Explore our curated collection of historical fiction book reviews and recommendations.
A Founding Mother is a sweeping historical fiction novel by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, published by William Morrow in 2026, that traces Abigail Adams's extraordinary life from her 1765 marriage to John Adams through five decades of revolution, nation-building, and personal sacrifice. Timed to the 250th anniversary of American independence, it is designed for readers who want an intimate, meticulously researched portrait of one of the republic's most consequential women — told from Abigail's own perspective, alongside the famous men who shaped the age.
May 25, 2026
Elizabeth George Speare's The Bronze Bow is a Newbery Medal–winning historical fiction novel set in first-century Galilee, following Daniel bar Jamin — a young Jew consumed by hatred for the Roman Empire — whose encounter with Jesus of Nazareth forces him to confront whether vengeance or love will define his life. Originally published in 1961 and reissued by Clarion Books, it remains a staple of middle-grade historical fiction and classroom reading.
Apr 29, 2026
Georgia Hunter's debut novel We Were the Lucky Ones tells the true-rooted story of the Kurc family — three generations of Polish Jews from Radom — scattered across five continents by the Second World War and driven by an unwavering will to reunite. The novel's extraordinary geographic and historical sweep, grounded in years of personal research, gives it genuine power; a critical reservation about its prose style and character depth keeps it from reaching the full weight of its subject matter.
Apr 15, 2026
Originally published in 2012 and now reissued by Tor Nightfire, Between Two Fires is a historical horror novel set during the Black Death, following a disgraced French knight, a visionary girl, and a fallen priest on a harrowing journey across plague-ravaged France — a book that blends cosmic theological warfare with earthy, lyrical prose to powerful effect.
Apr 8, 2026
Marjan Kamali's The Lion Women of Tehran is a New York Times bestseller that traces the decades-long friendship of Ellie and Homa against the turbulent backdrop of twentieth-century Iran, from the early 1950s through 2022. Published by Gallery Books on July 2, 2024, the novel earned a starred notice from Kirkus Reviews as "a touching portrait of courage and friendship," and People called it "an evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism." Kamali, a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award recipient whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages, brings her command of Iranian history and culture to what is widely regarded as her most ambitious work to date.
Apr 7, 2026
Geraldine Brooks's March is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel that ventures behind the scenes of Little Women, giving voice to the March family's long-absent patriarch as he confronts the brutal realities of the American Civil War — a bold act of literary excavation that earned the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
May 31, 2026
Marie Bostwick's novel follows four women — Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte — whose suburban book club becomes an unlikely engine of feminist awakening when they take up Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, making it a humorous, thought-provoking, and nostalgic work of historical women's fiction published by Harper Muse on April 22, 2025.
May 13, 2026
Marie Benedict's Carnegie's Maid is a USA Today bestseller that imagines the fictional Irish immigrant Clara Kelley as a hidden force behind Andrew Carnegie's transformation from industrial titan to history's great philanthropist — a propulsive premise that makes it a natural choice for historical fiction book clubs.
May 8, 2026
These Tangled Threads is a historical novel by award-winning Appalachian author Sarah Loudin Thomas, published by Bethany House Publishers in April 2024, set against the backdrop of Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Centered on master weaver Lorna Blankenship and the fractured friendships she must revisit in order to fulfill a high-stakes commission for Cornelia Vanderbilt's wedding, the novel weaves together themes of artistry, betrayal, restoration, and second chances. It is a strong choice for readers drawn to Appalachian settings, faith-inflected fiction, and character-driven historical stories.
May 25, 2026
The Things We Cannot Say is a horror fiction debut by Mitch Sebourn — a high school English teacher, licensed attorney, and self-described horror writer — published in Kindle edition in January 2021. Rooted in the genre that Sebourn credits R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series with sparking for him in childhood, the novel runs to approximately 198 pages and has attracted enough reader interest to generate a dedicated SuperSummary study guide. It is a title aimed squarely at horror fiction fans looking for a tight, character-focused read from an emerging voice in the genre.
Apr 17, 2026
The Iron Crossing is a 2026 thriller published by Taylane Publishing, written by Gregory Scott — the city police detective, digital forensics examiner, and author behind the eight-book Blake Brier series. The novel marks Scott's latest foray into crime and suspense fiction, shaped by his sixteen years in law enforcement investigating cases ranging from homicide to cybercrime.
May 29, 2026
Michael C. Connolly's debut novel, Murky Overhead, follows the Folan family — Irish immigrants scratching out a living on Portland, Maine's Munjoy Hill — across a single day, drawing on the author's decades of academic research and personal heritage to illuminate the broader immigrant experience on both sides of the Atlantic.
Apr 25, 2026Search
Rating
Active Filters
Search
Rating
Active Filters
Showing 13 - 24 of 39 reviews
