My Notorious Life by Kate Manning follows Axie Muldoon from her early childhood as a beggar on the streets of New York City in the 1860s to her notoriety as Madame X, a wealthy midwife and provider of contraception and abortions. Based on the life of Ann Lohman, called the "wickedest woman in New York," Axie's story is thought-provoking and suspenseful.
Some of my other recent reads worth your time:
Fannie Flagg's The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion made me laugh out loud. The characters grab your heart and your imagination!
Outcasts by Kathleen Kent follows a prostitute turned teacher named Lucinda Carter and a Texas policeman named Nick Cannon in post-Civil War Texas. Their stories converge as Nick hunts for a killer named McGill. This book reminded me of Lonesome Dove in the setting and storytelling.
I discovered TimeBound by Rysa Walker on my Kindle when I was searching for a book to check out with my Amazon Prime membership. Young-adult fiction often captures my imagination in a way I don't find with other books, and this was no exception. 16-year-old Kate receives the ability to time travel from her grandmother and must return to the 1893 Chicago Colombian Expo to save her grandmother's life.
