She’s a rabbi by day and Regency romance novelist by night. It’s a double act not many people could pull off, but not many people are Rabbi Jo David – pen name Nola Saint James – who has a penchant for -style love stories. , her debut novel, is the first published work in a series titled and, like the best Regency-era romances, is a story of love at first sight.
Set in 1804 and following the courtship of “dashing Admiralty spy Lord Maximillian Browning and breathtaking, red-haired Miss Rowan Higbee”, the publication of the book has been a long time coming for Rabbi David, who admits to having found extra inspiration in , Netflix’s hit historical romance series. The New York-based rabbi has been working as a minister since 1992 and is a lifelong lover of fiction – but her specific interest in Regency romances was born during a dark period in her life. “The truth is that most people start reading romance because of something in their life that is out of alignment and they’re looking for an escape,” says the rabbi, who says her nom de plume could as easily have been used for a character in her books.
She began reading romances in 2003 while recovering from post traumatic stress disorder following the September 11 attacks. Rabbi David lives in Manhattan and remembers the day the towers fell, an event that had a profound and lasting impact on her mental wellbeing. “One day I was a rabbi, I was travelling all around the world, and the next day, the day after.
