The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz | Book Review
“The call for liberty creates a divide between family and country, desire and duty, love and loyalty.”
Book Information
Book Title: The Belle of Chatham
Author: Laura Frantz
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance
Publisher: Revell (Baker Publishing Group)
Publication Date: January 2026
Page Count: 384
Format Read: Paperback
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review of The Belle of Chatham:
A sweeping, heart-wrenching tale of divided loyalties, forbidden romance, and unbreakable courage during America’s fight for freedom. If you love historical fiction that blends tender romance with the raw stakes of war, this one will stay with you.
Sisters Maebel and Coralie Bohannon watch their peaceful New Jersey village be turned upside down by soldiers. The American Revolution rips through their village, with Patriots and Loyalists carving deep battle lines straight through once-close relationships. Brave, principled Mae falls for a Liberty Man, while Coralie clings to her British officer sweetheart. Spurred by love, loyalty, and growing suspicions of espionage, Mae flees to the wild New York frontier. There, betrayal and peril test her courage, her faith, and family bonds. Then once again she has to flee, this time her very life depends on it! As she picks up the pieces of her life, Mae wonders if she’ll ever have peace again. I highly recommend getting swept into Mae’s story!
Read If You Like....
- Revolutionary War time setting
- Slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance
- Patriotism and Sacrifice
- Divided Loyalties
- Espionage and Betrayal
- Duty Over Desire
Content Notes: Mentions of wartime hardships like hunger, death, illness, war wounds, hiding from the enemy, and enemy invasion. Marriage trials and childbirth. Nothing is overtly graphic. There is no profanity or spice—mild kisses only romance.
Official Book Description (About the Book)
In 1777, caught in the crossroads of the American Revolution, sisters Maebel and Coralie Bohannon’s quaint New Jersey village becomes a battleground as they house American officers. Rebellion ripples through their family as members take opposing sides–Patriots and Loyalists–causing a deep chasm that fractures their once-unbreakable bond.
As Mae’s friendship grows with the American general Rhys Harlow, Coralie continues her liaison with her childhood sweetheart, a British officer stationed in New York. Mae, torn between her deepening love for the general and suspicion that her sister is a British spy, leaves the only home she’s ever known for the New York frontier. When betrayal strikes in the heart of the wilderness, she’s forced to take a perilous journey that tests her very survival and those she loves, all in the name of liberty.
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