May 2026 list by Bonnie Bradford |
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A Crown of Stars
by Shana Abe
1915. Rita Jolivet, famous actress of stage and screen, books a ticket on the RMS Lusitania. But the ship sails under a British flag, and the German government warns these vessels are targets. Few believe Germany would risk attacking a ship carrying Americans, certainly not one as swift and imposing as the Lusy...
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Fireflies in Winter
by Eleanor Shearer
Nova Scotia, 1796. Cora, newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her...until she creeps out and finds tracks in the snow.
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The Fourth Princess
by Janie Chang
Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to a wealthy American, the new mistress of Lennox Manor in Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past and strange incidents occur, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity. Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.
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Frida's Cook
by Florencia Etcheves
Mexico City, 1939: Young and determined Nayeli Cruz flees Oaxaca and finds herself in front of La Caza Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo. As she begins work as the artist’s cook, Nayeli is pulled into Frida’s world of pain, passion, and defiance.
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The House of Hidden Letters
by Izzy Broom
After winning a housing lottery and moving to Greece, Skye MacKinnon and local contractor Andreas find a set of mysterious letters, which unravel the history of the prior residents, and the truth about life on the island of Folegandros during World War II.
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It Girl
by Allison Pataki
At the dawn of the twentieth century, New York’s streets teem with change: electricity, automobiles—and the It Girls. As artists’ muses and working models, these independent young women soar to stardom and pop culture is born. And no one shines brighter than America’s sweetheart, Evelyn Talbot.
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The Manual for Good Wives
by Lola Jaye
To the world Mrs Copplefield is the epitome of Victorian propriety: a society lady who writes a weekly column advising young ladies on how to be better wives. But really Adeline is a black woman who dared to pretend to be something she was not. London society is baying for her blood. And she is ready to tell her story...
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Ruby Falls
by Gin Phillips
One body. Five suspects. Total darkness.
A tense, claustrophobic historical mystery set at the onset of the Great Depression about the discovery of a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain, the unthinkable crime that happens in its caves, and a woman who's never felt more alive.
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The Shock of the Light
by Lori Inglis Hall
As World War II takes hold across Europe, twins Tessa and Theo are eager to do their part. Theo is recruited by the RAF, while Tessa jumps at the chance to join the Special Operations Executive, devoted to spying and sabotage behind enemy lines.
Two years later, Theo comes home. Tessa does not.
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The Sisters of Book Row
by Shelley Noble
1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock. And home to three sisters who vow to stop him.
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Taming Lady Temperance
by Karen Witemeyer
Noreen O'Sullivan is a fervent member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and believes it is her calling to defend Prohibition. But when tensions escalate at the saloon, enforcing the law might very well destroy Deputy James Paxton's chance to win Noreen's heart.
Secret Society of Spinsters series.
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Vanished in the Crowd
by Rhys Bowen & Clare Broyles
New York is busier than ever as two million visitors come to the city to witness the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 1909. When a parade turns deadly only Molly Murphy has the tools to find out the truth.
Molly Murphy Mystery series.
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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 catastrophic historic event.
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The Widow Hamilton
by Mollie Ann Cox
It’s December 1805, and Eliza Hamilton is determined to seek justice. One young woman is dead, another has vanished. With no help from the constabulary Eliza vows to protect the women and uncover the truth.
Eliza Hamilton Mystery series.
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The Winter Witch
by Jennifer Chevalier
Two sisters, Elisabeth and Marthe, set sail on a bride ship from Normandy hoping to leave a curse behind them and find better lives in the wilds of 17th-century Quebec, only to meet a mysterious witch who forces them to confront the truth about magic—and their past.
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The Woman and Her Stars
by Penny Haw
A hopeful and uplifting novel inspired by the true story of Caroline Herschel, the first woman to discover a comet. The Woman and Her Stars shines a light on a woman who was raised to believe she was worth nothing more than to serve others, but whose genius and resolve made her one of the world's leading astronomers.
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