Book Review of
Belle of Chatham
Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz is a clean historical romance published in 2026.
During the American Revolution in 1777, the New Jersey village of sisters Mae and Coralie Bohannon becomes a battleground as American officers come to stay.
Rebellion is going through their family as well as their country.
Mae develops a friendship with the American general Rhys Harlow, and Coralie continues her relationship with her childhood sweetheart, a British officer stationed in New York.
Betrayal strikes, and Mae’s forced to take a perilous journey that tests her very survival and those she loves, all in the name of liberty.
Lynn's Review
Belle of Chatham is a clean historical romance set in 1777 during the American Revolution.
Mae and Coralie are sisters who live in New Jersey. Their small village and quiet house become quite different when their brother brings home American officers to stay with them.
Mae develops a friendship with Rhys, one of the officers, while her sister is in a relationship with a childhood friend who is a British officer.
Belle of Chatham was on a list of book that I wrote down to read for America’s 250th year. I recently decided to give it a try.
This book is a friends-to-lovers romance. There is romance in this book, but there is also a lot of history.
It also deals with the struggles many families had during the American Revolution with family members on both sides of the war.
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. Mainly because I have read other books that are very similar to it.
Back when I was homeschooling my kids, we read a lot of books set during the American Revolution. It is a time period that I have read a lot on, so the history in this book was not new to me.
One of the reasons I love historical fiction is that it teaches me history I didn’t know. This book didn’t really teach me anything new.
However, I think this book would be good for those who have not read much about the American Revolution.
This book also read a lot like a YA book, or at least more like one for high schoolers, to me. The characters were adults, but it read like a YA book. There wasn’t the depth of characters and storyline that a lot of historical fiction has, which is why it felt more like a book for high schoolers.
This book might not be one that I loved, but I think I am in the minority and many will enjoy it.
About Laura Frantz
Laura Frantz is a best selling author who is passionate about history. She loves to include her Scottish heritage in her writing.