“The most fascinating thing about Bletchley Park is how spectacularly successful they were in keeping it a secret, even from their families and loved ones” Quinn says. “For decades, people didn’t know what their contribution to the war was. But historians now estimate that thanks to the people at Bletchley Park and the spectacular success they had in breaking what were supposed to be unbreakable German military codes, they shortened the war by at least two years and saved millions of lives.” For more on The Rose Code, the book’s Royal cameo and the inspiration behind her characters, read our full interview with Kate Quinn. And in honor of Women’s History Month (and the strong heroines she writes about), check out Quinn’s latest reading list: six new books of fiction by women. The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray: “A sensationally ambitious novel starring a WWII schoolteacher-turned-resistance fighter, a WWI socialite-turned-diplomatic powerhouse and a French revolutionary-turned-American Founding Mother—all linked by the home and legacy of, to quote Hamilton, ‘America’s favorite fighting Frenchman.’” (Berkley, March 30) Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins: “The great Ms. Bev is back with the next installment of her Women Who Dare series, and this time it’s an independent Black rancher and a Washington reporter butting heads on their wayward journey toward happily ever after. Jenkins is the best for fun, moving swooners set against fresh, original historic epochs—and this should be no exception!” (Avon) The Social Graces by Renée Rosen: “Rosen always writes whip-smart women, and I can’t wait for her depiction of notorious social dragons Alva Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor, who battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age. Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown and Lady Danbury have nothing on these two!” (Berkley, April 20) Courage, My Loveby Kristin Beck: “Fascist Italy gets short shrift in World War II fiction, which makes Kristin Beck’s debut a fresh, gripping read. Two women—a single mother and a polio survivor—struggle to survive in German-occupied Rome and discover just what steel-strong stuff they’re really made of.” (Berkley, April 13) Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson: “The heart-ripping tale of an enslaved woman torn from her promised liberation and sold into the Devil’s Half Acre, an infamous slave jail in Virginia. Forced to negotiate this lethal new world, heroine Pheby is all courage, grace and grit even when forced into the most unimaginable of choices: her freedom or her children?” (Simon & Schuster) Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert: “The Brown sisters are back, and this time it’s chaotic, well-meaning Eve’s turn for romance and hijinks as she brings her personal brand of mayhem into the orderly life of a strait-laced B&B owner. Hibbert’s breezy prose, witty dialogue and confident heroines are always a delight.” (Berkley, March 9)
