Press release, originally distributed by EIN Presswire on October 1, 2026.
NORTH CAROLINA, October 1, 2026 | With each of its five books rated 4.5 stars or higher and more than 4,800 Amazon ratings across the series, Kemma MarShall’s Hymns of Blue Hollow is making its mark in Southern historical literary fiction.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review, calls Hymns of Blue Hollow “a simply riveting read from cover to cover” and recommends it unreservedly for community library Historical Romance collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated readers.
The review appears in The Fiction Shelf in the October 2026 issues of Library Bookwatch and Internet Bookwatch. Cox writes:
Original, eloquent, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from cover to cover, ‘Hymns of Blue Hollow’ by Kemma MarShall is a compelling historical romance set in the American South and showcases the author’s impressively genuine flair for the kind of character- and narrative-driven storytelling style that fully engages the reader from start to finish.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review
Set in the moonshine hills of East Tennessee in 1941, Hymns of Blue Hollow introduces Esther Primm, a young woman raised by three rules: keep your head down, want nothing, trust no one. When her life is swept away, she lands at an estate she was warned never to approach. There, she encounters Clarissa Johnson, an older Black woman who has spent a lifetime staying on her side of the fence, and Ian Huggler, a German widower carrying a grief he cannot speak of.
But the life Esther escaped is not finished with her. A preacher believes she still belongs to him, and the local sheriff watches everything and says nothing.
Blending slow-burning romance, sharp wit, and Appalachian grit, the novel launches a sweeping family saga of dangerous loyalties and secrets that reach across generations. The series’ stellar Amazon ratings and substantial Kindle Unlimited readership demonstrate the enthusiasm behind its growing audience.
I wanted to write a story with enough life in it that readers would feel they knew these people, then stay up half the night worrying about them. Seeing readers respond that way, and now having Midwest Book Review recognize the storytelling, makes me even more determined to keep giving them books they can disappear into.
Kemma MarShall
Published by Blue Hollow Publishing, Hymns of Blue Hollow is available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook. Readers can purchase print editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. The Kindle eBook is available through Amazon. All five books in the series are available to libraries and bookstores through Ingram in paperback and hardcover.
Book information
Title: Hymns of Blue Hollow
Author: Kemma MarShall
Publisher: Blue Hollow Publishing
Hardcover: ISBN 9798998692550
Paperback, Ingram edition: ISBN 9798998692512
Paperback, Amazon edition: ISBN 9798346013068
eBook: $4.99
About Kemma MarShall
Kemma MarShall is a bestselling author and a leading voice in Southern historical fiction whose work has consistently remained among Amazon’s top 100 in Southern Fiction for more than a year and a half. Her books blend her distinctive lyrical grit with emotional intensity and a keen eye for the secrets families keep. An author, artist, and researcher based in North Carolina, she grew up poor as one of nine children. Her family’s Appalachian roots inform the landscapes, complicated relationships, and fierce struggles for belonging at the center of the Hymns of Blue Hollow series.
Media contact
Blue Hollow Publishing
Email: info@kemmamarshall.com
Press kit: hymnsofbluehollow.com/press/
Read the review on Midwest Book Review (Library Bookwatch, October 2026) and Internet Bookwatch, October 2026. Read the earlier post about the review: Midwest Book Review Calls Hymns of Blue Hollow “A Simply Riveting Read from Cover to Cover”. Start the series with Book 1.
