#Fridayreads Historical Fiction Book Binge!

It’s been a while since I posted book recommendations, but now that Code Name Edelweiss is off to my publisher, and I’ve got some beauties for your summer reading list! Binge on great historical fiction and put a couple books on your future must-read list:

The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. I can’t say enough about this book. Like Towles’ previous novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, this book is beautifully written with a varied cast of unforgettable characters. It’s a coming-of-age story, a historical fiction masterpiece, and a deep exploration of what it means to be a friend and a brother. Highly recommended!

Double the Lies, by Patricia Raybon. I was thrilled to be able to read the next installment of the intrepid Annalee Spain historical mystery series. Sorry, folks, but you’ll have to wait until February ’23 to get your hands on a copy but you can read the first book, All That Is Secret!

No one does Old Testament fiction like Mesu Andrews. She’s got a new novel that you don’t want to miss: Potiphar’s Wife. An intriguing look at a woman of the Bible we knew only as a villain, but who Mesu brings to light in a new and unexpected way.

I finished The Kitchen Front, by Jennifer Ryan in record time. This delicious book is for anyone who loves homefront stories of WWII and the British Baking Show.

Dangerous Women, by Hope Adams, is a dark read with compelling, multi-faceted characters and a page-turning premise: a murder mystery set on a convict ship full of women, bound for Tazmania. Be advised, I give this one a PG-13 rating for language and adult content.

The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel. I’m halfway through a book I’ve had on my reading list for months. If you love WWII novels with strong women like The Alice Network and The Nightingale, this is the book for you. Another great WWII novel you might enjoy is The School for German Brides, by Aimie K. Runyan. I’m always interested in how the ordinary citizens of Germany lived under the terror and propaganda of the Nazi regime and this books offers an intriguing look at the lives of three young women in Berlin.

I’m SUPER excited to be reading an early copy of Susan Elia MacNeal’s next novel: Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy. Read about my connection with Susan and how we’re both writing about the same event in 1930s/40s Los Angeles. Her new novel is a treat for me, as I’m revisiting old friends that I spent most of 2021 researching and writing about for Code Name Edelweiss. Look for Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy out this fall.

A quick reminder. I write Christian historical fiction (you can learn more about why I write that here) but I don’t read exclusively Christian fiction, nor do I only read historical. Be it a mystery, women’s lit, contemporary, or occasionally even horror— if it has compelling characters and a great plot I’m willing to give it a go. (My exceptions are anything labeled ‘hot’, ‘spicy’, or ‘erotic’ because that’s really not my thing). If something I’m recommending has what I’d call a PG-13 rating, I’ll make sure to note that in the review.

Cover reveal countdown: 3 weeks!

You don’t want to miss the gorgeous cover the Tyndale team has created for my “Nazis in Hollywood” novel. Members of the Historical Novel Society will be the first to see it, so sign up HERE.