I get it. We're in the middle of a trend, and I for one would never talk anybody out of reading romance or erotica. In fact it's been amusing, yes? Fielding requests for books from folks who behave as is these kinds of stories haven't been filling up bookshelves for years.
The playful part of me wants to recommend all seekers of more, erm, graphic, stories, pick up a copy of The Flame and the Flower. Now that was submission the old fashioned way: trapped on a ship with a handsome captain who thought the pretty lady was on board for his pleasure. Literally. How about Whitney, My Love? You don't get spanking until you've read that one.
Historical romance is currently kinder and gentler, most of the time, and before my point gets away from me in a gleeful explosion of all the possible books we could suggest to newly-formed erotica fans, I present to you a list of current historicals that serve up love the way we like it: in a gown, on a horse, in a garden without a chaperone.
So if you've been having trouble finding these kinds of books in the midst of the black-covered, male-accoutrement covers, look no further.
Bedding Lord Ned is the sort of romance designed to make you sigh and laugh and covet red silk underweart. Very few romantic stories are as fulfilling as the tale of the overlooked girl getting a second chance with the clueles fellow she fancies, and Sally MacKenzie enrichens the journey with poignant backstories, feisty matchmakers, and a cat who seems to have everyone's number.
A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet Series #2) If you've never enjoyed a book by Julia Quinn, then you're probably not reading this blog. This second installment in JQ's Smythe-Smith series finds our intrepid hero Daniel becoming enchanted by a governess. Ding! Ding! Ding! It's a governess story. Who can resist that? And Anne Wynter is more than up to the task of corralling three ladies into good behavior: she has dealt with far worse things in her life, and is hoping they remain memories. Daniel's got a few dark edges, but at core he's sweet and capable of unflappable love. There's a place in romantic literature for a well-intentioned hero, as Mr. Smythe-Smith proves.
Sometimes it takes a commoner to imbue a book with a sense of practicality, realism, and bracing conflict. Starlight's Polly Gowan is the daughter of a union leader, a woman as comfortable in a pub as she is around her fellow working class citizens: male or female. A Lord with an inheritance doesn't make her weak in the knees. Far from it. Sir Alex Christie is contending with the terms of his late father's will (as we know from Carrie Lofty's Flawless.) He's unfamiliar with managing cotton mills or the Scottish terrain, but Polly is there to guide him in all things, including navigating the unmistakable attraction between them. Not all heroines need be submissive and easily influenced to be entertaining. Polly embodies the perfectly capable modern woman (as depicted in historical romances.) And Alex is properly flummoxed by this red-haired beauty. A cross-class love story is at it's best with wit and flirtation, and Starlight has both, in abundance.
Lady Amelia's Mess and a Half is a tale of broken hearts and irrevocably damaging misunderstandings delivered in a frothy, fun package. The situation alluded to in the title is caused when Amelia Hartley allows herself to be manipulated into marrying the best friend of her true love, and we all know that never ends well. For one thing, it's very hard to regain the trust of your true love. Another thing: having a dead husband in a historical romance is never really a guarantee of one's widowhood - deceased spouses have a nasty habit of reappearing. I'm not saying this is what happens in this book. But the path to Amelia's happy ending with her Jake Hillary is not an easy one.
These aren't the only historical romances worthy of your attention, though. Karen Hawkins and Elizabeth Boyle have new books out, The Taming of a Scottish Princess and Along Came a Duke (Rhymes with Love Series #1) , respecitively. And next month the crafty Noirot sisters are back in Loretta Chases' second Dressmakers story, Scandal Wears Satin.
And this concludes my effort to bring a few titles to the attention of those of you who, like me, might be a bit befuddled by all the fuss over a little rough handling and enigmatic businessmen. After all, dukes have been gobsmacking heroines for years. Just ask poor Whitney.
What historical romance would you recommend to fans of Fifty Shades of Grey?
Melanie Murray is a writer and editor, and the moderator of Romantic Reads, BN.com's all-romance, all-the-time community forum. You can follow her on Twitter at @Melanie_Murray and get all the latest Barnes & Noble book news from @BNBuzz.
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