There’s always time for a good Regency romance! There’s a reason the historical romance genre is so enamored with the Regency era. The mighty legacy of Jane Austen looms overhead, inspiring decades’ worth of authors to tell stories of debutante seasons, balls in Bath, stoic dukes, and headstrong young women forced into the marriage mart.
As long as we have romance novels, we’ll have Regency romances. Here are nine authors writing in the subgenre who you should check out now!
Never Fall for Your Fiancée
Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, has no desire for a wife, but his mother is determined to marry him off as soon as possible. To keep her sated, Hugh invents a fake fiancée who she'll never meet since she's half a world away. But then he learns that his mother is paying him a visit. He needs a fake wife-to-be to keep the lie going.
Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Near penniless, she agrees to pose as Hugh's fiancée to pay off their debts. Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course, nothing goes according to plan. Their fake engagement starts to feel very real, but can true love spring from false beginnings?
Something in the Heir
Emmeline and William Pershing have been married for eight years for reasons of pure convenience. They lead separate lives under the same roof, enjoy one another's company, and get on with things with no fuss. But William wants more from the wife he adores.
When Emmeline’s grandfather, the reclusive Duke of Welshire, summons them both for his birthday celebration and demands they bring their two little angelic children, William is stunned to discover that his very proper wife invented not one, but two heirs to fulfill the agreement for living in his home. Now they must borrow a pair of wild-child orphans to keep the ruse up. What could possibly go wrong?
A Wicked Game
Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact revenge on the cartographer who ruined his life. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, Harriet Montgomery. He wants to marry her, but then he discovers that she is the very mapmaker who got him in such trouble. So, why not kill two birds with one stone and combine revenge and seduction into one irresistible package?
Harriet has enough on her plate, between caring for her sick father and dealing with a rival cartographer stealing her work. Morgan only complicates matters, and that's before an enemy from his past puts them both in danger. Could enemies become lovers or will revenge reign supreme?
Rules for Engaging the Earl
Constance Lysander is about to give birth to her late husband's child. Widowed, without money, and having recently discovered that he had other wives on the side, Constance needs help. With a baby on the way, her shipping business to run, and an enemy skulking about, she has no time to find husband number two.
Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston, has returned from the battleground with an injury and little desire to re-enter society. But for Constance, his childhood best friend, he'll do anything to keep her safe. With Constance, Jonathan, and the new baby all together, keeping their hearts in one piece will be easier said than done.
Yours Truly, The Duke
Fredericka Hale needs a husband. If she doesn't marry and find a steady income soon, she stands to lose custody of her late sister's three young children. Any man will do, including the Duke of Wyatthaven.
He too has no interest in love, but if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. A quick wedding would solve both of their problems, with no silly emotions getting in the way.
But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny that his feelings for her have become anything but platonic. Maybe marriage wasn't such a terrible idea...
When a Duke Loves a Governess
Tessa James has worked hard to fulfil her dream of opening her own millinery shop. All she needs now is a loan from the lord who sired and abandoned her. The only problem? She doesn't know his name. Finding out the truth will require her to go undercover as a governess and infiltrate the world of the aristocracy.
Guy Whitby, the new Duke of Carlin, has returned to London after years abroad to discover that his young daughter Sophy has become the ultimate problem child. The beautiful Tessa seems like the ideal candidate to help rein in her behavior. Their chemistry is undeniable, but how could a duke love a governess, especially when both of them have so many secrets ready to burst to the surface?
One Duke Down
Miss Poppy Summers is a fisherman's daughter, eager to keep her family's business afloat after her widower father falls ill and her brother leaves them behind to move to London. The last thing she expects to find tangled in one of her nets is a man with a head wound who says he's a duke.
Andrew Keane actually is the Duke of Hawking, but he’s having a tough time convincing his rescuer of that. Someone in this cozy seaside town wants him dead, and he needs to find the culprit. Under Poppy’s care Keane regains his strength, and soon they're working together to solve a would-be murder case. They could find a happy ending together, or the murder case could tear them apart.
Infamous
They say that well behaved women seldom make history. That's certainly the philosophy of Edith "Eddie" Miller and her best friend Rose. The two of them have always done everything together, from climbing trees and drinking wine to cozying up out of sight. They promised each other that they would never marry, but then Rose is courted by a potential husband, sending Eddie into a tailspin.
When Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson, he invites her to his crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside to help her finish her novel. Perhaps she can forget Rose amid a sea of literature and hedonism. Or maybe she'll find her long sought after happy ending with her best friend.
The Rogue Goes On
The Rogue Goes On combines two novels by Manda Collins. In Wallflower Most Wanted, Miss Sophia Hastings is dedicated to her artwork, far more concerned with finding the right paints than a future husband. Happy to be a wallflower, she sticks to the borders of the ballroom, but then she hears whispers of another local artist who might be in danger.
Soon, Sophia is on the hunt, determined to figure out the secret. Unfortunately, that also means accepting help from Reverend Lord Benedick Lisle, the infuriating rogue who might capture her heart.
In One for the Rogue, Gemma Hastings wants to eschew romance in favor of exploring her passion for geology. That hobby puts her up against Lord Cameron Lisle, an esteemed fossil hunter who has a way of always honing in on her territory. When a shocking attack puts her in danger, Lisle seems to be the only man who can protect her.
