Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers discussion
INTRODUCTIONS
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MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS
welcome jewel! there is lots of great reccommends in this group..I too love historical mysteries..but good ones are hard to find..have you triedKaren Harperand her elizabeth 1 series? or Sharan Newmanher catherine le vendeur series?
Sandi wrote: "welcome jewel! there is lots of great reccommends in this group..I too love historical mysteries..but good ones are hard to find..have you triedKaren Harperand her elizabeth 1 series..."I have not read these authors before, but thank you I will be looking for books by them.
The Mysteries that I have read are all set in Ancient Egypt, by Christian Jacq, his Judge of Egypt Trilogy, and Paul Doherty his Amertoke series, although I have a couple of his books that have different settings that I’m yet to read.
I also have on my shelves, The Snake Stone which is in my TBR list.
oh I love mysteries set in ancient egypt!I have christian jacq..and I have some of paul dohertys..III check out the snake stone..& if you can think of others let me know! thanks :)
Just joined Goodreads 6 days ago and am having so much fun! This group is a perfect fit for me. Historical Fiction is the genre I gravitate to the most, and I seem to pick the books that involve relationships. I like getting lost in another time period and feeling like I've learned a few things when I leave a book. I also like mixing historical fiction/romance with time travel. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander had me hooked. So, I'm happy to be on board and look forward to finding some great reads and sharing my favorites.
Mod
So glad to have you. This group is also new - only established last month and our reading list is slowly growing with some great recommendations from our members. We have books on our shelf ranging from Ancient Egypt to WWII. The variety is very exciting. We also have a growing number of authors to add a unique "flavor" to some of the discussions.
Again Welcome!
welcome Heidi! you've come to the right group..and Emery is great at helping us "newbies" out!
Emery wrote: "Hey Heidi!So glad to have you. This group is also new - only established last month and our reading list is slowly growing with some great recommendations from our members. We have books on our s..."
Thanks Emery for hosting. I joined two other groups, different genres, and there is no organization to them. I had to email the moderator of one to ask how to offer suggestions for the bookshelf; there were no topics! And it is several years old. So, from one organized person to another, thank-you.
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Firstly, thanks for starting up this group and congratulations on your novel which I thoroughly enjoyed.
My favourite genre is HISTORICAL romance, although I confess to enjoying just ..."
Hi Jill!
Thank you for joining us, and for your kind words about THE HIGHEST STAKES. I am currently hard at work on the second book- FORTUNE'S SON, which picks up the story of Philip Drake.
As for our RHFL group. This is a truly friendly and well-read troupe. Please check out our growing book shelf with reading recommendations that span the centuries as well as the globe. I am particularly anxious to delve into the novels set in India as I have never adventured into this setting.
Please make yourself at home, and again warmest welcome! Emery
This looks like a wonderful group and I am looking forward to finding lots of good reading recommendations here. I have been on GoodReads for several years and really love discussing with historical book lovers. So glad your group is here.I love many types of fiction, including the novels of Jane Austen, Victorian lit, Arthurian lit, and many quirky, "lost classics" kinds of books. I was very impressed recently with A Countess Below Stairs by Ibbotson, a young adult novel which might be classified as a romantic historical, I'm not sure.
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Hi Sarah-
So very please you've joined us! We have some great things in store. We're still adding our list. We have several resident authors who will be doing giveaways, and I hope to start a "through the ages" reading challenge soon.
I looked at the description and some of the reviews of A Countess Below Stairs and it looks like a good fit for our shelf. Please keep the suggestions coming!
Hi everyone! My name is Carrie Lofty and I'm a recovering historian. I'm also an author who loves to bridge the gap between historical fiction and historical romance. I hope you'll stop by the resident author discussion on this forum for more information about my books. (I don't want to clutter up this thread with a bunch of self-promotion!)Thanks to Emery for getting this group off the ground and for inviting me to participate!
All my best,
Carrie
www.carrielofty.com
Mod
Thanks Carrie-
Sounds like you're our kinda gal!
Hello everyone, my name is Nikki and I love historicals with or without romance (along with a wide variety of genres). I'm still fairly new to the field, mostly I've read historical romance that's light on history, so I can't think of a book at this time that would fit both fields but hope to contribute in the future. I'm happy to have found this group and know my TBR pile is going to topple over and bury me. :DThanks for reading. :)
Hi-I joined a couple of weeks ago & figured it was time to say hello.
I’m Sandy, a librarian for 40 years and counting. While today I have drifted away from Historical Romances I still prefer my historical fiction to have a personal and preferably romantic slant; to be about people other than real historic figures but set against a background of historical happenings. [No kings or queens for me- I’d rather have a lady-in-waiting’s take on the times:]
My introduction to romantic historical fiction was probably E.M.Hull’s The Sheik which was written as a contemporary in 1921 but felt like hist-fic to my young teen self when I snuck it from my grandmother’s bookshelf for an illicit read. It remains my guilty pleasure/comfort read recalling all the excitement and adventure of first romance. In high school I moved on to Victoria Holt, Dorothy Eden, Mary Stewart and the rest of the burgeoning gothic romance and romantic suspense output of the 60s. In high school I also discovered the slightly more “adult” pleasures of the Angelique series by Sergeanne Golon - far more titillating than Ms Holt, et al.- and very embarrassing to purchase at a tender age! Of course I was also fond of the more genteel works of Georgette Heyer and some of the early Regency Romance writers.
The early Historic Romances of Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers came next and again ramped up the steaminess quotient. They were something new and different but after a while the market became glutted and I lost interest – I think it was about the time the “clutch” cover went out of style in favor of simple florals that I completely lost interest and switched over to regular historical fiction & hist-myst. I was lured away by Brother Cadfael.
There have been a few exceptions to my avoidance of Historical Romances - I have enjoyed several books by Laura Kinsale with her wonderful wounded heroes and I still have a soft spot for the occasional pirate captain or desert sheik.
Sorry for the overly long intro. I look forward to many suggestions for good hist-fic with a strong romantic flavor.
Mod
Hi Nikki! Loved your intro (:P)
We really do have a great reading list started, so even if you don't have any recommendations yet, please browse our shelves. I also strongly encourage everyone to write a brief review to share with the group when you have read any of our nominated titles.
"Keep 'em comin' y'all!"
Mod
I joined a couple of weeks ago & figured it was time to say hello.
I’m Sandy, a librarian for 40 years and counting. While today I have drifted away from Historical Romances I still prefer my h..."
Hey Sandra -
I LOVED your post and it wasn't too long at all. I now have to nominate THE SHEIK for our "HR" shelf if only for its early influence (Of course the horseback trek across the desert appeals to my equestrian side as well.)
I must confess that my own journey through the world of historical romance very much mirrors yours! And just today I met some great gals at a used bookstore and bought a bunch of Laura Kinsale's titles, so we have much in common!
Please check out our bookshelves as we have a wonderful collection started. I make it a point to list the group member's name who nominates each title in case you have questions.
ENJOY!!!!
Hi everyone!I'm so delighted to discover this group. I'm getting so many great ideas for novels to add to my TBR pile!
I've been a historical fiction fan for years, so it's great to find so many like-minded readers. I feel like I learn so much more about history when I read a novel that focuses on a particular time period or historical event. I think the biggest reason I wrote my novel, The Belly Dancer, was because I couldn't accept the fact that I was 117 years too late to attend the 1893 Chicago World's Fair :-)
Mod
I'm so delighted to discover this group. I'm getting so many great ideas for novels to add to my TBR pile!
I've been a historical fiction fan for years, so it's great to find so many..."
Hey everyone- I just took a look at Deanna's novel.
I must say this looks intriguing - belly dancing and the 1893 Chicago worlds Fair??
Thank you for the warm welcome, Emery!
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I hope you enjoyed your class, Gaile. I've been taking belly dance classes on and off for years. So much more fun than going to the gym!
Gaile wrote: "I once took a class in belly dancing. My husband even bought me a belly dancing outfit for Christmas and took a photo of me in it. (No, I will NEVER post that photo!) BUT this book I must read!!"Gaile and DeAnna, how cool that you both take belly dancing classes! I have always wanted to do that...
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My favorite shows are Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance as well as Project Runway.
Gaile wrote: "I still go to the dance studio daily. (mostly ballroom dancing.) See my profile.My favorite shows are Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance as well as Project Runway."
I have never watched those shows...I always wish I could dance like that...as I hear myself think and write this, it occurs to me that maybe I need to get myself to a class...
It's good to know others here enjoy bellydancing as well. I've been doing it on and off for the past 2 years or so. It's hard trying to find a good teacher here without having to drive an hour to class. Funny, because what drew me to DeAnna's book was that it featured bellydancing. It's one of the few fictional books that I've found that does.
Hi, Jackie~That's actually what inspired me to write the novel. After reading the belly dance histories and memoirs that are out there, I was looking for fiction and couldn't find any.
And I sympathize with you about not having a good teacher nearby. There are a lot of great videos out there, and some great opportunities to learn via Skype with master instructors, but that doesn't capture the fun of dancing with a roomful of women. In SoCal, where I am, we're lucky to have quite a few good teachers. You just made me appreciation them even more :-)
Mod
Look like you've really captured our interest with this. Can you tell us a bit more about the novel? (without spoilers, of course!)
Hi, Emery --I'll try to make it as brief as I can :-)
"The Belly Dancer" is set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and it centers on a young woman from New Orleans who wants to be the perfect wife. While she's trying to fit into her husband’s world of wealth and privilege, though, she’s put in a situation where she meets the fair's Egyptian belly dancers. As she gets to know them, she’s drawn to their exotic world and finds herself reassessing her life choices.
So the story is a journey of self-discovery, as well as a romance with a twist of history. And on a deeper level, it’s also about issues of identity, challenging preconceptions, as well as the nature of friendship and love.
If you're interested in more details, I have the jacket copy posted on my website (www.deannacameron.com) as well as an excerpt listed there and on my Goodreads page.
Mod
I just read your excerpt and am certainly hooked! Loved your writing style and it appears well-researched from the brief pages I read. I think this might be a new gem for the group shelf. Am anxious to hear what the others think.
I'm Rima, and I read (and write) historical fiction with romantic elements. I love that stuff. But I have a distinct aversion to explicit, gratuitous love scenes. I don't write them, and I don't like reading them. Looking forward to meeting everyone! :)
Mod
A Very Warm Welcome to you Rima!
Many others in this group share your sentiments. I am also an author who veers away from graphic sex. I'm just not comfortable writing anything that my teenage boys might read! BTW-They both have read THE HIGHEST STAKES- and no bribery was needed!:)
Please feel free to leave honest comments in this group. We love controversial discussions!
Welcome Rima. :)I don't mind reading graphic sex scenes, but I like to be in the mood to read them...not be surprised when I pick up a HFR book to come across one. If there's an actual plot line and the sex is graphic from time to time I can live with that, but multiple sex scenes with no real plot should be labeled erotica not HFR.
Hi! :) Glad to meet you (virtually), Jackie and Emery! Sex scenes that are strategically placed in a novel are fine with me, even if they are somewhat explicit. But I feel like a lot of books throw in the graphic sex just for a certain shock value. For instance, I LOVE the Outlanders by Gabaldon. But some of those sex scenes were totally over the top! Sometimes hinting at a good love scene and leaving it up to the reader's imagination is sooooo much better, don't you think?
I totally agree about Outlander. It's one of my favorite HFR books, but the sex scenes...especially towards the end were way explicit and over the top to the point where I was skimming over them and I'm not even squeamish. lol.
I am guilty of loving a good sex/love scene. But from what I have heard in the historical fiction community, I am in the minority.
Mod
For me, the best part about romance is the sexual tension that builds up to the sex. I don't think sex scenes are unnecessary, quite to the contrary! But I like them to be tasteful. And I like it when the buildup is well-done. When you're like, "YES! KISS HER!" :)
Have you guys read Forever Amber? That's a good one. It has plenty of "sex" in it, but it's not cringe-worthy.Forever Amber
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Forever Amber"
It's high up on my TBR and we have shelved it as a recommended read. Please check out our group books shelf. You'll find some great titles!
Can I suggest one (my own)? Ahem. I wrote The Noble Pirates, and I think you ladies may enjoy it...
Mod
"Yes. We certainly allow authors to discuss books that fit our cross of genres. Please feel free to give us a brief synopsis - a couple of paragraphs telling us why it fits this group. I looked for Goodreads reviews and since I only found one, do you have a link to an excerpt that we could read?
Sure! The Noble Pirates is a novel about a woman who time travels to the Golden Age of Piracy – with a book about the pirates she meets. When she falls in love with Howel Davis, a sailor forced into piracy through circumstance, she begins to wonder: Can she use her knowledge to change the past? Is her knowledge a blessing or a curse?Excerpt:
Howel looked at me and his nostrils flared. A stream of shocking expletives suddenly poured from his mouth, and he flung the cutlass he’d been holding point-first into the deck with all his strength. It stuck, vibrating from the force. He then raked his fingers through his hair and looked at me in a fury. “Damnation! What the... Why are you here?”
I had never seen him so angry. I was, justifiably, frightened. He was not happy to see me. “My, my, Howel Davis,” I answered, trying to sound acerbic. “Already cursing like a pirate, I see. You’re a natural.”
Howel approached me slowly, his expression ferocious. If there had been a window of opportunity to prevent Howel from going on the account, I had missed it. The man before me had been a pirate in his heart for a while. Instinctively, I stepped back, more thrilled than afraid. I felt, for a split second, like the heroine in Sky’s Harlequin, minus the blond hair and heaving bosom – this was the part where he grabbed me and kissed me passionately, then thrust me away, because God, he just couldn’t do this, he was running from the law now...
Howel stopped, took a deep breath, and said, “You’re going back to Nassau on the Mumvil Trader.”
So much for his ravaging me Lord Lance style. I snapped back, “The hell I am! I’m going with you.”
“The hell you are!” Howel retorted. “Don’t you realize -- ”
“Oh, I realize!” I interrupted. “I realize that if you send me back to New Providence, I’ll end up in Ned Taylor’s hands, and Jack Blaine will be that much closer to finding me!”
Walter stepped towards us, confused. “Davies? It’ll be time...”
Howel growled so that only I could hear him, “Damn me for being whipped by a bit o’ fluff! And damn you, for being a conniving little bird! We’ll take you aboard until we find a proper port to leave you at.” He grabbed my arm, shoving me roughly in the direction of the Buck. “Go, then!”
Wow. He was mad at me. I made my way onto the Buck, on the verge of tears. What had he called me? A bit of fluff? What nerve. All I was doing was trying to save him, for goodness sake. Talk about being ungrateful. Had I been silly to assume that he would be happy, on some level, to see me again?
Mod
Jill and Emery - a wonderful privilege to have met you both! I just looked through the shelves, and I have a lot of (good) reading ahead of me. :) Very excited.
Mod
Gaile - perhaps a gentleman of 1718 would have been shocked to hear this from a woman, but a common sailor, a pirate no less, would not have been all that shocked. There were several famous lady pirates of the Golden Age, and apparently their swearing was worse than the men's.
Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
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Eye of the Needle (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dorothy Dunnett (other topics)Rafael Sabatini (other topics)
Jeffery Farnol (other topics)
Deanna Raybourn (other topics)
Courtney Milan (other topics)
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We're glad to have you. Please check out our group bookshelf and let us know if you have any suggestions that woudl be a ggod fit for us. Be sure to tell us why. We look forward to sharing some great reads.