Best New Historical Fiction - April 2025
Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Synopsis:
In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.
After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.
But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.
Filled with vivid period detail, colorful characters, and the irreverent voice of our scrappy heroine, Tough Luck celebrates both the tenacity of youth and the persistence of the heart in the great American West.
Why We Recommend It!
A spirited adventure of resilience and self-discovery, Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas is recommended for its lively, irreverent heroine and her perilous journey through the unforgiving American West, where courage, wit, and unlikely friendships make all the difference.
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
Publisher: Park Row Books
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Synopsis:
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…
Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
Why We Recommend It!
A captivating blend of magic, mystery, and romance, The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner is recommended for its spellbinding tale of ancient sorcery, sunken treasure, and a daring archaeologist's quest to uncover a family's secrets while facing the supernatural forces haunting the Amalfi Coast.
The Pretender by Jo Harkin
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Synopsis:
A sweeping historical novel in the vein of Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell set during the time of the Tudors’ ascent. The Pretender tells the story of Lambert Simnel, who was raised in obscurity as a peasant boy to protect his safety, believed to be the heir to the throne occupied by Richard III, and briefly crowned, at the age of ten, as King Edward the Sixth, one of the last of the Plantagenets.
In 1480 John Collan’s greatest anxiety is how to circumvent the village’s devil goat on the way to collect water. But the arrival of a well-dressed stranger from London upends his life forever: John is not John Collan, not the son of Will Collan, but the son of the long-deceased Duke of Clarence, hidden in the countryside after a brotherly rift over the crown, and because Richard III has a habit of disappearing his nephews. Removed from his humble origins, sent to Oxford to be educated in a manner befitting the throne’s rightful heir, John is put into play by his masters, learning the rules of etiquette in Burgundy and the machinations of the court in Ireland, where he encounters the intractable Joan, the delightfully strong-willed and manipulative daughter of his Irish patrons, a girl imbued with both extraordinary political savvy and occasional murderous tendencies. Joan has two paths available her—marry, or become a nun. Lambert’s choices are similarly stark: he will either become King, or die in battle. Together they form an alliance that will change the fate of the English monarchy.
Inspired by a footnote to history—the true story of the little known Simnel, who was a figurehead of the 1487 Yorkist rebellion and ended up working as a spy in the court of King Henry VII— The Pretender is historical fiction at its finest, a gripping, exuberant, rollicking portrait of British monarchy and life within the court, with a cast of unforgettable heroes and villains drawn from 15th century England. A masterful new work from a major new author.
Why We Recommend It!
A thrilling and richly woven tale of ambition and survival, The Pretender by Jo Harkin is recommended for its captivating portrayal of Lambert Simnel’s rise from peasant to claimant of the throne, set against the high-stakes world of Tudor intrigue and royal power.
The Keeper of Lost Art by Laura Morelli
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Synopsis:
During World War II, a girl makes an unbreakable connection with a boy sheltering in her family’s Tuscan villa, where the treasures of the Uffizi Galleries are hidden. A moving coming-of-age story about the power of art in wartime, based on true events.
As Allied bombs rain down on Torino in the autumn of 1942, Stella Costa’s mother sends her to safety with distant relatives in a Tuscan villa. There, Stella finds her family tasked with a great responsibility: hiding nearly 300 priceless masterpieces from Florence, including Botticelli’s famous Primavera.
With the arrival of German troops imminent, Stella finds herself a stranger in her family’s villa and she struggles to understand why her aunt doesn’t like her. She knows it has something to do with her parents—and the fact that her father, who is currently fighting at the front, has been largely absent from her life.
When a wave of refugees seeks shelter in the villa, Stella befriends Sandro, an orphaned boy with remarkable artistic talent. Amid the growing threats, Sandro and Stella take refuge in the villa’s “treasure room,” where the paintings are hidden. There, Botticelli’s masterpiece and other works of art become a solace, an inspiration, and the glue that bonds Stella and Sandro as the dangers grow.
A troop of German soldiers requisitions the villa and puts everyone to forced labor. Now, with the villa full of German soldiers, refugees, a secret guest, and hundreds of priceless treasures, no one knows who will emerge unscathed, and whether the paintings will be taken as spoils or become unintended casualties.
Inspired by the incredible true story of a single Tuscan villa used as a hiding place for the treasures of Florentine art during World War II, The Keeper of Lost Art takes readers on a breathtaking journey into one of the darkest chapters of Italy’s history, highlighting the incredible courage of everyday people to protect some of the most important works of art in western civilization.
Why We Recommend It!
A poignant and powerful coming-of-age tale, The Keeper of Lost Art by Laura Morelli is recommended for its moving depiction of the bond between two young souls amid the chaos of World War II, and the extraordinary efforts to protect priceless masterpieces from the devastation of war.
Notes from a Deserter by C.W. Towarnicki
Publisher: HTF Publishing
Release Date: April 8, 2025
Synopsis:
A Civil War farmer's harrowing odyssey from battle to desertion ends in tragedy, revealing the era's tumultuous spirit through a series of poignant vignettes.
William Henry Howe, a modest farmer, leaves his pregnant wife, Hannah, and their small family behind in pursuit of a soldier's stipend and honor. Joining the Pennsylvania 116th regiment, Howe's journey reveals a nation and culture in turmoil. Each chapter of his story is punctuated by letters to Hannah, written to bridge the void of his absence as war and the seasons progress.
During the brutal winter siege of Fredericksburg, Howe, weakened by dysentery, fights valiantly in a devastating defeat, emerging as one of the few survivors. As his superior officers retreat to Philadelphia to regroup and overwhelmed medical facilities crumble, Howe embarks on a grueling 275-mile journey home to Perkiomenville to recover.
Upon returning to his rural family life, local bounty hunters descended on the small town, seeking a reward for capturing deserters. A failed attempt leads to the death of one bounty hunter and Howe's imprisonment. Torn from his young family once more, Howe is tried, convicted, and on August 26, 1864, becomes the only soldier hanged for desertion at Fort Mifflin. His body, rejected by the local graveyard, is finally laid to rest in the family plot, where one last letter was left for the widowed Hanna.
A gripping short story cycle, Notes from a Deserter uses a shifting point of view to explore themes of duty, sacrifice, and the cost of war on individuals and communities. It's a moving collection of stories that captures the essence of a nation and its people in crisis while highlighting the tragic and profound impact on one Pennsylvania family.
Why We Recommend It!
A powerful and harrowing tale of sacrifice and survival, Notes from a Deserter by C.W. Towarnicki is recommended for its vivid portrayal of a farmer's journey through the brutal realities of the Civil War, offering a gripping look at duty, desertion, and the profound impact of war on one family and the nation.
