Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Historical Fiction


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‘An Echo of Courage’: A Story That Lingers

An Echo of Courage (December, 2025)

By Heidi Ennis

 

Genre: Christian historical fiction, Christian romance

Pages (print): 452

Set amid the feral beauty of the 1880s Pacific Northwest, An Echo of Courage is Book Two in the Columbia River series. We like, Totally Love-ified the first book, A Father’s Dream. (See our review here.) This one? Not so much. We’ll get to that in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, Cupcake. First, here’s a synopsis:

The Columbia River, 1885. After a devastating accident, Pauel Oman faces constant pain and an uncertain future. Once the dependable one, he now wonders if his life holds any meaning. Yet through his sister’s stubborn care, his best friend’s sharp humor, and the steady presence of a wolf named Essa light and hope begin to return. Pauel learns that courage is not found in grand heroics, but in the daily choice to believe again.

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SPOON UP 3 Hefty Helpings of Historical Fiction!

You know Her Momness loves historical fiction, right?

“If historical fiction was a flavor, it’d be raspberry white chocolate cheesecake! With double hot fudge!” croweth Mom.

Why she says this, I don’t know. I do know she’s breaking out her Happy Dance. Because we’re reviewing three sturdy historical fiction titles today! All set during World War II.

Break out some extra spoons for Lilac Girls, Irena’s War, and The Orphan’s Tale:

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‘The Story She Left Behind’ & A Little Bit of Pixie Dust…

The Story She left Behind

By Patti Callahan Henry (Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2025)

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

Pages (print): 339

Via: Library

Talith: When the sky breaks open; transformation that changes you into who you are meant to be; into your very essence.

Kimber: I won’t grow up,
(I won’t grow up)
I don’t want to go to school.
(I don’t want to go to school)
Just to learn to be a parrot,
(Just to learn to be a parrot)
And recite a silly rule.
(And recite a silly rule)…

Mom: Kimmi, what in the world are you doing?

Kimber: I’m putting that book we just finished to music. You know. That one you said was – and I quote: “One of the most remarkable historical fiction/fantasy novels I’ve read in years.”

Mom: Oh. You mean Patti Callahan Henry’s The Story She Left Behind?

Kimber: Bingo! Now step away from the pixie dust and tell the peeps about this Totally PAWsome book already.

Mom: Roger that. Here goes:

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Why This Book Left One of Us Speechless

Strangers in Time

By David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, 2025)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Via: Library

Pages (Print): 431

Kimber here. Telling you to hold on to your kibble. Or whatevs. Cuz Her Momness and I? We just finished one of them thar “barn burner” thingies. It’s historical fiction. Set in an oft-overlooked epoch. By an author who’s not exactly known for historical fiction. But this fella? Even though David Baldacci’s an acclaimed, best-selling author of action/thriller tomes, he doggone outdogg-ies his-self with Strangers in Time.

I know. I’m adorable.

I’ll let Mom tell ya more:

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New Holocaust Novel Packs a Punch!

The Ruins in Which We Bleed: A Gripping Holocaust Novel Inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story (World War II Historical Fiction Book 3)

By Steve N. Lee (Blue Zoo, June 2025)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages (print): 356

Via: Author request

“Run, Helena. Run!”

Mama’s terror-stricken shout echoes through the Warsaw sewers as Mama and daughter Helena flee marauding Nazis while the Warsaw ghetto goes up in smoke in this uber engaging and thoroughly absorbing historical fiction read set during World War II.

Having lost her entire family to disease and German brutality when the Sliwickis are forced into the infamous Warsaw ghetto, Helena hesitates when Mama tells her to run. But when the Germans grab Mama, Helena obeys. Running for her life, Helena soon realizes she’s lost everything. And everyone. Everyone.

Except Sparkle the cat.

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‘Twilight of Evil’: WWII Historical Fiction With a Twist

Twilight of Evil

By George Alexander (Old Monk Publishing. January 2025)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages (print): 284

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fegelein pressed the top corner of the panel. It clicked and opened inward, revealing a narrow, dark passage. Hitler took Eva’s hand. “We depart.”

Move over John le Carre, Ken Follett, and Hilary Mantel. There’s a new kid in town. Name’s Alexander. George Alexander. And he’s penned one doozy of an historical fiction tome in Twilight of Evil. Like this:

A faked suicide? Body doubles? Look-alikes and stand-ins? A hidden passage and a staged suicide shrouded in uncertainty? Did Hitler, aka: Evil Mustache Due (EMD), really die at the end of World War II? Or did he escape, leaving a trail of lies and deception in his wake with visions of rebuilding the unthinkable from the ashes of defeat: A Fourth Reich?

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Why ‘Two Weeks Till Sunday’ Is Better Than Beef Bourguignon

Kimber: Yo, Mom! What’s this ‘week’ stuff? Is that like wan Beef Bourguignon? Limp leg of lamb? Flimsy filet mignon?

Mom: No, Kimster. It’s w-e-e-k. As in, seven days.

Kimber: Great. Got it. What’s ‘seven days’?

Insert Mom eye roll here.

Kimber: Silly Mom. She’s probably ruminating on my beautimous brilliance and munificent magnificence. Or she wants to tell you about a brand new historical fiction thingy we just read. It’s like, Totally Pawsome! You know this is true because I say so. Got that, Cupcake?

Well. The book is Two Weeks Till Sunday. By indie author Caleb Backholm. Take it away, Momster! (That’s not a typo. In case you’re wonderin’, Cookie.)

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‘The Queen’s Men’: Perspicacious or Peanut Butter?

 

The Queen’s Men

An Agents of the Crown Novel

By Oliver Clements (Leopoldo & Co., an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. , 2012)

Genre: historical fiction

Pages: 399

Via: Library

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

There’s plenty of both in this Double-Oh-Seven type drama set in 16th century England and the court of Queen Elizabeth.

Dr. Dee, an alchemist who doubles as “the original MI6 agent” is assigned a dangerous mission to re-create a weapon from antiquity. But if it falls into the wrong hands, it could threaten the crown and bring down the Empire.

Is this historical fiction thingy all it’s cracked up to be?

‘Hark! Methinks I heareth yon dragon in thy far-off forest.’ (You’ll get that if you read the book.)

Kimber Klue: If She Who Must Be Obeyed (sort of) has to invent ways to avoid finishing or resuming a book, that’s a sign. As in, nothing good. So it was with The Queen’s Men. Here’s the 4-1-1:

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The Slug & I and a New Spy Thriller

Didya miss us?

Kimber the Magnificent here. Her Momness can’t come to the blog write now (that’s not a typo.) She’s being a lazy slug. Slacking on this post-y/bloggy thing. So I decided to step in and take over. After all, someone has to be the adult in the room. (And we all know who that leaves out, right?)

Anyway, the Slug and I? We’ve read like, 98 million books since our last post-y thing. Well. Okay. Maybe not “98 million.” Maybe only 97. But anyway. I wanted to tell ya about the last historical fiction thing-y we read. Cuz someone has to, Slugville notwithstanding. So here goes:

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Hannah’s ‘The Women’: Awesome or Arugula?

 

The Women

By Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press, 2024)

Genre: Historical Fiction/Vietnam

Via: Library

Pages: 464 (Print)

If you’ve been reading with us for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – you know that Mom and I are singularly unimpressed by the words “Best-selling author.” Or its kissing cousins, “(fill in the blank) Award Winner” and “Over a bazillion copies in print.” The fact that everyone and their neighbor’s cat is crowing about a new release impresses us about as much as a plate of overcooked arugula.

Yea, verily. We’ve heaped praise on unknown indie authors who’ve earned it. We’ve also panned Pulitzer Prize winners who deserved it. Ya just never know.

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