2 Historical Fiction Novels to Read

by MK French

There are two great (there are probably more but these are the ones I read) 20th-century historical fiction books coming out this month that you will want to add to your TBR list.

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Silver and Smoke by Van Hoang

February 2025; 47North; 978-1662517853
audio, ebook, print (383 pages); historical fiction

Issa Bui and Olivia Nong are best friends who grew up dreaming of becoming movie stars. Young Vietnamese women in 1930s Hollywood aren't called up for roles, but Issa is descended from shamans and plans to connect with her dead Bà Ngoại for help. Bà Ngoại introduces Issa and Olivia to the late Ava Lin Rang, who had been an Asian star of the silent screen. Ava coaches them and uses her influence to open doors for her protégés. Issa uses her power more and more, and her dreams are coming true. But what is the cost of magic?

Issa is the latest in a long line of shamans, able to connect with the dead and summon them to the land of the living. The more a spirit connects with the living, the stronger it gets and the more powers it will develop, including the potential to possess the living. Her mother walked away from her family, who not only summoned the dead but were involved in the criminal underworld. Issa's Bà Ngoại gave them the semblance of distance but wants Issa to take her place within the family business. Issa wants to be a movie star and gets a year to make it big or get pulled back in. Between the two of them, Olivia is the driven one; she does whatever she can to get seen by the movers and shakers in Hollywood, is more willing to lie, and sacrifices to get the guidance of ghosts to advance her career.

Of course, everything goes smoothly at first, but then the cracks begin to show. Issa has multiple things grabbing her attention besides the lure of fame, and Ava continues to push both women forward. While you can probably guess some aspects of the novel if you're genre-savvy, it's still fun to see how it all plays out. I was drawn into the story and had to find out what happened next. I was rooting for Issa and Olivia, hoping they would make it work in Hollywood. It's a rough time for young women, let alone Asian ones, and the journey they take is well worth the read.

Buy Silver and Smoke at Amazon

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

February 2025; Ballantine Books; 978-0593973035
audio, ebook, print (384 pages); historical fiction

Elinor Coombs married into an aristocratic family, but they were more interested in her father's fortune than her. They insist on a nanny raising her son, and she is miserable hemmed in by their strict social rules. Her father sends her tickets for the maiden voyage of the Titanic, allowing her a little more time with her son Teddy. When it sinks, she takes on a dead woman's name in New York City, determined to create a new life for herself and her son. Not all secrets can remain hidden, even in such a large city.

We start with a flash forward of the Titanic sinking, then go back to the courtship and rapid marriage. Any fan of Regency and Edwardian romance novels will recognize the conventions that are discussed, but Elinor's husband isn't a romance novel hero. He's stuck in his usual mindset and never bothered explaining anything to Elinor. He let her assume it was a love match, and the attitudes of the time period and class meant she wouldn't raise her son. She would get an hour-a-day visit, and he'd be sent to a boarding school at age seven, prep school at thirteen, then college. If she had a daughter, she could "keep her at home and make a pet of her." From more working class and hands-on parenting background, this is horrifying for her, but her inlaws have no interest in making her comfortable, only using her fortune and erasing her background. I really felt for her and the situation she was caught in with no recourse; if she didn't bend to their ways, they would label her a madwoman and then institutionalize her. 

By the time the Titanic happens, we're halfway through the novel. The second half is where she lives as Molly, the woman who had helped her take care of Teddy on the ship. The two had similar backgrounds and Molly had been estranged from family, making it easier for her to take on the name. She works hard in New York City to make sure she repays this family and can provide for her son, so we see what life is like for immigrant families in the period. Other survivors are in the city, and flashes of the past threaten her new life. She might have lied a lot about herself, but she had incredible strength in this section of the book. I was so proud of her efforts and the conclusion to the novel

Buy The Lost Passenger at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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