I have a special fondness for Regency Romances. They are the first romances I read, and as they introduced me to the wider world of romance novels, I am always looking for a good one. Unfortunately, The Rake’s Revenge by Emily Hendrickson does not qualify. Regina Hawthorne is a young woman of good looks, good…
Although I enjoy an occasional Regency Romance, I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not a slavish fan of the sub-genre, or books with a sensuality rating of Kisses, but I found The Marrying Man to be well-written and charming, with likable characters and a rather unique plot. There’s not a lot of…
Passing Fancies is one of my all-time favorite romances. Elizabeth Mansfield has written more than thirty Regency Romances over the years, but in my opinion, this one is her very best. It’s one of the few books I have that I would run into my burning house to save. But luckily for me, it has…
I’m afraid that every “governess” Regency Romance I read from now on will have to measure up to Donna Simpson’s debut novel, Lord St. Claire’s Angel. A Compromising Situation has likable lead characters who spend much time together. And while this it is a cut above the average Regency Romance, it still doesn’t have quite…
Alexandra Barrow and Robert Stamford, the two main characters in The Ambitious Baronet made this book a better than average Regency Romance. They were real people with real flaws and although they had enough past baggage to make their present lives difficult, neither of them dwelt on their problems ad nauseum. The plot was not…
Making the transition from friends to lovers is probably difficult enough without having a socially conscious mother like the hero of this book and a penniless, and eccentric family like the heroine. The secondary characters in this book include smugglers, traitors, and a relative who’s a little too original for most people’s tastes. But you…
Breaking the Rules is a different sort of Regency Romance. It is set in a small village and is mostly a fantasy in which the main characters find themselves recreating the lives of the characters in The Dream of Macsen Wledig, a Celtic manuscript which the heroine in translating. Even though this is not a…
I got Judith Lansdowne’s name from AAR’s If You Like page in reference to Georgette Heyer and started this book with great expectations. But let me clear up the misconception straight away: a long lost Heyer it ain’t. Lord Nightingale’s Love Song isn’t a witty, ironic comedy of manners á la Georgette and it doesn’t…
The American Duchess is an entirely character-driven Regency Romance. Perhaps it is best described as a “A Year in the Life” of our two main characters. Tracy Bodmin is an American heiress whose father, William, was born a poor English cottager. Through his own hard work and ambition, he became one of the richest shipping…
Regency Romances, as opposed to historical romances in general, are governed by strict conventions. They are short, sweet, must take place during a certain historical period, and almost always feature members of the upper or upper-middle class and their attempts to make suitable marriages. Some authors, working within these rigid conventions, can create perfect, sparkling…
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