Spring has sprung and so have these best, new historical romances that everyone should add to their must-read list.

Sometimes, we’re just in the mood to escape not only to a different place – but a totally different time. Why not enjoy a historical romance story along the trip?

From a Daoist martial artist’s desire in Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu to Regency England in Julia Quinn’s A Night Like This, we have found almost two dozen fabulous new historical romance novels to take you on a unique romantic adventure this spring.

Thirsty for a Regency Romance…

A Problem Princess by Anna Harrington

A princess is drawn into forbidden love in this steamy, danger-filled Regency romance from award-winning author Anna Harrington that fans of Sarah MacLean, Elizabeth Hoyt, and Bridgerton won’t want to miss!

A Night Like This: A Smythe-Smith Quartet by Julia Quinn

From #1 New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the Bridgerton series, Julia Quinn presents the second, stunning installment in the Bridgerton adjacent Regency era-set world featuring the romantic adventures of the well-meaning but less-than-accomplished Smythe-Smith musicians. In this case, a distractingly lovely pianist sitting in at the annual Smythe-Smith musicale catches the eye of a haunted, hunted man in desperate need of redemption. Bridgerton fans will cry, “Encore!” Read a preview of A Night Like This. 

The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess by Sophie Jordan

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan kicks off her excellent new high-concept series, The Scandalous Ladies of London, which chronicles the lives of a group of affluent ladies reigning over glittering, Regency-era London, vying for position in the hierarchy of the ton. The drama is big, the money runs deep, and the shade is real. Life is different in the ton. Read a preview.

What Happens in the Ballroom by Sabrina Jeffries

From one of the best-known names in historical romance, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries, comes the second in her dazzling Designing Debutantes series featuring a talk-of-the-ton trio of young women who’ve eschewed working as governesses to utilize their talents for fashion, food, and music, by running their own party planning enterprise, Elegant Occasions. And if they, and their wealthy clients, happen to find love along the way, it just makes their efforts all the more rewarding!

Romance a la Victorian…

Theatre of Marvels by Sarah Hawley

Behind the spectacle, there are always secrets. A stunning and deliciously immersive debut, Lianne Dillsworth’s Theatre of Marvels is a riveting journey across Victorian London and an unforgettable tale of race, identity and a woman’s reclamation of her fate.

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De La Rosa

A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season. Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady in danger must be in need of rescue, but whether she wants to be rescued is up for debate – for fans of Evie Dunmore and Netflix’s Bridgerton from the bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem!

The Portrait of a Duchess by Scarlett Peckham

The scandalous women of the SOCIETY OF SIRENS are back with an explosive secret…their ranks include a duchess in disguise

An activist painter of radicals and harlots, Cornelia Ludgate dismisses love and marriage as threats to freedom. But when an inheritance gives her the chance to fund the cause of women’s rights–on the condition she must wed–she is forced to reveal a secret: she’s already married. To a man she hasn’t seen for twenty years. Check out a preview of the book.

Historical Romance with some Mystery…

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by Kj Charles 

Gothic scandal meets Bridgerton intrigue in this swashbuckling Regency romance from celebrated author KJ Charles.

Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels – until everything goes wrong and he’s left alone again. Read a preview.

A Most Intriguing Lady by Sarah Ferguson 

From Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York

Read a preview of this sweeping, romantic compulsively readable historical saga about a Duke’s daughter–the perfect Victorian lady–who secretly moonlights as an amateur sleuth for high society’s inner circle.

Pacy, romantic, and fun, A Most Intriguing Lady documents one remarkable woman’s ability to be both the perfect lady, and a perfectly talented detective…and, of course, to find love too.

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas

Charlotte Holmes’s life is in peril when her brilliant deductive skills are put to the test in her most dangerous investigation yet, locked aboard a ship at sea.

Instead of solving the crime, as she is accustomed to doing, Charlotte must take care not to be embroiled in this investigation, lest it become known to those who harbor ill intentions that Sherlock Holmes is abroad and still very much alive.

Love and Laughter = Rom-Com Delight…

Infamous by Lex Croucher

Twenty-two-year-old aspiring writer Edith (“Eddie”) Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together―from climbing trees and sneaking bottles of wine, to extensive kissing practice. But Rose has started talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified. Why can’t they continue as they always have?

Will Eddie be forced to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary dreams–or will she be able to write her own happily ever after?

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

One of Buzzfeed’s Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023! Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters

“Bridgerton fans will like this one.” –Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author

The Regency Vows series returns with this story about a viscount and his irascible new wife who hopes to chase her husband from their shared home so that she can finally get some peace and quiet–only to find that his company is not as onerous as she thought.

With her trademark “arch sense of humor and a marvelously witty voice” (Entertainment Weekly), Martha Waters crafts another delightful romp for all historical romance fans.

Romance during the Renaissance…

A Blackened Mirror by Jo Graham

1489 – When Giulia came to Rome to make an arranged marriage with a young noble, she dreamed of learning and power in the glittering city of the Renaissance popes. However, her mother-in-law seems frightened, and her husband refuses to consummate the marriage. But Giulia herself has a secret. She sees visions in mirrors and hears the whispers of spirits, the gifts of an ancient sibyl in an age when magic is heresy punishable by death. Is this ability the reason Bracciano has trapped her in this sham of a marriage?

Passion and Romance in the 20th Century…

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

“[A] perfect jewel-box world set in 19th-century Vienna.” – The New York Times

It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way – not her parents’ three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.

Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill Santopolo

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

A sweeping story of two star-crossed lovers in post-World War II Italy. Another blossoming relationship generations later may reveal a long-buried family secret.

Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel. The lives of three very different residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel converge in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation.

Read a preview of Coronation Year.

Daoism and Historical Romance…

Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi (Illustrated by Me Mimo)

In this historical tale, a Daoist martial artist must begin a journey of healing and self-reflection. Meanwhile, he resists the temptations of the powerful leader of a demonic sect.

Yan Wushi, leader of the demonic Huanyue sect, is a master cultivator, a brilliant strategist, and an incurable cynic. In his philosophy, every human heart is ruled by cruelty and selfishness. Anyone who believes otherwise is either a liar or a fool.

Enter the humble Shen Qiao, leader of the Daoist sect at Xuandu Mountain. He is both gracious and charitable, and exactly the type of do-gooder that Yan Wushi despises.

This Chinese historical fiction tale is about powerful martial artists (wuxia) built around the desire between two men (danmei). It has inspired a beloved animated series (donghua). The Seven Seas English-language edition will include exclusive, all-new covers and interior illustrations.

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