Books like The queen's handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley

A historical novel set in the 12th century, focusing on the building of a cathedral and the surrounding community's fortunes amidst historical events of the time.

An adventurous English hero risks his life during the Reign of Terror to rescue French refugees and expose royalist conspirators, capturing the perilous spirit of the early French Revolution.

A daring British aristocrat, Sir Percy Blakeney, becomes the legendary Elusive Pimpernel, rescuing aristocrats from the Terror during France’s Revolution of 1793.

In 16th‑century Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots, is held as a hostage by the Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Bess of Hardwick, forcing a dangerous game of loyalty, ambition and intrigue against Elizabeth I.

Lady‑in‑waiting Margaret Pole navigates the Tudor court, witnessing Henry VIII’s rise and the rise of Anne Boleyn, while balancing loyalty to his queens and to the old royal line.

The queen's governess follows Katherine Ashley, a modest country girl who rises to become Queen Elizabeth I’s confidante, guiding her through exile, assassination plots, and the intrigues of the Tudor court.

Wealthy Rena Matthews leads a group of elite volunteers to spread the gospel to South Sea islanders, but a storm sends them weeks off course to a deserted reef. Against harsh isolation, she must decide whether to bring the mission to them or journey to it.

Through a Glass Darkly follows Barbara Alderley, a beautiful fifteen‑year‑old noblewoman, as love, ambition and family intrigue unfold within the ruthless circles of the English aristocracy.

It is impossible to read The Handmaid of Desire without laughing out loud - the funniest novel about the petty ambitions of academics since Randall Jarrell's Pictures From an Institution. It is wonderfully merciless, taking no prisoners from amongst the self-congratulatory, self-referential, and self-absorbed intellectuals. They are wicked and hilarious, especially Olga Kominska - the vain feminist theorist - who is newly arrived and instantly enlisted by Zachary Kurtz to deconstruct the English Department. (When not secretly reading novels - for pleasure - Kurtz schemes his colleagues' downfall, and his ascendancy.). Olga Kominska: beautiful, brilliant, a chameleon with foreign accents that come and go, seems to have strange, mysterious powers. Olga promises to give the various scholars and writers whom she has come among "whatever they want." "But beware of answered prayers," she warns. No one heeds her: and so she proceeds to fulfill all their desires - up to a point. As politically incorrect as they come, and full of human foibles and fumbling sex, The Handmaid of Desire has something to offend everyone. This is John L'Heureux's funniest book: satire just this side of tragedy.

A riveting historical novel about the rise of a young queen in 16th-century Spain, from the acclaimed author of "The Queen's Vow"

A captivating historical novel set in the tumultuous period leading up to the Wars of the Roses, featuring the mother who lost her royal position for love and the young queen who married a prince from a neighboring kingdom.

Through the eyes of Henry IV’s youngest son, John of Lancaster, Georgette Heyer portrays the turbulence of late‑14th‑century England, blending court intrigue, warfare, and the personal ambitions of a youthful prince.

A queen's heart torn between love and duty, leading to a dark choice in history's most powerful court.