Top new historical-fiction books in September 2025
Last updated:
September 30, 2025
September 2025 featuring new releases by Ken Follett, Dan Brown, Lily King, Andrea Catalano, Ian McEwan, Rebecca Ross, Stephanie Garber, Mackenzi Lee, M.L. Rio, Louisa Morgan and many more.
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Circle of Days by Ken Follett
From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFTSeft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · fantasy · war · lgbtq · ancient-civilization · family · violent-conflict -
![The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown]()
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
The world’s most celebrated thriller writer returns with his most stunning novel yet—a propulsive, twisty, thought-provoking masterpiece that will entertain readers as only Dan Brown can do. Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon—a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship...europe · western-central-europe · czechia · urban · fiction · mystery · audiobook · suspense · crime · action-adventure -
![Heart the Lover by Lily King]()
Heart the Lover by Lily King
“Lily King has written another masterpiece. This book overflows with her brilliance and her heart. We are so lucky.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time TomorrowFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first loveYou knew I’d write a book about you someday... -
![The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano]()
The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano
A gripping and intimate novel based on the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1646. Thomas and Margaret Jones arrive from England to build a life in the New World. Though of differing temperaments, cautious Thomas and fiery Margaret, a healer, are bound by a love that has lasted decades...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · witches-wizards · fantasy · spooky · season-autumn · female-mc · gothic -
![What We Can Know by Ian McEwan]()
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
2014: A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate about its message, but no copy has yet been found.2119: The lowlands of the UK have been submerged by rising seas. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost...fiction · sci-fi · dystopia · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · 21st-century · mystery · crime · romance -
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![Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross]()
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most...romance · fantasy · young-adult · fiction · magic · historical-fiction · coming-of-age · epic · paranormal · book -
![Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber]()
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
It starts with a class in an old movie theater.Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor.Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction. There isn’t a man in Hollywood who you can call to find out the time you’ll die. There’s not a haunted hotel bar in Los Angeles that the devil likes to frequent. There’s no such thing as magic.But . .romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · fiction · dark-academia · paranormal · urban-fantasy · horror · supernatural · book -
![Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee]()
Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee
Two women, one refined and one ribald, set their sights on marrying the same duke, but instead of becoming natural enemies, they find themselves falling in love—though not with him.Harriet Lockhart never planned to marry...romance · historical-fiction · lgbtq · historical · wlw · fiction · industrial-era · regency · humor · book -
![Hot Wax by M.L. Rio]()
Hot Wax by M.L. Rio
The highly anticipated new novel from M. L. Rio, bestselling author of If We Were Villains and Graveyard ShiftA nostalgic love-letter to the 90s rock and roll scene, Hot Wax follows a band of rocker misfits, rivals and trailblazers on the tour that could have catapulted them to super-stardom, if it all hadn't come crashing down... -
![The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan]()
The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend. To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady’s Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae...fantasy · retellings · myths · arthurian · historical-fiction · historical · audiobook · fiction · witches-wizards · book -
![Boudicca's Daughter by Elodie Harper]()
Boudicca's Daughter by Elodie Harper
Deploying the same gripping plot dynamics and unforgettable sense of time and place that she used in the bestselling Wolf Den trilogy, Harper tells the thrilling story of the child of one of Ancient Rome's most implacable foes, Boudicca.There is more than one way for a woman to fight. From the author of the bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy...historical-fiction · fiction · myths · historical · fantasy · retellings · ancient-civilization · roman-empire · family · female-mc -
![No Friend To This House by Natalie Haynes]()
No Friend To This House by Natalie Haynes
No Friend To This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from The Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece...myths · fantasy · historical-fiction · retellings · fiction · historical · feminism · audiobook · witches-wizards · classics -
![The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton]()
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton
A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women in this unforgettable novel from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · female-mc -
![What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher]()
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
The next novella in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in AmericaAlex Easton does not want to visit America.They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.But when their old friend Dr...horror · fantasy · gothic · fiction · lgbtq · historical-fiction · spooky · season-autumn · audiobook · dark -
![A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig]()
A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig
From the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin, comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and romantic fantasy set in the beautiful but brutal Canadian wilderness.Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped...romance · fantasy · horror · gothic · historical-fiction · retellings · historical · fiction · vampires · mystery -
![To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage]()
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
One young woman’s relentless quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut will irrevocably alter the fates of the people she loves most in this tour de force of a debut about ambition, belonging, and family. My mother took my sister and me, and she drove through the night to a place she felt a claim to, a place on earth she thought we might be safe. I stopped asking questions...fiction · contemporary · indigenous-mc · literary-fiction · lgbtq · space · audiobook · historical-fiction · wlw · poc-mc -
![Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate]()
Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his "becoming": the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward...middle-grade · fantasy · children-books · children · family · animals · ww1 · historical-fiction · low-fantasy · friendship -
![The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine]()
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine
In a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high school philosophy teacher and “the neighborhood homosexual,” Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her son’s desire for privacy as a personal affront...asia · west-asia · lebanon · fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · audiobook · historical-fiction · contemporary · family -
![Mercy by Joan Silber]()
Mercy by Joan Silber
The rich and nuanced story of a moment of fear and abandonment that reverberates across decades and changes the course of many lives, by beloved PEN/Faulkner and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Joan SilberIn the gritty East Village of 1970s New York, Ivan and his best friend, Eddie, a popular local bartender, are dabbling in drugs following a short tour of Europe... -
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![A Seaview Christmas by Julie Klassen]()
A Seaview Christmas by Julie Klassen
With a promise to her youngest sister, Sarah Summers declares that this year's Christmas at Sea View will exceed all expectations. But the arrival of Callum Henshall--dashing Scottish widower and returning guest--blows a flurry of doubts into her mind. Sarah had discouraged his attentions before and is once again torn between attraction and duty...romance · historical-fiction · christian · industrial-era · regency · fiction · historical · audiobook · family · spirituality -
![Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy]()
Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy
In 1969 twenty-three-year-old starlet Lori Lovely, the apple of Hollywood’s eye, shocks the world by ditching a promising film career to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Benedictine nun. Gossip columnists and scandal sheets can’t get enough of the story... -
![A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft]()
A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft
From one of the most exciting and original voices in fantasy comes the second book following the adventures of the Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, as they tackle a case that could redefine the nature of magic itself.As the nation’s foremost investigators of the paranormal, Isolde and Warren Wilby are accustomed to bumping up against things that go bump in the night...fantasy · mystery · fiction · audiobook · urban-fantasy · magic · time-travel · historical · crime · law-enforcement -
![Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose]()
Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose
Beyond the gilded ballrooms and salons of Regency London lurks a sinister web of intrigue and deception, and when a murder occurs during a scientific meeting at the Royal Society's stately headquarters at Somerset House, Lord Wrexford and Charlotte are the perfect pair to unravel it. But it aoon becomes clear that things are not what they seem . .mystery · historical-fiction · historical · industrial-era · regency · audiobook · amateur-sleuth · sci-fi · crime · cozy -
![Damnation by Amy Hall, Sebastian York, Katelyn Taylor]()
Damnation by Amy Hall, Sebastian York, Katelyn Taylor
What happened before the Gallows Hill trilogy?Before the Brethren?What really happened to Salem in 1692...dark · witches-wizards · audiobook · steamy · cheating · domestic-drama · forbidden-love · historical · fiction · horror -
![Fiend by Alma Katsu]()
Fiend by Alma Katsu
Historical horror maven Alma Katsu turns her talents to the modern world for the first time, in this terrifying tale about an all-powerful family with an ancient evil under its thumb.Imagine if the Sackler family had a demon at their beck and call.The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they’ve always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes...horror · fiction · fantasy · contemporary · mystery · audiobook · gothic · historical-fiction · family · demons -
![Lackaday House by K.J. Charles]()
Lackaday House by K.J. Charles
From Publisher's Marketplace: "Author of THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, KJ Charles's LACKADAY HOUSE, an Edwardian Gothic m/m romance with cursed family, misty moors, and people running from houses, to Mary Altman at Sourcebooks, in an exclusive submission, in a three book deal, for publication in Fall 2025...romance · historical-fiction · lgbtq · historical · fiction · mlm · mystery · fantasy · book · adult -
![The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy]()
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
"Wonderfully ambitious.... Flournoy explores the complexity of friendship, family, and home in a voice that is expansive yet intimate, humorous yet devastating. I loved this book... -
![The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks]()
The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks
From the author of The Lindbergh Nanny comes an evocative mystery about the 1920 murder of the gambler Joseph Elwell, featuring New Yorker writer Morris Markey and Zelda Fitzgerald.At the dawn of the Jazz Age, Morris Markey arrives in New York to become a writer. Having served in France, he needs to be in a place so distracting he cannot hear himself think...mystery · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · female-author · female-mc · 20th-century · book · adult -
![The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church]()
The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church
With odes of The Bell Jar comes a searing historical suspense following a 1950s housewife who, when a mysterious new wife moves across the way, begins to unearth dark secrets about her neighborhood and her own mind. In the 1950s, nothing is valued more than conformity, and Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the ideal housewife...historical-fiction · fiction · horror · mystery · historical · feminism · literary-fiction · thriller · suspense · psychological -
![The Night We Became Strangers by Lorena Hughes]()
The Night We Became Strangers by Lorena Hughes
An inmersive, historical novel based on true events: In 1938, Orson Welles’ legendary radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds terrified Americans into believing Martians were invading. Eleven years later, an Ecuadorian radio station adapted the show—with catastrophic consequences...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · suspense · historical · domestic-drama · hispanic · book · adult -
![So Blooms the Dawn by Julie C. Dao]()
So Blooms the Dawn by Julie C. Dao
Freshly vampiric Lucy Westenra thirsts for revenge in the second and final book of this Dracula retelling from critically acclaimed author Julie C. Dao.Lucy Westenra, the flirtatious, wealthy, and beautiful debutante who once dazzled London society, is no more. Manipulated into thinking that Vlad understood her fervent darkness, she has become his bitter, blood-spattered, and lifeless bride...romance · horror · vampires · new-adult · fantasy · retellings · poc-author · spooky · historical-fiction · cannibalism -
![I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix, Andrea Hannah]()
I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix, Andrea Hannah
One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out—with beasts, murder, and magic—in this first book in a thrilling locked-room whodunnit YA fantasy duology by Andrea Hannah and New York Times bestseller Rebecca Mix.After a decade of war, the kingdoms of Avendell and Istellia have finally agreed to peace...fantasy · mystery · young-adult · fiction · suspense · lgbtq · historical-fiction · high-fantasy · crime · law-enforcement -
![Everyone a Stranger by Kevin O'Brien]()
Everyone a Stranger by Kevin O'Brien
In this brilliant, twisting historical suspense thriller set during World War II, a young war widow is unwittingly drawn into a sinister web of intrigue and murder.Washington D.C., 1943: Virginia Abrams believed the war had taken all it could from her when her husband was killed in the Philippines...north-america · usa · washington-dc · urban · washington · historical-fiction · mystery · fiction · historical · suspense -
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![Making History by K.J. Parker]()
Making History by K.J. Parker
In K. J. Parker's new whip-smart dark fantasy, a group of scholars must do the impossible for a ruthless king. The cost of refusal, of course, is death.History isn't truth, it's propaganda.Seeking war with his neighbor, the tyrannical ruler of Aelia convenes several of his kingdom's professors for a chat...fantasy · fiction · historical-fiction · historical · dark-academia · action-adventure · dystopia · dark · horror · urban-fantasy -
![A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly]()
A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly
Evelyne Redfern returns in A Dark and Deadly Journey, the next book in international bestselling author Julia Kelly’s captivating historical mystery series.After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit...historical-fiction · mystery · fiction · historical · ww2 · cozy · suspense · espionage · womens-fiction · romance -
![Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless]()
Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless
From the author of the Gael Song trilogy, an epic new historical fantasy set in the tumultuous, magical world of medieval Ireland during the time of the Norman invasion.Over a hundred years after she went missing, Isolde, born to the family of a famous Irish king and a powerful immortal, inexplicably reappears.Her mother's kin, the Descendants, are one of the two magical races of Ireland...fantasy · historical-fiction · myths · historical · fiction · epic · coming-of-age · romantic-love · retellings · book -
![Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause]()
Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause
A twisty, dark royalcore fantasy that takes the courtly intrigue of Hamlet and infuses it with the vicious ambition of the Boleyn family. For readers who love Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas...romance · fantasy · gothic · young-adult · historical-fiction · historical · dark · dark-fantasy · retellings · high-fantasy -
![Exquisite Things: An Epic Queer Love Story of Immortality and Freedom Spanning 130 Years by Abdi Nazemian]()
Exquisite Things: An Epic Queer Love Story of Immortality and Freedom Spanning 130 Years by Abdi Nazemian
From Stonewall Award–winning author Abdi Nazemian (Only This Beautiful Moment) comes the epic queer love story of a lifetime. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Picture of Dorian Gray.Shahriar believes he was born in the wrong time...romance · young-adult · lgbtq · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · fantasy · magical-realism · audiobook · mlm -
![The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy]()
The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy
In the second installment of Diana Quincy’s steamy Victorian historical romance series, a Persuasion retelling, an Arab-American young woman is reunited with the lost love of her youth and forced to reckon with their past and undying tension.American Naila Darwish always regretted calling off her engagement to the man she loved because he wasn’t successful enough for her family...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · industrial-era · victorian · historical · poc-mc · regency · female-mc · adaptations -
![Is This Real or Just Pretend? by Emily Sullivan]()
Is This Real or Just Pretend? by Emily Sullivan
Alexandra Atkinson's talent for spotting successful business ideas has helped enrich her father's company while leaving her with little time for a social life—and certainly nothing as silly as love...
