January 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

A Waltz with Traitors
A. L. Sowards
Covenant Communications
http://www.covenant-lds.com
9781524421120, $17.99, PB, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Waltz-Traitors-L-Sowards/dp/152442112X

Synopsis: Czech soldier Filip Sedlak never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So at the first opportunity, he defected to the Russians. Now he and others like him have formed the Czechoslovak Legion. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia.

With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya's life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her lands are confiscated, and her aristocratic world is gone forever. But Nadia is determined to elude the Bolshevik agent who destroyed her family and find a way to survive in this changed world.

When Nadia takes refuge with the Czechoslovak Legion, the last thing she expects is an ally. But when Filip proposes a sham marriage to ensure her safe passage across Siberia, she takes it. Neither Filip nor Nadia expect real love, not when the legion has to take over the longest railroad in the world -- and then hold it against Bolshevik counterattacks, partisan sabotage, allied intrigue, and a set of brutal Siberian winters.

At risk is the future of Czechoslovakia, the fate of Russia -- and their hearts.

Critique: A deftly written, original, and inherently entertaining novel that fully showcases author A. L. Sowards' impressive and narrative driven storytelling talents, "A Waltz With Traitors" is a compulsive page turner of a read from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Waltz With Traitors" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: A. L. Sowards (www.ALSowards.com) is the author of multiple historical fiction novels, with settings spanning the globe from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries. Her stories have earned a Whitney Award, several Whitney Finalists positions, and a Readers' Favorite Gold Medal.

Blackout Book Club
Amy Lynn Green
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764240836, $29.99, HC, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/Blackout-Book-Club-Lynn-Green/dp/0764240838

Synopsis: An impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to WWII puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian and book club organizer in small-town Maine. The women of her book club band together as the war comes dangerously close but their friendships are tested by secrets, and they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.

Critique: Amy Lynn Green is the kind of novelist who has a total mastery of narrative based storytelling that will keep the reader's full attention from first page to last. Her forth (and latest) novel, "The Blackout Book Club" will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II and Christian oriented historical fiction. With deftly crafted and memorable characters, a plot with many an unexpected turn and twist, "The Blackout Book Club" is unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Blackout Book Club" is also available in a paperback edition (9780764239564, $17.99), and in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.09).

Editorial Note: Amy Lynn Green (www.amygreenbooks.com) has always loved history and reading, and she enjoys speaking with book clubs, writing groups, and libraries all around the country. Her debut novel, "Things We Didn't Say", was nominated for a 2021 Minnesota Book Award, won two Carol Awards, and received a starred review from both Booklist and Library Journal.

The Voyage: Part I
Robert Vincent
http://www.robvincent.org
Archway Publishing
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781480898967, $28.95, HC, 140pp

https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Robert-Vincent/dp/1480898961

Synopsis: In 1832 the USS Hayes sails the Indian Ocean, guided by its lord and master, Captain Gellins. Meantime a shipmate is wrongly accused of stealing and faces the fatal lash. Likewise, he is just one of many who have been accused of false charges: others who have already met their end at the gratings; all from the lies supplied to the captain by shipmate Penderghast.

Who can tell what will happen if certain other shipmates take the law into their own hands to try and right this injustice? And if the plot succeeds, what may follow?

"The Voyage: Part I" is the tale of a young sailor's journey to the truth as he becomes embroiled in events beyond his control and through an act of sacrifice ironically unleashes an ancient curse.

Critique: An erudite work of historical fiction by novelist Robert Vincent, "The Voyage: Part I" will have a very special appeal to fans of such literary gems as 'Mutiny On The Bounty". Inherently fascinating and deftly crafted, "The Voyage: Part I" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Voyage: Part I" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note: Robert Vincent (http://www.robvincent.org) is the author of several screenplays, novels, and dramatic works. He is also the writer and illustrator of a children's book.

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