Madelyn Grey (Author of To Capture a Rebel's Heart)

Madelyn Grey is now following Marlowe Atwater Author of Between the Moon and Wildflowers: A Slow-Burn P...
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Madelyn Grey is now following Annelise Amore Author of Haunt the Mall (Love at Westbrook Mall Book 1)
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Madelyn Grey rated a book it was amazing To Capture a Rebel's Heart (Heart's Rebellion, #1) by Madelyn Grey (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Even though it feels a bit awkward, I've been informed that first-time authors should always "christen" their books with a 5-star review. But instead of just giving myself an "A for effort," I'd like to provide a few behind the scenes facts to (hopef ...more
Mar 23, 2026 06:56PM · 8 likes · like · see review
Madelyn Grey wants to read Mercy of the Crow by Stephanie Escobar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As a fan of Escobar's last beautiful offering, A SONG BEYOND WALLS, I was very excited when she revealed this new tale that delves into veins of dark folklore and fantasy. Just like in ASBW, MERCY OF THE CROW has enchanting prose, rich worldbuilding, ...more
Mar 17, 2026 07:15PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Madelyn Grey is now following Stephanie Escobar Author of Mercy of the Crow
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Madelyn Grey wants to read Mercy of the Crow by Stephanie Escobar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Madelyn Grey has read The Lady and the Loyalist (Heart of the Revolution Book 1) by Stephanie McRae (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is such a beautiful, well-written AmRev romance that immersed me in the 18th century from start to finish. Not all historical romances can do this effectively, so I was very impressed by how nothing ever felt modern or out of place. The characte ...more
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Madelyn Grey and 1 other person liked Jessika Caruso's review of The Lady and the Loyalist (Heart of the Revolution Book 1): This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Madelyn Grey is now following

Marlowe Atwater

Author of Between the Moon and Wildflowers: A Slow-Burn P...

Madelyn Grey is now following

Annelise Amore

Author of Haunt the Mall (Love at Westbrook Mall Book 1)

Madelyn Grey rated a book it was amazing

To Capture a Rebel's Heart by Madelyn Grey

To Capture a Rebel's Heart (Heart's Rebellion, #1)
by Madelyn Grey (Goodreads Author)

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Even though it feels a bit awkward, I've been informed that first-time authors should always "christen" their books with a 5-star review. But instead of just giving myself an "A for effort," I'd like to provide a few behind the scenes facts to (hopef Even though it feels a bit awkward, I've been informed that first-time authors should always "christen" their books with a 5-star review. But instead of just giving myself an "A for effort," I'd like to provide a few behind the scenes facts to (hopefully!) make this a little fun for you to read:

1) Clara was initially created as a side character for a gothic novel (unpublished) featuring vampires and witches, which was set in 1857. My betas unanimously loved Clara the most of all the characters, and I admittedly did too. It wasn't until November 2020 that I decided to reimagine her for a completely different time period and story. Because of this, I no longer consider her initial creation to be canon!

2) Book one and book two of this series were initially written as standalones. Book two was the novel I submitted to my publisher, and they asked if I could turn it into a series. Remembering this book, I quickly said yes, and then wrote the third novel after my acceptance. Because of this, books two and three are more deeply connected, but I went back to this novel, and added a few subtle Easter eggs to tie in with the sequels. You're unlikely to notice them unless you've read books two and three -- fortunately, none of these novels need to be read in order, so you can pick and choose!

3) The Grey Whale Tavern is a tiny tribute to The Blue Whale Tavern from Dark Shadows (1966). My mom got me into that show when I was 15, and it started my lifelong love of historical romance. Giving a subtle shout-out seemed like a given! In this same vein, while I was describing The Grey Whale, I used Michie Tavern in Charlottesville, VA as a reference.

4) I'd wanted to write about AmRev spies ever since February 2020 when I visited Mount Vernon. The video about Lydia Darragh was intriguing to me (especially the section about sewing intelligence inside cloth buttons), but I didn't fully envision a clear direction until I watched TURN: Washington's Spies later that year. Since I wished the show had covered more "hands-on" and immersive spying behind enemy lines, I decided to write a story like that myself.

5) This was originally a whopping 120k words. I pared it down to under 100k. Most of what was removed were scenes that didn't move the plot forward (primarily, singular character introspection).

6) For Benjamin's laudanum arc, I referenced "Confessions of a Young Lady and Laudanum-Drinker," published in 1899 by the Journal of Mental Sciences. The text is from an anonymous young woman who shares about her usage, and it was by far the most vivid, helpful source about addiction I've ever found. Researching symptoms is one thing, but reading about the experience through an actual victim was eye-opening. I encourage everyone to give it a read, if interested! It's available on the Internet Archive.

7) The original title of this book was THE WORLD IS MADE WRONG, a quote from Mark Twain's THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER. Not only did I find the quote befitting of the AmRev -- “The world is made wrong; kings should go to school to their own laws, at times, and so learn mercy” -- but this was also a reference to Benjamin's mistaken identity, one of the themes of Twain's book. ...more

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Mercy of the Crow
by Stephanie Escobar (Goodreads Author)

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As a fan of Escobar's last beautiful offering, A SONG BEYOND WALLS, I was very excited when she revealed this new tale that delves into veins of dark folklore and fantasy. Just like in ASBW, MERCY OF THE CROW has enchanting prose, rich worldbuilding, ...more

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Stephanie Escobar

Author of Mercy of the Crow

Madelyn Grey wants to read

Mercy of the Crow
by Stephanie Escobar (Goodreads Author)

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Madelyn Grey has read

The Lady and the Loyalist by Stephanie McRae

The Lady and the Loyalist (Heart of the Revolution Book 1)
by Stephanie McRae (Goodreads Author)

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This is such a beautiful, well-written AmRev romance that immersed me in the 18th century from start to finish. Not all historical romances can do this effectively, so I was very impressed by how nothing ever felt modern or out of place. The characte This is such a beautiful, well-written AmRev romance that immersed me in the 18th century from start to finish. Not all historical romances can do this effectively, so I was very impressed by how nothing ever felt modern or out of place. The characters are all charming (especially Emmeline -- she's completely adorable!), and I love how as the novel progresses, Susan and Charles' varying hindrances and insecurities compliment one another until (at long last!) they're able to find their happy ending. I was also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful intertwinement of faith, because I wasn't expecting that in this novel!

Since I'm honestly terrible at providing cohesive thoughts about what I love (I tend to get jumbled when I'm gushing!), I'll just list the highlights that I experienced while reading:

1) I loved how despite Charles' initial coldness, he was always warm with children, and clearly cared about the greater good. It helped Susan see early on that he was a good man.
2) Quite a few of Susan and Charles' initial interactions are echoed at the very end, so pay attention to those moments -- the way they pop up again are sweetly romantic!
3) Charles' love of whittling was a hobby I don't see too often, and I enjoyed how he made things for Susan to express his affection when words failed him (i.e. the rose, the dolphin, and the ginger heart).
4) The growing unrest in the town added a great tension to the backdrop of Susan and Charles' equally mounting tension.
5) That whole section with Charles and Quill guarding the Magazine was definitely one of my favorite moments. It added great suspense, and a touch of action that I found myself unable to stop reading.
6) The epilogue with Susan, Charles, and Kitty was very sweet! I felt so warm and full after reading that final line. It was one of those little "contented sigh" moments.

After reading McCrae's author's note, I do find it beautifully miraculous that God guided her to VA so that she would fall in love with the state, and then write this beautiful series. As a Virginian myself, I really enjoyed reading about some of the places I've been to over the years, and I'm grateful this book was recommended to me so that I could experience VA through the eyes of the past. I would definitely read more of McCrae's work! ...more