One of my favorite genres for many reasons, Historical Romance is obviously a popular option if you look at the shelves of booksellers (big and small). (They are also widely known for the embarrassing covers … muscly men and damsels with low-cut dresses. Just look at what a Google image search turned up!). There’s so many great hist-rom authors it’s hard to pick.
Here’s Books for Her’s top 10 picks (at least those written in modern times). From several eras – Regency to WWII and Western, these authors know how to make use swoon. Feel free to leave us a comment with any you think we missed.
- Kathleen Woodiwiss – With plots spanning continents and travel, Woodiwiss carves beautiful, passionate characters into her action-filled plots.
- Julia Quinn – A master at weaving intrigue with passion … typically set during the Regency era with strong female and hilariously witty dialogue. Bonus: Her Bridgerton Series is now a Netflix series.
- Stephanie Laurens – If you’re looking for series and then another series, Laurens has many family series with strong women and fierce men. You’ll love them all.
- Meredith Duran – A newcomer to the scene, but her novel Fool Me Twice got me hooked!
- Brenda Joyce – For the best Scottish/Highland romance, check out some of Brenda Joyce’s series.
- Rosemary Rogers – Maybe its that the first historical romance I read was Sweet, Savage Love – but Rogers’s novels have the classic stubborn woman and prideful man.
- Susan Wiggs – Weaving in historical details with her plot and characters, Wiggs’s Irish-English romance novels are almost saga material.
- Mary Balogh – The mark of this great historical romance writer is the depth of her characters and her ability to give them prominent flaws.
- Diana Gabaldon – A wizard of history, romance, action, time-travel and more … while her famous Outlander Series spans several genres, she’s a wizard of romance. (Bonus: Her Outlander Series is now Starz TV Series hitting it’s 10th season.
- Beatriz Williams – Often with parallel storylines across different war times, Williams weaves challenging plots of love and heartbreak during War.
Did we miss any of your favorite historical romance authors? Let us know in the comments below.
Books for Her 
Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogrrs were my all time favorites in the late 70’s and 80’s. Would probably still love The Flame and the Flower, the Wolf and the Dove and Shanna, plus Sweet Savage Love and the sequels. The girls in my coffee group could not get enough of them! Laurie McBain, too. Kinda my first book club!!
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Oh classics! Sounds like we’re on the same page.
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One of my favorites is Loretta Chase. “Lord of Scoundrels” is classic Regency Romance and has won several awards. All her books have witty dialog and her historical details are accurate. She’s especially good at describing the styles and dress of her historical figures.
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