Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain
July already? Summer is racing by, and it’s a new month once again. You know what that means. New historical fiction books! Just in case your reading list is starting to run low, I’m here with six new historical fiction releases to keep you busy. You didn’t think I’d forgotten about your TBR, did you? These six new releases will take you on a journey through the recent past, from 1890s India to 1940s France. There are stories of revolutionaries and art forgers and real-life spies. In fact, now that I think of it, these books lean decidedly toward the world of mystery and espionage.
They’re not all straight up historical mysteries—though we can recommend you plenty of those if that’s your cup of literary tea—but almost all of them involve someone working as a detective, spy, revolutionary, or grifter. That’s definitely something of a trend. Don’t worry, though, even if you aren’t much of a mystery reader, you’ll still find plenty to enjoy within the pages of these books. If for some reason they aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, don’t worry! More new books will be here before you know it next month. I guarantee it!
A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart by Nishant Batsha
Release date: July 1, 2025
At Stanford University in 1917, Cora Trent meets Indra Mukherjee, an Indian revolutionary new to California. Their connection grows as they attend local protests, soon leading to a hasty marriage as America is drawn into the war in Europe. But as their ambitions diverge, and Indra awaits orders from a German spymaster, they struggle to maintain their relationship and their freedom.
*All Access members read on for more recommendations*
Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain
A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar
Release date: July 1, 2025
After the Nazi party wins the election in Germany, Bárbara flees to Spain and opens up the small bookstore she’s always dreamed of running. But the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War threatens to upend Bárbara’s life once again. Violence and terror, as it turns out, aren’t as far from her new home as she once thought. Bárbara’s done running, though. This time, she plans to stay and fight for the new life she’s been building for herself.
The Original by Nell Stevens
Release date: July 1, 2025
The author of Briefly, a Delicious Life pens another historical fiction novel about an unusual artist. Grace has been raised on the periphery of a once-great house, an unwelcome guest at the mercy of her uncle’s charity. Her unusual gift for forging art sets her apart, but when her cousin George—long presumed dead—returns, it’s exactly that gift for fakes that helps her decide who to believe and how to convince others to do the same.
Noor and Vera by Rupande Mehta
Release date: July 17, 2025
In Nazi-occupied France, the stories of an SOE spy from an important Sufi family and a Jewish-Romanian British Intelligence Officer intersect. Noor Inayat Khan sets out on a perilous mission behind enemy lines. Vera Atkins continues to fight discrimination on the home front, determined to do her part to defeat the Nazis. That means doing more than just sending operatives like Noor out into the field, though. It means making sure they get to come home once the mission is done.
Blood Caste by Shylashri Shankar
Release date: July 24, 2025
This historical thriller set in British-occupied 1890s India follows Chief Inspector Soobramania’s hunt for a killer. When three bodies are discovered in Hyderabad mutilated in a horrifyingly familiar fashion, one question looms large: has Jack the Ripper come to India? Forced to ally with his rival in the British Residency Police, Soob sets out to investigate a Russian grand duke, an English earl, and a Deccani nobleman, all with ties to the murders.
The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Release date: July 29, 2025
When Lena Conti arrives at Ellis Island from Germany in the 1930s, she isn’t met with the freedom and opportunity she had hoped for. Instead, she sees families being forcibly separated. Determined not to be separated from her two-year-old daughter, Lena marches ahead. Instead, it’s her mother and teenage brother who are denied entry, labeled burdens to society, and shipped back to Germany. But even once she makes it to Virginia to stay with a widowed relative, the terror continues. The eugenics movement has taken hold in America, and there are those determined to find cause to institutionalize the people here and take their land.
Did you miss May and June’s historical fiction new releases? It’s not too late to catch up on them now.
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