Back in 2018, I published a blog post with 31 historical fiction novels you should read to take you back in time. But since this is the genre that I read the most, I have way more recommendations for you! There are some incredible books in this post, and I’ve left out any books that I don’t think belong in a list of the best history novels.
I say “20+” in the title because, if you count all the books in series in this post, I’m recommending 35 books. We’re also looking at stories from over 1000 years and multiple continents. There are lots to read, so I’m sure you can find your next book. Happy reading!
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I have to start off this post with the Lady Sherlock series! I love this series so much that I’m thrilled there will be a minimum of 8 books. I recently reread all 6 books in the series … in 2 weeks.
The series is exactly what it sounds like—what if everyone thought Sherlock Holmes was a great detective, and he was, except he wasn’t a he? Charlotte Holmes has an exceptional mind, but in the late 19th century, that’s a draw-back for a woman. After she intentionally gets herself disowned (and then runs away), she tries to make it on her own. Eventually, she becomes a lady’s companion to Mrs. Watson, the widow of Dr. John Watson, and they team up to solve crimes.
A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) – “With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind” (x).
I’m not going to include the rest of the books in the series because you really need to read the first one, but you should definitely read this series.
17 Classic Novels Worth Reading
All the Ways We Said Goodbye – “France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their family’s ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German Major’s aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met during Aurelie’s debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max’s friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both […]
“France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite ‘Daisy’ Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to assist her grandmother’s Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand’s underground network, committing increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country – and the man – she holds dear, she uncovers a devastating secret […]
“France, 1964. For Barbara ‘Babs’ Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit’s death, American lawyer Andrew ‘Drew’ Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned traitor known as ‘La Fleur’, the investigation has led to Kit Langford” (x).
I resisted this book for a while because, from the cover, it looks like the gazillions of books that have come out in recent years about women during World War II. But, as you can see from the summary, it’s different in that it’s about 3 different women in 3 different eras. It’s also by 3 different authors; they each wrote one of the characters and eras.
This book is incredible. I absolutely loved it. It’s a little bit predictable, but the predictability did not make me enjoy it less. I had a hard time reading it for short periods of time; I often listened to it for hours at a time.
2022 Recent Reads: January-March
Daisy Jones & the Six – “Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies” (x).
I put off reading this because I didn’t think it could possibly be a good audiobook, but I was missing out. I decided to read it after a friend told me the audiobook was actually incredible, and she was definitely right.
This book is by the same author as The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and it is just as good. I totally didn’t expect the twist towards the end!
I would say also that while this kind of fits into the category of historical fiction, it has a way higher appeal than to “just” people who read historical fiction.
2021 Recent Reads: October-December
The Huntress – “Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.
“Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.
“Growing up in post-war Boston, 17-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes home with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past – only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family … secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear” (x).
This book is absolutely amazing! I had heard that about it, but I put off reading it because didn’t want to read a book that maybe positioned a Nazi as a good person. But it’s important to remember that, while there were plenty of monstrous Nazis, a lot of them were normal people … which is important because we can’t associate evil behavior as only coming from evil people. That’s what makes 1940s Nazis so bad: some of them were normal people who were swept up in the movement.
Anyway, all that being said, The Huntress is amazing. I listened to the audiobook and I powered through it. I love the non-Nazi characters. And if you’re a fan of romance tropes, there is the classic Marriage of Convenience trope in there.
2021 Recent Reads: July-September
Cavendon Hall (Cavendon #1) – “Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife Felicity and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess’s wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing Yorkshire manor. Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the Earl’s daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again” (x).
This book is incredible, especially for fans to Downton Abbey, but you should know that the inciting incident of the major plot is a rape. Do not read if you are triggered by that!
While I loved this book, if you didn’t like Downton Abbey, you’re not going to like this book. I’ve also read the other 3 books in the series, and I don’t recommend the last 2.
The Last Tudor – “Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days. Her father and his allies crowned her instead of the dead king’s half-sister Mary Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed her throne, and locked Jane in the Tower of London […] Mary sent her to the executioner’s block, where Jane transformed her father’s greedy power-grab into tragic martyrdom. ‘Learn you to die,’ was the advice Jane wrote to her younger sister Katherine, who has no intention of dying […]
“But she is heir to the insecure and infertile Queen Mary and then to her sister Queen Elizabeth, who will never allow Katherine to marry and produce a Tudor son. When Katherine’s pregnancy betrays her secret marriage, she faces imprisonment in the Tower, only yards from her sister’s scaffold. ‘Farewell, my sister,’ writes Katherine to the youngest Grey sister, Mary.
“A beautiful dwarf, disregarded by the court, Mary keeps family secrets, especially her own, while avoiding Elizabeth’s suspicious glare. After seeing her sisters defy their queens, Mary is acutely aware of her own danger, but determined to command her own life. What will happen when the last Tudor defies her ruthless and unforgiving cousin Queen Elizabeth?” (x)
Philippa Gregory does a really good job with this book because it made me mad at Elizabeth I that I hadn’t heard much about the Grey sisters. None of the Grey sisters deserved what they got. Jane didn’t deserve to die because of her family’s ambitions. Katherine didn’t deserve to die because she loved her husband and was separated from him and their sons. Mary didn’t deserve to live under house arrest and without her husband because Elizabeth was threatened by the Greys.
If you only read one Philippa Gregory book, I think this should be the one.
2021 Recent Reads: January-March
Home – “When Frank Money joined the army to escape his too-small world, he left behind his cherished and fragile little sister, Cee. After the [Korean] war, he journeys to his native Georgia with a renewed sense of purpose in search of his sister, but it becomes clear that their troubles began well before their wartime separation. Together, they return to their rural hometown of Lotus, where buried secrets are unearthed and where Frank learns at last what it means to be a man, what it takes to heal, and—above all—what it means to come home” (x).
I hadn’t read Toni Morrison in years, and I had forgotten just how incredible her writing is. I don’t think I can accurately describe her writing in Home because “hauntingly beautiful” and “incredible” aren’t the right phrases.
I will say that there are many content warnings for this book. In addition to 1950s period-accurate racism and misogyny, there is a character who is extremely pro-Confederacy, as well as a lot of eugenics present.
I couldn’t put this book down, and I read it in 3 or so days.
2020 Recent Reads: October-December
Code Name Hélène – “Based on the thrilling real-life story of socialite spy Nancy Wake […] featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII […] It is 1936, and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name.
“As Lucienne Carlier, Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border. Her success and her remarkable ability to evade capture earns her the nickname ‘The White Mouse’ from the Gestapo. With a five million-franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, her new comrades are instructed to call her Hélène.
“And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly Madam Andrée, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces. But no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same, and the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed she – and the people she loves – become” (x).
I’m so grateful I stumbled upon this book. Nancy is my new hero and I can’t believe I never heard about her. She is a real person who did most of the things in this book … including killing a Nazi with her bare hands. While wearing bright red lipstick.
Again, she’s my hero.
2020 Recent Reads: July-September
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways” (x).
There is a reason this book has the reputation that it does! It’s amazing. I loved it. It also made me question every single celebrity relationship past and present. Basically, this book is structured as a story within a story. Evelyn is telling her life story to Monique, but also we see a bit from Monique’s life. It’s a really, really good book! Trigger warnings for intimate partner violence, addiction, and suicide.
Also, I can’t write a post about history novels and exclude the Bridgerton series!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the name Bridgerton due to the Netflix show’s smashing success. There are eight books in the series, one for each of the Bridgerton children, and each book follows one of them in their journey to love. You don’t have to read every book in the series, especially if you’ve seen the first two seasons of the show, but you should because they’re fun.
The Duke and I (Bridgerton #1) – “By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister—the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her . . . but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke . . . for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love” (x).
I couldn’t read this fast enough. I stayed up really late finishing it; I couldn’t stop reading to go to sleep. Hopefully that is a good indicator of how good a book it is!
2018 Recent Reads: October-December
City of Girls – “In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves – and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest. Now eighty-nine years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life – and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it” (x).
This was one of those books where I liked it, but I didn’t think I loved it … and then I realized I had read 200 pages and it was a few hours later than I had started. Overall, it’s really good, and features themes like found family, which is always a favorite of mine.
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The Song of Achilles – “A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner” (x).
This retelling of The Iliad and the myths around Achilles was incredible. It was so beautiful. Greek myths and The Odyssey are big favorites of mine, so it’s not surprising that I liked this. I heard about it for a while before I read it, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.
You might be wondering why this book is in this post. There are definitely fantastical elements, but it’s way more historical than Circe is, but the fact is that we know the Troy existed. Whether or not the Trojan War happened is more up-in-the-air, but Troy did happen and Ancient Greece did exist.
2019 Recent Reads: January-March
Lilac Girls – “New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.
“An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.
“For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten” (x).
There are so many triggers because, you know, it’s set during World War II and one of the main characters is interned in a concentration camp. It is obviously upsetting, especially because it’s about a real thing that happened, so please be aware of that before you start it. The worst of it is not described in detail – the scenes cut out right before the surgeries and some of the deaths. But if you’re okay reading about that, then definitely read this. It’s incredible.
Wolf Hall (Wolf Hall #1) – “England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?” (x)
Wolf Hall is extremely my jam. So much so that I can’t believe that a) I hadn’t read it yet and b) I hadn’t even heard of it. I have read probably dozens of books about the Tudors, and most of them have centered on the Tudors themselves. It was very interesting reading a book centered on someone connected to the Tudors but not an actual Tudor. And there’s a reason that Wolf Hall won the awards it did! It’s amazing.
This is the first book in an award-winning trilogy.
Shadow on the Crown (Emma of Normandy #1) – “In 1002, 15-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Æthelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her, and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son. Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life. Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Shadow on the Crown introduces listeners to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern [readers]” (x).
Emma was the great-aunt of William the Conqueror, and she was a fascinating person. This book covers shortly before her first marriage through its first couple of years. This type of historical fiction takes a lot more liberties with its subject’s life than novels about other queens because, while we know more about Emma than we do most medieval queens, including Æthelred’s first wife, we still don’t know a ton about great chunks of Emma’s life.
What I really loved about Shadow on the Crown’s structure is that this book is based around the events depicted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. But as someone who has read many a section from the Chronicle, I’m very aware that the Chronicle doesn’t have a ton of information in it about the day-to-day. (It’s mostly a few sentences per year to cover that entire year.)
This is the first book in a trilogy. There are trigger warnings for multiple depictions of sexual assault and violence.
2019 Recent Reads: July-September
Equal of the Sun – “Iran in 1576 is a place of wealth and dazzling beauty. But when the Shah dies without having named an heir, the court is thrown into tumult. Princess Pari, the Shah’s daughter and protégée, knows more about the inner workings of the state than almost anyone, but her maneuvers to instill order after her father’s sudden death incite resentment and dissent. Pari and her closest adviser, Javaher, a eunuch able to navigate the harem as well as the world beyond the palace walls, possess an incredible tapestry of secrets that explode in a power struggle of epic proportions” (x).
This book was recommended to me by a fellow history lover, and I’m so glad I read it. I’ve read so few history novels about places outside of the US or Europe – at least in comparison to the total number of historical novels I’ve read – and if you’re looking to branch out or you’re just interested in Pari’s story, then you should read this.
Additionally, this is a book that shows just because there was strict separation between the sexes in the royal household doesn’t mean that women couldn’t exert power.
2019 Recent Reads: October-December
The Alice Network – “1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her ‘little problem’ taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
“1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the ‘Queen of Spies’, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.
“Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth … no matter where it leads” (x).
I know, I know – another book about women in world wars? This book is one of the first books I read about that time period, and honestly it set the bar. It’s also different from others in that, at the heart of this novel, is female relationships.
The Witch of Willow Hall – “In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end …” (x).
I really love this book! It’s set in 19th century New England, and 100% influenced by gothic novels. I think this book is most different from the rest in this post in terms of setting and story.
Some content warnings are death of a child, incest, and (to an extent) gore.
2020 Recent Reads: January-March
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Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
I’m so excited to check these out! I’m on a reading kick and I love historical fiction.