Historical Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The House Guest by Deborah L. Norris

★★★★ The House Guest by Deborah L. Norris

The House Guest by Deborah L. Norris follows the life of Maggie Davis, a middle-aged widow living in a large Victorian home in 1950’s Nebraska with her daughter. The house also doubles as a bed and breakfast, so new boarders come in and out who gather around Maggie’s kitchen table for conversations about life and the latest gossip. As Maggie is still recovering from her husband’s tragic death, she has a lot to contend with in her own life, but she’s also a keen observer of her visitors. A scheme to swindle Maggie out of her property leads to […]

Lysa Grant2016-03-04T02:39:49+02:00February 3rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Tim Curious by Roddy Thorleifson ★★★★★

Tim Curious: A Murder Mystery of the American Revolution, by Roddy Thorleifson, is a wonderful young adult historical fiction novel that’ll charm readers of all ages.

Young Tim Euston wanted to fight with George Washington, but he was considered too short and sent away. Can he support Washington’s troops another way? One incident rapidly changes Tim’s life. One night in January, a man attacks Tim’s fourteen-year-old sister. Tim rushes to her aid, but he’s arrested for robbery. The only adult who could testify on Tim’s behalf is found dead. A man is found guilty of the murder, but […]

T B Markinson2016-01-13T10:02:17+02:00December 18th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Ladders of Death by Philippe Erhard ★★★★

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 […]

Henry Baum2016-01-13T10:32:42+02:00December 14th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Death by Disputation by Anna Castle ★★★★★

Death by Disputation: A Francis Bacon Mystery (Book 2), by Anna Castle, is a clever historical fiction whodunit.

Thomas Clarady is recruited to spy on a radical group of Puritans at Cambridge University in 1587. Francis Bacon is his spymaster. The mission doesn’t start off well. Tom’s chief informant is found hanging. The university assumes the man killed himself. Tom is convinced he was murdered. Now Tom must figure out who killed his informant and spy on the radical group, especially since he believes the two are linked. Can Tom figure out they mystery before it’s too late?

This is […]

T B Markinson2016-01-04T12:43:13+02:00December 2nd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Cnut: Rise of a Viking Warrior by Kyle Miller ★★★★

Cnut: Rise of a Viking Warrior by Kyle Miller follows Cnut as he grows into a young man and trains to be a warrior in the British Isles after his mother Astrid, a shield maiden and the daughter of a jarl, leaves the Norselands to come to Wessex after falling pregnant. The storytelling is something like the style of Ken Follet – a lighter historical read that does not focus so much on true history and fact as the character’s journey. Detail of Cnut’s warrior training by his friend Rolf, and his foray into romance with Hild — and into […]

Cate Baum2015-11-02T05:46:43+02:00October 30th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Cats of Rekem by C. L. Francisco ★★★★

The Cats of Rekem, by C. L. Francisco, is a thoughtful story about Jesus and his followers told from a feline perspective.

This is the third book in the Yeshua’s Cats series and it opens with the characters from A Cat Out of Egypt twenty-five years later. In the Nabataean city of Rekem there’s religious and political discord. Tikos, Zaidan, their daughter Hinat, and their faithful cats are placed in a dangerous situation when Yeshua and Mari appear before and after the Resurrection. Yeshua makes a request: help save Paul of Tarsus. Can they and what will the consequences […]

T B Markinson2015-12-17T08:27:01+02:00October 30th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Religious Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Noble Warrior by Becca Ketelsleger ★★★★

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 […]

T B Markinson2015-10-27T09:01:18+02:00October 6th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Eterlimus by Aziz Hamza

★★★★½ Eterlimus by Aziz Hamza

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 […]

T B Markinson2016-03-04T04:25:47+02:00September 25th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|