Laura Smith's blog

Last Thursday was the kick-off for Gulf Coast Reads 2015, which means people all across the Gulf Coast region are reading Ann Weisgarber’s The Promise, a historical fiction novel largely set in Galveston during the time leading up to the deadly 1900 hurricane.  Here are some titles to feed your appetite for historical romance after finishing The Promise.

Go West Young Woman

Check out these romances that feature heroines traveling out west, choosing to become mail-order brides, shotgun weddings and marriages of convenience. 

I discovered Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries, through a discussion on the Facebook page of author Penny Reid.  I have to admit that as a librarian with an undergraduate degree in history, the fact that the main character is a librarian who works in special collections is what initially drew my interest.  Once I started reading and found out the book was set in Houston, what’s more, a fictionalized version of my undergraduate alma mate

I’m so excited because we’ve just added books from one of my favorite authors, Penny Reid, to the library’s collection.  Penny wrote her first book,

• Romance