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The Best Historical Fiction Books

While time travel will probably never happen, we’ll always have the next best thing: historical fiction novels. Through the magic of fiction (and authors’ dedication to researching endless incredible details), readers can feel as though they’ve been everywhere and every time, from Ancient Greece to colonial Asia to the American Revolution. If you’re a fiction lover who wants to learn more about the past but isn’t sure about diving into the world of history books, it’s the best of both worlds. 

Another reason to love historical fiction is that it can be crossed with any other genre. From historical mysteries to steamy historical romance to hilarious historical fiction, whatever genre you enjoy can be placed in another period.

Clearly, this is a genre that truly has something for everyone. Whether you prefer novels that bring you to times of war and terror or more whimsical stories set in the past; historical fiction that is surprisingly accurate or tales that take creative license with their settings, you'll find endless books to add to your TBR pile in the lists below.

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A Taste for Monsters
A Taste for Monsters
by Matthew J. Kirby
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The Castle of Whispers
The Castle of Whispers
by Carole Martinez, Howard Curtis
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by Robin Talley
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Sugar Money
Sugar Money
by Jane Harris
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Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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8 Romance Books for Adults
Silver Stallion
Silver Stallion
by Ahn Junghyo
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Dangerous Betrayal
Dangerous Betrayal
by Bill Blowers
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The Uninvited Countess
The Uninvited Countess
by Michael Kilian
His Enemy, His Friend
His Enemy, His Friend
by John R. Tunis
She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
!Click Song
!Click Song
by John A. Williams
Midnight Train to Prague
Midnight Train to Prague
by Carol Windley
Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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Deep Creek
Deep Creek
by Dana Hand
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
by Wendy Jones
The Wings of the Morning
The Wings of the Morning
by Louis Tracy
Remembering the Titanic
Remembering the Titanic
by Diane Hoh
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A Tale of Two Citizens
A Tale of Two Citizens
by Elyce Wakerman
All Good Women
All Good Women
by Valerie Miner
The Pistol
The Pistol
by James Jones
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
The Book of Crows
The Book of Crows
by Sam Meekings
Good Night, Maman
Good Night, Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer
The Revelation of Louisa May
The Revelation of Louisa May
by Michaela MacColl
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Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
Satie on the Seine
Satie on the Seine
by Gerald Vizenor
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
Angel Dreams
Angel Dreams
by Chris Schneider, Michael Phillips
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
To Name Those Lost
To Name Those Lost
by Rohan Wilson
The Principle
The Principle
by Jerome Ferrari, Howard Curtis
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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Happy Family
Happy Family
by Wendy Lee
Forbidden Objects
Forbidden Objects
by Maggie Davis
The Trespassers
The Trespassers
by Laura Z. Hobson
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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The North and South Trilogy
The North and South Trilogy
by John Jakes
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
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Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
The Kashmir Shawl
The Kashmir Shawl
by Rosie Thomas
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
More Than Riches
More Than Riches
by Josephine Cox
Hotel de Dream
Hotel de Dream
by Edmund White
The Island of the Day Before
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
Adeline
Adeline
by Norah Vincent
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
Showing 251-300 of 325 results

Historical fiction is a genre where a fictional plot is set in a real historical setting or uses real historical characters. While there can be a mix of real and fictional events in the plot, historical fiction focuses on its fictional plot-points. 

The goal of historical fiction is to transport readers to another time. To do that, you’ll need to make the details of your story believable, even though it’s fiction. You want to focus on time period significance, historical accuracy, and detailed descriptions of characters and settings. 

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth is often considered the first historical fiction novel.