Amy Harmon is one of my favorite authors for her ability to bring the past to life while maintaining exciting layers of fact and fiction that is guaranteed to leave readers on the edge of their seats.

Below are just a few of her incredible books. For more info on each title click the covers.

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The Outlaw Noble Salt: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Amy Harmon 

The ties that bind.

Butch Cassidy is a man who goes by many names but is best known for his moral compass. He may be the leader of an infamous gang of thieves, but he’s never killed anyone, and he only robs from those who have more than they know what to do with.
Outrunning the law was fun for a time, but Butch is tired now and wants to turn himself in. Unfortunately, his brother ruins that, too, and Butch is left with no choice but to leave the country he loves behind.
An encounter with a gorgeous singer on the eve of his departure gives Butch a new name, Noble Salt, and a yearning for what could have been. But he won’t drag the lovely Jane and her disfigured son into his world, so he leaves, never expecting to see them again. But fate works in mysterious ways, and Butch is reunited with Jane six years later on a street in Paris. She looks the same, though skittish. And when she comes to him once again for help, he’s unable to say no, though it could cost him his life.
Jane is captivated by the quiet, capable man who saved her son from Diphtheria all those years ago and asks him to accompany her on a tour in America as her security guard without telling him why she’s so desperate to leave. But then she learns who Noble Salt truly is and knows the running has just begun.
This story! Once again, Amy Harmon has written characters larger than life who will stay with me for a long while. While I love the developing relationship between Butch and Jane, it’s his love of Augustus (Gus), Jane’s smart-as-a-whip son, that tugged on my heartstrings the most. And Van, Butch’s charismatic pain in the butt brother, who causes so much trouble but hero worships Butch so much that he tries to emulate him. The end had me in tears. It’s so heartbreaking!
This is a must-read, as are all of Ms. Harmon’s stories. So much research goes into what she writes that it is hard to separate fact from fiction- bravo!

The hope scared him most of all. Hope was dangerous. Hope made a man attempt the impossible. Hope kept a man coming back when he should have stayed away. “You opened me up,” he whispered to his sleeping wife. “And took my heart from my chest. Now how will I live?”

The Outlaw Noble Salt- Amy Harmon

A Girl Called Samson: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Amy Harmon 

Based on a true story, this is the heart-wrenching tale of a young woman who dreams of a better life and becomes the first female soldier in the United States.

Deborah Samson is indentured as a young girl after her father deserts his family and her mother is unable to support them. Pride in her Mayflower roots and the ability to read and write gives Deborah a restless yearning to be more than a servant her whole life. She spends the first few years at the disposal to an elderly woman, then moves to a farm where a family with ten children needs her help.

To practice her writing, Deborah asks the minister for help, and he sets up a communication between her and his married niece. Deborah treasures these letters and fills the pages with so many questions the young woman asks her lawyer husband to write as well. When John is called to mediate the growing dissent in the country, the women become ever closer.

As the boys grow, so does Deborah. She is seventeen, war is breaking out, and men are heading out to fight in the Continental army. Frustrated that she can’t participate in the cause, Deborah takes the extraordinary measure of cutting her hair, binding her breasts, and donning breeches to enlist. Her years of wrangling the boys under her care and watching them practice their drills, as well as her innate stubbornness keeps her going through long marches, deplorable circumstances, and the challenge of blending into the male world she’s been thrust into.

When she finally arrives at West Point, Deborah is stunned to learn John, the lawyer husband of her best friend, is there and he is the commanding general for the entire base. Several times in the following months, Deborah (Bonnie Robert Shurtliff, as she’s known by her teammates) proves her mettle by jumping into the fray and catches the general’s attention. What follows is the beginning of an epic love story worthy of the silver screen!

Unforgettable characters, profound dialogue, heart-wrenching scenes- this is a must-read!

“I do not hate being a woman. I simply hate that a woman can’t go to Yale or be a statesman or help draft a constitution. I hate that I can’t travel to Paris without a husband or even walk down the street alone. I hate the limitations that nature has placed on me, the limitations that life has placed on me.

A Girl Called Samson- Amy Harmon

The Songbook of Benny Lament: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Amy Harmon

If there is one book that I could recommend you buy, it’s The Songbook of Benny Lament.

This story is set in the early sixties, a time when America was in the throes of growing pains. The vietnam War was front and center. Mafia gangs ruled the big cities, and Black segregation was all too real.

Told from the unique perspective of a radio interview, we learn about the talented songwriter Benny Lament, who just happens to have close family ties with one of the biggest crime syndicates in New York. Benny doesn’t want anything to do with his famous uncle’s business, his only interest is music. But with a father as a mob enforcer, it’s almost impossible to keep himself separated from the danger lurking.

Esther Mine has worked hard for everything she’s got— which isn’t much. When she sees Benny Lament sitting in the crowd at one of her music performances, Esther sees a way out of the trenches.

Benny is immediately smitten with the diminutive Esther and her powerful voice, but when she approaches him to become the band’s manager, he balks knowing instinctively she’ll change his life.

Esther doesn’t give up easily, and soon has Benny creating songs that are catchy and draw attention to the diversified group. Fans are flamed when unexpected facts come to light and Benny is forced into an alliance he doesn’t want in order to protect the woman he loves.

Racism is ugly and back in the early 60’s it was the norm. Amy Harmon sheds an insightful look into discrimination and how it affects those involved- on both sides of the equation.

Along the way we learn about the roots of Motown and the many famous groups signed under that label.

This is a story I won’t soon forget. The Songbook of Benny Lament is definitely on my all-time best reads list!

The Unknown Beloved: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Amy Harmon

I’m grateful to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read The Unknown Beloved from one of the best authors I’ve ever encountered, Amy Harmon.

This is a spine-tingling romance set against the backdrop of 1930’s Cleveland where a serial killer named The Butcher hunts the streets.

Based on a true story.

A killer is playing macabre games with Cleveland police.

When patrolman, Michael Malone is sent to the home of a known gangster, he isn’t surprised to find the man lying dead in a pool of blood, though it saddens him that the man’s wife was caught in the crossfire. And worse than that, the couple’s ten-year-old daughter, Dani, barely avoided becoming a victim herself.

He feels a connection to the girl and her seeming ability to read emotions from bolts of cloth. Reeling from the loss of his own child, Malone comforts the child and sees that she arrives safely at her spinster aunts’ home in Cleveland.

Years later, Malone is called back from a job in the Bahamas to help his old friend, Eliot Ness, now the Safety Director in Cleveland. It seems they have a monster roaming the streets, randomly choosing victims to behead, chop to pieces, and distribute around a vagrant’s area of the city known as Kingsbury Run. Malone is uniquely suited to the investigation as a member of a group called The Unknowns- men who work under the radar and answer to The President of the United States. He specializes in listening and can fit into any environment- including the areas haunted by The Butcher.

Eliot has a room rented for him in a beautiful old Victorian, the home and seamstress business of the Kos’s, Dani’s family.

She was little more than a child the last time he saw her, but Dani Flanigan has grown into a beautiful young woman in the intervening years. She’s a distraction when he should be focusing on his job. Malone lost his wife and two children, he’s seen the worst of humanity, but there’s something about the sweet innocence of Dani and her inquisitive mind that draws him. He’s afraid. Scared she’ll be hurt when he leaves. Frightened he’ll be lost without her.

It’s horrifying to think monsters like The Butcher use the poor and downtrodden to slake their heinous hunger for depravity. This story gives insight into their behaviors and what makes a psychotic act out on their fantasies. It would be a dark read if not for the budding romance between a man who fears he has nothing to live for and the woman determined to prove him wrong.

The Uknown Beloved is a five+ star read.

And then there is the heartbreaking tale of love, sacrifice, and loss in Making Faces.

Making Faces Kindle Edition

by Amy Harmon 

Making Faces is a story of love, courage, and unlikely heroes- powerful and unforgettable!

Fern Taylor has been in love with Ambrose Young since she was ten and he killed a spider to protect her and her cousin, then helped her give it a decent burial. Ambrose has always been larger than life with his handsome looks, extraordinary physique, and popularity (though he’s not self-centered in the least), the type of guy an awkward teen wallflower like Fern can dream about but never hope to have.

Ambrose’s mother left him as a child, and it’s affected his trust in women. He prefers to focus his love on the wrestling ring. At least there, he’s the master of his own destiny. Fern Taylor’s uncle is Ambrose’s coach. She and her cousin, Bailey, are often on the sidelines during practice and matches, so he knows who she is with her fiery red hair and shy smiles. He even thinks she’s kind of cute, until she pulls a stunt he finds unforgiveable.

Bailey Sheen, Fern’s cousin, has Muscular Dystrophy. He knows his time on Earth is limited, but that doesn’t stop him from living it to the fullest. He’s an honorary member of the school wrestling team and idolizes Ambrose, who he associates with a hero from one of his favorite books- Hercules. He knows Fern has had a crush on the big guy forever and urges her to show Ambrose how great she is before it’s too late.

Then 9-11 happens and Ambrose realizes there is a higher purpose to life- protecting his country. He convinces his best friends to sign up with him and soon, they’re off to the war-torn country of Afghanistan. A tragic accident later, Ambrose comes home alone, disfigured, and bitter. Broken and angry, he blames himself for his friends’ deaths and questions why he was allowed to live.

Fern is heartbroken. Fern doesn’t know how to help him recover from the horrible circumstances of the war, but her love won’t let her leave him alone to grieve. She begins to leave him little messages and after a long while, a connection is made. Their relationship begins to grow into more than she could ever have hoped, though both carry scars they must overcome if they want to give their love a chance.

Just when their relationship looks promising, a horrific chain of events throws Ambrose, Fern, and the rest of the community into a tailspin they may never recover from.

FAVORITE LINES
“Have you ever stared at a painting so long that the colors blur and you can’t tell what you’re looking at anymore? There’s no form, face, or shape—just color, just swirls of paint?”

“I think people are like that. When you really look at them, you stop seeing a perfect nose or straight teeth. You stop seeing the acne scar or the dimple in the chin. Those things start to blur, and suddenly you see them, the colors, the life inside the shell, and beauty takes on a whole new meaning.”
Making Faces- Amy Harmon

This book is heart-wrenching on so many levels. Fern is the manifestation of many young girls; awkward, shy, plain- invisible. Yet, right from the start, Ambrose, handsome, tall, strong, and intense, notices her and is drawn to her quiet sincerity. The start of an epic love story, right?

Except, this book is so much more than a romance. It’s about taking life by the horns and going for it against impossible odds. It’s about the hero that resides in each of us, and yes, it is about love- family, friends, soul mates.

I hope you’ll give this truly gifted author a try. You won’t regret it ❤