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Showing posts with the label American Revolution

The Family Behind the Girl Scouts of America: Lives of the Kinzie-Gordon Clan, 1750s-1950s by Melissa Langley Biegert: A Book Review

The Family Behind the Girl Scouts of America: Lives of the Kinzie-Gordon Clan, 1750s-1950s  Author: Melissa Langley Biegert Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: McFarland Book Release Date: July 24, 2026 Pages: 323 Source: This book was given to me by the Publicist in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : In 1912, Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low launched what became one of the 20th century's most successful organizations for girls, eclipsing the generations of male politicians, business leaders, and scoundrels who had brought prosperity and notoriety to her family. Her parents' marriage united two leading American families--the Northern Kinzies and the Southern Gordons--and nearly ruptured because of the U.S. Civil War, yet their unwavering love and support, as well as that of her siblings, helped her to overcome physical challenges and a scandalous divorce battle that shocked Victorian society.        Spanning 200 years across ...

Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady: A Book Review

Martha Washington: An American Life Author: Patricia Brady Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Penguin Books Publication Date: 2006 Pages: 280 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: With this revelatory and painstakingly researched book, Martha Washington, the invisible woman of American history, at last gets the biography she deserves.          In place of the domestic frump of popular imagination, Patricia Brady resurrects the wealthy, attractive, and vivacious young widow who captivated the youthful George Washington. Here are the able landowner, the indomitable patriot (who faithfully joined her husband each winter at Valley Forge), and the shrewd diplomat and emotional mainstay. And even as it brings Martha Washington into sharper and more accurate focus, this sterling life sheds light on her marriage, her society, and the precedents she established for future First Ladies.        My Revie...

Mrs. Benedict Arnold by Emma Parry: A Book Review

Mrs. Benedict Arnold Author: Emma Parry Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Zando Book Release Date: April 28, 2026 Pages: 309 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A riveting reimagining of the young woman who almost ended the American Revolution.       Philadelphia in the 1770s. Peggy Shippen longs for the war she’s living through to end. Though not always appreciated at home, she finds her curiosity is welcomed by a lively and influential circle of friends, including a glamorous rising star in the British army, Captain John André.       When the war separates them, Peggy is devastated—both by his absence and the horrors of ongoing conflict—before finding consolation in a man whose heroics for the Patriots have captured the world’s imagination: General Benedict Arnold.      As she trades Loyalist balls for Patriot salons, entertaining the most prominent figure...

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie: A Book Review

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams Author: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks  Book Release Date: May 5, 2026 Pages: 463 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton .      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...

My Name is Ona Judge by Suzette D. Harrison: A Book Review

  My Name Is Ona Judge Author: Suzette D. Harrison Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Publisher: Bookouture Release Date: 2022 Pages: 310 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review Synopsis: New Hampshire, 1796 . “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”      Chincoteague, Virginia, present day . Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.       But when Tessa finds a...

The Counterfeit Wife (Revolutionary War Mystery #2) by Mally Becker: A Book Review

The Counterfeit Wife (Revolutionary War Mystery #2) Author: Mally Becker Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Level Best Books Release Date: 2022 Pages: 313 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Philadelphia, June 1780. George Washington’s two least likely spies return, masquerading as husband and wife as they search for traitors in Philadelphia.      Months have passed since young widow Becca Parcell and former printer Daniel Alloway foiled a plot that threatened the new nation. But independence is still a distant dream, and General Washington can’t afford more unrest, not with food prices rising daily and the value of money falling just as fast.      At the General’s request, Becca and Daniel travel to Philadelphia to track down traitors who are flooding the city with counterfeit money. Searching for clues, Becca befriends the wealthiest women in town, the members of the Ladies ...

The Real Queen Charlotte: Inside the Bridgerton Court by Catherine Curzon: A Book Review

The Real Queen Charlotte: Inside the Bridgerton Court Author: Catherine Curzon Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pen and Sword History Release Date: 2022 Pages: 224 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Known to millions as the imperious matriarch of Bridgerton ’s court, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was still a teenager when she was chosen to be the bride of King George III. Shy, innocent, and sheltered, the orphaned princess and her youthful groom carried the hopes of a nation on their shoulders.      The placid and unassuming young couple symbolized a new beginning, but soon those hopes began to sour. Charlotte and George’s marriage lasted for nearly 60 years and produced more than a dozen children, but it was beset by unrest at home, war in the colonies, and the king’s encroaching madness.      As the royal couple battled against their critics, their political opponents, and someti...

The Turncoat's Widow: A Revolutionary War Mystery by Mallt Becker: A Book Review

The Turncoat’s Widow: A Revolutionary War Mystery Author: Mally Becker Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Level Best Books Release Date: 2021 Pages: 355 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Recently widowed, Rebecca Parcell is too busy struggling to maintain her farm in Morristown to give a fig who wins the War for Independence. But rumors are spreading in the winter of 1780 that she’s a Loyalist sympathizer who betrayed her husband to the British—quite a tidy way to end her disastrous marriage, the village gossips whisper.      Everyone knows that her husband was a Patriot, a hero who died aboard a British prison ship moored in New York Harbor. But “everyone” is wrong. Parcell was a British spy, and General Washington—who spent that winter in Morristown—can prove it. He swears he’ll safeguard Becca’s farm if she unravels her husband’s secrets. With a mob ready to exile her or worse, it’s an offer she...

Blog Tour: Cry of the Innocent (Faith Clarke Mystery #1)by Julie Bates: A Book Review

Cry of the Innocent by Julie Bates April 11 - May 6, 2022 Virtual Book Tour Book Details: Genre:  Historical Mystery Published by:  Level Best Books Publication Date:  June 8th 2021 Number of Pages:  258 ISBN:  1953789773 (ISBN-13:978-1953789778) Series:  A Faith Clarke Mystery, #1 Purchase Links:   Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Goodreads Source:  This book was given to me by Partners in Crime Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:      April 1774 – Within the colonial capital of Virginia, Faith Clarke awakes in the middle of the night to discover a man savagely murdered in her tavern. Phineas Bullard was no stranger. Faith’s late husband had borrowed heavily from the man and left Faith to struggle to pay the debt.     With unrest growing in the American Colonies, the British are eager for a quick resolution at the end of a noose, regardless of guilt. Under suspicion for ...