Spring has sprung, and so has the new historical fiction being released this April. From epic love tales to gripping untold stories, this April’s top releases are taking readers on journeys across continents and centuries. Looking for the best historical fiction to read in April 2025?
This list is what you’ve been searching for. We’ve picked out five outstanding titles with irresistible plotlines, deep emotional resonance, and authentic historical depth. Prepare to refresh your TBR with these must-reads.
1. Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Publication Date: April 8, 2025
Genre: Multigenerational family saga; Southern historical fiction
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is back with Happy Land, an affecting exploration of legacy and identity and of the hidden Black American past. When Nikki goes to North Carolina to visit her estranged grandmother, she’s pulled into a narrative she never expected—a narrative that goes all the way back to her great-great-great-grandmother Queen Luella and the enigmatic Kingdom of the Happy Land.
This forgotten historical village, established by formerly enslaved individuals after the Civil War, serves as the setting for a family confrontation that compels Nikki to question: what has been forgotten and what is to be reclaimed?
Perkins-Valdez weaves a compelling story that is both political and personal, with readers reminded of the ways in which past and present continue to converge. Should you be a reader who enjoys those books that uncover forgotten chapters in American history with eloquence and immediacy, Happy Land should be on your April to-read list.
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2. Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Genre: International fiction, historical mystery
The Henna Artist fans will be keen to read about the return of Alka Joshi in the upcoming novel, Six Days in Bombay, an international mystery based on a gripping narrative. The narrative revolves around Sora, who is a nurse whose patient—a famous artist Mira Novak—dies mysteriously. Upon finding a letter left by Mira, Sora embarks on a path that leads her to Prague, then to Florence, Paris, and finally to London while she tries to prove her innocence and decipher Mira’s last secrets.
What starts out to be a quest of exoneration turns into an exciting probe into the life of a woman who proved to be much stranger than she seemed. Themes of treachery, art, and camaraderie are all successfully woven into this absorbing novel by Joshi.
With its atmospheric settings and emotionally complex characters, Six Days in Bombay stands out as one of April’s most anticipated historical fiction releases.
3. The Eights by Joanna Miller
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Genre: Academic historical fiction, feminist fiction
Based in 1920 in Oxford, The Eights is the story of four pioneering women—Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—who are some of the initial women to attend the institution. The women hail from vastly different lives, yet their determination is the same: to carve out a place in a world influenced by men, war, and convention.
As the women encounter sexism, post-traumatic stress and the ongoing specter of disease, they forge an alliance that serves as their strength. Miller gives a rich picture of a world in process, conveying the power and frailty of transformation.
Ideal for fans of The Group or The Secret History, this novel combines coming of age with trenchant social analysis. The Eights is not only historical fiction—it’s a novel about progress, belonging, and the struggle to fit in.
4. The Lilac People by Milo Todd
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Genre: LGBTQ+ historical fiction, WWII fiction
Milo Todd’s The Lilac People provides a powerfully emotive glimpse into survival and found family after World War II. When a trans man and his lover evade the Nazis by disguising themselves as an older couple in the countryside, they assume that they’ve achieved a tenuous peace. But their existence is disrupted by the discovery of a young trans man—in the uniform of the concentration camp he escaped—on their grounds.
As Europe is liberated by the Allies, the friends quickly discover that queer individuals are not safe even after the camps are evacuated. In lyrical language and with an inescapable sense of urgency, Todd narrates a love story of loss and survival and the strength of LGBTQ+ people across history.
This book is a must-read for anyone in search of underrepresented voices in historical fiction. It’s timely, haunting, and elegantly written.
5. The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Genre: Historical retelling and medieval fiction
Think you know Robin Hood? Think again. The Traitor of Sherwood Forest reimagines the traditional legend from the perspective of Jane, a peasant woman who is an undercover spy in Robin’s network. Initially swept up in Robin’s suave personality and words of bringing justice to the people, she starts to question whose cause he is actually fighting.
As one of Robin’s missions concludes in a horrific murder, Jane is implicated and has to question all she thought she held true. Kaufman lends nuance and grit to this medieval drama, shifting the focus to the forgotten women entangled in the midst of rebellion.
This is an ideal read for fans of subversive retellings and morally complicated characters.
Final Verdict?
April’s historical fiction offerings are varied, daring, and filled with new ideas. Whether or not you’re in the mood for a rich mystery, political thriller, or reimagined mythos, these five historical fiction books should be at the forefront of your to-read list this April. Don’t miss out—make these titles part of your TBR and experience the amazing stories in store this April.