Historical romance novels that are well loved by those who read the genre
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3,435 books · 6,047 voters · list created July 7th, 2008 by Pamela(AllHoney) (votes) .
973 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Pamela(AllHoney) 5783 books
494 friends
Julianna 2514 books
670 friends
Chris 272 books
12 friends
jenjn79 3585 books
120 friends
Becca 510 books
12 friends
Tammy 2016 books
272 friends
Eastofoz 4452 books
350 friends
Stamatia 1462 books
197 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-46 of 46 (46 new)

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message 2: by Danna (new)

Danna What a great list! Thank you for creating it! I assume this is EXACTLY the kind of book I truly love, because so much of the book I know, and many are one of my favs shelf!


message 3: by Helle (new)

Helle Wtf? Jane Austen didn't write historical novels - they're set in her own time! Same with Jane Eyre.


Pamela(AllHoney) lol, but they are historical to us ☺


message 5: by Helle (new)

Helle But that doesn't make them historical novels, it's a separate genre.


message 6: by Beate (new)

Beate Why are people putting Black Dagger Brotherhood books on this list? O.o


Pamela(AllHoney) hmmm. good question. I guess they don't understand what historical romance is :)


message 8: by Brittany B. (last edited Aug 20, 2012 04:05AM) (new)

Brittany B. Helle wrote: "But that doesn't make them historical novels, it's a separate genre."

I don't know what the "Rules of Genre" are... But I think the plain language speaks for itself. Whether written yesterday or a century ago, the subject matter is Historical for thevreader. And the writing style of these classic romance novels form the basis upon which our great modern day historicals are based.

While you might call them classics, publishers and distributors call books like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre both classics and historical romance novels.


message 9: by Pham (new)

Pham Hoa Amazing!!


message 10: by Helle (last edited Dec 04, 2012 01:18PM) (new)

Helle Brittany B. wrote: "Helle wrote: "But that doesn't make them historical novels, it's a separate genre."

I don't know what the "Rules of Genre" are... But I think the plain language speaks for itself. Whether written ..."


It's quite simple: It's called a historical novel because it's set in historical times - meaning the past. Like Ivanhoe by sir Walter Scott (set in the Middle Ages but written in the 1810s); or, The Scarlet Letter (set in Puritan times, but written in the 1850s). If we accept the premise that all fictions set in our past is historical - then it follows that all books written before, and set before, the year 2012 is historical fiction. Which would just bring chaos. Don't believe what publisher's tell you - they're only goal is to sell books - even if it means labelling books as somethig they are not.


message 11: by J.H. (new)

J.H.  Gordon Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "lol, but they are historical to us ☺"

No, they are classics to us. A historical novel is set in a time before the author's own era. Austen and the Brontes wrote contemporary novels that dealt with issues relevant to their time. These books should be removed from this list.


message 12: by Lady Wesley (new)

Lady Wesley J.H. wrote: "Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "lol, but they are historical to us ☺"

No, they are classics to us. A historical novel is set in a time before the author's own era. Austen and the Brontes wrote contemporary novels that dealt with issues relevant to their time. These books should be removed from this list."


Totally agree. Two hundred years from now, should 50 Shades of Gray be considered an historical novel? Of course not.


message 13: by Caz (new)

Caz Lady Wesley wrote: "J.H. wrote: "Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "lol, but they are historical to us ☺"

No, they are classics to us. A historical novel is set in a time before the author's own era. Austen and the Brontes wr..."


J.H. wrote: "Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "lol, but they are historical to us ☺"

No, they are classics to us. A historical novel is set in a time before the author's own era. Austen and the Brontes wrote contempora..."


Absolutely. And with any luck, 50 Shades will be long forgotten well before 200 years have passed!


message 14: by Lady Wesley (new)

Lady Wesley Caz wrote: Absolutely. And with any luck, 50 Shades will be long forgotten well before 200 years have passed! "

Yes, Caz, I wish it already was forgotten. But even it it is remembered, it never will be an historical novel. An historical oddity, perhaps . . . .


message 15: by Mary (new)

Mary Irureta-Balletta What about The windflower?! It should be at the top of the list I absolutely love love love that book a favorite!


message 16: by Robin (new)

Robin I don't think 'The Book Thief ' or 'Ann Frank diary of a girl' are Historical ROMANCE novel's.


message 17: by Erin (new)

Erin Helle wrote: "Wtf? Jane Austen didn't write historical novels - they're set in her own time! Same with Jane Eyre."



Totally agree with you! This list needs some serious revision.


message 18: by Sharon (new)

Sharon Taylor I loved 3 of the first books that jean m. auel wrote so much, it was like I was living them!


message 19: by Sherry (new)

Sherry There needs to be a smut rating on these books. I like to read about romance, not sex. Leave me outside the bedroom door, please. I don't think any current authors write my kind of stories. I so miss Victoria Holt, Jane Aiken Hodge, and the other ladies who wrote wonderfully exciting and romantic stories without having to resort to degrading graphic descriptions of heaving bosoms and burning loins.


message 20: by Caz (new)

Caz Sherry wrote: "There needs to be a smut rating on these books. I like to read about romance, not sex. Leave me outside the bedroom door, please. I don't think any current authors write my kind of stories. I s..."

I don't disagree with the fact that there are any number of historical romances in which the sex scenes appear to be tacked on just for the sake of it. But there are also a good number in which those scenes actually add to the reader's understanding of the characters and serve to propel the story forward.

I can understand it's frustrating if the spicier scenes aren't to your taste, but there are still plenty of "clean" romances being written, or stories in which the sex scenes are not graphically described and focus more on the emotional side of things.


message 21: by Emily (new)

Emily Amazing list!!!


message 22: by Elaine (new)

Elaine I too never thot Jane Austin was Historical May be we haven't read enough of her to reazise


message 23: by Rose (new)

Rose There's a few strange choices in here, but it's still full of great ideas for new reading material.


message 24: by Liz (new)

Liz Hesford Great list - includes so many of my old favourites.


message 25: by Misty (new)

Misty Marston Does anyone remember an older romance story about a heroine who has a pet hedgehog named Prick. She carries it in her pocket and he shows up in precarious places throughout the story??


message 27: by Margotte (new)

Margotte Channing A mi también me gustan muchas de estas novelas, yo me dedico a escribir este genero y tengo cuatro novelas publicadas que están funcionando muy bien, me encantaría saber vuestra opinión. Esclava del Odio: Solo el amor la salvará


message 28: by Kirsten (new)

Kirsten I feel like maybe we are being loose with the definition of historical fiction since the list is discussing "historical romance"? I would certainly think that Jane Austen and the Brontes don't belong on this list, but since the list description doesn't specify the definition of "historical romance" I am hesitant to remove them.


message 29: by Kirsten (new)

Kirsten Robin wrote: "I don't think 'The Book Thief ' or 'Ann Frank diary of a girl' are Historical ROMANCE novel's."

Heh, Diary of a Young Girl is neither romance nor a novel. I don't see it on the list so maybe someone already removed it? Or maybe I missed it...


message 30: by Pamela(AllHoney) (new)

Pamela(AllHoney) Kirsten wrote: "Robin wrote: "I don't think 'The Book Thief ' or 'Ann Frank diary of a girl' are Historical ROMANCE novel's."

Heh, Diary of a Young Girl is neither romance nor a novel. I don't see it on the list ..."


Thanks. It's been a little while since I looked but I will try to go through the list again soon to check. :D


message 31: by [deleted user] (new)

I am looking for a book i read about ten years ago. It was a historical romance novel about a plain, unattractive woman who re invented herself years into her marriage. I think she couldn't have kids for a long time. Her husband falls for her later. Help me find it.


message 32: by Sammy (new)

Sammy Loves Books Love this List!!!


message 33: by Jean (last edited Aug 17, 2019 06:11AM) (new)

Jean Walter Hi, I hope someone in GoodReads had also read this romance paperback I stumbled before and still haunts me to this day...it frustrates me a lot, I can't remember the name of the author and the title, if I can only see the cover one more time, it will surely hit me...what I remember is there was a scene where they are making love in the middle of a hurricane or storm...the male protagonist is this rich gentleman from Cuba, who has a scar or a burn mark, half of his face, and this woman is like a lady from Cuba as well, but they are like in Florida, in the Key West, it's a period piece. Gad!!! If only someone has read it too...so beautiful, I remember the cover, color violet...O.M.G, I think I'm going senile, so frustrating, I should have not returned it...it haunts me to this very day.


message 34: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Oct 29, 2020 06:13AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) What's the Name of That Book???
For all of you who are looking for a particular book and can't remember the title and author, try GR What's the Name of That Book???. No guarantees they'd be able to help you, of course, but they helped me twice already when I couldn't remember a title and author.


message 35: by Vicki (new)

Vicki #404 First Lady by SEP = contemporary, not historical.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Vicki wrote: "#404 First Lady by SEP = contemporary, not historical."

Removed.


message 37: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Sep 21, 2020 05:42AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) I only voted for true historical romances, in other words, books that are set at least 50 years before they were first published...


message 38: by Fatima (new)

Fatima Misty wrote: "Does anyone remember an older romance story about a heroine who has a pet hedgehog named Prick. She carries it in her pocket and he shows up in precarious places throughout the story??"

This might be the book you’re talking about, I can’t remember the name of her pet but she does carry him in her pocket: Romancing the Duke


message 39: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Oct 28, 2020 02:28AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Fatima wrote: "Misty wrote: "Does anyone remember an older romance story about a heroine who has a pet hedgehog named Prick. She carries it in her pocket and he shows up in precarious places throughout the story?..."

I don't think it is Romancing the Duke, although it is a book by Tessa Dare, I believe. The Wallflower Wager maybe?

Although it might be The Spring Duchess by Jillian Eaton?


message 40: by Holly (new)

Holly Cassidy Holly wrote: "Jean wrote: "Hi, I hope someone in GoodReads had also read this romance paperback I stumbled before and still haunts me to this day...it frustrates me a lot, I can't remember the name of the author..."


message 41: by Holly (new)

Holly Cassidy Try "The Last Train To Key West" by Chanel Cleeton


message 42: by Holly (new)

Holly Cassidy Jean wrote: "Hi, I hope someone in GoodReads had also read this romance paperback I stumbled before and still haunts me to this day...it frustrates me a lot, I can't remember the name of the author and the title."


message 45: by ❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ (last edited Oct 07, 2024 09:51PM) (new)

❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ I took a shot at cleaning up this list, but I fear it's hopelessly ruined, containing many books that are not historical fiction. Rather than remove them, I did leave the time travel and historical fantasy novels here, even though there are plenty of other lists for those genres.


message 46: by Saudah (new)

Saudah This list needs serious re-working. I'd like to see Alyssa Cole's work added.


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