As a history lover, I love the rare author who gives me a sweeping historical novel yet demonstrates a great love and appreciation for history and getting it right. Jody Hedlund is such an author and her latest novel Rebellious Heart is such a book.

The love story of John and Abigail Adams, so I was thrilled to discover after reading a few pages that this book is a fictional retelling. The author cares deeply about the history and clearly states what is true and where she had to guess. Rebellious Heart is an engaging tale of Susanna Smith’s struggle to become her own person. Society has rigid rules that she’s always abided by…but now some of them don’t fit as well as they used to fit. Add in a lawyer who seems to only spar with her and murders that have the community and region on edge, and this is a rich story set against the Colonial backdrop. A wonderful read for historical fiction fans who love a strong taste of real history in their novels.