Which Strong Female Protagonist Books Feature Historical Settings?

She married him out of desperation, becoming the perfect docile wife while he treated her like dirt beneath his shoes. But everything shattered the night she overheard him mocking her with his friends-and discovered the necklace she'd cherished, her only link to the boy who once saved her life, didn't even belong to him. It was all a lie. No longer the doormat he married, she discards her fake identity and reclaims her birthright as the hidden heiress of Salvadore City. Now she's on a mission: find the necklace's true owner among his circle of friends, no matter how many hearts she has to break along the way. But her husband isn't ready to let go. Convinced she's playing games to make him jealous, he's blindsided when divorce papers land in his hands. By the time he realizes the woman he dismissed was never who he thought she was, she's already moved on-living her truth, chasing her destiny, and leaving him choking on regret. Some cages, once opened, can never be closed again.

Have you ever read a story from the Villainess’s perspective? Leah Bellmoore was branded a villain, rejected by her chosen mate, and burned alive for crimes she didn’t commit. Then she wakes up a year in the past—before she ever stepped foot in Eclipse Academy and crossed paths with the heirs of the four great packs. The only problem? The memories of her previous life—the ones that could save her—are shattered, returning only in fragments with time. As each memory resurfaces, Leah uncovers the truth behind her murder, exposes the carefully buried secrets of Willow Rosante—the kingdom’s beloved golden girl who stole the life meant for her—and fights to reclaim everything that was taken from her. This time, she won’t be anyone’s sacrifice. She’ll rewrite fate before it kills her again.

Her name was Vitatrix, the first empress of Rome. You won't see her in any of the history books, or hear her name in any ballad or song. She isn't even mentioned in myth or legend. Her mark on mankind was erased, because she was a woman. Long ago Rome's emperor died with out a son. His cousin, a roman senator ascended to the throne with out a legitimate heir, or so everyone thought. Fear started to grip the citizens of Rome as new threats rose from every corner of the empire. In the city of Clusium, a daughter that was born to the new roman emperor, hidden by his wife. All of this to protect her from the possible rage and discrimination from her own family. All because she was born a girl. In a world where men rule, can this sole female heir secure her rightful place? Or will her gender pull her down? Raised by the midwife that helped bring her into the world, a young Trix finds out who she truly is. She must return to a family she has never known and save the Roman Empire from anarchy. She must fight a corrupt senator, a secret society, and her own fears of the future. Together with her best friend, Hector, she will learn that not everyone can be trusted. Not all stories have a happy ever after. Will this one?

This story is a story about power, the main male character is obsessed with being powerful and by all means wants to get it, that brings about the female lead, represents all he wants. so he concocts a big plan of getting it from her, take it all, her power, her wealth and leaves her with nothing. the female lead though isn't one who wants to forget this so she strikes back, she loses so much to give up, so she comes back, with anger for her sword and is determined to not stop until the people who hurt her knows what it feels like to be broken.

Banished princess. Rising warrior. Chosen Luna. Aveline never expected to survive her exile. Cast from the High Realm and thrown through a violent portal, she lands in a world ruled by wolves, winter, and instincts she does not understand. The pack should fear her strange magic. Instead, they protect her. Especially Marek, the fierce Alpha who sees through her thorns and into her hidden fire. But Aveline carries a secret the wolves cannot ignore. The spark inside her is ancient, alive, and tied to the fate of both realms. When shadows pour through a forbidden gateway and a ruthless queen hunts her across worlds, Aveline must choose between the destiny she was born into… and the family she found in the snow. Battles ignite. Magic awakens. Hearts collide. And when the final war shatters the boundaries of the realms, Aveline stands alone at the center of it all, forced to decide where she truly belongs. The throne that once rejected her calls her home. The mate who loves her asks her to stay. The worlds demand her choice. In the end, Aveline chooses not duty, not prophecy, but love. And the life she builds as Luna of the wolf pack will change both realms forever. A sweeping fantasy romance filled with fierce wolves, devastating magic, found family, destiny rewritten, and a love powerful enough to bridge worlds.

Ava Lancaster gave up her identity as a billionaire heiress to marry for love, choosing anonymity over inheritance and devotion over power. But her husband, Liam Hayes, repays her sacrifice with betrayal—repeated affairs, emotional neglect, and the quiet erosion of her worth. When Ava finally walks away, she does so with nothing but her name, refusing alimony and erasing herself from the life she helped build. What Liam never knows is that Ava secretly returns to the empire she once abandoned, reclaiming her family legacy and rising as the unseen CEO of a global conglomerate. Years later, when Liam’s failing company seeks a partnership to survive, fate brings them face-to-face again—this time with Ava holding all the power and Liam unaware that the woman he discarded now controls his future. As business turns into a battlefield, Ava orchestrates her revenge not with cruelty, but with dominance, strategy, and restraint. Torn between the ghosts of her past and the possibility of new love with a steadfast rival CEO, Ava must confront the cost of power, the weight of forgiveness, and the question of whether love can exist without surrender. Empire of Her Own is a long-burn, emotionally rich modern romance about betrayal, reinvention, and a woman choosing herself—fully, unapologetically, and on her own terms.