Regency romance was the sub-genre that turned me on to romance. The history, the costumes, the societal rules constantly being broken by badass women – it was the genre I needed in my life but didn’t know how to look for. Thankfully, this is where Goodreads came in handy. I started using Goodreads right before I started reading romance, and its “Readers Also Enjoyed” function led me on to some of my favourite regency romance series. These include:
The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn
Oh, how I love this series. I love the strong family bond between all the characters in the Bridgerton family, I love the strong heroines in these books (especially Violet Bridgerton, the family matriarch), and I love that these books are easy to navigate even if, like me in my romance-reading infancy, you don’t know many, or any, of the rules governing the aristocracy in the early 19th century. I’m re-reading this series now, and they’re the perfect books to pick up when you need a major dosage of happiness in your life. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be An Offer from a Gentleman, because I’m a sucker for a Cinderella retelling.
The Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare
First of all, I cannot believe I went most of my romance reading life without cracking open one of Tessa Dare’s addictive novels. They are the book equivalent of Gilmore Girls or Friends– easy to binge, guaranteed to make you happy you spent time in that world. A Lady by Midnight is my favourite, because Corporal Thorne is a dreamboat and independent, intelligent, caring Kate gets all the love she deserves.
The Scandal & Scoundrel series by Sarah MacLean
Another devourable series, this one by Sarah MacLean, who very nicely let me squee all over her when I met her at the Baltimore Book Festival this year. I was so in awe of her that I kind of couldn’t speak and she very nicely smiled and signed my bullet journal and gave me some awesome postcards. What I love about this series is that two out of the three heroines aren’t virgins, which is so rare in historical romance! I also love how forthright and honest the women in these books are about their feelings, both emotional and sexual. My favourite is, hands down, A Scot in the Dark. Sexy Scottish Man + art scandal + literary quotations= major thumbs up.
Make sure to comment below about some of your favourite regency series. Are there any LGBTQIA+ regency series you loved, or ones by authors of colour? Let us know, and we’ll read and review them!
What are your thoughts?