If you love the romance genre, you probably look forward to any and all books in the genre. But while they all have happily-ever-afters for our protagonists, some are more sweet, others are dark, and then there are romances that are just plain fun.
In my recent Sipping Tea with Katherine video, I shared one of my favorite “fun” historical romances, The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare. I figured I might as well expand my list and share with you five historical romances that are romping good fun. With all these books, you’re in for a heaping of laughter alongside heartwarming love.
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
Penny is a quiet wallflower happily living alone in London - alone, that is, except for her menagerie of pets. Her new neighbor, Gabriel, is less than thrilled to discover she is so eccentric, considering he wants to sell his house as soon as possible, and her collection of animals will drive down the property value. When her family threatens to make her retire permanently to the country if she doesn’t rid herself of her animals, Gabriel strikes a deal: he’ll help her find humane homes for her pets.
Of course, they fall in love, but in the meantime, Gabriel ends up helping a goat deliver its babies as a token of his true love. There’s really nothing better!
How to Rescue a Rake by Jayne Fresina
In this retelling of Persuasion, Diana Makepiece is living a quiet life as a spinster when the man who used to flirt shamelessly with her returns. She is determined not to let him see the chinks in her armor, but when he follows her to Bath, they finally reconnect and discover they have always been in love.
As opposed to your typical Regency romance, How to Rescue a Rake is set in the countryside and has a lot of humorous moments, including a call-back to Austen with a child attacking poor Diana.
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
Ok, just read the description of this book on Julia Quinn’s website: it is itself a list!
The gist of it is: Sebastian is fighting PTSD by writing novels pseudonymously, while Annabel Winslow is trying very hard not to get married to his uncle. They have all sorts of fun adventures as they try to throw wrenches in other people’s plans, and there are a lot of cute lists in the meantime.
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The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer wrote Regencies back in the 1930s, before it was even cool. Her stories are witty, light-hearted, and the plots are pretty bonkers.
In this one, Horatia Winters is the youngest sister who offers herself as bride to the Earl of Rule so that her elder sister can marry the army captain she loves. The Earl is amused with his young bride, who is very much Herself and doesn’t really care what people around her think. In case you’re bored, there is also: a duel, switched identities, and a highway robbery. All done with a great sense of humor.
A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh
I can’t think of a fake engagement romance that isn’t fun. In this one, Lauren Edgeworth is recovering from being jilted at the altar, so she decides to throw caution to the wind and get fake engaged to Kit Butler - one of London’s biggest rakes. He’ll get his family off his back for the summer, while Lauren will have one last summer of fun before taking up life as a Spinster.
The whole plot is based around adding some fun to Lauren’s life, so you know it is a hoot, including sunrise swimming, climbing a tree, and great encounters with the Bedwyn family.