What draws you to a historical fiction book cover?
Welcome to my monthly historical fiction cover competition. I hope you find some new books and authors for your ‘must read’ list. If a cover interests you, just click on the link to learn more about the book.
My September winner is:
Sisters of Arden by Judith Arnopp
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“Far from the concourse of men…”
Arden Priory has remained unchanged for almost four hundred years when a nameless child is abandoned at the gatehouse door.
As Henry VIII’s second queen dies on the scaffold, the embittered King strikes out, and unprecedented change sweeps across the country. The bells of the great abbeys fall silent, the church and the very foundation of the realm begins to crack.
Determined to preserve their way of life, novitiate nuns Margery and Grace join a pilgrimage thirty thousand strong to lead the king back to grace.
Sisters of Arden is a story of valour, virtue and veritas.
To find out more, please click here
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As always, it was difficult to choose. Here are some other wonderful covers to tempt you!
An absorbing historical drama about science, faith, and social upheaval during Reconstruction. Thomas Walters has joined the faculty of Tideland College in the fall of 1875 as professor of the recently introduced disciplines of natural philosophy and astronomy. Walters finds himself caught up in the broader conflict between science and religion, as well as the bitter struggle between the ways of the Old South and the advance of a new national identity that embraces social equality, women’s rights, and rationality. The reader follows the experiences of Thomas, his family; two former slaves employed by him; a professor of Latin from Germany with a secret past; and three questioning, rambunctious students. Many colorful supporting characters enhance the action and atmosphere of the story. Feel the Spin is beautifully written, well-researched, thought provoking, and speaks to issues that remain unresolved in the present day.
To find out more, please click here
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Michelle, a white woman stumbles upon her grandmother’s journals that have lain dormant in the attic for fifty years. There is a picture of her grandmother alongside an African-American woman. It is inscribed: Sally, born into slavery—my ancestor. The journals relating Sally’s story end abruptly. Michelle makes it her mission to find out more about Sally. The quest brings up more questions than answers. Just when she thinks she has come to a dead end, she uncovers the most startling fact of all.
Based on the life of Sally Ann Barnes 1858 to 1969
To find out more, please click here
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In antebellum Charleston, a Catholic priest grapples with doubt, his family’s secret African ancestry, and his love for a slave owner’s wife.
Joseph Lazare and his two sisters grow up believing their black hair and olive skin come from a Spanish grandmother—until the summer they learn she was an African slave. While his sisters make very different choices, Joseph struggles to transcend the flesh by becoming a celibate priest.
Then young Father Joseph meets Tessa Conley, a devout Irish immigrant who shares his passions for music and botany. Joseph must conceal his true feelings as Tessa marries another man—a plantation owner who treats her like property. Acting on their love for each other will ruin Joseph and Tessa in this world and damn them in the next.
Or will it?
To find out more, please click here
And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!) and is highly subjective.
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!
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Pam Lecky Books 
Of course, it is your choice, but I actually don’t like that cover. The woman doesn’t look like she’s historical at all. Too much makeup for me. I like Necessary Sins better. But that’s me!
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