Guide to Historical Romance - The Best Authors and Series

Find out about the best romance series and authors, and avoid the dreck. Yes romances are often light and fluffy, but they can also be enjoyable reads if you pick the right authors. Romance tends to get a bad reputation because there is an excess of genuinely bad romance novels, and many authors just crank them out without regard to quality. There are, however, quite a few solid writers in the romance genre, and many readers are surprised to find themselves picking up a romance because they've discovered a favorite author who also writes in another genre that they consider more legitimate. While it is true that many readers look down their noses at Romance because they think they're too literate for the genre, many times I've gotten friends hooked on romances despite their misgivings. It all comes down to picking a solid author who can tell a good story.

Historical romances can include various subgenres, such as Regency, Medieval, Victorian, American Colonial, and more. There is quite a bit of crossover into general fiction and literature, depending on the author. Diana Gabaldon, for instance, was originally only found in romance, but now she is just as often found in the literature section because she has received some "legitimacy" as an author, while many romance authors are overlooked.

As You Wish is the latest Stephanie Laurens novel.

Best historical romance series with the first book in the series listed. Most of these series can be read individually, as most have a new hero and heroine for each novel. They are usually connected, however, so it is ideal if you can read them in order. Vote for your favorites!

Lisa Kleypas writes primarily in the Historical Romance genre, although she has recently begun to write contemporaries as well. Lisa's books are well-written romances that are a good mix of passion and plot, and filled with non-traditional heroines who fall in love in spite of themselves.

Lisa Kleypas has three great historical romance series:

The Bow Street Runners - The Bow Street Runner series is a little different than the average Regency romance, because the heroes are regular men - commoners - instead of the usual aristocrats. They work as "runners," or police officers of the day. The first book in the series is Someone to Watch Over Me.

The Wallflowers - The Wallflowers are a group of four friends who meet at a society function, are deemed to be unmarriable by society, and decide to help each other to find a match. The series begins with Secrets of a Summer Night.

The Hathaways - The series revolves around the Hathaway family, an offbeat group of siblings who inherit a title and land and must find a way of fitting in without changing who they are. The Hathaways series begins with Mine Till Midnight.

Lisa Kleypas' Official Website >>

Photo from Amazon.com and LisaKleypas.com

Time-Travel romance is a related genre to historicals. Usually set in the past, the plot often involves a modern day heroine being transported to the past by some type of magical means, during which time she meets and falls in love with a hero from that time period. The conflict generally revolves around whether or not she can stay in the past or whether time will ultimately separate the couple.

For a good introduction into time travel romances, the Outlander series, is an outstanding epic saga filled with a rich storyline set in 18th century Scotland.

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Julia Quinn is a historical romance author best known for her Bridgertons series, a series set in Regency England about a large family. The Bridgerton family consists of eight siblings named in alphabetical order. Reminiscent of The Bridgertons Series - The first title in the eight-book Bridgertons series is The Duke and I. The Bridgertons also make an appearance in the Lady Whistledown books.

Julia Quinn's other series include the Bevelstoke series, the Two Dukes of Wyndham, Agents of the Crown, the Lyndon Sisters and the Splendid series.

The Splendid Trilogy - This series is set in the world of the Bridgertons and is just as enjoyable. Splendid is the first title in the trilogy.

The Smythe-Smith Quartet - Julia Quinn started a new series in May 2011 about the Smythe-Smith family, known for their infamous musicales, some of whom crop up as minor characters in her other series. The first in the planned four-book series is Just Like Heaven.

Julia Quinn's Official Website >>