I managed to catch a book signing by Historical Fiction author Donna Thorland, so there was a nice gathering, with cookies and drinks available. I highly recommend stopping by, because it’s charmingly laid out and a pleasure to stroll through. There is even a section of Children’s Classics, which includes Cozy Classics, a series of baby-book versions of “Jane Eyre” and “Pride and Prejudice”, etc (but also Star Wars), that feature adorable characters made of felt. The owners have a nice, broad view of what constitutes Romance, including plenty of books that aren’t strictly of the genre, and there is a section with books that tackle the stigma attached to it. It’s the first all-Romance bookstore I’ve heard of, and it cleverly sorts the books into all the sub-genres, such as Historical Romance, Erotica, and Paranormal Romance, which is sorted by creature! You want vampires, werewolves or shape-shifters? They got ’em all. There are also several that were new to me (but I’m only a Romance-dabbler), such as Sports Romance or “I Love Rock n’ Roll”. But at Harenwyck she discovers that politics and virtue do not always align as she expects…and she must choose between two men with a shared past and conflicting visions of the future.The Ripped Bodice is a brand new bookstore in Culver City, and in case you can’t tell by the name, it specializes in Romance novels. The British control Manhattan, the Rebels hold West Point, and the Dutch patroons reign in feudal splendor over their vast Hudson River Valley estates. Since then, Anna has vowed to see the patroon system swept aside along with British rule. The Dutch Girl Donna Thorland Manhattan and the Hudson River Valley, 1778. Years ago, she was Annatje, the daughter of a tenant farmer who led an uprising against the corrupt landlords and paid with his life. Until, that is, he waylays the carriage of beautiful young finishing school teacher Anna Winters…Īnna is a committed Rebel with a secret past and a dangerous mission to secure the Hudson Highlands for the Americans. Gerrit Van Haren, the dispossessed heir of Harenwyck, is determined to reclaim his inheritance from his decadent brother, Andries, even if that means turning outlaw and joining forces with the invading British.

Manhattan and the Hudson River Valley, 1778. The acclaimed author of Mistress Firebrand and The Turncoat continues “her own revolution in American historical romance”* with another smart, sexy, swashbuckling novel set during the American Revolution.

The Dutch Girl by Donna Thorland