Open Books Challenge 2025: A Book Set in the Victorian Era (1837-1901)

Updated December 31, 2024
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Don't want you like a best friend : a novel
Alban, Emma R.
Paper Book
A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other--the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed! Gwen has a brilliant...
Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
Baird, Julia.
Ebook
The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen--a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning portrait is a story of love and...
The Wildes : a novel in five acts
Bayard, Louis
Paper Book
In this singularly powerful novel, bestselling author Louis Bayard brings Oscar Wilde's wife Constance and two sons out from the shadows of history and creates a vivid and poignant story of secrets, loss, and love. "Wonderfully researched, beautifully crafted, movingly...
My dear Henry : a Jekyll & Hyde remix
Bayron, Kalynn
Paper Book
In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This gothic YA remix of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde subverts the cishet white perspective of the original,...
The worst woman in London
Bennet, Julia
Paper Book
A Bridgerton-inspired humorous Victorian romance featuring a defiant heroine who fights to escape a bad marriage, while her love for a forbidden man jeopardizes her chance at freedom. "Romantic, feminist, and shimmers with intelligence. Let's hope Ms. Bennet...
Wishes and Wellingtons
Berry, Julie
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Julie Berry comes a brand new middle-grade fantasy adventure full of friendship, magic, and mischief. Be careful what you wish for ... Maeve Merritt chafes at the rigid rules at her London boarding school for "Upright Young...
Premeditated Myrtle
Bunce, Elizabeth C.
Paper Book
A 2021 Edgar® Award Winner, Best Juvenile A BookPage Best Book of 2020: Middle Grade A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the Year Introducing Myrtle Hardcastle, your favorite new amateur detective: a wickedly smart...
The stolen book of Evelyn Aubrey
Burdick, Serena
Paper Book
What if you could write a new ending for yourself? England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer's block, and he becomes...
The little match girl strikes back
Carroll, Emma
Paper Book
It only takes one strike . . . A powerful, beautifully illustrated feminist reworking of the classic fairy tale, from award-winning creators Emma Carroll and Lauren Child "You've got a lot to say for a little match girl." On the streets of Victorian London,...
The silence factory : a novel
Collins, Bridget
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A delicately woven novel with an utterly original premise, it ensnared me from the very first page." -- Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward From the acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding--a captivating story of...
Dinosaurs at the dinner party : how an eccentric group of Victorians discovered prehistoric creatures and accidentally upended the world
Dolnick, Edward
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Clockwork Universe and The Writing of the Gods, an "utterly delightful...hugely entertaining" (Air Mail) book about the eccentric Victorians who discovered dinosaur bones, leading to a whole new understanding of human history.
The clockwork crow
Fisher, Catherine
Paper Book
Evoking the classic fantasy adventures of Joan Aiken and Eva Ibbotson, this darkly delightful new novel from New York Times best-selling author Catherine Fisher glimmers with winter magic. Orphan Seren Rhys is on her way to a new life at the remote country mansion of Plas...
Bookshop cinderella
Guhrke, Laura Lee
Paper Book
Fans of Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn will adore this opposites-attract romance featuring a dashing duke, a shy bookshop owner, and a wager that will change their lives forever. Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an...
Of manners and murder
Hastings, Anastasia
Paper Book
"The Matter is far from settled, Miss Hermione. In fact, it has grown grave."1885; London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind two volatile nieces, one dedicated housekeeper, and a mailbox full of trouble. After years of penning the...
The ornithologist's field guide to love
Holton, India
Paper Book
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "So riotously clever it almost defies description...an alchemy of romantic elements held in perfect harmony."--NPR Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of...
The Mayfair dagger : a novel
January, Ava
Paper Book
London, 1894. Albertine Honeycombe never wanted a husband, and certainly not the one with fifteen children that her cousin, Aubrey, is trying to marry her off to. She reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a private detective aiding the upper echelons of women in society. As the Countess, she is a...
The case of the murderous Dr. Cream : the hunt for a Victorian era serial killer
Jobb, Dean
Paper Book
Winner of the CrimeCon Clue Award for True Crime Book of the Year "When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals," Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most puzzling murder investigations. Incredibly, at the time the words of the world's most famous fictional detective...
The dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins : an illuminating history of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, artist and lecturer
Kerley, Barbara.
Paper Book
This extraordinary true story introduces readers to the unforgettable Waterhouse Hawkins: Victorian artist and visionary who built the world's first life-size models of dinosaurs!Can you fathom a time when almost no one in the world knew what a dinosaur looked like? That was true in the mid...
Ana Mari?a and the fox
De la Rosa, Liana
Paper Book
Ana Maria Luna Valdes has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana Maria is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom...
A spy in the house
Lee, Y. S.
Paper Book
Introducing an exciting new series! Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails feisty heroine Mary Quinn as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.
Never blow a kiss
Lovise, Lindsay
Paper Book
In this delightfully witty Victorian romance, a governess spy running away from her past falls for an ex-soldier turned railroad magnate--perfect for fans of Manda Collins and Bridgerton! The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave...
A shore thing
Lowell, Joanna
Paper Book
Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn't fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn't realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether...
Stalking Jack the Ripper
Maniscalco, Kerri
Paper Book
This #1 New York Times bestseller and deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth...
The nightingale affair : a novel
Mason, Timothy
Paper Book
In this twisty Victorian detective thriller from the author of The Darwin Affair, Inspector Charles Field hunts a serial killer with a sinister signature targeting Florence Nightingale's nurses in Crimea and women in London.  Who is stalking...
The siren of Sussex
Matthews, Mimi
Paper Book
As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, Evelyn knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention...
Marvelous Mattie : how Margaret E. Knight became an inventor
McCully, Emily Arnold.
Paper Book
With her sketchbook labeled My Inventions and her father's toolbox, Mattie could make almost anything - toys, sleds, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers. As an adult,...
Our hideous progeny : a novel
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
"A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue." -- Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship "An immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women's rights within the field of science....
A botanical daughter
Medlock, Noah
Paper Book
Mexican Gothic meets The Lie Tree by way of Oscar Wilde and Mary Shelley in this delightfully witty horror debut. A captivating tale of two Victorian gentlemen hiding their relationship away in a botanical garden who embark on a Frankenstein-style experiment with...
Mist
Palazzesi, Marta
Paper Book
Winner of the Bologna Strega Ragazzi Prize 2020 "A not-to-be-missed tale of courage and compassion."-Katherine Applegate The incredible story of a boy's quest to give the ultimate gift to a caged wild animal: freedom. London, 1880, 13-year-old Clay is a mud lark,...
The London Séance Society
Penner, Sarah
Paper Book
Maude Horton's glorious revenge
Pook, Lizzie
Paper Book
For readers of Sarah Penner and Stuart Turton comes a historical mystery about a young woman in Victorian London who will stop at nothing to avenge her sister after her suspicious death aboard an Arctic exploration ship. An Arctic expedition. A mysterious death. And the...
The bones of ruin
Raughley, Sarah
Paper Book
An African tightrope walker who can't die gets embroiled in a secret society's deadly gladiatorial tournament in this "bloodily spectacular" (Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights) historical fantasy set in an alternate 1880s London, perfect for...
The lady of rapture
Raughley, Sarah
Paper Book
Penny Dreadful meets The Gilded Wolves in this breathtaking finale to the young adult historical fantasy Bones of Ruin trilogy! For years, the elite secret society called the Enlightenment Committee has waited for the apocalyptic force known as Hiva to destroy the...
The Five The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Rubenhold, Hallie.
Ebook
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and of the Goodreads Choice Award for History & Biography The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the "Ripper" murders forever Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and...
The library thief : a novel
Shenjé, Kuchenga
Paper Book
The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained. 1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame--and when she brings...
The fraud
Smith, Zadie
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WRITERS' PRIZE FOR FICTION* Named a Best Book of 2023 by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and Publishers Weekly From...
The case of the missing marquess : an Enola Holmes mystery
Springer, Nancy.
Paper Book
When Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared--on her 14th birthday nonetheless--she knows she alone can find her. Disguising herself as a grieving widow, Enola sets out to the heart of London to uncover her mother's...
The stranger I wed
St. George, Harper
Paper Book
Cora Dove and her sisters' questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York's gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father's reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their...
The dress diary : secrets from a Victorian woman's wardrobe
Strasdin, Kate
Paper Book
The hidden fabric of a Victorian woman's life - from family and friends to industry and Empire - told through her unique textile scrapbook. 'Irresistable' The Times 'The story of a singular woman... Kate Strasdin's forensic detective work has finally let Mrs Sykes...
Queen Victoria's bathing machine
Whelan, Gloria
Paper Book
Prince Albert comes up with a royally creative solution to Queen Victoria's modesty concerns in this true story that reveals an overlooked splash of history. Poor Queen Victoria! She loves to swim, but can't quite figure out how to get to the water without her devoted subjects...
The spirit bares its teeth
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature! A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White...
Where the dead wait
Wilkes, Ally
Paper Book
A "wonderfully chilling" (Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author) polar gothic about a Victorian explorer in search of his lost shipmate-and redemption-from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of All the White Spaces. William Day should be an...
Murder in postscript
Winters, Mary
Paper Book
Amelia Amesbury - widow, mother, and countess - is bored, crushingly so. In an attempt to fill the days, Amelia becomes an 'agony aunt' for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners. But when a lady's maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her...

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