Best New Historical Fiction - June 2023
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: June 13, 2023
Synopsis:
1940, Kent, Alice King is not brave or daring--she's happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she'd long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher--to help evacuate Britain's children overseas.
1940, London, Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily's humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible choice: keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away.
When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other--one on land, the other at sea--will quickly become one another's very best hope as their lives are fatefully entwined.
Why We Recommend It!
Based on the real events of Operation Pied Piper, The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor is a meticulously researched story that uses well-developed characters and harrowing circumstances to evoke heart wrenching sadness and hope.
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
Publisher: Dial Press
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Synopsis:
The heart wants what it wants. Saddle up, ride out, and claim it.
It's the spring of 1877, and sixteen-year-old Bridget is already disillusioned. She's exhausted from caring for her ne'er-do-well alcoholic father, but when he's killed by a snakebite as they cross the Kansas prairie, she knows she has only her wits to keep her alive. She arrives penniless in Dodge City and, thanks to the allure of her bright red hair and country-girl beauty, is soon recruited to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town run by women. Bridget takes to brothel life, appreciating the good food, good pay, and good friendships she forms with her fellow "sporting women."
Then Spartan Lee, the legendary female gunfighter, rides into town, and Bridget falls in love. Hard. Before long, though, a series of shocking double crosses shatter the Buffalo Queen's tenuous peace and safety. Desperate for vengeance and autonomy, Bridget resolves to claim her own destiny.
A thoroughly modern reimagining of the Western genre, Lucky Red is a masterfully crafted, propulsive tale of adventure, loyalty, desire, and love.
Why We Recommend It!
With a cinematic Western feel, Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens manages to share the realities women faced in the 19th century American West all while continually raising the stakes toward a satisfying plot twist of an ending.
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Synopsis:
The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows she becomes a celebrity, revered by titans of business and recognized by U.S. Presidents. Eleanor Roosevelt herself is awestruck and eager to make her acquaintance. Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women's rights and the power of education, Mary and Eleanor become fast friends confiding their secrets, hopes and dreams--and holding each other's hands through tragedy and triumph.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president, the two women begin to collaborate more closely, particularly as Eleanor moves toward her own agenda separate from FDR, a consequence of the devastating discovery of her husband's secret love affair. Eleanor becomes a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights. And when she receives threats because of her strong ties to Mary, it only fuels the women's desire to fight together for justice and equality.
This is the story of two different, yet equally formidable, passionate, and committed women, and the way in which their singular friendship helped form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.
Why We Recommend It!
Told from the alternating perspectives of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray reveals the true power of a friendship that helped change the world despite all the obstacles that society—and history—put in their way.
Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Synopsis:
In 1942, Hazel Francis left Wichita, Kansas for California, determined to do her part for the war effort. At Douglas Aircraft, she became one of many "Rosie the Riveters," helping construct bombers for the U. S. military. But now the war is over, men have returned to their factory jobs, and women like Hazel have been dismissed, expected to return home to become wives and mothers.
Unwilling to be forced into a traditional woman's role in the Midwest, Hazel remains on the west coast, and finds herself in the bohemian town of Laguna Beach. Desperate for work, she accepts a job as an assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Beloved by the locals for his contributions to the art scene and respected by the critics, Radcliff lives under the shadow of a decades old scandal that haunts him.
Working hard to stay on her cantankerous employer's good side, Hazel becomes a valued member of the community. She never expected to fall in love with the rhythms of life in Laguna, nor did she expect to find a kindred spirit in Jimmy, the hotel bartender whose friendship promises something more. But Hazel still wants to work with airplanes--maybe even learn to fly one someday. Torn between pursuing her dream and the dream life she has been granted, she is unsure if giving herself over to Laguna is what her heart truly wants.
Why We Recommend It!
A character-driven story set in California, Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison gives readers real and heartfelt relationships while dropping them nicely into the setting of post-WWII America.
Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace by Tracey D. Buchanan
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Synopsis:
It's 1952 in the small western Kentucky town of Paducah and Mrs. Minerva Place would prefer everyone mind his own business, follow the rules, and if dead, stay dead. Nosy neighbors and irritating church members are bad enough but when residents of the local cemetery start showing up, the quirky widow wonders if she's going crazy. Just as distressing, a new boy in the neighborhood seems intent on disrupting her life. Minerva, aggravated by the precocious six-year-old, holds him and his father at arm's length. Nevertheless, with charming perseverance they find a way into her closed-off life and an unlikely friendship begins. But just when Minerva starts to let her guard down, a tragic accident shatters her emerging reconnection with life. Now more than her sanity is at stake. With the help of the living and the dead, Minerva discovers the power of forgiveness and why it's worth it to let others into your life, even when it hurts.
Why We Recommend It!
With a knack for humor, Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace by Tracey D. Buchanan has lively, enjoyable characters that are fully human in their joys and their griefs.
