Mix It Up: 20 Must-Read, Genre-Blending Historical Fiction Books

And last, but not least, a marriage of convenience story! An heiress who needs a husband is pursued by a duke in need of a fortune. August’s sister, Violet, is the one her parents offer the Duke of Rothschild, but it’s August he wants. But will he get what he wants?

In this multi-award-winning novel, women pilots and scientists are enlisted to help the space program find a new habitable planet as a meteor heads towards Earth. But if women qualified to help solve the problem, why aren’t they allowed to travel in space too? Elma is determined to be the first woman to do so.

Time travel is a great way to get your doses of science fiction and history! The members of the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research decide that the best way to learn about history is to actually visit it. But traveling back in time without leaving a mark is easier said than done.

More time travel! This book, the recipient of multiple awards, involves a young scientist who is stranded in the 14th century after a mishap back at the 21st century lab. I chose this one because it’s the first book, and it is excellent, but I personally think the second book in this series, To Say Nothing of the Dog, is even better.

Hetty Rhodes and her husband, Benjy, were Conductors on the Underground Railroad, where they helped enslaved people get to freedom. Now that the war is over, they help solve crimes for people the police ignore. But in this version of America, people like Hetty and Benjy, have magical powers to help them out.

At the turn of the 20th century, a golem, a creature made of clay, and a jinni, an ancient fire being, meet in New York City and strike up a friendship. It’s this strong bond that will help them get through fantastical challenges and danger. (And the long-awaited sequel to this came out last year: The Hidden Palace!)

This is a fun fantasy set in Edwardian England! Robin Blyth learns that magic is real when a clerical error assigns him the job of civil service liaison to a hidden magical society. With the help of the handsome Edwin Courcey, a member of the society, Robin must navigate the danger and discover what happened to his predecessor.

This book is more mystery and atmosphere than straight out scary-scary. But I included it under horror because being eaten by vampires is scary. In this case, this immersive story involves a young woman who becomes wrapped up in her family’s history, a history that involves the notorious Vlad the Impaler.

This is a fantastic new tale of terror. A young woman moves to Nebraska with her mother after her father dies. There she gets a job at a full-contact haunted house, and not long after, a murder occurs. Told through court documents and personal accounts, she and several other characters must tell what they know. (And you might think a book set in 1997 doesn’t qualify as historical fiction, but remember that people born in that year are now old enough to rent cars.)

I’ll end it with a Book Riot favorite. Set in Mexico in the 1950s, this is a creepy supernatural tale of an unusual house and a terrifying family history. When Noemí Taboada visits High Place to check on her newly-married cousin, it become immediately apparent that something unusual is going on in the house. But will she live to tell about it?