The best recent historical romance reads with lessons in love

Who am I?

I’ve been a romance author for two decades now, and a romance reader for decades before that. It’s my favourite genre to read, critique, and write, closely followed by paranormal reads and mysteries. I’ve had the good fortune to win several awards for my romance novels, including a Gold Medal and an Irwin. My limited-release novellas have also been long-listed for ‘Best Romance’ and ‘Best Historical Romance’ many times. I’m a compulsive researcher too! I spend hours poring over old maps and out-of-print glossaries. I also visit graveyards quite a lot to learn names and life spans, and the how so many stories end.


I wrote...

The King's Mistress

By Clyve Rose,

Book cover of The King's Mistress

What is my book about?

Thrown to the wolves by her father, Lady Lydia Clifton faces a forced marriage and all the brutality that comes with the Earl of Basingstoke. She must flee and has only one way out of England: disguise herself as Martha Dale, mistress to the Romany king. 

King Valkin Brishen discovers her subterfuge and the possible harm to his people, yet when his men find a lovely English maid on the run who claims to be his mistress, anger battles with more than curiosity over exactly why this English rose is fleeing with such haste. Her flight speaks of courage, but her deceit could put his people in peril. And more, he wonders if it's worth the risk to his heart if he takes her under his protection.

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The books I picked & why

Persuasion

By Jane Austen,

Book cover of Persuasion

Why did I love this book?

This story showcases two people getting over themselves. This is a theme in many of Austen’s works. She doesn’t believe in the ‘renovate your partner’ thing and honestly, I’ve never seen that work in real life. What we have here, are two people who inspire each other to emotional bravery, constancy, and vulnerability (in the 1800s – I give them a little grace for this).

If you’re not familiar with the story, know that the couple were once engaged, and the lady was persuaded to step away. Eight years pass, and true love holds true indeed – but there are egos to clamber over, and self-worth concerns to conquer. These emotions aren’t new. Austen’s story still resonates because our hearts aren’t all that modern. Hearts still hope, and hope still counts.

By Jane Austen,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Persuasion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'In Persuasion, Jane Austen is beginning to discover that the world is larger, more mysterious, and more romantic than she had supposed' Virginia Woolf

Jane Austen's moving late novel of missed opportunities and second chances centres on Anne Elliot, no longer young and with few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she was persuaded by others to break off her engagement to poor, handsome naval captain Frederick Wentworth. What happens when they meet again is movingly told in Austen's last completed novel. Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension,…


All They Need

By Sarah Mayberry,

Book cover of All They Need

Why did I love this book?

This contemporary romance touched me deeply. The heroine is coming back from an abusive marriage. We find her leaning heavily on her family as she re-established herself personally and financially, having left the high life of the city – and the mess of her divorce – behind.

The domestic abuse issues are mostly handled off-page. The protagonist’s internal dialogue resonated with me a lot. Same goes for her hero, who’s going through a rough time with his family as well. I liked how insecure they both were in parts – and how leaps of faith were made on either side.

Mostly, this novel reminded me that learning to trust intimately again takes time and patience. It helped me reflect on my own situation and to be kinder to myself.

By Sarah Mayberry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All They Need as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After all Melanie Porter has been through recently, it's time to put her dreams first. And she starts by opening a vacation retreat outside of Melbourne. As she considers her next step, the unexpected happens. One of her guests—a friend—the very attractive Flynn Randall makes it clear he's in pursuit.

Mel is definitely tempted. Who wouldn't be?

But Flynn comes with strings that could derail her plans. First, he's part of the world she eagerly left behind. Second, he's ready for a commitment, while she's still embracing life on her own.

A resolution seems impossible until Flynn proves that she's…


It Started with a Scandal

By Julie Anne Long,

Book cover of It Started with a Scandal

Why did I love this book?

Lord Lavay is determined to recapture his family’s fortune. His housekeeper is just as determined not to fail her fatherless son. Drama and growth – the best ingredients of the most moving stories.

This novel was the first one I read in the Pennyroyal Green series from this author. I almost gave up writing then and there because she wrote so well, so powerfully that I doubted my ability to become as good as her. This novel now serves as my measure, against which every romance novel is placed – including my own.

The way her characters are drawn on the page, the way they move through their own journeys, and still come together at the end, is seamless. Great characters, flawed and relatable. Excellent plot and pacing, including the world building.

By Julie Anne Long,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It Started with a Scandal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword, and a stone-cold conviction: he'll restore his family's fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach-when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green. An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. She is shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, and her survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to…


It Ends with Us

By Colleen Hoover,

Book cover of It Ends with Us

Why did I love this book?

This book isn’t a romance. It’s too real – and too devastating – for that. It’s part of a series and I read this book first and the prequel story afterward so if you’re planning to read this one, I recommend reading the first one too, and in advance. There are some references I feel I’d have understood better if I’d read the books in order.

The main characters are all relatable in that they’re flawed and not always aware of it. The protagonist seems the most aware, but I think that’s just because we get the whole story from her perspective. This feels like a slice-of-life novel and I don’t usually enjoy those. I can say, the writing is excellent and it’s a satisfying read.

By Colleen Hoover,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked It Ends with Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town where she grew up-she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn't hurt. Lily can't get…


Pack Bound

By Leisl Leighton,

Book cover of Pack Bound

Why did I love this book?

This paranormal fated mates romance is a thrilling read. It’s part mystery, part romance, and with enough supernatural elements thrown in that I got to lose myself in a world of witches and werewolves.

The two clans formed a pact centuries ago in order to ward off an evil that wasn’t destroyed – just dormant, and it’s coming back. The were-clan and the witches must work out how to protect themselves and their world, and quickly.

I loved the pace of this story. I admired the speed of the action and the moments between high-intensity scenes that allowed me to catch my breath as a reader. Perfectly plotted with an intriguing premise, I read it in a single sitting.

By Leisl Leighton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pack Bound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One Pack, one Coven, a destiny intertwined...

Five hundred years ago, facing extinction, a group of powerful witches united to create a pact with the Were to save Witch-kind. The pact expelled an ancient evil, known only as the Darkness, that blocked the Were from their wolves. With the Darkness destroyed, the Packs and Covens grew strong as they thrived beside each other in their brand-new world.

But the Darkness was not destroyed.

Skye Collins has been brought up to fear her magic and shy away from Witch and Were alike. But when Jason McVale, the Alpha of Pack McVale,…


You might also like...

In Human Shadow

By Gregory J. Glanz,

Book cover of In Human Shadow

Gregory J. Glanz Author Of In Human Shadow

New book alert!

Who am I?

It seems that all of the fictional main characters I create have anti-hero tendencies. There is always some voice in their head telling them to do right when they are expected to do wrong, or to do wrong when it is supposed they will do right. I find this flaw very compelling, and universal for those of us of flesh and blood. Do sneering, evil characters exist? Well, maybe, but they aren’t very interesting, and I think a weak trope.

Gregory's book list on anti-heroes of fantasy fiction

What is my book about?

Born the half-breed, bastard son of an orc chieftain, Wrank tries to survive life in OrcHome among ignorance and spite aimed at his human heritage even as he develops a Talent for folding shadow. When life is no longer viable among the clans, he escapes into the world of humans where he once again encounters intolerance from thieves, wizards, priests, and assassins.

With the eyes of imps, demons, miscreant gods, and a changeling upon him, can he survive In Human Shadow even though his future is foretold, his death foreseen?

In Human Shadow

By Gregory J. Glanz,

What is this book about?

Born the half-breed, bastard son of an orc chieftain, Wrank tries to survive life in OrcHome among ignorance and spite aimed at his human heritage even as he develops a Talent for folding shadow. When life is no longer viable among the clans, he escapes into the world of humans where he once again encounters intolerance from thieves, wizards, priests and assassins. With the eyes of imps, demons, miscreant gods, and a changeling upon him, can he survive In Human Shadow even though his future is foretold, his death foreseen?


5 book lists we think you will like!

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