New Books by HNS Members, May 2017

Welcome to the first appearance of this listing, which features new historical fiction releases by Historical Novel Society members. The books are in order by publication date, with descriptions supplied by the authors.  Congratulations to all on your new releases!

Current HNS members:  If you’ve written a historical novel or nonfiction work with a publication date between January and September 2017, please write us with the following details by July 7, 2017: author, title, publisher, release date, and a blurb of one sentence or less. The listings will appear in August’s column.

In The Accidental Stranger by Cj Fosdick (The Wild Rose Press, January 6), a man with a past bridges an ocean and a century only to find his future in the present nearly ends before it begins.

In Beverly Scott’s novel Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness (Word Project Press and SWSM Press, January 6), Sarah and Sam each tell their story of trust, secrets and betrayal in the Old West; it’s based on rumored secrets from the author’s family history.

Wayne Turmel’s Acre’s Bastard – Part 1 of the Lucca Le Pou Stories (Achis Press, January 7), a work of adult-level historical fiction set in the Holy Land of1187, poses the question: Can a ten-year-old orphan save himself and help the Kingdom of Jerusalem prevent disaster at the Horns of Hattin?

Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis (Atheneum, January 10) is a novel in verse by Jeannine Atkins, based on the dramatic life of the first person of color to become internationally recognized as a sculptor.

How can one young woman and a charming but irresponsible rake succeed against two of Napoleon’s most ruthless agents? The answer can be found in Beth Elliott’s latest Regency tale, The Rake and His Honour (Endeavour Press, ebook January 26, in print at end of April).

Lewis F. McIntyre’s The Eagle and the Dragon, a Novel of Rome and China (CreateSpace, February 2) is the fictional account of the first Roman diplomatic mission to China, and probably like the actual one, which was lost to history, nothing goes according to plan.

Matilda Empress by Lise Arin (Archer/Rare Bird, March 1) is set in the 12^th century, during a period of English civil war, and tells the story of two cousins competing for crown and kingdom, whilst engaged in a love affair.

The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George (Berkley, March 7) recounts the epic story of the boy Nero who becomes the Nero of legend.

Jason Born’s new novel Leagues of the Lost Fountain (Halldorr, March 8) is a rollicking middle-grade adventure that slips between modern times and the Age of Exploration.

Hidden Ones—A Veil of Memories by Marcia Fine (Limage Press, March 15) begins in 1650 Mexico City, during the Inquisition, as the Crespin family faces the arrest of their beloved grandmother for Judaizing, their plan to escape into the Southwest Territories, and the finale of the generations in 1834, when the Inquisition officially ends in the New World.

In author Steve Bartholomew’s 13^th novel, Finding Joaquin (indie, March 22), Ira Beard, a bounty hunter from New York, comes to California in 1852 to find Joaquin Murietta, the state’s most dangerous bandit.

Cast out by her father for refusing the suitor of his choice, Lallie Grey accepts Hugo Tamrisk’s proposal, confident that he loves her as she loves him; but Hugo’s past throws long shadows, as does his recent liaison with Lady Albright, and soon Lallie must question Hugo’s reasons for marriage. Catherine Kullmann’s latest Regency-era novel is Perception & Illusion (KDP and CreateSpace, March 30).

First in the new Descendants of the High King series, set in 11^th-century Ireland, Ashley York’s Curse of the Healer (indie, March 31) tells the story of Aednat, who has spent her entire life training to be the great healer, knowing she must remain alone. When she meets Diarmuid, the intense attraction she feels toward him shakes her resolve to believe in such a legend.

In Leonide Martin’s The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K’uk of Palenque (Made for Wonder, an imprint of Made for Success Publishing, April 1), the second book in the Mists of Palenque series, a young Mayan queen rises to meet her destiny after an enemy attack leaves her people without a leader or a portal to the Gods.

Hilary Benford’s second novel Joanna Crusader (Wordfire Press, Sept) focuses on the amazing life of Joanna Plantagenet, favorite sister of Richard the Lionheart, who went with him on the Third Crusade; she actually entered Jerusalem (Richard did not), and met Saladin, the great Saracen leader. It’s the sequel to Sister of the Lionheart, the story of the first half of Joanna’s life. Update, 11/8/17: the publication date was moved from April to September.

Samantha Wilcoxon’s newest novel Queen of Martyrs: The Story of Mary I (indie, April 12) takes a fresh look at the life of Mary Tudor. How did a gentle, pious girl become known as ‘Bloody Mary’?

A.J. MacKenzie’s The Body in the Ice (Bonnier Zaffre, April 20) tells a story of espionage, family feuds and Gothic suspense set in the winter wastelands of Romney Marsh during the French Revolution.

Whirligig: Keeping the Promise (Ocoee, April 22), the first novel from multi-award winning short-story writer Richard Buxton, is at once an outsider’s odyssey through the battle for Tennessee, a touching story of impossible love, and a portrait of America at war with itself; self-interest and conflict, betrayal and passion: all fuse into a fateful climax.

A More Perfect Union by Jodi Daynard (Lake Union, May 23) opens in 1794, as Johnny Watkins (Eliza Boylston Watkins’ child from Our Own Country) returns to America from Barbados, intent on becoming a great statesman. Even his hero, John Adams, believes the gifted boy will go far, but there’s just one catch: Johnny must learn to pass for white.

The Second Blast of the Trumpet by Marie MacPherson (Knox Robinson, June) takes up the story of John Knox, freed from the galleys in 1559; while dramatising the trials and tribulations faced by the Scottish firebrand, it reveals this controversial character to be a friend, husband and lover of women – in striking contrast to the Calvinistic, misogynistic caricature of the popular imagination.

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Published in Historical Novels Review  |  Issue 80, May 2017