God's wolf : the life of the most notorious of all crusaders, scourge of Saladin by Jeffrey Lee (nonfiction 2017)

Wonderful book, busting some of the Christian and Muslim myths about this extraordinary person who left France as a second son without many prospects and made himself a prince. 

So High a Blood: the Story of Margaret Douglas, the Tudor that Time Forgot (nonfiction 2017) by Morgan Ring

Although I did remember that she was Henry VIII's niece and Darnley's mother, I knew nothing else about Margaret. I couldn't believe I read a nonfiction work so fast, since it was engaging and exciting and insightful.  Highly recommend for Tudor buffs.

Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City by Christine Evelyn Volker (mystery) 2017

Picked this one up because I needed a paperback and was pleasantly surprised by a fun and sexy mystery set in a wonderful place.  Towards the end, it was too easy to see what happened, but enjoyable nonetheless.  It was a quick read.

The Drowing King by Emily Holleman (historical fiction 2017)

The sequel to Cleopatra's Shadows is so good, first rate historical fiction.  Ms. Holleman has done her research and her editor is great.  This book is enjoyable all on its own although I highly recommend starting at the beginning.  Caesar makes his entrance to Alexandria in this volume and her characterization is a lot of fun.

The Gothic War: Rome's Final Conflict in the West by Torsten Cumberland Jacobsen (nonfiction 2009)

This book ranges over the personalities, geography, weapons and battle tactics of the Gothic War. I loved it for this comprehensive look at a confusing and ever-shifting time in history.

The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George (historical fiction) 2017

I have been reading Ms. George for many years, and have been looking forward to this book because I have always been fascinated by Nero. The first book (in what is planned to be a series of two) ends just as Nero is rushing to Rome when he hears it is burning, which was an effective cliffhanger. George has clearly done a lot of research on life in Rome at the time, with fun and detailed descriptions of places like the Circus Maximus and religious rituals that Nero would have participated in. 
I think what many ancient history fans are looking for is how Nero justifies his many famous and horrible political murders to himself, other transgressive acts, and how he sees his role as emperor in the light of his desire to be an artist. Nero is simply delusional about how his artistic performances are seen not only by the senators of Rome, but by common people, which seems plausible.  One character tries to tell him the truth but Nero brushes it off. As for murders, taking part in a marriage ceremony with a man, and scandalous stuff like having upper class Romans participate in artistic endeavors and prostitution, it's always someone else's fault. Here and there it seems like a lame excuse, but it also seems like what a privileged emperor might tell himself.

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone (nonfiction 2009)

Joanna was a unique woman in power at the time, and went through quite a bit to hold on.  This book helps shed light on the political structures of the time.  Reading about how Joanna was successful and not-so at navigating the medieval world's touchy relationship with royalty and women is wonderful.

Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King (historical fiction 2017)

It's a great idea to write about the Roman patrician Apicius, supposedly the writer of the first cookbook.  This book has a lot of wonderful detail about the dinner parties and food from the early empire, and interesting portrayals of some characters we know, such as Tiberius, Sejanus and Livia. The life and love story of the main character, a slave that Apicius buys to help him fulfill his dream of becoming the gastronomic advisor to the emperor, is extensively researched.  He goes through exciting and terrifying ups and downs.

Young and Damned and Fair - The Life of Catherine Howard by Gareth Russell (nonfiction 2017)

I've read a lot about the wives, and if you've read a lot about the wives, you know the narratives are set - until now.  Mr. Russell re-opens the Howard case and it is fun and readable.

Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden (nonfiction 2016)

Wonderful, special and unique story about the City.  I loved it, even more than Madden's previous work about Venice, which was quite edifying.