Historical Fiction England

‘I swallowed up The Saffron Thief in 36 hours. It’s a tremendous piece of work … Truly superb’ William Boyd In 1666, England's saffron industry is booming, with the spice fetching a staggering £4 per pound—rivalling gold. Fabian Smith, the sensible second son of a Holborn poulterer...

Sent to rescue Governor Bligh, former captain of HMS Bounty, Jack Aubrey sets off for Australia in the Leopold with his friend Stephen Maturin and a hold full of convicts in this fifth of the Aubrey/Maturin series. A beautiful and dangerous spy lurks among these prisoners, as does an even more...

Beautifully read by Indira Varma and poignantly told, Marking Time is the second novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s bestselling family saga The Cazalet Chronicles, set during the onset of World War II. 'Compelling, moving, unputdownable . . . Maybe my favourite books ever' - Marian Keyes...

“Tell me the story of Everest,” she said, a fervent smile sweeping across her face, creasing the corners of her eyes. “Tell me about this mountain that’s stealing you away from me.” In 1924 George Mallory departs on his third expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Left...

From the award-winning author of The Bellwether Revivals comes a "gorgeous and harrowing work" (Emily St. John Mandel) set on a mysterious island, where artists strive to recover their lost gifts--and where nothing is quite as it seems. Situated on a Turkish island, Portmantle might be the...

The beloved actor and screenwriter’s first novel, set during World War I, delicately and elegantly explores a most unusual romance. It’s almost the end of the war and Paul Peachy, a young railway employee and amateur actor in Milwaukee, realizes his marriage is one-sided. He enlists, and...

Kit Adderley is the worst man in England, a bored libertine who’ll do anything to entertain himself, including kidnapping the strong-minded, freckled dab of a girl promised to his partner in crime. Bryony Marton is trapped in a quiet life and looking for escape, when her awful fiancé’s best friend inadvertently offers it. Everything would be fine if he hadn’t kidnapped her pretty young cousin as well. And now there’s a handsome young Bow Street Runner chasing them..!

Thorgrim Night Wolf, now somewhere on the south coast of Engla-land, may be closer to his goal of returning home than he has been since reaching Ireland years before, but he is still very, very far away. His son Harald, however, has ambitions beyond just getting home. Given command of one of the ships in the fleet, Harald sees a chance to put his courage on display, unleashing consequences that will lead Thorgrim into a fight against the powerful armies of Wessex, a fight he does not want.

You’re going to love Todd.” —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly The critically acclaimed creator of the Inspector Ian Rutledge and battlefield nurse Bess Crawford mystery series, Charles Todd now offers readers a bittersweet love story and romantic mystery that unfolds at Christmas during...

A scandalous affair. A power struggle for the throne. A sensational rivalry between an English queen and an American social climber. In this electrifying novel, the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue tells the story of the Abdication of Edward VIII—and the two women...

A breathtaking novel, rare and moving, about the world's greatest chef and his unruly heart. WHITE TRUFFLES IN WINTER imagines the world of the remarkable French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935), who changed how we eat through his legendary restaurants at the Savoy and the Ritz. A man of...

An anthology of essays from the second year of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book transports the listener across the centuries from prehistoric to 20th-century Britain. Nearly 50 different authors share the stories, incidents, and insights discovered while doing research for their own historical novels. From medieval law and literature to Tudor queens and courtiers, from Stuart royals and rebels to Regency soldiers and social calls, experience the panorama of Britain's yesteryear.

In this gripping debut, steeped in Welsh folklore, a husband and wife living in the beautiful but isolated mountains of Snowdonia stumble upon a buried Neolithic ruin—awakening a mysterious, ancient presence with its own dark designs. “A sumptuously written, chilling folk horror novel.”...

Scandalizing all of England, Henry has his marriage annulled, for the queen cannot meet the bawdy desires of the insatiable king. Henry seeks a spirited, lusty new wife - and eyes the beautiful Nyssa. But in a land rife with conspiracy and rebellion, there are those in secret power determined to thwart Henry's intentions. A drugged Nyssa awakens in the arms of the notorious rake Varian de Winter. Her virtue destroyed, the outraged king orders them to wed.

A missing photographer. A megalomaniacal millionaire. A drag queen hellbent on saving her club. The latest glittering mystery from the author of Murder in the Dressing Room… Misty Divine is bold, beautiful and back in action. She’s barely settled into her new role as the glamorous hostess of...

In a rare opportunity to hear from a legend of Canadian literature in his own voice, this newly-abridged audio edition of How I Spent My Summer Holidays is read by the W.O. Mitchell himself. During the hot Saskatchewan summer of 1924, twelve-year-old Hugh digs up a cave to discover an escaped...

When a young man is given the chance to rewrite his future, he doesn't realize the price he will pay for giving up his past... Casablanca's stinking alleys are the only home that nineteen-year-old Youssef El-Mekki has ever known. Raised by his mother in a one-room home, he dreams of escape -...

A Lady with a past. A man with ambition. A romance far from London society that might bridge their divides. Lady Phoebe Hunt never anticipated returning from exile. A fatal choice drove her from England, but the death of her father—and the revelation of his debts—has brought her home. Once...

From New York Times bestselling author Candace Camp comes an exciting Regency adventure, where a slow-burning love affair collides with a complex mystery… After the scandal of his broken engagement, Nathan Dunbridge accepted his fate as a bachelor—so of course that’s when the most...

A tender and engrossing historical novel about the unlikely love affair between two great 19th-century poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. On a bleak January day in 1845, a poet who had been confined to her room for four years by recurrent illness received a letter from a writer she...