History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Northwomen: Untold Stories from the Other Half of the Viking World Author: Heather Pringle Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: National Geographic Digital Book Release Date: 2025 Pages: 389 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: For fans of provocative history and "Game of Thrones" alike, this revisionist narrative reveals how the little-known women of the Viking era shaped their world.       Until Scandinavia converted to Christianity and came under the rule of powerful kings, the Vikings were a dominant force in the medieval world. Outfitted with wind-powered sailing ships, they left their mark, spreading terror across Europe, sacking cities, deposing kings, and ransacking entire economies. After the Vikings, the world was never the same.       But as much as we know about this celebrated culture, there is a large missing piece: its women. All but ignored by contemporar...

The Queen’s Hand: Power and Authority in the Reign of Berenguela of Castile  Author: Janna Bianchini Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press Book Release Date: 2012 Pages: 363 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Her name is undoubtedly less familiar than that of her grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, or that of her famous conqueror son, Fernando III, yet during her lifetime, Berenguela of Castile (1180-1246) was one of the most powerful women in Europe. As queen-consort of Alfonso IX of León, she acquired the troubled boundary lands between the kingdoms of Castile and León and forged alliances with powerful nobles on both sides. Even after her marriage was dissolved, she continued to strengthen these connections as a member of her father's court. On her brother's death, she inherited the Castilian throne outright—and then, remarkably, elevated her son to kingship at the same time. Using her assiduously cultivated alliances, B...

The Briar Club Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense  Publisher: William Morrow Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 430 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful work of historical fiction, a story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.       In this gripping women’s fiction novel, everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who fin...

The Last Lady B Author: Eloisa James Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Paranormal Publisher: Gallery Books Book Release Date: May 12, 2026 Pages: 384 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Lady B may have married Bluebeard; she may have fallen in love with a gorgeous, grumpy solicitor; she may have met a ghost and survived to tell the tale! New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Eloisa James delights with witty historical romance with a gothic twist.        In the depths of winter, Lady Genevieve Hughes, her pet piglet, and her septuagenarian husband travel to a haunted abbey in the Scottish Highlands. Evie is excited to meet a ghost (perhaps one of her husband’s three previous wives), but didn’t expect the funny, quirky guests to become the friends she’s never had. And she certainly didn’t imagine meeting Sir Godric Everly, a sardonic, witty solicitor who loathes her husband. ...

     Today, I have the honor of doing an interview with Victoria Alvear! She has written two short stories in the anthologies called A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii and A Song of War . Under the name, Vicky Alvear Shecter, she has penned Cleopatra's Moon , Curses of Smoke and Fire , Secrets of the Ancient Gods  series, Alexander the Great , Cleopatra Rules , and Warrior Queens . In this interview, Mrs. Alvear talks about her latest adult novel,  The Cleansing , which is a story about a Vestal Virgin who is unjustly accused of being sexually unchaste. During the interview, Mrs. Alvear discusses her writing process and her research. Thank you, Mrs. Alvear! What inspired you to write your book,  The Cleansing ? I was struck one day, years ago, when I heard an evangelical preacher claim that a hurricane hit Florida (and then years later, New Jersey) because of “lesbians” and loose women. At first, I laughed. Did they really believe this? Or was it just ...