This month I’m celebrating the first birthday of my seventh novel! Innocents at Home is heritage fiction, based on two ancestors of mine who were on the cruise that inspired Mark Twain’s novel Innocents Abroad. But that was last year. Let’s look at new releases for September of 2025.

BEST COVER

Roland’s Labyrinth by Anne Echols (Provence, 1400s, September 2)

“Echols’s compelling tale immerses us in fifteenth-century France, where an apprentice surgeon struggles to cure a young girl of her maladie de l’esprit. Brimming with fascinating details of medical controversies, this love story and mystery are deftly intertwined with political and social intrigue. A real find for historical fiction fans!”—Rebecca D’Harlingue, author of The Lines Between Us and The Map Colorist

By now you all know how much I love color. The color contrast on these covers is amazing. My pick, though, for top September cover is Roland’s Labyrinth. Didn’t see that coming, did you? I love the rich texture of the key, rose, and labyrinth. It makes me wonder about the book, and isn’t that what a cover is supposed to do?

Circle of Days by Ken Follett (Ancient History, England, September 23)

The Blazing Sea by Tim Hodkinson (Vikings, northern Europe, September 11)

The Seeker of Lost Paintings by Sara Freethy (Rome 1939/London 1997, September 11)

The Lost Garden by Angela Petch (Italy 1930s, September 11)

Ashes of Rebellion by Michael Jecks (France 1538, September 19)

BEST TITLE

The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes by Amy Rose Bennett (Victorian England, September 30)

“A whimsical, wonderfully romantic treasure trove of laugh-out-loud delights with a spirited heroine who proves a worthy successor indeed to Mary Poppins.” ~India Holton, USA Today bestselling author of The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love

Titles this month feature oddly paired themes: boy/jade, fragile/wicked, hopeful/wartime. Murder in Miniature and To Chase the Glowing Hours both made me say “Ohhhh.” But The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes made me laugh out loud, so it’s my pick for best title this month.

Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (post WWII Vermont, September 23)

To Chase the Glowing Hours by Katherine Kirkpatrick (1922 Egypt, September 9)

The Boy and the Jade by Charles Bush (18th century China, September 16)

Fragile Wicked Things by Anna Newallo (Gothic New Orleans, September 16)

Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas (Manchester, 1942, September 15)

 

MOST INTRIGUING

The Guest in Room 120 by Sara Ackerman (Honolulu 1905/2005, September 23

“From USA Today bestselling author Sara Ackerman comes a spellbinding dual-timeline novel set at Honolulu’s iconic Moana Hotel, where a real-life mysterious death in 1905 collides with a writer’s search for the truth one hundred years later. For fans of Ariel Lawhon and Fiona Davis.” ~book description

All of these intrigue me, and I’ve already preordered two of them! I have to choose the one written by one of my favorite authors, Sara Ackerman. The story is based on the mysterious murder of Jane Stanford, husband of Stanford University founder Leland Stanford.

Julia by Heather B. Moore (WWII Paris, September 2)

Daedalus is Dead by Seamus Sullivan (Ancient Greece, September 30)

The Serenade of Sirens: The Lost Boys of Tosa by K. D. Allbaugh (mystery, September 20)

I Am You by Victoria Redel (1600s Amsterdam, September 30)

Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely by Sarah McCoy (1969 Hollywood, September 7)

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Need more books on your TBR? See more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.

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