It’s Rome in 1659, and Girolama Spana lives west of the river Tiber in a house marked by a lily and a garden full of herbs. Many women in Rome seek her help — although they would never admit it — eager for her mysterious balms, her love potions, and her ability to predict their […]
The Girl Who Crossed Mountains by Lelita Baldock
San Sebastian, 1936; Abene García, a fisherman’s daughter, must make a terrible choice: risk being caught in the crossfires of the escalating Spanish Civil War or abandon her seaside home and make the perilous journey across the Pyrenees to the border of France. But the safety she finds on the other side of the mountains […]
Giulia Tofana: poisoner, murderer, saviour?
Giulia Tofana was a poisoner — but was she a murderer or a saviour, Cathryn Kemp asks. Her novel, A Poisoner’s Tale, is a dark retelling of Giulia’s story. She is the legendary serial killer you may not have heard of. Giulia Tofana, a woman famed for the undetectable poison she unleashed upon the unsuspecting […]
Queen Cleopatra edited by Lindsay Powell
Cleopatra had the rare distinction of connecting three great cultures. She was born of an ancient Greek dynasty that stretched back to the time of Alexander the Great, and as the last Pharaoh of Egypt she ruled before the once mighty kingdom became a vassal state under the all-powerful Roman Empire in the first century […]
Historical books for summer reading 2024
We asked eight well-loved authors of both historical fiction and non-fiction to each suggest a couple of books they recommend for history lovers to enjoy reading over the summer. They’ve come up with an inspiring mix of books they’ve loved and books they’re looking forward to reading themselves, some just published, and a few old […]
A Woman of Opinion by Sean Lusk
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu longs for adventure, freedom and love, believing that only by truly living can she ever escape the stalking crow of Death… An aristocratic woman in 18th-century England is expected to act in certain ways. But Mary has never let society’s expectations stifle her: she writes celebrated poetry and articles advocating for […]
Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy
1890. Lieutenant Gabriel Stokes of the British Army has left behind the horrors of war in Afghanistan for a role in the Metropolitan Police. Though he’s risen quickly through the ranks, the squalid violence of London’s East End proves just as dark and oppressive as the battlefield. With his life falling apart, and longing for […]
The Betrayal of Thomas True by AJ West
It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses, where the only true sin is betrayal. Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his […]