Riot Recommendation

Riot Recommendation: Tell Us The Best Historical Fiction Books?

Jamie Canaves

Contributing Editor

Jamie Canavés is the Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator and Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter writer–in case you’re wondering what you do with a Liberal Arts degree. She’s never met a beach she didn’t like, always says yes to dessert, loves ‘80s nostalgia, all forms of entertainment, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. You can definitely talk books with her on Litsy and Goodreads. Depending on social media’s stability maybe also Twitter and Bluesky.

This Riot Recommendation asking for the best historical fiction books is sponsored by CADENZA by Stella Riley, a vibrant historical romance in The Times recommended Rockliffe series.

Cadenza cover imageDon’t miss this heart-warming historical romance with vibrant characters and exquisite period detail! In CADENZA, Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy, and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted. Will the young lady employed to rescue his house from chaos succeed before the famed Duke of Rockliffe discovers her charade? “Cadenza is a feast for the senses.”—Rakes and Rascals


In my desire to be clever and think of lyrics to play with in relation to running away to another place, I ended up with Ghetto Superstar stuck in my head, so that’s what I’m humming while I excitedly await your answers to what you think are the best historical mystery books. I personally have a sweet spot for feminist historical mysteries like A Study In Scarlet Women and The Widows of Malabar Hill but really I love all historical fiction. So hit me with your favorites in our comments section, and next week you can see the big ol’ list of best historical fiction books to add to your TBR.