I love Mr. Rogers, but if we were having tea together, I would ask him, “Who are the helpers? How do we know they are here to help and not to hurt?” It’s not always black and white, is it?

Cue my book selections for this month.

We’re talking about …. helpers.

1. Longbourn, by Jo Baker

Historical fiction set in the Regency Period, this is Pride and Prejudice, but from the servants’ point of view. The details of the work make you feel like you’re there in the kitchen at Longbourn, wearing a drab cast-off dress, working your tail off just to do it again tomorrow.

We aren’t caught up in the whirlwind of the Bennet sisters and their love lives. All of that is background noise for what happens in the servants’ hall. This book make me fall in love with a group of people only passingly mentioned in Austen’s work – the essential folks who made the Bennets’ lifestyle possible.

2. When No One Is Watching: A Thriller, by Alyssa Cole

Alyssa Cole is an established romance author, and this is her first foray into the thriller genre. I loved it so much. I don’t want to ruin it, so I’ll just give you the briefest glimpse: a gentrifying neighborhood in modern day Brooklyn. A woman who is afraid to trust herself becomes aware that something isn’t right. Who are the helpers? Who are the villains?

I read this one about 24 hours – I could not put it down. It combines history, community, and suspense into an adrenaline-filled gallop to find answers.

Bonus book? Pride and Protest, by Nikki Payne. I read this retelling of Pride and Prejudice right before Longbourn. Reading the same story twice from different viewpoints did not take away from either story. That is the incredible strength of Austen’s work, and the talent of these authors who so creatively re-imagined the story.

Who ARE the helpers?