Historical romance wasn’t a genre I read often until relatively recently. I used to think of it as old-fashioned and boring (despite loving period dramas, which should have clued me in sooner, but alas). Then I actually gave it a chance, and it felt like fireworks in my mind. I couldn’t believe I’d skipped over these books for years.
And ever since I started, I haven’t been able to stop — I’ve read every historical romance book I could get my hands on, from popular, well-loved titles to hidden gems.
So I’m here to report back. These are the historical romance books you need to read (some would say essential reading). Whether you’re new to the genre and looking for more to read, or a fan just hunting for a hidden gem, I hope this list brings you that same joy.
Black Silk by Judith Ivory
Black Silk is my favorite historical romance book, so even though it’s not the most popular one, I reserve the right to love it the most and keep it at the top of the list. This story follows Submit, a young, fairly recent widow, whose seventy-something-year-old husband left her a bequest to deliver a box of erotic drawings to his estranged ward Graham Wessit. But once Submit finds him, Graham won’t hear of taking it, and so his and Submit’s lives become intertwined. So much so that they become friends, and then their relationships slowly develop into more. See my full review of this book here.
When a Scot Ties a Knot by Tessa Dare
When a Scot Ties a Knot is the first historical romance I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it if you’re new to this genre. The story follows our heroine Maddie who really doesn’t want to go to balls or look for a husband. So, she invents a man named Captain MacKenzie and tells everyone they plan to get married when he’s back from war. She writes him letters to support the ruse, and she imagines those letters must be thrown away, so she treats them as a sort of diary. After several years, she kills off her sweetheart because she feels bad (she even got a house out of the whole thing). But then after some time, the real Captain MacKenzie appears at her door and demands marriage or he’ll expose her secrets. Find my review of this book here.
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
Flowers From the Storm is a classic of the genre and probably one of the most beautiful love stories ever told. Christian, Duke of Jervaulx is brilliant but leads an extravagant life, right up until he suffers a stroke of sorts and ends up in a mental hospital. Maddy Timms is a mathematician’s daughter who met the duke once before, and now that she’s volunteering at the hospital, their paths cross again. She starts helping him regain his speech and physical capability, all the while struggling against her upbringing (as a Quaker) and what she really wants (Christian). This is not an easy book to read because Christian spends much of it suffering, but it’s so worth it for how magical it all is.
What I Did for A Duke by Julie Ann Long
In What I Did for a Duke, we meet Alex Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, as his bride-to-be cheats on him with Ian Eversea. He is not a man you can cross though, so he comes up with a plan to seduce Ian’s sister and abandon her in return. And a perfect opportunity comes up when the Eversea’s host a house party. But Genevieve is nothing like he imagined. She’s brilliant, sees right through him, and has a secret passion that calls to him (even though she finds him old). Plus, she’s deeply in love with someone else. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize how similar they are. I adored this book, as you can see in my review, and I highly recommend it. Alex is the best, and the age gap is handled beautifully.
The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas
I was initially skeptical over whether this book would work for me or not just because a lot of people online said the hero is horrible, but what do you know — I adored this! You can see my full review here, but the brief synopsis is: Louisa needs a husband with money, badly. So, she takes her one season in London and comes prepared with lists of eligible bachelors and a very marriageable persona. But what she doesn’t expect is to catch the eye of the most eligible bachelor of all — Marquess of Wrenworth. She’s a practical girl and even though she wants him and finds her own likeness in him, she won’t fall for his charms because she knows he won’t marry her. And yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
This is by far the most popular historical romance book out there, and I can see why that is. But, as you can see in my review, I didn’t quite like it (for me, it embodies everything I dislike in books in general). However, just because it isn’t my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it won’t be yours. This is the story of Evie, a shy wallflower, who needs to marry someone quickly to escape her horrible relatives. So she picks the most notorious rake because she knows he needs her dowry. He agrees and they marry very quickly. But what neither expects is that they’ll start feeling something more for each other, or how determined their enemies can be.
Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Slightly Dangerous is probably the most recommended historical romance in online communities, and I can see why. It’s a very slow burn, and it kind of takes inspiration from Pride and Prejudice. You can read my review to see my full thoughts on this. The story follows Christine, a poor widow, who’s invited to a house party by her late husband’s relatives and goes even though she doesn’t want to. Something similar happens to Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle. When they meet, sparks fly. But Wulfric is very starchy and rule-abiding. For him, Christine is not an appropriate duchess, so he asks her to be his mistress, which she refuses. But he can’t seem to stay away, and neither can she.
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
I found this book so heartwarming and lovely! It’s a new take on Pride and Prejudice, so you get a familiar formula but new and different characters. The entire world (and society) thinks Oliver Marks is a girl named Elizabeth, so he’s forced to wear dresses and entertain suitors. And to cope with this unbearable fate, Oliver sneaks out of the house dressed as a man and explores the city. One night, he meets the sulky Darcy who had been rude to “Elizabeth” before. But out of the public eye, Darcy is actually sweet and smart, and they grow closer as time goes on. Unfortunately, Oliver’s suitors are growing bolder, his mother more desperate and he’ll have to choose between the safe, settled life everyone expects him to have, and the life of his dreams which could be more dangerous.
Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas
Ravishing the Heiress left me with such mixed feelings. I loved it and disliked it at the same time, but I would still highly recommend it if you want a beautiful love story with some complicated characters. Millie and Earl Fitzhugh married young and for money, forced by their families — she was rich and he just got a title that came with lots of debt. But they agreed not to consummate the marriage for eight years, and then only to get an heir, after which they would live separate lives. Now the eight years are up, and the woman whom Fitz loved is back. He’s determined to be with her, but also to fulfill his deal with Millie and give her an heir before he leaves. The problem is, Millie has been in love with him the whole time, and he finds that his old flame doesn’t hold quite the same charm as his life with Millie does. Full review here!
The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin
The Lotus Palace is a different flavor of historical romance, and it comes with a bit of suspense. Our main character Yue-ying is the maidservant to a courtesan, and she wants to stay out of everyone’s way. However, she captures the attention of the privileged, charismatic Bai Huang, whose facade she sees right through. When a murder happens in her quarter, she’s reluctantly drawn into the investigation, right along with Bai Huang whom everyone believes is to blame. This book is written so beautifully, the scenes are so clear and the characters so good. I highly recommend trying it! And I know that the Butterfly Swords by the same author is more popular, but this one is just so much better in my opinion!
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Lord of Scoundrels is one of the most legendary historical romances, and I cannot recommend it enough. The story follows Jessica Trent, who comes to Paris to save her brother from spending all of his money and drinking himself dead with a group of scoundrels, chief of which is Lord Dain. But what she finds is a handsome, intelligent man, who seems to want to verbally spar with her. They begin a battle of wills, each manipulating the society in their own ways, all the while longing for each other. But then comes an incident which must end in marriage, and Lord Dain and Jessica have to figure out how to be together. You can see my full review here, but this is a beautifully written, funny book you’ll adore.
The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews
If you’re looking for a historical romance that isn’t spicy, but gives you all the swoons, try this one! Mimi Matthews writes excellent Victorian romance books, and this is the first one I read by her. It follows Helena, who needs to escape her horrible uncle, so she enters a marriage of convenience with a man she found via matrimonial advertisement. However, her uncle is not deterred, and so Helena and her new, reclusive husband Justin have to fake it in front of the whole of London, all the while fighting their real desires because neither believes themselves worthy of the other’s love. I have a full review of this book here if you want more details.
All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles
All of Us Murderers is quite unique — it gives you some whodunnit mystery, some horror, and some lovely second-chance romance. Our hero, Zebedee (or Zeb) accepts a cousin’s invitation to come to his estate simply because he has nothing better to do. He was fired from his job, and he’s heartbroken, so he figures, why not? Well, the why shows up pretty quickly when his ex opens the door, and the rest of his horrible family is also there. The cousin doesn’t plan to let them go easily and Gideon, Zeb’s ex, is cold and determined to ignore him. And then the cousin announces that he wants one of the assembled men to marry his ward to inherit the fortune, which sets off a very bad series of events. Find my full review here!
Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long
Ginny is the eldest sister of her family and has raised her siblings since her parents died, so when her brother gambles away all their money at a gaming hell, she goes to London to confront the notorious owner, Gabriel Marchand. She’s actually angling for the name of whoever won her brother’s money, but Gabriel, wanting to make her go away, offers a night in his bed in exchange for a debt to his house forgiven. She refuses, of course, but then they’re stuck living at the same small inn and when Ginny goes on a quest through London to find the man her brother bet against and get their money back, Gabriel follows to ensure she doesn’t embarass his establishment. But slowly, they start growing feelings for each other. I adored this book, and you can see why in my review!
The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan
Violet and Sebastian are friends who made a deal five years ago — he’ll present her scandalous scientific theories as her own (because, you know, women and science did not go well together back then). But now he’s tired of being hated across London and shunned by friends and family and he just wants his life back. However, Violet is not ready to let this scheme go, so she tries to manipulate him into continuing. Violet is hard to like at first, but you warm up to her the more you understand her, and Sebastian is great throughout. So, I highly recommend this, especially if you want a romance with an older couple!
The Bride by Julie Garwood
If you want to dip your toes into some medieval or highlander historical romance, Julie Garwood is probably your best bet. Her books are always beautifully written and have some great characters — this one is no different. So, by the king’s edict, the fearsome Scottish laird has to marry an English lady, and when he meets Jamie (who’s beautiful, but also very feisty), he picks her. She’s determined not to like anything about Alec, but he’s handsome, and beneath his cocky, arrogant facade is a tender man that actually grows to truly love her. This book is so funny too!
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
I’ll be fully honest with you — I DNF’d this book. It’s really well-written and I liked most things about it, except that I really wanted a slow burn romance, and this was not quite it. However! I plan on giving it another go when I’m in a better mood. In this book, we follow a widow named Beth, who’s come into a bit of an inheritance recently and is marrying a charming man, hoping to finally live her best life. But then Lord Ian Mackenzie gives her a note which says that her new fiance is actually keeping several mistresses. Moreover, he asks her to marry him instead. Beth is attracted to Ian, but doesn’t take him seriously, and so begins his chase after her. There’s a murder mystery in the background too, which I was really intrigued by, and many other brothers to read about too.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Callie is a bored spinster, on the shelf and in love with the same unattainable Duke for a decade. When her sister gets engaged, she decides it’s time for some adventure, so she makes a list of nine things she’d like to do. And she enlists the help of the Duke of Ralston to do one of them. Fortunately, he needs help as well because his half-sister needs someone respectable to introduce her to society. They make a bargain that turns into much more as Callie goes through her list. I didn’t love this as much as other people, and you can see why in my review, but I can see why it would be fun and enjoyable, so give it a try if you feel like some wallflower/rake shanenigans.
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
Emmaline Martin has suffered a lot. Her parents died in a shipwreck and she barely survived. Now society is suspicious of her survival and her fiance (for whom she came all the way to India) is cheating on her and everyone knows. But then she meets his cousin, the inheritor of the Dukedom, and the man standing between outright war and peace in India. They fall in love passionately, but are torn apart when the rebellion begins. Six years later, they meet again. Only, they thought each other dead, and nothing is quite the same. They have to confront their pasts to have a future. I have to say that I DNF’d this one as well, simply because I don’t believe a real-life rebellion which caused real-life tragedy is a good place to set a romance, but if you want something sweeping and tragic, this is it!
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Duke of Ashbury has been at war, and he’s terribly scarred by it (physically and mentally). He hoped to heal his sorrows with his fiance, but she’s not very nice about his wounds, and leaves him. He’s now convinced he’s a monster who needs to find a woman desperate enough to be with him. Enter (literally) Emma, the seamstress of his ex fiance’s wedding dress. But instead of being repelled by him (as he expects), she sees him as the man he is and is more than willing to provide him with an heir. They make a deal, though: they’ll be together until they get an heir, and then it’s done, she’s free. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize their rules won’t stop them from falling in love. This was very funny and heartfelt, so I highly recommend it!
The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne
This is not an easy read, far from it, but it’s so good you just have to give it a try. The story begins with two orphans, Farah and Dougan, becoming friends and falling in love. For two years, they get to keep each other, and then Farah tells Dougan that she has to marry her late father’s lawyer when she’s old enough, so Dougan marries her in a Scottish hand-fasting ceremony. But then a priest tries to molest Farah and Dougan kills him, which lands him in prison. Seventeen years later, Farah lives as his widow and works for Scotland Yard, when a man named Dorian, the infamous criminal, is arrested. He kidnaps her and claims he’s a friend of Dougan’s and that Dougan’s death wish was for him to marry her.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles
Sir Gareth is prickly and cold, but falls into a passionate affair with an anonymous man. But then the man abandons him, and Gareth doesn’t even have time to recover from that when his father dies and he inherits a title and a manor, so he has to leave London. However, not all is charming in the countryside because nearby is the den of the infamous smuggling clan. And then to make things worse, Joss Doomsday, the head of the clan, blackmails Gareth with their affair (yes, he’s the anonymous man) so Gareth will keep his clan’s secrets. But not all is bad, as Gareth and Joss get to spend more time together and prehaps find love along the way.
Beautiful Bad Man by Ellen O’Connel
If you like contemporary cowboy romance, maybe give historical cowboy romance a go (or something like it). This story is about Norah and Caleb, who meet as teens and their encounter changes their lives. They don’t really spend the years since that thinking of each other, but they both wish the other has a good life. Now they meet again. Norah is a bitter, depressed widow on the brink of killing herself because she doesn’t eat, and Caleb is a gun for hire who’s given up on people because they either treat him poorly or die on him. When Norah’s neighbor sets his eye on her land, Caleb and Norah unite to defend it and find that they might just be attracted to each other.
The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit
Harriet is a word nerd and a bit of a spinster and she wants to put together a dictionary of modern slang, which is what she’s researching in the library at a party when she finds herself in a compromising position with a rake named Alexander. She strongarms him into marriage to save her siblings’ reputation, with the condition that they lead separate lives. Only, Alexander finds himself wanting to spend time with her, and she’s not immune to his charms either. This book is really cute and funny, with some surprisingly tender moments. Great read, especially if you want a historical romance that’s more recently written. See my full review here!
The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
Anna Wren is widowed and finds out she has no more money, so she gets a job as a secretary to the notoriously reclusive and scary Earl of Swartingham. Both are kind of overlooked people. Anna is not especially beautiful (according to the world) and her husband made her feel worthless because she couldn’t concieve. The Earl is surly and has scars from smallpox, plus both are over thirty. But they grow to see more in each other. When the Earl wants to go to a brothel so he can relieve his desire for Anna, she masks herself as one of the ladies there and spends the night with him. This continues on, both falling in love without knowing that the other is falling in love in turn.
Phoebe by Minerva Spencer
Phoebe is the second youngest of the Bellamy sisters, a sort of manager of them all. And so when she and her siblings find out that their father has gambled away their money, her older sisters go to find fortune elsewhere while she stays home to care for her parents and the younger siblings. But then the newly minted Viscount Needham comes along. He’s rich and intelligent but because his father bought the title, the ton rejects him. So he wants to marry into it, by choosing one of the Bellamy sisters. And though the others are prettier, from the moment he meets Phoebe, he has his sights set on her. When her father wants to marry off one of her sisters to Needham, Phoebe acts fast and asks the Viscount to marry her instead. And so their marriage begins, though both are determined not to let it be more.
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved the show, but I just didn’t. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t and many people adore this book. It’s about Anthony Bridgerton, the most elusive bachelor and rake who decides to marry for duty. He decides on Edwina, but her sister Kate is scheming against him because she doesn’t think rakes make the best husbands. But Anthony can’t stop thinking about her, and she finds herself very drawn to him.
The Proposition by Judith Ivory
The Proposition is much lighter and more funny than Black Silk, but still so well written. It’s about Miss Edwina Bollash who is an overlooked spinster. She teaches girls how to behave and prepares them for society and marriage. When two fun-loving brothers make a bet on whether she can transform the rat-catcher Mick Tremore into a gentlemen, she accepts the challenge, if only so that she can annoy her uncle (who left her penniless after her father died). So, Mick moves in and they start working on his comportment, only there’s passion between them that is just waiting to be released. If you want a truly unique and unforgettable hero, Mick is just divine, and Edwina is great too.
Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
Ana Maria is the eldest of three sisters and has always been the perfect daughter. When she’s sent to London during the French occupation of Mexico, she finally gets some freedom and time away from her father. There, she meets Gideon Fox, a politician with an important agenda he’s working on (to abolish slavery). They’re almost instantly attracted to each other but they can’t really be together: she would be a distraction from Gideon’s goals and she has a prior arrangement. But when a different noble has bad plans regarding Ana Maria, Gideon offers a marriage as protection.
His Favorite Mistake by Aydra Richards
This is a bit like What I Did for a Duke, minus the big age gap, and if Alex never told Genevieve what he was planning and just went through with it without her knowing. So, we have our Duke James, whose sister tells him that she’s pregnant by this guy David. However, David says that he doesn’t know what James is talking about and so obviously, he won’t marry his sister. Then James decides to seduce Jilly, David’s sister. But Jilly’s decided not to ever marry after her previous fiance left her at the altar. And yet as James continues to court her, she finds herself falling for him, and the closer his goals are, the more he regrets his choices. I really wanted to kick this dude, he’s so stupid at times, but the story ends up being kind of cute, so give it a go if you’re in the mood for this trope!
