Best Historical Fiction

  The setting for the Last Summer at Maine Chance is based on reality. In 1934, Elizabeth Arden opened the Maine Chance, the first destination spa in America.  She chose Maine as its natural beauty appealed to the city people who searched for peace and quiet. The lavish estate attracted wealthy guests. The real treatments and events of the time are woven into the novel. The Maine Turnpike project was a real project which opens the story with protagonist Cynthia Proctor in 1954. She is chosen to take part in assisting on a projected economic impact of the planned Maine Turnpike expansion on tourism. Her name doesn’t appear under the article as women are not seen fit to study economic major at the time. The school doesn’t renew her scholarship and the paid position she hoped to win by writing the article is given to a boy with better connections. She doesn’t get much support from her parents as her mother wants her to get married instead of studying major that is meant for m...

  In 1869 Tibet is closed to Europeans which is not an ideal situation for the expending British Empire. As a result, Britain hires native people to cross borders and spy for them. One such spy is Balram, an Indian schoolteacher who previously worked for Britain alongside his friend Gyan who is missing now. There is a rumor that he might be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, he agrees to guide an English captain. The captain, disguised as a monk, wants to chart a river crossing Tibet. It’s not something that sits well with Balram, to be deceiving Tibetans, but life is about choices and he needs to make the one that feels right for him. Their path crosses with Katherine who was denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, and intends to be the first European to reach Lhasa. She is a very captivating character which grabs readers’ attention. Throughout the story brief characterizations are woven which are interesting and poignant...

  Song of Ancient Lovers brings the story of Bos Mutoes, who as a young boy became fascinated with Queen Sheba, and for his dissertation picks the subject of Queen Sheba. His obsession takes him from his homeland of South America to Africa where he meets Zahra Bayda, a trained midwife, who volunteers to show him around. As he persists with his research, unveiling the strength of Queen Sheba who retained her independence over King Solomon, he recognizes the same strength with women in the refugee camps. Women who undertake perilous journey with their children, risking their lives, in search of that one door that opens for them – to study, learn, work, and experience things. They’re hungry for knowledge, just like their ancestor the Queen of Sheba who crossed the deserts to test King Solomon’s wisdom. Bos Mutoes tries to unravel the women’s strength and certainty and why they feel such strong connection to their origins. It leads him to see that those dispossessed and exiled wome...

  Set around 2500 BCE, Circle of Days explores the mysterious story of Stonehenge. Seft comes from a family of flint miners. The work is grueling and his father is harsh. When Seft meets Neen, a girl from a family of herders, he notices something different within her family - love and kindness. When the farmers secretly take over land traditionally used for herding animals, Neen’s mother fears the outrage could spark a war between the two communities. Though she has never experienced war herself, she remembers the stories her parents told about a past conflict between the herders and the woodlanders. Joia, Neen’s younger sister, is fascinated by the priestesses who guard the secrets of the sky. When the High Priestess teaches her a new way of counting - using discs instead of body parts - Joia becomes deeply intrigued and begins to understand her true calling. At this time, the Great Plain is divided among three tribes: herders, farmers, and woodlanders. Mistrust among them is grow...

  Paris, 1934. When Colette turns ten, her mother Annabel, teaches her how to steal. When Colette questions stealing, she is explained the story of Robin Hood. It’s about taking from those who are cruel and helping those who are kind. And the golden rule is they never keep anything for themselves, except the twin bracelets belonging to her mother’s friend Helene. Annabel and Helene are part of underground network. Annabel tries to persuade her friend Helene to leave Paris due to possible mass deportation of Jews. When Helene with her family are deported and the twin bracelets appear on mistresses’ wrist of a German officer, Annabel decides to do the right thing. At least, it’s the right thing in her mind, but that’s when she makes a fatal mistake. She lets emotions get in the way and loses her full concentrations, leading to fatal events. Meanwhile, the bracelets are split in half, just in case, if the worst comes to pass, each girl, Colette and her younger sister, would have somet...

  Set in 18 th -century London, Hannah Cole, after the murder of her husband, faces struggle of keeping her confectionary shop open with bare profits and men conspiring against her. As Chief Magistrate, Henry Fielding, investigates the case of her husband’s murder and holds her savings, she tries to hold her own. When William Devereux presents at her shop and claims to be her late husband’s friend, putting claim to some investments, it gives her hope. To present himself even more believable, he gives her recipe of an Italian delicacy called iced cream. Their new friendship draws some attention to speculation and gossip. The story begins with Hannah’s narrative, and then alternates with William’s narrative, making the story very absorbing as they reveal nuances of their stories. Both backstories are fascinating, with Hannah’s passion for new creations in the world of confectionary. And William’s sad story of his mother who made iced cream for him and was badly mistreated by his ...

  Set in Renaissance Florence, Florenzer explores the lives of three men who made a mark on Florence’s history: an artist, a priest, and a banker. Leonardo da Vinci, a child of twelve who dreams of becoming an artist while his father wants him to become notary like him. Francesco Salviati, also a bastard as Leonardo, dedicates himself to the Catholic Church. And Lorenzo de’ Medici, a young son of one of the most influential families of its time, soon to be ruling over Florence. This richly depicted historical drama explores the pursuits of three men who become distinguished in their endeavors. Also, bringing to surface the time when gay men such as Leonardo were often persecuted. This character-driven story takes time in vivid depiction, giving the reader the front seat to the events. The characters are complex and fascinating revealing their vulnerable side. Thus, as result, touching upon human emotions. This novel is a feast for those who enjoy the eloquent prose taking t...

 S et in the 1865 Boston and Hampshire, Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson, daughters of Massachusetts supreme court judge, are all avid readers of Jane Austen. The daughters, who crave freedom, begin a correspondence with the last surviving sibling of Jane Austen, Francis, and persist with meeting him. At the same time, brothers Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, who are Philadelphia rare book dealers, write to Francis as well. This whole situation gives Francis an idea for matchmaking. However, a lot happens on the S.S. China which takes all characters across the ocean. What happens on the ship creates some dilemma and some legal complications. The premise of the story is interesting as it recreates stories of Jane Austen with dilemmas, matchmaking, and happy marriages. The story takes time to reveal events. Released in May 2025 Source: St. Martin's Press Synopsis: Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Aus...

  The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity set in the era troubled with anti-Chinese sentiment. Portland, end of 19th century. Celia’s family escaped China for America, a place advertised as the Golden Mountain, only to face a new set of hardship. As Celia’s father works at a coal mine, she works as a maid for mayor’s family, where she falls in love with the mayor’s son. It’s a challenging situation for both of them, and they’d have to move to Washington Territory for their marriage to be legal. The story begins with a romance which has dire consequences for Celia. It is further intertwined with her abduction and stark reality for Chinese immigrants, and scary underground world of the Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels. The story tangles between two timelines. It takes time to make sense and get connected with the present timeline, which is abduction. Once, present timeline makes more sense, then the story becomes more engrossing in its entirety. Celia, hal...

  The Blackbirds of St Giles brings a perilous journey of two siblings, Daniel and Pearl, who escape a slave rebellion in Jamaica in 1768. Their journey takes them to New York where in 1776, Daniel answers king’s call to join His Majesty’s Troops during the struggles to retain America in exchange for freedom. While picking up the arms, Daniel saves a Major’s life in a battle. He is rewarded with the man’s inheritance. Thus, the journey takes him and his sister to London. But promises are not always kept. What was supposed to be a rewarding life turns into a misery and another fight for survival. The siblings are thrown into the streets of dark parts of London brimming with poverty and cruelty. This poignant story vividly paints the terrifying streets of 18 th century London, the treacherous realities and persistence of two siblings exposing their hopes and despairs. It’s charged emotionally, and the bond between two siblings is deep and at times overprotective. It’s the stor...

  Set in 1900 Skerry – a small Scottish fishing village, where a child’s arrival, washed up at shore, shakes this tight-knit community. Dorothy takes the temporary care of the child. Despite the resemblance, she knows it can’t be her child lost to waters years earlier, same age as this boy now.   The story goes back in time, and at first, is narrated between two women. Dorothy when she comes to this tiny village as a teacher and how she is mocked by other women for no reason and how isolated she feels. And Agnes, who has her eyes on Joseph, but Joseph has his eyes on the newcomer.   The past narrative of Dorothy and Joseph reveals touchingly the story of Moses, Dorothy’s son, and who the father is. The present narrative uncovers the story of the mysterious boy. There is much more to the storyline, uncovering human relationships, how we assume things, instead of asking questions. How those assumptions can lead to wrong decisions, lasting lifetime. There is also mot...