It’s Somerset in 1934 and the May Day celebrations are under way, offering some light relief from the daily hardships and a glimmer of hope for a brighter future for the folk of Norton Dene. Conscientious Sister Edith Harrison has her fortune told and a handsome, tall dark stranger is predicted to be on the […]
Fables & Lies by Elisabeth Storrs
In WWII Berlin Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy. As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an […]
Brighter Skies in the Dales by Betty Firth
December 1942. The tide of war has turned at last, with an Allied victory looking increasingly certain, but all is not well for the residents of Silverdale. Newlyweds Bobby and Charlie find themselves back in civilian life after Charlie is given a medical discharge from the RAF. But the village of Silverdale has been forever […]
In defence of full-blooded romance rooted in real history
Romance is blooming in the book world — though, really, has it ever not? So let’s hear it for full-blooded historical romance, says author Maggie Craig; rooted in history and with handsome, ruffle-shirted heroes. I write historical non-fiction and novels. I’m more than happy to have the latter described as historical romance. They are quite […]
Celebrations at the Toffee Factory by Glenda Young
The Great War has ended, but Jack’s toffee factory struggles after years of sugar rations and its troubles are far from over. Fun, feisty Elsie longs for freedom and excitement. Hoping to meet the man of her dreams, she spurns the attention of dependable Stan. Will she realise that what she wants and what she […]
Historical books to look out for in 2026
Welcome to Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of historical books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) to look out for this year. In 2026, there are more than 130 books so far — historical fiction, history, and biography. They range from Ancient Greece and Rome to the mid-20th century via the Viking […]
Felicity’s War by Jean Fullerton
It’s 1941. While London is battered by air raids, Felicity ‘Fliss’ Carmichael has troubles of her own. Still reeling from catching her fiancé cheating, she flees to her childhood home at St. Winifred’s Rectory, reuniting with her sister Prue and Hester Katz, a Jewish doctor sheltering there. Though heartbroken, Fliss finds purpose again as a […]
To Catch a Husband by Sophia Holloway
Miss Mary Lound, practical and direct, would be the first to say that she demonstrates more grace with a fishing rod in her hand than she might ever twirling around a ballroom. Thanks to a spendthrift father and a foolish brother, Mary and her mother have lost the family estate, Tapley End, and are feeling […]