History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Anne Neville: Queen and Wife to Richard III  Author: Rebecca Batley Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Pen & Sword History  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 256 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Anne Neville, often seen as a victim depicted by Shakespeare, was a powerful and influential figure in medieval England. Daughter, Wife, Princess, Widow and Queen: Anne Neville had many faces. Shakespeare presents her to us as a woman consumed with rage, bitterness and grief. He has her cursing the killer of her husband and father, before marrying him and condemning herself to despair. She rages, screams and weeps but ultimately she is shown as nothing more than a passive victim of the men who used and exploited her. This could not be further from the truth. Born into one of the most powerful dynasties in medieval England, Anne knew her worth, and her power. She was a great survivor escaping the tide of blood that consumed Eng...

T he Windsor Affair Author: Melanie Benjamin  Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Dell Book Release Date: June 2, 2026 Pages: 370 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A scandalous affair. A power struggle for the throne. A sensational rivalry between an English queen and an American social climber. In this electrifying novel, the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue tells the story of the Abdication of Edward VIII—and the two women at the center of it all.       Feuding Windsor brothers and their wives—some things, it seems, never change. The Windsor Affair recreates the cataclysmic events that nearly toppled the monarchy and incited the power struggle between Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Wallis Simpson. Told from the perspective of both women, the novel propels readers into the fabulous world of the debonair Prince of Wales, café society of the 1930s, and the glittering private lives ...

  Mistress of Constancy (The Armillary Sphere, Story of Lady Jane Rochford #1) Author: G. Lawrence  Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: G. Lawrence  Book Release Date: 2021 Pages: 309 Source: Borrowed  Synopsis: Lady of the Tudor Court, servant of queens, courtier, wife, spy... and constant heart. This is the story of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford.        In death she would become infamous, yet in life passed often unseen. Jane Parker, daughter of the scholar Lord Morley, leaves her home at a tender age, embarking on a career in the dangerous Tudor Court. From the halls of her father's house to the palaces of London, from England to Calais and the Field of the Cloth of Gold Jane will travel, seeing much of this world, and others.      Promised in marriage to George Boleyn, Jane is drawn into the future of his family and their advancement... and as Anne Boleyn catches the eye of the King, Jane becomes pa...

  It Girl Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Ballantine Books  Publication Date: March 10, 2026 Pages: 399 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: At the dawn of the twentieth century, New York’s streets teem with change: electricity, automobiles, the brash young President Teddy Roosevelt—and the It Girls. As artists’ muses and working models, these independent young women soar to stardom not because of their pedigrees or inherited wealth, but because of their talent, charisma, and irresistible beauty. Pop culture is born, and in a world alight with Mr. Edison’s new bulbs, no one shines brighter than America’s sweetheart, Evelyn Talbot.         But the journey to stardom is not simple or straight. While working as a shopgirl, the young Evelyn is recruited as a studio model and soon catches the eye of the preeminent artists of the age. When Broadway comes calling, Evelyn solid...

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams Author: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks  Book Release Date: May 5, 2026 Pages: 463 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton .      In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments...

Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp Author: Michelle Moran Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Dell  Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 311 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Maria von Trapp. You know the name and the iconic songs, but do you know her real story? This dramatic novel, based on the woman glamorized in The Sound of Music , brings Maria to life as never before.        In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein is asked to write the lyrics to a musical based on the life of a woman named Maria von Trapp. He’s intrigued to learn that she was once a novice who hoped to live quietly as an Austrian nun before her abbey sent her away to teach a widowed baron’s sickly child. What should have been a ten-month assignment, however, unexpectedly turned into a marriage proposal. And when the family was forced to flee their home to escape the Nazis, it was Maria who instructed them on how to survive using nothing but the p...

The Narrowness of Death: Book Four of the Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine (The Heirs of Anarchy #8) Author: G. Lawrence  Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: G. Lawrence  Book Release Date: 2025 Pages: 363 Source: Borrowed  Synopsis: 1189, England.         Imprisoned for many years by her husband Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine has been freed by her son, King Richard I. Diminished not at all by her years as a captive, Eleanor must take on new roles for her son as he leaves his empire behind and embarks upon crusade. Yet Eleanor will face not only trouble from other countries and kings but from within her own family, as she tries to defend and preserve Richard's empire, whilst her youngest son John plots to place himself upon his brother's throne.        The Narrowness of Death is Book Four of the Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine , part of The Heirs of Anarchy Series by G. Lawrence.      ...

  Tayvie’s Story (A Sparrow Alone #3) Author: Mim  Eichmann Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Living Springs Publishers Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 355 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Chicago, IL – December 1923        Terrified, racing from an irate shopkeeper who has accused her of stealing, her comatose mother sprawled in a dark hallway, four-year-old Tayvie Jackson falls asleep while hiding in a car. Hours later, Tayvie, who understands almost no English, awakens many miles from a home she barely knew. Forced to live with deceitful relatives during the Depression in the Jim Crow south, Tayvie and her adopted mother later escape, hoping to build on young Tayvie’s fledgling career as a jazz singer.        In 1938, Tayvie innocently signs a six-month contract to appear at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Almost immediately, distorted allegations erupt surroundin...

Eaglets: Book Three of the Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine (The Heirs of Anarchy #7) Author: G. Lawrence  Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: G. Lawrence  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 297 Source: Borrowed  Synopsis: 1168, Poitou.       The Queen of England and Duchess of Aquitaine, Eleanor, has returned to her homeland to rule her people and raise her son, Lord Richard, to follow her on her ducal throne, but whilst Eleanor offers power to one son, her husband Henry II, King of England, denies it to their eldest.        As rebellion and revolt threaten the realms of the King, as tensions between Church and Crown reach a climax most bloody, Eleanor must make a fateful decision... whether to uphold her King and husband, or stand for her sons?       Through political upheaval, murder, revolt and imprisonment Eleanor will suffer, forging a path to emerge from darkness into the light...