"The Tea Chest" by Heidi Chiavaroli

If you’re catching up on your reading these days, an intriguing new book to add to your list is The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiavaroli. Since the cover depicts a woman in a period dress and with a tea clipper in the background, a scene typical of historical fiction, readers may be surprised when they dive into the first chapter and meet Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth. Hayley is about to begin special training in California as she tries to become the first woman SEAL. Prior to the training, she heads home to Massachusetts to visit her drug-addicted mother. Hayley's mother is out of town, but while in Massachusetts, Hayley meets up with her old boyfriend, Ethan Gagnon, who is now running an antiques shop he inherited when his wife died. He encourages Hayley to choose an item from the shop as a gift, and she is inexplicably drawn to an old wooden tea chest.

Meanwhile, back in 1773, Emma Malcolm—the daughter of one of the king's agents in America—is dreading a future in which she seems destined to marry a young tea importer her parents think will make a good match for the family. The Sons of Liberty are stirring up trouble near her home, and despite what is expected of her, Emma gets caught up in the furor in ways she never would have expected, including her growing attraction to Noah Winslow, a young patriot whose honor and integrity capture her heart. Emma is even at the center of events on the night of December 16, 1773, when the infamous Boston Tea Party takes place, and the course of her life is set to take a very different turn from what she's imagined. An important document chronicling the events of that night lands in Emma's hands, and eventually, it makes its way into a tea chest she owns.

Chiavaroli does a terrific job of connecting Hayley and Emma across the centuries, and the many ways in which the women's lives are mirrored are fun to read. This is a novel that has something for everyone: history for those who love to learn about the Revolutionary War–era, a bit of romance for those who prefer a good love story, and of course the mystery of how Hayley crosses paths with Emma. A few scenes in the book seemed rather intense for a historical fiction novel from an inspirational publisher, so sensitive readers may find that the story makes them queasy in a couple of spots. (The scenes do move the story forward, though, so props to the author for having the guts to include them.)

For those who like both their tea and their women strong, it's hard to imagine a better escape than The Tea Chest.

***Review copy courtesy of NetGalley***