Historical romance Books

Though she is an orphan, Cecilia Beverly is an heiress to a small fortune, which she may keep under the stipulation from her uncle that when Cecilia marries, she will keep her Beverly name, asking her future husband to adopt it as well. After she leaves...

As the Revolutionary War progressed, tensions and resentments ran high with the promise of lasting long after the surrender. Amid this chaos, the daily lives of citizens and soldiers were changed, often characterized by the polarizing political beliefs...

The Love of Clitophon and Leucippe is an ancient Greek romance novel by Achilles Tatius. Considered an important predecessor to the modern novel, The Love of Clitophon and Leucippe has served as a model for such writers as Eusthathius Macrembolites and...

Lady Susan (1871) is a novel by English author Jane Austen. Originally written in 1794-making it one of Austen's earliest complete works-Lady Susan was published posthumously and has since been of interest to readers and scholars alike. It is notable for...

After the death of their patriarch, and a devastating fever that killed all but two of the children, the surviving Reece family, Mrs. Reece, Wolfgang, and Oscar, are left with just the vast property their family had owned for generations. Despite their...

The Love of Daphnis and Chloe (2nd century C.E.) is an ancient Greek romance novel by Longus. Set on Lesbos, it is a classic story of love set in a recognizably pastoral setting. An important early novel and a landmark in the development of Western...

Alvina Houghton is bored by her little town, and feels trapped after her plans to elope with her lover falls through. Though she had previously dreamed of training as a nurse, Alvina is unsure what to do with her life. Alvina comes of age as her father,...

Women in Loveis D.H Lawrence's sequel toThe Rainbow, and is widely considered by critics to beLawrence's best novel. It tells the story of the young Brangwen sisters andtheir struggles with relationships and power during the time leading up to thefirst...

Set in a medieval era of swords, battles, and dragons, King Mark of Cornwall takes in a young boy, with whom he felt a strong connection to even before he learned of their blood relation. When the young boy, Tristan, grows into a brave and honorable man,...

Howards End (1910) is a novel by English author E.M. Forster. Inspired by his interactions with the famous Bloomsbury Group of writers and intellectuals, as well as by his personal experience growing up with a large inheritance on the family estate of...

"The greatest tragic writer among English novelists."-Virginia WoolfFar from the Madding Crowd is the first of Thomas Hardy's great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his fiction is best remembered."-Margaret DrabbleFar from the...

"The greatest tragic writer among English novelists."-Virginia Woolf"There is no other novelist alive with the breadth of sympathy, the knowledge or the power for the creation of Jude." -H. G. WellsJude the Obscure, the semi-autobiographical final novel...

Uncovering a governmental conspiracy to frame a friend for murder puts David Balfour on the run and striving to protect the woman he's come to love.Released with the title David Balfour when originally released in the United States, Catriona is Robert...

Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is a novel by French author Honor de Balzac. Written as part of his La Comdie humaine sequence, Lost Illusions looks at scenes of Parisian and provincial life involving friendship, desire, and literary ambition. Inspired by his...

Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight: A Fairytale in Alliterative Verse is a heroic romance published anonymously in the 14th century by the "Gawayne Poet." One of the best known Arthurian stories, Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight: A Fairytale in...

Dope-Darlingis a story of sex, drugs, and music set just before the outbreak of the First World War. Claire is the talk of the town when she meets Roy at a London nightclub. Leaving his fiance Beatrice, Roy marries the bohemian starlet in only three...

Heritage (1919) is a novel by Vita Sackville-West. While she is most widely recognized as the lover of English novelist Virginia Woolf, Sackville-West was a popular and gifted poet, playwright, and novelist in her own right. A prominent lesbian and...

A young man is captivated by a popular Parisian courtesan and attempts to build a life with her despite his family and society's growing disapproval. An against-all-odds tale that forces one lover to make a drastic decision for the betterment of the...

Inspired by the classic tale of the prince and the pauper, Daughters of Nijo: A Romance of Japan by Onoto Watanna features a sweet and amusing narrative in which two sisters trade places and lovers.Sado-ko was raised to be a princess. Massago was raised...

When the day of Lord Saito Gonji's birthday arrives, Gonji celebrates with dread, knowing that in a week, he will be married. Sent away in his youth for samurai training, and then to higher education, Gonji is very connected to his studies. After his...

When Orito and Num were young children, their fathers, who were good friends, decided that one day their children would be betrothed. But before they marry, Orito is expected to complete his education. While Orito studied at a Japanese university, he and...

The Squatter and the Don (1885) is a novel by Mexican American author Mara Amparo Ruiz de Burton. The novel, Ruiz de Burton's second, explores the consequences of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo for the Californios whose land was taken following the...

The Wooing of Wistaria follows the life of a vicarious and bubbly young Japanese woman, Lady Wistaria. Beginning with her presentation to high society, Wistaria reflects on her experience meeting the court. Accompanied by her aunt, who was her guardian,...

Set in a district of the Cape Colony, a British settlement in South Africa, young Allan Quatermain and Marie Marias meet when they share the same tutor. Though they quickly befriend each other, their friendship is frowned upon by Marie's father, since...

Urbain, the Marquis de Villemer is the younger brother of Duke d'Aleria, and is eager to clear his family's debt to ensure his mother's happiness. The siblings have drastically different views on the purpose of money and marriage.A marchioness is eager...

Originally published in 1899, this vintage love story centers the plight of an isolated widow and the unsuspecting gentleman who tries to win her heart. Despite increasing odds, the couple fights to find their way to one another. Miranda Warriner is the...

Left at a monastery as a baby, Ambrosio grew up to be a cruel and stern monk, renowned for his sermons and piety. When a nun named Agnes goes to Ambrosio for the sacrament of confession, she admits that she is pregnant after having a long love affair...

Barry Craven is an adventurous but troubled Englishman who, after suffering a tragic loss, suddenly becomes guardian to a young woman whom he eventually marries.The Shadow of the East is a tumultuous story driven by one man's shame and need for...