Isabelle Popp has written all sorts of things, ranging from astrophysics research articles and math tests to crossword puzzles and poetry. These days she's writing romance. When she's not reading or writing, she's probably knitting or scouring used book stores for vintage gothic romance paperbacks. Originally from New York, she's as surprised as anyone that she lives in Bloomington, Indiana.
When I’m reading historical romances, I prefer them to be spicy. Let’s be real, I prefer on-page sex for just about any subgenre of romance. Sex scenes can serve various purposes in romance. I like them to reflect how a relationship is developing. In historical romances, pregnancy and infection were harder to prevent. Moreover, the social consequences of being a sexually active person were often dire, especially for women. So characters having sex can really add stakes to a story in a way that’s harder to do in contemporary romance.
To give you some variety in these recommendations, I wanted to step outside of Regency England ballrooms. So there are books from medieval times to post-World War I. While most of these are set in Britain, I do have one historical Western for you as well. I certainly wish it were easier to find more spicy historical romances from around the world. Aspiring novelists, please get on that!
Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles
This historical romance brings in a pulpy conspiracy/intrigue element, making it an especially fun read. Will Darling, returned from the first World War, inherits his uncle’s secondhand book shop. Sounds like the dream, right? It would be if shady characters weren’t showing up and threatening him. Then mysterious Kim Secretan appears, offering to help, and Will can’t resist his charms. Things get worse before they get better, as so often happens in stories like this. If you can’t resist Will Darling’s charms, you’re in luck, because this is the first in a series.
The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid
Get this: everyone thinks James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton died at sea ten years ago. But here he is, back in England! Despite surviving with a PACK OF WOLVES in the Yukon for all that time, now he has to be a proper gentleman again. That requires training, right? You know where this is going, but you also don’t! Psychologist Jules Southby is up for the job, but Jules is secretly a woman!!! And when they meet, it is ON. This is a properly bonkers historical romance that is skirting the edges of the omegaverse, if that’s your thing.
Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway
I didn’t intentionally set out to give you spicy historical romances that are also full of plot, but it seems that’s what I did. In this historical take on Charlie’s Angels, Olivia is delighted to find that joining Lady Charlotte Fayne’s charity actually means she gets to investigate crimes. While doing this, she encounters her childhood crush, Ben Wodehouse, the Duke of Hadleigh. They may both be trying to get to the bottom of the same case, but they are going to have to succumb to their desire first. It’s how romance works.
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Her Wicked Highlander by Nicola Davidson
If you want historical romances with a lot of erotic scenes, Nicola Davidson is the author for you. While she has a deep backlist for you to dive into, I picked a recent book of hers, the second in the Glennoe Highlanders series. Set in Scotland in the 1500s, the book follows Keir and Maude, who’ve been pining for each other for a long time. It’s only after Maude is widowed and her son becomes the laird that she feels free to seek out love rather than a strategic marriage. And I bet you can guess whom she seeks out.
Heart and Hand by Rebel Carter
Mail-order brides are one of those tropes that will get me every time. Julie Baptiste has had it with New York society, so she answers an ad and moves to Montana, where there are two husbands waiting for her! Forrest Wickes and William Barnes fought for the Union in the Civil War, and now they want to expand their relationship to include a third person. The story is more about their interpersonal dynamics than the societal reaction to them being a throuple, which keeps things light. It does, however, include fertility/infertility in the plot if that’s something you wish to avoid.
While historical romance is abundant if you know where to look for it, there is evidence the genre is in decline, in terms of traditional publishing deals and brick-and-mortar bookstores. As a huge fan of historical romance, I am always here to stand up for it. If you’re looking for spicy books, I hope some of the above are tempting to you. If you’re new to the genre altogether, we also have some good gateway books for you. Whether it’s trendy or not, you’ll have a blast reading more historical romance.
English (US) · 