Do you love historical romance where the defense of home and family sparks deep attraction across divided worlds? Laura Frantz’s The Belle of Chatham is a tender story of vastly different people drawn together by the timeless truth that history is truly God’s story.
In this exclusive author interview on the Christian Romance Book Nook, Laura shares what drives her characters at the beginning, the heart of their romance, the takeaway that God never changes, and the Psalm 139 encouragement she has memorized since girlhood and still signs in her books today.
Meet Laura Frantz
Laura Frantz has been writing for Revell Books since her debut novel, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, released. A Kentuckian, she currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, Washington State. She’s proud mom of a career firefighter and an American soldier.
Fun Fact: I love my readers and try to answer every comment on my socials personally. Writing is a gift and so are reading friends!
About the Book: The Belle of Chatham
The call for liberty creates a divide between family and country, desire and duty, love and loyalty.
In 1777, caught in the crossroads of the American Revolution, sisters Maebel and Coralie Bohannon’s quaint New Jersey village becomes a battleground as they house American officers. Rebellion ripples through their family as members take opposing sides–Patriots and Loyalists–causing a deep chasm that fractures their once-unbreakable bond.
As Mae’s friendship grows with the American general Rhys Harlow, Coralie continues her liaison with her childhood sweetheart, a British officer stationed in New York. Mae, torn between her deepening love for the general and suspicion that her sister is a British spy, leaves the only home she’s ever known for the New York frontier. When betrayal strikes in the heart of the wilderness, she’s forced to take a perilous journey that tests her very survival and those she loves, all in the name of liberty.
On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Laura Frantz offers a stirring friends-to-lovers historical romance of divided loyalties, patriotism, sacrifice, sisterhood, and love set during the American Revolution.
Tropes & Themes
- Friends to lovers
- Sisterhood
- American Revolution
- Defense of hearth and home
- Vastly different worlds (geographically and socially)Historical fireworks and attraction
- Timeless faith
- History as God’s story
Release Details
- Release Date: Jan 20, 2026
- Publisher: Revell
Why Readers Will Love This Story
Laura Frantz delivers a beautiful historical romance that reminds us history is truly God’s story and though centuries change, He does not. Readers will be swept up in the spark between two people from different worlds and the powerful message of faith that endures.
Author Interview: Behind the Scenes
What inner struggle or desire drives your main character(s) at the beginning of the story? How does that shift as the story unfolds?
Laura: The defense of hearth and home at first. Then what makes a home, the people, foremost.
What would you say is the heart of the romance in this story?
Laura: They’re vastly different, from two different worlds both geographically and socially. Rather than drive them apart it sparks their attraction. Historical fireworks!
What is one takeaway you hope readers carry with them after finishing this book?
Laura: That history is truly God’s story and though centuries change He does not.
What Bible verse encouraged you during your writing journey or that reflects this story’s message?
Laura: My mom and I memorized Psalm 139 when I was a girl. I sign all of my books with that today. It’s Scripture that covers all of life and contains some of God’s most priceless promises.
About the Author
Laura Frantz has been writing for Revell Books since her debut novel, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, released. A Kentuckian, she currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, Washington State. I’m proud mom of a career firefighter and an American soldier. Visit her at www.LauraFrantz.net
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