Travel Back in Time With 2023's Best New Historical Fiction Books

Lisa See returns with "Lady Tan's Circle of Women," another novel about extraordinary women from Chinese history. Tan Yunxian learns medicine from her grandmother, one of just a few female doctors in China, and befriends Meiling, a young midwife. The two plan to stay fast friends and help women in ways that male doctors cannot, but when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her new family forbids her from seeing Meiling, assisting women, or doing anything other than "ladylike" pastimes. Yunxian will not give up so easily, though — not when she knows that her skills are needed to take care of those who others cannot (or will not) help.

Release date: June 6

Kristin Harmel's "The Paris Daughter" traces the story of two young mothers, Elise and Juliette, who become close friends in 1939 Paris, only to have their lives shockingly ripped apart when the world goes to war. Targeted by the German occupiers, Elise flees, entrusting Juliette with her young daughter. But Paris isn't safe for anyone, and when Elise returns as the war ends, she finds Juliette's bookshop destroyed — and Juliette and the little girls missing. As Elise searches for answers, she travels enormous distances, even across an ocean, to track down Juliette and seek get answers to what really happened to their city and to her daughter.

Release date: June 6

Everyone knows about Fred Astaire, the dancer and actor who charmed his way to stardom in golden age Hollywood, but Eliza Knight's "Starring Adele Astaire" highlights the woman who was there on the way up: his sister and first dance partner, Adele. Adele gained her own fame as a star on the stage, but there's a part of her that would like to step out of the spotlight and live a quieter life with a family of her own. Along the way, she befriends Violet Wood, an ambitious dancer with everything to prove, and the two women's journeys intersect as they both question whether the fame and glamour are really worth it.

Release date: June 6

In "A Right Worthy Woman," Ruth P. Watson shares the true story of Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman who eventually entered the history books as the first Black woman to establish and run a bank in the United States. After witnessing firsthand the vast divide between her mother's wealthy white laundry clients and the situations of the Black community in Virginia, Maggie turned her ambition towards righting those wrongs. Crossing paths with other Black luminaries, Maggie fights to build places where Black residents can be respected and valued, in the process transforming her city in ways that ripple through decades and centuries.

Release date: June 13

Two very different women's lives become unexpectedly entwined in "The Last Lifeboat" by Hazel Gaynor. In 1940, a plane crash near Alice's home inspires her to get involved with the evacuation of British children to safer temporary homes overseas. Lily, a would-be mathematician, has her life shattered by the German bombs falling daily, and she faces the heart-wrenching choice of whether or not to send her two children across the ocean until the war ends. When a ship carrying these young refugees to Canada is torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat, one lifeboat survives, and its occupants face a harrowing journey to safety, wherever that may be.

Release date: June 13

"The Spectacular" by Fiona Davis combines the story of one woman's quest to do something exciting with her life with the terrifying tale of a serial bomber in New York City. In 1956, Marion knows she should be excited about the impending proposal from her high school sweetheart, but instead, she just feels trapped — so when the opportunity to audition for the Rockettes appears, she takes it. Meanwhile, the police turn to Peter Griggs, a young doctor pioneering techniques of psychological profiling, in hopes of finally catching the serial bomber who has been terrorizing the city for years. Peter and Marion's paths cross in the hunt for the culprit, putting both of them at risk.

Release date: June 13

Nicola Harrison's "Hotel Laguna" explores what happened to the "Rosie the Riveter" women who were forced back into "proper" lives after World War II ended. Hazel found great purpose in her wartime factory job, but now that the men have returned, women are expected to return to the domestic sphere. Unwilling to give up her freedom, Hazel stays in California, where she accepts a job assisting a famous and cranky artist with a haunted past. In time, Hazel finds her place — and maybe even love — in the Laguna Beach community, but her yearning to work with planes once again forces her to make a difficult choice about her future.

Release date: June 20

Beatriz Williams brings us another intriguing historical fiction read with "The Beach at Summerly." In 1946, the mysterious Olive moves into the guest cottage at an idyllic summer estate, and the caretaker's daughter, Emilia, finds herself connected to the new arrival and to the wealthy family who owns the estate. Emilia's hopes for the future are shattered by the arrival of an FBI agent and the news that someone on the estate is a Soviet agent. Eight years later, Emilia is still trying to piece her life back together when she gets the news that the captured agent is about to be part of a prisoner swap — but they're demanding a condition only Emilia can fulfill.

Release date: June 27

"The First Ladies" is the second historical novel team-up between Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, telling the story of the unlikely friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. The pair become good friends, bonded by their shared passion for progress and education, but things become more complicated when Eleanor's husband becomes president. Fueled by personal betrayal and a strong sense of what's right, Eleanor becomes a controversial and outspoken First Lady. Still, her fierce battles and her friendship with Mary put both women in harm's way, but the threats only make them more determined to fight on and win.

Release date: June 27

Brinda Charry narrates a Shakespearean odyssey in "The East Indian," set in the colonizing heyday of the British East India Trading Company. Tony, our protagonist, finds himself kidnapped and whisked away to the colonies in America, where he and his fellow indentured servants are forced to work the tobacco plantations. He dreams of a different life, of a community around him, and of becoming a medicine man who can help heal the sick and injured with knowledge of nature. In the early days of the settlement of Jamestown, Tony's life will be full of humor and heartache as he witnesses the birth of a great and terrible new world.

Release date: May 2

"The Secret Book of Flora Lea" by Patti Callahan Henry traces the story of two sisters whose lives are shattered by one tragic moment. In war-torn London in 1939, teenage Hazel cares for her little sister Flora, distracting her sister with secret tales of a magical land far away from war and terror. When Flora disappears one day, Hazel blames herself, and even two decades later, she finds it nearly impossible to let go of the guilt. Then, one day, she unwraps a package and finds a book describing the imaginary world she created for Flora, and she dives into a quest to find out if her sister might still be alive.

Release date: May 2

In "All the Pretty Places" by Joy Callaway, one young woman defies the odds to fight for her family's business and her own future. In 1893 New York, Sadie's family runs a flower nursery that does business with some of the most respected, sought-after landscape architects of the Gilded Age, supplying flowers to the wildly wealthy and elite. When the economy plummets, Sadie's family pressures her to marry a suitable man, but her dreams go far beyond marriage. As she risks everything to bolster the business, she also takes notice of the ones for whom the glamour of the Gilded Age is nothing but an illusion out of reach, and she begins to wonder if there's another way to do things.

Release date: May 9

Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose uncover the true story of the women whose art sparked the abstract art movement in "The Friday Night Club." In the early 1900s, Hilma af Klint finds herself frustrated and excluded in the male-dominated art world of Stockholm. She brings together an eclectic group of women painters and writers — dubbed "The Five" — so they can support one another and even dabble in the occult in hopes of further inspiration. Over a century later, a curator uncovers the story of The Five and slowly discovers more unsettling questions about the history and funding of the entire art world.

Release date: May 16

A historical novel with just a hint of magical realism, "Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea" by Rita Chang-Eppig narrates the unbelievable story of Shek Yeung, the legendary Chinese pirate queen. After the death of her first husband, Shek Yeung realizes she has two choices: resign herself to whatever fate comes her way or take charge. A swift remarriage and some deft maneuvering buy her time and control over at least some of the fleet, but there are dangers at every turn. The Chinese emperor wants to rid the seas of pirates, the Europeans have their own plans, and other pirates are out for revenge. It will take everything she has to survive and hold onto her power.

Release date: May 30

Luis Alberto Urrea's "Good Night, Irene" carries readers through the emotional tale of two women who join the nursing corps and see firsthand the Allied surge that liberates Europe in World War II. Irene flees an abusive fiancé and joins the Red Cross in 1943, where she meets the witty Dorothy and becomes part of an elite group of women who work right at the front lines. After D-Day, they continue to stick with the troops streaming across the European continent, where Irene falls for a fighter pilot named Hans and hopes, against all odds, that she, Dorothy, and Hans will all make it back home alive.

Release date: May 30

Logan Steiner digs into the life of the woman behind "Anne of Green Gables" in "After Anne." Lucy Maud Montgomery dreams big despite the disapproval of her family and community. Meanwhile, she nurtures the idea of the irrepressible Anne Shirley, a character that just begs to be written. Just as Maud begins to write her novel, a young minister comes to town, and Maud finds herself torn between two choices: a life of respectability and ordinariness, or the risky life of a spinster author. Even after her choice is made, Maud struggles to find true happiness, with her inner self more and more unable to coexist with the facade she must put on in public.

Release date: May 30

"The Paris Deception" by Bryn Turnbull tells the story of two women who risked everything to rescue art from the Nazis in World War II-era Paris. Sophie, an art restorer, is forced to work for the regime, restoring damaged art that has been stolen from Jewish families. Her widowed sister-in-law, Fabienne, was a rising bohemian star until the Nazis clamped down on her kind of art. Together, the women hatch a plan to rescue art and artists alike who have been deemed "degenerate" by the regime, replacing key pieces of art with perfectly forged pieces. Even with their skills, however, time is not always on their side.

Release date: May 30

In "The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly," Katherine A. Sherbrooke explores the dark and secretive side of "golden age" Hollywood and what it demanded to keep its stars in the spotlight. After winning a design competition, Aster is sent on a tour across the country, but can't find a designer willing to apprentice her until she meets Fernando, an up-and-coming California designer catching the eye of Hollywood studios and stars. Aster and Fernando soon become entangled with high-profile men from one of the biggest studios, but the weight of expectations and secrecy threaten them both. Decades later, Aster's daughter is looking for her big Broadway break, and when she makes a shocking decision, years of secrets tumble out.

Release date: April 4

As the coronation of a new monarch looms in the real world, Jennifer Robson's "Coronation Year" revisits the 1950s and the turmoil happening around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. At the Blue Lion hotel in London, struggling owner Edie has found a saving grace: the Queen's carriage route will run right past the hotel, allowing Edie to charge enough to save her hotel from disaster. Among her varied guests are Stella, a photographer and Holocaust survivor seeking meaning in her life and career, and James, an artist and war hero who struggles to be accepted due to his Indian heritage. All three soon find their lives disrupted by coronation-day threats against them, the hotel, and even the queen.

Release date: April 4

Rachel Beanland depicts a real-life tragedy in "The House Is on Fire": the Richmond Theatre Fire of 1811. One December evening, a theater in Richmond is packed for a double-billing performance. In the audience are Sally, a young widow and descendant of an American hero; Cecily, a young Black woman looking for an escape from her increasingly-difficult life; Patrick, a stagehand with dreams of a steady job; and Gilbert, a Black blacksmith trying to secure his wife's freedom. When a fire breaks out, these four, along with everyone else in the theater, must make split-second decisions that could determine whether they live or die. Even after the flames subside, their stories will forever be intertwined.

Release date: April 4

Chanel Cleeton continues telling stories of charismatic, complicated Cuban women in history in her latest novel, "The Cuban Heiress." Inspired by a real maritime disaster from 1934, the novel entwines the stories of two women whose secrets overlap on what should be a simple voyage. Catherine, a New York heiress, appears to the world like a woman who has it all. But her whole life is a lie, and she's forced to join forces with a jewel thief to find out who wants her dead and why. Elena is a woman on the run, betrayed and believed dead, and she's out for revenge against the architect of her misfortune — and her target is on the ship with her.

Release date: April 11

In "The Golden Doves," Martha Hall Kelly draws on real events to tell the story of two former spies who risk it all to chase down a Nazi doctor after World War II. During the war, spies Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue are some of the most effective spies in the French Resistance, or at least they are until they're captured and sent to a concentration camp, where a Nazi doctor does horrific things to Josie's mother and takes Arlette's son. A decade after they're freed, Josie and Arlette find themselves on parallel paths: Josie, on a mission from the US military to go after the doctor, and Arlette, to track down her son.

Release date: April 18

"Only the Beautiful" by Susan Meissner uncovers the horrors of eugenics movements through the stories of two women in 20th-century America. In the 1930s, Rosie, who has a strange gift for seeing colors when she hears sounds, is orphaned at age 16 and taken in by the owners of the vineyard where her family works. When her secret is revealed, and she becomes pregnant, she and her child are sent away to a devastating fate. A decade later, Helen, the sister of the vineyard owner, returns from Europe after seeing the horrors of the Nazi pursuit of genetic "purity," only to learn the extent of what her own family has done, leading her to try to make things right.

Release date: April 18

Renée Rosen's "Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl" peeks behind the legend to share an origin story of sorts for one of the most famous names in the beauty world. In 1938, Gloria Downing is in need of some help to reinvent herself after a family scandal. That's when she makes a new friend: an ambitious woman named Estée Lauder. Estée dreams of running her own beauty business on the scale of Elizabeth Arden or Helena Rubinstein, and Gloria is happy to dive right in and help her. As success grows for both women, however, they must decide how far they're willing to go to stake their claim in a world that prefers to silence women rather than accept them in positions of power.

Release date: April 25

The classic story of "Jane Eyre" gets an update with "Wild, Beautiful, and Free," Sophfronia Scott's Civil War-era novel. Jeannette is a biracial woman, the daughter of an enslaved woman and a plantation owner. When her father dies, his will divides his estate between Jeannette and her white half-sister, but his vicious widow refuses to honor her inheritance and immediately sells her into slavery. Jeannette escapes north to freedom, where she meets Christian, the proprietor of a safe house for those who have escaped slavery. She begins teaching at the house, and she forms a connection with Christian, but devastating secrets and the impending Civil War threaten the happiness she's fought for.

Release date: March 1

Julia Kelly's "The Lost English Girl" spans several years with the story of star-crossed love, the daughter who results, and the terrors of World War II. Viv, a girl from a devoutly Catholic working-class family, finds herself pregnant and hastily married after a fling with Joshua, a young Jewish man with dreams of being a jazz musician. Pulled apart by her family's disapproval, the pair are separated, sending Joshua across the sea and Viv back to her family, along with her daughter, Maggie. When war breaks out, Viv allows Maggie to be evacuated to the countryside, while Joshua joins the Royal Air Force, but nowhere in Britain is truly safe.

Release date: March 7

If you've been enjoying the trend of women-centric retellings of ancient mythology, then you should definitely pick up "Clytemnestra" by Costanza Casati. In ancient Greek drama, Clytemnestra is a Spartan princess who is sister to Helen of Troy and wife to the hero Agamemnon and who eventually commits a brutal murder that makes her name synonymous with betrayal and villainy. Casati's tale takes a different look at Clytemnestra, revealing how she becomes the figure of legend and how she sets out for power and revenge against those who wronged her first.

Release date: March 7

"The London Séance Society" by Sarah Penner offers an atmospheric, eerie trip to 1870s Paris and London. At a séance led by an acclaimed spiritualist, Vaudeline, a young woman named Lenna seeks answers about her sister's mysterious death. The two women form an unexpected connection, then find themselves summoned to Paris to investigate a strange murder. Teaming up with the men of the "Séance Society," the women soon begin to realize that the tendrils of this crime go much further than they thought.

Release date: March 7

Loosely inspired by the Virginia Woolf classic "Mrs. Dalloway," "Daughter Dalloway" by Emily France imagines the ripple effects caused by the decisions of two complicated people decades ago. In the 1920s, young Elizabeth Dalloway is part of the "Bright Young Things," socializing with aristocrats and royalty. That same summer, Octavia Smith journeys to London in hopes of finding out what happened to her brother, a former soldier who never returned home. Almost 30 years later, Elizabeth discovers a medal that links her missing mother to Octavia's brother, sending her on a journey to deliver it to Octavia and recall what happened that one summer in 1923.

Release date: March 14

Spanning eight decades and multiple generations of women, "The Last Russian Doll" by Kristen Loesch takes us from the spark of the Russian Revolution to the post-Soviet uncertainty of the 1990s. In 1910s Russia, Tonya, a noblewoman, is trapped in a miserable marriage to a wealthy factory owner, but she finds her eyes (and heart) opened by a young revolutionary. In the 1990s, Rosie struggles with traumatic childhood memories of the day she witnessed the murder of her whole family except her mother. She agrees to be an assistant for an elderly scholar in order to travel back to Russia, where she uncovers the truth about her family's past and how it connects to Tonya's story decades ago.

Release date: March 14

"Strangers in the Night" by Heather Webb takes a new look at one of the most famous romances from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Famed crooner Frank Sinatra falls for screen siren Ava Gardner, leaving his wife to be with her and causing a scandal that gossips across the country can't get enough of. Their relationship is undeniably passionate but tumultuous, as Ava's star rises while Frank's reputation falls from its peak. Each new twist in their lives could spell the end of their glittering romance, but the one thing they can be sure of is that they'll be remembered for decades to come.

Release date: March 21

Set just before the turn of the 20th century, "Two Wars and a Wedding" by Lauren Willig centers on Betsy, an aspiring archaeologist who finds mostly disdain from the male-dominated profession — except for Charles, a baron who takes her seriously. When conflict erupts near their Greek site, Betsy decides to become a nurse, leading to an unexpected rift with her friend Ava. Two years later, another war strikes across the ocean, and Betsy travels overseas, this time to try to stop Ava from heading into the heart of danger. As their damaged friendship takes new turns, the world around them continues to change forever.

Release date: March 21

"Beyond That, the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash follows a young English girl, Beatrix, who is sent by her parents to live temporarily in America, far away from the German bombs dropping over London. For a few years, she settles into her life with the family that takes her in, only to have everything upended when she's brought back to London at the end of the war. Unable to fully let go of the person she grew into in America, Beatrix finds herself pulled between countries and between ideas of who she could be, even as she grows up and pursues a life and love of her own.

Release date: March 21

Rachel Heng's "The Great Reclamation" traces the lives of two young people who grow up in a fast-changing Singapore. Born as British rule in Singapore slowly wanes, Ah Boon spends most of his days in his small village in the company of Siok Mei, the neighbor girl. As they grow up, their land changes around them, and Ah Boon discovers a strange gift: the ability to locate beautiful, moving islands that no one else can find. Just as the two friends near adulthood, their world shifts again when the Japanese army invades and a resistance sprouts. They'll have to decide who they want to be and what sacrifices they're willing to make for the future.

Release date: March 28

Alka Joshi completes her Jaipur trilogy with "The Perfumist of Paris." In 1970s Paris, Radha lives with her husband and two daughters, working with a master perfumer to design evocative and beautiful scents. She's sent to India on her first major project, where she enlists the help of her sister and a group of courtesans to find and understand the perfect elements of a scent. Then, her world is rocked to its core when she learns that the son she had to give up is on his way to Paris to find her — and she has never told her husband about this part of her past.

Release date: March 28

Mother and daughter Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley both became feminist and literary legends, and it is their lost chance to know one another that forms the backbone of "Her Lost Words" by Stephanie Marie Thornton. Mary Wollstonecraft is a courageous and radical writer, penning "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" and daring to say what few will: that women should be equal to men. More than 20 years later, her daughter, Mary Shelley, is destined to be a groundbreaking writer in her own right, penning the Gothic novel "Frankenstein" and "inventing" the science-fiction genre. As she struggles with her own family and career, she tries to unravel what her mother left behind and find her own place in history.

Release date: March 28

In "Hotel of Secrets," Diana Biller combines lush historical fiction with a touch of suspense and plenty of romance. In 1870s Vienna, Maria is determined to restore her family's hotel to its former glory despite her family's scandals, masked assassins attacking, and the presence of Eli, an American agent whose investigation of leaked secret codes has led him to the hotel. With secrets spanning generations and danger only growing, Maria and Eli must try to trust one another in order to unmask the would-be-deadly intrigues that lurk beneath the glittering facade of Vienna's ballrooms.

Release date: March 28

In Pam Jenoff's World War II novel "Code Name Sapphire," the lives of four very different people intersect in occupied Belgium. Hannah, a cartoonist and satirist, is forced to go to her cousin in Brussels after narrowly escaping Germany but being turned away from America. Her cousin, Lily, is trying to keep her head down and avoid facing the terrors closing in around them. Desperate to escape, Hannah connects with resistance leader Micheline and her brother Matteo, who operate a clandestine network to rescue Allied troops and others. When one fateful mistake puts Lily and her whole family in deadly danger, Hannah will pay any price necessary to save her family, even if it means doing the unthinkable.

Release date: Feb. 7

Set in the early 1950s, "The House of Eve" by Sadeqa Johnson traces the intersecting stories of Ruby and Eleanor, two ambitious young Black women fighting to achieve their dreams. Ruby has grown up in poverty and with a negligent mother, but she's on track to be the first in her family to attend college — until a forbidden affair threatens everything. Eleanor attends Howard University with big ambitions, then falls in love with William, whose family is among the ranks of the wealthy Black elite and wary of outsiders. Despite their odds, Eleanor and Ruby will do all they can to set their lives on the paths they dream of, not the ones laid out for them.

Release date: Feb. 7

In "The Librarian of Burned Books" by Brianna Labuskes, three women's lives entwine as they uniquely fight World War II: through books. They're an American author drawn to 1930s Berlin, a German woman who escapes to Paris, and an American fighting against censorship of paperbacks sent to soldiers overseas. Spanning over a decade, their stories come together in a tale about censorship, knowledge, and who controls what is shared. It's a powerful — and timely — tale of the power that the written word can have, which is the very reason those words are so often banned throughout history.

Release date: Feb. 21

In mid-century America, the virus that strikes fear among everyone is polio, and scientists worldwide are racing to find a vaccine. Lynn Cullen's "The Woman with the Cure" is based on one true story from this scientific race: the life and work of Dorothy Horstmann, who works alongside the world's greatest minds to find a way to stop this deadly disease. Dorothy makes the game-changing discovery that polio is present in the bloodstream. Still, despite her talent and dedication, she struggles to be taken seriously in the male-dominated scientific world. When she is asked to verify a competitor's work, Dorothy must decide if she is willing to be left in the shadows if it means finding a cure.

Release date: Feb. 21

In "The Porcelain Moon," Janie Chang explores a lesser-known aspect of World War I in Europe: the tens of thousands of Chinese workers brought to Europe as laborers while European citizens were fighting the war. Pauline Deng runs away from her uncle's home in Paris to escape an arranged marriage in Shanghai, and she seeks the help of her cousin, Theo, a translator working among Chinese laborers, in France. In need of a place to stay, she winds up staying with Camille, a French woman planning to escape from an abusive marriage and end a doomed affair. Soon, however, Pauline uncovers Camille's deepest secret, and both women's lives are sent down a dangerous path.

Release date: Feb. 21

If you like your historical fiction to have a touch of romance, then "Marvelous" by Molly Greeley is for you. The novel traces the origins of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairytale to Renaissance-era France, where Pedro, a boy with a condition that causes him to grow hair all over his body, is kidnapped and taken to the glamorous court of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France. As he grows into a young man, Catherine decides it would be amusing to find him a bride, which she does: Catherine, the daughter of an impoverished merchant who sells his daughter to the queen in exchange for his debts. Catherine and Pedro are forced to wed, but they might find in one another a true safe haven in the dangerous place that is the royal court.

Release date: Feb. 28

A sweeping, generational tale, "Time's Undoing" by Cheryl A. Head alternates between 1929 and 2019. In 1929, Robert, a Black carpenter, moves with his family to Birmingham for a promising job — but his success soon draws dangerous attention. Nearly a century later, his great-granddaughter Meghan is a journalist based in Detroit and has grown up with tales of his mysterious disappearance and murder. Spurred by her curiosity and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan decides to travel to Birmingham to look for answers about what really happened. Her investigation might bring her the resolution she seeks, but it also may put her life in danger.

Release date: Feb. 28

Eleanor Shearer's "River Sing Me Home" is a powerful depiction of the aftermath of slavery and one woman's odyssey to learn what has happened to her children. Although the British Empire outlaws slavery in 1834, the master at the plantation where Rachel has been enslaved announces that they all are now "apprentices" — and still not free to leave. Rachel instead makes the dangerous decision to flee, traveling through the Caribbean with a single mission in mind: find out what became of her five children who were taken from her and sold. Their stories unfold along with hers as Rachel pursues the dream of reuniting her family, or at least finally having answers.

Release date: Jan. 31

Think the Kardashians are the most dramatic, scandalous family you've seen? Meet the Mitfords, the real-life inspiration behind Marie Benedict's "The Mitford Affair." In the years leading up to World War II, the glamorous Mitford sisters are the talk of high society. Nancy Mitford, a novelist, soon becomes alarmed at the actions of two of her sisters: one divorces her rich and powerful husband to marry a leader of the British fascist movement, and another, infatuated with Hitler, travels to Germany to ingratiate herself into his inner circle. When Nancy learns the true extent of her sisters' choices, she's faced with a dangerous choice to either betray her family or betray her country.

Release date: Jan. 17

"The Davenports" by Krystal Marquis offers a little bit of everything: coming-of-age YA, romance, and a historical look at an underdiscussed part of American history. In the early 20th century, the Davenport family is among a handful of wealthy, elite Black families, having made a fortune in the carriage business. However, they still face prejudices, both big and small every day. Now it's the younger generation's turn to find their place, look for love, and deal with the conflicting expectations that society places upon them.

Release date: Jan. 31