Best Historical Fiction

  The School of Mirrors, set during tumultuous 18th century France, brings an intriguing story of a young woman and her daughter, who had no choice as to her path. She left a legacy, and set in motion the question of what the true meaning of what a legacy is.  Versailles, 1755: Veronique Roux at thirteen is unspoiled in nature. Lebel, under the name of Monsieur Durand, takes Veronique into service supposedly for a Polish count. What she has in mind is domestic service, though what he has in mind is quite different. He is employed by the King and King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who is to oversee the young girls to be trained as potential courtesans. On the grounds of Versailles lies Deer Park, where the young girls are housed. And that’s where Veronique finds out that she is not to be a servant, but as one of the eleves – learning the finer skills befitting her new prospects. The girls go through rigorous training and are put to trials. One fails and is dismissed...

  The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post brings a story of a fascinating woman, an American heiress who made her mark as a distinct philanthropist and pioneering leader of the twentieth century. A woman of modest background who rose to a dominant role, leaving behind a stunning legacy. Marjorie Merriweather Post grows up in a positive environment encouraged by her father, a man who believes that anything is possible. He sees his purpose in creating meals. “A food that’s easy to prepare and easy to digest.” He becomes successful in mass-producing tasty breakfast foods and marketing them to the public. Mr. Post believes in equal education for both boys and girls, and he wants his daughter to be “as proficient with dance cards and teacups as with machinery and balance ledgers.” Thus, he wants her to continue her education in Washington D.C. where he believes the nation’s capital is the place to be. There, at the age of sixteen, Marjorie meets Ed Close who is on the cusp of becoming a ...

  The Great Mrs. Elias brings to life a fascinating figure of Hannah Elias, one of the richest black women in America in early 1900s. NYC, 1903. A bullet meant for Hannah Elias takes a life of Andrew H. Green – known as the Father of Greater New York. His murder makes the headlines across the newspapers and Hannah worries that her previous name and life will be revealed as it’s being connected to the murder of Andrew H. Green. Hannah is also worried about a third man. Philadelphia, 1876. The story goes back in time and reveals who Hannah Elias truly is and what shaped her life. Bessie Davis at eleven helps her mother and takes care of her younger siblings. Her mother taught all her children manners early so that they could find jobs in the mansions. Bessie, after attending a school to learn more skills, gets hired as a downstairs maid. She spends her long commutes on reading books. Her favorite inspiration is Cleopatra and with her imagination inflamed, her well-done duties as a ma...

 Circus of Wonders is set during 1860s when circus mania swept England. The story explores what it truly means to have control over your own life. Growing up, Nell doesn’t understand why people are whispering around her. Her brother points to the birthmarks on her hand and says, “It’s these.” When she starts noticing more of it, the whispers, the mockery, she begins to isolate herself, choosing solitude. Jasper Jupiter and his brother Toby dreamed of having their own show since a young age. Jasper always cared more for animals than people. And though things didn’t quite work out as originally planned between the brothers, Jasper owns a circus now and makes rounds to scabby villages. He dreams of striking it big in such city as London. When a man comes with an offer of selling his daughter, who, with her birthmarks could be used as “curiosity,” Jasper sees an opportunity despite his brother’s warning that “You’re better man than this.” What Nell has been hiding her whole life...