Books like “The White Queen”

What to read after “The White Queen” by Philippa Gregory: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
The Greatest Knight
Elizabeth Chadwick · 2005
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
- Medieval Setting
- Betrayal
William Marshal, a landless younger son, wins renown on the tournament circuit of twelfth-century Europe. Sworn to kings and queens, he serves through rebellion and shifting alliances, and his loyalty is tested as often as his skill at arms.
2
Azincourt
Bernard Cornwell · 2008
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
- Medieval Setting
- War Fiction
Outlawed archer Nicholas Hook joins Henry V's army as it invades France. Mired in a brutal siege and heavily outnumbered at Azincourt, he and his comrades face a battle that will decide the fate of a kingdom.
3
The Sunne in Splendour
Sharon Kay Penman · 1982
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
A retelling of the life of Richard III, from his boyhood in a divided England to his brief reign. Set against the Wars of the Roses, it follows the Yorkist claim to the throne, the loyalties that bind Richard, and the rumour and betrayal that surround his name.
4
World Without End
Ken Follett · 2007
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
Two centuries after The Pillars of the Earth, four children in Kingsbridge witness a killing that binds their fates together. As plague sweeps the land, they struggle with love, ambition and the harsh rules of their age.
5
The Last Kingdom
Bernard Cornwell · 2004
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
- Medieval Setting
- War Fiction
Raised by Vikings after they kill his father, the Saxon boy Uhtred must choose between the people who love him and the kingdom of his birth. As Alfred of Wessex battles the Danes, Uhtred becomes a warrior torn between two worlds.
6
Katherine
Anya Seton · 1954
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
- Medieval Setting
- Forbidden Love
In fourteenth-century England, Katherine Swynford becomes a lady-in-waiting and falls in love with John of Gaunt, a royal duke bound by marriage and politics. Their long, often forbidden attachment survives plague, war and the disapproval of a court that cannot forgive a scandal.
7
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett · 1989
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
In twelfth-century England a stonemason named Tom Builder dreams of raising a great cathedral. Around its construction gather a cunning prior, a noblewoman and a ruthless lord whose ambitions and feuds shape the lives of an entire town.
8
Blood & Honey
Shelby Mahurin · 2020
From the same world: “Witches”
With the witch hunts still burning, Lou and Reid flee and try to gather allies against the church. They bargain with people they do not trust and hide a bond more dangerous than any enemy. As the threat grows, Lou senses that the darkness inside her is not as harmless as she believed.
9
The Bronze Horseman
Paullina Simons · 2000
Similar setting: “War Fiction”
- War Fiction
- Forbidden Love
In Leningrad in 1941, as the German army tightens its siege, Tatiana meets Alexander, a young officer with a secret. Their love is forbidden by her family and by the war, but through hunger, loss and the frozen winter they hold on to each other and to the hope of survival.
10
The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley · 1982
From the same world: “Witches”
The Arthurian legend is told through the women around the throne, above all Morgaine, a priestess of Avalon. As Britain turns to a new faith and a new king, she works to keep the old ways alive and watches the cost of a united kingdom.
11
Kingdom of the Wicked
Kerri Maniscalco · 2020
From the same world: “Witches”
- Witches
- Forbidden Love
Witch sisters Emilia and Vittoria live secretly among humans, hiding from those who would kill them. When Vittoria is found murdered, Emilia swears to hunt down the killer, even using forbidden magic. Her search brings her to Wrath, a prince of Hell she cannot trust and cannot look away from.
12
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows · 2008
Same genre: “Historical fiction”
- War Fiction
Writer Juliet Ashton begins a friendship in letters with the people of Guernsey, an island still marked by the German occupation. Through their stories of a secret reading group, she finds a community, a purpose and a reason to cross the sea herself.