If you’re looking for a bookish and intellectually-minded heroine, check out these six bluestocking historical romance novels!
We sampled nearly 50 historical romances on Season 1 of the Historical Romance Sampler in 2024, and six of them feature bluestocking heroines. First, let’s look at what that means, and then let’s get into the books!
What does a “bluestocking” mean?
The term “bluestocking” comes directly from history. In the mid-1700s, some British people started hosting social events more focused on intellectual discussions than playing card games. Originally, it actually referred to men’s blue stockings (indicating an informal gathering), but in time it came to refer to women who were interested books or intellectual pursuits. This was threatening to men who wanted women to remain in the domestic sphere, so it eventually became a derogatory term! Read more about the history via the Encyclopedia Britannica here.
In historical romance, the bluestocking character is usually an independently-minded woman, often found with a strong group of similar friends. Bluestockings can be counted on to question gender norms, which is perhaps why they are so popular in modern historical romances! Here are six bluestockings to try out from Season 1 of the Historical Romance Sampler podcast.
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6 Bluestocking Books from the Historical Romance Sampler Season 1
How to Train Your Viscount
by courtney mcCaskill
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.6
The only one who can help her is the man who broke her heart.
Four years ago, Lady Caroline Astley took one look at Henry Greville, Viscount Thetford, and fell horribly in love, in that particular way you can only fall in love at the age of fifteen.
He didn’t just reject her.
He humiliated her.
But now, in a stroke of rotten luck, he’s the only one who can help her.
It turns out that the “paste” pendant she borrowed from her sister, Anne, was no fake. It’s actually an ancient Egyptian amulet, and now Anne wants to auction it off to save hundreds of widows and orphans. What Caro can’t bear to tell her sister is that the necklace was stolen from right around her neck.
Caro has a few clues, but she doesn’t know an amulet from an obelisk, and the trail has gone cold. Guess who grew up in a house stuffed with Egyptian artifacts? Caro may despise Henry, but she needs him if she’s going to track down the thieves. Which begs the question of which is worse: letting down the orphans or risking her heart all over again.
Portraits, Passions, and Other Pasttimes
By Charlie Lane
Average Storygraph Rating: 4.39
A marquess with an inheritance problem.
When his father dies, Raph Bromley, new Marquess of Waneborough inherits more than his father’s title. He inherits a crumbling estate, an ocean of debt, a valuable art collection, and a most unusual stipulation in his father’s will. No piece in the art collection can be sold unless Raph first creates a brilliant work of art. But his imagination is as nonexistent as his artistic experience, and that’s never going to happen.Thank goodness for heiresses. Raph will simply marry for money. Problem solved. Except his mother’s new companion, a dark-haired, clever, poor beauty tests his resolve and makes him think …Maybe painting won’t be so hard. (It is…)
A companion with no home of her own.
Matilda Bellvue has worked as a companion for fifteen years, but she’s inherited a cottage in Cumbria, and she’ll soon make it her home. She plans to spend her days reading scandalous novels and redecorating every room. But first, she must complete one final job, serving as companion to the Marquess of Waneborough’s mother.Her task is simple: help the grieving marchioness, argue with the hard-headed marquess, avoid matchmakers, and resist spying on naked men swimming in the lake. Above all else, she must not fall in love with her employer, a man who makes her feel like she's finally found home.
Because she has no money. And he must marry rich. And that way only lies heartache.
Neither one of them planned on falling in love.
Frances lost her heart in the Crimea to Cormac Byrne, an Irish doctor. He disappeared during the melee following the last battle and she doubts she'll ever see him again. She's spent the last three years praying he's still alive. Imagine her shock when she accepts a teaching position at Florence Nightingale's new London hospital and finds herself face to face with him again.
An independent woman hoping to fulfill a dream. A duke who can’t seem to ignore his attraction to the lady. Together they uncover their heart’s desire.
With a spirit that knows no bounds, Miss Iona Richards sets her sights on independence and greatness as a landscape architect in Burnham-On-Sea. However, her ambitious dream encounters an unexpected roadblock in the form of the enigmatic Duke of Rosewood.
Thorpe Covington, the Duke of Rosewood, is deeply skeptical of Iona’s abilities, yet undeniably drawn to her spirited nature. As she seeks to transform his cottage retreat, a captivating dance of wit and longing ensues between the two. Soon, the duke’s stoic façade crumbles under Iona’s charm, entwining their hearts in a journey of self-discovery and desire.
In the enchanting realm of Burnham-On-Sea, passion, and ambition intertwine, and the Duke of Rosewood finds himself yearning for a love that surpasses society’s expectations. In this heartwarming tale, Miss Iona Richards and the Duke of Rosewood uncover a love more vibrant and beautiful than any masterpiece they could have imagined.
She needs to wed... And he's going to find her a husband.
When Margaret Carberry’s mother drags her upstairs at a ball, Margaret does not expect her mother to tie her to the bed and lock the door. Unfortunately, Margaret’s mother has taken it upon herself to declare Margaret compromised—whether or not Margaret wants to resort to such tactics to snare a husband.
Jasper Tierney, the Duke of Jevington, is surprised to encounter a half-clothed woman sprawled upon his bed. He is even more shocked to discover her identity. Margaret Carberry is renowned as an incorrigible wallflower, not a seductress, no matter how appealing her bare flesh is against his bedding. When Margaret declares she won’t go along with her mother’s scheme and will find a husband on her own, Jasper vows to assist her, lest Margaret’s mother concoct another method to arrange a compromising situation. Jasper is certain of one thing: he has no desire to marry.
As Jasper works to match Margaret to a fellow duke, the prospect of a forced marriage with her lacks its earlier loathsomeness. Perhaps he missed his chance for true bliss.
When a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her…
Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the “forgotten” Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel’s search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues—including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.
As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy’s confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it’s clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can’t resist.
Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country—even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger…
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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!