9 Books Published by Bookouture on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

New Hampshire, 1796. “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”

Chincoteague, Virginia, present day. Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.

But when Tessa finds a tattered journal carefully hidden inside the house’s ancient fireplace, the tragic story of how Ona was ripped from her mother’s arms to live and work in the palatial Mount Vernon, and the heart-shattering betrayal that led her to risk her life and run, has Tessa spellbound. Could discovering this forgotten scandal at the heart of her nation’s history force her to confront her own story? As she races to reach the final page, will anything prepare her for the desperate moment when Ona’s captors find her again? Will it inspire Tessa to take ownership of her own life and set herself free?

A completely heartbreaking tale of love, loss and redemption, based on an astonishing true story from the founding of America. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Marie Benedict and America’s First Daughter.

The dust cloud rolls in from nowhere, stinging our eyes and muddling our senses. I reach for my baby sister and pull her small body close to me. When the sky clears, we are alone on an empty road with no clue which way to go…

Oklahoma, 1935. Fifteen-year-old Faith Wilson takes her little sister Hope’s hand. In worn-down shoes, they walk through the choking heat of the Dust Bowl towards a new life in California. But when a storm blows in, the girls are separated from their parents. How will they survive in a place where just the color of their skin puts them in terrible danger?

Starving and forced to sleep on the streets, Faith thinks a room in a small boarding house will keep her sister safe. But the glare in the landlady’s eye as Faith leaves in search of their parents has her wondering if she’s made a dangerous mistake. Who is this woman, and what does she want with sweet little Hope? Trapped, will the sisters ever find their way back to their family?

California, present day. Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she lost, Zoe Edwards feels completely alone in the world. Throwing herself into work cataloging old photos for an exhibition, she sees an image of a teenage girl who looks exactly like her, and a shiver grips her. Could this girl be a long-lost relation, someone to finally explain the holes in Zoe’s family history? Diving into the secrets of her past, Zoe unravels this young girl’s heartbreaking story of bravery and sacrifice. But will anything prepare her for the truth about who she is…?

A devastating, completely captivating story of a family torn apart, fighting to be reunited. Fans of Orphan Train, Before We Were Yours, and Where the Crawdads Sing will never forget this powerful story of survival.

An absolutely heart-wrenching historical novel

I watched in awe as Miz Rosa stopped those men on the bus with her clear, calm "no" and I thought about that word. What if I said no? What if I refused to follow the path these White folks wanted for us? What if I kept this precious baby?

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955

On a cold December evening, Mattie Banks packs a suitcase and leaves her family home. Sixteen years old and pregnant, she has already made the mistake that will ruin her life and disgrace her widowed mother. Boarding the 2857 bus, she sits with her case on her lap, hoping that the driver will take her away from disaster. Instead, Mattie witnesses an act of bravery by a woman named Rosa Parks that changes everything. But as Mattie strives to turn her life around, the dangers that first led her to run are never far away. Forging a new life in a harsh world at constant risk of exposure, Mattie will need to fight to keep her baby safe.

Atlanta, Georgia, present day

Ashlee Turner is going home. Her relationship in ruins, her career held back by prejudice, she is returning to the family who have always been her rock. But Ashlee’s home is not the safe haven she remembers. Her beloved grandmother is dying and is determined to share her story before she leaves…

When Ashlee finds a stack of yellowing letters hidden in her nana’s closet, she can’t help the curiosity that compels her to read, and she uncovers an old secret that could wreak havoc on her already grieving family. As she tries to make sense of what she has learned, Ashlee faces a devastating choice: to protect her loved ones from the revelations, or honor her grandmother’s wishes and follow the path to the truth, no matter where it may lead.

For readers of The Help, Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours comes a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about redemption, family secrets and the spirit of survival found at the hardest time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "My, My, My and Wow, just Wow!!… What an excellent and amazing story!… From the first word until the last, I was so enthralled and riveted… Whew!!… Hallelujah!! This is an awesome book!! A definite must-read!!" Geri’s Things

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Where do I start? For the first time, I am left speechless after reading a book. Speechless because the narrative just grabbed me by my core… I laughed, but mostly cried. A must-read for lovers of women’s historical fiction. Five stars." Goodreads reviewer

1910, South America. A time of racial tension and poverty. A time where forbidden love must remain a secret.

But everything can change in a heartbeat… When Winnie falls in love with George Quint, the post-office boy, a ‘darkie’ from the other side, she soon finds herself slipping into a double life. And as she withdraws from her family, she discovers a shocking secret about those whom are closest to her. Now, more than ever, Winnie is determined to prove her love for George, whatever price she must pay and however tragic the consequences might be.

A breath-taking love story of two people fighting to be together, in a world determined to break them apart.

A baby abandoned. A queen dishonoured. And a cataclysmic war to wipe out the known world. The Mahabharata — the Great Bharat — is a grand and timeless story, the oldest and longest epic in the world. A perennial bestseller in India, it has enthralled millions throughout the centuries and is as relevant, wise, and spellbinding today as ever.

Sons of Gods is a new version of this ancient Indian classic. It transports the reader into a wonderful world of the almighty spirit: where a mantra spoken flippantly can change the course of history; where a curse uttered in anger can spell doom and destruction; where a truly awesome vow can grant the power of life over death. Its heroes have survived the millennia.

Bhishma, who possesses the boon of invincibility, and can choose the time, method, and agent of his death. Amba, the wronged princess who changes sex to seek revenge.

Arjuna, the mightiest archer of all, and dearest friend of Krishna, God’s incarnation. Arjuna’s arch-enemy Karna, the invincible but doomed son of the Sun-god. The fire-born queen Draupadi, who marries all five of the famous Pandava brothers, and whose word is their command.

When she ran away from her childhood home in Guyana, Rika swore that she would never return. Cut off from her family, she has fought hard to make a life for herself and daughter, Inky, in London.

Now, over thirty years later, Rika’s cantankerous, wheelchair-bound mother, Dorothea, arrives in London. But as old wounds re-open, Dorothea and Rika are further apart than ever.

Inky soon learns that her grandmother is sitting on a small fortune. As she uncovers the secrets of the past one by one, she unravels the tragedy that tore her mother and grandmother apart. But nothing can prepare her, or Rika, for Dorothea’s final, unexpected revelation.

An epic, mesmerizing tale of tragic loss, the strength of words left unspoken, and the redeeming power of love.

A spellbinding story of forbidden love. Three continents, three decades, three very disparate lives:

Savitri, intuitive and charismatic, grows up among the servants of a pre-war English household in Madras. But the traditional customs of her Brahmin family clash against English upper-class prejudice, threatening her love for the privileged son of the house.

Nataraj, raised as the son of an idealistic doctor in rural South India, finds life in London heady, with girls and grass easily available… until he is summoned back home to face raw reality.

Saroj, her fire hidden by outward reserve, comes of age in Guyana, South America. When her strict, orthodox Hindu father goes one step too far she finally rebels against him… and even against her gentle, apparently docile Ma.

But Ma harbours a deep secret… one that binds these three so disparate lives and hurtles them towards a truth that could destroy their world.

Jyothi is a child of the slums and the streets, with a faint memory of past happiness: green hills at dawn, a boy’s clear and candid gaze, a high light room flooded with music. After the devastating death of her mother a charitable Western couple whisks her away from Bombay’s chaos, danger, and filth. She is given a comfortable home, a first-class education - and a precious half-violin.

But Jyothi finds herself an outsider locked up in a lonely world of her own, unable to communicate and ostracized by others. The discovery of her rare musical gift changes everything. Words may never be easy for Jyothi, but music flows from her, exquisite music, music of the soul. The world listens: and the rootless waif Jyothi becomes the international superstar, Jade.

Fame, it seems, can solve all of her problems. She can use her virtuosity to win the applause of others, stardom to feed her faltering ego, Bach to win the heart of the man she wants. Yet all this leaves her unfulfilled.

She must learn that music cannot be a servant; that she must give every bit of herself to the sheer joy and beauty of playing. She must follow music back to its roots, deep inside her.

Only then she will find the love and happiness she longs for, become the musician she was born to be: when music becomes “the Speech of Angels.”

Another magical saga by the author of Of Marriageable Age. How many of us think as adults we’childhood? And how many manage to find it again? This is Rita Maraj’s dilemma. Living in a ramshackle house in Georgetown, leader of the local neighbourhood gang, Rita collects people like she does dogs, cats, ants, and even an unwanted police horse. But then her father remarries: her stepmother is determined to tidy up house, husband and stepdaughter, and move into respectable society.

Rita’s charm and liveliness become compressed by the pressure to conform, and the duty to find a suitable husband. But then a messenger arrives, searching for a possible heir to the distant family estates. Suddenly liberated, and determined to search for her roots, Rita’s sense of adventure is reawakened first by the formidable personage of her distant relative, but even more by the tragedies of her long lost, romantic cousin. Her early life — saving half the wildlife of her neighbourhood — is only preparation for the destiny that awaits her. Dramatic and vivid, moving and exotic, Peacocks Dancing is a captivating story, a joy to read.