This book is for the daughters who are so tired of playing by their family’s rules. Lady Penelope Dodge has been promised to a duke she does not love. So she does what any red-blooded person would do: spend her last moments of freedom in the arms of the guy she’s actually hot for. That man is Alexander Sutton, Earl of Bainbridge and a scandalous fellow himself. As the two can’t tear themselves apart, Lady Penelope faces the age-old quandary of duty vs. happiness.

Newfound wealth means Warren Bakshi’s current occupation tending bar at an underground queer club no longer suits his station. He encounters Detective Inspector Matthew Shaw at an art class, which he figured was a more dignified pastime. Given that laws against homosexuality are on the books in Victorian London, the affair that ensues has the potential to blow up both of their lives. While the stakes are high for them both, the witty dialogue and comedic moments bring plenty of levity to their story.

Who else is a sucker for the advice columnist who falls in love? That’s Miss Vivian Henry’s occupation. When her cousin is kidnapped, the authorities aren’t helpful. So she turns to vigilantes, the Wild Wynchesters for whom this series is named. She ends up with Jacob, who has a menagerie of animals and is secretly a poet. Vivian absolutely deserves a man who can sic a badger on someone.

Get into Grace Callaway if you’re looking to read more historical romance. She’s got a deep back catalog, and her books are hot. This book has a classic enemies-to-lovers kind of plot. Conrad Godwin is an industrialist looking to buy the Roman bath in Chudleigh Bottoms. Lady Gigi Harrington is trying to help her friend revive it as a locally owned and operated establishment. Naturally, these two already have history, and you’ll have to read to find out more.

Lydia Lloyd writes historical romances that come from a place of deep respect for the genre, always giving us flawed but lovable characters who completely undo each other. This book features Leith, a proper rake who never keeps a courtesan for longer than a fortnight. Beatrice Salisbury is the next woman for the job. She recently chose this occupation to save her family from financial ruin. The way these two match each other’s freak will make you sweat.

How about a historical romance set in a queer normative world? It’s honestly not much more fantastical than the historical worlds full of young, handsome dukes! In this story, we meet socialite Georgiana “George” Pace, who is a true pleasure seeker. While trying to avenge her friend who fell prey to a corrupt gaming house, she meets Lady Elizabeth Mortimer. The spark between the two of them changes everything for George. 

I will never, ever get enough of historical romance retellings of Beauty and the Beast. This one has a fun twist of Beauty not ending up in Beast’s house through a weird deal with her dad. Midwife Rebecca Adler moves into widower Roger Berab’s house while hers is being repaired from damages caused by Roger’s reckless daughter. That forced proximity makes the two change their minds about each other and themselves. Felicia Grossman’s novels are also notable for highlighting the history of Jewish communities in historical England. Also, get a look at that cover. The rolling library ladder???

I simply adore a dual timeline historical romance. In 2022, Pauletta is a history PhD student who is immersed in her research, partially because she’s not sure what path her career is going to take. And partially because her subjects are so enthralling. Paule Campbell was a fat, masculine lesbian trumpet player who left rural Georgia for Harlem, where the titular Renaissance was in full swing in the 1930s. There she met Amy, a woman escaping the Jim Crow South. As Pauletta learns about their entrancing love story, she learns to envision what she truly wants for her own future.