Heather

Webb

Historical Fiction Novelist

USA Today Bestselling Author

Travels from: Mansfield Center, CT

“Author Webb grabs hold of the reader and does not let go. Told in intimate first-person chapters from both Ava’s and Frank’s viewpoints, their many spats, breakups, and reunions feel honest yet not overdone… Altogether, a rousing and well-done, probably mostly true, romantic novel.” — Historical Novels Review

Heather Webb is the USA Today and international bestselling and award-winning author of eleven historical novels. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodread’s Top Pick, and in 2018, Last Christmas in Paris won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award. Meet Me in Monaco, was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Goldsboro RNA award in the UK, as well as the 2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction prize.

Heather’s novel, Strangers in the Night, is a novel of the tumultuous and tragic love story of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, (March 2023) by HarperCollins. Her novel Queens of London (2024), is about an all-female gang in 1925 London, led by the notorious Diamond Annie and the Forty Elephants. Heather has also joined forces again with her beloved writing partner, Hazel Gaynor, for a fourth collaboration at William Morrow entitled Christmas with the Queen (Fall 2024). Her newest book The Hope Keeper (May 2026), is a novel of the curse of the Hope Diamond, the last woman who owned it, and the beginnings of women working at the Smithsonian where the diamond now resides.

Heather lives in New England with her family, a mischievous kitten, and one feisty rabbit.

The Hope Keeper: A Novel

Sourcebooks Landmark |

May 19, 2026

Historical Fiction

1919, Washington D.C. Elisabeth Beaumont comes from a renowned jeweler family, but after the untimely death of her twin brother, she’s left on her own to run the failing family business. Desperate for work, she approaches the affluent crowd her brother Julien once courted to expand Beaumont Jewelers. Their ringleader is wealthy socialite Evalyn McLean, owner of the world’s most infamous gemstone, rumored to curse all who travel within its orbit.

The Hope Diamond.

As Elisabeth is swept into Evalyn’s toxic world of dark opulence, the lines defining who she is and where she belongs begin to blur, leading Elisabeth to question all she once believed. She’s no longer certain she wants to take over the family business and be beholden to the wealthy elite of D.C. But she can’t fathom leaving her father in the lurch. There’s also Evalyn to consider, and the Hope Diamond, which beckons Elisabeth to admire it, touch it, care for it, despite every warning she’s been told.

When tragedy strikes one night, not only is Elisabeth’s fragile friendship with Evalyn put to the test, but her carefully constructed glamorous new life comes crashing down. Now Elisabeth must face the truth about her brother’s death and decide what matters most.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thriller

Christmas with the Queen: A Novel

William Morrow |

October 22, 2024

Historical Fiction

’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me in Monaco, and Three Words for Goodbye.

December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously.

Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition.

As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.

Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver…

Historical Fiction

Queens of London

Sourcebooks Landmark |

February 6, 2024

Historical Fiction

Maybe women can have it all, as long as they’re willing to steal it.

1925. London. When Alice Diamond, AKA “Diamond Annie,” is elected the Queen of the Forty Elephants, she’s determined to take the all-girl gang to new heights. She’s ambitious, tough as nails, and a brilliant mastermind, with a plan to create a dynasty the likes of which no one has ever seen. Alice demands absolute loyalty from her “family”―it’s how she’s always kept the cops in line. Too bad she’s now the target for one of Britain’s first female policewomen.

Officer Lilian Wyles isn’t merely one of the first female detectives at Scotland Yard, she’s one of the best detectives on the force. Even so, she’ll have to win a big score to prove herself, to break free from the “women’s work” she’s been assigned. When she hears about the large-scale heist in the works to fund Alice’s new dynasty, she realizes she has the chance she’s been looking for―and the added bonus of putting Diamond Annie out of business permanently.

A tale of dark glamour and sisterhood, Queens of London is a look at Britain’s first female crime syndicate, the ever-shifting meaning of justice, and the way women claim their power by any means necessary, from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webb.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thriller

Strangers in the Night: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner

William Morrow |

March 21, 2023

Historical Fiction

It was the tumultuous romance that scandalized the world: Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner fought, loved, and lived life to the hilt. Now their unbridled story is brought vividly to life by Heather Webb, the bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco and The Next Ship Home.

In the golden age of Hollywood, two of the brightest stars would define—and defy—an era…

She was the small-town southern beauty transformed into a Hollywood love goddess. He was the legendary crooner whose voice transfixed the world. They were Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Separately they were irresistible; together they were an explosive combination.

Ava’s star is rising just as Frank’s career—and public image as a family man—is taking a hit. Gone are the days of the screaming bobbysoxers and chart-topping hits. Ava, however, finds herself gracing the front page of every tabloid in America. Jealousy and cheating abound, and when the two succumb to their temperaments and their vices, their happiness is threatened at every turn.

As the pair ride the rollercoaster of success and failure, passion and anger, they both wonder if the next turn will be the end of their careers, and most devastating of all—the end of all they’ve shared.

A captivating novel with a star-studded cast spanning continents and decades, Strangers in the Night brings to life the most riveting love story of the twentieth century.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance & Romantasy

The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island

Sourcebooks Landmark |

February 22, 2022

Historical Fiction

“With meticulous research and deft prose, Heather Webb crafts an unflinching look at the immigrant experience, an unlikely and unique friendship, and a resonant story of female empowerment. The Next Ship Home is truly a beautiful and powerful book.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star

Ellis Island, 1902: Two women band together to hold America to its promise: “Give me your tired, your poor … your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

A young Italian woman arrives on the shores of America, her sights set on a better life. That same day, a young American woman reports to her first day of work at the immigration center. But Ellis Island isn’t a refuge for Francesca or Alma, not when ships depart every day with those who are refused entry to the country and when corruption ripples through every corridor. While Francesca resorts to desperate measures to ensure she will make it off the island, Alma fights for her dreams of becoming a translator, even as women are denied the chance.

As the two women face the misdeeds of a system known to manipulate and abuse immigrants searching for new hope in America, they form an unlikely friendship—and share a terrible secret—altering their fates and the lives of the immigrants who come after them.

This is a novel of the dark secrets of Ellis Island, when entry to “the land of the free” promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, and when immigrant strength and female friendship found ways to triumph even on the darkest days.

Inspired by true events and for fans of Kristina McMorris and Hazel Gaynor, The Next Ship Home holds up a mirror to our own times, deftly questioning America’s history of prejudice and exclusion while also reminding us of our citizens’ singular determination.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Immigrant & Refugee Perspectives

Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women

William Morrow |

October 1, 2019

Historical Nonfiction

“The French Revolution comes alive through the eyes of six diverse and complex women, in the skilled hands of these amazing authors.”–Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.

Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution—and change the world.

In late eighteenth-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise—upending a world order that has long oppressed them.

Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women, and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself–but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister Princess Elisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.

But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive–unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military & War

Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding

William Morrow Paperbacks |

July 23, 2019

Historical Fiction

“A fragrant French bonbon of a book: love, glamour, perfume, and paparazzi all circling around the wedding of the century…”–Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK and THE HUNTRESS.

Named one of InStyle‘s best books to put in your totebag for the summer!

Named one of Popsugar’s best books to put in your beachbag this summer and one of the best books of July!

Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Grace Kelly’s whirlwind romance and unforgettable wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb take the reader on an evocative sun-drenched journey along the Côte d’Azur in this page-turning novel of passion, fate and second chances…

Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique to fend off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy.

James Henderson cannot forget his brief encounter with Sophie Duval. Despite his guilt at being away from his daughter, he takes an assignment to cover the wedding of the century, sailing with Grace Kelly’s wedding party on the SS Constitution from New York. In Monaco, as wedding fever soars and passions and tempers escalate, James and Sophie—like Princess Grace—must ultimately decide what they are prepared to give up for love.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance & Romantasy

The Phantom’s Apprentice

Sonnet Press |

February 6, 2018

Historical Fiction

In this re-imagining of Phantom of the Opera, meet a Christine Daa you’ve never seen before…

Christine Daa sings with her violinist father in salons all over Paris, but she longs to practice her favorite pastime–illusions. When her beloved Papa dies during a conjurer’s show, she abandons her magic and surrenders to grief and guilt. Life as a female illusionist seems too dangerous, and she must honor her father’s memory.

Concerned for her welfare, family friend Professor Delacroix secures an audition for her at the Op ra de Paris–the most illustrious stage in Europe. Yet Christine soon discovers the darker side of Paris opera. Rumors of murder float through the halls, and she is quickly trapped between a scheming diva and a mysterious phantom. The Angel of Music.

But is the Angel truly a spirit, or a man obsessed, stalking Christine for mysterious reasons tangled in her past?

As Christine’s fears mount, she returns to her magical arts with the encouragement of her childhood friend, Raoul. Newfound hope and romance abounds…until one fateful night at the masquerade ball. Those she cares for–Delacroix, the Angel, and even Raoul–aren’t as they seem. Now she must decide whom she trusts and which is her rightful path: singer or illusionist.

To succeed, she will risk her life in the grandest illusion of all.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Romance & Romantasy

Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I

William Morrow Paperbacks |

October 3, 2017

Historical Fiction

An unforgettably romantic novel that spans four Christmases (1914-1918), Last Christmas in Paris explores the ruins of war, the strength of love, and the enduring hope of the Christmas season.

New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War.

August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently…

Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?

Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military & War, Romance & Romantasy

Rodin’s Lover: A Novel

Plume |

January 27, 2015

Historical Fiction

A mesmerizing tale of art and passion in Belle Époque France

As a woman, aspiring sculptor Camille Claudel has plenty of critics, especially her ultra-traditional mother. But when Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice—and his muse—their passion inspires groundbreaking works. Yet, Camille’s success is overshadowed by her lover’s rising star, and her obsessions cross the line into madness.

Rodin’s Lover brings to life the volatile love affair between one of the era’s greatest artists and a woman entwined in a tragic dilemma she cannot escape.

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance & Romantasy

The Writer’s Life

The Writer’s Journey: Lamentations, Inspirations, and Living the Dream
The Heart of a Writer: Why we must write
Mom, Manager, Rock Star: The life of a master juggler and finding meaning in it all

Writer’s Life Workshop-Style Sessions

Writing Desire: Sex and the Historical Female
The Art of Pacing: How to keep a reader on the edge of their seat
You Had Me at Hello: Writing Effective and Gripping Openings
Level Up: An Editor’s Guide to Revising

Historical Topics

History is Always Relevant: Writing Historical Fiction for a Modern Audience
Illuminating a Feminist Past: untold stories of women in history who paved the way for women today
The life of the Female Artist in Belle Epoque era Paris
Old Hollywood and the A-List: Studio culture of the 1940s and 50s, Bad Behavior, and the Spotlight
Immigration (through Ellis Island), Progress, and Turn-of-the-Century New York City
Gangland, the Forty Elephants, and Policewomen: the first female inspectors at Scotland Yard and the all-female crime syndicate in the UK
Love, Journalism, and the Great War: From the Front to the home fires in London, a look at book related topics

“Heather was engaging, professional, friendly and open about her background. My guests had many questions and she gladly answered all of them!” — Berkeley Research Group, 2024

“Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra’s wildly rocky relationship in Strangers in the Night exposes the cinematic glitz of Hollywood’s golden age alongside Tinseltown’s darker underbelly. Readers craving a story that’s glamorous and deliciously dishy won’t be able to turn these pages fast enough!” — Stephanie Marie Thornton, USA Today bestselling author of A Most Clever Girl

“Heather Webb gets under the skin of two of the brightest stars showbiz ever produced, and takes us inside their tempestuous, compulsive, alcohol-fueled love story. Crackling with sexual tension, and full of insight about the pressures of mega-stardom, this is a spicy and addictive page-turner.” — Gill Paul, USA Today bestselling author of The Manhattan Girls

“Strangers in the Night is a gorgeously written, impeccably researched historical novel that delves into both the glamour and darkness of old Hollywood, as it details the passionate and tumultuous epic love story of Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. By turns sexy and heartbreaking, beautiful and volatile, I loved this fascinating peek behind the curtain of a real Hollywood love affair.” — Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools

“Heather Webb has set a new standard in historical fiction by writing a story that was so engaging that I forgot I was reading a book and not actually embodying the characters. Legendary stars Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner come alive under her deft handling of their tumultuous and passionate relationship and will leave readers feeling like they’ve leapt from the page into living, breathing people that they know. A lifelong fan of the famous crooner, my own music listening will forever be quite impacted by Webb’s captivating book.” — Camille di Maio, bestselling author of The Memory of Us

Heather’s News & Events

Reading Guides For Book Clubs

Heather’s Posts on WriterUnboxed.com

Honors, Awards & Recognition

USA Today Bestseller
Goodread’s Top Pick
Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award Winner
2020 Goldsboro RNA Award Finalist
2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction Prize

Media clips

Hello Iowa | What to read this Spring

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

Similar Authors

Alyson

Webb

The Hope Keeper: A Novel

Christmas with the Queen: A Novel

Queens of London

Strangers in the Night: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner

The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island

Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women

Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding

The Phantom’s Apprentice

Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I

Rodin’s Lover: A Novel

The Writer’s Life

Writer’s Life Workshop-Style Sessions

Historical Topics

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Media clips

Media Kit

Similar Authors

Richman

Jenoff

Martin

Penner

Belfer

Related Topics