Happy Tuesday, y’all! This week, Jana, over at That Artsy Reader Girl, is giving us a genre freebie. I think this is a great time to share my favorite historical fiction reads from 2025, don’t you? I mean, if they’re historical fiction, they’re all in the same genre.
While some of these books were released in 2025, not all are. I will also share the period in which the books are set. All titles are linked to Goodreads.
Here are twelve of my favorite historical fiction reads from 2025, without further ado!
Eleanor and the Cold War by Ellen Yardley
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
- Release Date: January 2025
- Setting: 1951
- Note: First book in a cozy mystery series
Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Indigenous
- Release Date: January 2023 (in Swedish), February 2025 (in English)
- Setting: 1950s & 1980s
The Day I Left You by Caroline Bishop
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Cold War, Romance
- Release Date: February 2025
- Setting: 1980s & Present Day
The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
- Release Date: February 2025
- Setting: 1930
Finding Flora by Elinor Florence
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: April 2025
- Setting: 1900s
A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
- Release Date: April 2025
- Setting: 1950s
- Note: This is the 3rd book in the An American in Paris series.
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
- Release Date: February 2019
- Setting: 1940s & 1950s
The Fort by Christy K. Lee
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: July 2025
- Setting: early 1800s
Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Spy, Thriller
- Release Date: October 2025
- Setting: 1975
- Note: This is the 3rd book in the Apollo Murders series.
Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
- Release Date: April 2012
- Setting: 1940s
- Note: First book in a series
Girls of Flight City by Lorraine Heath
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
- Release Date: April 2022
- Setting: 1940s
And that’s my twelve favorite historical fiction reads from 2025. Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite historical fiction reads from 2025?
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my other bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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Several of these are new to me. I’m planning on reading Finding Flora this year for the Great Canadian Reading Challenge
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
And again, so much to catch up on….
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2026/03/03/top-ten-tuesday-books-to-diversify-your-reading-3-the-ya-edition/
The Day I Left You sounds excellent.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
It was an interesting read, especially the parts behind the Berlin Wall.
Punished sounds like such a good read.
It was a hard read, but one that hasn’t left me.
I love historical fiction. I need to read more of it.
I feel that finding the right era is crucial when reading historical fiction. I tend to stay away from things that are set before the 1800s. But occassionally, I’ll find one that piques my interest.
these all look great!
Histfic is my first love! Thanks for the list of reading possibilities! 🌻
Thanks for sharing your TTT. Have a great day. Here is my TTT. https://dmhoisington.wordpress.com/2026/03/03/top-ten-tuesday-21/
I enjoy historical fiction but haven’t read any of these. Great list Pam!
I keep saying I want to try more historical fiction, and Kate Quinn is one of those authors whose books always draw my eye – maybe 2026 will finally be the year I try her books!
I hope you do finally give her books a try. I think I’ve put one on my favorite historical fiction lists every year.
Punished sounds interesting!
It was interesting seeing a different Indigenous experience, as this is features the Sami people of Scandinavia.
These look good.
Have a great week!
A great list – I keep meaning to read more historicals so I’m keeping an eye on these.
I don’t read many historicals, but sometimes I like to and this looks like a great list.
I feel finding the right time period is important. I’m not typically a fan of books set before 1800, though occassionally there’s one that catches my eye.
There’s a lot of books there that look like ones I’d enjoy!
Good topic. I need to update my real people turned into fictional sleuths series I see! Elliott Roosevelt [with a ghost writer] turned Eleanor into a sleuth in the 70s or early 80s–they weren’t bad. I’ll have to check out this new series.
Eleanor isn’t the main sleuth in this series, but she does tend to nudge people along the correct path.
Oh good!!
I am reading Elinor Florence’s earlier book, Bird’s Eye View, now, although I got distracted by a pile of library books about to be overdue. I did enjoy the first Colleen Cambridge mystery about Julia Child but haven’t pursued the series. And I was fortunate enough to hear Kate Quinn speak a week or so ago about her new book – am looking forward to it.
I’m hoping to read another Elinor Florence book in the coming weeks, it’s called Wildwood.
These books look very interesting. I really enjoy mysteries and historical fiction so many of these would be right up my alley.
I haven’t read any of these but I feel like Kate Quinn is forever on my list of authors to try.
I hope you enjoy her books when you do finally give her a try.
I love historical fiction! I’ve been meaning to read the Apollo Murders books. I also need to read Kate Quinn, she’s been on my TBR forever!
The Apollo Murders series has been an interesting one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
I do enjoy historical fiction, but I have not read any on your list. Have a great week!
I see a couple on this list that do look as though they’d be grand reads. Just more to add to my mental list of someday-I-should-read collection. 😉 Thanks for visiting my list today!
I liked Mr. Churchill’s Secretary too. 🙂
This is a genre I need to explore more!
Here’s my TTT: https://readintowonderland.blogspot.com/2026/03/t10t-romances-with-lgbtq-representation.html
This is a great list, Pam! Thank you for sharing your favorites. I will be reading more of Kate Quinn soon.
Wow, I read quite a lot of historical fiction but I don’t know any of these!
I’ve had Punished on my list for a while now. I really need to read it. Great topic!
I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but there are some great sounding books on here!
Nice list! I need to read more Kate Quinn sometime… but so much to read, so little time, hehe.
I do not read enough historical fiction, so this list is great. An Apollo murder series sounds way interesting!
I love historical fiction, but it has been a while since I read one of them ..(not sure how that happened now that I think about it)…. I am now adding all of these to my tbr..
my ttt is here – https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/listening-is-more-than-hearing-a-booklist-for-world-hearing-day/
I am not a big reader of historical fiction. I do like Kate Quinn and the Churchill one looks like it would be a good read for me.
These all sound fun! The historical fiction I’ve been reading lately seem to have all been set in the Regency era, and include fantasy elements.
Great list. Punished looks so interesting.
My #ttt list is here if interested! Also a historical bent, albiet a more regional one. https://theparteveryoneskips.com/posts/030426-books-on-the-southwest/