Here are 13 books that Maiden Lane fans have personally recommended once you finish the Maiden Lane series.
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Iâve always had a passion for wounded heroes and strong heroines. My earliest memories are reading books where the heroine saves the day. Iâve never wanted the heroine to need the hero in order to make her life complete. Even as a child, when my dad read me books at nightâone of my favorite memoriesâI preferred stories where the heroine saved the day. As an adult, Iâve loved to read stories where the hero is brave enough to show his vulnerable side, and when I decided to become a writer, those were the books I wanted to write.
I adored this book! This is what happens if all of the characters from Jane Austenâs books got together for a house party, and one of them murders Mr. Wickham, a universally despised character.
The mystery reminds me of Agatha Christieâs mysteries, and the multiple character POVâs are terrific! Plus, the relatively modern twist of empowering the young (and slightly odd) characters was fantastic to watch.
A summer house party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Jane Austen's Mr. Wickhamâone of literatureâs most notorious villainsâmeets a sudden and suspicious end in this brilliantly imagined mystery featuring Austenâs leading literary characters.
âHad Jane Austen sat down to write a country house murder mystery, this is exactly the book she would have written.â âAlexander McCall Smith
     The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintancesâcharacters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an evenâŚ
Iâve always had a passion for wounded heroes and strong heroines. My earliest memories are reading books where the heroine saves the day. Iâve never wanted the heroine to need the hero in order to make her life complete. Even as a child, when my dad read me books at nightâone of my favorite memoriesâI preferred stories where the heroine saved the day. As an adult, Iâve loved to read stories where the hero is brave enough to show his vulnerable side, and when I decided to become a writer, those were the books I wanted to write.
I loved the dual time-line mystery. It features so many strong women who overcome their circumstancesâeven when they donât realize theyâre doing itâand the character development is superb. The New York Public Library comes alive, the mystery is twisty and not what it seems, and the characters are unique and memorable.
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick and a New York Times bestseller!  âA page-turner for booklovers everywhere! . . . A story of family ties, their lost dreams, and the redemption that comes from discovering truth.ââAdriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker's WifeÂ
In New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis's latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.
It's 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn't ask for more out of lifeâher husband is the superintendent of the NewâŚ
Iâve always had a passion for wounded heroes and strong heroines. My earliest memories are reading books where the heroine saves the day. Iâve never wanted the heroine to need the hero in order to make her life complete. Even as a child, when my dad read me books at nightâone of my favorite memoriesâI preferred stories where the heroine saved the day. As an adult, Iâve loved to read stories where the hero is brave enough to show his vulnerable side, and when I decided to become a writer, those were the books I wanted to write.
Another wounded hero book, but Iâm choosing this one because not only is it one of my favorites from the series, but Lynn Kurland packs so much emotion into every page that I cry and laugh and live the book while Iâm reading it and long after.
Itâs time travel (but they always seem to bring chocolate with them âş ) and the love is so strong. Her stories are like catnip.
From Lynn Kurland, the New York Times bestselling author of the Nine Kingdom series.
Set near the Scottish border at a rugged castle on the edge of the sea, this is the story of a courageous lord who lost everything he held dear. Of a strong young woman willing to sacrifice everything for happiness. Two lost souls who find in each other a reason to live again, to laugh again, and to love for the first time...
Iâve been writing historical romance novels and novellas for over ten years now and have read extensively from this genre during that time. Iâm currently working on my 42nd book where a governess in her mid-thirties finds love with her wealthy boss. Writing romance may seem easy, but it actually requires a lot of research and poses the challenge of being dependent on the gradual emotional development of two protagonists whose journeys intertwine. As a former editor of mine once put it, there are a lot of gears in motion, all of which have to work smoothly together. The stories Iâve chosen to mention are excellent examples of this. I hope youâll enjoy each one.
It isnât easy breaking through as an author these days, especially not in a genre thatâs as competitive as the historical romance genre has become. Bethany Bennett entered the scene last year with a novel thatâs not only memorable, but which contains a plot and characterization that easily match those of more seasoned authors. Her sequel, West End Earl, is even better and proves sheâll excel, so this is a new to me author whose career I look forward to following in the coming years.
He ruined her reputation-now he's the only one who can save it
For exactly one season, Lady Charlotte Wentworth played the biddable female the ton expected-and all it got her was society's mockery and derision. Now she's determined to be in charge of her own future. So when an unwanted suitor tries to manipulate her into an engagement, she has a plan. He can't claim to be her fiance if she's engaged to someone else. Even if it means asking for help from the last man she would ever marry.
Ethan, Viscount Amesbury, made a lot of mistakes, but theâŚ
Iâve been writing historical romance novels and novellas for over ten years now and have read extensively from this genre during that time. Iâm currently working on my 42nd book where a governess in her mid-thirties finds love with her wealthy boss. Writing romance may seem easy, but it actually requires a lot of research and poses the challenge of being dependent on the gradual emotional development of two protagonists whose journeys intertwine. As a former editor of mine once put it, there are a lot of gears in motion, all of which have to work smoothly together. The stories Iâve chosen to mention are excellent examples of this. I hope youâll enjoy each one.
This book immediately stood out to me for a couple of reasons: the setting was vividly described, the characters engaged in simple everyday tasks that not only added depth but helped paint a picture of the era, and the author managed to make this story extremely sexy without explicit lovemaking scenes. I stopped writing explicit scenes years ago and have since aimed for a more sensual tone, which actually poses a much bigger challenge. So Iâm always interested to see how other authors (of which Iâve encountered only a few), tackle such scenes in a more suggestive manner while still conveying the passion between the hero and heroine successfully. This book is an excellent example of how less truly can be more.
Reeling from the death of her parents, eldest daughter Octavia strives to be a source of strength for her sisters. She defies their grandfatherâs high-handed meddlingâand his desire to see the Staunton girls married. She forges her own path to independence, which leads to the gates of Caswell Hall. There, the governess has just quit her post, leaving a vacant spot in the local lordâs household.
Simon, Viscount Althorne, is impressed by the sensible, dark-haired beauty, and hires her to teach his wayward young niece. He resents the loss of his carefree bachelor days, and longs to see the childâŚ
Iâve been writing historical romance novels and novellas for over ten years now and have read extensively from this genre during that time. Iâm currently working on my 42nd book where a governess in her mid-thirties finds love with her wealthy boss. Writing romance may seem easy, but it actually requires a lot of research and poses the challenge of being dependent on the gradual emotional development of two protagonists whose journeys intertwine. As a former editor of mine once put it, there are a lot of gears in motion, all of which have to work smoothly together. The stories Iâve chosen to mention are excellent examples of this. I hope youâll enjoy each one.
I think this was the first historical romance I read where the hero had a disability, which added great depth of character. It was also the first historical romance I read where the hero had a medical profession. This subject matter â medicine during the early to mid 19th Century â piqued my interest so greatly Iâve since written several novels in which the hero or heroine is medically trained. Iâm especially keen on challenging various misconceptions relating to medicinal practices during this period, like the fact that hand washing is still being credited to Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) even though William Buchan (1729-1805) wrote about the importance of it nearly 100 years earlier in his book titled, Domestic Medicine. Just one of those things that gets my goatâŚ
âEloisa Jamesâs writing is absolutely exquisite.â âNew York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros
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âNothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.â
âNew York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn
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A wonderful spin on a much-beloved fairy tale, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa Jamesâs When Beauty Tamed the Beast is heart-soaring and fun historical romance at its finest.
Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.
Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone heâŚ
Iâve been writing historical romance novels and novellas for over ten years now and have read extensively from this genre during that time. Iâm currently working on my 42nd book where a governess in her mid-thirties finds love with her wealthy boss. Writing romance may seem easy, but it actually requires a lot of research and poses the challenge of being dependent on the gradual emotional development of two protagonists whose journeys intertwine. As a former editor of mine once put it, there are a lot of gears in motion, all of which have to work smoothly together. The stories Iâve chosen to mention are excellent examples of this. I hope youâll enjoy each one.
This is the book that kick-started my career! Before walking into a small bookstore in Ghana and picking up this particular novel, I had no idea Regency romance was even a genre. Not only did I find this story engaging, but it was also filled with humor and written in a style that made me crave more. Until that point, I had attempted to write a historical fiction novel (which remains unfinished until this day). As soon as I was done with Romancing Mister Bridgerton I thought, this is the kind of story I want to write. Low and behold, Iâm now working on my 42nd Regency romance book!
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, in the fourth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
COLIN AND PENELOPE'S STORY
Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn't know himâŚ
I grew up without a TV (well, we had a monitor for movies), so we spent a lot of time as a family reading. And the novels that I gravitated more and more towards were ones with psychological themes. It didnât matter if they were modern or ancient; if they got at something unexplainable (or even explainable) about the human psyche, about what motivates us to behave in the ways that we doâespecially if those behaviors are self-destructiveâI wanted to read them. And I still do.
I know itâs a bit clichĂŠ, but I can never stop myself from talking about my favorite novel of all timeâJane Eyre.
Not only does Janeâs voice sweep me off my feet every time I reopen the novel, but the novel itself always gets me thinking. Itâs one of those rare books that somehow contains every genre, and does it well.
I get sucked into the mystery of the noises in Rochesterâs house. My heart breaks when Janeâs only friend, Helen, dies. But most of all, I feel the romance, the chemistry between Mr. Rochester and Jane. All of it keeps me coming back for more.
Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College.
Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage.
She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester.
I grew up reading nothing but mystery novels, which is why when I discovered romance, I found the ones I liked the best had a bit of intrigue to them. As Alyson Chase, I write Regency romances I like to read: full of adventure and mystery, deep emotional connections, and, yes, quite a bit naughty. Character is the most important thing to me, whether as a writer or reader, and the books on this list are full of characters you canât help but fall in love with.
Elizabeth Hoyt was the first historical romance writer I read, and she hooked me on the genre. The Raven Prince is probably my favorite of hers. I love how the meet-cute is actually more of a meet-hate, and how Anna pursues her own happiness with guts and determination, even when Edward has his head firmly planted where the sun donât shine. This book is also notable for the fact the hero has noticeable scars that to the casual eye might make him unattractive. There is a realism to the couple that you donât find in a lot of historical romances. Definitely a top pick.
There comes a time in a woman's life when she must do the unthinkable - and find employment. For the widowed Anna Wren, that means taking a job as female secretary for the Earl of Swartingham. Secretaries are always male - never female - as Anna well knows but the real downfall of her career is the realisation that she is falling in love with Edward de Raaf - the Earl. But when she realises that he is going to visit a brothel in London to take care of his 'manly' desires, Anna sees red - and decides to takeâŚ
I grew up reading nothing but mystery novels, which is why when I discovered romance, I found the ones I liked the best had a bit of intrigue to them. As Alyson Chase, I write Regency romances I like to read: full of adventure and mystery, deep emotional connections, and, yes, quite a bit naughty. Character is the most important thing to me, whether as a writer or reader, and the books on this list are full of characters you canât help but fall in love with.
This book has everything. Spies and intrigue. Friendship and family. And some spanking, sexy good times. There is a lightness to the book, a sweetness along with the steam that had me immediately buying the rest in the series. I loved how even though Mary tried her hardest to go unnoticed, Rex saw through her façade to the complex woman underneath. And I had to laugh when Rex rushes to Maryâs rescue only to find she and one of her friends have already taken down the bad guy. His disbelief was priceless. A thoroughly charming and spicy read.
A traitor. A courtship. A scandalous Season. In the race against time, will this pair reach the altar or the traitor first?
In the service of England's spymaster (well, his niece, but surely he'll appreciate the help), Miss Mary Wilson is on a mission to uncover a treasonous plot. Though her only clue leads to the debaucherous secret society of the Marquess of Hartford, a lifetime of being overlooked should ensure her access to all of the gossip her assignment will require. There's just one problem: Mary is due to find a husband this Season and her Aunt Elizabeth, theâŚ
