Reviewed by Cee-Jay Aurinko for Readers' Favorite

Set in 1889, The Island of Worthy Boys is an historical novel by Connie Hertzberg Mayo. A Protestant boy named Charles befriends a Catholic boy named Aidan. Together they form more than a simple business partnership as little thieves in the streets of Boston; it's an unassailable bond that borders on the brink of brotherhood. One night, while scouting a drunken man, their lives change forever. With the weight of murder on their shoulders, and a witness to make things worse, the boys seek the help of a prostitute named Bess. With Bess’s help, the boys set sail for Thompson Island’s Farm School for Indigent Boys. Charles and Aidan must now, in very different but equally difficult ways, battle who they are in order to remain undiscovered on the island.

The book started off with the boys on their way to Thompson Island, where the initial sense I got from the “brothers” Charles and Aidan was that not everything was as it seemed. Divided into three parts, the middle of which depicts the boys' time at the Farm School, the book has more than enough to offer in a developmental sense. The entire plot is not a one-way rocket, but rather a thrilling roller-coaster ride filled with many sub-plots to keep the reader entertained from beginning to end. From a boy's struggle to make it in the world without a mother to the question of what it truly means to be a brother's keeper, this is one read I absolutely recommend to young minds everywhere. Words simply cannot describe how captivating this book is.

Reviewed by J. Aislynn d'Merricksson for Readers' Favorite

Storykeeper by Daniel Smith is a beautifully woven tale of stories nested inside stories. It is a tale of times long past and peoples long gone. Long before writing, stories were kept by shamans, Druids, lorekeepers, bards. They encoded history, myth, legend, and kept a people in touch with their ancestors. Storykeeper threads through the lives of several such lorekeepers, binding them together, even as the stories they tend bind family and tribe and the whole of a people together. There is Tantino, the elderly hermit, Nanza, called Manaha, whom he cares for after her family is killed, and Ichisi, who listens to Nanza tell stories. These stories encapsulate a history of several generations, from the time of Hernando de Soto’s arrival through to the next century.

I found this story to be so sad. My training, and one of my big interests, in archaeology is North and South America, and it never ceases to amaze and sadden me the utter devastation contact with Europeans had on the native populations of the Americas. Change is inevitable. It is the only constant and assured thing in life. Everything passes into something other. That's why it is so good to have storykeepers. So we never forget what once was.

I enjoyed the amount of research Smith seems to have put into this novel. It is a glimpse into the Americas of a bygone era, into lost names, lost places, and lost cultures. This story reminded me a bit of W. Michael and Kathleen O’Neal Gear’s First North Americans archaeological fiction. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially of early America, be sure to check out Daniel Smith’s Storykeeper.

Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite

The Austrian: A War Criminal’s Story by Ellie Midwood opens with a short prologue entitled “Nuremberg prison, October 1946.” Ernst Kaltenbrunner, a former leader of the Austrian SS, has been tried by the International Military Tribunal and sentenced to hang. He is preparing to meet his death, ten minutes ahead, with dignity. The chapters that follow recount the events that led to his trial and the verdict. The author has based this novel not only on actual historical events, but has fictionalised many of the main characters who lived and fought for the Third Reich, such as Ernst Kalterbrunner himself, Martin Bormann, Adolph Hitler’s private secretary, and Heinrich Muller, the Chief of the Gestapo.

Ellie Midwood’s historical novel, The Austrian: A War Criminal’s Story, has a prologue that features the last ten minutes of Ernst Kalterbrunner’s life. It seemed an unlikely start to the story, but the drama had me gripped instantly. The secret lies in the sixteen chapters being sub-divided into sections, each with the place and date stated. This makes it incredibly easy to follow a book written almost entirely in flashbacks. Some of them are set in the years immediately prior to WW2; others recount Ernst’s earliest childhood memories, including the departure of his father to fight in WW1. Still more show him growing to adulthood and his love life, his first interest being a girl with golden hair who is actually a Jewess. Well-written and researched, the whole book is vivid and intriguing. I recommend it to anyone, whether or not they have a special interest in war stories.

Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite

Mollie: Bride Of Georgia (American Mail-Order Brides Series Book 4) by Lorrie Farrelly is a wonderfully written mail order bride tale that takes place in Georgia, a few years after the Civil War. Mollie Winters responds to an ad placed in the Groom's Gazette and, when she receives a response and a train ticket, she heads to Atlanta to become a mail order bride. Nicholas Avinger is at the Atlanta train station to pick up supplies for the zoo when he meets Mollie and learns that she is there to become his mail-order bride, a bride that he knew nothing about! Mollie takes it in her stride and rents a room at the local boarding house, but when she shows up at the zoo where Nick works, he realizes that he needs her help and, more than that, he feels an attraction to her.

I loved this book! As someone who reads plenty of mail-order bride genre stories, I can say that Mollie: Bride of Georgia (American Mail-Order Brides Series Book 4) was an exceptional read. The reason I say this is because the author not only provides a touching story between the two main characters, she also provides snippets of humor, while also including more than a few twists to a very interesting plot. The historical aspects were very interesting, from the coming together of a zoo, to the diligent rules of pasteurization, and the effects of PTSD. It was really easy to see that the author had done her research, which made for a very readable and relatable story. Lorrie Farrelly creates a very interesting storyline around the main characters. First of all, I fell in love with the strength of Mollie. When she realizes that her intended groom wasn't even expecting her, she didn't swoon or wilt - instead she rented a room and proceeded to try to sell her book. It didn't take long for Nick to realize just how different Mollie was either. Nick, on the other hand, was haunted by issues from the war.

Ms. Farrelly handles the subject of PTSD very well, allowing the reader to understand how not all scars from war are shown on the outside. The fear that he could hurt someone he loved was devastating to him, and pushing them away was his only answer. Mollie had other ideas, though. Plenty of secondary characters really round out the story quite nicely. Fans of the mail-order bride genre will find this book a top notch read, but honestly it will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a page turning plot that deals with the very real issue of how war affects the soldier long after he comes home.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Vanesa Neuman grew up in Tel Aviv, the only child of Jewish parents who were survivors of the Holocaust. She lived with her parents, her grandfather, and her Uncle Tomas. She loved them all, but she never really knew them. They were like closed books, unable and unwilling to share their stories because the stories were too horrific. Yet they had survived. When her father dies suddenly of a heart attack, his lawyer presents Vanesa with a bound journal. She’s seen this book before, but she was never allowed to look inside. Now she does and the stories she thought she understood quickly begin to unravel as her investigative powers take over, leading her to follow the trail of a sign that somehow leaves its mark on various historic places in Prague. What she discovers after unravelling the mysteries, and facing the death of some of her friends in the process, is a nightmare that is so inhuman in its horrific presentation that it sickens her to recognize it as part of her heritage.

In her father’s journal are eighteen stories, one story per month dated from February 1943 to October 1944. Vanesa knows its significance, as eighteen is the numerical value of the letters making up the Hebrew word ‘chai’ which means ‘life’. The horrors of her heritage may not have been her horrors, but without them, she would not have been born, she would not have had a life.

Steven Greenberg’s chilling novel, Galerie, opens the minds of readers to a time when there was no clear right and wrong, when there was only life and death, and the defining line depended on what the individual person was willing to do to assure the preservation of his or her life and that of their loved ones. As Vanesa’s Uncle Tomas tells her as a child, “Many things in your life will leave you, but we never really lose anything as long as we remember. Your memories, the good and the bad, will never abandon you.” And whilst some people might be willing to do anything, to sacrifice anything just to live, there are others who could not in good conscience give up their souls in order to live a mere shell of a life, one marred with disturbing memories. A powerful story about a troubling time in history with poignant lessons about choices and consequences.

Reviewed by Ica Iova for Readers' Favorite

Growing up, Victoria Woodhull — the sixth of ten children — knew nothing but abuse at the hands of her father, poverty, and all sorts of dysfunctional family ties. Her first marriage proves even worse than the family she was born into. In spite of being abused, she becomes very vocal about her opinions where women’s rights are concerned. She becomes an advocate of free love, by which she means the freedom to marry, divorce, and bear children without government interference. Then she meets handsome Civil War General James Blood, whose support encourages Victoria to fight for women’s rights. Named after the English monarch, Victoria lives in an era where women belonged in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant, but her determination earns her a nomination for President of the United States in 1872 before women could even vote. But when Victoria adopts James’s radical ideas, she finds herself facing prejudice and prosecution. Eventually, her perseverance forces her and James to choose between their newly discovered love and their duties to their country.

Set against the backdrop of early America, Renegade Queen by Eva Flynn is one of the best historical novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in years, a page turner of strong characters who stand up for what they think is right, in spite of the costs. Eva Flynn has done her research. She skillfully textures history with engaging dialogue. She doesn't shy away from controversy. Engaging, realistic, historically accurate, it captivates the reader and makes the story memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised to find out that there was a woman running for president back when women did not have the right to vote.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

The Guardian of Secrets by Jana Petken is a historical fiction that chronicles the ordeals of a recently wedded British woman, Celia Merrill Dobbs, and her family during the Spanish Civil War. In 1912, Celia’s marriage is a dire one when she discovers her husband Joseph is the one who killed her father, and that he used their marriage to get his hands on her father’s prosperous farm in the English countryside. She and her newborn son Peter escape to Spain, where she takes refuge at the Martinéz home, aristocratic landholders in Valencia. Celia falls in love with widower Ernesto Martinéz. Before long, they get married and raise their four children in the middle of increasing political tensions in the country.

Petken does such a good job that easily evokes the elements from the early 20th century, culture, and politics with her complex characters’ development that I effortlessly immersed myself in the story. Her skill certainly resounded with this reader. This is a very compelling historical family drama with a dash of romance. I constantly rooted for Celia, especially when she finds new love, while hoping that her dreadful first husband Joseph won’t ruin everything. The Spanish Civil War serves as a powerful background in The Guardian of Secrets, which is well-written and well-researched. The rich, vivid descriptions of each scene and surroundings, from England to Spain, are excellently portrayed and easy to visualize. All in all, The Guardians of Secrets is a thrilling and engaging read. It will definitely please historical fiction fans.

Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

Blake's Story: Revenge and Forgiveness, Second Edition is a historical fiction novel written by J. Arthur Moore with plotline created by Bryson B. Brodzinski. In April 9, 1862, Mrs. Micah Bradford, mistress of Bradford Plantation and Blake’s mother received a letter informing her that her husband had died in the battle in Shiloh. The US Civil War rages and Blake Bradford, eleven years old, is now consumed with the desire to avenge his father. He runs away from home and becomes a Confederate soldier. Blake is eventually wounded in Perryville, but a young Federal soldier helps him and he is taken into the enemy’s camp to get treatment. The two opposing soldiers eventually become friends and Blake’s idea of war will never be the same again.

Kudos to J. Arthur Moore and Bryson B. Brodzinski for coming up with the second edition of the historical fiction novel, Blake’s Story, Revenge and Forgiveness. Blake Bradford is but a child when he comes face to face with the loss of his father who fought in the US Civil War. He joins the war as an eleven-year-old boy with revenge in his heart, and this makes him a remarkable yet naïve character. It is not surprising if readers will be moved by the need to protect and guide this child as he embarks on a mission to avenge his father. The plot, however, goes in a direction that is most unexpected and herein lies the real lesson of Blake’s Story. The novel also offers a refreshing perspective about war as seen through the eyes of young soldiers during this time. Well researched and informative, this book is an effective way for young readers to learn about an event in the past that has greatly influenced the course of US history and also to learn to look at war through the eyes of Blake Bradford.

Reviewed by Michelle Robertson for Readers' Favorite

Ever wondered what happened after the end of Alexander the Great's legendary life as Greece's greatest soldier, hero, and leader? A lot can be read about Alexander the Great and his quest to dominate the world, but not much is stated about how "his" people were affected by his sudden death. The death of Alexander brought a split of his conquered lands as well as the political hoopla leaders, army generals, and citizens faced. Author Christian Kachel brings this riveting tale to life by telling the tale of Andrikos, who as a boy watched and admired Alexander as he led his army through his home town of Ionia, a Greek town, while defeating the great Persian army at the Granicus River. Andrikos not only suffers like the rest of the Greek people, mourning the loss of their great leader, but he also battles the insecurities of a young man trying to prove himself to his uncle after his father's death. After much thought, and a little encouragement from his uncle (if you could call it that), Andrikos decides to join what was left of Alexander's army. His struggles, however, are far from over. Little did he know how much he would endure through training under one of Alexander's generals as the army sought to conquer and bask in the successful spoils of Olympus. Will Andrikos follow many soldiers' fate and die on the battlefield just a soldier, or is he destined for something better? Come find out.

Christian Kachel has done his homework, researching the facts, details, and time lines for his historical fiction novel, The Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword. The character development and scenes are skillfully well written and amazingly intriguing. A reader will find themselves enthralled with each scene, page, and word of this epic tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As an avid historical fiction reader, I am anxiously awaiting news of a second book release, and recommend this book to any reader interested in historical fiction, or just history and fiction in general.

Reviewed by Heather Osborne for Readers' Favorite

Letters to Kezia: Book Two of the Puritan Chronicles by Peni Jo Renner tells the tragic, yet heartwarming story of Mary Case, a Puritan girl in the settlement of Hereford, Connecticut. The daughter of the minister of the settlement finds herself enraptured with a thief and rogue, Daniel Eames. Succumbing to his pleas to help him escape the jail, Eames flees, with Mary in tow. Thrown into this mix is a man, Noah Parker, whom Mary and her family trusted to be a loyal successor to her father, but he is less than honorable. Forced to return to the village by ruthless men on the hunt for Eames, no matter what the cost, Mary must face her own accusers, as well as her conscience.

A bittersweet novel, Letters to Kezia captivated me from page one. I felt so much for Mary’s plight, attracted to a man who was considered beneath her by Puritan society. She was used as a pawn in many cases, both by Noah and her father, although his motives were entirely selfless. I enjoyed how the novel was laid out, third person narrative interspersed with first person perspective in the form of the letters to Mary’s daughter, Kezia. I must also comment on the historical accuracy. Miss Renner has clearly taken great time and effort to convey as realistic an environment as possible, while still providing a very engaging story. Letters to Kezia: Book Two of the Puritan Chronicles by Peni Jo Renner is a definite must-read for any fan of historical fiction with an interest in Puritan life, with the added bonus of a tragic love story.