So what is Regency Romance, and why should you read it?
What Is Regency Romance?
The Romance Writers of America define romance as a story that focuses on a love story as the main plot and features an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Other people refer to that as the Happily Ever After (HEA).
Regency romance has a central love story, a happily ever after, and is set in the time or place of Regency England. Remember Mad King George III who didn’t want America to win its independence? He really went “mad” and stopped ruling before his death. His son took over as Prince Regent from 1811 to 1820, which gives us the term “regency.”
Read more about the history of the Regency era at History Today.
Try out regency romance with my free story, The Baron Without Blame!
When Martin and Lolly are compromised by a sneeze, will their fake engagement lead to disaster or true love?
Why read Regency Romance?
Regency Romance is awesome for many reasons. For one thing, Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility in the Regency era, which in many ways are the framework for the modern romance genre.
Most Regency Romances focus on the English aristocracy (dukes, earls, viscounts, etc.) and their hunt for appropriate marriages. Here are three reasons why that’s so fun:
Reason #1 - Regency Romances are full of glitz and glamour
Generally, the aristocracy spent some of their time on their great country estates, but they all gathered in London during the Parliamentary Season. Since everyone was in town, they partied the whole time. What better way to find a spouse?
For example, I loved opening The Baron Without Blame with a ball in London. Live music, fantastic dresses, glittering jewels - is there anything more glamorous?
Reason #2 - Regency Romances have lots of external conflict
The aristocracy usually married for financial or political reasons, rather than love. So these romances are full of fun conceits that keep your heroes apart: someone has to marry for money, someone else has to marry for status, this person over here doesn’t believe in love.
In The Baron Without Blame, Martin has radical ideas about what he wants to do with his title, which causes consternation when he shares his plans with Lolly and her family.
Reason #3 - Regency Romances have high stakes over small actions
In the modern day, there’s very little reason why a heroine wouldn’t kiss her hero, if that’s what they both want to do.
But in the Regency era, what scandal that would cause! The stakes are high over the smallest of actions because there were so many social mores that the aristocracy observed (or, at least, that we like to believe they observed). That makes for fun, edge-of-your-seat reading.
To use The Baron Without Blame as an example, the story begins when Lolly sneezes, catching her dress on an ornamental balcony, and the gossip of the season catches Martin trying to help her free her skirts. Not something that would alter someone’s life today, but a huge problem from Martin and Lolly!