When Secrets Bloom, an enchanting Transylvanian historical fiction novel, available from Amazon worldwide: e-book, paperback, and (coming soon) audio-book and large print.
Some secrets heal. Others kill.
Transylvania, 1463
Kate Webber, a 28-year-old Saxon healer, has long walked the line between reverence and suspicion. Trained in the healing arts under the guidance of Lord Vlad Dracula, she has learned that skill alone cannot protect a woman in a city ruled by fear. Her marriage to the powerful but secretive Magyar promised stability, yet left her silenced and watched. On a bitter Advent night, when a mother and her newborn face death, Kate defies her husband’s command and steps into danger — for life, not reputation.
When Kate succeeds, the city notices. Some with awe. Others with fury. The town physician, threatened by her talent and humiliated by her success, seizes his moment. And as rumors flare into accusations, old alliances stir. Iancu, Kate’s childhood friend and now captain of the Militia, comes to her aid during the perilous birth — rekindling memories of freedom, laughter, and trust, before marriage shackled her to duty.
Back in her workshop, a girl appears, pleading for a love potion. But Margit brings more than need. She leads a mob. Elsewhere in the city, Moise, a Jewish apprentice at the printing press, notices a cloaked figure drifting across the square: a Shaman whose presence draws whispers of Magyar’s hidden dealings. When a rare manuscript disappears from the press Moise begins to uncover a darker purpose: a sought-after book. On the day of execution Kate performs a final act of defiance, she saves another child, while Moise is framed for more than he could have ever imagined.
Kate and Moise’s fates, as well as the map’s legacy, unfold as some secrets must be read not in books, but in the hearts of those who hide them.
***
Kate is a fictional character, yet through her eyes When Secrets Bloom offers a vivid, textured glimpse into 15th-century life in Kronstadt, Transylvania (today Brasov). From the daily rhythms of a fortress ruled by Saxon and Szekler men to the endearing hopes of Vlach and Jewish communities; from the quiet power women wield behind closed doors to the looming shadow of the Church and to whispered fears of plague and heresy, this novel immerses the reader fully in a world both beautiful and brutal. The presence of Vlad the Impaler’s memory — observed not through myth but through Kate’s wary, intimate lens — adds a haunting tension to the tale. It’s the kind of historical fiction that doesn’t just tell a story, it transports you into its bones.
Fans of rousing historical fiction with a feminist bent will find much to love in When Secrets Bloom.
Read When Secrets Bloom if you enjoyed reading The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche, Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth Delozier, or Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
What readers say about When Secrets Bloom:
“A compelling novel” (Five Stars Amazon Review)
“Historical Fiction Full of Tension” (Five Stars Amazon Review)
“The author uses vivid, poetic language to create the dark world, and I noted so many beautiful lines.” (Five Stars Amazon Review)
“I really enjoyed Furstenberg’s writing style. There is tension in every scene, and it makes you flip those pages, but the story never seems rushed. I’m astounded at how fast the book reads for a longer book. You just get lost in the grip of the story.” (Five Stars Amazon Review)
Join the virtual blog tour, tracing the roots of When Secrets Bloom into the very soil of Transylvania
When Secrets Bloom received an unexpected and highly treasured mentioned in Paula Bardell-Hedley’s weekly newsletter, a comprehensive account of literary events: * Return Unopened, Or Reply? * I am delighted to report that the latest…
Visiting historical fiction writer Tony Riches on his author blog with a launch guest post on unexpected discoveries while researching When Secrets Bloom and the hardest scene to write.
Book spotlight on writer’s Sally Cronin famous blog
Book spotlight on author Mary L. Schmidt’s author busy blog.
When writing is an uphill journey: visiting lovely author Lisette Brodey and chatting about a the ups and downs of writing a historical fiction set in Transylvania (if you’re familiar with the history of East Europe or in general the history of the Balkans you know what I mean), on living with one’s characters (who do not cook, wash or clean for you but burst in spontaneous monologues at ALL hours of day And night) and, generally, on how long it actually took to write a historical fiction novel that shadows Vlad Dacula (sans fangs) and the first in a series!
How Humor Finds a Voice in Historical Fiction for History Through Fiction
Surprise guest post: visiting amazingly funny writer Jessie Cahalin: chatting about When Secrets Bloom: what inspired me to write this book, which are the themes explored, what social and historical references are present, and something about Kate Webber, the main protagonist.
Why we need MORE historical fiction written by women authors for Books by Women and the unique depth women writers bring to historical fiction.
Snow on the Tracks: Shadowing Vlad the Impaler to Sighișoara for Intrepid Times
The Shape of Fear, the Shape of Love a letter sent by one of the characters in When Secrets Bloom (guess who!) to another one, Kate Webber.
“Furstenberg’s sentences flow, and her use of language is captivating,” – When Secrets Bloom is part fantasy author’s D Wallace Peach July’s reads!
“This novel is woven tightly and in an intricate fashion full of 15th century Transylvania” said writer Mary L. Schmidt in her surprise book review and spotlight.
Summer Book Fair spotlight for When Secrets Bloom on talented writer and podcaster’s Sally Cronin blog,who says in her review: “This is a book to savour, and absorb. It is rich in history, legend, loyalty and love.“
The crocus on the book cover of When Secrets Bloom, a guest post for lovely Mairéad Hearne, over on Swirl and Thread.
Book review and Spotlight by Bonnie DeMoss, Reviewer for the The Historical Novel Society
An Author’s Note to the Readers of When Secrets Bloom:
I will show you things as they were.
I will gather everyone around you. You will smell the smoke of the hearth and the iron tang of winter in Kronstadt, today Brasov. You will shiver on frost-bound roads and sweat under the heat of plotting and deceit in the old Saxon world. You will ride beside a healer whose hands wrest life from death and hear whispers of secrets that could topple kings.
You will be present at births that hang by a thread and in the shadow of a man who calls her by a childhood name and feel the pull of memory and longing. You will see a woman condemned, judged by superstition and greed, and yet defying the noose with every step she takes. You will tremble in front of ignorance.
You will follow a young Jew through the alleys of the town square, where rumors and superstitions drift like the heavy scent of ink from the printing press, where a shaman moves like a shadow and where a stolen book carries a map to treasures older than memory. You will smile at his youthful ignorance and impetuosity. And wince as that what he is after is always just one step ahead, always out of grasp. You will glimpse the silent alliances of women, the quiet courage that moves unseen and the risks taken to protect truth from those who would crush it.
You will ride in a rickety cart toward Witches’ Lake and hold your breath as the ice cracks beneath a daring step. You will chase whispers of gold and witness betrayal, cunning, and bravery in equal measure. You will fear, you will hope, you will mourn, you will love.
You will leave these pages changed — unsettled, amazed, stirred.
Come with me.