Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Would Recommend to Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Romance


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Ten Authors I Would Recommend to Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Fiction



1. Courtney Milan

Milan does not write the traditional historical romance. The heroines do not need saving from some rich lord, because they are smart and capable. Also, there are political issues such as female suffrage in the 1800s. My favorite series of hers so far is Brothers Sinister which starts with the prequel novella The Governess Affair.



2. Sarah MacLean

I have never read a Sarah MacLean novel I have not loved. You can start with either The Rules of Scoundrels series or Love By Numbers. Both contain clever and engaging dialogue with likable heroines and yummy heroes.



3. Julia Quinn

Julia Quinn writes the more traditional historical romance with sweet love stories. However, the Bridgertons series is one of my favorite historical romance series.



4. Lisa Kleypas

Kleypas is another traditional Historical Romance author that is fantastic. I read the The Hathaways series first, but the Wallflowers is actually first chronologically. I know that Devil in Winter, book 3 of the Wallflowers, is on a lot of people's best Historical Romance lists.



5. Mary Balogh

I've read all of Balogh's Bedwyn Saga and some of Huxtable Quintet and have loved all of the books. Balogh is very traditional and gives a more authentic regency feel to her books.



6. Eloisa James

I have only read the first two books in James' fairy-tale retellings series, but I really enjoyed them. Eloisa James is another traditional author, and I know that she comes highly recommended. Her name just showed up in one of my Ilona Andrews books, Clean Sweep!

Steampunk



7. Meljean Brook

Brook is one of my favorite authors period, because she awesomely combines alternate history with Steampunk and romance. I read through her entire Iron Seas series in less than a month, including most of the novellas. I can't recommend Brook enough if you think you might like a little steampunk. Each book in the series concerns a different couple which characters range from a cop, an airship pirate captain, an author and a treasure hunter.



8. Kristen Callihan

Callihan's Darkest London isn't strictly Steampunk; it also has a little bit of Paranormal Romance. The first book Firelight is a Beauty and the Beast retelling which of course I loved.



9. Gail Carriger

Full of tongue-in-cheek British humor, Parasol Protectorate, was one of my first forays into Steampunk and I loved it. She also has a young adult spin-off series, Finishing School, set in the same universe.



10. Bec McMaster

This is a darker series and like Callihan's Darkest London , the London Steampunk is a mix of Steampunk and Paranormal Romance.

Which Books or Authors Do You Recommend?

5 comments:

  1. Hee, I only got around to the Bridgerton books earlier this year after I saw a group of bloggers talking about it on their blogs. I really enjoyed reading The Duke and I, I hope to get around to the other books in the series at some point :) Great list!

    My TTT

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    1. You should definitely check out the rest of the Bridgertons series. Julia Quinn is really consistent, but keeps the stories fresh enough that you don't feel like you're reading the same story over again. Her Belvestoke is also pretty good if you want to check that out too. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I haven't read any of those, I stopped reading historical fiction after high school, but Soulless looks good.

    http://ouachitaya.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-ten-books-id-give-to-reading-who.html

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    1. I don't read it all the time; it's my guilty pleasure/easy break between the heavy fantasy reads. You should definitely check out Soulless if you like British humor or steampunk. Let me know if you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Oooh our lists are so similar :) Definitely need to read Firelight and Eloisa James. Have heard awesome things about both. Great list :)

    Janhvi @ The Readdicts

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You are going to put words in my box?! *squeezes you* Now I shall stalk YOUR blog!