Recommendations based on Lionheartby Sharon Kay Penman

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Here Be Dragons

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic story of love, war and betrayal set against the backdrop of 13th century England.

    Here Be Dragons is the first of Penman's trilogy about the medieval princes of Gwynedd and the monarchs of England. , England's King John uses his out-of-wedlock daughter Joanna as a negotiating tool ... (Wikipedia)

  2. When Christ and His Saints Slept

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic tale of medieval England, exploring the power struggles of the Plantagenet dynasty.

    A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Sunne in Splendour

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Historical fiction about the life of King Richard III, from his childhood to his death on the battlefield.

    The story begins in 1459 with Richard as a young boy, and ends in 1485 with his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field . When their father is killed, Richard's older brother Edward leads the House of ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Daughter of Time

    by Josephine Tey
    Detective investigates the mystery of King Richard III, uncovering the truth behind his reputation.

    Alan Grant, Scotland Yard Inspector (a character who also appears in five other novels by the same author) is feeling bored while confined to bed in hospital with a broken leg. Marta Hallard, an ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Pagan Lord

    by Bernard Cornwell
    A tale of revenge and loyalty as a Saxon warrior fights to reclaim his birthright.

    There have been ten years of relative peace on the island of Britain between the Saxons and the Danes. Uhtred disowns his elder son Uhtred because he has just taken vows to become a Christian priest. ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Memoirs of Cleopatra

    by Margaret George
    A historical narrative of Egypt's last queen, recounting her fascinating life story.

    The story follows Cleopatra VII , from her early life under the rule of her father Ptolemy XII Auletes , to her eventual suicide. When Cleopatra is a young girl, Ptolemy is overthrown by his two ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Through a Glass Darkly

    by Karleen Koen
    A young woman navigates the treacherous waters of love and politics in 18th century England.

    In 1715 England, fifteen-year-old Barbara Alderley lives with her widowed grandmother, the Duchess of Tamworth, and her younger siblings on their family's country Tamworth estate. Barbara's indebted ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Rebel Queen

    by Michelle Moran
    Historical fiction about Rani Lakshmibai, the warrior queen who led a rebellion against British rule in 1857 India.

    From the internationally best-selling author of Nefertitiand Cleopatra's Daughter comes the breathtaking story of Queen Lakshmi - India's Joan of Arc - who against all odds defied the mighty British ... (Goodreads)

  9. Home to Holly Springs

    by Jan Karon
    A man's journey to discover his past, uncovering the secrets hidden in his hometown.

    Readers of the nine bestselling Mitford novels have been captivated by Jan Karon's gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives along with a vividly imagined world ( People ). ... (Goodreads)

  10. Shelter

    by Harlan Coben
    After his wife's death, a man discovers secrets that lead him to question everything he thought he knew about her and their life together.

    Mickey Bolitar, 15, tries to figure out why his new girlfriend, Ashley Kent, stopped coming to school and has seemingly vanished. Getting no assistance from teachers or administrators, Mickey turns ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Helen of Troy

    by Margaret George
    An epic retelling of the classic Greek myth of Helen of Troy, exploring the power of love and war.

    A lush, seductive novel of the legendary beauty whose face launched a thousand ships Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for ... (Goodreads)

  12. Bones of the Hills

    by Conn Iggulden
    Epic tale of war and friendship set against the backdrop of ancient Mongolian civilization.

    Genghis Khan, risen from outcast to ruler has united battling tribes, but faces troubles. Emissaries are tortured and killed. Trade route efforts are violently rebuffed. The Mongolian army is ... (Goodreads)

  13. Blood Red Road

    by Moira Young
    A dystopian adventure of survival and family, as a young woman sets out on a quest to save her kidnapped brother.

    ▶, ACE #1, Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Absolutist

    by John Boyne
    Two friends in World War I grapple with identity, loyalty and love in the face of tragedy.

    It is September 1919: twenty-one-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, the man he fought alongside during the ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers

    by Margaret George
    The life of Henry VIII, as told through his own words and the observations of his court jester, Will Somers.

    The Autobiography of Henry VIII, is the magnificent historical novel that established Margaret George's career. Evocatively written in the first person as Henry VIII's private journals, the novel was ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. The Shoemaker's Wife

    by Adriana Trigiani
    Two Italian immigrants forge a love story amongst the struggles of making a life in America.

    The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Gates of Rome

    by Conn Iggulden
    Epic tale of the rise of Rome, weaving together history, adventure, and warfare.

    Rarely, if ever, does a new writer dazzle us with such a vivid imagination and storytelling, flawlessly capturing the essence of a land, a people, a legend. Conn Iggulden is just such a writer, ... (Goodreads)

  18. The First Man in Rome

    by Colleen McCullough
    The rise of Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla in the Roman Republic, leading to the downfall of the aristocracy.

    The main plot of the novel is generally concerned with the rise of Marius, his marriage to Julia, his success in replacing Metellus as general in charge of the Numidian theatre of war, his defeat of ... (Wikipedia)

  19. World Without End

    by Ken Follett
    Epic tale of love and war, tracing the lives of two families over centuries.

    The novel begins in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, England in the year 1327 . Four children - Merthin, Caris, Gwenda, and Merthin's brother Ralph - head into the woods on All Hallows Day . ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Glass Lake

    by Maeve Binchy
    A family drama set in a small Irish town, revolving around a mother's disappearance and the secrets that come to light.

    Helen McMahon disappears when her daughter Kit is 12 years old, and it is suspected that she drowned in the local lake. Kit finds a letter from her mother and burns it before reading it, fearing that ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The English Spy

    by Daniel Silva
    A spy thriller as an Israeli agent investigates a suspicious death in London.

    "One of the best series in modern literature." — HUFFINGTON POST She is an iconic member of the British Royal Family, beloved for her beauty and charitable works, resented by her former husband and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. Before I Go to Sleep

    by S.J. Watson
    A woman suffering from memory loss wakes up each day without the knowledge of her past.

    The novel is a psychological thriller about a woman suffering from anterograde amnesia . , She wakes up every day with no knowledge of who she is and the novel follows her as she tries to reconstruct ... (Wikipedia)

  23. An Instance of the Fingerpost

    by Iain Pears
    A murder mystery spanning four centuries and four perspectives, uncovering secrets of the past.

    An ingenious tour de force: an utterly compelling historical mystery with a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing until the very last page. We are in England in the 1660s. Charles ... (Goodreads)

  24. Dragonfly in Amber

    by Diana Gabaldon
    Romantic adventure through history as two time travelers fight to change their destiny.

    Claire Randall has returned to her own time, where she has been living for 20 years with her husband Frank. Following his death, she brings her daughter, Brianna, to the home of the Randalls' old ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Sarum: The Novel of England

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    Epic saga tracing the history of an English landscape from prehistoric times to the present day.

    Sarum: The Novel of England - a novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapestry weaves a compelling saga of five families—the Wilsons, the Masons, the family of ... (Goodreads)

  26. Warriors of the Storm

    by Bernard Cornwell
    Uhtred of Bebbanburg fights to reclaim his ancestral home while facing new enemies and old rivalries in 9th century England.

    Northmen led by Ragnall Ivarson invade Mercia near Uhtred's fortress of Ceaster . Ragnall, whose brother Sigtryggr is married to Uhtred's daughter Stiorra, has been driven out of Ireland by the ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Dovekeepers

    by Alice Hoffman
    Four women living in a fort in ancient Israel tell their stories of survival and faith.

    According to the official trailer , Tagline: The trailer featured the tagline, "Their journey. Their passion. It all leads up to this. Take a stand." The adaptation garnered negative reviews: Keith ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Burning Land

    by Bernard Cornwell
    A Saxon warrior's struggle to reclaim his homeland from Viking invaders.

    892 – 893: Uhtred of Bebbanburg is now the preeminent warlord of Wessex, Alfred the Great 's kingdom. Always in poor health, Alfred urges him to swear an oath to Alfred's son and presumptive heir, ... (Wikipedia)

  29. QB VII

    by Leon Uris
    A courtroom drama that explores the aftermath of a libel suit brought by a Polish doctor against an American author.

    A famous author, Abraham Cady, stands trial for libel. In his book The Holocaust , he named eminent surgeon Sir Adam Kelno as one of the Jadwiga concentration camp 's most sadistic inmate/doctors. ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Shell Seekers

    by Rosamunde Pilcher
    A family explores their past, present, and future while examining the importance of treasured objects.

    Shifting in time, the novel tells the story of Penelope Keeling, the daughter of unconventional parents (an artist father and his much-younger French wife), examining her past and her relationships ... (Wikipedia)