Happy Tuesday and a very happy book birthday to Iron & Fire by Kerrin Willis! This is such an immersive and interesting piece of historical fiction and a great read for people who like learning about Puritan New England. Let’s check it out!
About the Book:
Title: Iron & Fire
Author: Kerrin Willis
Page Length: 310
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Synopsis: 1675 — Plymouth Colony — Verity Parker promised to look after her family.
Raised among the bookshops and turmoil of Reformation London, Verity now finds herself in Puritan New England, where she must learn to keep her head down and her mouth shut, or risk dire consequences. The only person who values her tenacity is Kit, the heretical ironworker she has been forbidden to see. When King Philip’s War breaks out, Verity must stay silent as the Puritan elders spread hateful rhetoric about the “savages” in the forest. When she witnesses a young girl die in childbirth, Verity must stand by as neighbors blame God’s vengeance. But when tragedy strikes her own home, Verity must choose between her duty to her family and her love for Kit. Will she choose to keep the peace, or will she defy the leaders of the colony for a chance at happiness?
Set against the backdrop of King Philip’s War, the bloodiest war per capita in American history, Iron & Fire explores the experience of a clever, educated woman at a time when being so often resulted in death. Perfect for fans of Amy Belding Brown’s Flight of the Sparrow, or Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Iron & Fire was written for those who read the original American Girl series as children and are now all grown up.
About the Author:
I am a bibliophile English teacher from southeastern Massachusetts. I am fascinated by local history, especially the idea that King Philip’s War, the bloodiest war in American History, took place in my own backyard. I pride myself on being a feminist and a strong protagonist in my own story, and have often joked that I’d have been burned as a witch in colonial New England. I can usually be found pausing The Little Mermaid and subjecting my daughters to a lecture on the dangers of giving up their voices.
I have a BA in English from Stonehill College, an MA in English from Simmons College, and I am currently working on my MFA in Creative Writing – Fiction at Southern New Hampshire University.
This is on my TBR!
Nice! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.