Passion and history intertwined
Copyright © 2023 Anne Knight. All rights reserved.
Recommendations Continued
- His At Night, Sherry Thomas – Easily one of my favorite books ever. I read the Scarlet Pimpernel when I was thirteen and I imprinted on Percy Blakely, so this book was like catnip for me. The clever humor kept me laughing as I turned each page.
- Falling For a Rake, Eve Pendle – I thought I was diving into a tropey, swoony romance and this is not that. This is better: a story about two people who have realized they’re the villains in their backstories and now have to find a way to live with their mistakes. They’re still worthy of love and happiness, and watching them learn to allow themselves to be loved was deeply moving and thought-provoking.
- Devil’s Daughter, Lisa Kleypas – West Ravenel. That’s all I have to say. (The entire series is excellent and best read in order. I also highly recommend her Hathaways series as well)
- The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, Megan Bannen – This is technically low fantasy, but the world is reminiscent of our 1920s, so I’m including it. Epistolary unveiling of the romance, with a lot of banter and sniping from the characters before they know they’re writing each other. The way they grow more emotionally vulnerable with one another, the little give and take of trust, is a joy to watch unfold.
- Surrender of a Siren, Tessa Dare – Most people know Dare’s newer novels, and they are all excellent. But this one holds a special place in my heart. The self-discovery journey the heroine goes on is poignant, relatable, and so satisfying. The way the hero falls in love with her more and more as she (And we) get to know her more and more is a really good picture of how knowing ourselves helps us know (and love) other people.
- An Extraordinary Union, Alyssa Cole – Spies, escapes, true stories of heroic people seeking their freedom, codes, forbidden romance. What’s not to love?
- The Countess and the Casanova, Ginny B Cole – Edwardian story of a man pining after his best friend. PINING. For years. And some beautiful letters that are like poetry. Did I mention he’s pining?
- Heaven’s Fire, Patricia Ryan – a medieval story about a serf/villein woman and a nobleman intent on founding the University of Oxford, it is a fascinating dive into how diverse and intellectually robust the medieval period was. The way the hero admires and teaches the heroine is something I’ll always love.
- The Wife in the Attic, Rose Lerner – a sapphic Jane Eyre. The Gothic elements contrasted so well with the tenderness of the romance. Lerner always does a fabulous job grounding her story in history.
- A Lady Awakened, Cecilia Grant – I love this book not only for its accurate portrayal of rural English life, but also how she shows the heroine melt, bit by bit, under the hero’s kindness. The way it begins as sex but very quickly becomes intimacy is lovely to watch
- A Seditious Affair, KJ Charles – The way Charles weaves a story through true historical facts, somehow sacrificing neither plot nor accuracy, is masterful. The conflict between the heroes feels so real and raw I was holding my breath through the whole story, wondering how they could find their HEA.
