Key points
- Historical romance is an incredibly popular genre with sub-genres to suit almost any taste.
- You’ll have a hard time putting down the books on this list of romantic stories set in the past.
Ever wanted to escape to a different time and place while enjoying a love story? That’s what historical romance novels are all about. These books feature love stories in a historical setting. Authors deliberately craft their plots in the past — typically about 50 years before the publication date.
Unlike novels from the past that happen to be set in their own time, historical romance novels transport you back in time on purpose.
Historical romance is a broad category of romance fiction that includes sub-genres like medieval, Regency, viking, and American Western romance. Many historical romances also overlap with other sub-genres, including paranormal, young adult, and LGBTQIA+.
Whether you’re new to the genre and trying to find a place to start or an established fan looking for a fresh recommendation, we hope this list will help you choose your next steamy read.
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1. Best BIPOC historical romance: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins has authored over 40 Black 19th-century romance stories. She’s well-regarded for her meticulously researched novels featuring smart, bold Black women. Her novels showcase Black characters during the time of slavery in America as more than enslaved people without shying away from the realities of racism and oppression.
We recommend starting with Indigo, her third novel, published in 1996 and set in the early 1800s. It’s acclaimed for being a history lesson wrapped up in a sizzling romance.
This novel is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
2. Best LGBTQIA+ historical romance: Heart and Hand by Rebel Carter
Queer historical romances are gaining popularity, bringing diverse love to a broader audience. We love a world in which literary characters and their romantic lives are representative of actual people.
Heart and Hand by Rebel Carter, published in 2019, features an interracial polyamorous MFM relationship (male/female/male with two straight men focusing on the female). A mail-order bride finds love with two husbands. The best friends and ex-Union soldiers have been inseparable since the War. Steamy scenes and romantic love ensue.
Heart and Hand is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
3. Best gothic historical romance: The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
Gothic novels have dark, disturbing, mysterious elements, like spooky castles, unresolved deaths, and legends of revenge.
The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen, published in 2018, has all of this and romance. The novel takes place throughout three different periods: 1880, 1992, and 2015.
It follows three generations of Irish nobles as they piece together clues within a castle to unlock family secrets. This novel is not as erotic as others on the list – there’s less steaminess – but the romance is there, and the haunting scenes will keep your heart racing.
The Darkling Bride is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
4. Best mystery historical romance: The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen
It’s not uncommon for historical romances to have a dash of mystery, but when a novel is equal parts both, like The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen, it’s almost inevitable you’ll get swept away by the plot.
This novel is set in the Regency era, a sub-period of the Georgian era (1795–1837), one of the most popular periods for historical romances.
It contains all the elements for a thrilling romance: jealous sisters, a spooky house, a dowry, unrequited love, treasures, clues, anonymous letters, attraction, and suspense.
The Secret of Pembrooke Park is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
5. Best groundbreaking historical romance: These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
While the historical romance genre can be traced back to antiquity (think B.C.E.), it really flourished in the mid-twentieth century.
If you want to read one of the best that jumpstarted this type of novel, we recommend These Old Shades, published in 1926 and set around 1755.
It was popular in its time and continues to be popular today, with well-read historical romance fans on Amazon giving it rave reviews and listing it as a favorite. It contains many historical romance motifs: revenge, cross-dressing, true love, death, and marriage.
You can get These Old Shades on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
6. Best critically acclaimed historical romance: The Duke & I by Julia Quinn
Even if you’ve never read a historical romance, you’ve probably heard of Bridgerton.
The Netflix series created by Shondaland is based on a series of historical romance novels by Julia Quinn. The Duke & I, the first in the series, was published in 2000 and is set in the Regency era.
The story is of a man and woman who start a fake relationship. She wants to incite more marriage proposals, and he hopes to drive away marriage-hungry suitors. Eventually, they fall in love for real.
A word of warning: Both the novel and the TV show drew criticism for depicting non-consensual sex between the two main characters in a scene where the wife forces herself on her inebriated husband because she wants children (he doesn’t).
After the show was released in 2020, the novel reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.
The Duke and I is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
7. Best erotic historical romance novel: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
How steamy is too steamy? If you’re looking for a lot of sexy scenes with a little bit of a plot thrown in, then we have just the novel for you.
Highly rated on Amazon, A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon was published in 2021 and is set in the Victorian era. People describe this novel as “monster smut,” starring a female lead with a host of characters ready and willing to make sure she’s constantly pleasured.
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.
The final word
There’s an endless string of steamy historical romance novels to read. So many it would be impossible to make an exhaustive list of the best. But we hope this list helps lead you to your next great read.
Whether you opt for a Regency-era love story or a steamy American Western, there’s a good book waiting for you to devour.
