Why It’s Always Thrilling To Read A Historical Romance Book Series


If you’ve read a historical romance book series in the past, chances are you remember how thrilling the experience was. Going through each book in the series gives the reader a close familiarity not only with the characters but also with the historical period depicted. 

In this article, let’s discover why reading several volumes of historical romance could be your best reading experience yet:

Why Historical Romance Novels Hook Readers

A Taste Of Fact and Fiction

Though still considered a broad category of fiction, historical romance novels have an abundant mixture of truth and fact in them! While the plot and the characters are still figments of the author’s imagination, the setting and backdrop around them are real. 


They Provide A Window To Past Cultures and Customs

Period-based novels allow the reader to take a closer look at the past and see how people lived and viewed the world. There’s something evocative about the past that causes us to look at it through rose-colored lenses. Add the romantic aspect to all these and the pleasant mental journey is complete.


Empathy With Characters

Heroes and heroines in historical romance novels belonged in a different period. But it is easy to mentally “bond” with them because they mirror the reader’s present struggles and conflict. 


One commonly occurring theme in these novels is love, either forbidden, unrequited, or unfulfilled. Love is a theme that modern readers can relate to, even if the lovestruck character “lived” some 200 years ago. 


Powerful Conflict and Storylines

Stronger conflict is emphasized if contrasted with present circumstances. For example, reading about lovers in a time of war has an instant ring of interest to it. The reason for this is the conflict that surrounds them. Such believable conflict couldn’t be depicted in a modern romance story in a time of peace. 


The greater the conflict, the more we want to find out how it resolves. Conflict resolution causes the reader to hold on to every word and every page. When this happens, days of reading an entire series of books usually feel only like a few hours or minutes.


How To Find Good Historical Romance Novels

It is always good to start looking for romance novels in a historical period you’re interested in. Some popular periods to check out are: 


  • Ancient world
  • Medieval
  • Renaissance
  • Baroque

This will give you a wide variety of books to choose from. But to make your search more specific, you can drill it down to a specific setting and era. Here are some ideas:

  • 17th century France
  • American Revolutionary Period
  • Ancient China during the Qin dynasty

Need examples? Les Miserables, though a political and social commentary in many aspects, can also be considered a classic example of a historical romance book series. 


Today, readers almost exclusively refer to “historical romance books” as fictional love stories. And this definition is not wrong. Works such as Girl Meets Duke, Bridgerton, and Outlander are all good examples of a historical romance book series.