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ACE, MARVEL, SPY

ACE, MARVEL, SPY A Novel of Alice Marvel

by Jenni L. Walsh | Read by Gail Shalan

HarperCollins Focus | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

This audiobook is a fictionalized sports biography about tennis prodigy Alice Marble, who became the world's top female tennis player in 1939. Gail Shalan narrates this dual-timeline story and communicates the tension of court play: the snap decisions, along with the stamina and determination it takes to be a winner. The lively, driven heroine is also a comic book creator, and... Read More

BABYLONIA

BABYLONIA

by Costanza Casati | Read by Ayesha Antoine

Recorded Books | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

This audiobook is a gripping historical epic about Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire. Ayesha Antoine's mesmerizing narration captures the raw intensity of Semiramis's journey. Born an orphan, she rises to power through intelligence, ambition, and sheer will, navigating a treacherous world of war, politics, and forbidden love. Her relationships with King... Read More

THE BALLAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE

THE BALLAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE

by Briony Cameron | Read by Angel Pean

Simon & Schuster Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Narrator Angel Pean delivers a robust and emotionally charged portrayal of a seventeenth-century biracial female pirate in this action- packed audiobook. After her French-born father is brutally killed in Haiti, 20-year-old Jacquot flees with her younger brother; her lover, Theresa; and several male ship-worker friends. They become indentured to the notorious pirate Blackhand.... Read More

BEHIND EVERY GOOD MAN

BEHIND EVERY GOOD MAN

by Sara Goodman Confino | Read by Helen Laser

Brilliance Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Listeners will have a grand time with Helen Laser's vibrant narration of this lively audiobook about a modern woman who is navigating the political scene in 1962 Washington, DC. After catching her husband, Larry, cheating with his secretary, 27-year-old Beverly Diamond decides that going to work will allow her independence from Larry while she is divorcing him. Beverly, the... Read More

BITTER PASSAGE

BITTER PASSAGE

by Colin Mills | Read by Steve West

Brilliance Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Listeners will want to turn up the thermostat when they listen to British-accented Steve West present this horrific story. A Royal Navy ship is sent to rescue survivors of the Franklin Expedition, last seen in Baffin Bay in the Arctic Ocean in 1845. Among the searchers is Lieutenant Frederick Robinson, who is intent on advancing his Navy career, and surgeon Edward Adams, a... Read More

THE JACKAL'S MISTRESS

THE JACKAL'S MISTRESS

by Chris Bohjalian | Read by Marni Penning, Chris Bohjalian

Random House Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Narrator Marni Penning performs this story of unlikely friendship and divided loyalty during the chaos of the American Civil War. Southerner Libby Steadman does all she can to keep the family gristmill going while her husband is away fighting. When she discovers a horribly injured Union soldier, she has to weigh the dangers and benefits of keeping him alive behind enemy lines.... Read More

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES

Earphones Award Winner

by Elise Hooper | Read by Emily Rankin, Caroline Hewitt

Harper Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

With deft interpretations and stunning vocal control, Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt bring this fascinating historical mystery to life. The casting is on point, bringing enough variation to the main characters to allow easy differentiation. The story spans a century of time and three generations of women. Rankin brings the listener along as Tildy Barrows, head curator of an... Read More

THE LOTUS SHOES

THE LOTUS SHOES

by Jane Yang | Read by Catherine Ho, Katharine Chin

Harlequin Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Little Flower is poor but talented--and she has beautiful feet, which is unusual for a woman of low status in early-nineteenth-century China. Katharine Chin delivers a striking performance, enriching this novel's historical setting with expressive storytelling. She conveys Little Flower's coming of age at a time of great strife and intrigue in a voice that blends fragility and... Read More

THE OWL WAS A BAKER'S DAUGHTER

THE OWL WAS A BAKER'S DAUGHTER The Continuing Adventures of Judith Shakespeare

Earphones Award Winner

by Grace Tiffany | Read by Mary Jane Wells

Harper Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Period music provides an apt background for a note in the initial credits informing listeners that the pronunciation in this production will be performed in the Early Modern English of Shakespeare's time. That sets up an immersive transition to the world of 61-year-old Judith, apothecary, midwife, and the last of the Bard's progeny, who must leave town after being accused of... Read More

THE PLAYERS

THE PLAYERS

by Minette Walters | Read by Emma Gregory

Blackstone Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Narrator Emma Gregory takes on this complex story of revenge, defeat, and political intrigue, set in 1685 Dorset, England. Charles II's illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his Catholic uncle, James II, only to experience defeat and beheading. The Duke of Granville and his mother, Lady Jayne Harrier, secret allies of... Read More

THE QUIET LIBRARIAN

THE QUIET LIBRARIAN

Earphones Award Winner

by Allen Eskens | Read by Ilvana Muratovic

Hachette Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Narrator Ilvana Muratovic's Bosnian heritage adds power to Eskens's extraordinary historical novel of the 1990s War in Bosnia and its repercussions. Muratovic gives Hana Babic, a Bosnian now living in Minnesota, a subtle accent. It soon becomes clear that Hana's secret past, buried for the last 30 years, threatens to resurface and upend her quiet life. As the story flashes back... Read More

THE RESTLESS WAVE

THE RESTLESS WAVE Scott Bradley James, Book 1

by James Stavridis | Read by Marc Cashman

Random House Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Marc Cashman narrates this historical novel with the authoritative, dispassionate voice of a news commentator. Listeners follow the early naval career of Scott Bradley James, an ambitious, patriotic young man from Florida who graduates from the Naval Academy in 1941 and is soon drawn into WWII. This well-researched, personalized, and highly dramatic story follows Scott's career... Read More

A SMALL HOTEL

A SMALL HOTEL Small Hotel, Book 1

Earphones Award Winner

by Suanne Laqueur | Read by Darren Eliker

Suanne Laqueur | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Darren Eliker masterfully portrays Kennet, the eldest son of the Fiskare family, at a pivotal age in his life. The summer of 1941 brings Ingrid to the Fiskares' hotel, and although she is promised to another, love blooms between her and Kennet. But soon, Ingrid is forced back to Brazil, and Kennet joins the war. Eliker captures young, forbidden love and heartbreak beautifully... Read More

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS

by Ann Liang | Read by Natalie Naudus

Macmillan Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

This sweeping historical fiction inspired by the Four Beauties of Ancient China is in Natalie Naudus's more-than-capable hands. Xishi is the most beautiful woman in Yue--perhaps in the world. In military advisor Fanli's eyes, Xishi's beauty has the power to overturn King Fuchai's quest to colonize Yue. When Xishi begins her mission to seduce, spy on, and sabotage the king,... Read More

THE STOLEN QUEEN

THE STOLEN QUEEN

by Fiona Davis | Read by Linda Jones

Penguin Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Charlotte Cross is an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1978. She's quietly conducting Egyptology research that harkens back to her only experience in Egypt, which took place before WWII. Linda Jones's excellent narration reflects Charlotte's ambivalence: She's determined to prove her controversial theory about an Egyptian ruler but fearful... Read More

THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF

THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF

by Isa Arsén | Read by Saskia Maarleveld, Isa Arsén

Penguin Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Saskia Maarleveld gives an impressive performance of this audiobook, set in the 1950s theater worlds of New York City and New Mexico. Maarleveld splendidly portrays the unsettled persona of Margaret Wolf, who flees a difficult life to follow her dream of becoming a Shakespearean actress. Maarleveld skillfully balances Margaret's histrionic tendencies with the sadness she... Read More

WHITE MULBERRY

WHITE MULBERRY

by Rosa Kwon Easton | Read by Michelle H. Lee

Brilliance Audio | Unabridged
Historical Fiction

Narrator Michelle Lee transports listeners with this historical debut based on the life of the author's grandmother. In 1928, 11-year-old Miyoung lives in a tiny village in Japanese-occupied Korea. Wanting to further her education and live with her sister in Japan, Miyoung leaves behind her sick mother and her own name. In Kyoto, she adopts the name Miyoko and passes as... Read More

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