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Books Like Wolf Hall
If Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel worked for you, these indie books offer a similar reading experience. The comparison comes from AI analysis of each full manuscript (pacing, tone, tropes, and more), not from marketing copy.
Lupus et Aquila
Darren Anderson
Two men. Two loyalties. One war that will change them both. When Roman soldiers destroy his home and take his father from him, Sinna is left with grief, anger, and a fierce determination to defend his people. His only constant companion is a half-wild dog that refuses to leave his side—a bond formed on the night everything else is lost. Across the frontier, Aquila is a seasoned Roman legionary who has spent years serving an empire that demands obedience, endurance, and sacrifice. Campaign after campaign has taught him how to survive, but it has also begun to erode the certainty he once carried into battle. As Trajan’s brutal conquest of Dacia gathers force, Sinna fights for homeland and identity while Aquila faces the cost of duty from within the invading army. Their stories move through the same war from opposing sides, revealing the loyalty, grief, trauma, and moral pressure hidden beneath Rome’s victories. Lupus et Aquila: The Wolf and the Eagle is the first book in The Aquila Chronicles—a character-driven historical novel about survival, the cost of empire, and the humanity that remains on both sides of a battlefield.
Historical Fiction
The Castilians
V.E.H. Masters
A brutal murder. A castle under siege. A family torn apart by the Scottish Reformation. Scotland, 1546. When Protestant rebels seize St Andrews Castle and assassinate Cardinal Beaton, the most powerful man in Scotland, young Will Seton joins the occupiers, convinced he is fighting for a better future. His sister Bethia fears he has made a terrible mistake. As the castle comes under siege and Scotland edges towards religious war, Bethia watches her family become caught between powerful forces beyond their control. While Will endures hunger, fear and mounting despair behind the castle walls, Bethia must decide how far she is willing to go to save the brother she loves—even if it means risking everything. But this is more than a conflict between brother and sister. As Henry VIII pressures Scotland to surrender its independence and secure the marriage of the infant Mary Queen of Scots to his son, the future of an entire nation hangs in the balance. Based on the dramatic true events of the Siege of St Andrews Castle, The Castilians is a gripping tale of faith, loyalty, courage and survival during one of the most turbulent periods in Scottish history. The Castilians is Book One of The Seton Chronicles, an award-winning and best-selling historical fiction series spanning Scotland, Venice, France and Constantinople during the turbulent years of the Reformation 'Historical Fiction at its absolute best.' — Booklymatters 'By the end, I found myself hoping for a sequel, which shows how much I enjoyed this excellent novel.' — Historical Novel Society 'A clever blend of fact and fiction… gripping action, drama galore, and a dash of romance.' — Margaret Skea, Winner of the Beryl Bainbridge Prize 'I highly recommend this intriguing novel.' — Jean M. Roberts, The Books Delight 'The darker side of St Andrews Castle's history, written with such delightful detail I could almost taste and smell the medieval streets of the historic town.' — Lynsey Maxwell
Historical Fiction
The Second Door
Uri J. Nachimson
The Second Door is a dark historical novel set in Tuscany in the year 1400, when cities, monasteries, noble families, and bankers struggled for power, money, faith, and control. In Cortona, an ancient city perched above the Val di Chiana, a hidden battle unfolds behind walls, prayers, and sacred rituals. Above ground, people pray to Saint Margaret and beg for mercy. Beneath the stones, behind curtains and secret doors, a clandestine brotherhood uses fear, religion, and disease to shape the fate of the city. Lorenzo de’ Federici, a cold and dangerous churchman, understands that real power does not always lie in the sword. It lies in rumor, forged documents, public panic, and the ability to place blame where people are already prepared to believe it. Standing against him is Obadiah d’Ancona, a cautious and intelligent Jewish banker from Siena, who knows that survival sometimes depends on recognizing danger before it receives an official name. Around him move people whose power does not count: Matteo, a simple boy from Camucia searching for Maria; Bianca, a servant who learns to turn silence into courage; Lucrezia, a woman humiliated by society but not blinded by it; and men who understand that truth is often hidden exactly where no one wishes to look. When a mysterious illness spreads through Cortona, the city begins to search for someone to blame. The poor are blamed for filth, the Jews for poisoning, and the priests for sins they place on others. Forged notes, wells, cellars, poisons, and debts become part of one dangerous conspiracy. The Second Door is a novel about antisemitism, debt, false holiness, young love, public fear, and the price paid by those whose names are rarely remembered, yet without whom the truth would never come to light. In the end, the man falls, but the system learns to walk under another name.
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