We’ve explored the bestselling lists of the world’s largest bookstore to bring you a selection of their top sellers in historical romance books. These are full of intrigue, adventure passion and romance. They are by some of the leading writers in this genre; authors who have produced many successful books of romantic fiction.
Some writers are represented more than once. Diana Gabaldon, for instance, has three books listed. Although her book covers must be among the dullest to be found in romance novels, readers speak glowingly of her work and buy millions of her books. Readers vote with their purses and wallets and that’s what counts!
Madeline Hunter also has a couple listed, for much the same reason.
You’ll find time travel, the Civil War, Regency Scotland and England, the American Revolution, Gothic romance, and more. There is fun, laughter, whimsy and adventure. The authors are tremendously imaginative.
So, by popular demand, here is our list. Enjoy!
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An Echo In The Bone
- Diana Gabaldon
Gabaldon continues the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall. Much of the action takes place during the American Revolution. Of course, Claire knows that the Americans will win – but at what cost? In the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna’s parents’ story comes to life through Claire’s letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire’s love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas. This novel is available online. You can get it here: An Echo in the Bone
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Beautiful Creatures
- Margaret Stohl
Ethan is struggling to hide his apathy for the local “in” crowd in a small town in South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly “out” Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally–she has been in his nightmares for months). What follows is a smart, modern fantasy – a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret. Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking. This novel is available online. You can get it here: Beautiful Creatures
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Outlander
- Diana Gabaldon
A time-travel romance where strong-willed and sensual Claire Randall leads a double life with a husband in one century, and a lover in another. Torn between fidelity and desire, she struggles to understand the pure intent of her heart. While on her second honeymoon in the British Isles, Claire touches a boulder that hurls her back in time to the forbidden Castle Leoch with the MacKenzie clan. Not understanding the forces that brought her there, she becomes ensnared in life-threatening situations with a Scots warrior named James Fraser. But it isn’t all spies and drudgery that she must endure. For amid her new surroundings and the terrors she faces, she is lured into love and passion like she’s never known before. This novel is available online. You can get it here: Outlander
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The Elusive Bride
- Stephanie Laurens
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens takes a bold turn in this exciting novel. A battle-hardened, completely unstoppable, all-male hero, an ex-officer of the Crown, confronts the deadly enemy known only as the Black Cobra. He’s focused on his mission, then sees a lady he never dreamed he’d see again — with an assassin on her heels. She secretly followed him, unaware her path is deadly — or that she’ll join him to battle a treacherous foe. Through ever-present peril, through passion, desire, and ecstasy, they race to reach England — and their destiny. This novel is available online. You can get it here: The Elusive Bride
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Dark Angel and Lord Carew’s Bride
- Mary Balogh
Two classic tales of love turned dangerous, set amid the splendor of Regency England — a time rife with passion, betrayal, and intrigue.
DARK ANGEL: Jennifer Winwood has been engaged for five years to a man she hardly knows but believes to be honorable and good: Lord Lionel Kersey. Suddenly, she becomes the quarry of London’s most notorious womanizer, Gabriel Fisher, the Earl of Thornhill. Jennifer has no idea that she is just a pawn in the long-simmering feud between these two headstrong, irresistible men—or that she will become a prize more valuable than revenge. LORD CAREW’S BRIDE: Jennifer’s cousin Samantha Newman is smarting after she too is toyed with by Lord Kersey. In the midst of her heartbreak, she seeks solace from her new friend, the disabled gardener Hartley Wade. If only she knew that Hartley is secretly Lord Carew, and that he hides more than extraordinary wealth: a passionate secret held deep in his heart that only her love can reveal. This book is available online. You can get it here: Dark Angel and Lord Carew’s Bride
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Ravishing In Red
- Madeline Hunter
A superbly sexy and entertaining book that is full of danger and desire in Regency England. Audrianna had hoped to clear her father’s name after a scandal caused him to take his life. She arranged to meet a man, ‘Domino’, who held the key to this and took a gun in case she needed protection. However, Lord Sebastian – an official whose accusations of treason drove her father to suicide – turned up and his presence alarmed ‘Domino’ when he, too, arrived. In the confusion, Sebastian is accidentally shot and a scandal threatens to destroy whatever is left of Audrianna’s reputation. She is offered a way out, which is to marry Sebastian. Audrianna is tempted to finish what she started! This novel is available online. You can get it here: Ravishing in Red
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Dragonfly in Amber
- Diana Gabaldon
This sequel to Outlander also deals with the time-traveling romantic adventure of Claire Randall, a 20th-century American who goes to Scotland in search of her 18th-century husband. She met and married in Outlander, the virile Scot Jamie Fraser. She hopes to find a state or time (like that of the title’s dragonfly suspended in a piece of amber) where Fraser still exists. Claire has returned to Inverness, Scotland, with her daughter, Brianna, in the 20th century. This is Claire’s first visit back since she and husband Frank visited 22 years before – when she walked through a Druid stone circle and found herself in the 18th century. Frank is now dead and Claire hopes to learn what happened to the second great love of her life – the adventurous and gallant Jamie Fraser. This novel is available online. You can get it here: Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, Book 2)
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Provocative in Pearls
- Madeline Hunter
After two years, Grayson Bridlington, The Earl of Hawkeswell, has located his missing bride Verity Thompson. Coerced into marrying Hawkeswell by her duplicitous cousin, Verity fled London for the countryside. Now, the couple must make the most of an arranged marriage – even if it means surrendering to their shared desire. Their marriage was arranged, but their desire was not…
Madeline Hunter is the author of a number of other historical romance novels, including the very successful ‘Ravishing In Red’, ‘Sins of Lord Easterbrook’, ‘Secrets of Surrender’, ‘The Seducer’, ‘Stealing Heaven’, and many others. This novel is available online. You can get it here: Provocative in Pearls
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The Truth About Lord Stoneville
- Sabrina Jeffries
In the two decades since a tragic “accident” took the lives of his parents, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has survived the scandal surrounding that fateful night by living as an unrepentant rakehell. And with his grandmother vowing to disinherit him if he doesn’t settle down and wed, he plans to fulfill the bargain in true Sharpe style — by bringing home a fake fiancée from a brothel! But his scheme is derailed when he rescues an American beauty in a dire predicament instead. Maria Butterfield came to London to track down her groom-to-be, who’s gone missing, but her engagement won’t stop Oliver from getting what he wants: her, in his bed. His rebellious masquerade may call his grandmother’s bluff , but it’s soon made all too real – by a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more. This novel is available online. You can get it here: The Truth About Lord Stoneville
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March
- Geraldine Brooks
This clever and intriguing novel makes use of a number of the characters in the famous book ‘Little Women’, by Louisa May Alcott. During the Civil War, their father, Mr. March, becomes a Union Chaplain and is later assigned to a cotton plantation which employs freed slaves. Hi letters home are invariably cheerful but the reader is aware of of his true experiences and feelings. We also see him re-connect with Grace, who is an educated and beautiful slave that he had met years before when he sold goods to the plantations. We learn about his courtship of Marmee, who later provides the narrative from her perspective. She describes her anguished reactions as she uncovers facts about her husband’s life. While March suffers guilt and disillusionement, his little women have grown stronger during his absence. This novel is available online. You can get it here: March
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Lessons in French
- Laura Kinsale
Lady Callista has been jilted three times and has resigned herself to raising cattle. However, an earlier love, Trevelyn, returns from nine years away, and her feelings are rekindled. She is dismayed when her newfound romance is again thwarted when he is convicted of forgery and forced into exile. A fascinating description of history about the era, peppered with romance, suspense and wit. A Regency story that is a perfect blend of drama and farce; an elegant read that is classically romantic. It is a beautiful love story about loyalty and love, friendship and loss from one of the genre’s most admired authors. This novel is available online. You can get it here: Lessons in French
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The Endless Forest
- Sarah Donati
The spring of 1824 is a challenging one for the inhabitants of Paradise N.Y. when a flood devastates the village. But for Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, it’s also a time of reunion as their children return from far-off places: Lily and her husband from Italy, and Martha Kirby, the Bonners’ ward, from Manhattan. Although Lily is nursing her own grief, it is Martha, fleeing a crushing humiliation, who brings with her trouble that will reverberate in all their lives. Their growing bond is threatened when Martha’s mother arrives back in Paradise a decade after abandoning her daughter. Jemima Southern is a dangerous schemer who has destroyed more than one family, and her anger touches everyone, as do her secrets. Has Jemima come to claim her daughter–or does she have something else in mind? Whatever happens, Martha and Daniel and all the Bonners must stand united against the threats to both heart and home. This novel is available online. You can get it here: The Endless Forest
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