Historical Fiction

A soldier and a pacifist make the unlikeliest of pairs, but when passion sparks, there’s nothing that can prevent their love from igniting. Winifred Cunningham, the adopted daughter of a portrait painter, hopes that her new close friend, Owen Ware, will soon ask for her hand in marriage. But when Owen introduces Winifred to his elder brother Nicholas, the late Earl of Stratton’s second son, the slow burn between them begins.

Following the death of her controlling husband, Margaret Routledge is no longer the downtrodden church mouse she once was. Now she’s the talk of the Close, frequenting seedy pubs and clubs where men gather to pick up good-time girls. It seems Margaret is past redemption until she sees neighbour Jenny Crawford’s headstrong 16-year-old daughter Gloria on the arm of a man of ill repute, and her motherly instincts return. By contrast, Jenny's eldest, land girl Tilly, has a heart of gold, but trouble brews when she helps a vulnerable mother and child with a dangerous past...

Step into the mind of one of literature's most profound anti-heroes in Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky's existential tour de force. This unabridged classic dives deep into the psychology of alienation, human contradiction, and philosophical rebellion. Revered as a foundational work of existentialist thought, this novel challenges listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about free will, society, and the self.

King Henry is not a good king. His son, The Lord Edward, promises strength but the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort seeks the throne and the crown. When civil war erupts there is only one place for the knights of the valley, now led by the Warlord’s heir, Sir Henry Samuel, and that is by the side of the king. For good or ill they will do as they have always done and support the king. Their fate is entwined with the Plantagenets.

Be swept up in the unforgettable new historical novel from the reader’s favourite. Can Rosina discover the hidden secrets of Moonshadow Manor? When spirited Rosina Wills is driven from her London home by a conniving stepmother, she seeks refuge in the wild heart of Dartmoor. But Moonshadow...

Malcolm Colerain, Earl of Montgomery, needs a wife. He has four children, a peerage, and a demanding secret occupation as a member of the London League; all of which give him a fulfilling life, so a proper marriage of convenience is all he seeks. But when he meets Elizabeth Owens, things begin to change. Distance becomes difficult, convenience becomes rather inconvenient, and his exciting life as a spy turns on its head. ... Love comes to call... Beth Owens seizes the chance to marry the handsome and striking Earl of Montgomery, marriage of convenience or not.

Traveling the Road of Bones was only the start of Hekla's troubles. The Bloodaxe Crew has arrived at the village of Istré—beleaguered and missing three of their members. They might be down in numbers, but Hekla "Rib Smasher" is determined that they'll complete their job all the same: defeat the monstrous, sentient mist and keep the citizens of Istré safe. What she didn't expect was for Istré's bullheaded chieftain to block her every move.

Fleeing the machinations of William the Conqueror in France, the Wolves of Odin set sail for Britain. They make for the north of the country, heading to Jorvik–Viking York. Its earl, Sigurd, doesn’t believe they have arrived with peaceable intentions. To prove their good faith, he challenges them to fix a problem for him.

Setting out from New Bedford in 1878, the crew of the Esther is confident the sea will be theirs: in addition to cruising the Pacific for whale, they intend to hunt the teeming northern grounds before the ice closes. But as they sail to their final destination in the Chukchi Sea, where their captain Arnold Lovejoy has an urgent directive of his own to attend to, their encounters with the natural world become more brutal, harrowing, ghostly, and strange.

In early 1900s New York, former ballerina Petronille De Villier makes an unconventional choice: Marry struggling sculptor Arkady Kamenev. For her, it’s an escape from her family’s unsavory legacy. For him, the De Villier name promises the patronage his art desperately needs. It should be a simple arrangement. But beneath their marriage of convenience lurks a darker recognition. In each other, they see a reflection of their own dangerous appetites. As buried secrets surface and bodies begin disappearing, Petronille and Arkady discover their union runs deeper than social advantage.

The third title in Beverley Watt's Shackleford Legacies series.

Full-cast dramatisations of three insightful novels by Christopher Isherwood, plus a bonus interview Novelist and playwright Christopher Isherwood is best known for The Berlin Stories of pre-Hitler Germany, which inspired the musical Cabaret. Many of his works have been adapted for stage and...

Brought to you by Penguin. From the Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Revell. When Lucy’s estranged mother dies unexpectedly, her grief is overwhelming. Lucy was disowned when she married penniless horse-trainer Danny for love, leaving her blue-blooded family’s fortune in tatters. But...

In the bustling heart of London’s East End, Maisie, Amanda and Bethan work long hours at the uniform factory. The pay is poor, the shifts relentless and the bombs fall far too close for comfort ­– but these three women refuse to give in to despair. For when not at the factory, the girls spend their days on the markets of Petticoat Lane, trying to source material in order to make dresses ­– doing their best to bring any small amount of joy in these troubled times. When a chance encounter leads them to a bundle of parachute silk, they decide to think bigger.

When Amelia Spencer finds herself unmarried, pregnant, and cast out by society, she flees to the Bryant & May match factory, searching for her estranged sister, Sadie. Desperate for a fresh start, Amelia takes work at Bryant & May and dares to dream of a better life for herself and her son. When the shadows of Amelia's past return with a vengeance - and a killer begins stalking the women of Whitechapel - Amelia must fight to protect her child and the life she's struggled to claim, before everything she's fought for is destroyed.

In this Pride and Prejudice reimagining, delicately threaded with mystery, Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet form an unlikely friendship during his stay at Netherfield. What begins with wary conversations and unexpected smiles grows into something far more dangerous to their hearts. But just as they begin to trust each other completely, Elizabeth vanishes without a trace.

Master Mercurius has once again been summoned to The Hague by Stadhouder William of Orange. And a letter from William is never good news. King Charles II of England has died and William, with his wife Mary, is now next in line to the throne once the current king, James II dies. But Charles II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, has put a spanner in the works. Monmouth is being encouraged to stage a rebellion and take the English throne. William needs to stop him so as not to jeopardize his own claim, but he also wants to keep Monmouth as an ally.

As turmoil simmers within a divided nation, smoke from another blaze begins to rise. Sparked by individual acts of resistance among those enslaved across the American South, their seemingly disparate rebellions fuel a singular inferno of justice, connecting them in ways quiet at times, explosive at others. As these flames rise, so will they. Luke, quick-witted and literate, and Henri, a man with a strong and defiant spirit, forge an unbreakable bond at a Virginia plantation called Magnolia Row. Both seek escape from unimaginable cruelty.

One scandal, one season, one shy baron, and a heart that doesn’t want to follow the plan. With her family insisting that she have a season to find a husband, Veronica Smith has one mission: restore her family’s reputation with a match that dazzles society. After her sister’s scandalous elopement with a dockworker, Veronica convinces her parents to send her to Bath instead of London.

Sally Jay Gorce is a woman with a mission. It’s the 1950s, she’s young, and she’s in Paris. Having dyed her hair pink, she wears evening dresses in the daytime and vows to go native in a way not even the natives can manage. Embarking on an educational program that includes an affair with a married man (which fizzles out when she realizes he’s single and wants to marry her); nights in cabarets and jazz clubs in the company of assorted “citizens of the world”; an entanglement with a charming psychopath; and a bit part in a film financed by a famous matador.

It's 1699 in the coastal settlement of Fount Royal in the Carolinas when Rachel Howarth is sentenced to be hanged as a witch. She's been accused of murder, deviltry, and blasphemous sexual congress, and the beleaguered, God-fearing colonial village wants her dead. But Matthew Corbett, young clerk to the traveling magistrate summoned to Fount Royal to weigh the accusations, soon finds himself persuaded in favor of the beguiling young widow.

In 1906, an Egyptologist uncovered a map carved in stone inside an ancient temple. Convinced that it pointed to a lost city of gold somewhere deep in the desert, he set out on another expedition the following year. He was never seen again. In present day Yale, a professor is brutally murdered on the university campus, and a mysterious artefact is stolen from its vaults.

New to the Windsor court, beautiful and quick-witted Felise Scelfton instantly becomes the coveted object of desire. Spurred on by her flirtatious manner and rumors of her dowry, knights brandish their swords for her hand in marriage, but King Henry II has already decided her fate—His royal command gives her hand to Sir Royce Leighton, the scarred and brooding lord of Segeland, in order to seal a political alliance. Despite a tempestuous beginning, their arranged marriage gives way to desire, and Royce’s bitter memories are soothed by his alluring young wife.

Hope House has always operated on a shoestring budget, but when a fire marshal delivers an impossible ultimatum—install a costly fire escape within 30 days or close forever—Lauren Greenwood faces her greatest challenge yet. With ten children depending on her and three more arriving from a mining accident, failure isn't an option.

Um romance repleto de mistérios e desejos. Trevor Hunt, duque de Ridgely, frequentemente é descrito como um homem sedutor, ardiloso e um completo canalha — a má fama, em grande parte, tem um fundo de verdade. Desprezado por sua família e detestado por muitos, ele forjou sua reputação nas sombrias ruas de Londres. Entretanto, combater inimigos mortais e maridos enfurecidos nunca o preparou para o desafio mais caótico de sua vida: tornar-se tutor de uma jovem dama inocente e enigmática.

The place will be of their choosing. The time will be of their choosing. But the Indians will have their vengeance. 1025 CE, India. Mahmud of Ghazni believes he has crushed the spirit of Bharat—the Shiva Linga at the Somnath temple lies shattered and thousands are dead. Mahmud of Ghazni believes he has crushed the spirit of Bharat—the Shiva Linga at the Somnath temple lies shattered and thousands are dead. But among the ashes of destruction, an oath is taken.

Com 23 anos, a infanta Catarina de Bragança, filha de D. Luísa de Gusmão e de D. João IV, deixou para trás tudo o que lhe era querido e próximo para navegar rumo a uma vida nova. No coração, um misto de tristeza e alegria. Saudades da sua Lisboa, de Vila Viçosa, do cheiro a laranjas, dos seus irmãos que já haviam partido deste mundo e dos que ficavam em Portugal a lutar pelo poder. Mas os seus olhos escuros deixavam perceber o entusiasmo pelo casamento com o homem dos seus sonhos, Charles de Inglaterra, um príncipe encantado que Catarina amava perdidamente ainda antes de o conhecer.

Última rainha de Portugal, D. Amélia viveu durante 24 anos num país que amou como seu, apesar de nele ter deixado enterrados uma filha prematura que morreu à nascença, o seu primogénito D. Luís Filipe, herdeiro do trono, e o marido D. Carlos assassinados em pleno Terreiro do Paço a tiro de carabina e pistola.

飲み屋で男二人が喧嘩をした。一人は大怪我、殴った男は遁走の果てに首を吊った。町方にすれば“些末な”事件のはずだった。

小間物問屋〈遠野屋〉の元番頭が亡くなった。その死を悼む主の清之介は、火事で焼けた仕舞屋で見つかった若い女が殺されていたと報される。

北町奉行所定町廻り同心、木暮信次郎が腹を刺された。信次郎から手札を預かる岡っ引の伊佐治、信次郎と旧知の小間物問屋・遠野屋清之介に衝撃が走る。襲った男は遺体で大川に上がる。

お気楽者の麻之助、ついに父に――！妻のお和歌が子を宿した麻之助。子どもの名前を考えながら、今日も町の揉め事に立ち向かう！　大好評「まんまこと」シリーズ第９弾。

Anastácia carrega na pele as marcas deixadas por um casamento odioso. Em sua última noite como uma mulher livre, ela perdeu o controle do seu futuro e acabou presa no famoso hospício para alienados do Rio de Janeiro. Mas agora, três anos após sua internação, Anastácia precisará enfrentar o passado e descobrir como recomeçar. Quem ela escolherá ser longe do peso do título de Condessa De Vienne?

葉茶屋・青陽堂の嫁として初めての新年を迎えた律。若おかみの務めと上絵師の仕事――その両立に励む折り、懐妊の兆しに気づく。喜びと不安に揺れる律に、女形の役者から着物の仕事が舞い込んだ。

父の跡を継ぎ、上絵師として身を立てたい律だが、ままならず落ち込むことも多い。幼馴染みの涼太への想いも、深く胸に秘めるばかりだ。しかし副業の似面絵の評判は上々で、引きも切らず注文が舞い込んでいた。

上絵師として、初めて着物を手がけることになった律。粋人として名を馳せる雪永が親しい女に贈るものだ。張り切って下描きを仕上げる律だが、なかなか良い返事がもらえない。

鞠の意匠をあしらった「鞠巾着」が人気となり、安定した仕事をもらえるようになった律。涼太との祝言の日取りも決まり、幸せをかみしめながら、職人の仕事も一生続けていこうと決意するのだった。

池見屋から巾着絵の仕事を減らされ、律は焦りを覚えていた。そんな折、葉茶屋・青陽堂では、商品に古茶が混じったことで、得意客が離れる騒ぎが起こる。

牢屋敷の首打役と刀の試し斬り御用を生業にする浪人、別所龍玄。ときに切腹の介錯を務めることもある。ある日首を打った僧侶の末期の声を聞いた龍玄は、幼い頃父親と訪ねた母子の店のことを思い出す（「妻恋坂」）。

幕末から維新、明治と激動の時代の外交を料理で支えた男がいた――長崎生まれの料理人・草野丈吉で、店の名は「自由亭」。