Best New Historical Fiction - October 2025
In the Light of the Sun by Angela Shupe
Publisher: Waterbrook
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Synopsis:
Two sisters, separated by oceans and global conflict, are bonded through music and love in this gripping novel based on true events from World War II.
The Philippines, 1941. Young and gifted, Italian Filipina Caramina Grassi dreams of voice training in Italy to become an opera singer like her older sister, Rosa, and their Nonna before her. But when the Japanese military invades, Caramina's family is forced to flee to the mountainous Luzon jungle. Finding comfort in her music, she must find the strength to not only survive but fight to protect her siblings and overcome the devastation of war.
Meanwhile, amidst the opulence of the Florentine opera, budding star soprano Rosa Grassi is soon to finish her time at Luigi Cherubini Conservatorio and debut professionally. As Italy falls deeper under the shadow of Mussolini and his henchmen, the Blackshirts, Rosa discovers that secrets run rampant in times of war. When Nazi jackboots march on Florence, Rosa joins la Resistenza to fight the Germans and Duce’s regime. A fog of intrigue clouds what she knows to be true in her closest relationships. In a time when family or friend could be foe, Rosa will learn that performing isn’t just for the stage. Facing deep betrayal, she’ll risk everything to protect the one she loves.
Based on events inspired by the author's family history throughout the war, In the Light of the Sun leaves the reader with hope to the rich tones of beautiful music.
Why We Recommend It!
Sweeping from the jungles of war-torn Luzon to the opera halls of Florence, In the Light of the Sun by Angela Shupe is a stirring, true-to-life tale of two sisters bound by music, resilience, and love through the darkest shadows of World War II.
The Hong Kong Widow by Kristin Loesch
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Synopsis:
Hong Kong, 1953: In a remote mansion, witnesses insist a massacre took place. The police see nothing but pristine rooms and declare it a collective hallucination. Until decades later, when one witness returns…from the Edgar®-nominated author of The Last Russian Doll.
In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges, in one of Hong Kong’s most notorious haunted houses—she has every reason to refuse.
Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life.
It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge.
Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about that fateful night in the cursed house at last—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .
Why We Recommend It!
Set against the haunted mansions of 1950s Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Widow by Kristin Loesch is a chilling, lyrical story of vengeance, survival, and the ghosts that refuse to rest.
Inês by Catherine Mathis
Publisher: Histria Romance
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Synopsis:
Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th century Portugal.
In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro's father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile's royal convulsions though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians.
The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king's powerful, unquestioned counselor who is mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês.
There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês?
Inês is based on real people and events exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history.
Why We Recommend It!
Rich with the intrigue of 14th-century Portugal, Inês by Catherine Mathis is an epic tale of passion, betrayal, and power, reimagining a love story as timeless and tragic as Romeo and Juliet.
The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman
Publisher: Union Square & Co
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Synopsis:
From international bestselling author Alyson Richman comes a love story, a ghost story, and an elegy to the healing power of books.
Harry Widener boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless book he just purchased in London. After mayhem strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin for his treasure. Neither the young man nor the book are seen again. In his honor, his mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to memorialize her son and house his extensive book collection.
Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When strange things begin happening at the library—books falling off shelves or opening to random pages—Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate the missing pieces of his story from beyond the grave.
This powerful and haunting novel is perfect for readers of Marie Benedict’s The Personal Librarian and Sulari Gentill’s The Woman in the Library.
Why We Recommend It!
Crossing from the doomed decks of the Titanic to the hallowed halls of Harvard, The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman is a haunting novel of love, loss, and the enduring, ghostly power of books to heal and remember.
The Porcelain Menagerie by Jillian Forsberg
Publisher: History Through Fiction
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Synopsis:
In 18th-century Dresden, the dangerous whims of King Augustus the Strong shape the court and the lives of those held captive, both people and animals.
Johann Kändler, a talented young artist, is drawn into the world of King Augustus the Strong. The king's relentless desire for a lifelike porcelain menagerie could make or break Johann's future. As Johann works to meet the king's impossible demands, he finds unexpected allies in former royal mistress Maria and her daughter Katharina. Johann's art might secure his future—or ruin it if he fails to satisfy the king.
Decades earlier, another story unfolds. Fatima, a Turkish handmaiden, is chosen to replace Augustus's discarded mistress. As she tries to create a menagerie of exotic animals and navigate the intrigues of an unpredictable court, Fatima must learn to survive in a world that values beauty and power above all. She must fight to keep her identity and unlock her own cage in the king's dangerous realm.
Two timelines, bound by a king's obsessions: art and survival intertwine as Johann and Fatima navigate the king's unpredictable demands and the deadly allure of court life, where ambition can be as fragile as porcelain.
Why We Recommend It!
Amid the glittering court of Augustus the Strong and the fragile artistry of Meissen porcelain, The Porcelain Menagerie by Jillian Forsberg—published by History Through Fiction as a companion to her award-winning debut The Rhino Keeper—is a luminous story of beauty, ambition, and survival in a world as perilous as it is magnificent.
