Welcome to our newest series. In “Friday Favorites,” our team will share a handful of favorite items. These can range from clothes to beauty products to recipes to books and anything in between.
Heidi Chiavaroli
I’m starting with my new favorite author because over the past year I’ve read all five of her books and am constantly craving more. Chiavaroli introduced me to the world of split time historical fiction which weaves the tales of both a historical protagonist and a contemporary protagonist together into a compelling story full of mystery, conflict, and love. Chiavaroli is gifted in storytelling and creates characters you can’t help but fall in love with.
You should snatch up Chiavaroli’s books including her newest release, The Orchard House if you’re a fan of heartwarming love stories that invite you into the lives of the characters while the characters make themselves at home in your heart. Her feel-good stories are not without pain and struggle, but they always leave your heart fully satisfied.
Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory is the Evil Queen to Heidi Chiavaroli’s Snow White. OK, not really, but Gregory definitely digs down into the dark places of history to unveil the ruthless and tumultuous pasts of women we’ve all grown up reading about as well as a few she created herself. I love her Plantagenet and Tudor novels (several of which have been made into movies on Starz) and the way she connects each of their stories as they weave an intricate web throughout history.
Real women with real stories combined with Gregory’s creative imagination and signature style result in books you just cannot put down. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but The White Princess stands out as one of her best.
Jocelyn Green
Military wife Jocelyn Green became one of my favorites when I got hooked on her Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series. Green has a way of drawing you into her stories by making you feel as if you’ve experienced every sight, sound, and smell that her characters encounter.
Another thing I love about Jocelyn Green is that she writes non-fiction as well, including many books for military wives such as The 5 Love Languages Military Edition that she co-wrote with author Gary Chapman. I’ve read all of Green’s novels except the newest one which was just released, and I’m looking forward to devouring it next. Snag yourself a copy and let me know what you think of it!
Daisy Goodwin
If I could ask one author to please give us more delicious historical fiction, it would be Daisy Goodwin. Author of American Heiress, Fortune Hunter, and Victoria (which Goodwin has also written the screenplay for), Daisy Goodwin serves scenes up like scoops of ice cream, leaving you hungry for more. If you’re like me, you’ve seen Season 1 of Victoria on Masterpiece Theater and you’re anxiously awaiting Season 2, a series which Goodwin has adapted from Queen Victoria’s own writings in her personal journal. I love the way Goodwin brings history to life and helps the reader really relate to historical characters as actual people with feelings, dreams, and desires.
