Best Historical Fiction

 This story sheds light on struggles of the first pilgrims, who weren’t just Puritans. And not the struggles pertaining to their survival, but the struggles within their community – non-Puritans living with Puritans. Plymouth is the first colony in New England, where a group of Puritans and non-Puritans arrive from England making it their new home in 1620. Now, 10 years later, it seems that a friction between religious Puritans and not so religious Anglicans – as they are seen in the eyes of Puritans – wasn’t left in England, but rather transported to New England. As divided as they already are, a murder in the colony separates them even more. John Billington despises godly Puritans, calling them hypocrites as they call the Indians idle. But it was the Indians who helped Puritans to survive the first years on unknown sandy soil. He is a commoner who has been treated with deference from the moment he stepped from the Mayflower ship. Puritans who see God everywhere, treat a...

 Abraham Lincoln, one of the most beloved presidents and a man of great character, graces the pages of this story through the eyes of two people that mattered greatly to him – his best friend Joshua Speed and marriageable Mary Todd. This story is set during a short period, when Abraham Lincoln is a young poor lawyer and a state legislator, known for being “rough beyond the edges.” He learns quickly the proper manners and how to dance to advance in the society, but at heart he remains to be the same humble character. In 1839, Mary arrives at her sister’s place in Springfield, both in hopes of finding the right prospect for Mary. Here, the first prospect of romance makes Mary rebel. However, with appearance of Joshua Speed romance looks so much more appealing. Only to be pushed into the arms of Mr. Lincoln, leaving her confused. When her brazen behavior is transformed into heroism in the eyes of Mr. Lincoln, Mary’s heart changes its course. Thus giving Lincoln a chance to ...

 Based on a true story of two friends growing up together in Budapest before WWII, surviving the war and after the war emigrating to Italy, then Americas – this novel shows what a true friendship means. A friendship tested through the hardest of possible times. Naples, 1946. Nazis were defeated and the war was over. Now, the life is beaming with “the outdoor cafes overflowed with customers,” neighbors stop and talk to each other without any fear. “Neapolitans treat every day like a celebration.” Vera Frankel and her best friend Edith Ban arrive in a vibrant city of Naples. Refugees from Hungary, who escaped a train heading for Auschwitz and survived the war on an Austrian farm. Now, they start their new lives abroad. They’ve been close friends since childhood. But Edith’s spirit is broken and Vera is the one who propels them forward. Edith’s way of dealing with her pain is to just fall in love and have fun. The more sober and responsible Vera gets a secretary position at Amer...

 White Rose was a peaceful resistance group in the Third Reich led by a group of students including siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl at the University of Munich. The group mailed leaflets to random people picked from the phone book, appealing to the “blindness of German people” and spreading “words of resistance, struggle, and hope.” They were mailed from different cities to different cities to “allay suspicion from the home city of Munich and to make the group seem much larger than it was.” Munich, 1938. Sixteen year old Natalya Pertovich notices her Jewish friends disappearing from her life, hiding in their houses to avoid any attention. 1942. Numb to the horrors of war and feeling powerless, she then takes a step and heads to the Russian Front as a volunteer nurse for German Red Cross. There she makes friends, who back in Germany introduce her to the White Rose movement. “Everyone in the White Rose was chosen for their intelligence, their convictions, and their politics…” A...

 Set during a rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Desiree Clary was the first fiancé of Napoleon and later became the Queen of Sweden. Overshadowed by history, this book sheds a light on her life. Marseille, France, 1794: During the tumultuous times of the French Revolution, when in need, Desiree meets Joseph Bonaparte. He is interested in pursuing her, but when she meets his younger brother Napoleon, she is intrigued with the rough-mannered but well-read and brisk Napoleon rather than the handsome and funny Joseph. Credited with averting a civil war, Napoleon is appointed Commander of the Army of the Interior. As he rises through the leadership of the army in Paris, his letters to Desiree dwindle with each day. From a Parisian journal, she learns about Napoleon courting Josephine de Beauharnais. And if that wasn’t insulting enough, Napoleon corners Desiree to marry a much older man. Duphot proposal is simply jaw-dropping. “Was the man proposing marriage or discussing ...

 Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932) was a pioneer woman who knew what mattered to her and she pushed the limits to defy the odds. “Mattie” became one of the first female physicians and America’s first female state senator. She overcame tremendous odds. Wyoming, 1861. Mattie’s family journeys first from Wales and now across the mountains to Salt Lake City. During this journey, they lose Mattie’s sister and father. This experience gives Mattie fire to become a healer. 1873. With her heart racing and “books clutched against her chest” she rushes for her evening courses in chemistry at the University of Deseret. Her diligence and perseverance earn her a place at medical school in Michigan. After completing her medical program in Michigan and Philadelphia, she heads back to Utah to fulfill the meaning of her life – saving lives. She doesn’t want to bear a child after child as her mother did. She wants to save lives. Can polygamy be an answer to her life’s fulfillment? With her g...

 Cesare Borgia (1475-1507) as a boy dreams of becoming a soldier and conqueror like the great Roman conqueror, Giulio Cesare. But his father has a different plan for him – to join the Church and follow in his footsteps. This strategic plan of Rodrigo Borgia is for him to reach his goal of becoming pope. Rome, 1492: Maddalena Moretti is a maid serving in the Holy Father’s house. She takes great pride in it. Now, the death of the Pope Innocent brings her a step closer to another historical event of conclave - choosing the next pope. And she is responsible for gathering servants to prepare the Sistine Chapel for this event; still innocent in her thinking that the process is all guided by God. But she is about to learn how the Vatican really works. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia has been chosen as the next pope – Pope Alexander VI. And his son Cesare is now an archbishop. His daughter Lucrezia is to marry Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro. King Charles VIII of France invades the peninsu...