Best New Historical Fiction - February 2026
White River Crossing by Ian McGuire
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Synopsis:
A breathtaking and cinematic novel about the lust for gold and its bloody consequences, set in the unforgiving landscape of the sub-Arctic Canadian wilderness, from the acclaimed author of The North Water
A ragged fur peddler arrives at a remote outpost of the Hudson Bay Company in the winter of 1766 with a lump of gold, claiming that there is plenty more like it further north at a place called Ox Lake. The outpost’s chief factor, Magnus Norton, dreams of instant riches and launches a secret and perilous expedition to find the treasure and bring it back.
Led by a family of native guides, the party of prospectors includes Norton’s brutish deputy, John Shaw, and Thomas Hearn, the insular and intellectual first mate from the factory’s whaling sloop. During their long journey north, Shaw’s callousness and arrogance lead him to commit an act of sexual violence whose disastrous consequences will only fully emerge once they reach their final destination. There, amidst the bleak beauty of the Barren Grounds, as Norton’s carefully crafted plans begin to fall apart and the brutal arctic winter starts to descend, Hearn is forced to make a choice that will define his character and determine his future forever.
Utterly captivating, White River Crossing transports us back to the furthest edges of the eighteenth-century British empire where two radically different worlds—indigenous and European—collide with calamitous and deadly results.
Why We Recommend It!
A brutal and immersive tale of greed and moral collapse, White River Crossing plunges readers into the lethal extremes of the eighteenth-century Arctic, where ambition and violence collide at the edge of empire.
Where the False Gods Dwell by Denny S. Bryce
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Synopsis:
Chicago, 1935. Othella is an orphaned con artist who needs to escape the city's brutal underworld... or else. Vivian Jean is a wealthy wife, student, and anthropologist eager to prove herself professionally and personally. Zinzi is a Jamaican labor union activist determined to bring change to her homeland's plantation system. Thanks to a series of fortunate mishaps and coincidences, all three join Dunham’s voyage to the Maroon village of Accompong in Jamaica’s Cockpit Country—and perhaps discover what they desperately want most . . .
Through skill and curiosity, Othella becomes a valued member of the expedition, even as she struggles to conceal her past. Zinzi's knowledge of the Cockpit allows the expedition to explore uncharted territory, even as a forbidden love and fierce resistance threaten everything she seeks to protect. As Vivian Jean’s observations help Dunham make unprecedented discoveries, she grapples with her second husband's guilt and accusations. Yet, amidst their private battles, nature presents an even greater challenge . . .
As deadly Hurricane Jérémie bears down on the island, imperiling the women’s mission—and their lives—they must form a difficult sisterhood. As the storm rages outside the small parish that is their shelter, they will need each other more than anyone or anything they’ve ever needed.
Why We Recommend It!
A sweeping, character-driven historical adventure, Where the False Gods Dwell follows three remarkable women into the heart of 1930s Jamaica, where scholarship, resistance, and survival converge amid storm and revolution.
The League of Lonely War Women by Andie Newton
Publisher: One More Chapter
Release Date: February 20, 2026
Synopsis:
Germany, 1944 - Best friends Vivien Allen and Junie Knight are part of the covert world of America’s Morale Operations branch. As members of The League of Lonely War Women, a dark propaganda campaign aimed to sow seeds of doubt in German soldiers’ minds, their first mission sends them deep into enemy territory.
But their mission isn’t exactly what was sold to them, and the tracking of a dangerous SS officer goes very wrong, their friendship is irreparably broken.
Now, ten years later, Viv is still paying the consequences, so when a chance at redemption lands in her lap she seizes it, determined to right past wrongs, reconcile with Junie, and complete her mission once and for all…
Why We Recommend It!
A taut and emotionally charged spy novel, The League of Lonely War Women explores the personal cost of psychological warfare and the fragile line between loyalty, betrayal, and redemption in the aftermath of World War II.
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
Publisher: 37 Ink
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Synopsis:
Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.
Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.
In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been given an opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.
Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.
Why We Recommend It!
Spanning continents and generations, Keeper of Lost Children is a powerful meditation on race, belonging, and chosen family, revealing how acts of courage and love can reshape lives long after war’s end.
The Choir by Carol M. Cram
Publisher: HTF Publishing
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Synopsis:
In a world that wants to silence them, one group of women dares to sing.In the dreary streets of 1890s Briarstown, a fictional Yorkshire mill town, Eliza Kingwell fights to survive in a home filled with hardship. When a devastating loss crushes her plan to escape with her five daughters, she turns to an unlikely a local singing competition. With nothing left to lose, she gathers a feisty group of working-class women to form a choir-and sets her sights on a cash prize that could change her life forever.
Meanwhile, Ruth Henton-once Eliza's best friend and now a star on the London stage-is disgraced by scandal and must find new purpose and redemption. As fate would have it, Ruth becomes a judge in the very competition Eliza needs to win.
While Eliza's choir trains for its chance at glory, secrets simmer, friendships deepen, and long-buried wounds surface. In a time and place where women's voices are too often ignored, The Choir is a triumphant story of music, sisterhood, and reclaiming power.
Perfect for fans of Jennifer Chiaverini, Tracy Chevalier and Pip Williams, The Choir is a stirring, beautifully written novel that celebrates the strength of women who dare to rise-and sing.
Why We Recommend It!
A stirring working-class anthem, The Choir celebrates female resilience and collective power as a group of Victorian women find hope, defiance, and transformation through music.
