The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

A glimpse of the fading days of the dominance of the Hudson’s Bay Company, woven into a gripping tale of murder, lust and individual courage

A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson

Worth reading for the island setting only, which I warmed to immediately in Samson’s description, but felt much less for the characters

Give Me Shelter by David B. Seaburn

A story of a boy, his family and friends, navigating loss, anxiety and uncertainty at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Frances Finkel and the Passenger Pigeon by D. M. Mahoney

A nice, heart-warming read about teenager Frances Finkel and her yearning to become a fighter plane pilot in the Second World War

The Ice Barn by Ian Pateman

A tale of a frontier town and the promise offered by gold prospecting – dark, threatening and thrilling, and excellently told

The Adventures of Toby Wey by Gavin Scott

The wonderfully told story of Toby Wey who, from humble origins, has an adventurous, character-filled life surviving by living on his wits

The Importance of Pawns: Chronicles of the House of Valois by Keira Morgan

Just what you want in historical fiction-the machinations of the ambitious, the glamour of the French court, enlivened with great characters

The Truth Together by Kelly Rodgers

A tension-filled historical novel of the Deep South, with characters to love, family relationships, corruption, and the legacy of slavery

Bone Necklace by Julia Sullivan

A contentious piece of American history taken and woven into a well-written and evocative historical novel with vivid characterisation