This list of historical romances is brought to you by Rebecca, a reader who reached out to ask:
I returned to your blog today to see if you had a list for another type of story I’m interested in - a romance between a long-married couple. Not a second marriage or an affair, but a couple who’ve been together a while but need to find each other again. I scanned blog post titles for a while but didn’t see anything quite like that. Does this type of romance novel exist?
My answer is: yes, it does with the “marriage in crisis” trope!
(Heads up - I’m an affiliate of Bookshop.org and may earn a portion of the profits if you purchase any books via the links provided!)
What is the marriage in crisis trope?
The marriage in crisis trope features a couple who has been married for a while but whose relationship is in trouble.
Now, a lot of times, these stories feature characters who have been legally married for a long time but who have not actually tried to have a romantic relationship before (like Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas). You’ll also find a lot of these recommendations feature couples who have been separated geographically for a long time. Still, these can be great, angsty reads that make marital woes seem larger than life!
6 Historical Romance Novels Featuring the Marriage in Crisis
Trial by Desire
By Courtney Milan
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.58
Synopsis:
SHE CANNOT FORGET THE FIRE HE IGNITED ...
In the three years since her husband left her, Lady Kate Carhart has managed to forge a fulfilling life for herself. But when Ned Carhart unexpectedly returns, she finds her tranquility uprooted --- and her deepest secrets threatened. Though she has no intention of falling for Ned's charms, Kate can no longer deny the desire that still burns in her heart.
OR THE PROMISE OF HIS LOVE ...
Ned is determined to regain his wife's trust by using unbridled seduction. But just as Kate surrenders to Ned's passion, her carefully guarded past threatens to destroy her. Now Kate must place her faith in the only man she's ever loved, and the only one who has ever betrayed her ...
Not Quite a Marriage
By Bliss Bennet
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.3
Synopsis:
Spencer Burnett, Viscount Stiles, once swore he’d left England for good. Yet after five years of self-imposed exile in West Africa, he’s no longer the same spoiled, selfish boy who ran away from a domineering father, a disappointed grandmother, and a decidedly unwanted wife. Proving himself to the family he abandoned will be no easy task, but Spencer no longer shies away from a good fight. He hardly expects his formerly docile wife will be the hardest to convince. When Philadelphia refuses to accept his apologies—or to allow him back into her bed—Spencer finds himself tempting her into a bargain he cannot afford to lose.
Philadelphia Burnett’s desires were once as vast as the sky. But now, after suffering one devastating loss after another, the only thing she allows herself to want is a home. So when her estranged rake of a husband returns from a five-years’ absence to claim the estate promised to her, Delphie resolves to fight him every step of the way. Beechcombe Park will be a sanctuary for her, and for the wayward Audley cousins she’d promised her sister she’d always protect. She cannot, will not, suffer even one more loss.
Especially not the loss of her heart...
A Wicked Kind of Husband
By Mia Vincy
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.99
Synopsis:
It was the ideal marriage of convenience...until they met
Cassandra DeWitt has seen her husband only once--on their wedding day two years earlier--and this arrangement suits her perfectly. She has no interest in the rude, badly behaved man she married only to secure her inheritance. She certainly has no interest in his ban on her going to London. Why, he'll never even know she is there.
Until he shows up in London too, and Cassandra finds herself sharing a house with the most infuriating man in England.
Joshua DeWitt has his life exactly how he wants it. He has no need of a wife disrupting everything, especially a wife intent on reforming his behavior. He certainly has no need of a wife who is intolerably amiable, insufferably reasonable ... and irresistibly kissable.
As the unlikely couple team up to battle a malicious lawsuit and launch Cassandra's wayward sister, passion flares between them. Soon the day must come for them to part ... but what if one of them wants their marriage to become real?
Not Quite a Husband
By Sherry Thomas
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.55
Synopsis:
Their marriage lasted only slightly longer than the honeymoon--to no one's surprise, not even Bryony Asquith's. A man as talented, handsome, and sought after by society as Leo Marsden couldn't possibly want to spend his entire life with a woman who rebelled against propriety by becoming a doctor. Why, then, three years after their annulment and half a world away, does he track her down at her clinic in the remotest corner of India?
Leo has no reason to think Bryony could ever forgive him for the way he treated her, but he won't rest until he's delivered an urgent message from her sister--and fulfilled his duty by escorting her safely back to England. But as they risk their lives for each other on the journey home, will the biggest danger be the treacherous war around them--or their rekindling passion?
Ravishing the Heiress
By Sherry Thomas
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.78
Synopsis:
Millicent understands the terms of her arranged marriage all too well. She gets to be a Countess by marrying an impoverished Earl. And in return, the Earl Fitzhugh receives the benefit of her vast wealth, saving his family from bankruptcy. Because of her youth, they have agreed to wait eight years before consummating the marriage--and then, only to beget an heir. After which, they will lead separate lives.
It is a most sensible arrangement. Except for one little thing. Somehow Millie has fallen head over heels in love with her husband. Her husband, who has become her very best friend, but nothing more...Her husband, who plans to reunite with his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful and newly widowed Isabelle, as soon as he has honored the pact with his wife...
As the hour they truly become husband-and-wife draws near, both Millie and Fitzhugh must face the truth in their hearts. Has their pact bred only a great friendship-or has it, without either of them quite noticing, given rise to a great love?
You May Kiss the Duke
By Charis Michaels
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.62
A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
Against her better judgement, spirited beauty Sabine Noble agrees to speedily marry a stranger who can remove her from the home of an abusive uncle. The union allows her to relocate to London and start a new life writing travel guides and enjoying the city on her own terms.
A DOWRY WITH NO EXPECTATIONS
Sea Captain Jon Stoker has no desire to be a husband, but Sabine's offer of a commitment-free marriage and a hefty dowry is hard to refuse. After he delivers Sabine from her violent uncle, the deal allows Stoker to say good-bye and sail away.
A CHANCE RESCUE
When Stoker's travels put him in harm's way, neither dowry nor freedom can save him. His unconscious body is returned to England, and a chance discovery by his estranged wife rescues him from the morgue. Sabine is uncertain of her responsibilities to the unconscious husband she barely knows, but she begins the reluctant job of nursing him back to health.
A RECOVERY OF THE HEART
In the private confines of Sabine's bedroom, the estranged husband and wife reckon with the attraction that has been there all along and the new, hot-sparking desire. And when Stoker has recovered and Sabine takes revenge on her dangerous uncle, they realize that attraction and desire have evolved into love.
3 Marriage in Crisis Novellas by Me!
I’ve been drawn to writing the marriage in crisis trope a few times. My spin on the trope is to explore a couple who have a relatively healthy relationship but need to make some adjustments as they face major life changes.
Three Nights With Her Husband
On this road trip, one bed is never enough…
For Double and Mary Shayler, a road trip to London should be the perfect holiday away from Northfield Hall. Married for 25 years, they are on their way to visit their son and get some much-needed quality time.
The only trouble is that Mary is mad at Double. Still. And as much as he tries to apologize, he only seems to make things worse instead of better.
As they get farther and farther away from the comfort of their home, Mary and Double have to face the fears swirling behind their every interaction: do they still love each other enough to stay together?
The Countess Without Conviction
This novella is a sequel to The Viscount Without Virtue, so if you’re in it to see the long-term relationship, definitely be sure to pick up book 1 first!
Is their marriage strong enough to weather this storm?
Ever since their wedding day, Ellen Preston and Max Hainsworth have happily ignored the fact that one day they would become the Earl and Countess Meretta. When Max inherits his title, their life is upended - and a storm begins to brew.
Returning from a long parliamentary season in London, Max discovers that things are not going well for Ellen at their new home of Montchampion Manor. His mother is critical of the new countess, the carpenters don’t want Ellen in the workshop, and everyone is upset that Ellen and Max want to ban imports of tea and cotton.
Worst of all, Ellen seems to have lost her faith in Max.
Ellen is doing her best to adjust to her new life, but the house is too big, the servants are too suspicious, and Max is too distant. When nasty rumors make her question everything she believes in, she and Max must find a way to unite again - or risk forever being torn apart.
In The Wide Open Light
She is fighting for reform, but will she fight for the man she loves?
August 1819
At Northfield Hall, Julia Dixon needs a break from her life as a spinner and mother of three. When she hears that Henry Hunt will be addressing a crowd in Manchester, she decides to add her voice to calls for parliamentary reform.
Her husband, Samuel, doesn’t understand why Julia wants to travel far from home to fight for voting rights for other people—but he won’t stand in her way. After years apart from his family as a sailor, Samuel is grateful to have resurrected his marriage, and he intends to keep Julia happy, no matter what she needs.
As Julia departs, they both know the bonds of their marriage will be tested, but neither of them predict what Julia faces when she gets to St. Peter’s Field. In its aftermath, they are forced to reevaluate everything they hold dear as they fight to reunite once more.
Why Storygraph instead of Goodreads?
In today’s world, readers have so many options for where to track and review their books! This blog post uses Storygraph ratings because I love Storygraph’s vision for reader-driven tracking that is divested from the Amazon monopoly. Find out more about Storygraph here!