Regency romances are a huge part of the romance genre, a forever beloved part of historical fiction in large part thanks to the prevailing influence of Jane Austen. They’ve remained favorites of readers over many generations and it’s not hard to see why: the societal drama, the balls, the stoic heroes and headstrong heroines.
But what happens when you look at the genre through a queer lens? Something sexy, sultry, and sapphic! F/F Regency romances are gaining more popularity thanks to writers like K.J. Charles and Cat Sebastian. Here are eight sapphic Regency romances you should read right now!
The Heiress
Pride & Prejudice fans will know Anne de Bourgh as the sickly daughter of Lady Catherine who was set up to be the ideal wife for Mr. Darcy until Lizzie Bennet came along. The Heiress creates a far happier story for the beleaguered spinster. Growing up sheltered and confined, removed from sunshine and friendships, Anne grew up mostly alone and as the black sheep of her noble family.
After her father dies unexpectedly, leaving her his vast fortune, Anne has a moment of clarity: what if her life of fragility and illness isn’t truly real? She discards all of the "treatments" she's been forced to take since childhood and flees to London to truly life her life for the first time. But she's totally unprepared for navigating a season. An unexpected guide introduces her to the world of knowledge, beauty, and a whole new path towards true love.
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows
When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it feels like yet another sign of how her life is falling apart. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be stung.
Penelope Flood is a beautiful beekeeper hired to take care of the pest but finds herself more drawn to Agatha. When Penelope’s long-absent husband returns, she finds herself torn between two worlds, two different futures.
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My Lady's Lover
Beatrice Irving has been in love with her employer since the day they met. But Amelia, Countess of Garrick, is off limits for so many reasons. She's beautiful, intelligent, and married to a man who doesn't treat her well.
Beatrice seeks solace in her monthly meetings with the Surrey Sexual Freedom Society, where pleasure is a priority. Amelia is lonely, trapped in a bad marriage and unable to bear children. Her one solace is Beatrice, but an introduction to a scandalous secret group opens up a whole new world of possibilities beyond her restricted life.
A Little Light Mischief
Lady’s maid Molly Wilkins is a lifelong thief, but she's determined to give up her old life and become respectable. She's less prepared to stop stealing hearts, however. When she first sees her employer's companion, Alice Stapleton, she knows she should keep her hands to herself. But how can she do that when Alice won't stop staring at her?
Alice wants to know more about the beautiful but enigmatic Molly, which has left her behaving in ways she never imagined. What's wrong with a little mischief when the light go out?
Proper English
A shooting party at the Earl of Witton’s remote country house is a high treat for champion shot Patricia Merton. It's also the perfect opportunity for her to visit her old friend, Earl’s heir Jimmy Yoxall, but the one who has truly captured her heart is Jimmy’s fiancée, the beautiful Miss Fenella Carruth.
Pat should keep her distance, but the tension between them is undeniable. When a body is discovered with a knife between the shoulder blades, everyone becomes a suspect. Pat and Fenella team up to find the killer, but all of their secrets threaten to come to light before the mystery is solved.
The Sisterhood
When Charity Bellingham visits London for the Season, she expects the usual fare of balls, courting, and the endless exhaustion of the marriage mart. What she doesn't expect is to meet the beautiful Isobelle Greenaway, and to be taken with her beyond comprehension.
Isobelle introduces Charity to the Sisterhood, a group of like-minded, influential women who love women. It opens Charity's eyes to a different future than she could have predicted for herself, but committing to the dream that Isobelle offers will require more than bravery.
Moontangled
For just one moonlit, memorable night, Thornfell College of Magic has flung open its doors and invited guests to join them for a ball designed to introduce the first-ever class of women magicians to society. For Juliana Banks, it's a chance for her to win back the affections of her secret fiancée, the rising politician Caroline Fennell.
If Juliana needs to use magic to get her stubborn fiancée to pay her attention, she'll do it, but unbeknownst to her, Caroline plans to nobly sacrifice their betrothal for Juliana's own sake. The path to true love has never been smooth, and adding magic to the mix only makes it bumpier!
Daughter of Mystery
Margerit Sovitre did not expect to inherit the vast fortune of Baron Saveze. With his riches also comes his formidable bodyguard Barbara, a brilliant duelist who is both admired and feared among nobility.
Now that she's a highly eligible heiress, Margerit is a target for money-hungry bachelors and sinister schemers. Barbara, bitter that her servitude is to continue, may be the only force that stands between Margerit and utmost danger. Barbara might be the only person she can trust, and soon she desires her for more than her bodyguard duties.
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