January is all about new beginnings. Maybe you’re determined to keep this year’s resolutions, or you’re looking forward to a year full of new events. My next novel, The River Remembers, comes out in June, for example. Paper Lantern Writers added nine new members to start 2023! Read about them on our website. So January is a wonderful time to release new historical fiction! Here are some of my picks for January.
BEST COVER
Mrs Van Gogh by Caroline Cauchi (January 30)
“As intricate and absorbing as a Van Gogh painting…MRS VAN GOGH will stay with me for a long time” New York Times bestseller Hazel Gaynor
Every time I scan the collection of titles for this month, Mrs. Van Gogh stands out. I love the soft yellow and blue, and the corner of the painting. This book is about the painter’s sister-in-law, who became the keeper of Van Gogh’s paintings after his death, and her tireless effort to see him recognized
BEST TITLE
A Castle in Brooklyn by Shirley Russak Wachtel (January 1)
“This is a story about immigration, adaptation to new cultures, and…a chance to grapple with the traditional roles that women play…A solid choice for book clubs.” ~ Library Journal
Although the title alone doesn’t tell me the time frame of this novel, I am intrigued since I know Brooklyn is not known for castles. In fact, this story follows two men who escape a Polish ghetto and come to America. It spans decades as it tells of love and family.
MOST INTRIGUING
Sisters of Castle Leod by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard (January 19)
“Heartbreaking and redemptive…a thoroughly engrossing story that will have readers quickly turning the pages.” ~ Megan Chance, bestselling author of A Splendid Ruin
The fictional castle Leoch in Outlander was inspired by the very real Castle Leod. This story is about two sisters who lived there at the beginning of the 20th century. One sister is a spiritualist, and one a swimming champion and big game hunter. When one inherits the estate and title, tensions mount.
MOST ANTICIPATED
The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict (January 17)
“Plunges readers into a world of glamorous, charismatic young British debutantes and then turns that shiny world on its head…the most delicious storytelling.” ~ Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie PostRecently I read The Bookseller’s Secret , by Michelle Gable, about Nancy Mitford and enjoyed it very much. Now Marie Benedict has a book out about Nancy and her sisters. I read everything Marie Benedict writes, so I’m looking forward to this one.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas (January 10)
Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks (January 10)
HISPANIC
One Brilliant Flame by Joy Castro (January 3)
ROMANCE
A Mark of Grace by Kimberley Woodhouse (January 3)
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester (January 10)
Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White (January 24)
Rescuing Rose by Susan Pope Sloan (January 24)
Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden (January 17)
Her Lessons in Persuasion by Megan Frampton (January 24)
The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz (January 3)
The Captain’s Woman by Holly Bush (January 10)
ANCIENT
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman (January 17)
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson (January 10)
Bellatrix by Simon Turney (January 5)
WOMEN’S
A Love by Design by Elizabeth Everett (January 17)
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (January 31)
Margot by Wendell Steavenson (January 24)
LGBTQ+
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz (January 24)
STEAMPUNK
A Shadow Melody by Brian Kaufman (January 5)
WORLD WAR II
The Lace Weaver by Lauren Chater
Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh (January 3)
The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz (January 31)
MYSTERY
Picture in the Sand by Peter Blaune (January 3)
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor (January 31)
Through a Darkening Glass by R. S. Maxwell (January 4)
A Fashionable Fatality by Alyssa Maxwell (January 24)
Need more historical fiction on your TBR? See more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.
Linda Ulleseit is the award-winning author of The Aloha Spirit and Under the Almond Trees. Her next historical novel, The River Remembers, will be published in June 2023. To interact with her and other historical fiction authors and readers, join PLW’s Facebook group SHINE.
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