I've recently gotten very interested in reading historicals. I read some of the Sherbrooke Brides series by Catherine Coulter, The Abduction of Julia by Karen Hawkins and I've started The Duke and I by Julia Quinn.

Would anyone like to recommend some good historicals? Single titles would be great, but series work as well.

Thanks,
Rae

Have you read Lawless by Nora? LOVE that story!

Hugz,
Dani

edit: and there is that series...crap...I can't remember, I'll do a little research and get back to you

edit again: OMG! I FINALLY found them. I couldn't remember nothing about them, except for there was a Y in the last name. :rolleyes: Took a lot of creative searching on the internet.

They are The Bedwyns series, or also known as the Slightly series, by Mary Balogh. I've only read two or three, but here's the link..> Bedwyn series

I'll keep thinking, I usually don't read historicals.

Hugz again,
Dani

I have read Lawless. I forgot to mention that. :doh:

The Bedwyn series does sound interesting but I've never heard of Mary Balogh. I'll have to check her out at the library before I buy it.

Thanks Dani!

Rae

Rae,

I enjoy historicals—but I am particular about them. I prefer them to be set in England, Scotland or Ireland (only enjoy a few in the Western US or Colonial America). Here are my favorite historical authors:

Julie Garwood
Lisa Kleypas (one of my favorite authors)
Stephanie Laurens (though her books are all series)
Julia Quinn
Samantha James
Nicole Jordan
Donna Fletcher (particularly The Irish Devil and Isle of Lies)

With the exception of Julie Garwood who no longer writes historicals, they are all "auto-buys" for me.

I also have a large collection of historicals from Catherine Coulter, Johanna Lindsey and Heather Graham from my teen years—the late 1980s. Many are still in print or have been reprinted often. I think many of those books withstand the test of time.

Catherine Anderson also writes poignant stories. She has several historicals to choose from. She also writes contemporaries—actually more contemps. in recent years.

And all of Judith McNaught's historicals are wonderful stories. My favorite is Kingdom of Dreams but also particularly love Something Wonderful and Once and Always.

Julie Garwoods historicals are really great reads (The Gift, The Prize, The Bride and Gentle Warrior are on my all time FAVORITE list) and my favorite McNaught is Kingdom of Dreams as well. Lisa Kleypas is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. Just love her historicals as well.

Alaina

I can't believe no one's mentioned Georgette Heyer - the queen of Regency romance. Start with The Grand Sophy, or These Old Shades, or Frederica, or ...

Mistfox - who's really picky when it comes to historicals

Yep, can't go wrong with Heyer...

But there is also:
Mary Balogh - Regency Peiod
Jo Beverley - Regency Period
Loretta Chase - Regency Period
Dorothy Dunnett - Elizabethan Period - Lymond Chronicles or Venetian Niccolo Series
Roberta Gellis - Medieval - Roselynde Series
Amanda Quick - sort of all over the board
Mary Jo Putney - Regency Period
and Joan Wolf - Regency Period

Wow! All these sound interesting.

Robyn- The historicals that I've read (with the exception of Nora's) all took place in England and the like so I think your suggestions are great.

Mistfox, kendrak, - I will check out Heyer. I think a friend of mine might have a few of her books.

Alaina- The funny thing is that I actually saw Kingdom of Dreams at a bookstore and was going to buy it but then I saw Nora's The Reef and since that was the only single I was missing I decided to buy that instead!

I will check out Lisa Kleypas forum on this board to see what else I can find out about her books.

Thanks. I now have a great list of books to buy. Though I think I'm going to have to add another bookshelf in my library.

Rae

Rae, you have some very good suggestions so far. I would also recommend Kathleen Woodiwiss. My favorite of hers is Shanna. Also, though I wouldn't necessarily "label" them as historical, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is very heavy on history w/ many other elements to it. It's has it's own thread the the favorite aurthors forum. It comes highly recommended by many.

I read a good historical recently. It was by LaVyrle Spencer called The Gamble. It was my first one by her so she might have other historicals out there.

Don't forget Jude Deveroux's historicals on the Montgomery and Chandler families. Many are still in print or you can find them in the UBS.

I love Gaelen Foley's historicals, especially the Knight family series.

You mean the historicals that Katherine Woodiwiss writes? Love her books, but she doesn't write enough of them to suit me.

I especially love Petals on the River, Ashes in the Wind and Shanna.

I would say Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) esp her older stuff.
Also Johanna Lindsey Malory family books.
Elizabeth Lowell's and Therea Medeiros from years ago. I loved the EL books they always made me cry. Both authors have kind of a paranormal or witchy/magic bend to their historicals.

I have been reading Connie Mason historicals that I stumbled onto they are pretty decent.

Christina Dodd is another one I like.

I recently discovered Eloisa James and like her too.

There are probably a few more but mind is blanking.

I only read historicals up until a few years ago. I don't know why. I just always liked them better and then there weren't as many historicals coming out ands alot of authors switched to contemps like Julie Garwood so that finally I gave in started buying contemps.

I am new to Historicals too.

Mistfox and Robyn when you girls say you are picky about Historicals what do you mean?

I recently read one by Julia Quinn, I can't think of the title, but I liked it and Diane Gaston's A Reputable Rake which I really liked.

I'm glad Rae brought this up!

Okay... when I say I'm picky about historicals is that I'm picky about the location or time period.

I'm not into Westerns. I read them as a teenager—though I've enjoyed a couple of Constance O'Banyons, Catherine Andersons and a few Johanna Lindseys—and I much prefer historicals set in England or Scotland (my two favorite locations) to ones set anywhere else. I also do not really care for Civil War books in the US.

I like books set in Regency England but don't care for "Regencies"--which have little sex. There's something about romances set in the post-Napoleonic era that I like. Though I also like Scottish series set in the 1500s. Go figure. :shrug:

There are exceptions, of course. My favorite historicals from Catherine Coulter are set in the early 1850s in San Francisco. And I've enjoyed a few books set in Medieval England, such as Judith McNaught's A Kingdom of Dreams.

Thats's my pickiness. I have definite preferences for setting and time period.

thanks Robyn! I appreciate the lesson which I need!

:laughing: Always happy to help.

I have to go the bookstore to get some of the books that were suggested but I'll have to wait until the 29th when Morrigan's Cross comes out which is also incidentally a day after my birthday ( :woot: ), so I'll have lots of money.

Rae

So Rae which books are you going to buy?

Hmmm...I'm thinking a Lisa Kleypas (dunno which one yet), Judith McNaught's Kingdom of Dreams, a Julie Garwood, an Amanda Quick, Katherine Woodiwiss's Shanna, and Diane Gaston's A Reputable Rake.

I've looked up the summaries for all these books online and they sound interesting. As for just the authors I named I couldn't chose which one so I would just grab whichever I see.

Rae

Rae,

For Lisa Kleypas, you could start with the first Wallflower book, Secrets of a Summer Night. And if you like it, there are 3 others in that series. :cutewink:

Though a universal favorite amongst Lisa Kleypas readers is Dreaming of You. Here's what Lisa had to say about it on her website: CLICK HERE

I love that book, too.

~Robyn

Dreaming of You and Where Dreams Begin are my two favorite Lisa Kleypas titles of all time. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

I also like Victoria Alexander's effington family series. Also Kinley Macgredor (Sherrilynn Kenyon) is good.

Lynn Kurland is good but they also involve time travel and/or ghost themes and no nookie

There is one more author I have been trying to remember all day and can't for the life of me.

Has any one mentioned Julia Quinn yet? Hers are awesome.

I just discovered Lisa Kleypas thru Robyn this past year. She is a total must read for me now so def a good author to start your foray into historicals.

Doesn't Ruthiebabe also write historicals? I think I have read one of hers.

Kel - still thinking

ETA: Jane Feather and Virginia Henley. I have read all of JF and a couple VH.

According to Amazon Karen Marie Moning is considered a historical writer but she also has the whole time travel thing going on. So i dunno....

Don't forget about Sabrina Jeffries!!!

Her "Royal Brotherhood" series was really, really good!!

While I'm solidly in the "most of my favorite historicals are set in Britain" camp, I must say, Maggie Osborne writes the best Western romances. Unfortunately, she's retired now, but her books are still easy to find. The Promise of Jenny Jones was my first, and probably remains my favorite. Excellent book.

Now then, as to the Britain stuff:

Georgette Heyer is, and always will be, the absolute undisputed queen of the regencies. She started them, and her's are the best. It can't be a coincidence that so many authors list her as an early inspiration.

Mary Balogh is excellent. Read the entire Slightly series, ending with my total favorite, and the only mid-series switch to hardback that I don't resent--Slightly Dangerous. Also, if you can find her earlier regencies--they're wonderful, too. The Notorious Rake is an incredible book. She explores so much more than just the society with her characters.

Stephanie Laurens: The Cynsters. Yummy. The Duke and I is the first, and my favorite.

Diana Gabaldon: her books are epics--and brilliantly crafted.

Lisa Kleypas: I enjoyed the last wallflower. Personally, I like her older books better than the more recent. My favorite is out of print--Forever My Love--ahh, Alec Faulkner--now there's a hero worth signing over.

Julia London: I really enjoyed her most recent, The Hazards of Hunting a Duke.

There's tons of really great historicals out there.

The only thing I'm picky about is when the characters are not true to their time period. Unless it's a time travel, I find it more than annoying to have the heroine have 21st century sensibilities in the 19th century. If you're going to write a historical--take the time to do the research and get into the characters as they really would have been. They can have feminist thoughts--but they really shouldn't run around saying stuff and acting in ways that are totally beyond what would be reasonable for the time.

That said, if the author wants to be deliberately campy with the deal, I can work with that, too. I'm a book floozie. You really have to work to irritate me.