Announcing Jungle of Ashes!
A sweeping tale of ambition, resistance, and impossible love set in Henry Ford’s ill-fated ribber empire in the Amazon.
History Through Fiction May 19, 2026!
Praise for Jungle of Ashes
Barineau transports readers into the suffocating heat and thick, green breath of the Amazon, where an American dream is hacked from the jungle one sapling at a time. In Jungle of Ashes, the burning haze of tropical heat, dangers unseen, and the weight of corporate expectation converge in a place never meant to bend to anyone’s will. Even Henry Ford’s. An immersive story of resilience and love in a world both breathtaking and brutal.
– Jillian Forsberg, Author of the THE RHINO KEEPER and THE PORCELAIN MENAGERIE
DESCRIPTION
In 1928, industrial titan Henry Ford set out to conquer the Brazilian rainforest, determined to grow his own rubber and free his company from British control. The result was Fordlandia—a factory-town dream of American order imposed on the chaos of the jungle. But behind the promise of progress lies exploitation, cultural conflict, and ecological disaster.
Seventeen-year-old Joanna Rogge is uprooted from Michigan when her father is appointed assistant manager of the Ford Company’s Amazonian plantation. Eager to escape the confining expectations of American society, Joanna finds herself both fascinated and disturbed by the rainforest—and by Rafael Caetano, a skilled Brazilian mechanic with ambitions of his own.
As conditions at Fordlandia deteriorate—diseased crops, rising fevers, and mounting tensions between management and labor—Joanna and Rafael are drawn together in a fragile romance that defies class, culture, and the company’s rigid rules. When political revolution and corporate control collide, they must choose between duty and desire, safety and truth, survival and love.
Praise for Jaguars and Other Game
Jungle critters, diamond smugglers, murder, and three indomitable women propel this early-19th-century historical adventure…Barineau’s Rio romp, packed with intriguing and occasionally disturbing historical tidbits, is lightened with a generous dose of humor…The author captures the sights, smells, sounds, and complicated social structure of Rio while maintaining a steady pace of well-scripted action scenes that, while over-the-top, are thoroughly enjoyable.
An addictive tale with drama, history, and delightful protagonists. – KIRKUS REVIEWS
A twenty-one-gun salute to Brynn Barineau and her tale of three bold women who more than held their own in the rough-and-tumble world of 1808 Rio de Janeiro. This atmospheric, lively debut had me turning the pages to cheer on the clever trio. A dazzling adventure!
– Lynn Cullen, national bestselling author of THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE and MRS. POE
Jaguars and Other Game has all the elements of a rollicking good story – action and adventure, political intrigue and corruption, romance and betrayal. The result is a lush tapestry in a fascinating historical setting
– Carole Lawrence, CLEOPATRA’S DAGGER, Ian Hamilton mystery series
DESCRIPTION
1808 Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese Court flees Napoleon to Brazil. For the first and only time in history, a European royal family transfers its capital to an American colony.
Maria Azevedo and her sister, Isabel, have spent years transporting gold through the jungle to Rio’s port. They can dispatch jaguars and smugglers with a crack of a whip, but the Prince Regent’s efforts to civilize the city have them looking over their shoulders. More soldiers. New laws. Full stocks.
Then the sisters’ childhood friend is wrongly imprisoned for murder.
Maria knows the only hope a Brazilian has for justice in the Court’s Rio is if someone drops the real murderer on the palace steps. The sisters recruit Victoria Cruz, a Portuguese refugee in service to Mad Queen Maria, and together they begin hunting a murderer through a city teeming with corruption.
The women soon discover a conspiracy that reaches the heart of the Portuguese court. To save their friend from execution, they’ll have to decide what they’re willing to risk for justice, love and family.
Re-release with History Through Fiction! Ebook launching on March 3, 2026. Paperback launching on May 19, 2026.
Creative Non-fiction
Having a baby is exciting, terrifying, exhausting, life changing. And that’s if everything goes smoothly. Having a baby while conjugating verbs in a foreign language during an emergency c-section doesn’t qualify as “smoothly”. I know from experience. From hilarious to heart-stopping, Knocked Up Abroad Again covers the entire range of emotions that comes with impending parenthood while in the midst of culture shock.
A humorous and inspiring collection of essays written by women at different stages of life from different parts of the world. The one thing we all have in common is that we’re doing our best in places where we don’t always understand proper dining etiquette or speak the local language. Once Upon an Expat will make you laugh, cry, and let you experience moving to a foreign country without all the paperwork and border security.