Tough women, secrets and smarts, and sneaky spying! I love a peek at a secret world, and each of these books offers that very thing. Only...

01 The Conquerer’s Saga series by Kiersten White White's And I Darken, the first book in her Conquerer's Saga series, has a cover that to...

01 Machinehood by S.B. Divya In her debut novel, Divya offers a society set in 2095. Humanity is reliant on homemade and commercially...

The interconnectedness of the characters and the details of household life and power structures of the time period were wonderful and the...

Young Vivian's carousing in 1940s New York City is entertaining, sexy, and an interesting burst of feminism and freedom in the era. In...

In the story of tragic Carlota, each turn of events was more ill-fated and darker than the next, all barreling toward ruin and...

01 The Huntress by Kate Quinn I'm in for World War II-set books with tough, brave female protagonists, and I loved this book. Nina...

Nick is an appealing character, I adored the detailed setting, and the mystery's resolution makes sense without seeming too easy. I'm...

01 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren Christina Lauren is the pen name for Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write as a team....

Valpy's detailed Scottish setting and character development are wonderful, and I was equally invested in and engaged by both of the...

This is an appealingly cozy and old-fashioned mystery, with the flavors, sights, and sounds of colonial India underlying everything. It's...

Zhang's detail was wonderful, and her characters make noble sacrifices and face impossible choices. The book's frequent heartbreak was a...

I love an intersection of historical fiction and mystery, two genres I love. Some of the books listed here also have supernatural elements.

Many of her characters find themselves in despairingly difficult situations, but Kline offers glimmers of hope as well.

01 Apeirogon: A Novel This is beautiful, powerful, illuminating, and heart-wrenching. The first part felt a little slow, but I'm so very...

Rees does an excellent job of taking us through Edith's amateur spy struggle and provides fascinating details of life in WWII Germany.

This is a spooky, atmospheric, gothic Victorian ghost story perfect for the season.

Donoghue immersed me so fully in this world that everything else fell away for me. Set in Ireland in 1918, The Pull of the Stars follows...

01 The Pull of the Stars Set in Ireland in 1918, The Pull of the Stars follows a nurse, Julia, doctor, Kathleen, and a young volunteer,...

This story imagines a wife for Jesus, questions gender roles, and offers adventure.