Books like The Wolfe — picked by fans

I felt Julie Garwood balanced this story brilliantly with a great mix of poignancy and suspense. However, what I loved most was the witty banter between the heroine (Jamie) and the hero (Alec).

Alec Kincade is a Scott who needs to marry an English bride. Jamie was a perfect foil for his gruffness, and she was so loveable and, at times, rather quirky, and there were many times my heart broke for her as her relationship developed with Alec.

Thankfully, as a romance, Julie Garwood delivered on the understood promise of a happy-ever-after ending!

I read this decades ago, and the emotion has stayed with me.

It was written so many decades ago; it’s a book that feminists would rail against today because Aislinn (the heroine) “belongs” to the hero Wulfgar. Yet as much as we, in the Western world, wouldn’t stand for that today, this was the reality in medieval times when women in England and Europe didn’t have the rights and freedoms enjoyed there today. 

We might even say that there’s a touch of "Stockholm Syndrome" in this book, yet the emotion is so well written, it’s believable that captor and "slave" do fall for each other and that Aislinn will fall hard for this sexy warrior! Having said all that, I’m very pleased I don’t live in those times!

I’ve enjoyed every Johanna Lindsey book I’ve read, so it’s unsurprising this made my list!

This novel is set in 1192, and I loved that Reina is a very strong heroine in an age where women were generally downtrodden and devoid of legal rights. Her father was forward-thinking as he’s ensured she can choose her own husband, and he’s left capable Reina in charge to defend his people and his keep, which she is serious about defending.

The hero, Ranulf, is quite an ill-mannered boor, but I loved how he changed for his sassy, strong, and independent heroine. It was hilarious that he visits the local whore for lessons in lovemaking! (That alone made this book memorable!) It’s a true love story.

Having attended jousting tournaments with my husband and children when we were travelling in the UK, I particularly liked the portrayal of the jousting tournaments.

Holly - the fairest woman in all of England - is the "prize" in a tournament, but doesn’t want her beauty to be her appeal, so she disguises herself. She’s surprised when the hero, Sir Austyn, is pleased with his "plain" bride.

Teresa Medeiras has woven a lot of trickery, lies, and deceit into this story. It builds up the action. I liked the way I was able to empathise with the characters and understand how they’ve suffered.

As a writer, I’m told - the greater the obstacles and the higher the stakes, the sweeter the attainment of the goals. Medeiras delivers!

A heart-tugger ‘secret baby’ medieval romance, featuring a ruthless mercenary assassin and another heroine disguising herself, this time as a widow to protect her illegitimate daughter. When the brooding Scot appears—with the goal of murdering her father no less—our heroine can no longer hide. There’s a whole lot of dark alpha warrior deliciousness going on, and chemistry that had me cheering for a happy ending. 

The prose of this classic novel can be a little sticky to our 21st-century sensibilities, but in all other ways, Scott is a modern writer, addressing the issues of anti-Semitism and the corruption of the Church at a time when those things weren’t cool. Plus, we have another awesome warrior-hero in Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe and jousting to boot. Who doesn’t love a good tourney? My daughter and I hit the Renaissance Faires every year just to see men pretend to stab each other from horseback with long sticks. The plotting of this book is simply perfection—they just don’t write them like this anymore. It’s a hero’s tale with a big dollop of romance—my favorite.

Grab your hanky for this bittersweet medieval romance featuring a heroine loved by two noble brothers. When her betrothed dies, Rona follows a trail of scrolls he left behind, designed to bring her together with the brother who was a rival for her affection. Colmac put aside his own feelings to allow his sibling to find happiness, but his deceased brother’s actions allow him a second chance at love. A story of redemption and forgiveness with all the feels. 

I loved the compelling story of Moira, the fierce, sword-wielding oldest daughter of the recently slain Scottish clan chief who had to summon the strength to lead her people.

Her prisoner—the enemy—was the last man she should have fallen for, but her love for him went beyond all reason. He spoke to her in dreams and told her that she was his destiny.

Farlan, the mighty warrior captured during battle and tortured as a prisoner, fell for Moira, the fesity maid with a blade who was his equal in every respect.

With vivid characters, breathtaking descriptions of Scotland's savage beauty, and a gripping tale of love triumphing over hate, this powerful novel stirred my very soul.

If you’ve ever dreamed of the proverbial knight in shining armor who will protect and save you (and who hasn’t?), this epic medieval tale shows where the idea came from. Lancelot is the perfect knight who must rescue his kidnapped beloved, Queen Guinevere, and off to battle he goes. But Queen Guinevere is married to King Arthur, an inconvenient fact that isn’t a problem in this story. Being crazy in love with your majesty’s wife was not a big moral problem in the twelfth century, apparently. In fact, they ate it up.

When he finds her, he overcomes the villain and is rewarded by having hot sex all night with her, which both lovers desire. I love that Guinevere is an equally passionate lover, not an idealized pure-minded maiden.

When I first came across this story by William Morris, I didn’t think it was Victorian at all. The language and tone are archaically medieval, as are the plot points involving daggers and dwarves. And yet Morris was very much a nineteenth-century writer insofar as he shared that period’s interest in foreign times and places, including the historical past.

While Thackeray liked the eighteenth century, Morris was obsessed with the Middle Ages, and this book represents an attempt to adapt the style and spirit of chivalric romances to the form of the modern novel. The resulting work, by turns dreamy and gripping, set the template for future novels of “fantasy” (such as The Lord of the Rings), and still provides a fascinating way of escaping to—and from—the nineteenth century.