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 Historical Novels Review

The Historical Novels Review aims to review every new work of adult historical fiction released in the USA or the UK.  Selected titles from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are also reviewed, as are selected children's/young adult titles, for a grand total of over 800 reviews per year.


The Historical Novels Review is where I find out what’s happening in the historical fiction market.” – Carole Blake, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.


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Historical Novels Review - Table of Contents
February 2009

Magazine contents are available to HNS members through their subscription to the print Historical Novels Review.  Choose "Join the Society" on the left to enroll. 

Authors and publishers: to inquire about having your books reviewed in one of our publications, please get in touch with us.  See the main Historical Novels Review page for criteria and submission guidelines.

Editorial, Bethany Latham
Historical Fiction Market News, Sarah Johnson
Letter to the Editor
Trends in Children's Historical Fiction, Mary Moffat (cover story)
A Feast of Festivals, Edward James with add'l research by Myfanwy Cook
Military Precision: A Profile of Osprey Publishing, by Myfanwy Cook and Joseph McCullough
Historical Fiction Is for Lovers: 10 Titillating Tips, by Susan Higginbotham
Top Steps Toward a Better Heroine, Susan Higginbotham

Books Reviewed:
(Hyperlinks indicate Editors' Choice novels for this issue)

  • Ackroyd, Peter - The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein

  • Addiego, John - The Islands of Divine Music

  • Ain, Beth Levine - The Revolution of Sabine

  • Albanese, Laurie, and Laura Morowitz - The Miracles of Prato

  • Albert, Susan Wittig - The Tale of Briar Bank

  • Allers, Ken - The Fog of Gettysburg: The Myths and Mysteries of the Battle

  • Altiere, Michelangelo - Dearest

  • Anderson, Laurie Halse - Chains

  • Anderson, M.T. - The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: v.2, The Kingdom on the Waves

  • Archibald, Malcolm - Pryde and the Infernal Device

  • Ardagh, Philip - The Scandalous Life of the Lawless Sisters

  • Arnold, Janet - Patterns of Fashion, 1540-1660

  • Arruda, Suzanne - The Leopard's Prey

  • Aston, Elizabeth - Mr Darcy's Dream

  • Audeguy, Stephane - The Only Son

  • Austin, Lynn - Until We Reach Home

  • Bateman, Katherine - Kentucky Clay

  • Bebris, Carrie - The Matters at Mansfield

  • Belli, Gioconda - Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand

  • Benn, James R. - The First Wave

  • Bernhardt, William - Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness

  • Bingham, Charlotte - The Land of Summer

  • Bishop, Patrick - A Good War

  • Black, Jen - Far After Gold

  • Blayney, Mary - Traitor's Kiss / Lover's Kiss

  • Boggs, Johnny D. - Soldier's Farewell

  • Bostridge, Mark - Florence Nightingale: The Making of an Icon

  • Boyle, T.C. - The Women

  • Bradford, Chris - Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior

  • Brandreth, Gyles - Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder

  • Breene, Leslee - Hearts on the Wind

  • Brodrick, William - A Whispered Name

  • Bruchac, Joseph - Sacajawea

  • Buday, Grant - Dragonflies

  • Burg, Diana - Dalliance

  • Carie, Jamie - Wind Dancer

  • Carr, Amelia - Dance with Wings

  • Cavendish, Grace - The Lady Grace Mysteries: Intrigue

  • Chadwick, Elizabeth - The Time of Singing

  • Chase, Ella March - The Virgin Queen's Daughter

  • Cheuse, Alan - To Catch the Lightning

  • Chiaverini, Jennifer - The Lost Quilter

  • Clare, Alys - The Joys of My Life

  • Clark, Cassandra - Hangman Blind

  • Conley, Robert J. - Cherokee Thoughts, Honest and Uncensored

  • Conroy, Robert - 1942

  • Cornwell, Bernard - Agincourt

  • Cotterill, Colin - Anarchy and Old Dogs

  • Crosse, Tania - A Bouquet of Thorns

  • Dallas, Gregor - Metrostop Paris: History from the City's Heart

  • Darwin, Emma - A Secret Alchemy

  • Dary, David - Frontier Medicine

  • Davies, Martin - The Unicorn Road

  • Dickinson, David - Death of a Pilgrim

  • DiPastena, Joyce - Loyalty's Web

  • diRollo, Elaine - The Peachgrowers' Almanac / A Proper Education for Girls

  • Diski, Jenny - Apology for the Woman Writing

  • Doherty, P.C. - A Haunt of Murder

  • Doig, Ivan - The Eleventh Man

  • Duncan, Alice - High Spirits

  • Easter Smith, Anne - The King's Grace

  • Edmond, Martin - Luca Antara

  • Edric, Robert - In Zodiac Light

  • Elliott, Elissa - Eve

  • Ellwand, David and Ruth - The Mystery of the Fool & the Vanisher

  • Erickson, Carolly - The Tsarina's Daughter

  • Ferguson, Will - $panish Fly

  • Flusfeder, David - The Pagan House

  • Ford, Jamie - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

  • Forrestal, Elaine - Black Jack Anderson

  • Fox, Paula - The Slave Dancer

  • Fullerton, Jean - No Cure for Love

  • Furst, Alan - The Spies of Warsaw

  • Gantt, DeVa - A Silent Ocean Away

  • Gates, Frieda - Sawney Beane: The Abduction of Elspeth Cumming

  • Gear, W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear - People of the Thunder

  • Golding, Julia - Den of Thieves

  • Graham, Eliza - Restitution

  • Grann, David - The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

  • Gray, Clio - Envoy of the Black Pine

  • Grazebrook, Sarah - Crooked Pieces

  • Green, Christina - River's Reach

  • Gregory, Philippa - Fallen Skies

  • Grey, Zane - Union Pacific

  • Grisham, Mark, and David Donaldson - Bedlam South

  • Groves, Melody - Sonoran Rage

  • Hake, Cathy Marie - Whirlwind

  • Hake, Kelly Eileen - The Bride Bargain

  • Hammond, Melinda - Lucasta

  • Harper, Karen - Mistress Shakespeare

  • Harris, C.S. - Where Serpents Sleep

  • Hart, Peter - 1918: A Very British Victory

  • Hawley Jarman, Rosemary - The King's Grey Mare

  • Hawley Jarman, Rosemary - Crown in Candlelight

  • Hays, Tony - The Killing Way

  • Heafford, Michael, ed. - Two Victorian Ladies on the Continent

  • Hemon, Aleksandar - The Lazarus Project

  • Higley, T L - City of the Dead

  • Hill, Lawrence - The Book of Negroes / Someone Knows My Name

  • Holland, Cecelia - The High City

  • Holland, Travis - The Archivist's Story

  • Hunter, Madeline - The Sins of Lord Easterbrook

  • Ibbotson, Eva - The Dragonfly Pool

  • Isaacs, Jeremy, & Taylor Downing - Cold War

  • James, Eloisa - An Affair Before Christmas

  • Jensen, Mary-Louise - Between Two Seas

  • Jinks, Catherine - Babylonne

  • Joern, Pamela Carter - The Plain Sense of All Things

  • Johansen, Iris - The Treasure

  • Jones, J. Sydney - The Empty Mirror

  • Jorgensen, Norman - Jack's Island

  • Kadare, Ismail - The General of the Dead Army

  • Kamensky, Jane, and Jill Lepore - Blindspot

  • Kanell, Beth - The Darkness Under the Water

  • Keefer, Janice Kulyk - The Ladies' Lending Library

  • Kelton, Elmer - Texas Sunrise

  • Kerr, John - Cardigan Bay

  • Kirsch, Jonathan - The Grand Inquisitor's Manual

  • Kolpan, Gerald - Etta

  • Kristian, Giles - Raven: Blood Eye

  • Kuzneski, Chris - The Lost Throne

  • Kyle, Barbara - The Queen's Lady

  • Laker, Rosalind - Garlands of Gold

  • Lambdin, Dewey - The Baltic Gambit

  • Landman, Tanya - I Am Apache

  • Langford, Michael - The De Vere Papers

  • LaPlante, Eve - Salem Witch Judge

  • Lawhead, Stephen R. - Scarlet

  • Lawrence, Margaret - Roanoke

  • Lebra, Joyce - The Scent of Sake

  • Lee, Janice Y.K. - The Piano Teacher

  • Lee, Tosca - Havah: The Story of Eve

  • Lehane, Dennis - The Given Day

  • Levitan, Jonathan - The Red Apple

  • Li, Yiyun - The Vagrants

  • Lindler, Cat - Kiss of a Traitor

  • Littell, Alan - Courage

  • Louise, Sharol - The

  • Lovesey, Peter - The Detective Wore Silk Drawers

  • Lovesey, Peter - Wobble to Death

  • Mackesy, Serena - Hold My Hand

  • Makine, Andrei - Human Love

  • Manfredi, Valerio Massimo - The Lost Army

  • Manfredi, Valerio Massimo - Pharaoh

  • Margrave, Jay - Luther's Ambassadors

  • Marillier, Juliet - Heir to Sevenwaters

  • Marshall, Joseph M III - The Long Knives Are Crying

  • Martyn, Trea - Elizabeth in the Garden

  • Maxwell, Robin - Signora da Vinci

  • McCullough, Colleen - The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet

  • McGowan, Kathleen - The Book of Love

  • McIntyre, Ian - Hester, The Remarkable Life of Dr Johnson's 'Dear Mistress'

  • McKinley, Tamara - A Kingdom for the Brave

  • McNally, Brendan - Germania

  • Meyers, Maan - The Organ Grinder

  • Mitchell, Jack - The Ancient Ocean Blues

  • Mitchell, Siri - A Constant Heart

  • Moore, Tim - I Believe in Yesterday

  • Morin, Donna Russo - The Courtier's Secret

  • Morris, Gilbert - A Conspiracy of Ravens

  • Morson, Ian - Falconer and the Ritual of Death

  • Mullins, Edwin - The Popes of Avignon

  • Mura, David - Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire

  • Myracle, Lauren - Bliss

  • Napier, William - Attila, The Judgement

  • National Children's Book Alliance - Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out

  • Neal, Bill - From Guns to Gavels

  • Newmark, Elle - The Book of Unholy Mischief

  • Oldfield, Pamela - The Fairfax Legacy

  • Osborne, Mary Pope - Magic Tree House: Mammoth to the Rescue

  • Osborne, Mary Pope - Magic Tree House: Night of the Ninjas

  • Osiochru, Michael - God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland

  • Parr, Delia - Where Love Dwells

  • Parson, Golden Keyes - In the Shadow of the Sun King

  • Peacock, Caro - A Dangerous Affair

  • Pearce, Michael - A Dead Man in Barcelona

  • Peterson, Tracie  - A Promise to Believe In

  • Peterson, Tracie, and Judith Miller - An Unexpected Love

  • Phelps, M. William - Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy

  • Plaidy, Jean - To Hold the Crown

  • Plaidy, Jean - The Queen's Devotion

  • Pollard, Justin - Charge - The Interesting Bits of Military History

  • Price, Charles F. - Nor the Battle to the Strong

  • Richards, Linda L. - Death Was in the Picture

  • Rinaldi, Ann - The Letter Writer

  • Roberts, David - No More Dying

  • Roberts, John Maddox - SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead

  • Rowe, Rosemary - Death at Pompeia's Wedding

  • Royal, Priscilla - Forsaken Soul

  • Rubenhold, Hallie - Lady Worsley's Whim: An 18th-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce

  • Sallis, Susan - Rachel's Secret

  • Sawyer, Kim Vogel - Where the Heart Leads

  • Scarrow, Alex - October Skies

  • Sellars, Brian - The Whispering Bell

  • Seton, Anya - Foxfire

  • Shaffer, Louise - Serendipity

  • Shorto, Russell - Descartes' Bones

  • Slade, Nicola - Murder Most Welcome

  • Slovo, Gillian - Black Orchids

  • Smith, Roland - The Captain's Dog

  • Sole, Linda - The Lie

  • Spradlin, Michael P - The Youngest Templar

  • Stack, John - Ship of Rome

  • Steel, Danielle - A Good Woman

  • Stewart, Mary - Thornyhold

  • Stockwin, Julian - Treachery / The Privateer's Revenge

  • Strathern, Paul - Napoleon in Egypt

  • Stuckart, Diane A.S. - Portrait of a Lady

  • Sundell, Joanne - The Parlor House Daughter

  • Swerling, Beverly - City of God

  • Tallis, Frank - Darkness Rising

  • Thompson, Christina - Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All

  • Thompson, E.V. - No Less Than the Journey

  • Todd, Charles - A Matter of Justice

  • Turtledove, Harry - The United States of Atlantis

  • Vernon, John - Lucky Billy

  • Wall, Carolyn D. - Sweeping Up Glass

  • Waters, Paul - The Republic of Vengeance

  • Watkins, Steve - Down Sand Mountain

  • Weir, Alison - Mistress of the Monarchy

  • Wells, Lawrence - Rommel and the Rebel

  • Wells, Lawrence - Rommel's Peace

  • Wentz, Nancy - Cursebreaker

  • Wheeler, Richard S. - North Star

  • Whitson, Stephanie Grace - Unbridled Dreams

  • Wilkinson, Lisa Marie - Fire at Midnight

  • Williams, Kate - Becoming Queen

  • Willig, Lauren - The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

  • Wilson, A.N. - Winnie and Wolf

  • Wood, Valerie - The Long Walk Home

  • Worth, Sandra - The King's Daughter

  • Wulf, Linda Press - The Night of the Burning

  • Yasushi, Inoue - The Blue Wolf

  • Y'Barbo, Kathleen - Beloved Captive

  • Young, Robyn - The Fall of the Templars

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