I admit it: I’m a cover snob. If this book had a more literary fiction vibe I would have selected it gladly.

It was on a list for the Festival of Faith and Writing 2026 and I passed on it because of genre and aesthetics.

Although this roughly fit into the niche of fiction I thought it would, it overdelivered in narrative.

Based on the diary of a midwife just after the Revolutionary War, this is a murder mystery with rape, medical turf wars, and motherhood.

If you like The Women by Kristin Hannah this might be for you.

3.75 stars

(With thanks to Book Chick Lynn for sharing)