Lewis immerses three disparate female characters in the often lawless mayhem of the Gold Rush in the Yukon, where a tragic death binds together their fates. It's 1898 and in Canada, the frenzy of the Gold Rush has taken hold of the frigid Yukon. Three women in Dawson City are trying to find their way. Kate is a journalist who has hurried hundreds of miles to town after an urgent letter from her sister. Martha's hotel is under threat from a local bully buying up all the proper

The historical fiction-writing gift that is Philippa Gregory entertwines the richly imagined stories of three women in fifteenth century England, offering unapologetic ambition, genius manipulation, revenge plots, dark arts, and drastic comeuppances in this fascinating novel. It's 1420 and Eleanor Cobham (a real figure, about whom little is known), in a terrific initial scene, willfully misunderstands her dying mother's last wish for her, rejecting the nunnery and heading to

In this dual-timeline historical fiction-fantasy-magical realism-witchy story, Martin explores the Suffolk witch trials of 1645 and builds a link between one of the accused and a modern-day woman coming into her own mysterious powers--who just might be able to save both women, within their own times. "All women have magic in them." In Madeline Martin's dual-timeline novel A Time of Witches, Lilith lives in present-day Savannah, Georgia, and Sybil lives in 1645 Suffolk, Englan

The tone of this historical fiction novel was at first too earnest for my taste, but ultimately I was intrigued by the real-life basis of the Halifax Explosion and the intersecting stories of two women coping with the local accident and crisis, the effects of World War I, societal limitations placed on women, judgment around single motherhood, finding and losing love, and more. I thought I understood what love was, but now I know what it’s not. It’s not being swept off my fee

Amina al-Sirafi is an irresistible character--spicy, determined, nurturing, cutthroat, loyal, inventive, and unpredictable. In this second novel of adventure, the pirate faces seemingly impossible challenges and must do the unthinkable: rely on others and trust them with her life so she can safely return to her daughter and family. For there are indeed a great many capable, cunning women that the world would prefer to remember as witches. I loved every bit of Chakraborty's fi

The Help author's 656-page Depression-set historical fiction tackles issues of poverty, body autonomy, women's rights, race, and more within two timelines featuring spirited, determined, underestimated females who prove how strong they are. In Kathryn Stockett's newest, hefty (656-page) historical fiction novel, we dive into dual, linked storylines. It's 1933, the peak of the Great Depression, and in Mississippi, everyone is struggling. We meet two main protagonists: independ

The premise and wild tangle of storylines--not deep character development--are the highlights in this story about an easy-to-hate villain and his shocking, dastardly deeds. Strong women prevail in a messy lead-up to imperfect but ultimate justice. I've been continuing my cold-weather mystery-reading habits, and Lisa Jewell is always a good bet for an intriguing story, so I was excited to listen to another of her novels. After Nina Swann's semi-famous chef husband Paddy is kil

The tone of The Secret Book Society is darker than I'd anticipated, but appropriate as Martin explores weighty issues for women in Victorian England. The power of books and of friendship ultimately triumph in Martin's historical fiction. The women in Madeline Martin's Victorian London exist within tightly constrained rules and at the whims of their fathers' or husbands' often controlling, sometimes abusive, always limiting requirements. But when three women, all strangers to

Amity Gaige's Appalachian Trail-set novel offers several of my favorite elements: a Maine setting, a missing-person storyline, an...

This wonderfully creepy lesbian vampire story is largely about female empowerment, but also about love, discovery, reinvention, and...

Harpman's slim novel poses a mysterious situation without promising concrete explanations. Our main protagonist knows little about her...

The deep bond that builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman who secretly takes him in is touching and complicated,...

I loved the worldbuilding and the headstrong, powerful loose cannon of Nahri, as well as the Middle Eastern fantasy setting. I found...

Comedian Leanne Morgan's memoir traces her path from an attention-seeking, beloved young girl to a young adult facing missteps and...

Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts between details of a life of moneyed ease and an abandonment...

Knoll's novel was inspired by real events; Bright Young Women traces a serial killer targeting young women and in the character of...

The first in Jensen's fantasy series ticked many of my boxes--strong female main character, a tension-filled Chosen One premise, a fight...

Aitken's story of a strong, crafty, fearless woman in 1200s Ireland is based upon the real figure of Alice Kyteler, whose power and...

Thorpe's irresistible character of 19-year-old Margo discovers her strength, drive, creativity, and vulnerability after becoming...

LaValle mixes a Western setting with strong feminist messages, magical realism, haunting elements, and the terrifying, freeing truth in...