I don’t know about you, but I love a good historical romance with a poor heroine (especially when, by the end of the novel, she realizes both her internal wealth and her wealthy family that makes all her problems go away). This trope plugs into the Cinderella story and the daydream that while we struggle now, we don’t have to struggle forever.

Plus, sometimes it gets boring reading about aristocratic heroines who get served hot chocolate in bed every morning.

Here are four historical romances I’ve read recently with heroines who are poor. Chime in on the comments with other recommendations!

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

The heroine: Kate is one of the many spinsters in Spindle Cove. She cheerfully makes her living as a music teacher, but she longs to know more about the family that left her in an orphanage at the age of five. 

Lucky for her, a wealthy family shows up claiming she is their long-lost cousin. The only question is whether she should trust them.

(Plot Trysts did a great podcast review of this novel, if you want to get someone else’s take before committing to the book.)

Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh

If you’re looking for a Regency romance set in a middle-class life, this is the novel for you. The whole first third of the book takes place over the course of two days when the heroine, Frances, gets stranded at a deserted inn with the hero, Lucius. They cook together, make snowmen, and of course, get carried away one night…

From there, we return to their normal lives, where Frances is a schoolteacher in Bath and Lucius is a lord contemplating marriage. They are highly unsuited for each other, but Frances is simply unforgettable!

Unraveled by Courtney Milan

Miranda is about as poor as you can get: she’s on her own, raising a boy she’s not related to, and doing favors for the local crime lord in exchange for protection.

That is, until the judge Smite Turner calls her out for bearing false witness in the courtroom. He warns her never to do it again, but of course, it’s easier said than done for these two to stay apart.

This is the third and final installment of the Turner series, and while you may get more enjoyment knowing the dynamics going in, you don’t need to have read the full series in order to understand or enjoy this novel. 

Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen

This book definitely explores the London underworld. Our heroine, Marlowe, was kidnapped as a child from a wealthy family and turned into a pickpocket a la Oliver Twist. The Bow Street Runners finally find her (at age twenty), and Lord Dane is responsible for keeping her safe until her parents can return from Scotland to determine if she is indeed their long-lost daughter.

While most of the action in this novel takes place in a London townhouse, there’s also a fair amount set in the seedy Seven Dials. 

Need help choosing your next read?

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