The best historical romances starring independent women

Why am I passionate about this?

It is a truth almost universally accepted that historically women had no way to support themselves except marriage…but it’s not true! I’m all-in on Happily-Ever-After, of course, but I absolutely love it when a heroine is smart, sensible, and able to support herself on her own. When she falls for someone, it’s got to be for real because she’s not afraid to take charge of her own life and make her own way, despite whatever obstacles are thrown at her. 


I wrote...

About a Rogue

By Caroline Linden,

Book cover of About a Rogue

What is my book about?

Bianca Tate stands to inherit her family’s thriving pottery business, and she fully expects to keep running, too, without any man’s interference or help—until a penniless rogue turns up and starts charming his way into her company, her family, and her heart.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of An Heiress to Remember

Caroline Linden Why did I love this book?

Maya Rodale always writes strong, clever heroines, and this book features one of her very best. Beatrice Goodwin has been tossed around by life, but she’s come home to her first love: Goodwin’s, her family’s once-fashionable department store in Gilded Age New York City. The one person standing in the way of her plans to make it the finest store in New York… her other first love, Wes Dalton, whose heart she broke years ago. He wants revenge. She wants her store. They’re both smart, funny, and oh so good at their shared profession, you know they’ll be unstoppable together.

By Maya Rodale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Heiress to Remember as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can a scandalized heiress...

Beatrice Goodwin left Manhattan a duchess and has returned a divorcee, ready to seize control of her fate and the family business. Goodwin's Department Store, once the pinnacle of fashion, has fallen from favor thanks to Dalton's, its glamorous competitor across the street. But this rivalry has a distinctly personal edge...

And a self-made tycoon...

For Wes Dalton, Beatrice has always been the one-the one who broke his young heart by marrying a duke, and now, the one whose cherished store he plans to buy, just so he can destroy it. It's the perfect revenge against…


Book cover of Vixen in Velvet

Caroline Linden Why did I love this book?

Nobody tops Loretta Chase when it comes to writing a woman on a mission. Leonie Noirot comes from a long line of swindlers and con artists, but her business sense at fashion is no fake. When she runs up against a man who thinks he can both outsmart her and humble her, just because he’s a wealthy marquess, well… he’s in for a revelation. Leonie’s determined to win their bet and make her own fortune, and then fall in love. Simply marvelous.

By Loretta Chase,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vixen in Velvet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A dangerous wager... A seductive nobleman...
When Leonie Noirot first meets devastatingly handsome Simon Blair, the fourth Marquess of Lisburne, she literally falls into his strong arms!

However, Leonie simply has no time for his wickedly charming lordship. The pretty redhead is obsessed with her business - turning the ladies of society into beautifully dressed swans. Until the bet...

Logical Leonie has to agree; if Lisburne's cousin, Lady Gladys, is not transformed, Leonie must spend two weeks at Lisburne's pleasure...


Book cover of Vivid

Caroline Linden Why did I love this book?

This is a real battle of wills, between Dr. Viveca Lancaster, newly licensed physician, and Nate Grayson, manager of a newly-founded Michigan town in desperate need of a doctor. He hires her, sight unseen, and when she shows up, he tries to fire her, because he doesn’t want a female doctor, but Viveca is not having that. She’s going to prove herself, as one of the first Black women doctors in 1870s America, and Nate falls for her as a brilliant doctor as much as he does for her as a woman. It’s impossible to go wrong with a Beverly Jenkins book, but this one is extra delicious.

By Beverly Jenkins,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

It's 1876 and Dr. Viveca Lancaster is frustrated by the limits placed upon female physicians of color. When she is offered the chance to set up a practice in the small all Black community of Grayson Grove, Michigan she leaves her California home and heads east. The very determined Viveca is one of the few nineteenth century Black women to graduate from the prestigious Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, so she knows all about fighting for her rights. But she may need more than determination to face down the distractingly handsome Nate Grayson, the Grove's bull-headed mayor.


Nate Grayson goes…


Book cover of The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows

Caroline Linden Why did I love this book?

This book has two business-minded heroines! And both are fascinating. Agatha runs a printing business, which is embroiled in the scandal of the day, the Prince Regent trying to divorce his wife. Unfortunately, the book warehouse is infested with bees, who must be removed by local bee expert Penelope. Agatha’s and Penelope’s careers and expertise bring them together—and each finds the other’s competence very attractive—until their hearts bind them together.

By Olivia Waite,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it's the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of a thousand bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous...

Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk. Soon, tensions…


Book cover of The Rebellion Engines

Caroline Linden Why did I love this book?

This is about a mathematics prodigy in a steampunk version of 19th century China, who wants to study at the Imperial Academy in Peking….except that she’s a young woman and not allowed to enroll in the all-male academy. Needless to say, this does not stop Anlei, who disguises herself as a man, scores top marks on the exam, and falls in love with one of her fellow students at the same time. Brilliantly lush writing, inventive world-building, and a mathematical romance to make my nerdy heart sing.

By Jeannie Lin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Rebellion Engines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

War looms on the horizon. Can a young woman caught between family and country keep her loved ones alive?

China, 1853. Jin Soling's divided loyalties rest on a knife's edge. Paired with Chen Chang-wei, her former betrothed, Soling works as a physician in a secret factory building automatons to march on the empire's battleground cities. Though Soling and Chang-wei's bond has grown stronger, the strain of serving a country in turmoil threatens to tear them apart.

From a dangerous smuggling run in pirate-infested waters to a dramatic confrontation in the winding streets of Shanghai, Soling learns that the greatest danger…


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The Others

By Evette Davis,

Book cover of The Others

Evette Davis Author Of Woman King

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve worked in journalism, politics, and public policy for 30-plus years and watched as the extreme voices gained the most traction on either side of a debate. On social media, these minority views often dominate the discussion. 48 States is a stand-alone novel highlighting the problems of extremist viewpoints in a civil society. I also have another book series that features a political consultant who discovers she's a witch and joins a secret society that uses magic to manipulate elections to protect humanity. Bottom line: if I can’t fix political discourse for a living, I can write science fiction novels that contemplate how to do it.

Evette's book list on dystopian stories for the bada** feminist in us all

What is my book about?

True Blood meets Supernatural in the kickoff of this urban paranormal fantasy series from an acclaimed author. Readers enter a dystopian San Francisco filled with empaths and vampires embroiled in political unrest—and Book 1 is just the beginning.

Much as she wishes otherwise, superstar political consultant Olivia Shepherd was born a powerful empath. It’s a legacy she walked away from long ago—but when she wakes up one morning to find Elsa, a tenacious time-walker, standing in her kitchen, she realizes she can no longer ignore her gifts. She is quickly plunged into the hidden world of powerful “Others” and drafted to work for the Council, a shadowy organization that summons the fog to San Francisco to obscure their involvement in human affairs.

Complicating matters further is Olivia’s new love interest, William. A centuries-old vampire, William is far too jaded to take an interest in human affairs—but Olivia no longer has the luxury of remaining impartial. As shocking details from Olivia’s own past emerge and her role in the Council begins to take shape, will she rise to the challenge of her destiny?

The Others

By Evette Davis,

What is this book about?

True Blood meets Supernatural in the kickoff of this urban paranormal fantasy series from an acclaimed author. Readers enter a dystopian San Francisco filled with empaths and vampires embroiled in political unrest—and Book 1 is just the beginning.

Much as she wishes otherwise, superstar political consultant Olivia Shepherd was born a powerful empath. It’s a legacy she walked away from long ago—but when she wakes up one morning to find Elsa, a tenacious time-walker, standing in her kitchen, she realizes she can no longer ignore her gifts. She is quickly plunged into the hidden world of powerful “Others” and drafted…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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