New historical-fiction books May 2023

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

Co-authored by her son, Harry Whittaker, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt draws the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley's multimillion copy sensation, to its stunning, unforgettable conclusion.Over 35 million copies of the Seven Sisters books sold worldwide1928, ParisA boy is found, moments from death, and taken in by a kindly family...

adult · book · drama · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · womens-fiction · romance

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

From the beloved author of the triumphant New York Times bestseller Ask Again, Yes comes a magnificently told novel about the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire.Malcolm Gephardt, the handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss is finally ready to retire, Malcolm is inspired to buy the place...

adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · family · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · mystery · season-winter

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

Revolution is a bloodthirsty business . . . especially when vampires are involved.It is 1793 and the French Revolution is in full swing. Vampires—usually rich and aristocratic—have slaked the guillotine’s thirst in large numbers. The mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel, a disguised British noble, and his League are heroically rescuing dozens of aristocrats from execution, both human and vampire...

fantasy · historical-fiction · historical · vampires · fiction · retellings · young-adult · paranormal · urban-fantasy · action-adventure

Worlds Apart by Jane Crittenden

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

An emotional and hopeful debut that Can first love survive 18 years, 11,000 miles and a lifetime of misunderstandings? Eighteen years ago, teenage Amy fled England, pregnant and heartbroken, to start over in New Zealand with her parents. Now Chris, the love she left behind, has walked into her beloved café by the beach and thrown her life into turmoil...

romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · womens-fiction · historical-fiction · realistic · friendship · holidays · female-mc

Untitled by Diana Gabaldon

Publish date: Monday, 22 May

The rumored final book in James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser’s story...

romance · fiction · fantasy · historical · historical-fiction · time-travel · sci-fi · paranormal · book · adult

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

Publish date: Tuesday, 30 May

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an 'old maid' to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.Lady Augusta Colebrook, "Gus," is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two...

romance · historical-fiction · mystery · historical · fiction · industrial-era · regency · audiobook · action-adventure · crime

The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

A woman wakes up in a honeymoon suite dressed in a wedding gown, next to the groom. Problem is, she's not the bride and he's been murdered. Amanda Quick returns to the 1930s glamour of Burning Cove, California, where everyone has a secret they would kill to hide..

adult · book · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · mystery · paranormal · psychics · romance

The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

The suspenseful sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which sees Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney reunited, and with another mystery to solve: the dreadful poisoning of the scoundrel Willoughby's new wife...

adult · audiobook · book · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · industrial-era · killer · law-enforcement · mystery

The King's Pleasure by Alison Weir

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the private side of the legendary king Henry VIII and his dramatic and violent reign in this extraordinary historical novel...

adult · book · early-modern · fiction · historical · historical-fiction

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

Warrior Princess.That’s what Nigeria’s father calls her. He’s raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. Nigeria is homeschooled and vegan and participates in traditional rituals that connect her and other kids from the group to their ancestors. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch to their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended...

young-adult · fiction · historical-fiction · historical · poc-mc · family · romance · racism · book

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War...

20th-century · adult · book · christian · family · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction

Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

As the Blitz continues to ravage London, Ellie McDonnell—formerly a safecracking thief, but currently determined to stay on the straight and narrow to help her country—is approached by British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey with a new assignment. She is to travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and there await further instructions...

20th-century · action-adventure · adult · amateur-sleuth · book · cozy · espionage · female-mc · fiction · historical

The Castle Keepers by Aimie K. Runyan, Rachel McMillan, J'nell Ciesielski

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family in the English countryside for generations, despite a family curse determined to destroy their legacy and erase them from history.1870. After a disastrous dinner at the Astor mansion forces her to flee New York in disgrace, socialite Beatrice Holbrook knows her performance in London must be a triumph...

romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · christian · audiobook · mystery · feminism · coming-of-age · anthologies

The Lock-Up by John Banville

Publish date: Tuesday, 23 May

Booker Prize winner and “Irish master” (The New Yorker) John Banville’s most ambitious crime novel yet brings two detectives together to solve a globe-spanning mystery In 1950s Dublin, Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar, is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and DI St...

fiction · mystery · crime · audiobook · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · historical · law-enforcement · murder · book

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a sweeping story of three generations of boys in the same Iranian family. Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay. 2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed...

young-adult · lgbtq · contemporary · historical-fiction · fiction · realistic · poc-author · poc-mc · coming-of-age · racism

Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

Detective Arkaday Renko—“one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction” (USA TODAY)—risks his life when he heads to Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion to find an anti-Putin activist who has mysteriously disappeared.Martin Cruz Smith has written nine previous novels featuring Arkady Renko, one of modern detective fiction’s most popular characters...

adult · animals · book · cozy · espionage · fiction · ghosts · historical · historical-fiction · investigator

The Old Lion: A Novel of Theodore Roosevelt by Jeff Shaara

Publish date: Tuesday, 16 May

From New York Times bestselling author Jeff Shaara, The Old Lion is a brilliant novel tracing the life of one of the consequential presidents, Theodore...

adult · book · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · indigenous-mc · outdoors · poc-mc · violent-conflict · war

Good Night, Irene: A Novel by Luis Alberto Urrea

Publish date: Tuesday, 30 May

In the tradition of The Nightingale and Transcription , an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman's heroic frontline service in the Red Cross "Urrea's touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his approach to his craft but in the broader sense of what he feels necessary to capture about life itself...

20th-century · adult · book · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · poc-author · violent-conflict · war

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda

Publish date: Tuesday, 23 May

No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller from the award-winning author of These Women. Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison―or so her ex-cellmate, Diosmary Sandoval, keeps insinuating...

mystery · fiction · western · crime · historical-fiction · feminism · suspense · literary-fiction · thriller · audiobook

The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

1830. After a violent storm, a woman is found alone, naked, near death on the Northumberland moors. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there. But she can remember how to help a woman in labour, how to expertly dress a wound and can speak fluent French...

historical-fiction · historical · fiction · audiobook · industrial-era · victorian · literary-fiction · amnesia · medical · female-mc

The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter

Publish date: Tuesday, 23 May

As the new Duke of Hollinburgh, Nicholas Radnor is handsome, titled, charming, and land poor. The last quality might change soon, because a portion of his uncle's personal estate is about to become available to him and his cantankerous extended family...

adult · book · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · industrial-era · regency · romance

The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

Publish date: Tuesday, 23 May

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home...

adult · book · cozy · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · killer · law-enforcement · murder · mystery

Romancing the Artist by Sally Britton

Publish date: Tuesday, 30 May

Caroline Clapham isn’t a world renown artist—she’s simply a farmer’s daughter possessed of natural talent with a paintbrush. Talent that her mentor, the Countess of Inglewood, is happy to foster for a summer at her beautiful seaside estate...

romance · industrial-era · regency · historical · historical-fiction · fiction · christian · victorian · family · womens-fiction

A Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

"Unique characters and a fast-paced mystery add flavor to this sweet romance.” —Publishers Weekly"An excellent choice for readers who love both traditional Regencies and detective mysteries...

romance · historical-fiction · industrial-era · regency · mystery · historical · fiction · womens-fiction · suspense · enemies-to-lovers

The Wolf by Frost Kay

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

A cold wolf lord trying to reclaim his birthright. An enslaved duchess trying to escape the claws of her past. A deal that could spell redemption or destruction for them both.The Wolf is a complete, *stand-alone novel*, inspired by the classic fairytales of Red Riding Hood and Cinderella with a "happily ever after" ending...

romance · fantasy · fated-mates · retellings · magic · new-adult · shapeshifters · royalty · enemies-to-lovers · medieval

A Heart to Keep by Ashtyn Newbold

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

Five gentlemen, one eligible young lady…and her reluctantly jealous best friend.Emma Eastwood can think of only two ways to escape a forced marriage to a detestable man: to run away, or to marry someone else. With few prospects for the second option, she escapes with the plan to audition to be a singer in London...

romance · industrial-era · regency · historical-fiction · historical · friends-to-lovers · forbidden-love · friendship · fiction · suspense

The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble

Publish date: Tuesday, 9 May

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble wows with a gripping historical novel about the real-life “Tiffany Girls,” a fascinating and largely unknown group of women artists behind Tiffany’s most legendary glassworks.It’s 1899, and Manhattan is abuzz...

historical-fiction · fiction · historical · womens-fiction · drama · audiobook · secrets · urban · female-mc · book

When I Wake by Elizabeth Norris

Publish date: Wednesday, 24 May

Maya Whitaker lives and breathes ballet. On stage, wrapped in music and the movements, she knows who she is. After an argument with her stepfather leaves her financially cut off and forced to quit, she’s completely lost. It’s how she finds herself at an illegal blackout party: one minute she’s drowning in a kiss from a complete stranger, the next they’re running from the cops...

romance · young-adult · dystopia · sci-fi · fantasy · contemporary · mystery · historical-fiction · fiction · book

The East Indian by Brinda Charry

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

Inspired by a historical figure, an exhilarating debut novel about the first native of the Indian subcontinent to arrive in Colonial America—for readers of Esi Edugyan and Yaa Gyasi.Meet Tony: insatiably curious, deeply compassionate, with a unique perspective on every scene he encounters...

historical-fiction · fiction · historical · coming-of-age · literary-fiction · audiobook · action-adventure · colonization · journey · female-author

Desert Island Duke by Kate Bateman

Publish date: Friday, 19 May

Surviving on a tropical island will be hard.Living with him will be impossible. . .Shipwrecked on a tropical isle, Caroline 'Caro' Montgomery is furious to discover that her sole fellow castaway is her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish, the fourteenth duke of Hayworth.Max might be the most handsome man she’s ever met, but he’s teased her ever since they were children...

romance · outlaws · historical-fiction · fiction · exploration · action-adventure · historical · industrial-era · regency · humor

The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific by Tosca Lee, Marcus Brotherton

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire. Life in the Philippines seems like paradise--until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor...

historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · suspense · coming-of-age · christian · war · 20th-century · spirituality

A Lord for Whenever by Alexis Hall

Publish date: Wednesday, 24 May

Originally scheduled for publication on March 20th, 2018, the author announced on his blog in February 2018 the "Regency trilogy" had been put "on the back burner for the foreseeable future"...

romance · lgbtq · mlm · industrial-era · regency · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · book · adult

The Airman's Girl: A gripping and moving World War 2 historical novel by Carly Schabowski

Publish date: Tuesday, 2 May

Poland, 1939 : As I stare into the German pilot’s frightened eyes, I realise I have no choice but to help him. And in that moment, I know that this young man, and this decision, will change my life forever…When a German pilot crashes over my parents’ farmland, at first I am terrified...

romance · historical-fiction · fiction · friendship · female-mc · ww2 · literary-fiction · historical · 20th-century · book

Endlessly Courted, Finally Loved by Christi Caldwell

Publish date: Friday, 26 May

A Clever Charade Lady Beatrice Dennington has become the most courted lady of the ton-- not bad for a duke’s sister. Only problem being is that the courting has never ended with an offer of marriage. Every single gentleman who has courted her has found his true love, and it hasn’t been Beatrice.Her last humiliation, has Beatrice fed up with being a prize never claimed...

romance · industrial-era · regency · historical-fiction · revenge · historical · fiction · book · adult

Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling

Publish date: Monday, 1 May

A daughter discovers the dramatic history that shaped her mother’s secret life in an emotional and immersive novel by Zhang Ling, the bestselling author of A Single Swallow.There was rarely a time when Phoenix Yuan-Whyller’s mother, Rain, didn’t live with her. Even when Phoenix got married, Rain, who followed her from China to Toronto, came to share Phoenix’s life...

historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · feminism · journey · family · mystery · ww2 · female-mc