Fill the ‘Bridgerton’ Void: 25 Period Romance Books To Add to Your TBR

It would be wrong to make a period romance list and not include Bridgerton, the certified queen of regency romance novels. In this story, bestselling author Julia Quinn highlights Daphne Bridgerton’s (fake) courtship with the Duke. What better way to fill the Bridgerton void than reading the source material?

Marriage of convenience will always be a favorite trope of mine, and this book does it perfectly. Harriet Lovelock is a mathematician with far bigger problems to worry about than marriage. Thomas Drake could never be tied down to just one woman. By marrying, they’ll be free of their families and independent at last. Surely, that’s all it will ever be, right?

Lady Henrietta Bessborough is a woman in her thirties, and she is having an affair with a younger man. Thankfully, for the married women of the ton, this is normal. Encouraged, even—if you can hide it from your husband. But lines blur when Henrietta starts to question what she truly wants.

In this LGBTQ+ period romance, lifelong best friends Martin and Will are reunited as Will nurses Martin back to health. But as they spend more and more time together, their feelings get harder to deny.

Harriet Lockhart has lived her life defying expectations. She refuses to marry, cushioned by her hefty trust fund. Emily Sergeant wants nothing more than to marry, but has never found the right suitor. When both women set their sights on the same duke, worlds (and tempers) collide. But perhaps their heart’s desires are more aligned than they imagined?

A heartwrenching and culturally diverse regency romance, A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby tells the story of West Indian heiress Patience Jordan as she grapples with the loss of her freedom and her newborn son, who has been placed under the guardianship of Busick Strathmore. Patience will do anything to get close to her son again, even lie and deceive Busick.

A widely celebrated Jane Austen title, Persuasion is a love story tinged with themes of heartbreak and second chances. Tackling themes like vanity and pretension, it is a classic you won’t want to miss.

Violet Arden is a burgeoning painter whose debut as an artist is ruined when a scornful man delivers some withering critiques of her work. She flees London for her cousin’s countryside estate—looking for a break from the limelight—when she comes face to face with the very man responsible for her artistic downfall. Now, they must learn to coexist.

Another beautiful queer period romance, Viola Carrell is a trans woman who—after she was presumed dead—is finally living as her true self. But when grief and loss bring her back home and to her childhood best friend, Justin da Vere, old feelings rise to the surface. But will Viola be able to be honest about who she is?

The first in a duology, Rules for Ruin turns some of period romance’s common themes on its head, featuring an academy on the outskirts of London that trains women to infiltrate and discredit the patriarchy. But when Miss Euphemia Flite’s mission is interrupted by Gabriel Royce, a betting shop owner determined to stop her, the two engage in a battle of wits and … something else.

In this Victorian-inspired, historical romantasy, England is ruled over by an immortal fae queen who tricked her way onto the throne and into society. For the young Ivy Benton, this means she must not only make her marriage market debut, but also undergo a series of complicated trials to win the prince’s hand—and her family’s freedom.

The first book in a five book series, Secrets of a Summer Night features Annabelle Peyton, who must marry a wealthy man to save her family from disaster. Lisa Keyplas is in a league of her own—all of her novels are a must read.

This Victorian, LGBTQ+ period romance features two debutantes who set out to distract themselves from finding a husband by setting up their widowed parents. But when unexpected feelings arise, they will have to confront some surprising truths about each other.

Evie Dunmore is the new certified “it” girl of period romance. Her stories feature strong and independent women. In this case, that’s Annabelle Archer, who has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at University of Oxford. As a champion of the suffrage movement, she needs to recruit men of power to support the cause—namely, Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery.

The first book in a series, The Matrimonial Advertisement follows Helena Reynolds as she tries desperately to escape London. She marries ex-army captain Justin Thornhill for his secluded cliffside estate, but he is anything but a romantic hero. Then, when both their pasts come to light, they must decide how they really feel about one another.

Cecilia Bassingwaite may appear to be the perfect Victorian lady, but in reality, she sneaks around London stealing money and blackmailing her friends. When Ned Lightbourne meets her, he’s instantly smitten. The bad news? He’s been ordered to kill her. Now, he faces a battle of the heart and mind as him and Cecilia grow closer.

Book two in Evie Dunmore’s “A League of Extraordinary Women” series, A Rogue of One’s Own follows Lady Lucie as she faces off with her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine, to control one of London’s most powerful publishing houses. The two butt heads, until their rivalry sparks into something new and unfamiliar.

Transporting readers to the south in the aftermath of the Civil War, Rebel follows the young and fearless Valinda Lucy as she tries to help her recently emancipated community. Her quest for freedom drives her right into the arms of Drake LeVeq, who will do anything to protect the woman he loves.

As a spy for the Union army, Elle Burns is a former slave with a burning sense of justice. Malcolm McCall is a seasoned detective paired with Elle. When they stumble upon a plot that could destroy the Union forever, they’ll do anything to win the war. Even if it means losing each other.

Book one in a gripping romance series set during the Civil War, The Wicked North follows a Southern-born West Point officer who defects from the army in order to protect the woman he loves. When he arrives at her doorstep, neither can ignore the other’s past mistakes. But with the war hanging over their heads, priorities start to shift.

Inspired by the true rags-to-riches story of Arabella Huntington, An American Beauty is a story of grit and determination in the face of poverty and struggle. Throughout the course of the novel, one woman will discover how love can test everything you thought you knew about yourself.

After being abandoned as a child, Josie Smith has learned to survive on her own. She has no family or friends—just her singing voice to guide her. Until Leo Hardy stumbles upon Josie on the street and instantly recognizes her for who she is: the daughter of the Pendeltons, the family who took everything from him. Now, Leo has a chance to settle the score, but as him and Josie grow closer, the pair begin to question what they really want.

Behind the glamor of gilded age New York City, a ballerina and an artisan enter a marriage of convenience. But as buried secrets surface and bodies begin disappearing, the pair begins to learn their relationship may run deeper than they think.

Keira O’Day has adjusted to a life of scraping by in the slums, but when a wealthy widower offers her a chance to be polished up and presented to society as a bride-to-be, she can’t pass it up. She’s paired with the widower’s nephew to learn the rules of the upper class, but when their relationship blossoms into something unexpected, Keira must decide who she truly wants to be.

It’s 1910 in Chicago, and The Davenports are one of the few Black families with immense wealth and status, traversing the marriage scene with their four young (and ambitious) daughters. Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, the novel is a tale of the secret strength and courage of Black women in the face of adversity.