It’s August, so it’s probably hot where you are. Where I live in California, we just had a two-week spell of 100 degree days, and more days like that are coming. I hope you can find a cool spot to enjoy a new historical novel.

Here are the best of those coming out this month.One book that I am eagerly anticipating this month is In Knots Over You, the beginning of a new series (The Ladies Alpine Society) about lady mountain climbers by PLW author Edie Cay. This one features a woman who ties a decorative knot at a ball and finds herself swept into a group of women planning to summit Ben Nevis. Of course there’s a handsome man involved… (August 2)

BEST COVER

Falling Wisteria by Laila Ibrahim (August 20)

“As America enters WWII, two women on the home front strive to stay strong in a heartfelt novel about hope, friendship, and family by the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus and Golden Poppies.” —book description

I love the colors and themes in all of these books, but you can’t argue with a cover that made me say, “Oooooo” out loud when I saw it. That lavender is stunning. It makes the book stand out in a crowd, and that’s half the battle. This book is set in Berkeley, California, not far from where I live, just after the Pearl Harbor bombing that propelled the United States into World War II.

Gilgamesh by Emily H. Wilson (Sumeria, ancient times, release date August 6)

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (London, 1968, release date August 6)

The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart (Poland, 1944, release date August 19)

The Berlin Apartment  by Bryn Turnbull (Berlin, 1961, release date August 27)

The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibera (El Salvador, 1923, release date August 20)

 

BEST TITLE

The Palace Girl’s Secret by Emma Royal (August 29)

“Torn between duty and love, Helen must face an impossible decision. Where do her loyalties really lie?” ~book description

Secrets? And the Palace? That’s all you need to make sure I pick up the book. Set in London in 1952, this novel follows a woman who’s a telephonist at the palace and overhears many conversations. The death of King George and difficult personal news create some tension. Then, of course, there’s a handsome journalist.

When the World Went Silent by Ellie Midwood (Berlin, 1942, release date August 9)

Thirteenth Husband by Greer MacAllister (1880s, release date August 6)

Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail ( Mississippi River, 1811, release date August 20)

The Enchanted Lies of Celeste Artois by Ryan Graudin (Paris, early 1900s, release date August 27)

A Goddess Scorned by Ava McKevitt ( ancient Greece, release date August 23)

MOST INTRIGUING

The Hidden Book by Kirsty Manning (August 13)

“From bestselling author Kirsty Manning comes a stunning novel based on a true story of clandestine courage in World War II as prisoners of war risk their lives to secure evidence of Nazi atrocities—and how one man concealed it for decades before passing it on to his family who struggle to understand their inherited legacy of trauma.” – book description

The first, third, and last books pictured above are interesting, but seem like some that have come before. Year of the Ravens intrigues me because it was co-written by seven authors, including Kate Quinn, a personal favorite. My choice though, is The Hidden Book. The story centers around a photographer tasked with creating a photographic record of Mauthausen concentration camp. He makes the five books ordered by Reich officials, but also creates a sixth that he hides. It is discovered decades later.

The Bookseller of Paris by Suzanne Kelman (Paris, 1940, release date August 5)

The Paris Gown by Christine Wells (Paris, 1855, release date August 20)

The Game Changer by Embassie Susberry (New York, 1950, release date August 15)

Year of Ravens by by Kate Quinn, Eliza Knight, Russell Whitfield, Vicky Alvear, Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, Simon Turney (ancient Britannia, release date August 8)

The Code Breaker Girl by Gosia Nealon (Poland, 1930s,  release date August 13)

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Need more historical fiction on your TBR?

See Paper Lantern Writers’ weekly round up in the Facebook group Paper Lantern Readers. See even more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.

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