gem of a book, “The Red Canary.” Her atmospheric prose and flair for historic detail hooked me from page one, and by The End, I was adding her other titles to my Bookbub wish list.
I’m pleased to report that her debut novel, “Above the Fold,” was everything I’d hoped and more! McDaniel’s evocative writing makes the Roaring Twenties come alive, and her multifaceted characters zing off the page. Cole and Elissa’s snappy dialogue and sleuthing shenanigans made for a fun, fast-paced plot, and the murder mystery kept me guessing to the very end. And by guessing, I mean McDaniel totally got me with that doozy of a plot twist! As a voracious reader, I can usually spot a twist coming a mile away, but this one was executed so deftly, that when it was revealed, my cloche hat flew away with my blown mind.
If you enjoy quick-witted romances and a good gumshoe mystery, you’re sure to agree that “Above the Fold” is the bee’s knees!
THE AUTHOR
Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
In 1928, soot from the local mills and music from speakeasies linger in the Pittsburgh air.
When the manager of The Kelly Club is found dead, nightclub singer Vera Pembroke is thrust into peril. As the only witness to the crime, she’s sentenced to hide away in the Allegheny Forest with a stuffy police sergeant as her guardian.
Sergeant Mick Dinelo harbors a burning hatred for Pittsburgh’s underworld after the devastation it left on his life—and heart. He should be out exposing culpable gangsters rather than tending to the impetuous woman who defies his every effort to keep her safe.
Mick and Vera must set aside their differences to solve the murder that someone wants to keep buried beneath the soot of Steel City.
THE REVIEW
From chapter one of The Red Canaryby Rachel Scott McDaniel‘s atmospheric prose enveloped me like the looming mist of a noir film, transporting my imagination to the 1920’s.
This book truly has it all! Page-turning action and mystery. A strong spiritual theme ingrained in the narrative. Compelling characters with moxie and heart. Historic details that make the music, fashion, and lingo of the decade come alive. And one laugh-out-loud, hilarious scene I won’t soon forget.
If you enjoy murder mysteries and are fascinated by the Roaring Twenties, you’re sure to think “The Red Canary” is the cat’s meow!
THE AUTHOR
Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.
Review by ECPA bestselling author Angela Bell is a 21st century lady with 19th century sensibilities. Her activities consist of reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, and writing letters with a fountain pen. Learn more about her at AuthorAngelaBell.com
Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.
