Today I wanted to share three historical novels I’ve read in the last couple weeks that I HIGHLY recommend. If you love stepping back in time, then you’ll love any of these, all from different time periods and countries. 

In The Red Canary, Rachel McDaniel immediately transports her readers to 1928 in Pittsburgh. The book opens in a speakeasy with all the angst and turmoil that entails. When Vera hears a murder, she becomes a witness who has to be protected. Mick is assigned the job, but it’s not an easy one when the DA doesn’t believe she’s a credible witness.

From the dialogue to the setting, the author does a masterful job taking us back in time one hundred years and firmly establishing us in the Roaring 20s. The characters are complex and interesting, and the plot engaging. You would think being stuck in a hideout for half of the book would ease the tension, but it doesn’t. In this season of reading, I’m loving historicals more than ever, and I loved that this book was set outside Regency, Gilded Age or WWII (all timeperiods I adore). The Red Canary is a wonderful read for those who love being immersed in a different time zone with characters who are closer to us than you initially think.

Sarah Ladd is one of my favorite Regency authors. She has a talent for creating characters and scenarios that are fresh and unique for her genre. The Light at Wyndcliff could be my new favorite of hers. Evelyn has been living in her village with an eye toward the day when her mother will finally return to take her to Bath. Liam has finally reached the age that he inherited the property she’s lived on. It doesn’t take long for him to realize there is more going on than he anticipated, as ships run aground on the beach taht runs along his land.

The Light at Wyndcliff  is filled with this mystery surrounding what’s really happening with the shipwrecks and a mother and daughter who are recovered from one wreck. The book is sprinkled with the history of those wrecks and the different factors involved in the recovery. But the best part is the romance. It is sweet, naturally develops, and so satisfactory. I loved it! I highly recomend this book if you love historical novels.

The Paris Dressmaker is a breath-taking book that you can preorder now. I think it’s this year’s The Nightengale, and I fully expect it to win a slew of awards because of the beautiful writing and story.

In this sweeping novel, you’ll follow two women (and a host of other characters) from 1938 to 1945. It highlights the ways that Parisienne women survived the years the German occupied the city. Kristy highlights many of the events without lingering on them…yet gives a feel for the scope of the occupation. Everything doesn’t go well for the characters, also realistic, but the hope and the grace in the pages is healing.

There were many times as I read The Paris Dressmaker I thought this was the book I’d hope to write as the second Monuments Men book – yet the way Kristy writes it is so much more than that. Art is key, yes. But there is so much more. The Paris Dressmaker is a beautiful book that I urge you to preorder today. Consider it an early Valentine’s Day present to yourself.