The end of April is upon us. By a matter of coincidence, I’m bringing this round up to you all on Anzac Day.

Lest We Forget

A couple of our most reviewed books for the month are stories of WWII, The French Photographer by Natasha Lester and The Land Girls by Victoria Purman. War is of course a common theme that runs through historical fiction, and for many of us, it’s a tribute as much as a history lesson.

Onto the figures for this month:

44 reviews returned on 24 books written by 24 authors

The True Story of Maddie Bright by Mary-Rose MacColl is one of our most reviewed titles with five reviews. Readers are all labelling this one as ambitious yet unforgettable. I can’t wait to read it. Reviews can be found at:
The Newton Review of Books by Kim Kelly
The Book Muse
Goodreads by Brenda
Cass Moriarty
Mrs B’s Book Reviews

The next big release to garner attention is The French Photographer by Natasha Lester, with five reviews and three interviews. I read this novel before its release and absolutely loved it, hailing it as Natasha’s best yet. My review is combined with an interview over at Theresa Smith Writes
Other rave reviews can be found at:
The Book Muse
Goodreads by Brenda
The Never Ending Book Shelf
Mrs B’s Book Reviews
I encourage you to take the time to check out the interviews too, they provide some wonderful background detail to the novel.
The Book Muse
Mrs B’s Book Reviews

Victoria Purman has returned with another historical fiction release, The Land Girls, and it has attracted four reviews. This is an excellent story of the war effort on the home front and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reviews can be found at:
Theresa Smith Writes
Goodreads by Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Goodreads by Brenda
Claire’s Reads and Reviews

Heart of the Grass Tree by Molly Murn has been quietly gathering reviews since its release in February. This month, two reviewers had nothing but praise for this beautifully adorned novel.
Mrs B’s Book Reviews
Denise Newton Writes

My pick of the month only has one review entered for it (by me!) but it’s such an outstanding example of historical fiction that I just can’t resist sharing it. Fled by Meg Keneally tells the story of first fleet convict Mary Bryant and her epic eascape from Sydney Cove.
You can read my review here.

Well that’s April all rounded up. Enjoy reading into the cooler months and as always, thank you for supporting the Australian Women Writers Challenge by linking all of your fabulous reviews.


The Historical Novel Society of Australasia is once again holding a conference. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, visit their conference webpage here.


Theresa Smith Historical Fiction Roundup EditorAbout Theresa: Writer, avid reader, keen reviewer, book collector, drinker of all tea blends originating from Earl Grey, and modern history enthusiast. I enjoy reading many genres but have a particular interest in historical fiction. You can find me and all of my book related news and reviews at Theresa Smith Writes, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter @TessSmithWrites.