Category Archives: Historical Fiction

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I’m not sure I can find the words I need to describe this book. The one word that keeps coming to mind is “amazing.”

I’ll be honest. I put off reading this book for a long time because I wasn’t sure I would like the topics and subject matter. I was worried it would be trivialized or made simpler just to get the book out. I have never been so happy to be wrong. This book was real and touching, and I found myself crying several times.

The characters felt so real and flawed. But on the flip side, even the “villain” of the story had a good side. They were real people, written the way they should be. That is what made this book so readable.

This is a book everyone needs to read. It’s a tough subject to handle, but The Help uses that to create a funny, empowering, uplifting book. I cannot wait to read more from Stockett.

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To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Sandra Byrd

It’s never been a secret that I love books from the Tudor court. There is something about the drama that will always draw me in. There was so much in play during that time, and one can never really know for sure the truths and intents behind the actions of everyone involved.

I felt Anne was portrayed a little differently in this book, as compared to others I have read. In this book, she seemed less of the queen with no real feelings for those around her, caring only about how high she could raise herself, and appeared more genuine. She showed real concern for her best friend, and was portrayed as more of a person than that of a conniving woman, focused only on raising herself up to the highest position she could.

There are few books of this time period that show the loyalty and friendship that is portrayed in this book. Meg is presented with several times to leave and possibly save herself from being tied to Anne’s name forever, but she chooses to remain with her best friend and be the support Meg knows Anne can’t find anywhere else. She remains loyal to Anne until the end and I loved that. Meg had no secret intentions with Anne’s affections; she only wished to remain with her friend.

I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more of what Byrd has in store.

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In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I have pretty high standards when it comes to reading books that fit within that genre. I especially love books written in the era of King Henry VIII.

I started this book with high hopes after seeing the amazing reviews other people had left, but was left wishing it had had more. More history, more connections and more believablility. While I liked the characters as individuals, the relationship between Susanna and Parker seemed somewhat forced and I found it difficult to accept it.

I was hoping I’d be more entranced by the mystery at the heart of the story, but found myself easily distracted and not very into the plot.

I feel like this book had the potential to be something really amazing, but instead it came across a little flat, fast and forced.

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A Texan’s Promise by Shelley Gray

I almost feel as though I can’t give an honest review of this book. It’s not the type of book I usually read. I’m not a Christian, and while religion in books doesn’t usually bother me, the several references to the Lord and the Bible occasionally got in the way of my enjoyment.

That being said, it was a good book. The storyline was good and well thought out. It was easy to follow the shifts in point of views, and I did enjoy the characters. Corrine was one of my favorites and I almost enjoyed her and her husband more than Clayton and Vanessa.

This was a good book once I could look past the religious aspects of it, but I don’t think I’ll be reading anything like it soon.

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Legacy by Cayla Kluver

I got my copy of Legacy and couldn’t wait to read it. Forbidden-type romances really draw me in. There’s just something about two people you know should be together, and yet they can’t that makes me crave more words.

Legacy didn’t disappoint. It started a little slow, but I quickly got into in and found myself willing Alera to find her voice and really use it, to tell her father exactly what she wanted. Don’t get me wrong, she was already strong to begin with, but she was still very compliant and gave in to her sheltered world, not questioning things she should. When she started asking questions, the new strength she found was amazing.

Narian was able to make her see that there was so much beyond the walls she had been living in, a completely different world from the one she currently resides in. He told her that woman can have power, and should. The future should not be left up to the men only, and Alera needed to add her voice into the mix.

My heart was breaking towards the end of the book, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see how Kluver handles the future of her characters.

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The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

I’ve read the other books by this author, and enjoy them for their style, and focus on one main storyline. This was yet another one of those books.

I love how connected every character is in the book, meaning long explanations of characters and building of connections could be left out and I could just sit back and enjoy.

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The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan

I’m a huge historical fiction fan, so this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed getting to know Anne, and found that her personality really drew me in. She was a strong woman that used her mind to get what she wanted.

It was an interesting take on the theory that Shakespeare was not the author of the plays written under his name. It showed the ways of the theater pretty well and there weren’t any obvious inaccuracies.

The “love” part of the story, and Anne’s different relationships were interesting to follow. It never really seemed like she loved being a mother. She loved her kids, and it was a challenge for her to leave them, but the draw and her love for writing and the city seemed to take control. Her love and affection for William was a draw as well, because she cared for him as a person, but I feel like the love they had was more of a familiar love, as compared to a romantic love. In the beginning, I think she was more in love with the attention she was receiving than with William.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I gave it 4 stars because, while it was well written and a good story, it was not one that I was still thinking and obsessing about days later.

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The Queen’s Pawn by Christy English

I just finished my first book of the year. Having nothing but time lends itself to doing nothing but reading. I doubt the rest of the books will be finished this quickly, however, I’ll take the opportunities as they come.

The first book I decided to read was The Queen’s Pawn, written by Christy English. I’m an avid reader of historical fiction, and especially those books having to do with English history. Something about the craziness surrounding the politics and lies of the royal court always draws me in. Usually, the books I read are set closer to the Tudor period, but this was set during the 11th century, something I haven’t read much of.

The book is written from two point of views; that of Alais, Princess of France, and that of Eleanor of Aquitaine. One is new to the game of royal politics and one is a calculating master of the game. They form a bond that you can see throughout the entire book. Alias is betrothed to Eleanor’s favorite son Richard, which ignites jealousy in Eleanor when she sees the true feelings her son and “adopted” daughter share for each other.

The book lasts over the span of several years, however the main focus is on a 6 month time period over which Alais learns more about herself and her powers as a woman, as well as the realities of court life.  There were times when I absolutely hated Richard, thought Alais a naive girl, and wondered how Eleanor could claim to love both Richard and Alais, and yet play them as pawns in her game of treachery.

English did twist history around a little bit in order to tell her story, however most of the facts are true, they just happened at different dates. I found myself wanting to learn more about each of these people, and ended up spending an evening researching all the people and locations just to get a better idea of what was going on and the stories of each of these people.

I greatly enjoyed this book and the touch of history it brought. English managed to make me love characters I initially hated and see the reasoning behind their actions, even if it hurt others in the book. She made Eleanor an amazing woman whose strength should be admired and Alais and wonderful woman who learned from her mistakes and became a strong woman as well. I know this will be a book I read over and over.

The next book on my list is The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan.