Historical fiction in 2008
Explore the best historical fiction books of 2008 with our curated list. Discover gripping novels set in the past, featuring rich storytelling and vivid historical detail.
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The Winter Rose
by Jennifer Donnelly
It has been twelve years since a dark, murderous figure stalked the alleys and courts of Whitechapel. And yet, in the summer of 1900, East London is still poor, still brutal, still a shadow city to its western twin. Among the reformers is an idealistic young woman named India Selwyn-Jones, recently graduated from medical school. With the help of her influential fiance--Freddie Lytton, an up-and-coming Liberal MP--she works to shut down the area's opium dens that destroy both body and soul. Her selfless activities better her patients' lives and bring her immense gratification, but unfortunately, they also bring her into direct conflict with East London's ruling crime lord--Sid Malone. India is not good for business and at first, Malone wants her out. But against all odds, India and Sid fall in love. Different in nearly every way, they share one thing in common--they're both wounded souls. Their love is impossible and they know it, yet they cling to it desperately. Lytton, India's fiance, will stop at nothing to marry India and gain her family's fortune. Fractious criminal underlings and rivals conspire against Sid. When Sid is finally betrayed by one of his own, he must flee London to save his life. Mistakenly thinking him dead, India, pregnant and desperate, marries Freddie to provide a father for hers and Sid's child. India and Sid must each make a terrible sacrifice--a sacrifice that will change them both forever. One that will lead them to other lives, and other places...and perhaps--one distant, bittersweet day--back to each other.
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The Serpent's Tale
by Ariana Franklin
Ordered by Henry II to establish the possible role of Eleanor of Aquitaine in the poisoning death of Henry's mistress, a reluctant Adelia Aguilar joins forces with her infant daughter's father, the Bishop of St. Albans, during an investigation within the labyrinth-walled tower of the victim's home. By the author of Mistress of the Art of Death.
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Crossed
by Nicole Galland
In the year 1202, tens of thousands of crusaders gather in Venice, preparing to embark for Jerusalem to free the Holy City from Muslim rule. Among them is a lowly vagabond Briton, rescued from damnation by a pious knight who burns with zealous fire for their sacred undertaking. And so they set sail, along with dedicated companions—and with a beautiful, mysterious Arab "princess" whom the vagabond liberates from a brutish merchant. But the divine light guiding their "righteous" campaign soon darkens as the mission sinks ever deeper into catastrophe, disgrace, and moral turpitude—as Christians murder Christians in the Adriatic port city of Zara, tragic events are set in motion that will ultimately lead to the shocking and shameful fall of Constantinople. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, Nicole Galland's Crossed is a stunning tale of the disastrous Fourth Crusade—and of the hopeful, brave, and driven who were caught up in and irrevocably changed by a corrupted cause and a furious battle beyond their comprehension or control.
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The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
by Lauren Willig
A continuation of the series that began with The Masque of the Black Tulip and The Deception of the Emerald Ring finds Mary accepting a secret assignment from spy Lord Vaughn to infiltrate the Black Tulip's operation in order to prevent an invasion of England. 40,000 first printing.
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The Venetian Mask
by Rosalind Laker
Enduring friendships and long-held vendettas come alive against the splendor and decadence of eighteenth-century Venice. In 1775 Venice--known to outsiders as “the brothel of Europe”--the tradition of mask-wearing has allowed adultery and debauchery to flourish. But Marietta and Elena, two friends at the Ospedale della Pietà , a world-famous orphanage and music school for girls, know little of that milieu--until they come of age. Elena is forced to wed the head of the Celano clan, a jealous, brutal man, while Marietta marries Domenico Torrisi, whose family vendetta with the Celanos is centuries old. Tradition dictates that the friends should never speak again, but their bond is too strong to break. As the French Revolution unsettles all of Europe, Elena’s husband frames Domenico and he becomes a political prisoner. Marietta and Elena plot to save him, and the women discover that Venetian masks have noble purposes, too--but will their efforts put their own lives at risk? Embodying the glitter and the treachery of the city it portrays, The Venetian Mask will keep you turning pages long into the night.
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Mistress of the Revolution
by Catherine Delors
Forced to marry an elderly baron instead of a man she loves, impoverished noblewoman Gabrielle de Montserrat is condemned to death at the height of the French Revolution and finds her life placed in the hands of her former lover.
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White Rose Rebel
by Janet Paisley
General Adult. Elated by the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 to return the Stuart throne to Bonnie Prince Charlie, independent-minded Scottish woman Anne Farquharson is outraged by her husbands enlistment in the British army, a situation that drives her to reunite with a previous lover and join the Scottish uprising.
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The Secret Bride
by Diane Haeger
For fans of The Tudors comes a captivating drama about the only woman who could defy Henry VIII -and keep her life. Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VII, has always been her brother's favorite-but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before extracting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny. The Secret Bride is the triumphant tale of one extraordinary woman who meant to stay true to her heart and live her life just as her royal brother did- by her own rules...
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A Fatal Waltz
by Tasha Alexander
Mystery, romance, and intrigue combine in this third evocative novel featuring the captivating Lady Emily Ashton.
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The Needle in the Blood
by Sarah Bower
January 1067. Charismatic bishop Odo of Bayeux decides to commission a wall hanging, on a scale never seen before, to celebrate his role in the conquest of Britain by his brother, William, Duke of Normandy. What he cannot anticipate is how utterly this will change his life - even more than the invasion itself.
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The King's Favorite
by Susan Holloway Scott
The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king's last love and London's darling? BRNell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage for Whitehall Palace-and the role of royal mistress. Even though she delights the king, she must learn to negotiate the cutthroat royal court, where ambition and lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. For beneath her charm and light-heartedness, Nell has her own ambition-to become no less than the king's favorite.
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Stealing Athena
by Karen Essex
The complex history of the Elgin Marbles is viewed through the lives of two women--Aspasia, an ancient Greek female philosopher, and Mary Nisbet, wife of the Earl of Elgin, who played a key role in bringing the sculptures to England.
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The Various Flavors of Coffee
by Anthony Capella
When Robert Wallis, an impoverished poet in turn-of-the-century London, accepts a commission from eccentric coffee merchant Samuel Pinker to categorize the elusive tastes of coffee, little does he know his assignment will completely alter his life.
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The Heretic's Daughter
by Kathleen Kent
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried, and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. This is the haunting story of Carrier's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by her daughter, Sarah.
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The Sealed Letter
by Emma Donoghue
Based on the details of a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864, The Sealed Letter is a provocative historical drama that is strangely relevant to modern issues surrounding women, marriage, rights and roles. Miss Emily "Fido" Faithfull is a "woman of business" and a spinster pioneer of the British women's movement, independent of mind but naively trusting of heart. Distracted from her beloved cause by the sudden return of her once-dear friend, the unhappily wed Helen Codrington, Fido is swept up in the intimate details of Helen's failing marriage to the stodgy Admiral Harry Codrington. What begins as a loyal effort to help a friend explodes into a courtroom drama more sensational than any Hollywood tabloid could invent--with stained clothing, accusations of adultery, counterclaims of rape and a mysterious letter that could destroy more than one life. HarperCollins is proud to deliver Emma Donoghue's internationally celebrated work into the hands of discerning fiction readers in this, her first Canadian publication. The Sealed Letter is the perfect book to mark this milestone event--a masterpiece that brings the force of a life that changed our world into captivating view.
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The Firemaster's Mistress
by Christie Dickason
England in the early reign of James I: an unsteady nation adapts to its new king; Shakespeare labors over the tragedies of Othello and Macbeth; bearbaiting is a popular diversion . . . and Guy Fawkes, with a small group of desperate men, hatches a terrifying plot to assassinate the king and all of Parliament by explosion. Francis Quoynt is a firemaster who would rather make fireworks than war. Kate Peach is a poor glovemaker and a mistress to the powerful Hugh Taylor, who is forced to hide her Catholicism as she spends her days looking out on noisy, teeming London streets crowded with prostitutes and drunks. Once Francis and Kate were lovers before the firemaster abandoned her and the plague destroyed her family. Now they will meet again—as enemies—caught up in the maelstrom of treachery and violence surrounding Fawkes's malevolent plot. In the midst of chaos and madness, the flame of their romance will be dangerously rekindled, as their lives and the London they know are changed forever.
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Devil's Brood
by Sharon Kay Penman
The third installment of a trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine traces the collapse of the royal family in the aftermath of Henry's self-imposed exile to Ireland, as Eleanor and Henry's three eldest sons enter into a rebellion against him.
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City of God
by Beverly Swerling
He has sworn to protect the innocent through the ages... Malcolm is a newly chosen Master, a novice to his extraordinary – and dangerous – powers. When his lack of control results in a woman's death he's determined to fight his darkest desires, denying himself all pleasure...until fate sends him bookseller Claire. Yet nothing can prepare safety-conscious Claire for powerful medieval warrior Malcolm sweeping her back into his time. In this treacherous world Claire needs Malcolm to survive, but she must somehow keep him at arm's length. For Malcolm's soul is at stake – and fulfilling his desires could prove fatal...
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The Virgin Queen's Daughter
by Ella March Chase
A historical novel based on long-standing rumors that Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, had given birth to an illegitimate child follows young Elinor de Lacy--the purported daughter of Elizabeth and her married guardian, Thomas Seymour--who is sent to become a lady-in-waiting to the queen, unprepared for the glitter or the viciousness of the court. 25,000 first printing.