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Strawberry Moon
In 1630s Massachusetts—a world of brutal winters, fragile alliances, and rising violence—Sarah is caught between the two identities the colony refuses to let her hold at once.
When Puritan soldiers destroy Merrymount and seize her English father, she is forced into her mother’s Massachusett village, where she is both welcomed and quietly set apart. To one world she is Sarah. To the other, Kimi. In neither does she fully belong.
Across the river, John Whipple arrives from England as an indentured servant, bound to labor under harsh authority in a land that offers him no standing—only survival.
When smallpox and a hurricane bring their lives into the same fragile world, Sarah and John form a bond that neither English law nor Indigenous expectation can accept. But in a colony defined by fear, purity, and rising violence, even small connections carry consequences.
As the Pequot War erupts and the world around them fractures into brutality, both are forced to confront what survival demands—and what belonging costs.
Separated by circumstance and shaped by loss, each must decide whether identity is something inherited… or something chosen.
At its heart, Strawberry Moon is a story of devotion and desire—a slow‑burn love that unfolds in stolen moments, quiet acts of care, and intimacy that reshapes both lives. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with emotional depth and beautifully written sensuality will find much to love in Sarah’s journey.
When Puritan soldiers destroy Merrymount and seize her English father, she is forced into her mother’s Massachusett village, where she is both welcomed and quietly set apart. To one world she is Sarah. To the other, Kimi. In neither does she fully belong.
Across the river, John Whipple arrives from England as an indentured servant, bound to labor under harsh authority in a land that offers him no standing—only survival.
When smallpox and a hurricane bring their lives into the same fragile world, Sarah and John form a bond that neither English law nor Indigenous expectation can accept. But in a colony defined by fear, purity, and rising violence, even small connections carry consequences.
As the Pequot War erupts and the world around them fractures into brutality, both are forced to confront what survival demands—and what belonging costs.
Separated by circumstance and shaped by loss, each must decide whether identity is something inherited… or something chosen.
At its heart, Strawberry Moon is a story of devotion and desire—a slow‑burn love that unfolds in stolen moments, quiet acts of care, and intimacy that reshapes both lives. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with emotional depth and beautifully written sensuality will find much to love in Sarah’s journey.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2026
About the author
Amber Hoyem
1 bookAmber Hoyem writes literary historical fiction rooted in early American history. She is the author of Strawberry Moon.
A former secondary educator, her descent into genealogical research drew her into early American history. What began as curiosity became a years‑long search for emotional and historical truth—one that revealed her ancestral ties to John and Sarah Whipple and the archival traces that sparked Strawberry Moon.
Originally from Southern California, Amber now lives in Oklahoma with her husband, two sons, and their fluffy puppy, Brooke. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found at a BMX track, cheering on her youngest, who behaves as if gravity is someone else’s problem.
A former secondary educator, her descent into genealogical research drew her into early American history. What began as curiosity became a years‑long search for emotional and historical truth—one that revealed her ancestral ties to John and Sarah Whipple and the archival traces that sparked Strawberry Moon.
Originally from Southern California, Amber now lives in Oklahoma with her husband, two sons, and their fluffy puppy, Brooke. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found at a BMX track, cheering on her youngest, who behaves as if gravity is someone else’s problem.
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August 9, 2026
This well-researched, immersive book gives such a fascinating look into colonial New England. The bleakness of the time is palpable within the pages. I love a book that inspires me to look up more about history I didn't previously know. I learned about the Antinomian Controversy and the Pequot War and enjoyed looking up more about them. This book is pretty spicy, which I didnt expect. But I liked the ending and how the story wrapped up.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review