Lucy Turns Pages: Do you like History? Check out these books!

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Hello! In this post we will be looking at some historical fictions (or books with a historical feel) by indie authors!

The sly deceit and deception of the Dacian King unleashes an Emperor's revenge. A soldier learns the wily crafts of war and politics as he rises through the ranks of the legendary Legion of Gemina. Overreaching ambition lays the framework for fissures within the Roman Empire.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

The Arc of Dacicus (Vialegio Book 2)

Years of provocation and deception have incited the Emperor Trajan to restore the honour of Rome on the eastern frontiers of the empire.

Shameful memories of past humiliations from broken treaties and the dishonourable losses of Roman legions compel the emperor to subdue the frontier territories and to impose Roman hegemony.
Senior Tribune Cletus, steadily elevated by battlefield actions of bravery and courage through the Legion Gemina ranks, finds his allegiances tested as he climbs the ladder of power during the arc of the expansionary campaign.

Hell in High Heels: Villainous B*****s You Won't (BUT SHOULD) Find in the History Books (Very Sweary Histories)

Addressing women in history with a unique perspective and a bit of flair!

History textbooks haven’t changed in at least thirty years. Imagine the author's disappointment when she realized her children were learning the same misinformation she did in K-12. Where the f*** were the women who refused to conform? Who refused to live under a man’s boot? The villains? The criminals? Did they not exist?

A handful of badass women are mentioned, usually in passing, in mainstream history books as a sort of appeasement for the feminist crowd—Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, et cetera, et cetera—but the author, a feminist, was not appeased. Or amused.

You won’t recognize many of the names here, if any, but there are some familiar names who merit a more honest accounting than they’ve been given. These are women who broke the law; who committed murder; who stole; who got a bad rap; who defied convention; who were so f***ing fierce in their own time that contemporary historians exaggerated their villainy.

You ought to meet these badass—and sometimes really f***ing scary—b*****s. Some will make you cheer; some will make you laugh; and some will make you mad.

Caesar's Command: An Alternate Roman History

Caesar is the praetorian governor of Further Spain when war breaks out against a rebel with a familiar name: Quintus Sertorius. The late Roman rebel left a half-Iberian son behind, and now he's determined to win freedom for his people. But there's one problem: Gaius Julius Caesar is in his way. Alternate History-- What happens when Caesar finds himself on the side of the Republic, with Pompey the Great as the threat looming in the shadows? Updates daily!

First 3 episodes free!

Against the Wind: A Novelette of Mary I and Elizabeth I

Mary and Elizabeth Tudor unite to change history.

Mary I: remembered by history as “Bloody Mary” ended her life abandoned by her husband, imprisoning her sister, and hated by her people. Yet before that, she was a neglected daughter of Henry VIII—who shoved her aside in his quest for a male heir, never caring what his callous attitude did to his daughter.

Elizabeth I: likewise abandoned by her father, a life without love would shape her into a hard woman remembered as one of the greatest monarchs in English history—yet she, too, was lonely. Unable to marry the man she loved and unable to trust even those closest to her, Elizabeth played one faction against one another up until the bitter end.

Not this time.

Henry VIII’s early death in 1541 throws his daughters together, with far-reaching consequences for the Tudor dynasty. In a world where Katherine Parr never becomes queen, Mary and Elizabeth Tudor have no one to depend upon except one another. An alternate story in Tudor England. Novelette length.

Caged Time

In 1930s New York, David Tarniss leads a quiet life as a cab driver—too quiet—In reality he is hiding a dark secret, his homosexuality, something for which he will pay dearly due to the unique circumstances of the time.

A fascinating, if disturbing, story about the challenges that confronted gays (and Jews) in 1930s New York.

The Vatican Cameos: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

"An extravagantly imagined and beautifully written Holmes story” Lee Child

When the papal apartments are burgled in 1901, Sherlock Holmes is summoned to Rome by Pope Leo XII. After learning from the pontiff that several priceless cameos that could prove compromising to the church, and perhaps determine the future of the newly unified Italy, have been stolen, Holmes is asked to recover them. In a parallel story, Michelangelo, the toast of Rome in 1501 after the unveiling of his Pieta, is commissioned by Pope Alexander VI, the last of the Borgia pontiffs, with creating the cameos that will bedevil Holmes and the papacy four centuries later. For fans of Conan Doyle's immortal detective, the game is always afoot. However, the great detective has never encountered an adversary quite like the one with whom he crosses swords in "The Vatican Cameos.."

Sherlock Holmes and The Eye of Heka

January 1888: Dr. John H. Watson has returned to 221b Baker Street, just weeks after a personal tragedy has left him bereaved and bereft. Feeling like a broken man, his plans and dreams lying in ruin, he slowly tries to make his way forward, with the help of Sherlock Holmes and Mrs. Hudson. Unexpectedly, he finds himself standing in the path of a madman - who suddenly and irrationally blames Watson for his apparent defeat.

Meanwhile, Holmes has tried to distract his grief-stricken friend by telling stories of his past cases, including how, a decade before, he recovered a mysterious relic - The Eye of Heka - stolen from the British Museum. But Holmes's plan to show Watson this unique and ancient idol goes suddenly and terribly wrong as both are swept into a series of events, one tumbling rapidly upon another, that lead to thefts, murders, and possibly a war that might quickly escalate to draw in nations from most of the world. And always there is the madman in the shadows - waiting for his next chance to attack . . . .

From The Notebooks of Dr. John H. Watson comes another story by Sherlockian David Marcum, author of over eighty traditional Holmes pastiches, including those collected in The Papers of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt, and Sherlock Holmes - Tangled Skeins.

Join us as we return to Baker Street and discover more authentic adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the man described by the estimable Dr. Watson as "the best and wisest . . . whom I have ever known."

The game is afoot!

The Merest Loss

A story of love and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.

When Harriet Howard becomes Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer and appears at his side in Paris in 1848, it is as if she has emerged from nowhere. How did the English daughter of a Norfolk boot-maker meet the future Emperor? Who is the mysterious Nicholas Sly and what is his hold over Harriet?

Can Harriet meet her obligations and return to her former life and the man she left behind? What is her involvement with British Government secret services? Can Harriet’s friend, jockey Tom Olliver, help her son Martin solve his own mystery: the identity of his father?

The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.

The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Love, Politics, and Survival: A Whitfield Family Narrative Book One (The Whitfield Family Saga)

The country of Waldovia has been plagued by political deceit and corruption, and perhaps none have been so caught up than George Whitfield, who had made the mistake of choosing nobody’s side in the latest coup against Director Edward Roth, of the Department of Security and Action. George is forced to resign and become Edward’s Deputy Director. While to some, George may have been given a promotion, he is really fighting to keep his family intact, especially when a new coup is forming and his son is suspected to be involved. The book takes on themes not only of family and politics, but of love and friendship as the Whitfield family tries to navigate their corrupt world.