219 ratings | 77 reviews | avg rating:4.44

Jess’s Year In Books

Jess’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Jess’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Jess Wells’s Followers (90)

Jess’s Bookshelves

to-read (8)
currently-reading (1)
read (235)
abandoned (23)
women-in-history (6)

Jess’s Friends (491)

40,561 books | 59 friends

Gerald

513 books | 3,766 friends

Gwen

63,539 books | 17 friends

Kate

1,771 books | 3,551 friends

Loren

784 books | 1,496 friends

BookTrib.com

2,412 books | 2,420 friends

Brian Hart

57,168 books | 198 friends

Carrie

38,217 books | 2,445 friends

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Jess Wells

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.jesswells.com

Twitter

JessWellsAuthor

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Influences

Faulkner, Rushdie, Garcia-Marquez, Winterson

Member Since

March 2008

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Wells is the author of seven novels and five books of short stories. Her latest work, Dancing Through a Deluge is set in post-plague England, 1351, when a lapsed nun's mistaken identity offers her the dangerous chance to free indentured peasants.

Winner of the Nautilus Silver Prize, Jaguar Paloma and the Caketown Bar is set in 1865 when two extraordinary women establish a raucous trading post for cast-off women. Their mirth is challenged by a greedy mayor and a murderous forger. Reviewers are calling it “exquisitely written.”

She recently re-released The Mandrake Broom: When the Witches Fought Back, a historical novel dramatizing the fight to save medical knowledge during the witch-burning times in Europe, 1465-1540.

Her previous novel,
Straig ...more

120 posts
Jess Wells's Blog

Musings on Historical Fiction with Quintillion Words

What a pleasure to chat with Emily Quinn of Quintillion Words about historical fiction. Questions like:

How did you weave the themes of strength and freedom into a time period that often suppressed these qualities?
How did you approach the research for this book? Did you find out anything that surprised you along the way?
Were there any particular relationships in the book that you found most challen Read more of this blog post »

View more on Jess Wells's website »

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Published on January 04, 2025 00:00

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Jess Wells’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 310 ratings · 57 reviews · 23 distinct works • Similar authors

	Fahişeliğin Tarihi 3.83 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 1997	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
	Straight Uphill: A Tale of Love and Chocolate 3.65 avg rating — 34 ratings — 3 editions	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
	The Mandrake Broom 3.72 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2007 — 3 editions	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
	Love Shook My Heart 2: Lesbian Love Stories 4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2001	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
	Lesbians Raising Sons 3.88 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 1997	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
	Jaguar Paloma and the Caketown Bar 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	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
	A Slender Tether 4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	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
	Aftershocks 4.40 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1992 — 3 editions	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
	Dancing Through A Deluge: A medieval woman’s fight for freedom. 4.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	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
	Two Willow Chairs 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1999 — 2 editions	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

More books by Jess Wells…

Jess is Currently Reading

Jess is currently reading

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World

by Rachel Swaby

bookshelves: currently-reading, women-in-history

read in May 2022

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Jess said: " Excellent thumbnails of important and overlooked women. A valuable resource for anyone's library. ...more "

May 03, 2022 06:43AM · see review

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Jess’s Recent Updates

Jess started reading Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World by Rachel Swaby	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
Feb 14, 2026 08:20AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Headstrong by Rachel Swaby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Headstrong by Rachel Swaby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess has read Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (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
Feb 14, 2026 08:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess rated a book liked it The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner	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
Feb 14, 2026 08:19AM · like
Jess rated a book liked it Grown-Up Children Grown-Up Parents: Opening the Door to Healthy Relationships Between Parents and Adult Children by Phyllis Lieber	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
Dec 14, 2025 10:12PM · like
Jess rated a book it was amazing The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces by Seth Harp	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
Riveting, harrowing and very well written
Dec 14, 2025 07:29PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess is now following Ryan Holiday Author of The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Tu...
Dec 14, 2025 07:28PM · like
Jess rated a book it was amazing The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie	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
More brilliance from Salmon Rushdie, a narrative voice to love.
Dec 14, 2025 07:25PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess is starting The Eleventh Hour The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie progress:	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
Dec 14, 2025 07:25PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess is currently reading The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie	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
Nov 09, 2025 08:10AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jess finished reading Midnight's Borders: A People's History of Modern India by Suchitra Vijayan (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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More of Jess's books…

Jess’s Quotes

“Though a living cannot be made from art, art makes life worth living. It makes starving, living.”
― John Sloan, John Sloan on Drawing and Painting

tags: art, inspirational, life

7 likes

Jess’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-7) post a comment »

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newest »

message 7: by Mark

Dec 19, 2015 09:56PM

Thanks for connecting Jess! I wish you continued success on your fourth novel. Check out my books: "100 Years: A Journey to End a Vicious Cycle" and "These Are Your Flowers" on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00TLXK5L6

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message 6: by Bradley

Jan 18, 2009 01:10AM

I hope you are having a good day! =)

http://www.cardshark.com/content/view...

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message 5: by ♀☻ஆ(¸.•'´Pal2aSt0o `'•.¸)

Sep 27, 2008 06:13AM

Hi, Jess!

Thanks for adding me

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message 4: by Holly

Sep 16, 2008 08:42AM

Hi, Jess!

Thanks for the invite!!

Holly

ONCE UPON A THANKSGIVING...available on eHarlequin.com now and on shelves in October!

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message 3: by ROSALIE

Jul 28, 2008 11:48AM

Silly me...I've just realized there are blogspot addresses as part of our profiles. I would be happy if you dropped by sometime. And is it okay for me to visit yours? You sound like a very interesting person.

justmeRosalie

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message 2: by ROSALIE

Jul 19, 2008 04:59PM

Hi,Jess,
How kind of you to agree to be my friend. Thanks for responding.
I'll type you later.
justmeRosalie

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message 1: by Catherine

Mar 14, 2008 02:21PM