There’s no escape for the imagination like a good historical romance novel… and our library has plenty! They are great for light vacation reads in the summer, so now is a good time to check these out. Here are some great reads to get started in the romance genre.
Julia Quinn has started a new series featuring the Rokesby family in the late 1700s. In her most recent book, The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband, Cecilia Harcourt arrives in New York from England during the Revolutionary War. She is seeking her brother, who is a soldier fighting in the war and has disappeared with no trace. Cecilia has been interested in her brother’s best friend, Edward Rokesby, for quite some time, even though they only know one another through letters which sometimes take five weeks to cross the Atlantic between England and America. I adore Cecilia’s strength and sincerity, and the love story between Cecilia and Edward just makes me smile. Julia Quinn has a light and engaging style, and shows a playful sense of humor throughout the book. If you like this one, the other Rokesby book is called Because of Miss Bridgerton. And it looks like there are more to come!
The third book in Sarah MacLean’s Scandal & Scoundrel series, The Day of the Duchess, features Seraphina, the eldest of five sisters who is married to Malcolm, the Duke of Haven. The couple has been separated for the past several years, and we first see Seraphina in the House of Lords, petitioning Parliament for a divorce. That’s the scandal part! As the plot unfolds, we see what circumstances have separated Sera and Malcolm, and how their pride continues to keep them apart. I particularly enjoyed the chapter headings, which are headlines from nineteenth-century gossip rags, and the liveliness of Seraphina’s sisters adds a lot of energy to the plot. If you want to try others in the series, which are equally enjoyable, look for The Rogue Not Taken and A Scot in the Dark.
Victoria Alexander launches a new series with The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen. Set in England and France in 1889, our heroine is India Prendergast, who works as the personal secretary to a scientist and inventor and is determined to find out whether the newly-formed Lady Travelers Society is legitimate, or whether it exists to prey on the finances of elderly ladies. She is especially concerned because her Aunt Guinevere, traveling under the auspices of the Society, has stopped writing letters and nobody seems to know where she is. Derek Saunders, the nephew of one of the Society’s founders, takes it on himself to travel to Paris to track down Aunt Guinevere. But India can’t possibly let him go alone! She has to be there to make sure everything is done in the right way! The historical details are especially interesting, as India and Derek are in Paris during the 1889 World Exposition. This novel has a complicated plot that is very entertaining. If you like this one, the second installment comes out in November. Check out our Romance collection later this year!
