King John and the Road to the Magna Carta by Stephen Church (nonfiction 2015)

I always love those Angevins.  Here is an interesting read about King John.  Church tries to see John's life from John's own perspective, because of course John did not go through his days thinking he would end up a big old failure.

Hannibal - A Hellenistic Life by Eve MacDonald (nonfiction 2015)

Fairly successful attempt at understanding Hannibal as a Carthaginian, a Hellenistic general who lived only 100 years after Alexander.  Our view of him is so largely shaped by the Romans, his mortal enemies, and the author tries to sidestep or augment that as much as possible with a more nuanced portrait.

Rome's Revolution: Death of the Republic & Birth of the Empire by Richard Alston (nonfiction 2015)

Alston truly convinced me it was a revolution.  He focuses a harsh light on the brutality of the triumvirate, particularly Octavian's, that in my opinion is often missing from portraits of Augustus.   Fascinating political analysis.