HomeBest OfBest Historical Fiction of 2022
♥ EDITOR'S TOP 15 PICKS

Best Historical Fiction of 2022

Historical fiction that transported us in 2022.

15books ranked
5,664total pages
1.4avg spice
THE FULL RANKING
15 books, ranked by our editors
Every book read cover to cover. Ranked by vibe, prose quality, emotional impact, and re-readability. — compatibility-checked, not just star-sorted.
👑#1
T
EDITOR'S PICK

๐Ÿฅ‡ #1 Match
The Diamond Eye

🌶 1/5 448 p ★ 4.22
Historical FictionWar Fiction
👑#2
Lessons in Chemistry cover

๐Ÿฅˆ #2 Match
Lessons in Chemistry

🌶 1/5 400 p ★ 4.22
Historical FictionComedy
👑#3
A Restless Truth cover

๐Ÿฅ‰ #3 Match
A Restless Truth

🌶🌶🌶🌶 4/5 352 p ★ 4.14
Historical FantasyRomanceLGBTQ+
#4
The Secret Life of Sunflowers cover

#4
The Secret Life of Sunflowers

🌶 0/5 352 p ★ 4.1
Historical FictionDual Timeline
#5
L

#5
Lessons in Chemistry

🌶🌶 2/5 400 p ★ 4.08
Historical FictionHumor
#6
L

#6
Lessons in Chemistry

🌶🌶 2/5 400 p ★ 4.08
Historical FictionContemporary FictionHumor
#7
A Lady for a Duke cover

#7
A Lady for a Duke

🌶🌶 2/5 448 p ★ 4.05
Historical RomanceLGBTQ+
#8
T

#8
Trust

🌶 1/5 416 p ★ 3.85
Literary FictionHistorical Fiction
#9
The Magnolia Palace cover

#9
The Magnolia Palace

🌶 0/5 368 p ★ 3.84
Historical FictionDual Timeline
#10
Something Fabulous cover

#10
Something Fabulous

🌶🌶🌶 3/5 352 p ★ 3.79
Historical RomanceLGBTQ+Comedy
#11
Stone Blind cover

#11
Stone Blind

🌶 1/5 352 p ★ 3.71
Historical FictionMythology
#12
Elektra cover

#12
Elektra

🌶 1/5 336 p ★ 3.68
Historical FictionMythology
#13
Siren Queen cover

#13
Siren Queen

🌶 1/5 272 p ★ 3.64
Historical FantasyLGBTQ+
#14
Pandora cover

#14
Pandora

🌶 1/5 432 p ★ 3.63
Historical FictionMystery
#15
T

#15
The Christie Affair

🌶 1/5 336 p ★ 3.55
Historical FictionMystery
HEAT CHECK
Spice breakdown
How spicy is this list? Here is the full distribution.
Clean
2 books
🌶 1/5
8 books
🌶🌶 2/5
3 books
🌶🌶🌶 3/5
1 book
🌶🌶🌶🌶 4/5
1 book
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 5/5
0 books
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQ

This curated list features 15 books, totaling 5,664 pages. Every book has been read and rated by our team.

Rankings are based on our read-through ratings, reader community feedback, and how well each book delivers on the promise of its genre and mood. We cross-reference BookTok discussions and Goodreads data.

The average spice level across this list is 1.4/5. Individual books range from clean to scorching — check each book’s spice rating for details.

We update our best-of lists quarterly to include new releases and adjust rankings based on ongoing reader feedback and our own re-reads.

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Editorial note: Every book on this list was read cover to cover by our team. Rankings reflect our honest assessments of quality, emotional impact, and re-readability. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports our ability to keep reading and reviewing. See all ranked lists →

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