Free/Bargain Historical Fiction in December 2013

[AnemicOak]

I don't see a thread for Historical Fiction so thought I'd start one. Hopefully there will be enough deals and enough interest...

We point out free and bargain historical fiction titles to each other. Please don't post any self-published books, and please do a search before posting to avoid duplicates.

Be aware that many freebies are only free for a day, so grab them fast!



Death of Kings: A Novel (Saxon Tales) by Bernard Cornwell $1.99

The fate of a young nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in the thrilling sixth volume of the New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series. Following the intrigue and action of The Burning Land and Sword Song, this latest chapter in Bernard Cornwell’s epic saga of England is a gripping tale of divided loyalties and mounting chaos. At a crucial moment in time, as Alfred the Great lays dying, the fate of all—Angles, Saxons, and Vikings alike—hangs desperately in the balance.

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick $1.99

One Queen, One Empress, and the Crown the Would Define Them Both


Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.


Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.

For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick $1.99

When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II's court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger a chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger's importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best.

To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick $1.99

The adored and spirited daughter of England's greatest knight, Mahelt Marshal lives a privileged life. But when her beloved father falls foul of the volatile and dangerous King John, her world is shattered. The king takes her brothers hostage and Mahelt's planned marriage to Hugh Bigod, son of the Earl of Norfolk, takes place sooner than she expected. Mahelt and Hugh come to care for each other deeply, but Hugh's strict father clashes with the rebellious Mahelt. When more harsh demands from King John threaten to tear the couple's lives apart, Mahelt finds herself facing her worst fears alone, not knowing if she-or her marriage-will survive.

Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick $1.99

Nothing worthwhile is easy. Not becoming a knight. Not when you don't fit in anywhere.


Brunin Fitzwarin knows this better than anyone. Lost in his own home, he's now a knight-in-training to the Lord of Ludlow—and still utterly alone. That is, until the youngest daughter of the house befriends him.


But England is in turmoil, and Brunin must fight with his lord to support King Stephen for the English crown.


As the war rages on and his particularly close to home, Brunin must defeat the shadows of his childhood and take on the mantle of knight, confronting the future head on.


A rich tale of coming of age in a world where chivalry is a luxury few can afford. Shadows and Strongholds is a tale of earning your place and finding your way home.

[AnemicOak]

Leon and Louise by Alex Capus (Author), John Brownjohn (Translator) $1.99

Longlisted for the German Book Prize.A life-long love affair that survives the tribulations of two World Wars, Léon and Louise beautifully tells the story of Alex Capus' French grandfather. It charmed German readers, never leaving the Der Spiegel bestseller list since publication a year ago, selling nearly two hundred thousand copies.Summer 1918. The First World War is drawing to a close when Léon falls in love with Louise Janvier. Both are severely wounded by German artillery fire, are separated, and believe each other to be dead. Briefly reunited two decades later, the lovers are torn apart again by Louise's refusal to destroy Leon's marriage and the German invasion of France. Through occupied Paris during the Second World War, where Léon struggles against the abhorrent tasks imposed on him by the SS, and the wilds of Africa, where Louise confronts the hardships of her primitive environment, they battle the vicissitudes of history and the passage of time for the survival of their love.Léon and Louise's is an enduring passion, an enchanting tale of love's triumph against improbable odds, and a story masterfully told. Alex Capus' poetic, understated language is beautifully translated by John Brownjohn.Alex Capus is the author of Sailing by Starlight.

The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak $2.99

The Sojourn, winner of the Chautauqua Prize and finalist for the National Book Award, is the story of Jozef Vinich, who was uprooted from a 19th-century mining town in Colorado by a family tragedy and returns with his father to an impoverished shepherd’s life in rural Austria-Hungary. When World War One comes, Jozef joins his adopted brother as a sharpshooter in the Kaiser’s army, surviving a perilous trek across the frozen Italian Alps and capture by a victorious enemy.

A stirring tale of brotherhood, coming-of-age, and survival, that was inspired by the author’s own family history, this novel evokes a time when Czechs, Slovaks, Austrians, and Germans fought on the same side while divided by language, ethnicity, and social class in the most brutal war to date. It is also a poignant tale of fathers and sons, addressing the great immigration to America and the desire to live the American dream amidst the unfolding tragedy in Europe.

The Sojourn is Andrew Krivak's first novel. Krivak is also the author of A Long Retreat: In Search of a Religious Life, a memoir about his eight years in the Jesuit Order, and editor of The Letters of William Carlos Williams to Edgar Irving Williams, 1902-1912, which received the Louis L. Martz Prize. The grandson of Slovak immigrants, Krivak grew up in Pennsylvania, has lived in London, and now lives with his wife and three children in Massachusetts where he teaches in the Honors Program at Boston College.

Fiji: A Novel by Lance Morcan & James Morcan $0.99

Fiji is a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth.

As the pharaohs of ancient Egypt build their mighty pyramids, and Chinese civilization evolves under the Shang Dynasty, adventurous seafarers from South East Asia begin to settle the far-flung islands of the South Pacific. The exotic archipelago of Fiji is one of the last island groups to be discovered and will remain hidden from the outside world for many centuries to come.

By the mid-1800's, Fiji has become a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It's in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves.

Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God's Word as she's torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts - without success.

Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man's weapons to the very people she is trying to convert and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there's an undeniable chemistry between them.

When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.

Written by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan (authors of The Orphan Trilogy), Fiji is an historical adventure-romance published by Sterling Gate Books. A feature film adaptation of Fiji is currently being developed.

[jgaiser]

Thanks for starting the thread Brian. While I suspect it won't have as many entries as the more popular threads, but I think you all can find deals...

[jscarbo]

I'm not sure whether to post this under historical novels or thrillers, but one of my favorite Vietnam War era novels is free on Amazon today: http://www.amazon.com/ROLLING-THUNDE.../dp/B0019LNUVA

It's the first book of a series written by Col Mark Berent, USAF (Ret) and the entire series is a first rate account of the air war in Vietnam written by someone who was in the thick of it and is told from the point of view of a combat pilot. Later books in the series do a good job of discussing the war from the perspective of the corridors of power in Washington, the POWs in Hanoi, and some of the special ops soldiers as well.

The series is more than realistic; it's real! I was a ground unit commander and received close air support from his wing. Col Berent and his fellow pilots saved my a** repeatedly.

If you have any interest in military aviation or in the Vietnam War in general, you should read his entire series.

[AnemicOak]

The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman is $2.99 right now at Amazon US & B&N and $3.18 at Amazon CA

A deeply moving and masterfully written story of human resilience and enduring love, The Plum Tree follows a young German woman through the chaos of World War II and its aftermath."Bloom where you're planted," is the advice Christine Bölz receives from her beloved Oma. But seventeen-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It's a world she's begun to glimpse through music, books--and through Isaac Bauerman, the cultured son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for.

Yet the future she and Isaac dream of sharing faces greater challenges than their difference in stations. In the fall of 1938, Germany is changing rapidly under Hitler's regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere, dissenting talk is silenced, and a new law forbids Christine from returning to her job--and from having any relationship with Isaac. In the months and years that follow, Christine will confront the Gestapo's wrath and the horrors of Dachau, desperate to be with the man she loves, to survive--and finally, to speak out.

Set against the backdrop of the German homefront, this is an unforgettable novel of courage and resolve, of the inhumanity of war, and the heartbreak and hope left in its wake.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by jscarbo

I'm not sure whether to post this under historical novels or thrillers, but one of my favorite Vietnam War era novels is free on Amazon today: http://www.amazon.com/ROLLING-THUNDE.../dp/B0019LNUVA

A good one I've had a paper copy for years.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by jscarbo

I'm not sure whether to post this under historical novels or thrillers, but one of my favorite Vietnam War era novels is free on Amazon today: http://www.amazon.com/ROLLING-THUNDE.../dp/B0019LNUVA

And for those that prefer epub, it's free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo as well.

[Carmelreader]

Thanks for this thread!

[AnemicOak]

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani has been put on sale by US publisher HarperCollins for $1.99

The fateful first meeting of Enza and Ciro takes place amid the haunting majesty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the last century. Still teenagers, they are separated when Ciro is banished from his village and sent to hide in New York's Little Italy, apprenticed to a shoemaker, leaving a bereft Enza behind. But when her own family faces disaster, she, too, is forced to emigrate to America. Though destiny will reunite the star-crossed lovers, it will, just as abruptly, separate them once again—sending Ciro off to serve in World War I, while Enza is drawn into the glamorous world of the opera . . . and into the life of the international singing sensation Enrico Caruso. Still, Enza and Ciro have been touched by fate—and, ultimately, the power of their love will change their lives forever.

A riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny, inspired by the author's own family history, The Shoemaker's Wife is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write.

Amazon US | B&N | Kobo | Sony | OmniLit

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus has got NZ author Shayne Parkinson's

A Second Chance
$3.14 and discountable (bookriot50 worked at time of posting)

Amy uses the second chance she had hardly dared dream of to make up for the wasted years. But a familiar face from long ago makes an unwelcome reappearance, threatening her new-found happiness. Payback has more than one meaning, and sometimes people get what they deserve.

"A Second Chance" is the sequel to the three-volume work "Promises to Keep"

[AnemicOak]

Sin Killer: The Berrybender Narratives, Book 1 by Larry McMurtry is on sale in most stores for $1.99 courtesy of US publisher Simon & Schuster

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry comes the first leg of an epic journey through the early American frontier, introducing a pioneer family the likes of which you will never forget.

It is 1830, and the Berrybender family -- rich, aristocratic, English, and hopelessly out of place -- is on its way up the Missouri River to see the untamed West as it begins to open up. With irascible determination -- and a great deal of outright chaos -- the party experiences both the awesome majesty and brutal savagery of the unexplored land, from buffalo stampedes and natural disasters to Indian raids and encounters with frontiersmen and trappers, explorers, pioneers, and one part-time preacher known as "the Sin Killer." Packed with breathtaking adventure, charming romance, and a sense of humor stretching clear over the horizon,
Sin Killer is a truly unique view of the West that could only come from the boundless skill and imagination of Larry McMurtry.

Amazon US | B&N | Kobo | Sony | OmniLit | Ebooks.com | Google

[Little.Egret]

Kindle UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/KindleDailyDeal has

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch and two others by him, all £0.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003YL4L4S

The Poisoned Pilgrim: Oliver Pötzsch, Lee Chadeayne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B7NY4S

The Beggar King: A Hangman's Daughter... Oliver Pötzsch, Lee Chadeayne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008O5O7XO

[kindlekitten]

The Hangman's daughter series is incredibly good

[AnemicOak]

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell has dropped to $2.99 at...
Amazon US | Kobo | B&N | eBooks.com

Hasn't dropped yet at Sony or OmniLit, but probably will.

It takes a remarkable writer to make an old story as fresh and compelling as the first time we heard it. With The Winter King, the first volume of his magnificent Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell finally turns to the story he was born to write: the mythic saga of King Arthur.

The tale begins in Dark Age Britain, a land where Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, where a child-king sits unprotected on the throne, where religion vies with magic for the souls of the people. It is to this desperate land that Arthur returns, a man at once utterly human and truly heroic: a man of honor, loyalty, and amazing valor; a man who loves Guinevere more passionately than he should; a man whose life is at once tragic and triumphant.

As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Bernard Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again.

[HarryT]

The entire "Sharpe" series by Bernard Cornwell is on sale today at Amazon UK at 99p per book. An amazing deal. I've bought the lot!