These are all what might be considered historical novels, and show the work of much careful research. They are also young adult novels, though they push the upper bounds of that name; they are at least about young adults.

Witch Child is set in the mid 1600's, beginning in England but mostly taking place in the Colonies. The viewpoint character, Mary Newbury, may or may not truly be a witch, but others consider her so, and that is all it takes. When she finally becomes the scapegoat for the ill luck of a Puritan settlement, she escapes to those who have suffered even more harshly at the hands of the settlers.

Sorceress is a sequel to Witch Child, set in modern times, but with considerable flash-back to the life of Mary Newbury. The viewpoint character is Agnes Herne (Karonhisake or Searching Sky) whose aunt tells stories of an ancestor who was a medicine woman.

When Agnes reads Witch Child (which is presented as a diary) she contacts the researcher who is trying to unravel the fate of Mary Newbury. With the help of her aunt, who clearly is herself a medicine woman, Agnes embarks on a spiritual journey and learns much of what happened to Mary. The details are often upsetting, but that is as it was.

Pirates is set in 1722-24. It begins in England, but wends its way over much of the world touched by the Atlantic ocean.

The "pirates" are Nancy Kington, an orphan heiress desperate to escape an arranged marriage, and Minerva Sharpe, a plantation slave who turns out to be her sister. After Nancy kills the overseer intent on raping Minerva, they go on the run, pursued by a man who will not give up his quest for vengeance.

They do become pirates, with all that entails, but consider it a better life than what they would have been forced into otherwise. They each do eventually manage to settle down, but with a cost.

Sovay is set in 1794 England, and is motivated by the traditional ballad of a young woman who acts as a highwayman to test the faithfulness of her lover.

In this story, Sovay's lover proves quite unworthy, and Sovay continues playing the part of highwayman until she becomes entangled in an extremely sticky and dangerous web of intrigue than eventually lands her in the middle of the terror of the French revolution.

The range of characters from all levels of society is quite delicious, as is the complex story of political deceit and spying. She does eventually find a lover she can trust.

The Fool's Girl is a true gem, and my favorite of these five novels. Though I do not believe one needs to know much of Shakespeare and his plays to enjoy reading this story, one does need such familiarity to understand the meta framework.

The story takes the events of Twelfth Night as real, and is set in its future. Violetta is the daughter of Viola; the fool is Feste. They are in England and seek the help of William Shakespeare to carry out a bold plot to restore what has been stolen from Illyria.

At the end of the novel, Shakespeare writes a new play, to be performed for the royal court, based on the stories told him by Violetta: it is Twelfth Night.