Choose Your Own Adventrope
Historical romances featuring my favorite tropes
By: Shelby Cunningham
I’ve compiled a list of ten of my all time favorite historical romances featuring what I consider to be some of the best tropes the genre has to offer. When you think of romance tropes, you probably think of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, or something along those lines. Those tropes are classics for a reason, but when you read enough historical romance you start to see more unique tropes pop up. I put this list together with not only fun tropes in mind, but I also wanted to highlight diversity in the genre. Readers often associate historical romance with rich white aristocrats in London, but the genre is much more than that. Remember that reading diversely is possible no matter what kind of books you enjoy. I hope some of these favorites of mine find a place on your TBR!
Class Difference: Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
A common obstacle in historical romance is class difference between the main characters. In Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti, Georgiana and Cat are competing gothic novelists who both write under pen names. When they discover the other’s identity, they realize they have something else in common—their past. Cat’s father was the butler at Georgiana’s family home until he was mysteriously let go and they disappeared from each other’s lives. Now they share a publisher and find themselves at the same dilapidated, and possibly haunted, Gothic castle to conduct research for their next novel. This sapphic class difference historical is a must read!
Carriage Spice: The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe
In The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe, Justine Green is the youngest sister of a wealthy New York family during The Gilded Age. Justine’s purpose in life has always been her charity work, but while other ladies throw fundraisers and balls, Justine gets a lot more involved with her community. She strives to help women who have been wronged by the men in their lives, which leads her to cross paths with mob boss Jack Mulligan. One of Jack’s cronies has abandoned his wife and children, and together he and Justine are determined to hold the man accountable. Justine learns many life lessons from Jack, including a very vivid tutorial that takes place in a carriage. Colin and Penelope Bridgerton aren’t the only ones who love a good carriage ride!
Political Intrigue: Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
I love when this genre gives us a healthy dose of history along with romance, and one of my favorites of this variety is Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa. Ana María and her sisters have fled Mexico for London during a time of political unrest involving their father. Ana and her sisters are tasked with promoting the Mexican cause to British society, which is how Ana meets Gideon Fox. Gideon is a biracial Member of Parliament working to abolish the Atlantic Slave Trade. Together these two are the political power couple of my dreams!
Mistaken Identity: The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath
Lovingly referred to by the historical romance community as “The Gorilla Twins,” The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath is unlike any romance you’ve ever read. Trust me! This regency historical romance follows twin brothers. When the older twin and holder of the title dies, his brother takes his identity and pretends he was the one who died. He not only steps into his brother’s role as Earl, he also takes over as husband to his brother’s pregnant wife. How does the gorilla fit in? Read and find out.
Independent Widow: Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy
Women often don’t have a lot of power or autonomy in historical romance, except when it comes to widows. In Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy, Leela lives a comfortable and prosperous life as a widow. She is a young step mother to two adult children, and she is secretly a wildly successful travel author. Writing under a man’s pen name, Leela wrote a best-selling book about her time exploring her mother’s homeland of Palestine. Diana Quincy is a Palestinian American author who often includes Palestinian characters in her books, and this one is my favorite.
Estranged Father: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles
Male main characters with daddy issues are prevalent in historical romance. In The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman by K.J. Charles, Gareth was abandoned by his father when he was only a child. Gareth never hears from him again until his father dies, leaving Gareth a title and an estate. Gareth is a fish out of water in his new home, a remote marsh land, where everyone seems to play by a set of rules Gareth doesn’t understand. It turns out the marsh is run by a local crime family, and even more jarring is Gareth already knows the leader. Intimately, K.J. Charles is known for writing fantastic male male historicals, this is just one of many.
Amnesia: Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas
No one knows how to turn a jerk into a romantic hero quite like Chinese American author Sherry Thomas. In Tempting the Bride, David has been in love with his best friend’s sister since they were children. Rather than admit his feelings for Helena, David does what most dumb boys do—he expresses himself by constantly annoying the hell out of her even into adulthood. When Helena is on the verge of being caught in a reputation-ruining scandal, David offers her a very dreaded lifeline: a marriage of convenience, to him. She has no choice but to agree, but before they can reach the altar, they are in a train accident that leaves Helena with amnesia. David sees this as his chance to start over with Helena, but what if her memory comes back? The better question being when her memory comes back.
Ahead of Her Time: Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
Many of my favorite historical romances feature a FMC who is ostracized by society for their progressive ideals. Feminists have always been here fighting the good fight, and no one embodies that more than Spring Lee of Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins. Spring lives on her own on a ranch in the Wyoming Territory around the time of the Civil War. She was thrown out of her home at 18 and clawed her way to safety and security completely on her own. Spring is independent, outspoken, and self-possessed. She flips everything you think you know about historical romance tropes on its head. Spring heroically saves the male main character when he is thrown from his horse. She doesn’t want to get married and she doesn’t want children, and the MMC doesn’t try to change her mind. Twist!
This sapphic age gap historical romance set in Paris is about an aspiring artist and a worldly widow. Manuela’s dream is to pursue art and live life as her true self, but instead, her parents are forcing her into a marriage to save them from their own financial ruin. Manuela is in Paris on a last hurrah with her two best friends, and if she is going to be trapped in a loveless marriage she is going to live it up in the meantime. Enter Cora, the Duchess of Sundridge. Cora is a wealthy and independent widow who acts as Manuela’s guide to queer society in Paris. An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is book two in Adriana Herrera’s Las Leonas series, which all feature Latinx main characters.
Undercover Spy: An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole is an American Civil War romance that will have you on the edge of your seat! Elle is a free northern Black woman working as a spy for the Union Army. Her latest mission requires her to pose as a slave in a southern household to gather information. While living on the southern plantation she meets Malcolm McCall, a Scotsman who on the surface appears to be a Confederate soldier but is actually a fellow undercover agent. Elle did not expect to find an ally, but they quickly discover that two spies are better than one.
Whether you are an avid historical romance reader or you’re completely new to the genre, there is something on this list for everyone. From etiquette to espionage and everything in between, I hope you enjoy a book or two from this list.