April brings us springtime and half-priced Easter candy (celebrate the resurrection with half-priced Cadbury Creme Eggs, that's my motto). It also, apparently, means (in 2025) a bumper crop of unusual historicals, including new books from longtime authors of the subgenre and the latest entries in several on-going series.
From first kissTo husband and wife?Dieudonné, the Comte de Montreau, steps in when he catches a disreputable suitor trying to ruin his friend, heiress Evena. Only to accidentally compromise her himself, forcing them to wed!Dieudonné might be the man who occupies Evena’s thoughts, but he’s not the well-connected nobleman she needs to help her ailing father. And now, as they head to the altar, their friendship is in jeopardy, too! Could her convenient husband ever see her as more than a burden…and could their bond become something even more thrilling?
First book in the new Proposals in Paris duet featuring two sisters travels between 18th century Haiti and Paris. Evena needs to marry a man with connections (and presumably power) and instead she somehow finds herself marching down the aisle to marry a long-time friend. I mean, yeah, she's thinks about him too much, but this is not the husband she was looking for - or is she?
If he won't add her business into his guidebook, she'll make him an offer he can't refuse.Della Danby is determined to prove she's more than just a flighty heiress riding on her parents' money to get through life. When her closest friend and business partner finds her hands full with a new baby, Della takes the opportunity to shoulder more responsibility at their ladies' gambling club and secure their financial stability, and she has the perfect idea: to drum up new business by adding their club to a popular guidebook of local attractions.Gambling ruined Viscount Lyman Ashton's life and his marriage. He has no intention of putting a new club in his guide, nor of getting involved with its intriguing and energetic proprietress. But when Della refuses to take no for an answer and approaches his publisher with a plan to write her own book of attractions for ladies, Lyman reluctantly agrees to collaborate with her in exchange for the money he so desperately needs to pay his debts. As they grow closer, Lyman finds himself falling for Della even though his past could jeopardize her reputation. But if they can ever have a future together, Della may have to choose between the club she's worked so hard to build and her chance at love.
The second book in the early Victorian-set Lucky Ladies of London series addresses the elephant in the room of gambling hell set historical romances - namely gambling addiction, which has existed as long as gambling has (so for all eternity). What happens when a heroine in the business because of independence falls for a man in recovery from a gambling addiction? I'm intrigued to see how the author will walk this tightrope.
Former champion pugilist Campbell Ripley has been fascinated by Jane Kendall since the first time he saw her in the middle of a fight and she distracted him enough to cause his famous scar. But people like Jane and Ripley are jaded and know that a happily ever after isn’t for them. The kind of powerful connection they feel can only cause pain and danger. So they’ve become friends and that’s all it can be.Until Jane receives word that her beloved younger sister, who she has been protecting from her life as a courtesan, has vanished. She turns to Ripely for help and the two embark on a journey to find her that will finally break down walls, allow for powerful passions and perhaps even heal more than mere physical scars.If only the two of them can let each other in and start to trust that the friendship they share and the desire they can no longer fight is actually a love that will change them both for the better.
Book four in the About an Earl series, he's a former champion boxer and she's a courtesan. Despite mutual tingly bits, they know they can never be more than friends, until the day that the heroine's sister goes missing. I am utter trash for heroines with "reputations" and Michaels is known for writing steam. Just inject this straight into my eyeballs.
Napoleon’s war has ended, and English captives detained for years in a French fortress are finally released. Returning to a London he no longer recognizes, and facing astonishing changes in his own family, Lord Jonathan Leighton learns he has inherited a dukedom. But the new nobleman carries the guilt of having wronged his late mentor. Now, he vows to fulfill his promise to find a suitable match for the man’s daughter, Victoria—even if it takes offering a nonexistent dowry to spark her interest in matrimony . . .Sharp-witted Victoria would just as soon sculpt the Greek god who has come to take charge of her future. In fact, she has her sights set on founding a school for women artists. As Jonathan matches wits with the talented beauty, revelations from his past—and their connection to her father’s demise—threaten to unveil both of their closely held secrets and thrust them into a danger they can only escape together.
Jeffries is back with book one in the Lords of Hazard series. A former prisoner of war returns home a changed man, with a title he was not expected to inherit. He also needs to make amends, which puts him in the orbit of the heroine whose only ambition is to start a school for women artists.
Born to be enemiesSworn to become lovers?When Viking Karn finds himself shipwrecked on enemy territory, even his razor-sharp, battle-hardened instincts could never have foreseen being rescued by tantalizing maiden Maer…Maer is stunned to learn that Karn hails from the kingdom that was once her home. And that his father was responsible for the brutal end to her family’s reign, forcing Maer to become a princess-in-hiding! She should hate Karn but instead finds herself irresistibly drawn to the brooding warrior. He could be the key to her return, but can she trust him with her feelings—and her royal secret?
He's a Viking shipwrecked in enemy territory, she's a princess living in exile thanks to the hero's father. Ah, reunited and it feels so good in Styles' latest for Harlequin Historical.
Before entering into a supremely-advantageous arranged marriage with James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst, clever, independent Lady Meg Pinwell has to see if he’s really the rake he’s rumored to be. But how is a well-bred young lady going to make sure he’s the man she wants?With the help of her Aunt Clara, they plan some discreet reconnaissance at the Duke’s country estate. Meg will pretend to be her aunt’s maid/companion to see the true state of affairs at Earnhurst Manor.But Meg isn’t the only one pretending to be someone she isn’t: In order to escape Clara (who is surely a marriage hunter!), James has traded places with the excellent Riniken, the former Duke’s butler. Soon everyone is falling in love with the absolute wrong person! They say the course of true love never does run smooth… at Earnhurst, it’s running amuck!
Early reviews on this one confirm it's a farcical Regency screwball comedy where everyone (hero, heroine, her aunt, his man of business...) are all pretending to be someone they're not and of course everyone ends of falling in love along the way. Should be just the ticket for rom-com and light historical fans.
Alexandra Prince is clever, outspoken, and, yes, perhaps a bit impulsive. Yet she’s always been overshadowed by her siblings. While they are off on adventurous expeditions, she’s the one left to keep the family’s antique shop going while she works on a book about lady pirates—and longs for an adventure of her own. When she overhears a group of suspicious customers whispering about a plan to steal the Crown Jewels, she knows it’s her opportunity to shine. But she needs a little help.Detective Inspector Benedict Drake takes his duties at Scotland Yard seriously. In fact, he takes almost everything seriously. Except for the breathless beauty who crashes into his office to tell him about a ludicrous scheme to steal the Crown Jewels. Despite his turning her away, she keeps popping up wherever he goes, and he’s not sure whether she’s determined to cause a scandal or is trying to drive him to distraction. Just when he thinks he’s rid of her, an event compels him to believe her account, and he begrudgingly enlists her aid to thwart the theft of the century.But while thieves seek the Crown Jewels, the troublesome bluestocking he can’t seem to keep away from might just steal his heart…
Book one in the late Victorian-set Princes of London series and we have more rom-com style shenanigans. A heroine prone to being overlooked overhears a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. Our hero is a Scotland Yard inspector she reports the plot to, and naturally he doesn't take her seriously (at first) but the chit is nothing but persistent.
To claim their futureThey must rewrite their past…Eighteen years ago, Juliana Myles fled her home and built a new life as a governess, believing her childhood sweetheart had been sentenced to death! Now Sebastian Lloyd is back from the dead and wants Juliana’s help in proving his innocence…Sebastian has spent a lifetime running from an unjust verdict. But he’s tired of being haunted by his past. Yet working with Juliana to capture the true culprit also means being confronted by searing memories of their passionate history. And the temptation to bring their love story back to life…
What happens when the childhood sweetheart you thought was dead shows up on your doorstep very much alive and claiming his innocence? Our heroine finds out in James' latest Gothic-tinged romance for Harlequin Historical.
Twenty years after a fateful night that shattered her family, Geneva Wimbley discovers a truth hidden in the floors of her childhood home: a half-written letter from her mother to a man Geneva only remembers as the great, swirling greatcoat, evidence of a betrayal that sends her to the crumbling estate of the Earl of Pender.But the earl is dead, and the man who greets her in his stead is the enigmatic Noah Oshea, the late earl’s second son, who now holds the keys to the parts of her past still locked away.Drawn to Miss Wimbley’s fiery resolve, Noah is determined to unravel her connection to his family’s dark history. Yet with her arrival comes a chilling string of murders—and whispers of a truth that refuses to be silenced.As danger creeps closer, Geneva and Noah must untangle a web of lies and long-buried sins. But in the wilds of Northumberland, where passions burn as fiercely as the secrets they uncover, the most significant peril might be the surrendering their hearts.
The second book in the Victorian Gothic Clandestine Sapphire Society features a heroine desperate for answers landing on the hero's doorstep. Then there are some murders and things get complicated, as they do. The "Flame" tagline on this also implies some heat to the romance.
1301A.D. Morwenna can talk to horses. They certainly make better conversation than the feckless youths she’s grown up with. But it isn’t wise for a young woman with no protector to wield such gifts in an age of witchcraft and superstition. When hard times befall her village, the finger of blame points to Morwenna. And then she is summoned to see the earl…As a younger brother, Angus never expected to become Earl of Wolvesley. Now the safety of everything he holds dear depends on him alone. To secure his estate, he needs a wife and an heir. But his betrothed refuses to name their wedding date until Angus proves he can tame her wild horse.Terrified of what awaits her, Morwenna arrives in Wolvesley to find comfortable lodgings, secure employment and regular coin. In return, all she has to do is train a challenging horse. It would all be so easy – if only the handsome earl didn’t set her pulse racing.Angus is a man of learning. As the local law-maker, he is well-used to controlling his emotions – as well as everything else in Wolvesley. The last thing he expects is to fall under the spell of an enchanting horse trainer.The difference in their class and status is more than enough to make Morwenna fear for her heart. But then she discovers that the Earl of Wolvesley is not only the King’s judiciary, but a man with a long-held hatred of sorcery.And she is a suspected witch.
How's this for high stakes conflict? In this third book in the Earls of the North series, our heroine is called to the hero's estate to train a horse so his betrothed will finally agree to set a wedding date. He's engaged and has a healthy hatred for sorcery. And the heroine? Her gift for training horses makes her...a suspected witch. Seriously, this is a mess out of the gate and I'm already salivating over the potential angst-fest.
Revenge is on her mind, but love is in her heart...Lady Maggie knows two things for certain: dogs make better companions than people and handsome viscounts are not to be trusted. She craves an independent life where she can play cricket with her friends, never allowing something as unstable as love to cloud her judgment. But when childhood enemy Lord Michael Viscount Burlington waltzes back into her life, her steadfast beliefs fly out the window at his first rakish smile. When he spends a night toying with her emotions, forcing Maggie to dig up old feelings she thought she’d buried long ago, she quickly realizes that he hasn’t changed a bit. More importantly, Lord Michael deserves a taste of his own medicine. Maggie comes up with a plan: she will make the viscount fall in love with her, and the second she holds his heart in her hand, she’ll break it.But as Maggie puts her plan into action, she notices right away that the viscount isn’t the teasing boy she once knew.Lord Michael is no stranger to breaking things. He’s spent most of his life bare-knuckle boxing and would love nothing more than to focus on a career in the ring rather than his duties as a viscount. When his father urges him to put all that behind him and find a wife, Michael is not interested in any of the mealy-mouthed, docile ladies he’s presented with—not when Lady Maggie is always there to grab his attention. She’s everything he shouldn’t want and everything he wants to be: opinionated, wild, desperately independent. She’s also the only person who understands Michael’s family’s past and why fighting means so much to him.When Michael gets the opportunity to fight the bare-knuckle champion, he’s ready for all of his hard work to pay off. With Maggie by his side, he’s never felt stronger. But Maggie can’t say the same. Her plan is unraveling. She was so fixated on stealing Michael’s heart that she was blind to his doing the same to her.Can Maggie learn to let go? Can she trust Michael with her love and her future, or will he leave her like all the other people in her life? She’s terrified that the quiet, single future that she envisioned for herself is about to blow up in her face. Because revenge was on her mind, but now love is in her heart.And everyone knows that love is a dish best served hot!
Seriously, are boxers the new Dukes? I feel like we're seeing an uptick in historical romance hero boxers. Anyway, book four in The Cricket Club series features a heroine with a convoluted plot for revenge (for reasons) and a hero who is feeling the pressure to settle down and become a respectable viscount. Naturally none of it goes according to plan.
Dr. Andre Fernando has poured his heart and soul into healing others at the renowned 87 Harley Street practice. To his colleagues, he is the handsome Italian doctor with unmatched skill, but only Andre knows the painful secret he keeps—a truth that bars him from claiming the life he truly wants. When a nighttime highwayman attack thrusts Princess Thea into his arms, his carefully constructed world begins to crack. Escorting her to safety is one thing—but falling for the spirited woman desperate to escape her royal chains may cost him all he’s worked for.An impossible love in a world that won't allow it.Princess Thea ran away from an unwanted betrothal and thought she’d escaped. Hoping she’d abandoned a crown for freedom, hiding as a governess, she doesn’t realize that the villains followed her. But when a dangerous encounter lands her in the care of a stunningly selfless—albeit frustratingly loyal—doctor, she falls for his calm strength and piercing kindness. As Andre's brilliance and his tender kisses set her ablaze, can Thea fight for this impossible love and still escape the chains of her royal station?He doesn't just see her title; he sees the woman beneath the disguise—the woman she wants to be.Their connection is unmistakable, their passion undeniable. But every stolen moment comes at a cost. Secrets threaten to destroy them; danger looms with every heartbeat. Beneath the weight of society’s rules and the pull of duty, their hearts forge a bond that defies reason.But danger looms over every step they take. As she faces threatening villains and his secret looms, their fragile love comes at high stakes.
He's an Italian doctor working London, she's a princess on the run from an unwanted betrothal. Besides the villains chasing her down there's the small complication of them being from two completely different worlds. This is the third book in the Miracles on Harley Street.
The Baron’s SonGeorge Pemberton lives his life by a tightly drawn schedule of tidiness and efficiency. Everything in his world is lined up in orderly rows or tucked away into neat little boxes. He also keeps a secret—one that has its tendrils coiled around him, squeezing him tight. Occasionally—just occasionally—he breaks free for a moment: he picks a fight, he slams a fist, and in the aftermath, he finds a welcome yet temporary reprieve.The Pirate’s DaughterSophie does not know how long her father will keep her in Cornwall away from prying eyes and wagging tongues. In a way, it doesn’t matter: her future is not her own, so she may as well make the most of the present. Her father’s hired man Duncan has allowed her out to the tavern at night where she has found some solace in friendly conversation and the occasional game of dice or cards. Sophie finds joy where she can, even as the storm clouds roll in overhead.Together . . .When George encounters Sophie milling about with women of ill repute and working men in a Cornish tavern, he is intrigued as much by her air of playfulness as by the halo of sorrow that rests over her. Being a perceptive man, he recognises that there is something about her that seems injured.One night, Sophie encounters Mr. Pemberton stripped to the waist and covered in blood after a fight. Unfortunately, she does not find the sight unappealing, and she does not know what to do when her thoughts of Mr. Pemberton begin to take a rather wicked turn.Can one person truly come to know another? And can love find a way to inhabit the dark and secret places that live inside the heart?
Third book in The Pemberton Series features an orderly, tightly wound, hero with self-harm tendencies (that's how I'm reading the back cover blurb) and a heroine tucked away in the countryside because Daddy is a pirate. Their paths cross on a night she sneaks off to the tavern and encounters him covered in blood after a fight. At the time of this posting there wasn't a sample up on Amazon yet, but the first two books do have samples and are available in Kindle Unlimited. Also, because I know this will be of interest to some of my blog readers, the author is Canadian.
Another marathon month for the "dying" historical subgenre with 13 new unusual historical titles. What has piqued your curiosity this month?
2 comments:
Wow, great to see Haitian characters on a Harlequin cover!
Willaful: I had to put that cover first on the post because it just LOOKS like Easter. The colors are so pretty!
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