Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Forthcoming Books: 2012 edition

For discussions of historical fiction. Threads that do not relate to historical fiction should be started in the Chat forum or elsewhere on the forum, depending on the topic.
User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 5:56 pm

Spirit's Princess by Esther Friesner. Young Adult. US release Arpil 24, 2012.

Pampered princess. Chieftain's daughter. Secret shaman. Warrior.

Himiko the beloved daughter of a chieftain in third century Japan has always been special. The day she was born there was a devastating earthquake, and the tribe's shamaness had an amazing vision revealing the young girl's future—one day this privledged child will be the spiritual and tribal leader over all of the tribes. Book One revolves around the events of Himiko's early teen years—her shaman lessons, friendships, contact with other tribes, and journey to save her family after a series of tragic events. Once again, Esther Friesner masterfully weaves together history, myth, and mysticism in a tale of a princess whose path is far from traditional.

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 5:58 pm

The Maid and the Queen by Nancy Goldstone. UK release December 29, 2011; US release March 20, 2012. (reposted here with US cover)



Politically astute, ambitious, and beautiful, Yolande of Aragon, queen of Sicily, was one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages. Caught in the complex dynastic battle of the Hundred Years War, Yolande championed the dauphin’s cause against the forces of England and Burgundy, drawing on her savvy, her statecraft, and her intimate network of spies. But the enemy seemed invincible. Just as French hopes dimmed, an astonishingly courageous young woman named Joan of Arc arrived from the farthest recesses of the kingdom, claiming she carried a divine message— a message that would change the course of history and ultimately lead to the coronation of Charles VII and the triumph of France.

Now, on the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc, this fascinating book explores the relationship between these two remarkable women, and deepens our understanding of this dramatic period in history. How did an illiterate peasant girl gain access to the future king of France, earn his trust, and ultimately lead his forces into battle? Was it only the hand of God that moved Joan of Arc – or was it also Yolande of Aragon.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:00 pm

The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins. US release February 7, 2012; UK release February 12, 2012.

Anne Merrick first met Jack Hampton when, celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act, he abruptly swept her into his arms. Now, a decade later, with war raging in the colonies, Anne and Jack are united in the fight for their country’s independence.

The fight for liberty takes them from the raging battlefields in Saratoga to the bitterly cold encampment at Valley Forge. But it is in Philadelphia that Anne and Jack will come up against their greatest challenge. As Anne works her way into the Philadelphia elite, she comes across an old enemy: a British officer she had left for dead in New York City a year before—and he’ll stop at nothing to get his revenge...
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:01 pm

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison. US and UK release March 6, 2012.

Saint Petersburg 1917. As the new year dawns a diver pulls the murdered body of Rasputin, the Mad Monk, from the icy waters of the Neva River. Hours later, Rasputin's daughters are taken to the tsar's palace as wards of the Romanovs where the tsarina makes a shocking request: would Masha, 18, take the place of her father at the sickbed of the tsaravitch Alyosha? Shaken, Masha agrees to do what she can for the imperious young prince. Two months later, the Bolsheviks force the tsar to abdicate, placing the royal family under house arrest.

Trapped together in increasingly harsh conditions, Masha and Alyosha take solace in each other's company. The two teenagers, with radically difference experiences of Russia, Rasputian and Alyosha's parents unlucky reign, create a private realm of magic and love as Masha introduces the tsaravitch to a wild and beautiful land he will never live to rule.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:02 pm

[quote=""Tanzanite""]The Sister Queens by Sophe Perinot. US and UK release March 6, 2012.

Raised together at the 13th Century court of their father, Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, Marguerite and Eleanor are separated by royal marriages—but never truly parted.


Patient, perfect, reticent, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. Her husband, Louis IX, is considered the greatest monarch of his age. But he is also a religious zealot who denies himself all pleasure—including the love and companionship his wife so desperately craves. Can Marguerite find enough of her sister’s boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in the guise of forbidden love?

Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Her husband, Henry III, is neither as young nor as dashing as Marguerite’s. But she quickly discovers he is a very good man…and a very bad king. His failures are bitter disappointments for Eleanor, who has worked to best her elder sister since childhood. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away?[/quote]

cover attached
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:03 pm

[quote=""Tanzanite""]The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas. US and UK release April 3, 2012.


In the sweeping new novel from the author of The Second Duchess, dangerous secrets lead a passionate young woman into a maze of murder and conspiracy as Mary, Queen of Scots, comes home to reign in a treacherously divided Scotland….

With her dying breath, Mary of Guise entrusts a silver casket to Rinette Leslie of Granmuir, who possesses the ancient gift of floromancy. Inside the casket, and meant only for the young Mary, Queen of Scots, are papers the old queen has painstakingly collected—the darkest secrets of every Scottish lord and explosive private prophecies prepared by Nostradamus. Rinette risks her life to keep the casket safe, but she makes a fatal mistake: she shows it to her beloved young husband. On the very day the young queen comes home, Rinette’s husband is brutally assassinated.

Devastated, Rinette demands justice from the queen before she will surrender the casket. Amid glittering masques and opulent weddings, courtly intrigues and Highland rebellions, the queen’s agents and Rinette herself search for the shadowy assassin. They are surrounded by ruthless men from all over Europe who will do anything to force Rinette to give up the casket—threatening her life, stripping her of her beloved castle by the sea, forcing her to marry a man she hates, and driving her from the man she has reluctantly grown to love. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust—and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir.[/quote]

cover attached
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

annis
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4585
Joined: August 2008

Post by annis » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:06 pm

I'd been wondering what happened to The Forest Laird, which was first listed quite some time ago. One Canadian review i read absolutely trashed it, but it seemed to have possibly been another case of a reader unable to cope with Scottish dialect - we'll have to wait and see, I guess!

I recently read another new biography of the Duchess of Windsor which takes the stance that she was a tragic, hard-done-by figure. Interesting premise, but unfortunately the book comes across as more tedious than tragic. Hugo Vickers, Behind Closed Doors: the Tragic Untold Story of the Duchess of Windsor

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Thu July 21st, 2011, 6:06 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]ahhh everything is right in the world. Tanzanite is back and my TBR list has grown. :D [/quote]

Always glad to help... (I'll bet you all missed me ;) )

User avatar
Divia
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4435
Joined: August 2008
Location: Always Cloudy, Central New York

Post by Divia » Thu July 21st, 2011, 7:46 pm

[quote=""Tanzanite""]Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison. US and UK release March 6, 2012.

Saint Petersburg 1917. As the new year dawns a diver pulls the murdered body of Rasputin, the Mad Monk, from the icy waters of the Neva River. Hours later, Rasputin's daughters are taken to the tsar's palace as wards of the Romanovs where the tsarina makes a shocking request: would Masha, 18, take the place of her father at the sickbed of the tsaravitch Alyosha? Shaken, Masha agrees to do what she can for the imperious young prince. Two months later, the Bolsheviks force the tsar to abdicate, placing the royal family under house arrest.

Trapped together in increasingly harsh conditions, Masha and Alyosha take solace in each other's company. The two teenagers, with radically difference experiences of Russia, Rasputian and Alyosha's parents unlucky reign, create a private realm of magic and love as Masha introduces the tsaravitch to a wild and beautiful land he will never live to rule.[/quote]

hhmmmm. Interesting.

[quote=""Tanzanite""]The Maid and the Queen by Nancy Goldstone. UK release December 29, 2011; US release March 20, 2012. (reposted here with US cover)

Now, on the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc, this fascinating book explores the relationship between these two remarkable women, and deepens our understanding of this dramatic period in history. How did an illiterate peasant girl gain access to the future king of France, earn his trust, and ultimately lead his forces into battle? Was it only the hand of God that moved Joan of Arc – or was it also Yolande of Aragon.[/quote]

Ah. I knew it. No reason to read this book because all the focus will be on Yolande and how she was the one who did everything. :rolleyes:
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
http://yabookmarks.blogspot.com/

User avatar
anne whitfield
Reader
Posts: 61
Joined: October 2008
Location: England
Contact:

Post by anne whitfield » Tue July 26th, 2011, 11:34 am

[quote=""Tanzanite""]The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. US release February 21, 2012.

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young seamstress who survives the disaster only to find herself deeply torn between two men and embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.


Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a rugged but sensitive sailor and the other a mysterious Chicago millionaire. All survive the sinking, but Lady Duff Gordon's actions during the disaster make her the subject of media scorn and later the hearings on the Titanic. Torn between admiration for the designer and dismay at her behavior, and between two very different suitors, Tess must navigate the complex waters of life and love. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour as well as all the thrilling excitement of young love.[/quote]

I look forward to this one. Is this a debut author? I've not heard of her before.

Post Reply

Return to “General Discussion”