Top new historical-fiction books in April 2025
Last updated:
April 30, 2025
April 2025 featuring new releases by David Baldacci, Sarah Penner, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Kelly Mustian, Marie Benedict, Courtney Sheinmel, Lauren Wolk, Belinda Bauer, Jennifer Haigh, Morgan Jerkins, Kevin Hearne and many more.
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Strangers in Time by David Baldacci
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci’s newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved book shop owner and two teenagers scarred by the second world war, and the healing and hope they find in one another. Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · ww2 -
![The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner]()
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast... -
![Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez]()
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
'It's time we name our kingdom!' he shouted over the wind. 'I say we call this place Happy Land. If this ain't the land of happy people, then where is it? Why not create our heaven right here on earth?' In the hills of Appalachia, there once existed a land ruled by a king and queen...north-america · usa · north-carolina · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · fantasy · family · poc-mc -
![The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian]()
The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian
From the acclaimed author of The Girls in the Stilt House comes a long-awaited novel both atmospheric and lyrical, a haunting Southern story about memory, family secrets, and fierce and fragile love...north-america · usa · mississippi · north-carolina · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · audiobook · historical · family -
![The Secrets of Lovelace Academy by Marie Benedict, Courtney Sheinmel]()
The Secrets of Lovelace Academy by Marie Benedict, Courtney Sheinmel
From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel comes a historical adventure about a young girl plucked from a London orphanage to begin attending a boarding school with more secrets than she could imagine—perfect for fans of Enola Holmes.Lainey Phillips has lived at the Sycamore Home for Orphaned Children since she was three years old...historical-fiction · middle-grade · young-adult · mystery · historical · audiobook · fiction · children-books · children · drama -
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![Candle Island by Lauren Wolk]()
Candle Island by Lauren Wolk
A moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art from Lauren Wolk, the Newbery Honor-winning author of Beyond the Bright Sea.Lucretia Sanderson has a secret...middle-grade · historical-fiction · realistic · fiction · children-books · audiobook · young-adult · grief · animals · children -
![The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer]()
The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer
From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer comes this sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.How do you find something that doesn’t exist?1926. On the cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there...mystery · historical-fiction · fiction · crime · audiobook · historical · friendship · thriller · action-adventure · outdoors -
![Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh]()
Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh
A family drama set in Shanghai, where a fractured American family faces its complicated past Four years after their bitter divorce, Claire and Aaron Litvak get a phone call no parent is prepared for: Their twenty-two-year-old daughter Lindsey, teaching English in China during a college gap year, has been critically injured in a hit-and-run accident...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · grief · mystery · realistic · coming-of-age -
![Zeal by Morgan Jerkins]()
Zeal by Morgan Jerkins
The New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and Caul Baby returns with an epic, multi-generational novel that illuminates the legacy of slavery and the power of romantic love.Harlem, 2019. Ardelia and Oliver are hosting their engagement party. As the guests get ready to leave, he hands her a love letter on a yellowing, crumbling piece of paper . . .Natchez, 1865...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · season-summer · poc-mc · family · black-mc -
![Oberon’s Bathtime Stories by Kevin Hearne]()
Oberon’s Bathtime Stories by Kevin Hearne
If you give Oberon the Irish wolfhound a bath, he’s going to ask you for a story. Fortunately, his human, Atticus, has many centuries of life under his belt as the Iron Druid, and a whole lot of stories to share. Enjoy twelve new short stories from the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles...fantasy · urban-fantasy · audiobook · humor · fiction · anthologies · magic · paranormal · historical-fiction · anthropomorphism -
![The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester]()
The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester
How did a young Parisienne mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, come to lead the largest spy network in France? A powerful, heartbreaking historical novel by the New York Times bestselling authorMorocco, 1928. Eighteen-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Madeleine is not the kind of woman who goes through life sitting down, something her new husband can attest...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · ww2 · historical · espionage · suspense · war · mystery · audiobook -
![Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson]()
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
From New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson comes an eerily timely historical fiction middle grade adventure about a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, the public’s fear of inoculation, and the seething Revolutionary War.In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons...historical-fiction · middle-grade · fiction · historical · young-adult · children-books · audiobook · friendship · children · family -
![Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi]()
Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE HENNA ARTIST, this sweeping novel follows a young Anglo-Indian nurse who embarks on a journey from her home in Bombay, through Prague, Florence, Paris, and London, to uncover a mystery and prove her innocence after a famous painter dies in her care...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · poc-mc · audiobook · 20th-century · female-mc · book · adult -
![The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan]()
The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan
ONE GOLDEN FAMILY. ONE ICONIC PHOTO. It’s 1980s California, and everyone’s dreaming of the endless sun-drenched beaches, infinite waves, and most of all, beautiful, beautiful freedom. For the Merrick siblings, this idyllic vision is their reality, as they travel up and down the coast with their parents in a van year-round, surfing and swimming their days away... -
![The Lilac People by Milo Todd]()
The Lilac People by Milo Todd
For readers of All the Light We Cannot See and In Memoriam, a moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies while protecting the ones he loves. In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin's thriving queer community...historical-fiction · lgbtq · fiction · historical · audiobook · ww2 · trans-mc · war · literary-fiction · drama -
![The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan]()
The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan
Unraveling the tangled roots of her family takes her places she never expected.Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker with a business riding close to the margins, visits her parents in idyllic Estes Park for Christmas. With the holiday comes a DNA test from her younger sister and an engagement ring from her longtime boyfriend. The test confirms her secret she's adopted...fiction · magical-realism · contemporary · audiobook · family · historical-fiction · womens-fiction · fantasy · mystery · outdoors -
![The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper]()
The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper
When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · cozy · ww2 · female-mc · friendship · family -
![Who Will Remember by C.S. Harris]()
Who Will Remember by C.S. Harris
The gruesome murder of a prominent nobleman throws an already unsettled London into chaos in this electrifying new historical mystery by the USA Today bestselling author of What Cannot Be Said.August 1816. England is in the grip of what will become known as the Year Without a Summer...mystery · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · industrial-era · regency · audiobook · murder · suspense · crime -
![The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer]()
The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer
On 15th April 1912, RMS Titanic sank and 1500 people lost their lives. But what if it had stayed afloat? When the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic leaves thirteen-year-old Olivia Davenport orphaned, she’s sent to live with her guardians, the Fairchilds, in their huge Jacobean mansion – Merriford Manor...romance · historical-fiction · fantasy · fiction · audiobook · historical · time-travel · multiverse · sci-fi · season-spring -
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![Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo]()
Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo
From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes Don't Sleep with the Dead, a standalone companion novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful, her acclaimed reimagining of The Great Gatsby.“A vibrant and queer reinvention of F. Scott Fitzgerald's jazz age classic. . . . I was captivated from the first sentence...fantasy · lgbtq · retellings · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · horror · dark · romantic-love · literary-fiction -
![Finding Flora by Elinor Florence]()
Finding Flora by Elinor Florence
A rollicking historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Alberta about a young woman on the run from her abusive husband who uses a legal loophole to claim a homestead in the Wild West—perfect for fans of Outlawed and Giver of Stars.In 1905, Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train to escape her abusive husband...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · action-adventure · indigenous-mc · drama · female-mc · poc-mc -
![Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt]()
Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt
A stunning debut novel from the acclaimed young Irish poet Seán Hewitt, reminiscent of Garth Greenwell and Douglas Stuart in the intensity of its evocation of sexual awakening.Set in a remote village in the North of England, Open, Heaven unfolds over the course of one year in which two sixteen year old boys meet and transform each other’s lives...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · romance · fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook -
![Hazardous to a Dukes Heart by Sabrina Jeffries]()
Hazardous to a Dukes Heart by Sabrina Jeffries
For readers of Regency romance by Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries debuts a brand new series in trade paperback in which a lord, detained in France during the Napoleonic war, returns home to find he’s inherited a dukedom and vows to make a match for his deceased mentor’s daughter...romance · historical · historical-fiction · industrial-era · regency · fiction · female-mc · book · adult -
![Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James]()
Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Accidental Brides series with a romance about a forced marriage between a feisty heroine and a Scottish laird... neither of whom have plans to marry, let alone fall in love.Desperate after her Season comes to a spectacularly disastrous end, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry jumps into a carriage hired to take a housekeeper to Scotland...romance · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · audiobook · female-author · industrial-era · regency · female-mc · book -
![Nocturne by Karina Halle]()
Nocturne by Karina Halle
A vampire romance so dark it’ll bite.He’s not just dangerous—he’s designed to destroy you.Blood. Obsession. Murder.And a love story twisted enough to hurt so good.Los Angeles, 1947.The city is drowning in secrets and blood—and Lena Reid just lost her best friend to the shadows.Elizabeth Short is dead. The press calls her the Black Dahlia.Lena wants answers. Closure. Revenge...romance · vampires · fantasy · dark · paranormal · mystery · stalking · forced-proximity · fiction · horror -
![On Isabella Street by Genevieve Graham]()
On Isabella Street by Genevieve Graham
From #1 bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a gripping novel set in Toronto and Vietnam during the turbulent sixties about two women caught up in powerful social movements and the tragedy that will bring them together—perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Women .Toronto, 1967... -
![The Wildelings by Lisa Harding]()
The Wildelings by Lisa Harding
Jessica and Linda have been best friends since the first day of school. Both are from broken, but different, homes, and willful Jessica has always ensured their survival. Now eighteen, the two have come to Wilde—an elite university in the heart of Dublin, far away from their troubled childhoods... -
![Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas]()
Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas
In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters...historical-fiction · western · historical · fiction · action-adventure · female-mc · industrial-era · book · adult -
![A Bachelor's Lessons in Love by Sally Britton]()
A Bachelor's Lessons in Love by Sally Britton
A reluctant guardian. A determined spinster. A battle of wits that might just end in love. Former military officer Edward Halstead never imagined his quiet bachelor existence would be upended by the unexpected guardianship of a spirited young lady... -
![The Keeper of Lost Art by Laura Morelli]()
The Keeper of Lost Art by Laura Morelli
During World War II, a girl makes an unbreakable connection with a boy sheltering in her family’s Tuscan villa, where the treasures of the Uffizi Galleries are hidden. A moving coming-of-age story about the power of art in wartime, based on true events.As Allied bombs rain down on Torino in the autumn of 1942, Stella Costa’s mother sends her to safety with distant relatives in a Tuscan villa... -
![The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick]()
The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all...historical-fiction · historical · fiction · feminism · audiobook · womens-fiction · friendship · season-autumn · 20th-century · book -
![The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton]()
The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton
Geography professors in a failed marriage of convenience inconveniently reconnect for an emergency mission in this swoony historical-fantasy rom-com.Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her--except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves...romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · industrial-era · victorian · paranormal · humor · book -
![A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge]()
A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses. If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture...mystery · historical-fiction · cozy · historical · fiction · suspense · audiobook · murder · crime · amateur-sleuth -
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![Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini]()
Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini
Where’d You Go, Bernadette meets The Maid in this sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a mysterious job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them... -
![The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler]()
The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler
A clever, transporting murder mystery, The Gatsby Gambit explores a world of class, money, glamour, and foul play—and reimagines some of America’s most beloved literary characters Greta Gatsby has at last graduated from her stifling finishing school, is on the brink of turning twenty-one, and hopes to finally have her own legendary summer with her brother and guardian, Jay, at his West Egg...mystery · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · retellings · cozy · audiobook · classics · womens-fiction · crime -
![The Rebel of Seventh Avenue by Annabelle Marx]()
The Rebel of Seventh Avenue by Annabelle Marx
Fashion, I came to realise, wasn’t just about beautiful dresses. It was about self-respect, freedom of expression and power.1910, Edinburgh. Young seamstress Maisie McIntyre’s world shatters with her mother’s death. Desperate to escape the grinding poverty that has defined her life so far, Maisie makes a daring she steals a bolt of peacock-blue silk, a stash of money and sails for New York City...historical-fiction · historical · fiction · audiobook · mystery · romance · female-mc · 20th-century · book · adult -
![The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Davidson Politano]()
The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Davidson Politano
It is 1901 when clockmaker and brilliant tinker Sydney Forrester inherits Blakely House, the eclectic estate of an estranged uncle she's never met. The well-known but mysterious industrialist has left behind a stunning array of peculiar inventions--and a couple of nephews intent on removing this interloper from the estate...romance · historical-fiction · mystery · christian · gothic · fiction · audiobook · historical · steampunk · industrial-era -
![Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer]()
Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer
From the author of Spontaneous comes a '90s mixtape of a young adult novel that delivers a summer romance with an unearthly twist.It was just one swim… How could they know it would never end?It's the summer of 1994 and Trevor can barely wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high school...romance · young-adult · magical-realism · fantasy · fiction · historical · season-summer · historical-fiction · sci-fi · lgbtq -
![A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch]()
A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch
Bridgerton meets Evie Dunmore in a sparkling new regency romcom from New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch, A Duke Never Tells, in which an heiress disguises herself as a maid in her fiance’s household to see if he really is too good to be true...romance · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · industrial-era · regency · humor · book · adult -
![What Dreams May Come by Christina Dodd]()
What Dreams May Come by Christina Dodd
With a boldly refreshing premise and a daring heroine to match, this delightful mystery series features the eldest daughter of the not-so-ill-fated Romeo and Juliet—20-year-old Rosie Montague, a young woman possessed of an irreverent wit, an independent spirit—and a penchant for sleuthing . .romance · historical-fiction · mystery · historical · fiction · cozy · suspense · female-mc · book · adult
