Julia Quinn, who penned the eight-part series, is a master of blending warmth, humor, touching moments, and delicious sex — all the things fans love about the romance genre. And with millions of new JQ fans around the world, it’s no wonder her books are selling as fast as they can be reprinted.
Whether the Bridgerton series is your introduction to romance or you’re a longtime fan, don’t stop there. There’s a whole wide world of delicious historical romance novels out there that will get your toes curling. Not sure where to start? Here are 10 books guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings and leave you more satisfied than Daphne after that library scene.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
The Scandal of it All by Sophie Jordan (2017)
After years of living strictly within the bounds of propriety for the sake of her daughter and grown stepchildren, widow Graciela is determined to seek out the pleasure that was absent in her cold, loveless marriage to a philandering duke. Despite her misgivings about becoming the subject of ugly gossip (unsurprising considering the heavy scrutiny and nasty whispers she’s long been subject to as a Spaniard who married into the British aristocracy), she visits a den of pleasure and vice with a friend — but her adventure quickly becomes a nightmare. When her stepson’s friend comes to her rescue, it unleashes an undeniable passion that changes everything.
Hottest moment:
All at once he grasped her waist and turned her, guiding her to her knees. It was new, the angle different, the sensation different, too. She flattened her palms on the bed and arched her spine, holding herself up as he pumped in and out of her, his big hands spanning her waist as he took her from behind. It was astonishing. From this position she felt his penetration deeper than ever before. With every stroke he pushed at that hard-to-reach spot inside her.
Sophie Jordan The Scandal Of It All: The Rogue Files, $, available at Indigo
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (2019)
Astronomer Lucy Muchelney has one goal: to translate a groundbreaking text by a French astronomer — but she needs the support of Lady Catherine Moth, the project’s benefactor and a widow. After the Polite Science Society scoffs at a woman leading the translation, Catherine throws the full weight of her support behind Lucy, and it’s not long before the women fall headlong into love. But even as they fiercely champion each other’s brilliance (Catherine is an exquisite embroiderer), their secret love will have to be strong enough to withstand past hurts and jealousies. (P.S. This book features the best consent scene I’ve ever read.)
Hottest moment: "Catherine was wound so tight with it all that she nearly tumbled over the edge into climax when she felt Lucy’s sigh blow hot over the aching flesh between her legs. She let out a warning noise, barely more than a throaty squeak, and heard Lucy’s knowing laugh unroll like velvet in the darkness. 'Just a little more, love.' She trailed one hand languidly up Catherine’s plump thigh, nudged her open a little wider, and slid a single finger inside her. Catherine’s head dropped back as Lucy thrust—one finger, then two. Then, while her tongue slid hot and hard against the nub buried in softly curling hair, a third."
Olivia Waite The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, $, available at Amazon
Rebel by Beverly Jenkins (2020)
After the school she’s set up to teach former slaves is destroyed and she’s cast out of her lodgings, Valinda Lacy turns to Drake LeVeq, an architect and builder who’d come to her rescue when a group of white men were threatening to rape her. Facing deep-seated racism and violent white supremacists in Reconstruction-era Louisiana, the pair grow closer — and more attracted to each other — as they work toward Valinda’s new goal of opening a school for orphans. There’s just one problem: Valinda is already engaged to a man back home in New York. When her father demands she return to the city, she hatches a plan to stay in New Orleans — but it will put her romance with Drake to the test.
Hottest moment:
"He loved the way her nipples responded to the flirting wickedness of his mouth and tongue, the way she crooned as he turned his attention to the scent skin below, and how seductively she arched when his fingers plied the responsive little bud at the apex of her thighs. Unable to resist, he lazily flicked his tongue against it, then gently sucked it in. Her cries of pleasure filled him like an expensive French aphrodisiac and he knew if he didn’t have her soon, he’d explode."
Beverly Jenkins Rebel: Women Who Dare, $, available at Indigo
Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas (2007)
Searching yet again for her self-destructive brother Leo (the newly minted Lord Ramsey), Amelia Hathaway meets Cam Rohan, manager of gambling club Jenner’s. Instantly drawn to one another, their paths cross again when the Hathaways travel to their country estate in Hampshire, and it’s not long before sparks are flying. Mine Till Midnight will have you falling in love with the perfectly imperfect Hathaways, who each have a unique love story of their own in this five-part series.
Hottest moment:
"Amelia was silent except for her broken gasps, her legs clamping hard against his sides. Helplessly she followed the sinuous pattern of his tongue, her entire body arching and yearning. He soothed her, provoked her, his mouth as playful as a swallow in flight. His breath fell rapidly on her wet flesh, her erotic incense. He slid a finger into the silkiness. She made a sound of distress as she lost all self-control, and he gloried in it, his mouth punishing in its gentleness.”
Lisa Kleypas Mine Till Midnight, $, available at Indigo
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (2018)
Hired to turn a pair of orphaned girls into young ladies, Alexandra Mountbatten quickly learns she has a daunting task ahead of her. Daisy, for one, is fixated on death, her doll succumbing to a ghastly new malady daily. Meanwhile, the elder Rosamund is sullen, defiant, and definitely not going to make it easy for her attachment-averse guardian, Chase Reynaud, heir to a dukedom, to ship them off to boarding school once their wild behavior is tamed.
As Alex tries to convince Chase the girls need a fun, loving home rather than boring lessons and banishment, the teacher quite suddenly becomes the pupil, with Chase offering to introduce Alex to pleasure. But they’ll both have a lot to learn if they’re going to find happiness. This second book in the Girl Meets Duke quadrilogy is full of dark humor, passionate interludes, and characters that worm their way into your heart. But don’t miss the other titles in the series — each is a delight in its own special way.
Hottest moment:
"Alex had never felt more powerful. Even in her ignorance, she could reduce this powerful man to a single raw, quivering nerve. She had him, quite literally, in the palm of her hand. 'Teach me,' she whispered. 'Teach me what to do. What you like.' He reached down and covered her hand with his own, guiding her into a rhythm of tight, swift strokes. Pumping faster and faster, until their linked hands were a blur. She watched his face contort, flashing back and forth between pleasure and pain. His head was thrown back and his eyes closed tight."
Tessa Dare The Governess Game: Girl Meets Duke, $, available at Indigo
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (2017)
In this Civil War-era novel, freedwoman Elle Burns is a spy, working as a slave in Virginia Senator Caffrey’s home and passing along intel through the Loyal League network. When Rebel soldier Malcolm McCall pays the Caffreys a visit, the last thing Elle expects is to discover he’s also working undercover for the Union. Thrown together by a common purpose, it’s not long before an undeniable attraction flares — but their romance is challenged at every turn.
Hottest moment:
"The head of his cock rubbed at her slick opening and they both gasped as he slowly pushed into her. Inch by slow inch, he worked himself into her, his cock forging a trail of exquisite sensation as it pushed into her depths. 'Malcolm.' The word came out too loud, and she clamped her mouth. Every time he’d touched her had been delicious, but without the fear and resistance she’s felt before, his every caress was not magnified."
Alyssa Cole An Extraordinary Union: An Epic Love Story Of The Civil War, $, available at Indigo
My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway (1998)
Thrown into competition over Mill House — an estate long promised to Avery Thorne, but willed to Lily Bede, if she can get it to turn a profit within five years — Lily and Avery are each determined to end up with it. When Avery returns home after embarking on expeditions over the five years, he and Lily are immediately at odds, even as the adversaries find it increasingly difficult to deny the passion simmering under their hostility.
Hottest moment:
"For a second they froze, joined as intimately as two bodies can be, hearts beating in tandem, mouths open in astonished sensation. And then he was moving in her, muscular arms enveloping her, each thrust penetrating deeply, filling completely before withdrawing and surging back within her again. She caught fire from the rhythm, squeezed her eyes shut, heels digging deep against the mattress as she strained for the lifeline of repletion that danced just beyond her reach."
Connie Brockway My Dearest Enemy: A Novel, $, available at Indigo
A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean (2012)
Bourne lost it all in a card game to the man who was charged as his guardian. Nine years later, he’s risen to partner in an exclusive gambing club, and he’s bent on getting his long lost estate back — but to do it, he has to marry Lady Penelope Marbury, a childhood friend. Penelope, however, has some demands of her own: If she marries Bourne, she wants good marriages for her sisters and some agency in her own life. Seems simple enough. But the fragile feelings that begin to form between the calculating Bourne and passionate Penelope are put to the test as Bourne seeks his revenge. Taking readers from betrayal to scandal to redemption, this first book in the Rules of Scoundrels series is decadent.
Hottest moment:
"He staked her on his knees as he parted them, pressing long, soft, lush kisses to the soft skin of her inner thighs just above her stockings. 'In fact…' He paused, swirling his tongue in a slow, stunning circle. '...I don’t think I can go another moment…' Again, on the opposite thigh. '...Without…' Slightly higher, closer to the ache. '....Tasting you.' And then his mouth was on her, his tongue stroking in long, slow licks, curling almost unbearably at the place where pleasure pooled and strained and begged for release.
Sarah Maclean A Rogue By Any Other Name: The First Rule Of Scoundrels, $, available at Indigo
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian (2018)
A quiet country life is perfect for vicar Ben Sedgwick, but when he takes on the daunting task of managing the unruly Dacre children, little does he realize his life will be turned upside down. Enter Captain Phillip Darce: When he returns from two years at sea, he’s heartbroken over the loss of his lover, Lieutenant McCarthy, frustrated his wife has died, at a loss over how to be a father — and instantly attracted to the affable vicar living in his home. But even as Ben and Phillip let their passions loose and help each other grow and embrace their true selves, grappling with society’s expectations and their vocations will test the bonds forming between them.
Hottest moment:
"'Oh damn,' he groaned. Phillip had hit that place inside him that felt like it was made of liquid pleasure. Ben could feel the sensation spiraling through his body, up his spine and down his toes. It happened again, and all Ben wanted was more."
Cat Sebastian It Takes Two to Tumble: Seducing the Sedgwicks, $, available at Amazon
Six Impossible Things by Elizabeth Boyle (2017)
As a secret agent for the Home Office, Rosalie Stratton is no stranger to daring sleuthing and danger. But when family friend Brody, Lord Rimswell (also a spy), uncovers her secret, and then they’re caught in a very compromising position, there’s no escaping the rumors or marriage. As Roselie inches closer to uncovering some very dangerous secrets and her new husband goes to great lengths to try to protect her, the power struggle between the two erupts in fierce passion.
Hottest moment:
"Her thumb rolled over the tip and now it was his turn to groan. 'Does this feel good?’ she asked, as she ran her hand over him, cupped his balls and brought her lips to tease a kiss onto the tip. A dot of moisture lay there and she licked at it. Tasted him. Her body clenched, her breasts tightened. And from the way he groaned as she continued to run her tongue over him, he was in much the same straits."
Elizabeth Boyle Six Impossible Things: Rhymes With Love, $, available at Indigo
The Truth About Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke (2017)
Irene Deverill is a staunch suffragist and the genius behind the Dear Lady Truelove column and scandal sheet that saved her family’s newspaper business. But Henry, the Duke of Torquil (historical romance loves its dukes!), couldn’t care less about the fluffy advice she dispenses — that is, until Lady Truelove encourages his mother to elope with a young painter. Determined to stop the wedding, he forces Irene into working with him to change his mother’s mind. It isn’t long before the strong-willed Irene and Henry are caught up in a torrid affair that could be so much more if only they’d both learn to bend their rules a little.
Hottest moment:
"She was panting desperate. 'Please,' she moaned. 'Oh, please.' 'Please, what?' He circled her clitoris with the pad of his thumb. 'Do you want me to stop?' She shook her head violently. 'No, no, don’t stop. Oh God, please don’t stop. I just want...want’—her hips writhed helplessly—'more. Please, Henry.' 'Not yet. Wait.' He kissed her stomach and stroked the crease of her sex without letting her move, fanning the flames of desire, and his own as her sweet, sweet please for more drove him to the brink."
Laura Lee Guhrke The Truth About Love And Dukes: Dear Lady Truelove, $, available at Indigo
Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath (2018)
Born the illegitimate son of a duke and now a very successful businessman, Mick Trewlove is bent on revenge against the father who won’t acknowledge him. His plan to woo and ruin Lady Aslyn Hastings, betrothed to his father’s legitimate son and heir, is on track, but grows increasingly complicated as he gets to know the spirited young woman. Just as they give in to an intense mutual attraction, the other half of Mick’s plan — to pauper his father’s estate — shatters Lady Aslyn’s trust. First in the Sins for All Seasons series, Beyond Scandal and Desire introduces readers to the Trewloves, all illegitimate and all with secrets to uncover and trails to blaze.
Hottest moment:
"Separating her folds, he homed in on the tiny little bud at her intimate core. He dragged one finger over it, and she moaned in torment, sweet, exquisite torment. Another stroke, a longer one, a circling. Her knees threatened to buckle. If not for his arm at her waist holding her against him, she’d have melted into a molten pool at his feet. His thumb replaced his finger, working earnestly to elicit more cries from her, and they were accompanied with gasps and shudders. Slowly, provocatively, his finger entered her and she cried out.”
Lorraine Heath Beyond Scandal And Desire: A Sins For All Seasons Novel, $, available at Indigo
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