Book Review: Mrs. R. Pacheco: The Untold Story of Playwright and California First Lady Mary McIntyre by Rose Ann Woolpert

*Editorial Book Review*

Mrs. R. Pacheco: 

The Untold Story of Playwright and California First Lady Mary McIntyre

 By Rose Ann Woolpert

Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 252
Genre: Historical Fiction / Literary Fiction

It is 1859, and the glittering promise of the California Gold Rush has faded into dust, leaving behind a land suspended between ambition and uncertainty.

Into this shifting world steps Mary Catherine "Molly" McIntyre, a young woman newly unmoored by loss, carrying both the weight of family duty and the quiet, persistent call of her own dreams.

Based on the remarkable life of Mary McIntyre Pacheco, Mrs. R. Pacheco unfolds as an intimate portrait of a woman caught between cultures, expectations, and the fragile hope of self-determination. When Molly marries Romualdo Pacheco, a Californio statesman destined to become California's first Hispanic governor, her life is swept into a world both foreign and exhilarating, where love must contend with tradition, and identity is shaped by forces beyond her control.

As Molly navigates the complexities of marriage, society, and a rapidly changing California, she discovers within herself a fierce creative spirit that refuses to be silenced. Her journey from grieving daughter to pioneering novelist and playwright becomes a testament to resilience, illuminating the quiet strength required to carve a voice in a world not yet ready to hear it.

Rich in historical detail and alive with emotional depth, this novel evokes the textures of nineteenth-century California, from its sunlit landscapes to its deeply rooted cultural divides. Through Molly's eyes, readers are drawn into a story of longing, reinvention, and the delicate balance between belonging and becoming.

Both sweeping and deeply personal, Mrs. R. Pacheco is a story of love shaped by circumstance, ambition tempered by sacrifice, and the enduring courage it takes to stand between worlds and claim a life as one's own.

Before opening Rose Ann Woolpert's "Mrs. R. Pacheco", I knew nothing about Mary Catherine McIntyre, the woman whose remarkable life inspired this novel. Looking back, I think that was a gift. Rather than approaching the story with preconceived ideas or waiting for familiar historical milestones to appear, I was able to meet Molly McIntyre exactly as Woolpert intended: as an intelligent, inquisitive young woman whose hopes, ambitions, and determination immediately captured my attention.

What impressed me most was Woolpert's refusal to rush her story. Many biographical novels feel obliged to hurry readers towards the historical events or famous names that define their subject's legacy. "Mrs. R. Pacheco" takes the opposite approach. Before history takes centre stage, Woolpert allows readers to know Molly as a daughter, sister, dreamer, and aspiring writer. She patiently builds the foundations of her character, ensuring that when life's opportunities and challenges begin to unfold, we are invested not because we recognise the history, but because we genuinely care about the people experiencing it.

That gift for characterisation extends throughout the novel. Molly is a thoroughly engaging protagonist whose curiosity and love of learning remain constant, even as her circumstances change. Yet she is never allowed to overshadow the supporting cast surrounding her. Sarah McIntyre, in particular, is one of the finest characters in the novel. Quietly resilient and endlessly devoted to her family, she becomes the emotional backbone of the story. Woolpert never tells readers that Sarah is a strong woman; she simply allows her actions to speak for themselves. It is a wonderfully understated piece of character writing that lingers long after the final page.

The relationships within the novel are equally rewarding. Family lies at the heart of this story, and every interaction feels genuine. The bond between the McIntyre sisters is beautifully realised, filled with affection, differing perspectives, gentle humour, and unwavering support. Their conversations feel entirely natural, allowing each sister to develop her own distinct personality without ever becoming a stereotype. The same authenticity extends to the novel's romance. Rather than relying on sweeping declarations or unnecessary melodrama, Woolpert allows the relationship to develop with patience and emotional honesty. Built upon mutual respect, friendship, and shared values, it becomes one of the most convincing love stories I have read in historical fiction for quite some time.

Rose Ann Woolpert's historical research is exceptional, yet one of her greatest achievements is that readers are never made to feel as though they are being taught history. Every historical detail grows naturally from the lives of the characters. Whether describing everyday domestic life, the challenges of nineteenth-century travel, or the rapidly changing landscape of California, Woolpert immerses readers completely without interrupting the flow of the narrative. The history never overwhelms the story; instead, it enriches it.

What I admired most was Woolpert's understanding that history is ultimately about people rather than events. The novel explores ambition, resilience, family, loss, hope, identity, and belonging with remarkable sensitivity. Moments of joy feel genuinely earned because they exist alongside quieter moments of uncertainty and heartbreak, creating a story that feels deeply authentic. Throughout it all, Woolpert writes with considerable restraint, trusting her readers to experience these emotions without ever resorting to sentimentality or dramatic excess.

The novel's pacing deserves particular praise. Woolpert allows significant moments the time and space they deserve, creating a wonderfully immersive reading experience. If I have one small criticism, it is that the closing chapters feel slightly more compressed than the beautifully measured opening sections. Having spent so much time becoming invested in these characters, I found myself reluctant to leave them behind and wished the latter part of the novel had lingered just a little longer.

By the time I reached the final page, I no longer felt as though I had read a novel about a historical figure. Instead, I felt I had spent time with a family whose triumphs, disappointments, hopes, and dreams had become as real to me as those of any contemporary novel. That is perhaps Rose Ann Woolpert's greatest achievement. She does not simply recreate history—she breathes life into it.

Beautifully written, meticulously researched, emotionally intelligent, and populated by characters who feel entirely real, "Mrs. R. Pacheco" is historical fiction at its finest. It is a novel that reminds us history is not merely the story of famous names and public achievements, but of ordinary lives lived with courage, kindness, resilience, and hope. It is a story that stayed with me long after I turned the final page, and one I recommend without hesitation.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

Rose Ann Woolpert

Rose Ann Woolpert is drawn to questions history leaves unanswered. As an author whose work is grounded in fact and shaped by imagination, she writes stories that explore how individuals navigate change, loss, ambition, and identity.

Her writing is often inspired by California history, particularly the lives of women whose stories risk being lost to memory. Family recollections, historical records, and careful research inform her work, while fiction allows space to imagine motives, choices, and inner lives beyond the historical record.

Connect with Rose Ann:
Website • Facebook • Substack
Amazon Author Page • Historium Press Author Page • Goodreads

Join us as author Elisabeth Storrs introduces Freyja – brave protagonist from her compelling novel, Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel #HistoricalFiction

Fables & Lies:

A World War II Novel Based on a True Story

by Elisabeth Storrs

Under a brutal regime, what price must be paid to preserve truth, treasure and love in a world built on lies?

WWII Berlin. Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.

As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance — aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister — while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.

As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.

A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies program and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.

Perfect for readers of Kelly Rimmer, Anthony Doer and Laura Morelli. 

* Goodreads Giveaway *

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/442105-fables-lies-a-wwii-novel-based-on-a-true-story

Praise for Fables & Lies:

"A powerful and heartbreaking story set in war-torn Berlin, FABLES & LIES charts the slow dawning horror of a young woman as she realises all she has been taught about Hitler and the Third Reich is a lie. Impeccably researched and sensitively rendered, Elisabeth Storrs has shone a light on little-known aspects of life in Germany under the Nazi regime."

~ Kate Forsyth, bestselling author of Bitter Greens

"Elisabeth Storrs has indeed broken the mould by writing 'from the other side'. Evocative, detailed and heart-rending as the heroine journeys through disillusion and danger in the Third Reich."

~ Alison Morton, author of the Roma Nova series

"A chilling and meticulously researched journey into the shadow world of the Ahnenerbe. Blending historical rigor with gripping fiction, FABLES & LIES reminds us of the devastating consequences when history is twisted to serve power."

~ Leah Kaminsky, author of The Hollow Bones

Journey to Enlightenment under the Nazi Regime

by Elisabeth Storrs

Thanks so much for inviting me to write a post about my protagonist, Freyja Bremer, in Fables & Lies. By way of background for the inspiration for the book, I am a great lover of the ancient world. In my reading, I came across the story of the archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, who not only proved Troy existed but also discovered a fabulous cache of gold there known as Priam’s Treasure.

Priam's Treasure. Public domain.

During WWII, the treasure was kept in the Pre and Early History Museum situated next door to Gestapo Headquarters and SS House in Berlin. I was intrigued with the journey of this priceless trove which was smuggled out of Turkey then “bequeathed” to the German people by Schliemann. Now it is held by the Pushkin Museum in Moscow after the Soviets plundered it in the fall of Berlin. Its ownership remains hotly debated by all three countries.

Diadem display. Pushkin Museum. Public domain.

When researching the Trojan gold, I discovered the little-known story of German museum curators who protected their nation’s (and the world’s) treasures from constant aerial bombardment. As such, I wanted to tell their tale which contrasts with the Nazis plundering both private and public collections across Europe.

Freyja Bremer is a patriotic museum assistant raised on Nazi dogma. Through her love affair with Cambridge educated archaeologist, Darien Lessing, her eyes are opened to the rot beneath the Regime’s lies, as they both strive to protect Priam’s Treasure and other antiquities. Intertwined is Freyja’s forced marriage to Kaspar Voigt, one of Himmler’s racial studies experts, and her quest to discover what her husband’s malicious research entails. As such, Freyja’s safekeeping efforts and her journey to enlightenment form the spine of the novel. However, I also explore the promulgation of the “Aryan Myth” by fanatical SS scholars who exhorted Germans to believe in their superiority. It is a deep dive into the psyche of the Nazis, their skill at propaganda, and their warped racial studies program that justified conquest, dispossession and genocide.

Fables & Lies is written from the viewpoint of the “everyday” German surviving in Berlin throughout the entire war. The reader experiences the war not from the battlefield, but from within the fragile walls of daily life. The book presents the cocooned world in which Germans were trapped where everything they heard was through the filter of Nazi censorship. Only those who risked the death penalty for listening to foreign radio heard news of the outside world.

Moral dilemmas

I love writing books that depict strong female protagonists trapped within a man's world while finding their own strength to navigate constraints and overcome them. Fables & Lies poses this basic question - what does it cost a woman to survive with her conscience intact inside a world designed to crush her? Freyja answers this inside the collapse of Nazi Germany, standing in a Berlin museum trying to protect the past from the madmen destroying the present.

When the reader first meets Freyja, she has been inculcated with Nazi propaganda throughout her schooling including the pseudo-science relating to Aryan prehistory. It was a huge challenge to write the book from the perspective of a “child of the Reich”. Hitler understood the importance of indoctrinating children. The education system was immediately attacked in 1933 with only Nazi teachers employed. The curriculum was limited, with physical fitness a priority. Girls were destined to be wives and mothers, boys to be soldiers.

Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-2000-0110-500,
BDM, Gymnastikvorführung

Nazis worked hard to alienate children from parents who may have harbored anti-fascist sentiment, actively encouraging them to inform on them. And there was a seductive element to teaching children they were superior due to the “Aryan Myth” which asserted they were part of the “Master Race” who were “bearers of culture” compared to “sub-humans” who “destroyed culture”, i.e. Travelers, Slavs, People of Color and, most particularly, Jews.

Knowing this, I could not easily gloss over Freyja’s indoctrination as many novels do when depicting young German protagonists. However, I looked carefully at the preconditions leading to the rise of Hitler and developed Freyja’s backstory first to work out how I could create an empathetic character who is likely to listen to the heretical views of an outsider like Darien. At 21, Freyja represents a cohort that was exposed to liberal education before falling under the domination of Nazi dogma in their impressionable teens. She also has the benefit of living with her father who acts as a moral compass due to his Christian beliefs. Additionally, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction in her about the future offered to women under the National Socialist life path. The growing repressions of the Regime also unsettle her, especially when she sees her young neighbor beaten by the Gestapo for playing Jazz music.

More importantly, Freyja is fiercely loyal. She retains her integrity by remaining silent about her father’s resistance activities, and subsequently allows herself to be trapped in marriage to Kaspar Voigt in order to protect him. In doing so, I hopefully show Freyja is innately caring and unwilling to betray those whom she loves.

Nevertheless, to reveal the operations of the Himmler’s scholars, I was faced with the ethical dilemma of first marrying the brainwashed Freyja to the ethnologist, Kaspar Voigt, who sees her as the ideal Aryan wife. I saw it as the only credible plot device to reveal his despicable racial studies research. It was disturbing to write the earlier scenes where Freyja is enthralled by Kaspar who is a famous explorer when they first meet. I knew I was spouting dangerous rhetoric but, in doing so, I also reveal how persuasive esoteric Nazi beliefs were to those insulated within its realm. As Primo Levi said: “When understanding is impossible, knowing is necessary.”

The stakes are high for Freyja throughout the novel, too. Apart from showing physical courage in safekeeping exhibits under aerial bombardment, she also shows bravery in assisting a Jewish doctor and his wife (Darien’s sister), and in secretly working undercover as an SS wife to find out what Kaspar’s research involves. As a result, she is vulnerable to the risk of execution should her quiet resistance be discovered. Moreover, Freyja is constantly faced with the need to compromise in order to survive. Hopefully I’ve conveyed the complexity of her predicament– give her little finger to the devil but pray Satan doesn’t take her entire hand.

I hope you’ll enjoy learning a lot of little-known stories in Fables & Lies, a novel that demonstrates history is never neutral, and courage can be found in the quietest acts of defiance.

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Elisabeth Storrs

Elisabeth Storrs has a great love for history and myths. She is the award-winning author of A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy which was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin, Kate Quinn and Ben Kane. 

Now her obsession lies with Trojan treasure and twisted Germanic prehistory in her new release, Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel.

Elisabeth is also the founder of the Historical Novel Society Australasia and the $155,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize. She lives in Sydney with her husband in a house surrounded by jacarandas.

Connect with Elisabeth:

Website • Twitter / X • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • TikTok

Amazon Author Page • BookBub • Goodreads

Book Review: Unfulfilled Expectations: The Untamable by Christian Beaudry

*Editorial Book Review* 

 Unfulfilled Expectations: The Untamable

by Christian Beaudry

Publication Date: 28th February 2026
Publisher: Tullinois
Page Length: 236
Genre: Historical Fiction

Catherine is bold, determined, and stubborn.

In her youth, she defies the constraints of 1930s patriarchal society and rejects the conventional path that her mother had planned for her. She decides to break the mould.

After becoming a nurse, the young woman enlists to contribute to the war effort. Assigned to northeastern Ontario, she becomes infatuated with two wounded soldiers entrusted to her care. From then on, Catherine's destiny becomes intertwined with that of the two men. But the situation of one of them is not as clear-cut as he claims. To maintain his hard-fought freedom, he must resort to trickery, deceit, and sometimes evasion.

The post-war period brings Catherine back to Montreal. She and her friends, feminists in the shadows, demand greater social justice. However, they face the entrenched machismo of Maurice Duplessis’s era. Navigating waters that are sometimes murky and often turbulent, Catherine must reconcile her aspirations as a mother, a professional, and an activist. And above all, as a woman.

A historical novel with contemporary resonance.

Home is more of a feeling than simply a place. It is the feeling of warmth, acceptance, familiarity, and security. For Catherine, home is not in her family’s house with her mother and sisters. She longs for adventure, craving something more than the monotonous and predictable life that seems to be laid out before her. Taking matters into her own hands, she leaves, running away from what she knows in order to carve out her own future.

The derailment of a train, killing many of its passengers, opens up an opportunity for one man on board. Escaping from a prisoner-of-war camp, Helmut uses the disaster as a chance to start a new life. Donning the clothes and identity of an officer who succumbed to his injuries, Helmut becomes Josh Cohen and leaves the wrecked train a different man than he was when he boarded it.

Unfulfilled Expectations: The Untamable by Christian Beaudry gives deceit a purpose, offers opportunities for reinvention, and provides a fictional account of life in Canada during the immediate years following the end of the Second World War.

Having treated two men after the brutal and deadly train accident, Catherine finds herself torn. Both men have caught her eye, but she knows she must choose. The first, Arthur, is a safe man, one who would treat her well and do all he could to make her happy. Josh offers different possibilities. There is something about him that catches her attention and keeps it captive. He is mysterious and clearly withholding secrets, yet that does nothing to diminish the powerful pull she feels towards him.

Josh Cohen, the identity Helmut has adopted, finds himself not only speaking an unfamiliar tongue but stepping into a life he knows little about. Josh’s diary proves a useful reference point, allowing Helmut to learn about the life he has taken over. Complications arise, however, when Josh’s sister, from whom he has been estranged for some time, begins searching for him. Helmut may have escaped from the camp, but there are still constraints on his freedom, with people watching and waiting for him to make a mistake. His predicament is a precarious one and, at times, demands that he move on quickly to avoid discovery. Helmut is one of many characters in this novel, but he is the one whose story feels the most fully realised, filled with difficulties and sacrifices alongside the joys of friendship and love. His journey, from a German officer imprisoned behind two layers of barbed-wire fencing to a man living under a stolen identity in Canada, is one of the novel’s most compelling threads.

Both Arthur and Josh play pivotal roles in Catherine’s life. She is a free spirit, determined to follow her own path and shape her future according to her own wishes rather than the expectations of others. The idea of tying herself down to one man seems contrary to her nature. Josh, however, takes that choice away from her when he suddenly disappears without explanation. When he returns, matters become even more complicated. The relationships that develop are unconventional and, at times, somewhat confusing. Catherine is desperate for fulfilment and struggles to find it in Arthur alone. Between the two men, she experiences both physical affection and emotional attachment, with her feelings for one often amplified by the attentions of the other. Without both men in her life, she appears lost. It is an unusual situation, particularly as both men seem to have little outward objection to Catherine’s actions.

The historical period in which this novel is set is clearly the result of extensive research, and the political and social changes of post-war Canada are explored in considerable detail. However, the historical information is not always integrated smoothly into the narrative. At times, the story pauses to provide explanations of political developments or historical events before returning to the characters and their experiences. While these passages are informative and demonstrate the author's knowledge of the period, they can interrupt the flow of the story and make it more difficult to remain fully immersed in the narrative. Rather than emerging naturally through dialogue or the characters' perspectives, some of these sections feel detached from the surrounding scenes, contributing to the disjointed feel of the novel.

Despite there being several characters who drive the narrative, it is Josh who appears to stand out and capture the reader’s interest most effectively. Catherine is not an especially likeable character. Although she is a strong woman working within a male-dominated profession during a period when she would have faced considerable challenges to secure her position, she often comes across as fickle. She moves between relationships throughout the novel and, when it comes to her family, can seem emotionally distant towards her children, at times appearing more focused on her own desires than on her role as a mother.

As the narration switches between multiple characters and spans many years, it can be difficult to truly get to know any one individual until well into the novel. This creates a reading experience that can, unfortunately, feel somewhat disjointed. Just as the reader begins to understand a character, the perspective shifts elsewhere, often accompanied by a jump forward in time. Had the novel focused more exclusively on Helmut’s escape and his efforts to reintegrate into society under a false identity, it may have created a more emotionally intense and cohesive story. Instead, the inclusion of so many perspectives can occasionally make the narrative feel cluttered and difficult to follow.

Although several aspects of this novel are not as polished as they have the potential to be, Unfulfilled Expectations: The Untamable by Christian Beaudry remains a story that contains both intrigue and tension. Between the political changes taking place in post-war Canada and Helmut’s determination to remain hidden behind a stolen identity, the novel maintains a steady sense of curiosity and suspense that encourages the reader to keep turning the pages.

While the novel contains an interesting premise and a well-researched historical backdrop, its frequent shifts in perspective and lengthy timeline can make it difficult to fully connect with many of the characters. Helmut’s storyline is undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the book, but the narrative's broader focus occasionally weakens its emotional impact. An engaging concept with some compelling moments, but one that ultimately falls short of its full potential.

Review by Ellie Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Christian Beaudry

Christian Beaudry writes historical and adventure novels in which the novelistic narrative is inserted into the fabric of History. He tells the story of the evolution of the canadian society through hectic plots and sometimes tumultuous romantic relationships. All of this is sprinkled with historical anecdotes and nods to many public figures of the time. *The Untamable*, the first volume of the series *UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS*, is part of the list of the most popular novels on the French website of the Canadian association of independant librarians.

Book Review: The Valet's Witness by Rohn Hein

*Editorial Book Review*

THE VALET'S WITNESS

by Rohn Hein

Publication Date: 4th July 2026
Publisher: Historium Press
Page Length: 374
Genre: American Historical Fiction

In the summer of 1776, as the Declaration of Independence takes shape within the charged chambers of the Second Continental Congress, two lives unfold in quiet, irrevocable collision-one etched into the official record, the other deliberately erased from it.

Edward Rutledge, the youngest delegate from South Carolina, moves with calculated precision through a world of rhetoric and reputation. Brilliant, ambitious, and deeply entangled in the economic realities of his homeland, he walks a perilous line between liberty and self-preservation. He argues fiercely for independence while working just as diligently to shield the institution of slavery from scrutiny, determined that the new nation will rise without unsettling the foundation upon which his power-and his prosperity-rests.

At his side stands Pompey, his enslaved valet-unseen, unacknowledged, yet ever-present. Moving silently through corridors thick with ambition and contradiction, Pompey becomes a witness to history in its most unguarded moments. He listens where others speak freely, observes where others perform, and remembers what others choose, or need, to forget. To the men shaping a nation, he is invisible; to the truth, he is indispensable.

Among the servants and valets attending the southern delegates, a hidden network begins to take shape-men bound by circumstance yet united by awareness. In kitchens, in narrow stairwells, in the shadowed edges of candlelit rooms, they exchange fragments of overheard debates and whispered concessions. They piece together a parallel record of the nation's birth: one of uneasy compromises, moral evasions, and calculated silences. They hear the arguments over freedom and tyranny; they witness the careful removal of any language that might threaten the institution that binds them.

As Rutledge maneuvers behind closed doors-pressing to strike any condemnation of slavery from the final draft-Pompey gathers something far more fragile and far more dangerous than political victory: memory. Each conversation, each omission, each moment of hesitation becomes part of a story that has no place in the official narrative. It is a story carried not in ink, but in the minds of those denied the power to write it.

Yet history has a way of resurfacing through the voices it tried to silence.

The Valet's Witness is a sweeping, intimate reimagining of America's founding, illuminating the lives that moved just beyond the margins of recorded history. With lyrical depth and moral clarity, it reveals not only how independence was declared, but what-and who-was sacrificed to secure it. In the space between liberty and bondage, between principle and profit, a hidden truth emerges-one that challenges the very meaning of freedom in a nation built on both hope and contradiction.

The American Revolution has inspired countless novels, many of them focusing on the men whose names have become inseparable from the birth of the United States. In "The Valet's Witness," Rohn Hein offers readers a different perspective. While familiar figures such as Edward Rutledge, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson occupy centre stage, it is Pompey, the enslaved valet of Edward Rutledge, who guides readers through the story.

Of all the characters in the novel, Pompey was the one I found most compelling. Intelligent and observant, he often seemed to understand the implications of the debates taking place around him better than many of the men participating in them. While the delegates argue over liberty, independence, and the future of the colonies, Pompey is left to consider a far more personal question: what does freedom mean for someone who is still regarded as property?

Some of my favourite scenes were those centred on Pompey's conversations with others in similar circumstances. These exchanges bring warmth and humanity to the novel, while also highlighting the contradictions at the heart of the Revolutionary movement. These moments gave the story its strongest emotional connection and were the sections I looked forward to returning to most.

I particularly enjoyed the way Hein explores questions of identity and belonging through Pompey. He refuses to allow slavery to become the sum of who he is. Through the stories passed down by his family and his knowledge of his African heritage, he maintains a connection to a life and history that existed before enslavement. In a novel that frequently examines freedom and independence, I found this equally important. While political leaders debate the future of a nation, Pompey is engaged in a more personal struggle to preserve his sense of self and remember that he is more than the role society has assigned to him. The friendships that develop throughout the novel help to ground the narrative, providing moments of warmth and humanity amid the uncertainty of a nation on the brink of revolution.

Hein also captures the realities of Pompey's position through smaller, everyday interactions. One small but telling moment occurs when Edward Rutledge accuses Pompey of forgetting to purchase ink, despite never having asked him to buy it. Rather than challenge his master, Pompey quietly accepts the blame and resolves the problem. It is a small scene, but one that speaks volumes about Pompey's intelligence, self-awareness, and the precarious position he occupies. Moments such as this reveal the daily realities of his life far more effectively than any political debate. They also serve as a reminder that, while the novel explores grand ideas about liberty and independence, Pompey must navigate a world in which even a minor misunderstanding could have consequences for him.

Hein's extensive research is evident throughout the novel. The debates, rivalries, and negotiations surrounding the Second Continental Congress are recreated in considerable detail, giving readers a strong sense of the challenges facing the colonies as they moved towards independence. As someone who enjoys historical fiction that remains grounded in its period, I appreciated the care that had gone into recreating this pivotal moment in history.

There were occasions when I felt the historical detail began to overshadow the story itself. While I appreciated the context being provided, some chapters devote significant attention to explaining political developments and historical events. One scene that stood out involved Pompey and several others trying to make sense of Benjamin Franklin's famous lightning experiment. Their curiosity and conversation felt entirely natural and offered an engaging glimpse into how such discoveries might have been viewed by ordinary people at the time. However, the narrative then pauses to provide a detailed explanation of the experiment itself. Moments such as this demonstrate both the depth of Hein's research and the occasional tendency for historical exposition to interrupt the flow of the story. For that reason, I found the novel at its strongest when the focus returned to Pompey and those around him.

I also appreciated the way Hein portrays the well-known historical figures who populate the novel. Rather than presenting them as larger-than-life heroes, he presents them as politicians and negotiators faced with difficult decisions. Edward Rutledge, in particular, emerges as a complex figure. His support for independence exists alongside his commitment to a society built upon slavery, and Hein does not shy away from the contradictions this creates. It was this contradiction that stayed with me long after I finished reading.

The novel repeatedly returns to the uncomfortable reality that many of the men advocating liberty were unwilling to extend that principle to everyone living within the colonies. Through Pompey's eyes, readers are encouraged to look beyond the familiar narrative of independence and consider those who were excluded from its promises.

"The Valet's Witness" offers an unusual perspective on a well-known period of history through the eyes of people who are often absent from its traditional telling. Although I occasionally felt that the historical detail slowed the pace of the narrative, I found much to admire in Hein's ambition, knowledge of the period, and willingness to tackle the contradictions at the heart of the American Revolution. Most of all, I appreciated the attention given to voices that history has too often left unheard.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

Pre-order this book today!

Release on 4th July 2026

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Rohn Hein

Rohn Hein is a first-time author with fifty years of involvement in non-partisan community activism. Starting as a VISTA volunteer in 1973, he worked for five different non-profit organizations working with welfare recipients, senior citizens, urban housing, racial justice, and environmental efforts in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and New Jersey. For the last 40 years Rohn was an investment adviser while volunteering with social justice activities in affordable housing, racial justice, and environmental issues. Rohn has written testimony presented in the Minnesota and New Jersey Legislature and appeared at numerous churches, city council, county, and regional government agencies.

He works with many New Jersey non-profit organizations on racial justice issue, such as The NJ Institute for Social Justice, Salvation and Social Justice, NJ NAACP, Fair Share Housing, and UU Faith Action. He has worked on landmark affordable housing legislation and on the enactment of a racial justice impact statement on legislation in New Jersey.

Author Links:

Publisher's Website • Instagram

Have a sneak peek between the pages of The Lost Voices, a compelling tale of loyalty, survival, and new beginnings, by Paul Rushworth-Brown #HistoricalFiction #LostVoices #RecommendedReading

The Lost Voices

by Paul Rushworth-Brown

Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace.

The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction that brings to light those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked significance, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition.

This is the story of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances—individuals navigating a rigid social order shaped by obligation, fear, and quiet resistance. Here, survival depends as much on silence as on action, and choices are made not in moments of glory, but in private, under pressure, and with consequences rarely acknowledged.

The novel explores how personal truth is shaped—and sometimes erased—by authority, custom, and the need to endure. What remains are the lives history does not celebrate: the unspoken loyalties, the moral compromises, and the quiet cost of being unheard.

The Lost Voices is an intimate and powerful reflection on what history forgets—and what it leaves behind.

Praise for The Lost Voices:

"Another great work by a very talented author who loves his period works and characters from his great plots. He writes with verve and intent to deliver the imagination something unexpected and greatly appreciated... Brilliant..."

~ Gavin, Readalot Magazine reviewer

On Capture

A man is not always taken because he is guilty.

Wilding’s cart rolled into Leeds at dusk.

Robert barely lifted his head as they hauled him down. The blows along the road had done their work.

Inside Moot Hall, the air was colder.

“What’s this then?” the bailiff asked, keys clinking at his belt.

“Robert Rushworth,” Wilding said. “Taken for thievery. Warrant’s signed.”

The parchment passed hands. The seal was enough.

“Come on you.”

They dragged him across the stone floor, each step echoing through the hall. At the back, a door opened onto darkness.

The cell stank.

Iron rings lined the wall. Two were already taken.

The bailiff shackled Robert to the third.

Cold metal. No movement.

Outside, Wilding’s voice carried.

“And the reward?”

“He’ll stand at York. Next session. If he’s found guilty—he hangs.”

A pause.

“Then you’ll be paid.”

Silence followed.

Robert lowered his head.

It was not the cell that held him—

but the moment he understood:

he had not been caught—

he had been delivered.

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Paul Rushworth-Brown

Paul Rushworth-Brown is an Australian historical fiction author whose work explores ordinary people navigating forces far greater than themselves.

His writing focuses on identity, survival, and the lasting impact of historical events, examining how lives are shaped not only by what history records, but by what it leaves behind. His work has reached international audiences across the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances on PSI TV and U.S. radio, including Moments with Marianne Pestana on ABC-affiliated KMET 1490AM/98.1FM.

Through his fiction, he brings attention to the human cost of history and the individuals often overlooked within it.

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