Historical Fiction Book Reviews

The Ladders of Death, by Philippe Erhard, is a compelling story about the bravery of two individuals during World War II.

In 1941, Jenny is a law student from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She’s working at a garment factory to pay for her studies. One day at work, she witnesses one of her coworkers being humiliated simply because she’s Jewish. Jenny is disturbed by this scene and is worried about the rise of antisemitism in her own country. She decides that she needs to act and volunteers to fight the Nazis.

Paul is a medical student in Besançon, a German-occupied French […]

Noble Warrior, by Becca Ketelsleger, presents a different take on the legend of the Knights of the Round Table.

When Aceline Grosipan’s father is arrested, the young woman masquerades as a knight in order to set her father free. Against all odds, she enters the masculine world and finds a new home serving the king who imprisoned her father. Over the years, she goes to war, experiences loss and heartbreak. She also discovers what it means to be brave and noble.

The author loosely bases her story around the legendary Knights of the Round Table. Fans of the old-fashioned […]

★★★★½

Eterlimus, by Aziz Hamza, is a fast-moving and riveting historical fiction novel set in the 500s BC.

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus became the seventh King of the Roman Kingdom after assassinating King Servius Tullius. Tarquinius didn’t stop there. He also took care of his enemies and those loyal to the previous king to cement his rule. During Tarquinius’ reign the people suffered. Injustice and corruption were rampant. The time was ripe for a revolution and the rape of Lucretia, a noble woman, lit the spark. This novel relates how Eterlimus, an owner of a brothel, played a vital role […]

★★★★½

William the Conqueror vs King Harold, by Jesse Lee Vint, according to the blurb is “The story that has never been told!”

In 1066, Halley’s Comet made an appearance. The same year, in England, three undefeated warrior kings who believed they had a legitimate claim to the crown clashed. Quitting wasn’t in their vocabulary so when events sent them on a collision course it made the perfect scenario for exciting history. Even though Normandy’s William and England’s Harold Godwinson, crowned King Harold II in January of 1066, were friends before the fateful events, the lure of being crowned […]