By: Jaclyn
If you’re looking for a fairytale getaway, or you’re looking to dip your toes into another time period, then a historical romance is the way to go! Historical romances can be intimidating to start for some people. Will it be boring? Is there going to be too much history and not enough romance? Am I going to understand it? These are some common questions people ponder before picking up that bodice ripping cover.
One of things to remember is that yes there will be some history- you’re being transported to another time and of course you’re going to learn a bit about it. But you won’t realize you’re learning until you take a step back and all of a sudden you have this vast knowledge of what it was like for people during this time period! Now you know about balls, carriages, rakes, clubs, wallflowers, spinsters, the ton, and the proper way people were told to act to meet up to the societal standards of the time.
Don’t fear though, just because you are learning about the time period doesn’t mean that the romance takes a backseat. In fact, most of the time the romances can be extremely steamy, filled with built up tension and a lot of heartful and sweet moments. Many times because of the rules that society had set during that time period, certain moments like hand holding or even being in private together, the feelings are intensified. For example, for a woman to be found alone in a bedroom with a man was considered a scandal, her reputation in society can face ruination and most of the time, the couple have to marry; this makes for such a fun story, so much can happen! The best part is, a very good portion of them end with marriage and all of them end with the happily ever after that romance lovers rely on. No matter what is happening, there is such a safety in knowing that everything is going to be okay by the time you reach the end. It’s about the journey and that moment when you’re reading and you have no idea how the author is going to pull it off that makes it so worthwhile.
Historical romances can take place anywhere in the world, however the most popular places are London and Scotland. Here are five great places to start!
The Wallflowers Series by Lisa Kleypas
https://book-scents.com/2015/07/08/series-review-the-wallflowers-by-lisa-kleypas/
Such a fan favorite and heartwarming series!! This is set with a backdrop of England in the 1800s with four girls who are considered “Wallflowers”. This means that they’re the ones on the side of the ballroom, who never get asked to dance, and are typically considered to be introverted and different from the rest of society. Our story starts when the four of them become friends and are determined to find each other a husband to live happily ever after with. Each book follows each girls love story and features a wonderful, witty cast of characters and different tropes. My personal favorite is Devil in Winter, but I love each and every one! The friendship aspect is so rare to witness and so incredibly sweet. The romances are sizzling and it’s truly a beautiful series. They’re the perfect binge series for historical romance!
When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
http://addictedtoromance.org/books/when-a-scot-ties-the-knot-by-tessa-dare/
When a Scot Ties the Knot is a part of Tessa Dares, Castle Ever After series but you don’t need to read them in order, each one stands completely on its own! The premise for each book follows a strong woman who inherits their own castle and that’s where the adventure begins!
Here we follow Madeline who is tired of people trying to match up with someone when she’s perfectly fine on her own. She’s introverted and just wants to go off and live in her newly inherited castle. To get people off her back, she makes up a man named Captain MacKenzie who is a brave Scottish soldier off at war who she starts sending random letters too, then eventually tells society that he passed away in battle and she is now a widow. As a widow, people would leave her alone and she could go off and do her own thing. But the story begins when she finds out Captain MacKenzie is real! He’s been getting her letters, he’s practically in love with her and he’s ready to marry her! It’s absolutely HILARIOUS and so much fun to read!! It’s witty and one of the things that’s so important in Tessa Dares story is the take on feminism, which is something especially appreciated for modern readers!
The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn
https://bookwyrmshoard.com/book-reviews/romancing-mister-bridgerton-and-the-bridgerton-series-by-julia-quinn-review/
The Bridgertons are probably the most popular and beloved families in historical romance! The series centers around a mother and her eight children with each getting their own love story. The concept of family is so important and so heartwarming to witness. The bickering and banter that comes with sibling relationships is strong in this series and of course all of the romances are unique and stand on their own! Another interesting fact about this series is that all of siblings ‘ names follow along with the alphabet! We have Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hycathin! Don’t worry, it’s not confusing and it’s such an easy and fun series to fall completely into! Even if you don’t want to read the entire series, you can pick up a random one that sounds good to you! My favorites are enemies to lovers The Viscount Who Loved Me, Cinderella retelling An Offer from a Gentleman and the childhood friends/unrequited love story in Romancing Mister Bridgerton. This series is so fantastic and so incredibly popular that it’s being adapted by Shonda Rhimes on Netflix which is extremely exciting and highly anticipated! Now is definitely the time to hop on this bandwagon!
Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake by Sarah Maclean
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6584134-nine-rules-to-break-when-romancing-a-rake
This was the first historical romance I picked up, so it’s definitely a great place to start! This story follows Callie who is a headstrong heroine who is tired of following all the rules. She feels that following all the society rules has done nothing for her and she wants to break free from it all. She decides to take her life into her own hands and break them by making a list of all the things she wants to do. In society women do not fire pistols, gamble in gentleman clubs, smoke a cheroot, attend a duel, fence, or ride astride; But to have the midnight kisses and dance every dance at the ball, she needs a sneaky partner in crime. She enlists the rakish (play boyish figure) Marquess, Gabriel to help her break them all! Unbeknownst to them, they fall in love and it’s beautiful!! Callie is such a strong and powerful character to follow and very relatable! It’s so heartwarming watching these two unlikely characters fall in love while finding themselves. It’s steamy, easy to read, and I highly recommend giving Sarah Maclean a chance! Her books are addicting to read!
The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23723798-the-highwayman
Kerrigan Byrne is a recent discovery for me and she’s quickly become a fast favorite! This series is different from other recommendations on this list and it’s a bit on the darker and edgier side. I was left speechless when I finished! Dorian Blackwell is a dark hero who was in prison and vows to seek revenge on those who have wronged him, he’s powerful and has so much depth the more you dive into his back story, I cried! The heroine is a widowed woman named Farah who lost her “husband” when she was a child and the boy she loved saved her. These two spark an alliance where Dorian marries her for protection while in exchange she reveals the secrets he needs to find those who did him wrong all those years ago. I don’t want to give too much away but this book is heart wrenching, swoon worthy, action packed and so addicting to read! Highly recommend you give this a shot!
What are some of your favorite historicals? Have you read any of these? Be sure to leave a comment!