If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend Philippa Gregory. She's the author who wrote "The Other Boleyn Girl". She is a British writer, and has written 6 books based on the Tudor Court and 6 books on the Cousins War (War of the Roses). Her books are extremely well researched and are mostly told from the feminine point of view. She is an excellent writer and is able to paint a picture of the times and places. Her characters are compelling and interesting, and not what you would expect. They make for a very good read. Another author I've enjoyed is Bernard Cornwell, another Brit. He has a trilogy dealing with Arthurian England, another series dealing with 14th century Europe during the 100 Years War, and a series that takes place in 9th century England focusing on the Anglo-Saxons fighting the Danes. His books are told more from the traditional masculine voice. Again, they are well researched and well written.
I recently read The Other Boleyn Girl and both of Hilary Mantel's Tudor novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Down the Bodies. I preferred the style of writing in Alison Weir's novel about Lady Jane Grey, who ruled England for just 9 days. I've just finished a historical novel by Ken Follet set in the 18th century, but having studied that period of history I kept finding fault with some things I felt were not right for those times. I've just borrowed from the library a novel by Andrew Taylor, a murder mystery set in Civil War America. I have read several of his historical crime novels so I know it will be a good read.
I read a book that said the rider went from Fort Sumpter in Sacremento, California to San Franciso in 8 hours by horse back before paved roads, that was not possible it took that long on a paved road in a car to go thru the mountains, after reading that mistake the author made in reference to the travel time it was hard to read anymore of his books, his research was off. If I remember correctly this book was a historical fiction about the settling of the west.