Historical romance readers often love to explore multiple eras through love stories, and one of the most popular eras is the Victorian period! Here are eight historical romance books set in the nineteenth century Britain that you heard first on Season 1 of the Historical Romance Sampler!
What is the Victorian era?
The Victorian era refers to both a time and place. Following the tradition of marking British history by its sovereign, the period is named after Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria ruled the British empire from 1837 to 1901. When we say a book is set in the Victorian period, we mean that it takes place somewhere in the British empire between 1837 and 1901. The result is a wide breadth of settings and stories!
Were these books written today or in the Victorian period?
There were a lot of great writers in the Victorian era, including iconic proto-romances like North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, but all the books on this list are written (and sampled aloud by) living authors!
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8 Victorian Romance Novels (from Season 1 of the Historical Romance Sampler)
The Earl’s Egyptian Heiress
By heba helmy
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.59
A Victorian romance set between Egypt and London
A season with the earl...For the Egyptian heiress
Ranya Radwan’s mission is clear: restore her family’s honor by retrieving the deed to their business from the Earl of Warrington. Until she finds herself enthralled by the new earl, Owen. Accompanying him from Egypt to England to find the deed, Ranya’s swept into an unfamiliar world of society balls and luncheons, but is captivated waltzing in Owen’s arms. Yet her duty to her family means returning to Egypt, not following her heart…
Bonus tropes:
Class differences
Enemies to lovers
Road trip
A Song and a Snowflake
By alivia fleur
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.65
A woman seeking redemption at the end of a church aisle…
Beautiful songbird Charlise Hartright is ruined. Introverted, shy and grieving her mother’s loss, she would do anything to restore the family name, even commit to a loveless match, if it means her beloved sister Elise will have a chance at finding her own happiness.
A man out to make his own name…
Sinclair McIntyre has travelled halfway across the world to create his own destiny. Tired of being in the shadow of his older brothers, he is determined to do things his own way to become an independent, self-made man.
A future laid out before each of them.
But with a song
And a snowflake
Everything will change.
Bonus tropes:
Friends to lovers
Class differences
Love triangle
The Questionable Acts of an American Gentleman
By Ramona Elmes
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.40
The wooing of the lady was just for his ruthless plan, nothing more or so he thought...
Lady Mercy never imagined an early morning chance encounter in Hyde Park with Jack Kincaide would tempt her to betray her betrothed. The mysterious American ignites a passion in Mercy that leads her to question the practical arrangement she made with her dear childhood friend, the Duke of Peyton. Would she really give it all up for Jack? What she doesn't know is Jack has a shocking secret and their chance encounter is really the first step in his ruthless plan of revenge against the duke.
Jack is so close to getting his revenge. Still, he can't deny his immediate connection with Mercy or his unexpected feelings for her that grow deeper as they continue to spend time together. The more time they spend together, the more Jack questions his ruthless choices and how Mercy will see them when his secret is revealed. Is he capable of being a better man? Can he walk away from his desire for revenge? As he questions his choices, his explosive secret is revealed, devastating Mercy and shocking all of London.
Bonus tropes:
Fake engagement
Enemies to lovers
Class differences
Isabel and the Rogue
By Liana de la rosa
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.94
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...
Bonus tropes:
Bluestocking
Enemies to lovers
Spies
Secret identity
How Frances Wainwright Learned to Love
By Andrea Jenelle
Average Storygraph Rating: 4.39
A Victorian era romance inspired by Grey's Anatomy and House...
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.
Bonus tropes:
Working class hero and heroine
Enemies to lovers
Opposites attract
The Love Remedy
by Elizabeth Everett
Average Storygraph Rating: 3.62
When a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after.
When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy?
A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises.
With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is clear: they must face the future together.
Bonus tropes:
Widower single dad
Private investigator hero
Grumpy sunshine
The Taste of Light
By Giovanna siniscalchi
Average Storygraph Rating: 4.51
Portugal, 1872
An aristocrat haunted by his sins…
After losing his bride to a hated Englishman, Pedro Daun shuts himself in his winemaking property. Drowning in port, he hopes to find oblivion from his murky past in Mozambique.
A girl with dawn in her eyes…
Kind and whimsical, Anne Maxwell moves to the Douro to help her new sister-in-law. She dreams of finding the perfect suitor to give her the unconditional love she never had.
Shadows can taste light…
A twist of fate brings them together. Anne glimpses in Pedro's eyes a yearning for love that rivals her own, but the cynical Fidalgo isn't the perfect prince of her dreams. Pedro craves Anne's touch more than the air he breathes, but he is unwilling to soil his angel with the sins from his past.
A conspiracy is revealed…
A false accusation turns them into fugitives. Running from a treacherous enemy, they plunge into an ocean of intrigue to prove Pedro's innocence. As their passion grows, Anne discovers that love isn't the perfect matter of fairy tales. But can Pedro forgive himself for his past and allow Anne into his heart?
Bonus tropes:
Opposites attract
Road trip
Grumpy sunshine
Daughter of a wealthy upholsterer, Jo Metzger defies societal norms to pursue her dream of becoming an independent interior designer. The lack of good connections, as well as being a woman of German heritage makes it increasingly difficult for Jo to achieve what no woman has ever dared to do before. She is determined to push through, even when she is faced with an impossible task: in order to earn a mentorship with a prestigious member of The Society of Arts, she must transform the manor of a member of high society.
Enter Nicholas Blackstone, the dashing yet aloof son of a baron and the reluctant new master of Granborough Park. Jo finds herself at the Park, a pawn in her parents' intricate plans to secure advantageous marriages for their daughters. While the Park is the breakthrough Jo needs—a golden ticket to her independence—it also introduces a complication she hadn't anticipated: a growing attraction to Nicholas.
Granborough Park, like Nicholas himself, has seen better days. Haunted by a recent family tragedy and the weight of his responsibilities, Nicholas is far from the ideal suitor. As Nicholas grapples with the need to secure a marriage of convenience to save his family from financial ruin, and Jo fervently focuses on her work against the ticking clock of her deadline, their worlds collide, igniting an undeniable attraction.
As the restoration of the manor progresses, so does their unspoken connection. Despite their different social status and the impossibility of their budding romance, the attraction between them grows to such extent that neither of them can deny it any longer. What began as a clear path to her dream now risks leading her astray. Faced with the ultimate dilemma, Jo must decide if her pursuit of a career-defining opportunity is worth the risk of losing her heart.
Bonus tropes:
Working class heroine
Class differences
Love triangle