Historical Fiction

I recently read two books set in the 19th Century, Godmersham Park and A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting. I loved them both and was keen to head back to the regency period so I decided to read The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow which has been on my bookshelf for a while. Pride and Prejudice is my favourite book of all time. It’s the ultimate in comfort reading. I was therefore intrigued to read The Other Bennet Sister, as it offered the story of the often ignored Bennet sister, Mary.

A Lady’s Guide To Fortune-Hunting is the debut novel by Sophie Irwin, the latest name in historical romance. Regency romances seem to have a surge in popularity recently, most likely due to the success of the Bridgerton series that has been adapted for Netflix. I was thrilled to be offered an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

Godmersham Park is the latest novel by Gill Hornby, author of Miss Austen. As a Jane Austen fangirl, I couldn’t wait to read this. I was aware of the great friendship between Jane Austen and Anne Sharp and I couldn’t wait to read a book from Anne’s perspective.

Mrs England is the third novel by Stacey Halls. I’ve read both her previous works, The Familiars and The Foundling, and really enjoyed them both. I really like Stacey Halls’s style of writing so I was really excited to read her newest book.

The Foundling is Stacey Halls’ second novel, published in 2020. Stacey Halls is a Sunday Times bestselling author known for her compelling novels that seamlessly blend historical fiction and mystery.

The Pull of the Stars is the latest novel by Emma Donoghue, author of the fantastically moving modern classic Room.

The Pull of the Stars was released in 2020 and was featured in The Guardian, Cosmopolitan and Telegraph’s ‘Books of the Year’. It was also a Richard and Judy book club pick.

Pandora is Susan Stokes-Chapman’s debut novel, published in 2022. I’ll be honest, I fell in the love with the cover. What a beautiful book!

I loved how it promised to combine Ancient Greece, the 18th century and a mystery and I couldn’t wait to read it.

I’d heard great things about the historical fiction novel The Light Between Oceans. It was the debut novel by M. L. Stedman and was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick.

It had rave reviews and I knew it had also been made into a film starring Michael Fassbender. In an attempt to work my way through my huge to-read-pile, I decided to read it and see what all the fuss is about.

Miss Benson’s Beetle is a novel by bestselling author Rachel Joyce, published in 2020. It was winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and was an international bestseller.

The Clockwork Girl is the third novel by Anna Mazzola, published in 2022.

I was instantly intrigued by the premise as it didn’t sound like anything I had read before. I love historical fiction so this book sounded like the perfect read.