Author Sam Barone returns to Bronze Age Mesopotamia in this action-packed sequel to Dawn of Empire. In 3157 BCE, former barbarian Lord Eskkar and his wife, Lady Trella, are the rulers of Akkad, the largest city on the Tigris River. Eskkar is determined to clear neighboring lands of roving marauders, so he and a band of soldiers travel to the settlement of Dilgarth, where a bloody battle for power ensues. Meanwhile, back in Akkad, an unscrupulous Egyptian warrior plots to capture both Lady Trella and the city. If you like vivid battle scenes and ancient history, don't miss Empire Rising.

Though Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is known as one of the most influential composers in all of history, most people aren't aware that his older sister, Maria Anna, nicknamed "Nannerl," was a musical prodigy in her own right. Mozart's Sister paints a fictional portrait of Nannerl, detailing how she was forced by her father to put aside her own musical promise and instead give piano lessons to finance young Wolfgang's career. If you like this book and want to read more about the women in Mozart's life, check out Stephanie Cowell's Marrying Mozart.

Irish ex-pat Frank Delaney, the author of the acclaimed novel Ireland, is back with another grand saga about the Emerald Isle, this time focusing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Charles O'Brien is a 40-year-old itinerant healer when he meets and falls hopelessly in love with April Burke, a much younger Englishwoman. Charles offers to help her reclaim and restore her family's Irish estate, and over the course of 25 years, their stories intertwine with that of the fight for Irish independence. Tipperary is a sweeping, dramatic, and detail-rich narrative that fans of historical fiction will savor.

Aminata Diallo is 11 years old when she is kidnapped from her home in West Africa and sold into slavery in South Carolina. Years later, while visiting Manhattan with her master, she escapes amidst the chaos of the American Revolution. Aminata then helps the British to compile The Book of the Negroes, a list of black Loyalists who are later transported to Nova Scotia and granted freedom. Readers who enjoy this inspiring book and who are hungry for more about this topic might want to check out popular historian Simon Schama's nonfiction Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution.

At the end of the U.S. Civil War, Irish immigrant Eliza Duane Mooney is walking across the country in search of her younger brother Jeremiah, who became a drummer boy during the war and whom she hasn't seen in four years. Alongside Eliza's tale is that of several other seemingly unconnected characters, including the epic figure of James Con O'Keeffe, an orator, anarchist, and Irish republican. Combining various viewpoints and narrative forms, Redemption Falls is a complex and rewarding story of the American West and the immigrant experience.

The year is 1848, and young English gentleman Benjamin Knowles has just arrived in America to build a new life for himself. He quickly joins up with three misfits: Timothy Skaggs, an alcoholic journalist; Duff Lucking, an arsonist and war veteran; and Duff's sister, Polly, an actress and prostitute. Ben and Polly begin an affair, but after a misunderstanding between the two, Polly leaves for the West. Ben and his new friends track her to California, but unbeknownst to them, a Frenchman with an axe to grind follows in their footsteps. Heyday is an entertaining, fast-paced, and boisterous novel.

In 1818 Paris, wealthy painter Théodore Géricault is in search of his next subject, and he knows he has found it when he hears of the wreck of the frigate Medusa. Géricault takes in two of the ship's survivors and begins to work feverishly on creating The Raft of the Medusa, but as he makes progress on this masterpiece, his personal life--including his affair with his uncle's wife--begins to disintegrate around him. If you like The God of Spring and want to read more books about art and artists, check out the historical novels of Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland.

In this sequel to the bestselling Empress Orchid, author Anchee Min continues the story of China's Empress Tzu Hsi, or Orchid, who ruled during the late 19th century. Over the course of 50 years, Orchid struggles to save her country's crumbling empire, suffers tragic personal losses and heartbreak, and is vilified in the Western press as the "Dragon Lady." Through it all, Orchid remains a courageous woman and an extraordinary leader. Readers who like books with strong female characters and anyone interested in the history of China will enjoy The Last Empress.

Readers who liked author Brenda Rickman Vantrease's debut novel, The Illuminator, have much to cheer about in this engaging sequel. In early 15th-century Prague, Anna, the granddaughter of Finn the Illuminator, copies and translates manuscripts. When Anna comes under suspicion of copying heretical texts, Finn urges her to seek sanctuary in England. After Anna reaches France, she crosses paths with Friar Gregory, a Dominican priest disguised as a merchant. Though Gregory has been enlisted to root out heretics, he can't deny his growing attraction to Anna. Grab The Mercy Seller for a vivid depiction of life in 15th-century Europe.