Collection: Historical Fiction

"My whole body tensed up. I couldn't wait to get to the end. Amazing!"

- Editor, Gatekeeper Press

A Cape Cod historical romance set during the Vietnam War era filled with passion, secrets, conflicts, and an old romance about to be rekindled...

Ideal for readers of Nicholas Sparks, Debbie Macomber, and Elin Hilderbrand.

Filled with anger and regret after her alcoholic husband comes home and admits to having an affair, Lilly Conroy decides to take her son John to spend the summer at her family's beach house in the town of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts near Cape Cod. There, she hopes to muster the strength to reinvent herself and focus on building a new life away from a marriage filled with heartache and disappointment.

As the summer unfolds, the heat is on.

Old flames are reignited, but what is found could be lost again...

As passion burns, a secret looms that could ultimately tear two people apart... But will it?

If you love old-flame romances, detailed descriptions of the place and time, the beauty of building a new life from the ashes, and unexpected plot twists, this novel is for you!

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

"Adriana Herrera is once again here to upend any outdated notions of historical romance." --Entertainment Weekly

One last summer.
For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom--in Paris, with her two best friends.

One scandalous encounter.
Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It's not money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she's sworn never to sell?

One life-changing bargain.
Tempted by Cora's offer, Manuela proposes a trade: her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach. What follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought dead. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach...though claiming it would cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades.

"...a fun, frothy, feminist voice in historical romance." --New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean

Can't get enough of the Las Leonas?

• Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
• Book 2: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
• Book 3: Coming Soon!

The year is 1985, and eighteen-year-old Jade Whitney is about to discover her family holds a secret that will change her life forever. Jade moves into her family's grand, gilded mansion with her Great Aunt Ruth, where she begins to uncover the scandalous history of her affluent ancestors. As she adjusts to her new life and a new private school, Jade struggles to navigate the social hierarchy that divides her friends, The Misfits, from the popular crowd of jocks and cheerleaders. When she meets the charming rugby captain, Bradley Phillips, she experiences falling in love for the first time-or so she thinks.

When Jade finds a cursed locket connected to a ghost named William, her life turns in an unexpected direction. While aiding Will in his quest to cross into the afterlife, Jade discovers a deep connection between them that goes far beyond what she could ever imagine.

• 2022 Pura Belpré Honor Book
• NYPL Best Book of 2021
• Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection
• NPR Best Book of 2021

Based on a true story, the tale of one girl's perilous journey to cross the U.S. border and lead her family to safety during the Mexican Revolution.

"Wrenching debut about family, loss, and finding the strength to carry on."--Booklist, starred review

"Blazes bright, gripping readers until the novel's last page."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Vital and perilous and hopeful."--Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna's mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left--her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito--until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: "They're like us barefoot peasants and indios--they're not meant to go far." But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border--a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

"Dobbs' wrenching debut, about family, loss, and finding the strength to carry on, illuminates the harsh realities of war, the heartbreaking disparities between the poor and the rich, and the racism faced by Petra and her family. Readers will love Petra, who is as strong as the black-coal rock she carries with her and as beautiful as the diamond hidden within it."--Booklist, starred review

A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.

Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday -- his first day of freedom.

From the New York Times bestselling author of House of Eve--a 2023 Reese's Book Club Pick!

*A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor*

Called "wholly engrossing" by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this "fully immersive" (Lisa Wingate, #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours) story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother's position as the estate's medicine woman and cherished by the Master's sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.

She'd been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil's Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer's cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.

The New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries returns once more to Victorian England and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell....

London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry--and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered--leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Three volumes in one! A prestige treatment of Inoue's epic samurai series with bonus content, color pages, storyboard samples and more!

Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means--by way of the sword--makes mere survival an even greater challenge.

The Distant Ocean

In the aftermath of the bloody Battle of Sekigahara, Sasaki Kojirō, the man destined to be Musashi's opponent in the most famous duel in Japanese history, finds himself alone amidst desperate refugees and vicious hunters. Despite being pushed to his limits, Kojirō is far from daunted by his peril and instead thrives with an almost supernatural serenity. Driven by his macabre thirst for battle, Kojirō is transformed into the ultimate swordsman.

The #1 New York Times bestseller--Jess Walter's "absolute masterpiece" (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author): the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962 and resurfaces fifty years later in contemporary Hollywood.

The acclaimed, award-winning author of the national bestseller The Financial Lives of the Poets returns with his funniest, most romantic, and most purely enjoyable novel yet. Hailed by critics and loved by readers of literary and historical fiction, Beautiful Ruins is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962...and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later.

Get whisked away through time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie in the #1 bestselling series--and meet famous Founding Father and inventor Ben Franklin!

When Jack and Annie are whisked back in time by the magic tree house, they find themselves in Old Philadelphia in 1787. Their mission? Help Dr. Ben.
It isn't hard to find him--Dr. Ben is none other than Benjamin Franklin! But to help him, Jack and Annie have to do something they've never done before. Something daring, dangerous, and almost impossible.
Travel through time and history in this magical and surprising edition of Mary Pope Osborne's New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series.

Track the facts with Jack and Annie in the nonfiction companion to this book: Benjamin Franklin.

Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?
Magic Tree House: Perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

If you're looking for Merlin Mission #32: Winter of the Ice Wizard, it was renumbered as part of the rebrand in 2017 as Merlin Mission #4.

When the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, thirty-two-year-old Nathanael Greene, a self-educated Quaker with no military experience, dismayed his family and marched toward Boston as general of the Rhode Island provincial army. General George Washington recognized his unwavering belief in American independence and the qualities that catapulted him to a major general in the Continental Army.

From the hard lessons learned on the battlefields of New York, to his appointment as Quartermaster General during the harsh winter at Valley Forge, his role in convicting the British spy who colluded to obtain the plans to West Point, to the godsend who took command of the ragged remnants of the Southern Continental Army, Nathanael Greene's complex perseverance and brilliant strategies broke military doctrines.

This is the story of the man who rose to become a national hero by resuscitating and then propelling the American states to victory in their war for independence and the personal cost of that war.

"In The Line of Splendor: A Novel of Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution, Salina Baker has given readers an insight into realm of the possible. Stepping beyond the limitations imposed on historians by their craft and discipline, Salina's portrait of Nathanael Greene is suffused with imagination.... The Line of Splendor is clearly a work of love.... Join her, as she invites you into The Line of Splendor: A Novel of Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution". - Ricardo A. Herrera, 18th and 19th-century American military history historian, Professor U.S. Army War College, Department of National Security and Strategy; author of Feeding Washington's Army

Fleeing persecution in 1960s America, a Black couple seeks asylum in Ghana, but fresh dangers and old secrets threaten their newfound freedom in this hypnotic debut novel.

"I am truly blown away by this novel."--Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: CrimeReads

When the windshield of his Chevy Impala shatters in a dark diner parking lot in Alabama, Melvin moves without thinking. A split-second reaction marrows in his bones from the days of war, but this time it is the safety of his fiancé, Bernadette, at stake. Impulse keeps them alive, and yet they flee with blood on their hands. What is life like now that they are fugitives? Pack passports. Empty bank accounts. Set their old life on fire. The couple disguise themselves as a pastor and a reluctant pastor's wife who's hiding a secret from her fiancé. With a persistent FBI agent on their trail, they travel to Ghana to seek the help of Melvin's old college friend who happens to be the country's embattled president, Kwame Nkrumah.

The couple's chance encounter with Ghana's most beloved highlife musician, Kwesi Kwayson, who's on his way to perform for the president, sparks a journey full of suspense, lust, magic, and danger as Nkrumah's regime crumbles around them. What was meant to be a fresh start quickly spirals into chaos, threatening both their relationship and their lives. Kwesi and Bernadette's undeniable attraction and otherworldly bond cascades during their three-day trek, and so does Melvin's intense jealousy. All three must confront one another and their secrets, setting off a series of cataclysmic events.

Steeped in the history and mythology of postcolonial West Africa at the intersection of the civil rights movement in America, this gripping and ambitious debut merges political intrigue, magical encounters, and forbidden romance in an epic collision of morality and power.

Both epic and intimate, Sharon Emmerichs's extraordinary debut novel reimagines Beowulf from the perspective of a young woman reclaiming her power.

All her life, Fryda has longed to be a shield maiden, an honor reserved for Geatland's mightiest warriors. When a childhood accident leaves her tragically injured and unfit for the battlefield, her dreams are dashed--or so she thinks. But a strange, unfathomable power is awakening within her, a power that will soon be put to the test.

For when foreign lords and chieftains descend upon Fryda's home to celebrate her uncle King Beowulf's fifty-year reign, she realizes not all their guests come with good intentions. Treachery is afoot, and Fryda must gather her courage to fight for her people...as a queen should--as a shield maiden would--and as only Fryda can.

But as Fryda's power grows stronger, something ancient hears its call. For buried deep in her gilded lair, a dragon awakens...and Fryda must prove herself once and for all.

Praise for Shield Maiden:

"A heroine with a generous spirit, an unshakable will, and a dragon's fury." --H. M. Long, author of Hall of Smoke

"Casts a superb spell. Shimmering with detail, with a propulsive plot to match" --D. K. Fields, author of the Tales of Fenest trilogy

This lyrical middle grade historical novel set during the Great Depression from award-winning author L. M. Elliott is a moving tale of the spirit of American persistence, found family, and the magical partnership between girl and horse. Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!

Bea wakes to Daddy's note in a hayloft, where he abandoned her with her little sister after the stock market crash took everything: Daddy's job at the bank, their home, Mama's health and life.

How is Bea supposed to convince the imposing Mrs. Scott to take in two stray children? Mrs. Scott's money and Virginia farm are drying up in a drought and the Great Depression, too. She might have to sell her beautiful horses, starting with a dangerous chestnut that has caused tragedy in the past and injures her stableman shortly after Bea arrives.

But wrestling with her own hurts and fears, Bea understands the chestnut's skittish distrust. She sees hope in the powerful jumper--if he can compete at horse shows, they might save the farm, and maybe Bea can even win a place in Mrs. Scott's heart.

"A bruising tale of passion, ambition, power, vengeance, and desire . . . a stunning retelling." --Entertainment Weekly, Most Anticipated Books of Fall

"Suspenseful, atmospheric and full of twists and turns, I loved the brutal, backstabbing world that Isabelle Schuler conjures up where only the most ruthless can survive. A thoroughly enjoyable read!"--Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra

An instant international bestseller: a suspenseful, sweeping historical epic for readers of Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller, which boldly reimagines the origin story of the woman who inspired one of Shakespeare's most iconic characters, Lady Macbeth.

She will be Queen. Whatever it takes . . .

Daughter of an ousted king, descendant of ancient druids, Gruoch (GREW-ock), has grown up believing that she will be crowned queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin, a prophecy seemingly fulfilled by her betrothal to Duncan, the heir-elect.

Determined never to be powerless again, she leaves behind her home, her family, and her close friend MacBethad, and travels to the royal seat at Scone to embrace her new position. But Duncan's court is rife with sly words and unfriendly faces, women desperate to usurp her position, and others whose motives are shrouded in mystery.

As her coronation approaches, a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee Duncan and the capital. Alone and at the mercy of an old enemy, her hope of becoming Queen all but lost, Gruoch must make a fateful choice: live a long, quiet life in the shadows, or seize vengeance and a path back to the throne.

A stunning literary reclamation of an iconic character, Queen Hereafter is a gripping story of female ambition, power, history, desire, hate, and vengeance set against the backdrop of early medieval Scotland.

The #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series is ready to whisk you away with Jack and Annie! This time, meet famous explorer Leif Erikson and help save a narwhal!

When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie off to Greenland, they're not sure what time they've landed in, but they immediately know what their mission is: save a narwhal! Then they meet a young hunter named Leif Erikson and they ask for his help. But Leif has other ideas...

Track the facts with Jack and Annie in the nonfiction companion to this book: Narwhals and Other Whales.

If you're looking for Merlin Mission #33: Carnival at Candlelight, it was renumbered as part of the rebrand in 2017 as Merlin Mission #5.