Category Archives: Historical Fiction

Truths I Never Told You, by Kelly Rimmer

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“What do you do if you find yourself as a new mom and you realize you’re just not capable?”

Told in two timelines, Grace struggles with postpartum depression in 1957 while Beth, in 1996, reluctantly helps her father move into a nursing home since he is suffering from dementia. Beth then helps her siblings clean out her fathers house where she finds letters from her mother, Grace, revealing untold family truths.

Synopsis below provided by the publisher.

“I want a career and I want to see other women have the option to make choices, too, instead of operating as a breeding machines for entitled men.”

The plot was very slow to build. The first half felt repetitive and the characters were hard to connect with. It was surprising to feel such a disconnect from the characters since the subjects at hand were so solemn and emotional. The second half presented some unexpected twists after a different narrator surprisingly enters… which helped move the plot along. The ending was okay.

Gender roles and the feminist movement in the 1950’s is explored and sufficiently represented. The issues brought up in the book regarding this are engaging topics.
Overall, the topics presented were interesting but the characters were flat and the plot was tedious.

Kelly Rimmer is a best selling author. Visit her website.

Read Publishers Weekly review for Truths I Never Told You.

The Things We Cannot Say was a New York Times best seller. Watch K. Rimmer discuss The Things We Cannot Say below in a Q&A.

Follow Kelly Rimmer on Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you to NeGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Paris Hours, by Alex George

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This is first and foremost a work of literary fiction. I inhaled the pages because of the enhanced prose; every word and sentence was bewitching.
The author took one day in the life of four characters and turned it into a beautiful story. Set in post-WWI Paris, four ordinary people begin an ordinary day until their paths cross.

Below is the book summary provided by the publisher:

Mostly, the first few chapters start out with the characters everyday routines. Some ordinary stuff. But the polished language made these everyday things seem fascinating. As the story progresses, their past is revealed in flashbacks. Secrets, regret, loss, and betrayal loom in the shadows as each character continues throughout their day.

Chapters are short and the pacing is good. The cast of characters is colorful and engaging. It took me a few chapters in the beginning to remember which character was which. Chapters are narrated by each of the four different characters.

If you do not like prolific writing or if you want mega fast-paced, then this probably isn’t for you.

The Paris Hours is a May 2020 Indie Next List Pick. Visit Alex George’s website to learn more.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review of The Paris Hours.

Visit the publishers page for more information about The Paris Hours.

Read Bookweb’s Q &A with Alex George about his previous book, A Good American.

Follow Alex George on Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you to Flatiron books for sending me an advance print copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

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“Where will they hear the story if not from you- the story of being stolen away from family?”

Told in dual timelines, Hannie is an 18 year old slave living during the Reconstruction Era in Louisiana in 1875. Having been taken from her family before slavery ended, Hannie joins the plantation owner’s daughters on an odyssey of sorts to find the two girls father while Hannie herself quests to find her own mother and siblings. Benny is a first year teacher in 1987 who wants to make a difference in the lives of her Louisiana students. Benny is working on a school project about local family lineage when her timeline crosses Hannie’s.

“You been in slavery days, you know there’s things a heap less peaceable than being dead.”

It was very slow moving and I really struggled with the pacing. The beginning really dragged, but around chapter 9 something happens and it picks up….momentarily. After that moment of excitement, I found myself twiddling my thumbs for quite a few chapters waiting for the story to progress. It had a few more moments of ups, but most of the time I felt disinterested because it was so wordy. I thought Hannie’s story was powerful, and I wanted more from her. I didn’t look forward to Benny’s chapters as much as Hannie’s.

Graphic violence and gory details are completely left out. There is a scene that hints that something derogatory happened, but it must be inferred by the reader.

I would describe this as a lighter historical fiction about family, courage, loss, and friendship.

Lisa Wingate is a bestselling author. Visit her website.

Read the Shreveport Times article spotlighting The Book of Lost Friends.

Watch the book trailer for The Book of Lost Friends.

I really enjoyed Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel, Before We Were Yours.

Follow Lisa Wingate on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The German Heiress, by Anika Scott

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“She would have to be careful. But surely no one would recognize her now?”

Clara hides in post-WWII Germany under a different name until someone recognizes her and unveils her true identity. Is that all she is? Her whole life comes down to the years during the war when she made poor choices. The focus of this novel illuminates morality through the eyes of a female war criminal.

Clara’s circumstances put the reader in tight spot, and it is hard to trust her sometimes. As soon as I leaned one way, the next chapter would sway my feelings towards the opposite direction. I wanted hope, but I wanted justice.

Other characters thrown into the mix went well with the progress and principles of the story. One character particularly, who I don’t want to say because it would spoil it, had a really sad story regarding the influence that the war had on him even after it is over. Secrets, betrayal, and deception are buried deep within Clara’s family. Expect a twist or two!

Chapters are told in third person. While there are small flashbacks here and there, the bulk of the novel takes place after the war in 1946. There is one brief animal abuse scene near the beginning of the story.

The German Heiress is Anika Scott’s debut novel. Visit her website to learn more.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for The German Heiress.

The German Heiress is also titled Finding Clara in the UK. Click here to learn more about the two titles.

Library Love Fest welcomes Anika Scott.

Seven things author Anika Scott wants her readers to know about her.

Follow Anika Scott on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

Code Name Hélène, by Ariel Lawhon

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“The weapons of warfare are different for women. Rarely do we have the luxury of bullets and bombs. Our tools are benign. Silk stockings and red lipstick. Laughter. Cunning. The ability to curse in foreign languages and make eye contact without trembling.”

Synopsis above provided by the publisher.

Fictionally, Nancy is presented as a chic tough heroine who never fights without a fresh application of lipstick. The character of Nancy Wake holistically is interesting and I enjoyed her unapologetic nature.

A lot of the past, 1936, is about how Nancy met her husband, Henri. The development of their relationship takes the limelight for the first half of the book.

Nancy’s different identities, totaling four, are not exactly told chronologically. The book is told in dual timelines, but two of her identities are not described until much later in the second half of the book. But, what happens is kind of all over the place. The story of Nancy as the WWII heroine was scattered and rambling. The telling of what she did under each identity isn’t balanced, and the reader sees more from her as the fighter Madame Andrèe.

Every little thing seems to be dictated in the narrative, making it much much longer than it needs to be. As an example, a detailed description of hair color and hair texture is specified for nearly everyone that Nancy Wake meets or sees whether a significant character or just a character passing by.
There was excessive dialogue that didn’t progress the plot about day to day things unrelated to the major storyline. The book is 464 pages, but probably could have been 100-200 pages shorter if these extraneous details were cut. Because of this, I was often bored and the prose didn’t flow for me.

Read Publisher Weekly’s Review for Code Name Hèlène.

https://youtu.be/bbgWKSre4U0

Read Nashville Scene’s article about Code Name Hèlène.

This is Ariel Lawhon’s fourth book. Visit her website to learn more.

Follow Ariel Lawhon on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon |Goodreads Review |

Valentine, by Elizabeth Wetmore

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“Gloria could be any of our girls….”

( Synopsis above provided by the publisher.)

“Why don’t we give a shit about what happens to a girl like Glory Ramirez?”

Yes, it start’s out the day after a young teen’s rape, but it doesn’t stay there. This character driven novel orbits around race, gender, and integrity in Odessa, Texas in 1976 as seen through the female perspective only.

Rape details are not disclosed. The emotional and physical aftermath on Gloria (also known as Glory) are affirmed, but Gloria is given only 3 chapters in the book. It tends to focus on the emotional effects. There were not a lot of gruesome details.

This is primarily a literary novel that basks in a bounty literary elements. If you are looking for a quick read, this is not it. Each sentence was constructed to drive home a deeper meaning, intensify the essence of a character, or to advance the atmosphere. There were moments during the first half, that moved at a slower pace because of the excessive use of language. In the end, those longer descriptions and narrations really made me feel like I knew these women though. Some of them I won’t forget.

Chapters alternate point of view without pattern and are told from women living in Odessa during this time. The main characters are typically effected by that night Gloria was raped, either as distant witness or a community member. But, other women chime in with chapters (unrelated to Gloria’s case) to solidify a setting that reflects gender inequity.

Valentine is Elizabeth Wetmore’s debut novel. Visit her website.

Read this essay from Elizabeth Wetmore about her book, Valentine.

Check out BookPage’s interview with Elizabeth Wetmore about growing up in Odessa, Texas.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review of Valentine.

Read the Washington Posts’ review of Valentine.

Follow Elizabeth Wetmore on Instagram.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

We Are All His Creatures: Tales of P.T. Barnum, by Deborah Noyes

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Many know P.T. Barnum, but the voices that surrounded him have been lost and his exploitation of others is largely overlooked. Those closest to him, including his two daughters, are given the center stage in We Are All His Creatures. Living in the shadow of P.T. Barnum, this novel centers on his family and his performers who worker closely with him through a collection of stories.

I would describe this book as a boring take on what is often considered an exciting time with a group of interesting characters. The interlinked short stories were directionless. Some I would describe as pointless since I’m not sure what the end goal was.

Sadly, this book might cause teens and young readers to become disinterested in the subject because the stories are not captivating and the characters feel lifeless.

I was excited to read this, but after reading the first few stories I quickly lost that excitement and considered not finishing this many times.

I liked the photographs and quotes that were included before each story. And, though I really did not care for the book overall, I thought the portrayal of P.T. Barnum was refreshing. To see him through others eyes.

Visit Deborah Noyes website.

Read Publishers Weekly Review for We Are All His Creatures.

Deborah Noyes is also the author of Plague in the Mirror and Red Butterfly.

Visit her author page on Scholastic to see more books.

Follow Deborah Noyes on Twitter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

These Ghosts are Family, by Maisy Card

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The connection of ancestors and how the dead still effect the living is explored in the tangled web of Irene Paisley and Stanford Solomon’s family. Generations of family members are navigating their life decades and centuries later based on their past ancestors. A domino effect is seen when their Jamaican family members continue to comb through secrets, history, and lineage.

Each chapter goes through a story about a different family member. The multi-generational saga is weaves through different time periods and different family connections.
Jamaican history, plantation life for slaves, and the exploitation of women in 19th century Jamaica is explored throughout the novel as the characters try to atone with the ghosts of their past.

The first chapter starts off a bit confusing. It front-loads all of the characters and many events making it hard to separate who from who and what from what. But after that short introduction, everything fell into place. The Jamaican dialogue was hard to understand sometimes, but I could figure out what was happening overall.

I enjoyed this debut novel and recommend it historical fiction readers.

Visit author Maisy Card’s website.

Refinery29 article recommends These Ghosts are Family.

Bustle recognizes These Ghosts are Family as an immigrant experience novel.

Follow Maisy Card on Twitter.

I received an advance readers copy through Netgalley and Edelweiss. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Traitor, by V.S. Alexander

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In 1942, Natalya volunteers as a nurse for the German Red Cross and witnesses WWII on the Russian Front. After her time volunteering, she moves back home to Munich where she joins the White Rose resistance group with her close friends. After the group is caught, Natalya must keep resisting but does not know who she can trust.

The inspiration for the novel is the White Rose resistance group. The main character, Natalya, does not join the White Rose organization until the very end of chapter three (or 20% on a Kindle). Admittedly, I was hoping for more from the first half of the novel which is mostly about her involvement in White Rose. It really moved slowly and was passive. (Her involvement in the White Rose ended about around halfway into the story; so about 20-50% is her direct involvement in the White Rose.) On the other hand, several of the characters circulating during this time were real members of the White Rose group. A tribute to the true members of the White Rose resistance group was requited through the characters Alex Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl.

Her journey after the resistance group was most interesting. This is the second half of the novel and was much more exciting. This includes court drama, a prison sentence, POW camp, and more that leads up to the end of the war.

The narrator, Natalya, was hard to connect with. I liked her, I just wanted more depth from her. When reading WWII fiction there is a level of emotion to be expected, but Natalya’s character did not evoke those feelings for me because her narration was often listless.

Because of the great last half, I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

More on this: 

Hans and Sophie Scholl remain symbols of resistance
Read about the guillotine used for Hans and Sophie Scholl.

Hans Scholl (left), Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst, leaders of the White Rose resistance. Photo taken from the Jewish Virtual Library.
Alex Schmorell, read more about him here.
Stadelheim Prison was widely known to execute its prisoners by guillotine. Main character, Natalya, experiences life in Stadelheim prison in the novel The Traitor.
Weiße Rose Pavement Memorial in Munich Germany. Bronze pamphlets in reverence to Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst. Visit the memorial here.

The Traitor is V.S. Alexander’s fourth novel. Visit author V.S. Alexander on Goodreads to view all of his books.

Follow author V.S. Alexander on Facebook.

View Publisher Weekly’s Review of his novel The Taster.

Visit V.S. Alexander’s author page on Kensington Books website.

(This author also writes under the name Michael Meeske.)

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

Above the Bay of Angels, by Rhys Bowen

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“Now I wanted to become an expert cook—but more than that, I wanted to be an independent woman with the means to live life on my terms. Now was time for me.”

In Victorian England, young Bella takes a letter from a dying stranger in the street. She uses the dead stranger’s name, background, and letter of recommendation to obtain a job working as a cook for Queen Victorian in Buckingham Palace. But as events transpire, Bella realizes that she is not the only one with a secret.

The overall story is a very light historical fiction that slowly builds up to Queen Victoria’s stay at the Hotel Regina Excelsior on the Riviera in France. Once they arrive and acts of treason begin to unfold, the story begins to pick up a bit.

For the first 3/4 of the book, it’s basically about the main character, Bella, wondering if anyone will realize she is lying about who she is, helping choose dishes for the Queen, and trying to prove herself among a kitchen full of men. During this time, she is pulled this way and that by various men who are romantically interested in her, and she often thinks about what decision to make regarding their romantic interest in her.

“Did I really want to become a real chef? Even if the prospect of marriage was offered to me?”

Chapter 30 (82% on a kindle) a mystery develops involving a murder. Before this murder mystery occurs, it is mainly what I described above.

There is little historical context outside of the royal family, though I enjoyed reading the Historical Note at the end.

Visit author Rhys Bowen’s website to learn more about her books.

Rhys Bowen is an award winning author. Her novel In Farleigh Field won best historical novel Agatha Award winner. Watch the book trailer for In Farleigh Field below.

Her mystery series, A Royal Spyness Mystery, is popular. Click here to view the books in order.

Follow Rhys Bowen on Facebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Above the Bay of Angels. Opinions are my own.

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