Historical Romance Books

An exquisite tale of forbidden desire and simmering love. Lady Charlotte Beckett has come to terms with her destiny. Enrolled in Havenwood Academy - a ...

Lady Maeve Thompson had never been enthusiastic about the idea of having a social season, yet she didn't oppose it either. While her twin sister hoped to ...

Lady Athena Thompson’s family is well-known, but not in a positive light. There are rumors circulating that suggest there is a touch of magic running ...

Lady Isla Thompson and Lucian Oliver, Duke of Thornridge Lady Isla Thompson has spent her life grappling with family secrets and unspoken promises, ...

Ella Grace Whitford epitomized Southern charm until the war tore through her hometown. The residents had faith that their Southern boys would shield them ...

Haunted by the death of his wife, Evan Prescott, the fifth Earl of Clarendon, swore to never marry again. That is, until he crosses paths with Lady Charlotte ...

Is it possible for a ghost to guide Lady Agatha on the path to happiness in life? After many years since her husband's passing, Lady Agatha Wendt has ...

A wrathful spirit seeks vengeance on them for crimes they did not commit. Following the passing of a distant uncle, Edward Baxter unexpectedly becomes an ...

Lady Olivia Dawson finds herself in desperate need of a miracle to save her from an unwanted marriage, but Henry Stanton, the Earl of Egerton, remains ...

Miss Jane Quayle is a master of creativity. How could the daughter of an English gentleman, sheltered from the world, possibly write such scandalous gothic ...

The exciting prequel novella to a new series with a modern spin Discover a fresh take on the genre from the talented Susanna Craig, a highly acclaimed ...

Lady Antonia Kerrigan possessed the extraordinary ability to communicate with animals, and they with her. However, nothing had shocked her quite like the ...

The Love Story of Lady Clara Westcott and Viscount Harcourt At the tender age of fifteen, Lady Clara Westcott found her heart captured by the charming ...

When Orion Drakos was informed that there was not just a mysterious lady in the grove, but that she actually resided there, he felt compelled to ...

Despite not having any magical abilities or coming from a magical lineage, Cassian Jourdain considered Nightshade Manor his home where he planned to spend ...

In the enchanting era of the 1940s, set against the backdrop of the lush Big Band era, Adriana Trigiani's captivating tale follows the journey of Chiara and ...

Description

Historical romance (also historical novel) is a broad category of fiction in which the plot is set in a historical period. Walter Scott helped popularize this genre in the early 19th century with works such as Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. Literary fiction historical romances continue to be published, with a notable recent example being Wolf Hall (2009), a multi-award-winning novel by English historical novelist Hilary Mantel. It is also a genre of mass-market fiction, related to the broader romantic love genre.

The terms "romance novel" and "historical romance" are ambiguous, as the word "romance" and the related term "romantic" carry multiple meanings. On one hand, there is the mass-market genre of "fiction dealing with love," such as Harlequin romance, and on the other hand, "a romance" can also be defined as "a fictitious narrative in prose or verse, the interest of which turns upon marvelous and uncommon incidents." However, many romances, including the historical romances of Walter Scott, are also frequently called novels, and Scott describes romance as a "kindred term." Adding to the confusion, literary fiction romances, such as Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, often feature a strong love story element. Other European languages do not distinguish between romance and novel: "a novel is le roman, der Roman, il romanzo."