Historical fiction
The Forbidden Queen by Anne O'Brien
Katherine de Valois is the young and innocent girl betrothed to Henry V of England. While Henry doesn't love her, she thinks she can be happy with him. Unfortunately, though, she quickly finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage, then finds an even worse fate in store as Henry is killed and she is left a lonely young widow. With political machinations dogging her every step as men like Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor catch her eye. Can she be happy with one of them, or will those people at court who don't want to see any man gain the power that would come with marrying the mother of the young king foil her hopes? Full review...
The Death of Lyndon Wilder and the Consequences Thereof by E A Dineley
Anna Arbuthnot moves to Ridley Hall as governess for Lord and Lady Charles Wilder's granddaughter, Lottie. Lottie's mother died years before and her father Lyndon has just been killed in the Napoleonic Wars. Lady Charles has all but beatified Lyndon as no one could ever be as wonderful, caring or heroic. In fact she only tolerates Lottie because of her family likeness but things are about to change. Lyndon's younger brother, Thomas, returns from the war accompanied by the secrets that stalk him and intentions that will shake Ridley Hall. Full review...
The Devil is White by William Palmer
Just off the West coast of Africa is the island of Muranda. It is uninhabited, but previous attempts at settling it mean there are buildings available for use. There is wild game for hunting, fruits on the trees and the climate suggests that the land could be cultivated. A group of gentlemen, not liking the slavery rules they are living under in late Eighteenth Century England, have an idea of claiming this island as a kind of Utopia where there are no slaves and everyone lives in comfort and equality. Full review...
The Traitors' Pit: (Wulfgar 2) by V M Whitworth
Wystan, one of Wulfgar's brothers, has always been an honest, sturdy farmer. Not the sharpest sword in the armoury perhaps, but he pays his taxes and remains well-respected. However that seems to have changed. Wystan is accused of plotting against King Edward of Wessex. Wulfgar knows Wystan is innocent and has three months to prove it; three months to stop Wystan being hanged and hurled into the open, unconsecrated grave that is the Traitors' Pit. Not an easy task to begin with, it becomes considerably harder when Wulfgar's liege Lady Fleda asks him to go on a mission he can't refuse; a mission that could take more time than he has. Full review...
The House of Trembling Leaves by Julian Lees
To many it may just be another skirmish in the longstanding clan war in the Malaysia of 1936 but the explosion destroys Lu See's village dam and over 30 lives. As far as Lu See's concerned, it's time for her to leave anyway. Rather than face an abhorrent arranged marriage she escapes to Cambridge, England with her Tibetan servant, Sum Sum, seeking a future that combines study with her forbidden true love, Adrian Woo. Adrian comes from a rival family in the village so this isn't a match that pleases everyone. For now Lu See and Sum Sum think they've left trouble and conflict behind but their futures testify differently. Full review...
The Bone Thief: (Wulfgar 1) by V M Whitworth
It's 900AD. Fleda is the Lady of Mercia, taken from her native Wessex to marry Mercia's Lord 15 years ago, her childhood friend, secretary and wanna-be-priest Wulfgar being one of her few existing links with the past. Their country is far from united as whispers of unrest come from all directions. Perhaps the only way to strengthen Mercia and increase its importance is to acquire a saint's relics? As a result of this thought process, Wulfgar is sent to Baldney in order to steal the bones of St Oswald. Despite having the company of young Ednoth of Sodbury (who can just about handle a sword), Wulfgar beings to realise that stealing bones is the easy bit. Staying alive may be a tad harder. Full review...
The Nine Day Queen by Ella March Chase
The young monarch, Edward Tudor, is dying and the Protestants of England fear a return to Catholicism through his sister, Mary Tudor. However, the Dukes of Northumberland, Pembroke and Suffolk seize the opportunity to promote self-interest in the form of Suffolk's 16 year old daughter, Jane. His eldest and 4th in line to the throne is also young enough to do as she's told. In this way the door closes harshly on Jane's childhood, for history knows her as Lady Jane Grey; a name that will be written in blood. Full review...
Clouds above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 2 by Shiba Ryotaro
If Volume 1 built up the characters of Masaoka Shiki and the Akiyama brothers, Volume 2 is a book more about war than about people, at least as individuals. Very early in this volume, Masaoka Shiki passes away at a very young age and so fades from the story. Shortly afterwards, as the war with Russia becomes more inevitable and Japan's preparations for this really kick into gear, the Akiyama brothers blend a little more into the cast of characters working on the war effort and whilst their names appear fairly regularly, we don't follow their stories as closely as before. Full review...
The Wayward Gentleman: John Theophilus Potter and the Town of Haverfordwest by Patricia Watkins
In 1778 John Theophilus Potter (Theo to his friends) came to Haverfordwest from Dublin with a group of actors to put on two performances of Romeo and Juliet. A careless accident left him unable to return with the other players - and then he met Elizabeth Edwardes, from a family of local gentry. Friendship turned to love and whilst some in the town wondered (in a rather loud voice) that the Edwardes should allow Elizabeth's friendship with an actor, Theo was no strolling player without a penny to his name. He was a 'gentleman player' with a considerable fortune and a very respectable income. He was also a restless man, constantly driven to achieve. Full review...
The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff
In 1919 the Great War - the First World War - was over and all that was left was to work out the terms of the peace treaty. Margot Rosenthal accompanied her father, a diplomat, to Paris, where he was part of the German delegation and in the invidious position of being disliked by the French because he was the enemy and mistrusted by fellow members of the delegation because he was Jewish. They'd previously been in England where they'd simply been the enemy. Margot could have gone home to Berlin but that would have taken her back to her fiance, who'd been seriously injured in the war. She'd rather fallen into the engagement, feeling that it was what she ought to do. Passion played no part. Full review...
The Sweet Girl by Annabel Lyon
The Sweet Girl is a novel fictionalising the life of Pythias, the Greek philosopher Aristotle's daughter. The reader looks at the world through Pythias’ eyes, from the age of 7 until her late teens, starting in Athens, and ending up in Chalcis. One gets to delve into the experience of life in the household of a highly esteemed ancient philosopher, and the uncertainty which the main characters are thrown into after the death of King Alexander, making life unsafe for anyone previously affiliated with him – this includes Aristotle, who was once his teacher. Full review...
The Queen's Vow by C W Gortner
Queen Isabella of Spain will always be regarded as a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, contemporary sources claim that she was wise, kind and gentle, hating any kind of cruelty, including the popular sport of bullfighting. Her rule brought about the unification of Spain and heralded a new era of peace for its people. On the other side of the coin, she and her husband Fernando sanctioned the infamous Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of all Jews from Spain. Her most vehement critics may also point out that her sponsorship of Columbus brought untold misery to the inhabitants of the Americas, although in her defence, there is no way that she could have predicted the eventual consequences of his pioneering voyage. Full review...
Clouds above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 1 by Shiba Ryotaro
I've long been a lover of Japan, ever since a brief visit to the country more than a decade ago. Whilst I've read several Japanese crime thrillers in translation, I've never really investigated the history of the country. Now available in English for the first time, Shiba Ryotaro's Clouds Above the Hill: A historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War provides just that opportunity. Full review...
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones by Jack Wolf
It doesn’t take long for Jack Wolf’s extraordinary pastiche eighteenth century novel 'The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones' to show its true stripes. Narrator Tristan Hart’s best friend Nathanial is handsome, charming and athletic, and also prone to ‘snatching blue Tits from the Hedges, and consuming them direct upon the Spot.’ In that phrase you see both the heart-stopping nastiness that pulses through Raw Head and Bloody Bones and the fascinating attitude to Gothic duality that lies at its core. Full review...
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
Teenager Hattie Shepherd moves with her husband August, parents and siblings from the colour apartheid of the southern US to Philadelphia in search of a better life. Unfortunately this is 1920's America and so 'better life' is a mirage for Hattie. By the age of 15 she's pregnant and subsequently gives birth to twins Jubilee and Philadelphia, the first two of 11 children. As much joy as they bring, the twins are destined to provide a tragedy that will flavour Hattie's and August's outlook and relationship for decades. Each later Shepherd baby will develop with their own characteristics but each will also be tarnished by the past, irrespective of their attempts to escape it. Full review...
Lionheart by Sharon Penman
Lionheart is the latest book in the Devil’s Brood series, which focuses on the dysfunctional Angevin branch of the Plantaganets. As the title suggests, the story is a richly detailed account of the life of Richard I, covering the period from his coronation up to the end of the third crusade. Full review...
The Flowers of War by Geling Yan and Nicky Harman (translator)
1937, Nanking. The war between the Republic of China and Japan has ended in defeat for China, and now Japanese soldiers are moving in to bloodily occupy the capital city. In a small American mission church, fifteen Chinese schoolgirls are hiding, trapped until the priests who look after them can smuggle them to safety. Into this already fraught atmosphere come desperate Chinese citizens looking for shelter – a rowdy group of Nanking prostitutes, a colonel on the run and two more soldiers who have survived a horrendous secret massacre. As the Japanese atrocities gather pace, the safety and survival of each of the church’s disparate members becomes uncertain, and the initially hostile girls begin to realise that there may be common ground between them and the prostitutes they have been taught to despise. Full review...
The Agincourt Bride by Joanna Hickson
Baker's daughter Guillaumette Dupain, aged 15, mourns for her still-born baby but her tragedy becomes others' gain. Young Mette is sent to the Hotel de San Pol, home of the French royal family to become wet nurse to the latest child produced by the sickly Charles VI and his wife, Isabella of Bavaria. The infant is Catherine de Valois; destined to be the mother of an English dynasty. But first she must live long enough to marry an English king and being a 15th century royal is a dangerous existence when your greatest enemies are in your own family. Full review...
Blockade Runner by David Kent-Lemon
London shipbroker's clerk Tom Wells is hungry for promotion. Seeking responsibility where ever possible he's still unprepared for a proposition from his employer Mr Pembroke. The company is to operate five cargo ships, shuttling between the Bahamas and America's southern states and he wants Tom to be on board as shipping agent; a dangerous enterprise. Why? It's 1861 and the south is at war with the Yankee north. President Lincoln has blockaded ports like Charleston and Wilmington in the Carolinas in an attempt to prevent revenue-providing cargo leaving or supplies (including uniforms and arms) arriving. Mr Pembroke plans to illegally 'run' the blockade, something not unattractive to Tom partially due to the vastly increased wage attached but mostly because he has a certain interest in a certain American lady. Full review...
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
I’ve always avoided stories with a strong link to the Titanic; it’s such a depressing and distressing topic, especially for those of us with an active imagination! However, I was attracted to this novel for different reasons. Telling the story of Tess, a talented seamstress looking for a break, the core relationship is one that is not often explored – that between employee and employer. Designer Lady Duff Gordon takes Tess on as her maid on the Titanic and quickly becomes a mentor and example as Tess develops her craft. But what happened on the voyage threatens their relationship and Tess finds herself facing all kinds of moral dilemmas. Full review...
Jane Eyrotica by Charlotte Bronte and Karena Rose
Jane Eyre is a classic I studied to death in high school, but I didn’t mind because it’s a book I enjoyed then and still enjoy now. Jane Eyrotica is, to put it simply, a smutty version of the classic. Hot on the heels of the likes of Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James this is a reworking in which the once demure Jane beds anything with a pulse. Full review...
Winter of the World (Century of Giants Trilogy 2) by Ken Follett
The world of 1933 seems to be about to disprove the idea that WWI was the war to end all wars. German politician Walter von Ulrich and his wife (and former English aristocrat) Maud watch in horror as Adolf Hitler's National Socialists increase their hold; a rise in popularity that invigorates their son Erik. After visiting the von Ulrichs, young Lloyd Williams takes mental images of the brutality gripping Germany home to England, images that fire him up to fight against the fascist threat elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile young socialite Daisy Peshkov has marriage on her mind but isn’t considered a respectable prospect in her native USA. (Blame her thuggish father, movie magnate Lev.) This doesn't stop her though; if she can't have a rich American husband, there's still a bit of money left in Britain. Full review...
Sword At Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
Every country has its myths and legends: those stories that are told and re-told. Stories that have any number of re-interpretations. Stories, a belief in which becomes part of our national identity, even if we hold them to be true, purely because we want them to be true. Part of them, at any rate. Those parts of our favourite retelling that speak most to us as individuals. In England, Robin Hood and his merry men, is one such. The other is King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Full review...
Turn of the Tide by Margaret Skea
Family and clan count in 16th century Scotland as Munro discovers. His allegiance lies with the Clan Cunninghame and therefore he's involved in their bloody feud with the Montgomeries. It should be straightforward but sometimes feelings don't run along genealogical lines and loyalties are torn. Munro's wife Kate finds this as difficult to live with, sharing the hardships of a life on the edge whilst trying to protect their children. Unfortunately the Cunninghames' victory at the Annock massacre has created greater problems than it solved and no one knows which side fate will eventually favour. Meanwhile King James' presence creates a temporary respite, but revenge can't be side-lined forever. Full review...
Song Hunter by Sally Prue
A new Ice Age is coming. Winters are getting colder. There are fewer mammoths to hunt and no trees from which to fashion spears to kill them. A small group of Neanderthals is facing starvation this winter. One of them, Mica, is full of ideas to avert the impending doom, but the others simply won't listen to her. If something has never been before then it is nothing and simply not worth thinking about. Even Bear, who loves Mica, won't hear her. One night, Mica hears strange voices calling in the darkness. They fill her with a deep sense of longing. But to whom do these siren voices belong? And do they hold the key to Mica's future? Full review...
Wolves in Winter by Lisa Hilton
It's 1492 and Mura, an exotic-looking child of Moorish, Spanish and Viking origin enjoys an idyllic childhood living with her widowed father, a Toledo bookseller. However she soon learns that the world is a cruel place when he's snatched by the Spanish Inquisition and she's hidden in a brothel for safe keeping. Adara, the lady of the night entrusted with Mura, betrays that trust and the child's adventurous journeys begin. From nurtured daughter to child prostitute to Medici slave, Mura discovers the power within, nourished by her childhood tales from the Moors and 'North Men' and her gift of 'the sight'. Mura also bears a secret but it seems that she'll be the last to discover it. Full review...
Hurricane Hole by John Kerr
In 1942 German U-boats were wreaking havoc with Allied shipping in the Caribbean. Tom Hamilton, a young American working undercover and posing as a rich playboy, was sent to the Bahamas to investigate Nils Ericsson, a Swedish industrialist. Sweden might have been neutral in the war but Ericsson was known to have ties to the Nazis. It wasn't long before Hamilton was certain that Ericsson was building a base for U-boats at Hurricane Hole on Hog Island. The problem was what to do about it. The Governor of the Bahamas was the Duke of Windsor, friend of Ericsson and himself a suspected Nazi sympathiser. As an added complication Hamilton was attracted to Evelyn Shawcross but as she was a friend of both the Governor and Ericsson, could he trust her? Full review...
The Descent of the Lyre by Will Buckingham
Seventeen year old Ivan Gelski, the much loved son of Bulgarian peasant parents, has his bride to be and future snatched from him brutally just before his wedding. Full of rage and vengeance, he leaves his close knit village to join the haiduti, a savage band of outlaws who kill mercilessly in order to acquire food and survival. Years later, on one of these killing sprees, Ivan encounters Solomon Kuretic, a Viennese Jew and guitar virtuoso on his way to play for the Sultan in Constantinople. Solomon must play for his life but, by doing so, he sends Ivan on a journey of his own spreading across Europe and into saintly veneration. Full review...
The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift
In Restoration England, Sadie Appleby and her older sister Ella flee their home in Westmorland to try to lose themselves in London. They're forced to try and avoid the relatives of the dead man who Ella robbed and build a new life, but things aren't always what they seem in the capital and they're left trying to work out just who they can trust. Full review...