Historical Fiction
April 2026

Recent Releases
A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe
A Crown of Stars
by Shana Abé

This historical novel portrays the final voyage and sinking of the RMS Lusitania through the perspective of a young actress whose life intersects with prominent figures of the early twentieth-century theater world. Set in England, continental Europe, and the United States in the years leading up to World War I, the narrative follows Marguerite Jolivet, who adopts the stage name Rita and pursues a theatrical career in London, New York, and the emerging film industry. Blending fictionalized biography with historical events and real-life figures, the novel explores themes of family, ambition, performance culture, and the impact of war on transatlantic society. For fans of Marie Benedict, Louis Bayard, Fiona Davis, Kate Quinn, and HBO's The Gilded Age.
Daughter of Egypt
by Marie Benedict

Lady Evelyn Herbert defies societal expectations in 1919 and accompanies her father, Lord Carnarvon, and archeologist Howard Carter on digs in Egypt, where she seeks the tomb of Hatshepsut. In 1400s BCE, Hatshepsut becomes pharaoh against the odds. Following the lives of two women whom history almost forgot, this evocative novel is the latest from acclaimed author Marie Benedict. Read-alikes: Gill Paul's The Collector's Daughter; Saara El-Arifi's Cleopatra.
Where the False Gods Dwell by Denny S. Bryce
Where the False Gods Dwell
by Denny S. Bryce

Inspired by real-life legendary choreographer Katherine Dunham's groundbreaking expedition into the heart of Caribbean dance culture, this uniquely captivating novel imagines the experiences of three very different women who accompany her, hoping to find their destinies--yet finding themselves forced to survive a historic event. Try these next: The Jewel of the Blues by Monica Chenault-Kilgore; The Edge of Yesterday by Rita Woods. 
Book of Forbidden Words
by Louise Fein

In 1552 England, former nun Lysbette writes of a utopian world for women, but people find her words heretical and she's killed before her book can be printed. This leads Charlotte Guillard, a real-life Parisian publisher, to encode the work for posterity. In 1952 New York, bored housewife and World War II codebreaker Millie decodes the manuscript, but McCarthyism makes the centuries-old ideas inside still dangerous. Try these next: A.D. Bell's The Bookbinder's Secret; Chanel Cleeton's The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.
Mule Boy
by Andrew Krivak

In 1929, 13-year-old Ondro Prach begins work as mule boy in the coal mines where his father died. When an accident kills everyone on his crew except him, he's left with trauma and survivor's guilt. He drinks, goes to prison as a conscientious objector during World War II, and is ready to talk years later when the miners' families ask him about the men who were lost that day. "This is flawless," raves Publishers Weekly. Try this next: Anne Michaels' Held; Nathaniel Ian Miller's The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven.
White River Crossing
by Ian McGuire

In the Canadian winter of 1766, news that there's gold further north leads the manager of a Hudson Bay Company outpost to send a secret group to investigate. Led by two Native couples, the party of three prospectors includes the manager's loathsome deputy, the intellectual first mate from the company's whaling sloop, and the manager's naive 19-year-old nephew. But an act of sexual violence will make a dangerous trip even more so in this atmospheric novel. Try this next: Kathleen Grissom's Crow Mary.
Bad Seeds by Mary Monroe
Bad Seeds
by Mary Monroe

In 1930s Alabama, a warm-hearted, generous businesswoman discovers her dark side when she's betrayed by both the younger man she thought was the love of her life and the best friend she's always trusted--with shattering consequences--in New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe's final standalone novel set in the outrageously scandalous, colorful town of Lexington, Alabama. Read-alikes: Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight; The Gardins of Edin by Rosey Lee. 
Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz
Where the Girls Were
by Kate Schatz

It's 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Baker Phillips: She's the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully-planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes. Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash-in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family's shining star to their embarrassing secret. Sent to a home for unwed mothers, Baker finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with a group of pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she reckons with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the girls who went away.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
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