The one genre I’ve been really into in these troubled times is historical romance. Perhaps it is because it is quite the total opposite of everything happening outside but I’ve really fallen in love with it (again). I was really into queer historical romance (stan Cat Sebastian) a few years ago and now I’m slowly starting to get into more of the classic authors like Tessa Dare. Okay, maybe just the one author. But once I’m done Dare’s backlist, I will pick up the other historical romances that have been sitting on my TBR like Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean.
Anyway, this blog post is to update y’all on this new reading habit and share some of my favourites of the ones I’ve read. I will say that I tend to read books in series but as they are all companion novels, they do not have to be read in any particular order. The only exception being Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series because the couples appear throughout the entire series and they all become friends by the end, I adore it.
Without further ado, here are some of the books that have really captured my heart in these weird times! Thankfully other readers haven’t caught on to their awesomeness yet because they were all available digitally through my local library. Shoutout to Libby/Overdrive for keeping us all sane.
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
Castles Ever After #2
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Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and… and… ?
After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She’s inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.
Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother—even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.
So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride’s cold feet?● He starts with flowers. A wedding can’t have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes.
● He lets her know she’ll make a beautiful, desirable bride—and tries not to picture her as his.
● He doesn’t kiss her.
● If he kisses her, he definitely doesn’t kiss her again.
● When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown. And vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.
● And no matter what—he doesn’t fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.
Forbidden love and years-long angst is just right up my alley. I really loved the premise of this one and the execution was just amazing!
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
Castles Ever After #3
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On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.
A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.
Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.
The premise of this one reminded me of the contemporary American trope “my boyfriend lives in Canada!” except in this one, the fictional boyfriend appears one day. This one was super swoony.
Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian
Regency Imposters #1
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The one you love…
Robert Selby is determined to see his sister make an advantageous match. But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. She’s enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever.
May not be who you think…
Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp.
But is who you need…
When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?
Cat Sebastian’s The Turner Series and Seducing the Sedgwicks are some of my favourites so it’s no surprise that I also loved this series. While these may seem like your conventional straight romances (which usually make me yawn), Sebastian still manages to make the characters all inclusive and usually bi. In this first in a series, one of the main characters is non-binary but due to historical limitations, does not use that language. I think Sebastian did a great job considering the language limitations. I highly recommend this whole series for sure.
A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian
Regency Imposters #2
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One reluctant heir
If anyone else had asked for his help publishing a naughty novel, Ash would have had the sense to say no. But he’s never been able to deny Verity Plum. Now he has his hands full illustrating a book and trying his damnedest not to fall in love with his best friend. The last thing he needs is to discover he’s a duke’s lost heir. Without a family or a proper education, he’s had to fight for his place in the world, and the idea of it—and Verity—being taken away from him chills him to the bone.
One radical bookseller
All Verity wants is to keep her brother out of prison, her business afloat, and her hands off Ash. Lately it seems she’s not getting anything she wants. She knows from bitter experience that she isn’t cut out for romance, but the more time she spends with Ash, the more she wonders if maybe she’s been wrong about herself.
One disaster waiting to happen
Ash has a month before his identity is exposed, and he plans to spend it with Verity. As they explore their long-buried passion, it becomes harder for Ash to face the music. Can Verity accept who Ash must become or will he turn away the only woman he’s ever loved?
This one is my favourite of this particular series! One of my fave tropes is the friends to lovers and A Duke in Disguise also had the element of childhood friends… I stan. I also really liked that the main character owned a bookstore, so fun.
A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian
Regency Imposters #3
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When Amelia Allenby escaped a stifling London ballroom for the quiet solitude of the Derbyshire countryside, the very last thing she wanted was an extremely large, if—she grudgingly admits—passably attractive man disturbing her daily walks. Lecturing the surveyor about property rights doesn’t work and, somehow, he has soon charmed his way into lemon cakes, long walks, and dangerously heady kisses.
The very last place Sydney wished to be was in the shadow of the ruins of Pelham Hall, the inherited property that stole everything from him. But as he awaits his old friend, the Duke of Hereford, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the maddeningly lovely and exceptionally odd Amelia. He quickly finds that keeping his ownership of Pelham Hall a secret is as impossible as keeping himself from falling in love with her.
But when the Duke of Hereford arrives, Sydney’s ruse is revealed and what started out as a delicate deception has become a love too powerful to ignore. Will they let a lifetime of hurt come between them or can these two lost souls find love and peace in each other?
I think this book finished the series off very nicely! It was cute and definitely not as intense (in terms of plot) that I’ve read from other books so I really liked it.
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
Girl Meets Duke #3
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They call him the Duke of Ruin.
To an undaunted wallflower, he’s just the beast next door.Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even.
Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.
When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.
Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?
And a two-legged dog.
And a foul-mouthed parrot.
And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .
Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.
Not if he ruins her first.
The whole Girls Meets Duke series was great but I chose this one to feature because I adored seeing all of the characters from the previous books make an appearance and Penny was definitely my favourite of the heroines.
Have you read any of these books? What genre has been keeping you entertained lately? Let’s discuss in the comments!
