In my Holiday Reading post I shared a mix of holiday books I recommended and ones I wanted to read. I really liked that format, so I thought it would be fun to create some similar posts highlighting other genres. I’m starting with historical romance, because it’s the genre I write the least about in relation to how much I read it.
What’s so great about historical romance?
I like all subgenres of romance. But, historical is my first choice. There’s something about the different societal standards that adds an extra element. Historical romances are filled with scandalous scenes like a gentleman seeing a woman’s ankle (pause for gasps). I also really like storylines where people end up faking relationships or in a marraige of convenience, because there tends to be more relationship development as they get to know each other. While this trope does appear in other romance novels, it works best in historical novels.
5 Historical Romance Recommendations
This isn’t a top five. I didn’t rank the books, I went through my goodreads and picked a variety.
Title: Devilish Duke ( Saints & Scoundrels bk 1) by Maddison Michaels
Description: Devlin Markham, the notorious “Devil Duke” of Huntington, needs a woman. And not just any woman. If he can’t woo one of the most eccentric bluestockings of the Ton within the month, he can kiss his hard-earned fortune goodbye. But he’s always thought love a wasted emotion and marriage an inconvenience at best. And oddly enough, Lady Sophie Wolcott seems unmoved by his charm…
When Sophie learns her beloved orphanage is in imminent danger, she will do anything to save it. Even marry a ruthless rake who takes what he wants in business and pleasure. A man who’s everything she’s always feared most—but whom she reluctantly begins yearning for.
Then Sophie becomes the target of a killer lurking from the dark shadows of Devlin’s past. And they find not only their lives in jeopardy but their very hearts.
Why I recommend it: This one was fresh in my mind because I finished it recently. It’s your typcial reformed rake story. But, the banter between Devlin and Sophie makes it a stand out.
Title: When I Fall in Love (de Piaget bk 1) by Lynn Kurland
Description: Nicholas de Piaget is finished with demoiselles more interested in his riches than his heart. He is certain he’ll spend the rest of his life in his leaky castle, watching others enjoy wedded bliss, until he stumbles upon a flame-haired maiden in distress. His honor demands that he help her return home – if only his heart would allow it.
Jennifer McKinnon is convinced that there are no more knights in shining armor – at least not in Manhattan. Then a chance trip to England leaves her wondering if a happily ever after might be in her future. Little does she know that a hero of legendary chivalry awaits her … eight hundred years in the past.
But desires of the heart and dangerous secrets threaten to tear them apart, and only time will tell if true love can lead them to a fairy-tale ending…
Why I recommend it: I recommend this entire time travel series, but this was my favorite. These are sweet, humorous romances. I would recommend reading in order because the characters are related, but it’s not necesarry to appreciate the romance.
Title: First Comes Marraige (Huxtables bk 1) by Mary Balogh
Description: Against the scandal and seduction of Regency England, New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh introduces an extraordinary family—the fiery, sensual Huxtables. Vanessa is the second daughter, proud and daring, a young widow who has her own reason for pursuing the most eligible bachelor in London. One that has nothing to do with love. Or does it?
The arrival of Elliott Wallace, the irresistibly eligible Viscount Lyngate, has thrown the country village of Throckbridge into a tizzy. Desperate to rescue her eldest sister from a loveless union, Vanessa Huxtable Dew offers herself instead. In need of a wife, Elliott takes the audacious widow up on her unconventional proposal while he pursues an urgent mission of his own. But a strange thing happens on the way to the wedding night. Two strangers with absolutely nothing in common can’t keep their hands off each other. Now, as intrigue swirls around a past secret—one with a stunning connection to the Huxtables—Elliott and Vanessa are uncovering the glorious pleasures of the marriage bed…and discovering that when it comes to wedded bliss, love can’t be far behind.
Why I recommend it: One of my pet peeves is the “big misunderstanding” that could easily be solved if the characters just talked to each other. There are several cases where this could happen, but Vanessa and Elliot talk to each other. This whole series is prefect if you like regency romance, but want something other than rakes or scoundrels.
Title: The Man From Stone Creek (Stone Creek bk. 1) by Linda Lael Miller
Description: There is trouble in Haven, Arizona, and Ranger Sam O’Ballivan is determined to sort it all out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrives posing as the new schoolteacher, and his first order of business is to bring the ranchers’ children under control. He calls on local postmistress Maddie Chancelor, whose brother is in firm need of discipline.
Why I recommend it: No one does westerns better than Linda Lael Miller. The Stone Creek is a great mix of romance, action and humor.
Title: Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers bk. 1) by Lisa Kleypas
Description: Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.
Annabelle is determined to resist Simon’s wicked propositions, but she can’t deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle’s courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.
Why I recommend it: Simon is not an aristicrat, he’s a self-made man. This makes for an interesting dynamic. I still remember
5 Historical Fiction novels I want to read
Here are five historical romances that have peeked my interest:
Title: The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.
Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.
But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?
Title: Duke with a Reputation by Scarlette Scott
Description: The Duke of Brandon is London’s most infamous rake. But his world crashes to a decided halt when the sins of his past come back to haunt him in the form of one small she-devil of a child who has green eyes just like his. To make matters worse, his disapproving grandmother has decided that he must marry or forfeit his inheritance.
Now, he has no choice but to raise a daughter, find a wife, and keep his harridan grandmother from discovering his sordid secrets as the founder of the Wicked Dukes Society. So when the tempting, fiery-haired Countess of Grenfell propositions him, he offers her something else instead—a marriage of convenience.
Lottie, Countess of Grenfell, is London’s most notorious widow. Her doomed, one-sided marriage left her with a broken heart and a determination to never wed again. What she wants is simple—passion, independence, and one night in the Duke of Brandon’s bed. Or in his scandalous chair. Perhaps even against a wall. She wouldn’t marry him, however, if he were the last man on earth.
Brandon is quickly running out of time and his troublemaking daughter has decided no one else shall do as her step-mama but the maddening countess. He must persuade Lottie to become his duchess with all haste or risk losing everything. As he sets out to seduce her into marriage, he’s shocked to realize that he’s done the one thing he previously believed himself incapable of along the way—he’s fallen in love. But Lottie’s bruised and battered heart is more guarded than his, and she has vowed to never allow another man to hurt her again.
Title: What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown
Description: If there’s one rule Hester learned during her country upbringing, it’s never accept a that’s how the Folk get you. Although she’s left her farm behind, she can’t leave her superstitions, even if no one else in the capital city seems to care. Hardworking but hungry, she’s looking for loopholes, and the king’s annual Commoners Ball seems like the perfect way to get a free meal that’s not technically a gift—and it would have been, too, except a pesky prince took a shine to her.
Inglebert Lucas Chesingwick isn’t just the crown he’s also practical, responsible, and very annoyed to see his younger brother causing a scene by flirting with a peasant at the ball. He can separate them for one night, but his mischievous brother is determined to see the poor girl again. And again. And for some reason, Lucas keeps running into her, too. If only there was some way he could help her …
The princes might mean well, but Hester knows better than to accept favors from anyone, even royalty—even if it’s cheese—and even if saying no breaks her heart. After all, just because the Folk have never been seen in the city doesn’t mean they’re not around …
Title: Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti
For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets. And for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the Earl of Strathrannoch, whose political ambition is matched only by his charm. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of—a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.
Unfortunately, the Earl of Strathrannoch has no idea who she is.
When a bewitching redheaded stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned—but when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur’s name, he’s bloody furious. He’s content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a provocative, radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn’t.)
But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who’s become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia’s help. What he doesn’t need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother’s mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe—even his heart.
Title: A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin
Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.
Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.
Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.
The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn…
This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit—one that readers will find an irresistible delight.
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