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For the majority of film and TV’s most popular endeavours, the book came first. This is true for Netflix’s wildly romantic, not-so-historically accurate series Bridgerton.
Set in Regency-era London (1811 – 1820), the Shondaland series is based on novels by Julia Quinn which follow the love lives of the eight Bridgerton children - the daughters as soon as they come of age in society, and the sons when it’s deemed time for them to leave rakish behaviour behind. The television series (and book) began with the escapades of the eldest Bridgerton daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and her romance with The Duke (Regé-Jean Page).
Historical inaccuracies like characters smoking cigarettes that hadn’t been popularised yet aside, audiences and readers naturally fell head over heels for the classic, historical romance with its opulent clothing, eye-watering estates, streamy illicit affairs and staunch, regal reputations.
Perhaps most significantly, much of the series’ narrative is framed around an anonymous gossip column known as Lady Whistledown, which has immense power to influence the public perception and acceptance of the pairings-off of well-to-do individuals in high society - something which certainly appeals to our contemporary (and rather problematic) Deux-Moi obsessive sensibilities.
Let it be known that audiences and readers aren’t devouring Regency Romance for its distinctly historically accurate nature. Like modern remakes of novels by Austen and Bronte, we’re merely searching for semi-historical, luxurious escapism. After all, who didn’t once dream of being a princess swept off her feet by a noble suitor, or vice versa?
We’ve curated a selection of the best romantic Regency-era romps to devour. Keep scrolling for ravenous reads.
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The bestseller which reignited the Regency Romance craze, Julia Quinn’s novel is filled to the brim with wonderfully romantic details that the Netflix adaptation failed to include. Whether you’ve seen the television series or not, be sure to tick the beloved beginning to the eight-book collection off your reading list before delving into other options within the genre.
Buy now £6.60, Amazon
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The historical blueprint for all contemporary reimaginings of Regency-era romance, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice offers a true glimpse into love and courtship during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Filled to the brim with acerbic wit, ebullient emotions and wonderfully full characters which you’ll struggle to leave behind, it’s a perennially popular novel by one of the world’s best-loved novelists worth ticking off your reading bucket list.
Buy now £5.99, Amazon
Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby
Godmersham Park is a fictional take on the life of a very real English governess named Anne Sharp, who worked for Edward Austen Knight’s family at the eponymous estate and became a close friend and confidant of Edward’s sister, Jane. Gill Hornby’s delightful yarn sees Anne begin to navigate her complicated position as a teacher to the young Fanny Austen, which is neither quite upstairs nor entirely downstairs – that is, before siblings Henry and Jane come to stay.
Buy now £9.19, Amazon
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Have you ever wondered what on earth happened to the middle sister of the five Bennet girls? Ranging from unlikable and precocious to delightfully demure, the famous sisters who take centre stage in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are married off in various ways – except poor Mary, who is roughly 18 at the beginning of the novel, and her younger sister Kitty. While Kitty is deemed intolerable, Mary is consistently and overtly described as ill-humoured and plain.
Janice Hadlow’s novel shows a different side to the misunderstood Mary, an introvert in a family filled with extroverted characters, who appear unloved and unlovable. But just as all hope is lost, could romance perchance be on the cards for our middling sister?
Buy now £10.11, Amazon
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
Set in 1904 in West Yorkshire, Mrs England follows the life of the latest governess to be hired by a wealthy England family. Ruby May must adapt to life in a rather isolated home, and appears to be doing a fine job, until she discovers something increasingly off about the Lady of Hardcastle House, Mrs England. While not overtly romantic, it’s a brilliant first dip into the world of Gothic fiction.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Though Cecilia Bassingwaite appears to be a fine example of a proper Victorian lady, she’s also a professional thief. The veritable ne'er-do-well finds herself face-to-face with a dashing sometimes assassin named Ned Lightbourne who is tasked with killing her, and whose employer wishes to eradicate all members of the criminal Wisteria Society to which she belongs. Forced to team up with the man out to murder her, Cecilia is determined to save the women who raised her in this slow-burning Romantasy.
Buy now £7.92, Amazon
Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
The newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, Peter Kent, must overturn his rakish reputation if he’s to find a suitable wife and win guardianship of his young half-siblings. He turns to society’s most prim and proper debutante, lady Selina Ravenscroft, for her matchmaking excellence – but when sparks fly, both their best-laid plans go awry.
Buy now £9.19, Amazon
The Masked Baron by Anneka Walker
The first in Walker’s Enchanted Regency series, The Masked Baron is a read for those looking to inject a little bit of Sarah J. Maas-esque fantasy into their Regency romances. Protagonist Andalin is told by her father to pack her things before being whisked away on a mysterious, tumultuous journey under cover of night.
The pair quickly find themselves in great peril within the depths of the Black Forest until a deadly highwayman known only as the Dark Rider spares them. His generosity doesn’t come without a price, and the Dark Rider takes Andalin with him as payment.
Buy now £15.98, Amazon
