Historical Fiction Books

Book SynopsisLondon 1527. Marry or serve: for Honor Larke, the choice is clear. Unwilling to perish of boredom as an obedient wife, she leaves the home of her guardian to attend Her Majesty Queen Catherine of Aragon. Angered by the humiliation heaped upon her mistress as Henry VIII cavorts with Anne Boleyn and presses Rome for a divorce, Honor volunteers to carry letters to the Queen's allies abroad. It's a risky game, and swept into a tide of intrigue and danger that stretches across Europe, the Queen's lady is about learn everything about passion, pride, greed - and the capricious nature of the King.Trade ReviewUnfurls a complex and fast paced plot, mixing history with vibrant characters * Publishers Weekly *Kyle is adept at layering her tale with colourful descriptions, accurate details and exciting twists with a fast-paced plot designed to keep readers' attention. * Romantic Times *

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Book SynopsisSeptember 1938. Spain's Civil War has been raging for two years, the outcome still in the balance. But rebel General Franco is so confident of winning that he has opened up battlefield tourism along the country's north coast. Jack Telford, a left-wing reporter, finds himself with an eccentric group of touristson one of the War Route's yellow Chrysler buses. Driven by his passion for peace, Telford attempts to uncover the hidden truths beneath the conflict. But Jack must contend first with his own gullibility, the tragic death of a fellow passenger, capture by Republican guerrilleros, a final showdown at Spain's most holy shrine and the possibility that he has been badly betrayed. Betrayed and in serious danger.Trade Review"This exciting story is flawlessly presented; most certainly there are noticeable shades of Agatha Christie, and even, I think, generous helpings of Graham Greene, but there is also the undeniable talent of an author who not only loves his craft, but whose own distinct writing skill is evident in every word." Jo Barton, jaffareadstoo.blogsport.co.uk // "This book made me want to dig a bit more into the history of the Spanish Civil War. It's hard for me to imagine what it must have been like for the Spaniards after forty years of living this way. This book, as all good historical fiction does, helps put that in perspective for me. David Ebsworth paints such an appealing picture of Spain's northern Basque country, and Spanish cooking, that it drove my husband to start researching a trip to Spain." Peggy Chittum, my-book-diary.blogspot.com.es // "This book is written to an excellent standard and won't disappoint. It is easy to read and hard to put down, yet if you're looking for something simple to skim this might not be for you, It is thought provoking and expansive in fact and fiction." - Joe McMullan, migmag.co.uk (affiliated with Lancaster University // "The characters are so incredibly vivid - there are characters you adore, others that annoy you and all of these are so expertly devised that you simply cannot help but miss them all when you finish the book, and you will finish it; this is not a novel you will be able to put down." - Rachel Malone, historicalnovelsociety.org

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Book SynopsisThis book is fiction. The story that inspired it was not. In 1990, a box of very old documents was found on a small farm in the west of Ireland. They had been stored for well over a hundred years and told an incredible story of suffering, of love and of courage. In 1846, a young couple met during the worst days of the Great Irish Famine. The Killing Snows is a way to imagine what led to their meeting and what followed from it.Trade Review'Powerful and compelling' Sarah Hackett - The Irish Post 'Famine novel likened to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.' Connaught Telegraph 'A vital reminder of the fragility of life, love and survival.' The Irish Post

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Book Synopsis1879 - the British army has suffered one of the worst defeats in its history at the hands of the Zulu King Cetshwayo. Now the British seek revenge and a second invasion of Zululand is about to take place. Within the Zulu regiments charged with repelling the assault is Shaba kaNdabuko driven by ambition to share the glory of battle, to bring honour and cattle to his family. Meanwhile, new British soldiers are shipped out to replace those lost in the military disasters, and among them is Lieutenant Jahleel Carey, likewise also hoping that adventure will bring him a change of fortune. But there are also always those on the sidelines of conflict, profiteers like renegade trader William McTeague. Three men, three women, will be brought together by one of the Zulu War's strangest episodes, and their destinies will be changed forever.

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Book SynopsisFollow the escape of Jewish citizens from cities taken over by Nazis at the beginning of WWII.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the popularity of the memoirs of Harry Flashman, the Victorian scoundrel who got himself embroiled in many events of his age, this book introduces a new generation of the family: Thomas Flashman, whose career covers the Napoleonic and Georgian era. This first book covers his adventures with Thomas Cochrane, one of the most extraordinary naval commanders of all time. From the brothels and gambling dens of London, through political intrigues and espionage, the action moves to the Mediterranean and the real life character of Thomas Cochrane. This book covers the start of Cochrane's career including the most astounding single ship action of the Napoleonic war. Thomas Flashman provides a unique insight as danger stalks him like a persistent bailiff through a series of adventures that prove history really is stranger than fiction.

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Book SynopsisThis is the third instalment in the memoirs of the Georgian Englishman Thomas Flashman, which were recently discovered on a well-known auction website. Thomas is the uncle of the notorious Victorian rogue Harry Flashman, whose memoirs have already been published, edited by George MacDonald Fraser. Thomas shares many of the family traits, particularly the ability to find himself reluctantly at the sharp end of many major events of his age. While many people have written books and novels on the Peninsular War, Thomas Flashman's memoirs offer a unique perspective. They include new accounts of famous battles, but also incredible incidents and characters almost forgotten by history. Flashman is revealed as the catalyst to one of the greatest royal scandals of the nineteenth century, which disgraced a prince and ultimately produced one of our greatest novelists. In Spain and Portugal he witnesses catastrophic incompetence and incredible courage in equal measure. He is present at an extraordinary action where a small group of men stopped the army of a French marshal in its tracks. His flatulent horse may well have routed a Spanish regiment, while his cowardice and poltroonery certainly saved the British army from a French trap. Accompanied by Lord Byron's dog, Flashman faces death from Polish lancers and a vengeful Spanish midget, not to mention finding time to perform a blasphemous act with the famous Maid of Zaragoza. This is an account made more astonishing as the key facts are confirmed by various historical sources.

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Book SynopsisThis book covers the second half of Thomas Flashman's experiences in the Peninsular War and follows on from Flashman in the Peninsular. Having lost his role as a staff officer, Flashman finds himself commanding a company in an infantry battalion. In between cuckolding his soldiers and annoying his superiors, he finds himself at the heart of the two bloodiest actions of the war. With drama and disaster in equal measure, he provides a first-hand account of not only the horror of battle but also the bloody aftermath. Hopes for a quieter life backfire horribly when he is sent behind enemy lines to help recover an important British prisoner, who also happens to be a hated rival. His adventures take him the length of Spain and all the way to Paris on one of the most audacious wartime journeys ever undertaken. With the future of the French empire briefly placed in his quaking hands, Flashman dodges lovers, angry fathers, conspirators and ministers of state in a desperate effort to keep his cowardly carcass in one piece. This extraordinary account brings together various historical events, while also giving a disturbing insight into the creation of a French literary classic!

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Book SynopsisThis book finds Thomas Flashman, a British army officer, landing on the shores of the United States at the worst possible moment - just when the United States has declared war with Britain! Having already endured enough with his earlier adventures, he desperately wants to go home but finds himself drawn inexorably into this new conflict. He is soon dodging musket balls, arrows and tomahawks as he desperately tries to keep his scalp intact and on his head. It is an extraordinary tale of an almost forgotten war, with inspiring leaders, incompetent commanders, a future American president, terrifying warriors (and their equally intimidating women), brave sailors, trigger-happy madams and a girl in a wet dress who could have brought a city to a standstill. Flashman plays a central role and reveals that he was responsible for the disgrace of one British general, the capture of another and for one of the biggest debacles in British military history.

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Book SynopsisSpain in the years before the Armada, and high passion meets high politics. Ana, Princess of Eboli is a remarkable woman. Married at thirteen and losing an eye in a duel a year later, Ana is also heiress of Spain's leading family, widow of Philip II's wisest cousellor and rumoured to be the King's mistress. Unexpectedly - and unwisely - she falls in love with Don Antonio Perez, dandy, adulterer, skilled politician. With her unusual looks, her aristocratic arrogance and the simplicities of her faith, Ana cannot understand why her private life should become entangled with the affairs of state and, finally, incur the terrible vindictiveness of the King himself ...Kate O'Brien's understanding and love of Spain enhance the beauty of this passionate and intelligent novel.Trade ReviewWrites with almost poetic intensity of the ecstasy and anguish of love -- Val HennessyRead Kate O'Brien not only for a fuller appreciation of modern literature and a greater understanding of twentieth century Ireland, but also for her insights into powerful institutions and pernicious ideologies that seek to repress freedom -- Irish TimesKate O'Brien writes stunning, unforgettable stories of sexuality and families, of self-discovery -- Michele RobertsKate O'Brien writes stunning, unforgettable stories of sexuality and families, of self-discovery * Michele Roberts *She writes with almost poetic intensity of the ecstasy and anguish of love * Val Hennessy *

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Book SynopsisIn the early 1900s Mary O'Grady leaves behind the countryside and the family she cares for, to be with her husband in Dublin. Here she puts down new roots and looks forward to the day when she will return to Tullamore with her own sons and daughters. Marriage and motherhood sustain Mary, gradually the memories of her own childhood fade and her life revolves around the secure home she has created. But as her children grow, they seek the freedom of adults as she had done. Slowly Mary comes to realise that a mother's love cannot protect them, as it could not protect herself, from the sorrows and tragedies of life.Trade ReviewAn impressive body of work * Irish Times *Beautifully and insightfully captured the reality of rural Ireland, just as remote working renews village life * Irish Independent *There's the brilliance with which her fiction gets at the stuff of human interaction, in all its awkwardness, in all the ways in which, muddled and mortified, this interaction will have to do us, because it's all we've got. There's the immense power with which she depicts the inner lives of women, particularly mothers and widows, women who have no reason to be anything other than honest with themselves about the realities of their situation. Lavin evokes those situations with sympathy and with candor and with, in many cases, a frank and delicious comedy * Paris Review *

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Book SynopsisFrank Wentworth, Perpetual Curate of St Roque's, has basked in the popularity of Carlingford, beloved in the gracious homes of Grange Lane and the slums of Wharfside alike. But there are some among the sober-minded citizens who would see him as a 'dilettante Anglican, given over to floral ornaments and ecclesiastical upholstery' - a verdict shared by the new Rector who regards the presence of a young and energetic rival as an intolerable encumbrance. Imperceptibly, the tide starts turning against Frank Wentworth: his love for Lucy Wodehouse is threatened by his lack of prospects; his Evangelical aunts, in charge of a family living, disapprove of his high church ways, and rumours about a pretty shopgirl begin circulating. Slowly it dawns on Frank that he may well be doomed to a life of perpetual - and single - curacy.

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Book SynopsisCelia works at the Ministry in the post-war England of 1949 and lives in a London suburb with her beloved Aunt. Witty, fragile, quixotic, Celia is preoccupied with love -- for her friends, her colleagues, her relations, and especially for her adored cousin Casmilus, with whom she goes on holiday to visit Uncle Heber, the vicar. Here they talk endlessly, argue, eat, tell stories, love and hate -- moments of wild humour alternating with waves of melancholy as Celia ponders obsessively on the inevitable pain of love. In everything she wrote, Stevie Smith's poetic, special eye captured the paradox of pain in all human affections -- nowhere more so than in this wry, strongly autobiographical tale.Trade ReviewExtraordinary handling of conversation always fascinating and recounted with a perfect ear... * GUARDIAN *Those who find them [Stevie Smith's novels] entrancing ... find themselves on a hook which won't let go * PUNCH *

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Book SynopsisGordianus the Finder, famed detective of Ancient Rome, returns in a riveting of stories. Nine tales of murder and intrigue take him from the seamy streets of Rome to elegant villas on the Bay of Naples, from the spectacular backdrop of a chariot race to a domestic dispute with his Egyptian concubine Bethesda.In the title story a beautiful Nubian actress begs Gordianus to solve an impossible problem: how can she have just seen her beloved brother in the market place when she had previously watched him die a gruesome death as a gladiator?Trade ReviewPraise for the Roma sub Rosa series: 'Saylor evokes the ancient world more convincingly than any other writer of his generation.' * Sunday Times *How wonderful to have a scholar write about ancient Rome; how comforting to feel instant confidence in the historical accuracy of the novel * Sunday Times *Saylor's gifts include authentic historical and topographical backgrounds and... sombre themes set off the brilliant scenery and clever plotting. * Times Literary Supplement *

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