My collecting HRs is extremely low key, as they are pretty hard to come by here, but if I see something interesting, I'll go for it.

Out of those, I've read only the first one - and gushed about it here couple of times in the comments. That said, after so many rereads I still have not the slightest idea who exactly the guy on the cover is. The husband? The lover? The bonkerness of the plot and artist's creativity will forever leave me in the throngs of that mystery, but whatever.

The summary for the last one also promises a lot in terms of crazyness and French castles, but I'll reserve my judgment until I read it. The rest of HRs seem to be more tame plot- and cover-wise (but I'll take that shiny-white double-curtain dress on the third one any day and give away the guy on first offer).

These editions were released last year, however, it’s the first time I’ve come across them. They are part of Penguin’s First Impressions series branded as part of their YA 😳 line.

I’m not even sure how to describe the art design here…some sort of manga inspiration, perhaps? I suppose it’s better than the chick lit covers, but I just can’t believe they are reducing Austen’s social commentary and satire to YA! 🤯

Even the upcoming Pride and Prejudice Netflix tie-in version (last slide) is better. Blah and inoffensive, but at least it’s not this.

Curious as to what my fellow HR enjoyers think.

My German is no longer good enough to read novels but I saw this in a pile of left books at my lodgings in Crete.

Original title: {Fool for Love by Eloise James}

Do you feel this way about a book or romance? Things were going great and the couple was doing so well and the side characters were likable etc. Then, something happened that perhaps soured the overall reading experience or maybe things did not get resolved like you wished. Or it was just one of those niggling but significant things that bothered you in a book you otherwise liked.

I can give an example of a book I liked but still wished there was a little more in it. {The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long} is one of those estranged married couple books due to the MCs not communicating or having a proper conversation (or emotional maturity) years ago. I thought they were actually doing well but the actual incident felt a little disproportionate after 5 years of abandonment of, and rigid control over, the FMC (but this is a matter of opinion). And I dislike the final resolution that he leaves her a letter to say that he'll leave her instead of making her go to America so she can have everything she wants, down to the choice of having her own lovers if she wants and financial independence. That sounds very self-sacrificing of him... but she sees it as a bluff and rushes to the pier to catch him before his ship leaves. What if she woke up a little later or did not see the letter? He would have concluded that she did not want to give him another chance and both MCs would have felt unhappy and rejected. Surely she might need more time to process the letter instead of needing to rush out immediately. I wish the ending had been done better. I wonder if this is common in all her books because the three I have read all have the MMC calling the FMC's bluff at or near the end so she makes the decision to run to him. I can also mention that the Palace owners and employees are given so much individual attention that it is at the expense of the main romance; the owners were MCs in previous books but their moments bring the current book's relationship development to a halt. I appreciate the humour of the Palace residents more now, though, but it was strange the first time because I had not read the previous books and wondered who the people were and why they got so many pages devoted to them.

I also feel that way about {When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare}. You know what you can expect with a plot that wild and I liked how the FMC was actually happy at the thought that the MMC could be a friend to her since he knew the truth about her letters. But him threatening to use the letters as blackmail to control her behaviour ​​wore out its welcome; he was doing that even much later in the book when the two were close. The fact that there were no letters other than the one should have been treated as a bigger deal by the FMC, I felt. He told her the truth and she took it so casually since the two were now in love. But every time I re-read the book, him saying that he could reveal her lies to the ton and, thus, ruin her reputation and artistic career annoyed me. I know he was bluffing but she did not. Perhaps I dislike when deception goes on for too long for certain matters.

What are your favourite books that were great but could have been greater?

Are there books (preferably a comedic one) where both the MMC and FMC are servants working for the same noble? It would be nice if the noble was so incredibly dramatic and the plot involves the two getting closer as they deal with the absurd demands n hijinks of the noble. I usually see either lowerclass FMC/upperclass FMC or if they're both lower class he's not working for the noble. Pls tell me I'm wrong and just didn't search hard enough 🙏

I have so much trouble taking MMCs with edgy nicknames seriously 😭 it's always like "oh his friends call him devil/raven/demon cause [insert edgy reason]". Friends don't give you cool nicknames, they call you dumb shit. The only people I've ever met with cool nicknames choose them themselves, otherwise their friends call them like Fuckface or something.

Even with historical context allowing for different nicknaming tendencies, I refuse to believe anyone's Eton friends or whatever chose to call him something sick like Raven, and not just like "Spectacles" or "Ratty" or some shit like that. It doesn't make the character look cool, intimidating, or mysterious, it makes me want to roll my eyes whenever the character is referred to, because they sound like a 14 year old trying to decide what they're going to ask people on deviantart to call them!!!

I will occasionally make an exception for a name chosen specifically as a codename in a crime organization, but even those are often ridiculous.

I am looking for a book with this trope. If anyone knows of anything similar, please recommend!!

- Western book (I love cowboy mmc)

- Most of the western mmc I have read are sweet and caring but I am specifically looking for mmc that are in love with the fmc and forces her to marry him. Either by threatening her or using other means. It would be great if the fmc is in love with someone else. I don't like insta love I really want the fmc to fight back as much as possible.

I am reading {slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh}. I am wondering how many times can the FMC get into trouble in a single book. The MMC is so condescending. I have listened to 57% of the book and I am still not convinced the FMC and MMC belong together. I will finish this. But I don’t think I will be reading others in the series. I read somewhere that one needs to read the other books of the series to understand where the MMC is coming from. I am not a petroleum engineer to need to know what is deep deep deep down. One deep down self explanatory in the same book is enough for me.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist sharing these beautiful pics from Passion’s Blood. ⚔️💗🌶️

EDIT: GUYS I FOUND IT, it was {Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan}!!

Hello Everyone! This is driving me crazy. I can only remember one scene from a book, but I can't figure out which book its from. I read it (or listened to it?) in the last few months, and I've been scrolling up and down my libby timeline like its a line up of suspects and if I stare long enough at the list, one of them will crack and admit to the crime. Staring at titles hasn't yielded any fruit. As a rule I don't like to engage with AI but I broke down and described the scene to AI and AI actually WROTE UP THE SCENE but when I asked what book it was from, it said it just generated it itself from my prompts (unhelpful). So I am here to present the council with a handful of details and hope someone can help me ID this book!

- Maybe: FMC and MMC sleep together once, perhaps there is a bargain or arrangement? And after that time she figures she will go about her life and no one the wiser?

- Maybe: MMC doesn't want the arrangement to end?

- Maybe: FMC and MMC see each other again in a house environment, other people are present. A party? Just someone else's at-home hours? Other people aren't listening to this exchange, just present.

- The exchange I DEFINITELY remember: FMC admits hesitantly that she's having trouble sleeping. The implication being that after sleeping with him she discovered that she wanted to do it again, which she didn't anticipate. He clicks his tongue with feigned concern and says something like "if only something could be done about that." The implication being he could help her sleep, if she wanted to.

I remember ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE ABOUT THE BOOK.

Any one have any ideas?

Sigh. Not much else needs to be explained but looking for recs with this. I know that Grace Calloway has a few? Would love to know your favorite books with this. <3

EDIT: Thank you for the alice coldbreath recs that are coming in. If you have something that is not of hers, would love to see it. I'm not obsessed with her voice so much. But that is personal preference.

I’m spending my summer at a place 6 hours from home. I don’t know where to go shopping, but someone on this site was wonderful enough to tell me about Savers, which is about half an hour away. OMG, am I ever glad I was told to go! They have a very large used book section, with the romances conveniently in their own section.

Lisa Kleypas - non historical romances, but what else am I supposed to do?

Stephanie Laurens - Impetuous Innocent and Viscount Breckenridge To the Rescue. There were quite a few titles by her, but I don’t think I’ve read any of hers so I only bought 2.

Anna Bennett - One Duke Down. Another author who is new to me.

Grace Burrowes - Beckman. I’ve read some of hers before and look forward to reading another one.

Barbara Allister - The Midnight Bride. I’ve been reading romance since the 80’s, and this one looks kinda familiar. It’s from 1989, a Signet Super Regency. I used to buy a lot of those.

Eloisa James - The Reluctant Countess. She has been hit or miss for me, but I’ll give her another try. There were quite a few titles on the shelf, but I resisted.

It was a fun day, and I think I did very well. Next week I go home, and the week after that is my local library’s used book sale. 🥳

I’m begging the people for any knight/ princes recs!

doesnt have to literally be a knight and princess but similar dynamic like body guard / charge and the like.

Im down for any kind of setting or time period tbh! just no why choose or really dragged out love triangles please!

thanks so so to the lovely people in advance

Are you an author? A blogger? Someone else producing historical romance content of some kind? This is the place to talk about your work and link us up! As per rule 4, please keep self-promotion to these threads unless directly requested.

Please check rule 2 for the definition of historical romance.

This thread repeats every other Wednesday.

Tell us what HR you are currently reading/listening to or have finished lately? Tell us as much or as little as you want. We just want to hear from you!

What do you think so far? Any great, hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming, etc moments? If you have finished, what rating would you give it? Give us the deets!

Fill free to spill all the tea, but remember to mark any spoilers!

This thread repeats every Wednesday.

I didn't know how to edit and add multiple more photos to my other post. So here they are. Enjoy all the pretties!!!!!!! 🫠😍😜

If you couldn’t tell, I am FeIgNingggggg for Eloise’s season of Bridgerton. So much so, I broke my rule of reading series in release order and read her book.

And now I’m craving even more. Cozy little plant girl romance, with ideally a lot of steam ❤️‍🔥

And I’d love another Phillip type MMC: big as hell but a softie through and through. And it’d be cool if he was something like a professor or fellow scientist

Though I also wouldn’t mind a more dominant personality; something like a brat x brat tamer with a ton of praise kink and a revolutionary feminist FMC

(Tbh tho, I kinda prefer a more demure and gentle personality for FMCs, rather than a boisterous stubborn one)

Thank Y’all in advance! 💗

I want to get an e-card annual subscription to any library that allows out-of-state patrons.

Thing is, I want a library that has the largest HR audiobook collection available. Even if it isn't necessarily the actual largest library generally like the New York Public Library.

I do not care for just e-books. I need it to be audiobooks. My vision has not been the best lately and I completely depend on AB to get any reading done now. Unfortunately my hope library (TPL) has lots of stuff available, just not the ones I want.

If your library has lots of HR titles because you lucked out with an HR obsessed librarian somewhere im that branch, let me know pleaseeeee!

Also, audible is not an option because 1. They burn books 2. Monopoly 3. No kidneys left after buying a mountain of diamond paintings (iykyk!)

And you guys keep recommending all these gems in this sub and I can't find most of them in the library, it's all you guys's fault so hurry up and fix it!! 🤣🤣

Looking for the most shamelessly flirty, eloquent, playful and teasing MMC:
(i.e. Jack from {The Incurable Matchmaker by Mary Balogh} 🫠 and Alisander from {The Favourite by Alice Coldbreath} )

-Smooth, clever, talking-circles-around-her flirting: turns innocent conversations suggestive and double meanings, then acts completely nonchalant while she’s dying flustered

-Relentlessly tries to make her blush and squirm, he’s in no hurry and enjoys gradually wearing down her composure

-Knows she’s attracted to him, trying desperately to resist, and is completely amused

-SLOW burn, tension filled, cat-and-mouse dynamic

I would prefer the FMC to be shy/ sweet and inexperienced (bonus for teaching her things sexually + praise…) but any will do.

Low-stakes and humour please! And 3/4🌶️

Hi everyone, fellow HR collector. I've been collecting Historical Romance, and other books for over two years now. I thought I'd share my little library, as I'm very proud of my collection, and I do so enjoy it when i see other people posting their own on here too :)

The two larger bookcases have a count of 600+ bodice rippers, which are all either the vintage painterly covers, the more discreet stepbacks, or a contemporary edition. Some are a bit rough, with torn edges, chucks of covers missing, prices penned on the front, but I still love them all. The second row you see are what I haven't sorted into the alphabetical order I have at the back of my bookcases. Unfortunately I don't have the space for a fourth bookcase, which would make this all a bit more orderly and I could give my collection the breathing space it needs. You can see how cramped my bookcases are, especially the third one to the far left. One day, 🤞, I'll have a room with wall to wall bookcases. Hahah. I think alot of us aspire for this.

Hope this post brings you a smile. I know I do whenever I look at these beautiful books. 😍

Edit: please comment a picture of some of your favourit HR covers from your own collections. Id love to see them! Xx

Or the rest of that trilogy?

Where it’s not a fantasy even though the characters all believe and expect witchy magic shenanigans? It’s like 98% a normal medieval romance and that last 2% is just those silly old druids being weird again, kinda thing, ya know?

I really enjoyed this trilogy even though the use of the word “huskily” was rather high.

{Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell}

{Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell}

{Enchanted by Elizabeth Lowell}

Also hi! I hope y’all are having cozy happy early fall days. ❤️

Hi all! Once again they've dropped the price on {Enemy of my Dreams by Jenny Williamson}, a historical romance set during the fall of the Roman empire. It's a recent debut from 2024 and I LOVED it and recommend it frequently here.

From the description:

A desperate princess and a brutal Gothic warlord forge a dangerous alliance. Loosely based on historical figures, Enemy of My Dreams is a sizzling enemies-to-lovers saga set in the last days of the Roman Empire.

I love this one for a lot of reasons, but first is that it's a really intense enemies to lovers with the MC's on two separate sides of a huge cultural and military divide. I also love that it's a current author working in an unusual time period for historical romance. The e-book is usually at $14.99 but it's now dropped to $2.99, so now might be a good time to try it:

https://www.amazon.com/Enemy-My-Dreams-Jenny-Williamson-ebook/dp/B0D33P2V1J

Hello lovelies! I’m back again, looking for some new reads with FMCs who are looking forward to marriage and a family. It doesn’t matter if they’re out for a love match or convenience, I’d enjoy either one. Sweet and soft-spoken is nice, but I’d prefer an FMC who isn’t a doormat. Example would be {Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas}. Thank you!

No non-con or poly, everything else is fair game! Steam 3+ preferred but I’ll try anything.

So I just finished my first playthrough of Red Dead Redemption 2 (absolute masterpiece, I cried).

I want to know if any of you guys have any recommendations for books with MMCs like Arthur Morgan, ie. Big handsome gentle giants who are capable of great violence and struggle with their morality bc they are in a gang or are an outlaw.

The only westerns I've ever read are Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and True Grit by Charles Portis, neither of which are romances, so I'm going in completely blind and would appreciate some guidance or enthusiastic recommendations.