12 Patriotic Books to Read for America’s 250th Birthday

This Fourth of July, I’m declaring my independence from love. Too bad nobody told Phoenix Wood.

Gigi Hart has two goals this keep her bakery stocked with red, white, and blue cupcakes, and to avoid anything—or anyone—remotely connected to her health-obsessed family and their fitness empire, Hart Health. So when her parents send their newest spokesperson, charming retired NFL star Phoenix Wood, to “talk,” she’s ready to show him the door.

But Phoenix isn’t just here on business. He’s searching for what comes after football… and maybe, just maybe, a reason to stay in Honeysuckle Ridge.

Between Fourth of July festival prep, small-town matchmaking, and midnight cake deliveries, Gigi and Phoenix discover that the sweetest love stories are the ones you never see coming. But when family secrets threaten their budding romance, they’ll have to decide if love is worth taking the biggest risk of all.

Red, White, and You is a sweet, funny, closed-door romantic comedy novella. Perfect for fans of opposites attract, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and feel-good small-town romance.

Stars. Stripes. Sparks.

Savannah Lane is a barrel racer chasing a rodeo queen crown.

Colter Hays is a bull rider who left to become a soldier—and broke her heart.

Now he’s back in Iron Spur just in time for the Fourth of July rodeo… and everything she tried to forget is standing right in front of her. But some love stories don’t end… they wait.

We weren’t supposed to kiss… again. Is it still a second chance when our first one was a secret?

Rewind: In high school, I was Little Miss Brainy Rebel Girl to my twin’s athletic Mr. Popularity. That also meant I avoided wading into the dating pool. Like a shark, it didn’t help that my protective brother probably scared away potential suitors.

Fast forward: He’s engaged, but our parents won’t let him tie the knot until I find a boyfriend. Now, he has guys lining up to date me. This only becomes an issue when his best friend, Redd, gets a hero’s welcome when he returns to play hockey for the Nebraska Knights.

Pause: Little does my brother know that Redd and I kissed on a senior year camping trip. After that, I swore off smooching forever. But I get looped into helping him fundraise for our old high school’s hockey team, and he and his adorable secret move into my grandmother’s old house.

We end up spending a lot of time together. Making pancakes, playing flashlight tag, going to the lake… The problem is we despise each other, or so I thought. Will things between us fizzle, or will there be fireworks this 4th of July?

This is a clean, sweet, closed-door hockey romcom with lots of sweet kisses and a happily ever after.

She has always been my always, but I’m still her someday.

Tyson Lane

Lottie’s the only woman I’ve ever seen.

My best friend’s little sister, a.k.a. the senator’s daughter, who is forbidden to date hockey players because it will destroy her mom’s perfect image.

Lottie, the one girl I wasn’t supposed to fall for, but whoops, I did, a long time ago.

I almost kissed her once, but she made it clear she wasn’t interested and was moving to DC forever.

For five long years, I tried to get over her. Every. Day.

Imagine my surprise when I’m called to play for a hockey tournament to celebrate our nation’s birthday, and I find out I’m spending my summer in DC—right where she is.

It doesn’t take long for me to see I still have a serious case of loving Lottie. Something else hasn’t changed. Her mother still hates me and devises a plan to keep us apart. But my country hasn’t picked me to wear a jersey for no reason. If an entire nation can trust me to fight for victory, I must believe in myself.

Between the pressure of games and the late-night fireworks—I’m not talking about the ones in the sky—I’ve decided I’m not backing down.

Not on the ice.

And not with Lottie.

Lottie Halloway

My mother says Ty will ruin my future. My heart says he’s the only future I want, and someday we’ll find a way to be together.

Five years ago, I chose the easy path. I pretended he didn’t matter, hoping that if I ignored the sparks long enough, the fire would burn out.

Now Ty’s in DC for our nation’s birthday, and it doesn’t take long to find out the feelings I buried are more explosive than ever.

My mother still expects me to walk the line she drew for me. But I’m finally realizing that “someday” has a deadline. I have to choose: her expectations, or the man I can’t afford to lose again.

***************

Stars, Stripes, and Hockey Nights: A sweet hockey romantic comedy series where hockey isn’t just a game—it’s an American tradition. This summer, celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday with the swooniest hockey all-stars as they take the ice in a festive exhibition tournament.

When USA’s top NHL stars arrive in Washington, DC, they’re competing for more than a championship title. Between face-offs and slap shots, these all-American heroes find themselves taking their biggest risk yet—falling in love. Expect prank wars, locker room banter, fireworks—on and off the ice—and sparks that light up more than the scoreboard.

Each book in this closed-door romcom series is a complete standalone, featuring a different hockey hero taking his shot at forever. Because love isn’t just won in the arena—it’s written in the stars and stripes of the heart.

Let the fireworks begin!

What if America had a royal family?

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.

Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.

And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

All Abby wants is one normal summer before college. No headlines. No drama. Just a chance to breathe.

But when a run-in at the White House with Gabriel Calabrese—a maddeningly carefree small-town photographer—spirals into a pizza delivery scandal that makes front-page news, Abby’s plans disappear overnight. To escape the fallout, she’s sent to a charming country inn run by Gabriel’s family.

Now she’s stuck with the last person she wants to see.

As Abby and Gabriel team up to save his family’s Fourth of July festival—and tackle Abby’s secret summer bucket list—sparks begin to fly. Especially when he helps her experience all the “real” teen moments she’s missed: parties, picnics… and maybe even a first kiss.

She never intended to become a spy … or fall for one.

Philadelphia, 1776

As whispers of revolution turn swell into a roar for freedom, Lucy Carlson is no longer content to simply watch from behind the counter of her father’s jewelry shop. When a mysterious woman—none other than Martha Washington—leaves behind a locket, Lucy discovers the piece is more than a pretty keepsake. The necklace is a secret vessel for the revolution that carries the promise of love.

Drawn into a dangerous spy ring, Lucy begins crafting coded messages concealed within the locket’s clever design, living a secret double life and risking everything she holds dear in a time of sacrifice and war.

Continental soldier Branch Barton is a man defined by duty. Tasked with rooting out traitors, he moves through the shadowed world of deception and divided loyalties. He’s trained to trust no one, yet he finds himself drawn into a slow-burning connection with the jeweler’s spirited daughter.

But when Lucy begins to suspect Branch may be a Redcoat in disguise, their fragile bond is tested by mistaken identity, growing mistrust, and the threat of betrayal.

In a war where even allies can become enemies, Lucy and Branch must navigate a world of hidden truths and guarded hearts. With the fate of the colonies—and their hearts—hanging in the balance as Lucy delivers a message in enemy territory, will they find the courage to trust each other and choose love?

Courage built a nation. Love made it worth fighting for.

Throughout 250 years of American history, a well-loved locket finds its way into the hands of eight spirited heroines—each standing at the crossroads of love and destiny, and each inspired by a true patriot. As it journeys from one heart to the next, these stories unfold with sweet romance, unwavering hope, and a deep love of country, proving that even in uncertain times, love is always worth the risk. Start reading the Petticoats & Patriots series today!

In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton.

In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.

From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.

Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.

But as Deborah fights for her country’s freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is—and, ultimately, a surprising love she can’t deny.

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 in their home. 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. Torn between her growing love for the general and suspicion that her sister is a British spy, Mae 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.

“Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted.” –George Washington

Did unrequited love help spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution? Never before has this story about George Washington been told. Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries, Dear George, Dear Mary explores George’s relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.

From elegant eighteenth-century society to bloody battlefields, the novel creates breathtaking scenes and riveting characters. Dramatic portraits of the two main characters unveil a Washington on the precipice of greatness, using the very words he spoke and wrote, and his ravishing love, whose outward beauty and refinement disguise a complex inner struggle.

Dear George, Dear Mary reveals why George Washington had such bitter resentment toward the Brits, established nearly two decades before the American Revolution, and it unveils details of a deception long hidden from the world that led Mary Philipse to be named a traitor, condemned to death, and left with nothing. While that may sound like the end, ultimately, both Mary and George achieve what they always wanted.

With the colonies at war and his country divided, Hamilton Lightfoot must choose sides: Fight for the British Crown or for the Independence of America. But after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of redcoats, he fears he’ll fight for revenge instead of honor. On the verge of a great battle, he pens a letter to Esther, the woman he loves.

Esther Longfellow is in love with Hamilton, but her father is a loyalist, living in upcountry South Carolina and working for a wealthy British lord. When the Revolutionary War comes to her doorstep she is forced to choose between devotion to her father and her love for Hamilton.

Chloe Daschle is the daughter of Hollywood royalty—a great director and an Oscar-winning actress. Yet her career has taken an unexpected turn: She’s the queen of death scenes. Trying to break out, she accepts a supporting role in a revolutionary war film. But she longs for the perfect role and the perfect real-life romance. Does happily ever after only exist in the movies?

After a life-changing tragedy, MIT graduate Jesse Gates decides to leave his life behind and move to LA to try his hand at acting and screenwriting. When he finds a page from one of his ancestor’s letters, he becomes consumed with the love he finds there. Determined to help his grandfather find happiness at the end of his life, Jesse writes and sells a screenplay based on the events surrounding the lost love of previous generations.

When Jesse meets the woman he has cast to play Esther Longfellow—his grandfather’s one true love—the stories of all four collide across time and space. The love letter from the past might have more power to affect the future than any of them could have imagined.