Historical Audiobooks | Fiction

"Known for her “delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense” (People), New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict, returns with a sweeping tale of a young woman who unearths the truth about a forgotten Pharoah—rewriting both of their legacies forever. In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert—daughter of Lord Carnarvon—whose daring spirit and relentless curiosity made the momentous find possible. Nearly 3,000 years earlier, another woman defied the expectations of her time: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s lost pharaoh. Her reign was bold, visionary—and nearly erased from history. When Evelyn becomes obsessed with finding Hatshepsut’s secret tomb, she risks everything to uncover the truth about her reign and keep valued artifacts in Egypt, their rightful home. But as danger closes in and political tensions rise, she must make an impossible choice: protect her father’s legacy—or forge her own. Propelled by high adventure and deadly intrigue, Daughter of Egypt is the story of two ambitious women who lived centuries apart. Both were forced to hide who they were during their lifetimes, yet ultimately changed history forever."

Marie Benedict (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sisters of Book Row: A Novel

"A thrilling and timely historical novel of books, banning, and the women who helped save New York’s famed Book Row, from bestselling author Shelley Noble. 1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock. And home to three sisters who vow to stop him. For the three Applebaum sisters, the narrow, four-storied Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, oversees the retail shop and is a favorite with their customers. Celia, the youngest, is left to dust and catalogue, but often sneaks out to do heaven knows what. Little do her sisters know, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints, and sewing patterns, despite the personal risk. Meanwhile, the Comstock Laws threaten anybody who owns or circulates “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. Even classic literature or fine art could send a person to jail. In the face of such oppression, Celia and the booksellers of Book Row band together. But secrets and a mysterious stranger mean the fate of the famed Book Row is anything but secure."

Shelley Noble (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Now I Surrender

"Brought to you by Penguin. A visionary author returns with his most ambitious novel yet, about the Apache warrior Geronimo and the fiercely fought end of an era of almost unimaginable freedom. In the contested borderlands between Mexico and the United States, a Mexican woman flees into the desert after a devastating raid on her dead husband’s ranch. A federale of the new Mexican Republic, sent in pursuit of cattle rustlers, discovers he’s on the trail of a more dramatic abduction. Decades later, with political ambitions on the line, the American and Mexican militaries try to manoeuvre the most legendary of Apache warriors into surrender. In our own day, a writer and his family travel through the region in search of the traces of history. Now I Surrender and That Is All is Álvaro Enrigue’s most ambitious and impassioned novel yet: orchestrated with a stunningly imagined cast of characters, both historical and purely fictional, their storylines playing out in multiple eras. Part epic, part spaghetti Western, it weaves past and present, and myth and history, into a searing elegy for a way of life that was an incarnation of true liberty—and an homage to the spark in us that still thrills to its memory. © Álvaro Enrigue 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Álvaro Enrigue (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Long Road Home

"Brought to you by Penguin. THE TWENTYSECOND CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEAN Cliffehaven, 1947 In the wake of heartbreaking loss, Roisin Reilly makes a promise to her granddaughter Bella that they will cross the Wye Valley and travel to Cliffehaven to find the family she left with no warning nearly fifty years ago. As the pair embark upon their journey, there’s no telling who they will find – and whether they will be welcomed with open arms – when they get there. Meanwhile Roisin’s estranged brother Ron has been drawn back into his own memories of the past – even in spite of his daughter-in-law Pauline going missing and his son Jim suffering as years spent fighting in Burma catch up with him. The war may be over, but there are plenty of storms still to weather. Will love be enough to hold the Reilly family together? © Ellie Dean 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Ellie Dean (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Troublemakers

"Meet Minnie Newton – 27-year-old spinster, troublemaker and founder of the first ever women's football club… London, 1887: schoolteacher Minnie Newton is horrified when her female pupils placidly accept the limitations Victorian society puts on their ambitions and their lives. To show them women can do anything, she places a newspaper ad, seeking women to join a football team. From a handful of replies, she puts together a motley collection to form a squad that's keen but mostly hopeless. Soon the women fall in love with the game and decide to play in public and their matches begin to draw big crowds. But Minnie has a secret and soon all the attention her notorious team is getting starts to threaten the life she has built for herself. Can she toe the line between independence and safety or will the truth about who she is come out…? A story inspired by real-life Victorian women, who showed the world that women can do anything they put their minds to, even if they are ridiculed for it at first…"

Frances Quinn (Author), To Be Confirmed (Narrator)

Audiobook

It Girl: A Novel

"A sweeping, sensational novel of America's first "It Girl," whose dramatic journey to center stage echoes through the decades-from the New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. New York, 1900. At the dawn of a new century, the city's streets teem with change: electricity, automobiles, a brash young President Teddy Roosevelt-and the It Girls. As artist's muses and working models, these independent young women soar to stardom not because of their pedigrees or inherited wealth, but because of their talent, charisma, and irresistible beauty. Pop culture is born, and in a world alight with Mr. Edison's new bulbs, no one shines brighter than America's sweetheart, Evelyn Talbot. But the journey to stardom was not simple or straight. As a young girl, a grieving Evelyn is forced to take care of her widowed mother and kid brother. While working as a shopgirl, she is recruited as a studio model, and soon catches the eye of the preeminent artists of her age. When Broadway comes calling, Evelyn solidifies her status as the first self-made American female celebrity, a "Gibson Girl," the most sought-after face of her time. Enter a parade of powerful and power-hungry men, from world-famous architect Stanley Pierce, the visionary behind Manhattan's mansions and iconic landmarks, to Hal Thorne, the shockingly wealthy railroad heir and premiere "playboy" of high society. Each man promises comfort, glamour, security-even love. But fame and fortune are cruel teachers. When Evelyn finds herself at the center of a murder of passion declared "the Crime of the Century," the sins of the men in her life are blamed on her. In the media frenzy that erupts, Evelyn realizes that-to survive-she will have to take charge of her own ending. But can this artists' muse turned showgirl pull off the greatest act of her life? It Girl is a breathtaking ride inspired by a singular artist and survivor who captured the heart of American society. In Allison Pataki's talented hands, we see Evelyn find the power to change not only the world around her, but her own destiny."

Allison Pataki (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Operation Scarlet

"The future of the country depends upon their secret lives, but the things they keep from one another are tearing them apart. France, 1944: The clever and dashing Phineas Fulham is deeply involved in the resistance movement. Entrenched in the Black Market, he determines dealers and buyers sympathetic to working against the growing spread of Nazi hatred. While in Paris, fate reintroduces him to a beautiful opera singer from his past, Marlena Sartin. Their romance blossoms as the occupied city becomes more tightly held by the vise grip of Germany. Meanwhile, Marlena is holding secrets of her own. She has her own part to play in the changing landscape of France, but she can't help being drawn to Phin. It is on their wedding day that they both learn that the other's secrets could threaten them both. And with D-day looming, the things they're keeping from each other threaten not just the future of their love, but of the country and the war itself. Transporting readers to war-occupied Dover, Rouen, and Paris, Operation Scarlet breathes new life into a classic revolutionary story with fresh wit, romance, and the spirit of swashbuckling heroism that transcends wars and centuries. - Stand-alone novel set during WWII - A romantic tale of exciting heroism, covert operations, and Nazi-occupied France - Perfect for fans of The Lost Girls of Paris, The Rose Code, and Before We Were Yours - Includes discussion questions for book clubs"

Rachel Mcmillan (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Her Hidden Courage: A gripping historical novel about love, friendship and resilience against all od

"Can she defy the odds to follow her heart? London, 1939. With war imminent in Poland, nineteen-year-old Tamar and her father flee to the heart of the East End. Tamar becomes close friends with nurse Florence and local shopkeeper Elma, but their joy quickly falls apart as bombings land and they are driven into hiding. Isaac, Tamar's fiancé, departs for Poland to help in the service of war, carrying with him a silver clasp from Tamar's bracelet as a token of her love. When the war's devastation reaches her doorstep, Tamar is recruited for espionage in a bid to find Isaac and, amid the shadows of the resistance, she learns of his brave actions inside the camps - but fears for his life. When those fears come true, Tamar's world is shattered and, completely heartbroken, she returns to London - to the women and community she has come to know as her family and home. Together, in the heart of Brick Lane, they rebuild their lives and hold on to hope - but then Isaac's silver clasp returns . . ."

Mary Wood (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dishonour in Denmark

"The Royal Navy is larger than it has ever been—nearly eight hundred ships and one hundred and twenty thousand men—and it is too small for the tasks demanded of it if the war is to be won. British hardwood forests have been destroyed, with the exception of the untouchable New Forest. It is impossible to build enough ships to make up for losses, let alone to expand. At least twenty of the ships at sea are unfit for service, may well sink in the next storm. The sole answer is to find an ally with a large fleet, or to capture the ships required, which is easier said than done. Denmark has a large ocean-going fleet, but is neutral and terrified of France. Nick Turnhouse is tasked to find a way of taking the Danish fleet, laid up in Copenhagen, intact and immediately usable. There is a way—provided he and the government of the day are prepared to sacrifice honor and decency. Perfidious Albion may yet prevail."

Andrew Wareham (Author), Paul Fox (Narrator)

Audiobook

Different World

"After a bitter family breakdown, William-Wetherby seeks a new life far from home. But being rid of Mr. Wetherby isn't as simple as it seems . . . Setting off in search of his brother, William-Wetherby heads to Liverpool. Since they were last together their world has changed and with no one to turn to, he needs a friend. When he rents a room with a local family, he refuses to tell his landlady or her daughter, Bella, anything about his past. But their curiosity is piqued . . . As their friendship develops and he begins to trust her, Bella hopes he'll settle down. But a final surprise from Mr. Wetherby reignites past grievances . . . and this time William-Wetherby is ready for a fight. Inspired by a true story, Different World is the final book in the Ambition & Destiny series, a five part family saga set in Victorian-era England."

VL McBeath (Author), Lucy Brownhill (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Pohaku: A Novel

"From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga that moves from Hawaii to California and back, about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them. A young woman lies in a hospital bed in a coma, watched over by her estranged grandmother. Some say she jumped off the cliff; others say she was swept away by a wave. But her tutu at her bedside suspects something else is wrong, that the reason for the hardship and heartbreak in their family history is tied to a story that she’s never told—one about a powerful stone, the pohaku, that her family was tasked with protecting generations ago. In fits and starts, the grandmother begins . . . We travel back in time to the eighteenth century, when the explorer James Cook becomes the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Cook arrives in pursuit of an ancient prophecy, a key that would unlock the mysteries of the world, but he is killed before he can learn about the mysterious stone—a stone born alongside future Hawaiian royalty, the key to something even more powerful than Cook could have imagined. So begins a thrilling family saga of the women charged with protecting the pohaku, as it is taken from Hawai’i to California and possibly beyond, bringing fortune to the well-intentioned and misfortune to the bad. But with each successive generation, the fractures caused by its displacement widen until it becomes clear that the pohaku’s story must survive if there is to be any hope at all of the family's—and a nation’s—reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other. Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There, The Pohaku is an immersive and bold novel about the history, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people."

Jasmin Iolani Hakes (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Book of Forbidden Words: A Novel

"From bestselling author Louise Fein comes a new historical novel about an encrypted manuscript that unleashes a chain of consequences across 400 years, set in a world of banned books, fear of new ideas, and the dangers of censorship, perfect for fans of The Briar Club and Weyward. ''What power lay there in words on a page. And with that thought, Charlotte knew she would not rest until she had seen what was in the manuscript that Lysbette so desperately wanted to preserve in print.” 1552, Paris: Against a backdrop of turmoil, suspicion, and paranoia, the printing press is quickly spreading new ideas across Europe, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives one day at Charlotte Guillard’s famous printing shop with her manuscript, neither woman knows just how far the powerful elite will go to prevent the spread of Lysbette’s audacious ideas. 1952, New York: Milly Bennett, lonely and unmoored, is a seemingly ordinary housewife with a secretive past. Balancing the day-to-day boredom of keeping house and struggling to find her way with the mothers at her children’s school, she finds her life taking an unexpected turn as conspiracies spread amidst the paranoid clamors of McCarthy’s America. When a relic from her past presents her with a 400-year-old manuscript to decipher, she is reluctantly pulled into a vortex of danger that threatens to shatter her world. From the risky backstreets of sixteenth-century Paris to the unpredictable suburbs of mid-twentieth century New York, the stakes couldn’t be higher when, 400 years apart, Milly, Lysbette, and Charlotte each face a reality where the spread of ideas are feared and every effort is made to suppress them. Dramatic and affecting, and inspired by the real-life encrypted Voynich manuscript, Book of Forbidden Words is both an engrossing story about a timeless struggle that echoes through the ages and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who dare to let their words be heard."

Louise Fein (Author), Ell Potter, Emma Fenney, Fiona Hardingham (Narrator)

Audiobook

Historical Audiobooks in Fiction