A couple of months ago, I’d have scoffed at the idea of reading Historical Romances.
- Cheesy covers
- Cheesy titles
- ‘They are all sex’
But since then, I’ve discovered at least one of those is false, if not completely, then at least partly. Because guys, the sex scenes are steamy as hell. Though those can also vary in levels of cheesiness depending on the book. But that’s for another time.
So, now, I want to declare my official love for this genre, specially for the books set in Regency England. I am hooked.
The world sucks you in
It comes very close to what I experience when reading a fantasy story, except this world actually existed once. One where scandals had the potential of ruining young ladies, where gentlemen were honor-bound to marry a woman they’d compromised, where Society was the more literal representation of what today we just call ‘the majority’… It’s just so rich, and you can see how these authors have done their homework to make it that accurate.
The stories can sometimes be hilarious
I’m not sure if it happens in all books in this genre, but from the ones I’ve read, 80% have had scenes that had me cackling with laughter, and in the good way. With outright jokes, the characters’ wits, or mere funny situations, there’s never a lack for good humor.
The guys are deep
I’ve determined that there are 4 types of guys in these books.
- The jolly rakes proud of their reputation
- The broody rakes that feel like they don’t deserve better
- The tortured normal gentleman with ghost from his past
- The tortured man that is no gentleman and that is below his beloved’s rank in society
At first glance, they don’t seem that deep. They seem like stereotypes. But boy do the authors do a good job of making masterful characters out of their love-starved guys. They have stories of their own, motivations and family and friends…
I know YA is a certain way because we can’t expect teen boys to be all developed and mature (not even these guys are that mature tbh), and I won’t try to belittle the romances found in YA books because those romances are important.
That’s teen and young adult life. Messy, full of mistakes, but also at times cheesy and with fleeting moments of happiness that feel like a happy ending.
I love them, but I love these other books because they gave me what I didn’t even know I’d been hopping book to book looking for. Real happy endings.
I know, I know, but there’s something so amazing about the book showing you that the characters are doing well. That they’re happy and have kids, and they are so DAMN HAPPY.
I think in the end it depends on what you look for in books. Right now I love reading an HR in between the much heavier YA fantasy novels I adore.
Some of my favorite Historical romance authors
- Lisa Kleypas (With her Hathaways and Wallflower series)
- Julia Quinn (The Bridgertons)
- Tessa Dare (Every book of hers)
I don’t even have a good reason for avoiding historical romances, but I see one and I swear, I run in the opposite direction! Haha
I’ll have to check out the authors you mentioned and see if anything they’ve written stands out, without scaring me away!
Yes, do! I completely understand avoiding this genre, but I have faith in it, so if a book sparks your interest, you should give it a try!
I discovered historical romance around this time last year, and became obsessed. I went through this thing where all I did was read these books and it was great! there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding historical fiction but the’re usually false!
I haven’t really delved into historical romances because they just don’t appeal to me, but maybe I should give them a try. You’ve convinced me I’d probably like them!
I love Regency books. I’m not a big fan of the really steamy nes because I got started reading my grandmother’s totally clean Ines. Those are rare now though. I always recommend Courtney Milan.
Hahaha Thanks for the recommendation! I haven’t encountered a lot of clean ones, but steamy scenes are of course not a must! I’ll have to check those out!