Category: Historical fiction
The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
An orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England searches for answers about her long-dead mother and uncovers shocking secrets in this immersive and atmospheric saga perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry. Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he … Read More The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
The Beholders by Hester Musson
SOME HOUSES ARE HAUNTED BY THE LIVING June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin. Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she … Read More The Beholders by Hester Musson
+ 1960s, diary, family, fiction, grief, Historical fiction, Italy, loss, love, mystery, review, secrets
The Secret Diary of Rome by M.A. McLaughlin
A hidden diary. A story that’s waited a hundred years to be told . . . 1960, New York. Emilia Rinaldi restores broken books for a living. She knows how to bring lost stories back to life. The one story she cannot repair is her own. Then an unexpected gift from her late mother arrives — an antique music box containing a faded photograph … Read More The Secret Diary of Rome by M.A. McLaughlin
They Can’t Burn Us All by Cathryn Kemp
From the award-winning author of A Poisoner’s Tale comes a dark, feminist retelling of the most famous witch trial in 17th-century Iceland, perfect for fans of The Witches of Vardo and The Mercies Westfjords, Iceland. 1655 Þuríður Jónsdóttir has grown up praying to the old gods and watching her father and brother practise rune magic. But now, a witch-hunting craze is sweeping across the land of ice and fire, … Read More They Can’t Burn Us All by Cathryn Kemp
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
Inspired by an infamous real-life case, The Mourning Necklace is an unforgettable historical novel from the Women’s Prize-longlisted author of The Maiden, Kate Foster. They said I would swing for the crime and I did. I wear the rope-bruise like a necklace. 1724. In a tavern just outside Edinburgh, Maggie Dickson’s family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them. Hanged … Read More The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
The Repentants by Kate Foster
Her scandal. His revenge. The unforgettable new historical novel from award-winning author, Kate Foster. St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie’s husband decides she must accompany him on a … Read More The Repentants by Kate Foster
+ crime fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, murder mystery, mystery, superstition, thriller, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2026 – Part Two
Here are ten of my favourite books of 2026 Part Two, excluding audiobooks, of which there are loads so far. As usual a disparate selection, with a fair bit of superstition thrown in, but only one Gothic this time. It was a difficult decision as I had to leave out two more that could have been on this list. The Tradwife’s Lie by Bella Ellwood-Clayton … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2026 – Part Two
+ 1930s, 1940s, Historical fiction, poland, review, World War Two, WW2
Finding Ida by Marya Burgess
1930s Warsaw. Two privileged sisters: Ida—glamorous and self-assured—and Luiza, the spirited tomboy striving to fulfil the ambitions their German-born father once held for the son he never had. At just seventeen, Luiza’s world is upended when her Polish homeland is occupied. Caught between two identities—raised speaking both German and Polish—she must now decide where her true allegiance lies. Meanwhile, Ida, newly married and expecting … Read More Finding Ida by Marya Burgess
+ 1930s, 1940s, childhood, family, family drama, female friendship, fiction, germany, grief, Historical fiction, holocaust, jewish history, love, memoir, nazi germany, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, World War Two, WW2
The Nowhere Sisters by Jan Casey
Berlin, 1938. One journey will change their lives forever. Twelve-year-old Margarete has lost everything — her parents, her home, and the fragile safety of the orphanage she once knew. When the Nazis target Jewish families across Germany, Margarete is placed on a Kindertransport train bound for England. She expects to face the terrifying journey alone. Until a small, frightened girl is thrust into her … Read More The Nowhere Sisters by Jan Casey
+ 1950s, audio book, cosy mystery, fiction, ghosts, Historical fiction, murder, murder mystery, review, serial killer, supernatural
Murder At The Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd Nora Breen Investigates Book #2
In the second installment of the Nora Breen Investigates series – ‘perfect for cozy mystery lovers’ (Book Riot) – beloved former nun Nora Breen returns, this time to track down a ghostly killer before it’s too late. When Dolores Chimes, a famous medium, arrives in Gore-on-Sea, even surly Detective Inspector Rideout is lured in by her promises of messages for the afterlife. But after … Read More Murder At The Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd Nora Breen Investigates Book #2
The Last Secret of Wickham Grange by Zoe Manlow
When Caroline Alleyn inherits Wickham Grange, all she wants to do is sell up. There are bad memories there, linked to her childhood as the daughter of a single mother – and to all the other mothers she knew in that house. But her grandmother Frances’s will means that it can’t be sold without the consent of five elderly women, and they all refuse. … Read More The Last Secret of Wickham Grange by Zoe Manlow
A Bad Deal in Mormon Land by T.I.M. Wirkus
Sometimes things are not as they appear, especially when religion, magic, and shady dealings mix. It’s 1908, and itinerant spirit medium Madame Ilsa von Hoffmann is at the end of her professional rope, facing down two unappealing options: join an ill-conceived commune founded by some fellow trans ex-vaudevillians, or take on a high-paying but mysterious job offered by a religious extremist in Salt Lake … Read More A Bad Deal in Mormon Land by T.I.M. Wirkus
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