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Riot Recommendation

35 Great Historical Fiction Series You Love

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.

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This Riot Recommendation listing great historical fiction series that you love 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

There are so many time periods and places around the world to visit that we never tire of reading historical fiction—and that’s before you even get into the sub-genres like historical mysteries and historical romances! So we asked you which great historical fiction series you’ve read and loved. Some we’d read and loved too, others we’re happy to now have on our TBR! And without further ado, here’s that beautiful list of great historical fiction series you love.

Love historical fiction? You'll want to check out these 35 awesome historical fiction series. book lists | historical fiction | historical fiction series | historical fiction book lists

Alyssa Cole’s The Loyal League series

Susan Howatch’s Starbridge series

Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge

Ken Follett’s Century trilogies

Sujata Massey’s Perveen Mistry series

Y.S. Lee’s The Agency series

Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series

Radha Vatsal’s Kitty Weeks series

The Skystone by Jack Whyte

Abir Mukherjee’s Sam Wyndham series

Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series

Winston Graham’s Poldark series

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Philippa Gregory’s Cousin War series

Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series

Lindsey Davis’s Didius Falco mysteries

Laura Joh Rowland Sano Ichirō series

Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series

Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series

Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh Princes trilogy

The Saxon Series by Bernard Cornwell

Lindsey Davis’s Marcus Didius Falco

Eric Flint’s 1632 series

Bernard Cornwell’s The Grail Quest series

Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series

Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond series

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series

Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart series

Dorothy Dunnett’s The Lymond chronicles

Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series

C. J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series

George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman Papers

Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh Princess series

Sara Donati’s Wilderness series

Conrad Richter’s The Awakening Land