Whether your passion is The Ancient Greeks, The Wars of The Roses or The Russian Revolution, you'll find stories of life during these eras and every other, often using factual accounts to build a fictional narrative.
Historical Fiction Books
Book Guild Publishing Ltd Our Ethel
Book Synopsis‘I can never make any sense of what happened to you, Ethel. There were people had it in for you and I don’t know why. I think you were a soft target for cruel men.’ Timid Ethel Slater grows up in a squalid terraced house in a railway community in 1950s York. Perpetually at the mercy of the men she encounters, she falls pregnant out of wedlock, retreats into obscurity and gives birth alone at home. When her newborn is found dead in her bedroom a few days later and fatal head injuries are discovered at the post-mortem, Ethel breaks and confesses to the killing. On trial for murder, Ethel is plunged into a legal world she does not understand. The voices of well-meaning neighbours who give evidence are twisted and distorted by their own secrets and fears. Ethel faces the death sentence for a brutal crime she may not have committed. The right questions are asked, but in this secretive and insular community, nobody can ever be sure of the right answers.
£9.49
Book Guild Publishing Ltd Father of One
Book SynopsisMaka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move. Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, the author lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
£9.49
Legend Press Ltd The Stone Witch of Florence
Book Synopsis ''Magical in every sense of the word'' Katy Hays''Magnificent'' Sarah Penner''Sparkles with suspense and the magical power of women... I devoured this novel'' Laurie Lico AlbanesePerfect for fans of The Lost Apothecary and The Alchemist. 1348. As the Black Plague lays waste to Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned back to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile.Ginevra has a giftusing the ancient practices of alchemy she learned as a young girl, she can heal the sick. But when word traveled of her unusual craft, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now, the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.She obliges, assuming the city's leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amidst a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence's churche
£16.14
Legend Press Ltd An Idle Woman
Book SynopsisONE WOMAN CLAIMS THE POWER TO TAKE CHARGE OF HER OWN DESTINY1838, England: When eighteen-year-old Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, all her hopes for her future are quickly shattered as she finds there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family's estate, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids.Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John's abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.A story of gaslighting, control and one woman's fight, An Idle Woman is the true story behind one of the most sensational divorce trials of the nineteenth century.Remarkable an engaging and informative read' Leah Moyes, author of A Polish NurseReading it felt like falling through the cracks of time and witnessing a terrifying fight for freedom
£9.49
Legend Press Ltd The Wolfs Shadow
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£8.99
Legend Press Ltd A Trace of Sun
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£9.89
Legend Press Ltd Rosalind: one woman did the work, three men took
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£8.99
Legend Press Ltd The Almost Truth
Book Synopsis ''In a life full of books and not enough time to read them, I never read a novel twice. This one I will'' Clo CareyWinner of the Irish Novel Fair 2021 A compelling story of family, secrets, identity, and a reminder that love and life can surprise you right until the very end.When Alina's son, Fin, traces his long-absent birthfather, it's the catalyst for decades of secrets to implode in Alina's neatly ordered life.With the sudden appearance of Rory, and the ever-present pull of a very different life in Bangladesh, she's left reeling.Three relationships, all of them built on half-truths. All Alina can truly be sure of, is that you can choose your family, you just can't choose who they will turn out to be.''A lovely, compelling read about love, family, and finding yourself'' Becky Hunter, author of One Moment''Intricately explores themes of home, family, identity, love, and loss, inviting readers to po
£9.49
Watkins Media Limited Of Talons and Teeth
Book SynopsisWales, a mining village, pre-industrial revolution. A world of serfdom and squalor, its inhabitants oppressed by both Chapel conformist impulses and the predations of a new kind of capitalism being born. Sion, a metalworker, strikes up an illicit relationship with Katherine, the wife of the mineowner's personal dogsbody. And so begins the struggle of non-transactional and non-exploitative human love to be recognised in a place bent on the destruction and negation of that very thing. A mix of political anger, historical excavation, Celtic mysticism, praise of the human impulse to love and rage at avarice and exploitation, Of Talons and Teeth seeks to explore that moment when human beings and the natural beauties around them were turned into mere chattels; when Mammon became the only god worth worshipping.Trade Review"This unnerving tale spits and writhes off the page. Hypnotic, mythic and visceral — its prose hewn from deep beneath the soil. Griffiths is a twenty-first-century Faulkner."“Often untouchable and always utterly gripping, as British writers go Niall Griffiths is the very best in the business.”"Of Talons and Teeth affirms Griffiths as one my favorite writer’s working today. He’s a true marvel with language and in this historical exploration of man’s ongoing battle with greed and our inability to do anything but take from nature, comes the heart of a broken romantic. This is a real gem of a novel by a magician of a writer.”
£10.44
Merrow Downs Press The Lumberjills: Stronger Together
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£9.49
Fly on the Wall Press The Unpicking
Book Synopsis"I had read enough mystery stories to know that girls who went out to meet strangers at night never came to a good end..." Stirling, 1877. Lillias Gilfillan, a recently orphaned girl of sixteen, falls in love and elopes with a man who sees her as wealthy and naive: 'a little boat without its oars'. In a sea of rising debt and deception, Lillias must learn quickly, or drown. Glasgow, 1894. Clementina knows little mercy living in a home for 'wayward girls'. With the 'Jingling Devil' always lurking in the shadows and a child growing inside her, can she outrun him and save her best friend in the process? Glasgow, 1919. Mabel is one of the first policewomen in Glasgow, on a mission to find a murderer. In doing so, she finds a web of corruption and now the 'Jingling Devil' wants her dead. 'The Unpicking' spans three generations of 'hysterical women' who take on systemic corruption and injustice, despite all odds.Trade Review"A stirring tribute to resilience, hope and self-belief" - Alastair Mabbott, The Herald.; "Phenomenally good. Donna Moore's third novel is deadly serious. The three characters are strong and brave, for the situations they find themselves in. They use all their energy on trying to make things better; staying alive; but the world isn't cooperating with them. But working together, women can do a lot." - Ann Giles; "With a wonderfully realised cast of characters and fine eye for detail, The Unpicking is grimy, exquisite and utterly compelling!" - Dr Zoe Strachan, University of Glasgow; "An utterly compelling story with three glorious women protagonists you're rooting for as soon as you meet them. I loved it." - Sarah Ward author of The Birthday Girl
£10.44
Fly on the Wall Press The Devils Draper
Book Synopsis
£10.79
Bedford Square Publishers Loyalty : 2023 bestseller, an action-packed epic
Book SynopsisLoyalty can save a soul — or destroy one.Franco Fiorvante is a handsome lemon-grower who has toiled for years on the estate of boss Baron Zito. Franco dreams of owning his own lemon grove, but the rigid class system of Sicily thwarts his ambitions. Determined to secure a prosperous future, Franco will do anything to prove his loyalty to the Baron. But when Baron Zito asks him to arrange the kidnapping of a little boy, Franco crosses the point of no return, setting in motion the making of the world’s first Mafia family.Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer, whose devotion for justice is a calling. Gaetano is a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime. Gaetano and the Beati Paoli set out to find the boy, but for Gaetano, the mission turns to obsession. He risks everything to right the wrong.The kidnapped boy, Dante, grows up without even knowing his last name. He doubts his own sanity until he meets Lucia, a girl with a tragic past of her own. They fall in love, and set out to find his true identity.Trade Review'A beautifully written tale, wonderfully told by a master storyteller.' -- Nelson DeMille, author of 'The Maze''Rich with intrigue and secrets, tension and tenderness (not to mention the intoxicating scent of lemon groves!), this is Lisa Scottoline at her best!' -- Jennifer Rosner, author of 'The Yellow Bird Sings' and 'Once We Were Home'
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Ravage & Son: A dark, thrilling new novel of
Book SynopsisA master storyteller’s novel of crime, corruption, and antisemitism in early Manhattan, Ravage & Son reflects the lost world of Manhattan’s Lower East Side — the cradle of Jewish immigration during the first years of the twentieth century — in a dark mirror.Abraham Cahan, editor of the Jewish Daily Forward, serves as the conscience of the Jewish ghetto teeming with rogue cops and swindlers.He rescues Ben Ravage, an orphan, from a trade school and sends him off to Harvard to earn a law degree. But upon his return, Ben rejects the chance to escape his gritty origins and instead becomes a detective for the Kehilla, a quixotic gang backed by wealthy uptown patrons to help the police rid the Lower East Side of criminals.Charged with rooting out the Jewish 'Mr. Hyde', a half-mad villain who attacks the prostitutes of Allen Street, Ben discovers that his fate is irrevocably tied to that of this violent, sinister man.Trade Review'One of the most important writers in American literature.' -- Michael Chabon'Jerome Charyn, like Nabokov, is that most fiendish sort of writer—so seductive as to beg imitation, so singular as to make imitation impossible.' -- Tom Bissell'Charyn is a one off: no other living American writer crafts novels with his vibrancy of historical imagination. -- William Giraldi'Charyn’s sentences are pure vernacular music, his voice unmistakable.' -- Jonathan Lethem'One of our most rewarding novelists.' -- Larry McMurtry'No one does it better than Charyn.' * Crime Time *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Under the Tamarind Tree: A beautiful novel of
Book SynopsisA story of love tested to its limits by moral dilemmas, and the beauty and fragility of childhood friendships.1964 — Karachi, Pakistan. Rozeena will lose her home, her parents’ safe haven since fleeing India and the terrors of Partition, if her medical career doesn’t take off soon. But success may come with a price. Meanwhile, the interwoven lives of her childhood best friends — Haaris, Aalya, and Zohair — seem to be unraveling with each passing day. The once small and inconsequential differences between their families’ social standing now threaten to divide them. Then one fateful night someone ends up dead and the life they took for granted shatters.Rozeena receives a call from a voice she never thought she’d hear again. What begins as an request to look after a friend’s teenaged granddaughter grows into an unconventional friendship — one that unearths buried secrets and just might ruin everything Rozeena has worked so hard to protect.Captivating and atmospheric, Under the Tamarind Tree shows us the high-stakes ripple effects of generational trauma, and the lengths people will go to safeguard the ones they love.Trade Review'Absorbing and atmospheric, this heart-rending debut explores deep moral dilemmas and how secrets from the past have a habit of wreaking havoc on the present.' Love Reading'Great historical fiction with a mystery at its heart'. The Daily Mail
£15.29
Bedford Square Publishers The Quick and the Dead
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£15.29
Bedford Square Publishers The Quick and the Dead
Book SynopsisIt is 1597 and Kit Skevy and Mariner Elgin have just robbed the wrong grave. Two unusual criminals get caught up in the dark and magical underworld of alchemy in the 16th century.
£9.49
The Book Guild Ltd A Fallen God
Book SynopsisIn a bustling marketplace, an extraordinary encounter sets in motion a series of events that intertwines the fates of two individuals, defying expectations and leading to an indelible love story. Set in thirteenth-century France, at a time of conflict between the Church of Rome and the rebellious Cathar movement, A Fallen God is a retelling of the myth traditionally known to us as Tristan and Isolt, told from the perspective of cuckolded King Marc. Isolt’s entanglement with the enigmatic Tristan reverberates far beyond their immediate surroundings, echoing across the continent and sparking a revolutionary movement that challenges the rigid power structures of medieval Europe. Meanwhile, Marc is forced onto a path of confrontation with the greatest forces of his time in this epic saga exploring the transformative power of love in a time of great upheaval.
£10.44
The Book Guild Ltd Under the Stairs
Book SynopsisAt a stately home in Burnley in 1936 a young girl is employed as a maid in service to the lord and lady of the house. She falls in love for the first time, ultimately having to deal with the consequences of her love in a manner she never imagined. A young man in the British Army in 1959 wrestles with his own identity and keeps secrets – some of which he will hold for the rest of his life. St. Helens in the mid 1970s and a young boy faces his father with legal documents he doesn’t understand that he finds in a shoe box under the stairs. Based on real events of one family’s search for the truth, Under the Stairs is an aching saga told across time, told through the generations of one family; their unconditional love for each other and their determination to answer the question we all want to know the answer to – Who am I?
£9.49
Markosia Enterprises Ltd Antigone
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£13.29
YouCaxton Publications Poltwhistle's Final Defeat
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£4.75
Resolute Books The West in Her Eyes
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£9.49
Lammas Publishing The Goldhanger Dog: Magical Tudor Tale of Two
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£8.54
Jane Fenwick Never The Twain
Book SynopsisNever the Twain is a gothic crime novel set in Victorian Whitby and Glasgow. When Elizabeth Buchanan an actress, gives birth to identical twin girls, she does not intend to be burdened with them and leaves them in Whitby in the care of her sister and heads back to London. Seventeen years later the twins lives take an unexpected turn when the woman they have always known as their mother dies, leaving them penniless. Elizabeth does not intend to be saddled with the twins again. She places them in a high class brothel in the care of Velda Jansen to have their virginity auctioned to the highest bidder. When Captain Driscoll, a wealthy shipping tycoon visits the brothel they hope he will rescue them. Although the twins are identical he can tell them apart and wants to marry April. Before the twins are deflowered he pays
£4.49
JJMoffs Independent Book Publisher The Strange Year of E.G. Rawlings
Book SynopsisIt is January 2017. E.G. Rawlings, a noted foreign correspondent forced into retirement after a serious injury in the field, arrives by boat at a vacant mooring on the Thames. To his surprise, he finds it is owned by an old friend from Afghanistan, Isobel Mallinson, the widow of a British diplomat. On learning that Rawlings is now writing an account of his war experiences, Isobel allows him to use her mooring for the year he needs to finish his memoir. During the months that follow, Rawlings, suffering from PTSD and in terrible emotional and physical pain, finds solace in the peaceful life of the river and the community he finds there. Although a loner by nature, he becomes particularly close to Marnie, a middle-aged art teacher with a fragile heart who lives near him in the boathouse. He begins to tell Marnie his story, explaining the unexpected events that have resulted in what he calls 'turning points' in his life, taking him in surprising and new directions. Little does the jaded reporter realise that another turning point is just around the corner that will not only profoundly affect his life, but also the lives of all those around him.Trade ReviewA remarkable story of love and survival. Brilliant, compelling and unexpected. Gyles Brandreth; A truly outstanding story. 5 stars; Marnie rents the boathouse on Lady Isobel Mallison's land. She's startled when a man emerges out of the mist, asking if he can moor his houseboat. Little does she know how E.G. Rawlings' arrival will change her life as she gets acquainted with him over the year.... she invites him to share either dinner or coffee. She uses these occasions to find out about his life as a war correspondent. The places he's reported from, the love of his life, the PTSD he and other wartime journalists have in common. However, this book is so much more than Marnie and her growing interest in Rawlings. Lady Isobel Mallison, the owner of this beautiful property, had first met Rawlings while she was a diplomat's wife at the embassy in Kabul. Her husband Peter had passed from cancer a couple of years before leaving her with this beautiful property they had both so looked forward to exploring and developing in their retirement. Isobel was a woman in her own right, having been a Justice of the Peace. It was through this role that she met Marnie and offered her the boathouse to rent. She shines through this storyline as this graceful, elegant but very kind "matriarch". Others interact throughout the novel with the main protagonists. All are superbly drawn so that as the reader, you feel like you're getting acquainted not just with Rawlings, Marnie, and Isobel, but with all those who make up this very lively house filled with love. There were so many things I loved in this book, Rawlings view on Brexit. The confidence Marnie embraces to hide her past. Isobel's role as the matriarch of this strange group of players. Felix's arrival brings love and life to all who he meets while grappling with his demons. I stupidly started reading this book at midnight, thinking "I'll read a chapter to lull me to sleep". It did not! Instead, I read until the sun came up at six. Fortunately, I was able to close the book with a deep sense of fulfilment and love with one proviso, Jane McCulloch; this was such a beautiful storyline filled with interesting, vibrant characters from whom I want to hear more... With a bit of luck, I won't have to wait too long to find the answers. Treebeard; Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
£10.79
JJMoffs Independent Book Publisher Quo Vadis E.G. Rawlings?
Book Synopsis‘Really Rawlings, you are incredibly blind sometimes…’ This is the final book in the superb E.G. Rawlings trilogy. All of the characters from the last two books are back, with a couple of new faces adding to the rich tapestry of Jane McCulloch’s outstanding storytelling. Still suffering from the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan, E.G. Rawlings, the veteran war correspondent, is balancing writing his new book with the very different demands of two strong women, and those of his delightful grandson Felix. As if things weren’t already complicated enough, Rawlings’ life is again turned upside down when Covid hits the UK. Will the difficult but charming Rawlings manage to navigate yet more turning points in his life? Will he see what’s staring him in the face or will he once again make the wrong decisions when it comes his complicated love life? Whether you are a committed Rawlings fan or new to this irascible but lovable character, you will not be disappointed. A truly engrossing read. This story stands on its own - but if you have enjoyed it you will want to read the first two books of the Rawlings Trilogy.Trade ReviewI’ve grown to love Rawlings, Isobel, Felix and all the eccentric friends who surround them and I’m very sad that this is the final book in the trilogy. They will live with me for a very long time to come. Elite Reviewing Group - 5 stars. We all doubt our life’s worth. Rawlings is no different but we’re not all so fortunate to have a boy called Felix waiting in the wings. So moving, in so many directions. Ian Lavender, actor
£11.39
Eulipion I Hear a Melody
Book SynopsisSet from 1954 until present times in Cornwall and London, the story begins with seven-year-old Sarah Hodges, a mixed-race child and her loving parents. Music, particularly jazz is a major part of their family, a backdrop to her Cornish childhood and her adult life in London. She considers how to navigate her way as an outsider throughout. A major life event, together with people she meets helps her to reflect upon her own identity.Trade Review‘Themes of race and identity are explored in rural and urban environments, and found to be problematic in both. Growing up and becoming aware of these issues, coupled with oppressive gender attitudes she encounters, Sarah’s innocence seems to be gradually eroded. And yet, despite Sarah’s life struggles, there is a sense of joy, and a positivity, that flows throughout her life’s narrative. Grounded and anchored by family and friends, our protagonist finds delight and comfort in the simple things - shared meals, music and companionship. This marks Anna’s drama out from others that might deal with such crucial subjects in a less optimistic way. Above all, there is hope.’ David Brett, The Word Bookshop, London; ‘I Hear a Melody gives an insightful and rich perspective into how it feels to be a child growing up within two cultures as she navigates her own identity in Britain.’ Oluwatoyin Odunsi, Creative Producer and Head of Learning and Participation, Brixton House, London; ‘unique, memorable, and brilliant storytelling.’ Lorna Wells, playwright, writer and lyricist
£10.44
Raven Fell Limited Bears in the North
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£8.09
Jukebox Publications The Walls We Build
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£9.89
Aderyn Press Arrow Garden, The
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£8.54
Aderyn Press Fragments of a Woman
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£8.54
Aderyn Press This Thing of Darkness
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£8.54
January Press Murder Durnovaria
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£10.36
The Book Guild Ltd The Berlin Assignment
Book SynopsisIn the perilous atmosphere of the Cold War, Adam Devon, a civilian pilot, becomes unwittingly embroiled in an MI6 covert operation to extract a Russian missile scientist from Berlin. But there are traitors in the British Establishment passing information to the Russians and as the assignment starts to go wrong Devon becomes trapped in East Germany.Hannah, Devon's fiancée and one-time agent for the Israeli Secret Service, leads the mission to rescue him and the rest of the team. However, her best chance of success lies in the hands of the unscrupulous Henry Fitzjohn, a British MP and old RAF rival of Devon's, who had once sought a relationship with her.In a race to unmask the traitor and rescue Devon, loyalties are tested and unexpected alliances form. In a world where secrets are currency and danger is ever-present, will love and resilience prevail against all odds?
£999.99
Saraband Whispers in the Glen
Book Synopsis
£14.62
Saraband / Contraband The Loch of the Bees
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£9.89
Honno Welsh Women's Press Cold Grace
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£9.49
The Conrad Press Italian Hills Farewell
Book Synopsis
£10.44
The Conrad Press Both Sides Now
Book SynopsisA thriller set in 1975
£11.39
The Conrad Press Three Faces
Book SynopsisA historical novel
£10.44
The Conrad Press Le Boulevard de la Solitude
Book SynopsisA novel in English set in 1980s France
£10.44
The Conrad Press She who Dared
Book SynopsisA historical novel
£10.44
Daunt Books Jean
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£9.49
Tilted Axis PR The Woman Who Climbed on the Roof
£15.38
Legend Press Johnny Coopers Field
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the BBC Radio 2 Book Club Recommended Read, The Tin Nose Shop.
£9.49
Legend Press Ltd The Amalfi Curse
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£16.14
Legend Press Ltd Frances and her Ghosts
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£10.44
Legend Press Ltd Murder Most Foul
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£9.49
