10 Best Historical Romance Novels Of All Time
Historical romance is one of a kind and the one who likes to dig into the past certainly enjoys this genre A good historical romance novel is one that seamlessly blends history and novelistic fiction, satisfying both one’s educated interest in the reconstruction of the past event. We have done the research and have come up with the final list of our based on the following three criteria.
- Number of sales per book (rankings, sales, length of time in top 100 for the genre, etc)
- Number of positive 3+ star reviews (Amazon, Goodreads, iTunes, BN, etc)
- Buzz and reader enthusiasm (Talk in forums, blog reviews, etc)
After narrowing it down to what we thought were the best historical novels, we then asked our readers to vote on them. These romance reads are in no particular order, simply a list of the novels by the best historical romance novels of all time…ENJOY.
So there you have it, our list of the best romance books of all time, in the historical genre. We have more free romance books on our daily deals page!
Marrying Winterborne
A ruthless tycoon
Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better . . .
A sheltered beauty
Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys’s determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen’s gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys’s enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust him with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable . . . the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss. And it all begins with…
Marrying Mr. Winterborne
A Passion Most Pure (The Daughters of Boston Book #1): A Novel
Refusing to settle for anything less than a romantic relationship that pleases God, Faith O’Connor steels her heart against her desire for the roguish Collin McGuire. But when Collin tries to win her sister Charity’s hand, Faith isn’t sure she can handle the jealousy she feels. To further complicate matters, Faith finds herself the object of Collin’s affections, even as he is courting her sister. The Great War is raging overseas, and a smaller war is brewing in the O’Connor household.Full of passion, romance, rivalry, and betrayal, A Passion Most Pure will captivate readers from the first page. Book 1 of the Daughters of Boston series.
The Secret of Pembrooke Park
Abigail Foster is the practical daughter. She fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry, and the one man she thought might marry her seems to have fallen for her younger, prettier sister.
Facing financial ruin, Abigail and her father search for more affordable lodgings, until a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll’s house left mid-play…
The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem acquainted with the manor’s past, the only information they offer is a stern warning: Beware trespassers drawn by rumors that Pembrooke Park contains a secret room filled with treasure.
This catches Abigail’s attention. Hoping to restore her family’s finances–and her dowry–Abigail looks for this supposed treasure. But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn’t the only one secretly searching the house.
Then Abigail begins receiving anonymous letters, containing clues about the hidden room and startling discoveries about the past.
As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light. Will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks…or very real danger?
Finding Rebecca
Nothing could keep Christopher and Rebecca apart: not her abusive parents, or even the fiancé she brought home after running away to England. But when World War II finally strikes the island of Jersey, the Nazi invaders ship Rebecca to Europe as part of Hitler’s Final Solution against the Jewish population.
After Christopher and his family are deported back to their native Germany, he volunteers for the Nazi SS, desperate to save the woman he loves. He is posted to Auschwitz and finds himself put in control of the money stolen from the victims of the gas chambers. As Christopher searches for Rebecca, he struggles to not only maintain his cover, but also the grip on his soul. Managing the river of tainted money flowing through the horrific world of Auschwitz may give him unexpected opportunities. But will it give him the strength to accept a brave new fate that could change his life–and others’ lives–forever?Revised edition: This edition of Finding Rebecca includes editorial revisions.
The Wren (Wings of the West Book 1)
Captured by Comanche as a child, Molly Hart was assumed dead. Ten years later, Texas Ranger Matt Ryan finds a woman with the same blue eyes.
“A rousing, spicy story of long lost love in the gritty Old West. The Wren will make your pulse flutter and your heart sing.” —Ann Charles, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Award-winning Deadwood Mystery Series
Ten years have passed since Molly Hart’s ranch was attacked, her folks murdered and she was abducted. Now, at nineteen, she’s finally returning home to North Texas after spending the remainder of her childhood with a tribe of Kwahadi Comanche. What she finds is a deserted home coated with dust and the passage of time, the chilling discovery of her own gravesite, and the presence of a man she thought never to see again.
Matt Ryan is pushed by a restless wind to the broken-down remains of the Hart ranch. Recently recovered from an imprisonment that nearly ended his life, the drive for truth and fairness has all but abandoned him. For ten years he faithfully served the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers, seeking justice for the brutal murder of a little girl, only to find closure and healing beyond his grasp. Returning to the place where it all began, he’s stunned to encounter a woman with the same blue eyes as the child he can’t put out of his mind.
A sensual historical western romance set in 1877 Texas.
Jubilee Trail: A Novel
Charting the trail across the Great Plains from New York City to the Mexican Territory of California, a headstrong couple embarks on a new life in this classic work of historical fiction as unforgiving, moving, and unpredictable as the frontier.
A recent finishing school graduate, eighteen-year-old Garnet Cameron is desperate for direction. Too driven for the restrictive manners of the upper class, Garnet is naturally drawn to Oliver Hale, a frontier trader from the West. Unlike the men to whom she’s accustomed, Oliver treats Garnet as an equal and respects her independence. His tales of adventure on the plains thrill her. And his proposal of marriage is accepted. Garnet eagerly grabs hold of the promise and prospects of an exciting future, only to discover how ill-prepared she is for the punishing landscape of the Jubilee Trail and the even harsher realities of human nature.
Made into a feature film, Jubilee Trail is a classic novel of a woman in the old West, beloved not only for the rebelliousness and resilience of its heroine, but for its authenticity, its grand sweep, its unsparing intimacy, and its honest portrayal of the survivors and victims—and victors and villains—of a defiant American wilderness.
One of the best historical romance novels of all time.
The Devil In Winter
Charting the trail across the Great Plains from New York City to the Mexican Territory of California, a headstrong couple embarks on a new life in this classic work of historical fiction as unforgiving, moving, and unpredictable as the frontier.
A recent finishing school graduate, eighteen-year-old Garnet Cameron is desperate for direction. Too driven for the restrictive manners of the upper class, Garnet is naturally drawn to Oliver Hale, a frontier trader from the West. Unlike the men to whom she’s accustomed, Oliver treats Garnet as an equal and respects her independence. His tales of adventure on the plains thrill her. And his proposal of marriage is accepted. Garnet eagerly grabs hold of the promise and prospects of an exciting future, only to discover how ill-prepared she is for the punishing landscape of the Jubilee Trail and the even harsher realities of human nature.
Made into a feature film, Jubilee Trail is a classic novel of a woman in the old West, beloved not only for the rebelliousness and resilience of its heroine, but for its authenticity, its grand sweep, its unsparing intimacy, and its honest portrayal of the survivors and victims—and victors and villains—of a defiant American wilderness.
Once and Always (The Sequels series Book 1)
Let New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught who “is in a class by herself” (USA TODAY) sweep you off your feet and into another time with her sensual, passionate, and spellbinding historical romance classics, featuring her “unique magic” (RT Book Reviews)—now available for the first time on ebook.
Victoria Seaton, a blithe and fiercely independent orphan, leaves her home in America to travel across the vast Atlantic to claim her long-lost inheritance: a labyrinthine English estate named Wakefield. There she encounters her distant cousin, the notorious, proud, and mysterious Lord Jason Fielding. Drawn to his magnetic charisma, Victoria can’t help but suspect that like her, he harbors a dark and painful past. Neither Victoria or Jason are able to resist one another’s charm but, in a moment of blinding anguish, Victoria discovers the shocking truth that lays at the heart of their love—a love she had dreamed would triumph.
The Shadow and the Star
From nationally acclaimed bestselling author Laura Kinsale comes a boldly original, breathlessly unforgettable tale of honour, adventure and undying love.
The Shadow is wealthy, powerful and majestically handsome, he is a man of dark secrets – a master of the ancient martial arts of an exotic distant land. Scarred by a childhood of shocking degradation, he has sworn to love chastely … but burns with the fires of unfulfilled passion.
The Star is lovely, innocent and nearly destitute, and drawn to him by a fevered yearning she could never deny – following her enigmatic ′shadow warrior′ into a dangerous world of desire and righteous retribution.
Not Quite a Husband
Sherry Thomas is one of the hottest new voices in historical romance, garnering the highest praise from today’s bestselling writers (“Entrancing.” —Mary Balogh; “Ravishingly sinful, intelligent and addictive.” —Eloisa James). Now Sherry delivers this powerful story of a remarkable woman and the love she thought she’d never find—with the man she thought she’d lost forever.…Their marriage lasted only slightly longer than the honeymoon—to no one’s surprise, not even Bryony Asquith’s. A man as talented, handsome, and sought after by society as Leo Marsden couldn’t possibly want to spend his entire life with a woman who rebelled against propriety by becoming a doctor. Why, then, three years after their annulment and half a world away, does he track her down at her clinic in the remotest corner of India?
Leo has no reason to think Bryony could ever forgive him for the way he treated her, but he won’t rest until he’s delivered an urgent message from her sister—and fulfilled his duty by escorting her safely back to England. But as they risk their lives for each other on the journey home, will the biggest danger be the treacherous war around them—or their rekindling passion?
The Power of Historical Romance Novels
Some of the best historical romance novels have been around for centuries, and their popularity only seems to be increasing. In a time where the world is full of turmoil and heartache, many people are finding solace in these stories of love and hope. But why are they so popular? Let’s take a look at a few reasons.
1. They’re the perfect escape.
In our fast-paced, constantly-connected world, it can be hard to find a moment to yourself. Historical romance novels provide the perfect opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and escape into another time and place. Whether you’re transported to the Scottish Highlands or the American West, these stories provide a much-needed respite from the stresses of everyday life.
2. They make us believe in love again.
In a world that often seems filled with anger and hatred, it’s easy to forget that love exists. But historical romance novels remind us that love is still out there—and that it can overcome any obstacle. These stories give us hope that we, too, can find our own happily ever after.
3. They’re a reminder of simpler times.
In our modern world, it’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and forget what’s truly important in life. Historical romance novels transport us back to a time when things were simpler and people were kinder. Reading these stories is like taking a step back in time, and it can be incredibly refreshing.
Whether you’re looking for an escape from reality or just a reminder of simpler times, historical romance novels have something to offer everyone. It’s no wonder they’re one of the most popular genres today!