Regency Era Novels discussion

I'm interested in recommendations for traditional Regencies out the last few years. Kindle-friendly preferred! The more like Heyer the better. Any suggestions for authors?

Alicia wrote: "I'm interested in recommendations for traditional Regencies out the last few years. Kindle-friendly preferred! The more like Heyer the better. Any suggestions for authors?"

Try Donna Hatch and Suzanne Allain. I've read one of Donna's (The Stranger She Married), which I LOVED, and one of Suzanne's (Mr. Malcolm's List), which was quite funny.

I write Regencies more along the lines of traditional Regencies but I wouldn't dare compare myself to Heyer. :O)

My mom recommends Candice Hern, Kate Noble, and Mary Balogh (she reads a lot more Regencies than I do). And she likes my traditional Regency, but I wouldn't put myself in Heyer's league either. :)

Candice Hern
Kate Noble
Mary Balogh

I likeCarla Kelly for traditionals with Jo Beverley andMary Baloghfor a little warmer reads.

Thanks for the recs! I know some of those books, but Donna Hatch is new to me and Allain too. I'm off to get them!

I wonder what we mean when we say "traditional Regency". I think I mean something about the "feel" of it, that it has a social element that takes into account this special world.
Do you think the "traditional" is a setting thing-- that it has to take place in England? London or a village maybe?

I'm trying to imagine a Regency set in Manchester. Or Edinburgh. Hmm. I can certainly imagine (and have written) a Regency set in a village, but a non-London city? (Well, Bath, Brighton, maybe? But not Birmingham.)

Do you all think "traditional" would mean "no sex,"or "no explicit sex," or is that not important?

BTW, I decided to start an author blog just to sort of chronicle the questions and problems I have as I write the next Regency. I don't know whether it will be of any interest to anyone but me! :)
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Alicia

Alicia wrote: "Do you think the "traditional" is a setting thing-- that it has to take place in England? London or a village maybe? Do you all think "traditional" would mean "no sex,"or "no explicit sex," or is that not important?"

To me the word traditional has less to do with location and more to do with how much detail is in the sex. (I know that's not the only consideration, but that's what I think of when I hear the word.) The authors I recommended here leave out the sexual details, which is probably more why I consider them traditional.

I've devoured hundreds of the older Regency lines (Signet, Zebra, Harlequin, Walker, Avon, Fawcett...) and while not all were squeaky clean as far as sexual detail goes, I'd say at least 95% were. A few were set in France, some in Scotland, many in country settings or small cities/towns outside of London, but the vast majority left out the sexual details.

My Regencies don't have the sexual details but they aren't sweet. I consider them traditional in the sense that the sex is "closed door" or at least "lights out" but I think some would disagree. I tend to touch on some ugly subject matters that aren't usually mentioned in the older Regencies.

I'm following your blog now, Alicia. Oh, and I recommend you join the Traditional Regency Romance Aficionados group here on Goodreads (if you haven't already). It's a small group of fans of traditional Regencies and I think you'd really enjoy the discussions there. :O)

Alicia, I found this article last week on the RWA chapter for Regency authors, The Beau Monde, in which Cheryl Bolen talks about your question. As Jaimey said, it's more about sex scenes (or lack of) than setting.
I'll check out your blog and thanks, Jaimey, for the group recommendation. Also curious what you define as the difference between sweet and traditional? Is it the subject matter you mention? Thanks and all best to you both in your writing and the new year. :)

Alicia, when you ask about a 'traditional' Regency novel, does it necessarily have to have a strong romantic theme? Or could it have a more adventurous/historical theme, with a romantic undercurrent? And would you be interested in reading a Regency novel where the romance in question was not the main theme? Thanks in advance.

I just found out about this and wanted to pass it on....Signet is re-releasing a whole bunch of their sweet traditional Regency Historical Romances in digital format. Here is the Signet website but they're all also available through Amazon for Kindle and B&N for Nook

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Search/...

Happy reading!

Ahhh shucks, Jaimey, thanks for the recommendation.

In addition to those you have listed, I really like Sarah M. Eden, Rhonda Woodward, and Barbara Metzger. They are all on the sweeter side of romance. April Kihlstrom has come highly recommended but I haven't read her yet. She has sweet books through Signet, too.

Candice Hern's earlier Signet books were all sweet, but warning: her newer ones are quite hot.

If you don't mind a fairly warm sex scene, Julia Quinn is fabulous and funny.

A couple of reviewers compared my writing style to that of GH, but that's a stretch IMO. However, please try Donna Hatch and Alyssa Everett. Alyssa is a crit partner of mine and she writes traditionals for Carina. Sharp, poignant and with a great grasp of the era. I think she might appeal to you.

"Traditional" is a loaded word since it means something different to almost anyone. Mary Balogh wrote traditional, but had sex in her books. Other traditional authors went for sweeter Regencies.

To me, the word is more a note that the Regency era takes center stage--it's the era even more than the romance that is highlighted. To me the best traditional Regencies are soaked in the time and place and the characters fit that world. That's what I always tried to do with my Regencies. And I plan to write more of them now that it's possible to do that with ebooks.

Shannon wrote: ""Traditional" is a loaded word since it means something different to almost anyone. Mary Balogh wrote traditional, but had sex in her books. Other traditional authors went for sweeter Regencies.

T..."

Thanks for your comment, Shannon. Very helpful. My next book is very different from previous ones (fiction rather than non-fiction) and it's set in the Regency era. I clearly have a different group of readers for this book, and I'm trying to get to know them. The Regency era definitely takes center stage, with the romance being ever present, but much more subtle.

Do keep in mind that there's historical fiction -- that's really where the romance (if there is one) takes a back seat.

A Traditional Regency romance is still a romance, meaning the romance is the main plot. But I think the era is much more a character in such books.

Shannon wrote: "Do keep in mind that there's historical fiction -- that's really where the romance (if there is one) takes a back seat.

A Traditional Regency romance is still a romance, meaning the romance is the..."

I've been thinking of it more as historical fiction set in the Regency era with a strong romantic undercurrent.

You might check out the Historical Novel Society -- they do a lot of reviews of historical novels.

http://historicalnovelsociety.org/rev...

A lot of the idea of genre is very new -- Georgette Heyer wrote novels. That was it. These days folks put her in Regency romances, and I think she'd be horrified by that.

I think GH would spit tacks about being called a romance writer. She was embarrassed with the success of her romances and could never take them seriously. 'Traditional' for many years meant subtle, character-driven stories without a lot of sex - not necessarily none - but the tension was often terrific.

Then we got Regency historicals - which is what Avon ones are. Dripping with sex and some, with black drama. Personally I love dark drama but I'm not a fan of sex while under fire. How in hell do you stop for a snog when there's a man with a rapier behind you? And many of the parameters get smudged.

I think now anything goes and forget the subgenres. I said Alyssa's were traditional because my feeling is that she GETS HER FACTS RIGHT and doesn't slither around them. And she has a light hand with the comedy a la Heyer. Of course you have to know your era to understand the comedy.

But this hoary old trad v R. historicals has been going on for ten years now. All we need to know is what WE like!

All we need to know is what WE like!

I 99% agree with this. To me the only use for a genre description is to help me talk with other people about what I do or don't like. Personally I prefer Traditionals, but I like some of the more modern authors too.

Personal silly pet hate - authors who don't know how their heroes/heroine would have dressed and manage to forget things like corsets, stays and the like in a naked scene... :D I think that's one of the reasons I like traditional-style historical romances is that I have actually studied the period and so I like to have it 'right'. Georgette Heyer will always be my gold standard... I'll have a look at my Calibre library for who else I have that is traditional, although most of what I have there is "Well it was free on Amazon". All the rest of my books have been skulking in the loft since I got married since we have no space for ANYTHING here at the moment (damn you renovations!).

EDIT: Marion Chesney is one I 'found' as an undergrad haunting second hand bookshops.

Tahir wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Do keep in mind that there's historical fiction -- that's really where the romance (if there is one) takes a back seat.

A Traditional Regency romance is still a romance, meaning th..."

Many thanks for that link!

Emy wrote: "All we need to know is what WE like!

I 99% agree with this. To me the only use for a genre description is to help me talk with other people about what I do or don't like. Personally I prefer Trad..."

I love Marion Chesney! Her portrayals of people are spot on for being selfish, crude and snobby with the occasional redeeming quality. The backgrounds are consistent with the period. I hate revisionist romances, where authors go back in time and make their heroes and heroines politically correct and hip.

I just read a terrific traditional Regency, "Reforming Lord Ragsdale" by Carla Kelly. It has been out of print for years but was just released for Kindle. I recommend it highly.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Felicia wrote: "I just read a terrific traditional Regency, "Reforming Lord Ragsdale" by Carla Kelly. It has been out of print for years but was just released for Kindle. I recommend it highly.

Ditto that, Felicia. Reforming Lord Ragsdale is one of the best novels, of any genre, that I've read.

I wish I could remember if I've read "Reforming Lord Ragsdale" before. I know I've read the description, but I don't think I've actually opened up the book. I'll have to fix that soon.

My absolute favorite Carla Kelly book was "The Wedding Journey".

I loved Reforming Lord Ragsdale! I also loved Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand.

Camy wrote: "I loved Reforming Lord Ragsdale! I also loved Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand."

I'd really like to read that, but it's not available for Kindle, so I've put it off. Really addicted to ebooks now!

I know, me too! I love that so many of the authors are putting out their backlist on ebook. I got the few titles of Regina Scott in ebook that I hadn't yet gotten in mass market paperback.

Carla Kelly is slowly putting out her backlist in ebook, so I think that Mrs. Drew will be released soon in ebook!

I just went to Carla Kelly's blog and on the sidebar it says:
MRS. DREW PLAYS HER HAND, COMING IN SEPTEMBER
DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE, COMING IN JULY

YAY!!!!!!!!

Today I blogged at Vanessa Kelly's site about "Sweet Regencies Return." Many current authors are named and linked.
http://vanessakellyauthor.com/guest-a...

This blog is about traditional regencies and a new one coming out:
No Sex Please, Jane Austen's In The Room

Shereen, love that title! I just wrote an encyclopedia entry about Patricia Veryan, who didn't actually write Heyeresque social comedies-- hers were more adventures-- but had a lot of that good clean fun. I'm going to embark on a re-read.

I can't take credit for that title - I should have mentioned that it's not my blog - it's by an author named Gail Whitiker.

But I agree, I loved the blog title too. :)

Now I'm going to look up Patricia Veryan, after I finish the book I'm currenly reading.

Patricia Veryan had 2 famous series-- ONe is the Golden Chronicles (set in time of Bonne Prince Charles), and the other is the Sanguinet Series, which is Regency. There's another series about The Jeweled men, but that was kind of more mystery, but it was Regency era, I think.
I loved the Golden Chronicles. The last one in the series is about the most heartrending but funny book.

Alicia

All three series sound interesting. I love anything regency and fantasy. Adding mystery to either is a bonus.

Thanks for the tips.

I'm reading a book from one of my faves now - Night Watch by Terry Pratchett (fantasy). His writing leaves me in absolute awe.

But my next read will be a Veryan.

To the authors I know who write Regency, including myself, "traditional Regencies" means no sex. Like a sweet Regency. My Regency out now set in London and Paris in 1816 is full of historical detail and a sense of the period, but it does have love scenes so it is definitely not "traditional."

Regan
author of Racing With The Wind

I just heard of a new one today, a novella that sounds fun. Here's a link to a blog by the author about it:
Captive

Regan wrote: "To the authors I know who write Regency, including myself, "traditional Regencies" means no sex. Like a sweet Regency. My Regency out now set in London and Paris in 1816 is full of historical detai..."

I can't really read those anymore. I tried re-reading A Civil Contract and was fatally exasperated. I did not finish it this time.

Alicia wrote: "Patricia Veryan had 2 famous series-- ONe is the Golden Chronicles (set in time of Bonne Prince Charles), and the other is the Sanguinet Series, which is Regency. There's another series about The J..."

The Jewelled Men is Georgian and takes place a few years after The Golden Chronicles. Veryan's Regency books are very loosely connected to her Georgians in that the hero of one of her Regencies lives in the house of one of the heroes from one of her Georgians (if I remember correctly).

Her more mystery-like offerings were known as the Riddle series and two of them were Georgian, two Regency.

My personal favorites are book six of the Golden Chronicles and book six of the Jewelled Men, but I haven't read all her Regencies yet, just the Georgians.

:O)

I don't want to be one of those authors who hijacks a thread with a plug for their own book ... but Georgette Heyer is my inspiration. My debut novel, 'The Rebel's Promise' (set during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745/6 - so Georgian not Regency), will be published in February 2013. You can read and extract here
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3...
and I would really love some feedback.

Hi All.
I've written two novels which I call "old-fashioned romances set in the Regency period" because reviews of the books seemed to be distinguishing them as old-fashioned in style. I'm a big Austen fan, and I wanted to write novels that her fans might enjoy (please don't shoot me for sounding presumptuous).
If that sounds interesting, here are the links:

The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster

Good Intentions

I can recommend Colleen McCullough's The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet, a fun read about perhaps the least popular of the Bennet sisters. It seems that even poor old Mary had an interesting life.

CM wrote: "I can recommend Colleen McCullough's The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet, a fun read about perhaps the least popular of the Bennet sisters. It seems that even poor old Mary had an interesting life."

I enjoyed that one too - picked it up when working accessions in a public library and spotting it coming in... :)

This one is mine and it is a a clean Regency romance - released Mar 22, 2013 and available on Kindle (and Trade Paperback):

I haven't seen anyone mention Joan Smith, Clare Darcy or Laura Matthews. Clare Darcy was actually the first Regency author I discovered, outside of Jane Austen, so I have a special fondness for her, although I will admit her books aren't quite as good as Georgette Heyers. That's not a knock, however; she wrote some pretty good ones, including "Letty" and "Cressida."

I would put Joan Smith at the same level of Clare Darcy, but she was much more prolific. She wrote a ton of books. Most of them are pretty good. My favorites include "Winter Wedding" and "Love's Way," which, sadly, is not on Kindle yet. I've requested the publisher to make it digital, though, and you should too!

As for Laura Matthew, she's a bit more uneven. When her books are good, they're really good, like "A Curious Courting" and "The Rival Heir." But then she's got some stinkers also. She also seems to switch between keeping things tame and then seemingly trying to write a Harlequin Romance bodice-ripper book. If you're local library lends digital books and lets you make requests, I would suggest trying to go that route to see which of her books you like.

FWIW, I don't see authors like Mary Balogh and Jo Beverly as true traditional Regency authors, but only partly because of the sex. I tend to stay away from them because they seem to take such a serious, melodramatic tone that is just not in any way what Jane Austen was about, and as far as I'm concerned, she's the one who created the genre. I like my Regency fair to be light-hearted.

I love Joan Smith! She's one of my favorite Regency authors. Some of her books were better than others but in general she's a consistently good read. I especially like her wit. My favorite of hers is Imprudent Lady.

Hello Alicia, I'm not sure if you are still interested in finding 'traditional Regency'books as I see it was a long time ago that you asked. Mine is traditional in the sense of it being clean and led by a good story but it is not so traditional in that it is a time travel book. If you get through all the other good recommendations on your thread you might like to look at

Hide in Time

There aren't many new ones but you can find all my recommendations on my blog at http://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com

Hi, Elizabeth Cole has a few new Regency novellas that are inspired by Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen—sweet, charming, and witty. And Kindle-friendly! :)

Lady in Pearls
Love Is Blind
A Winter's Knight

I like Carla Kelly, Joan Smith,Emily Hendrickson and Barbara Metzger. A new author that I enjoy is G.G. Vandergriff. I will also shamelessly plug my new Regency, Her Grace in Disgrace:
http://amzn.to/1bspqxC

Claudia wrote: "I like Carla Kelly, Joan Smith,Emily Hendrickson and Barbara Metzger. A new author that I enjoy is G.G. Vandergriff. I will also shamelessly plug my new Regency, Her Grace in Disgrace:
http://amzn...."

I like all of the above but I just didn't like G.G. Vandergriff's Three Rogues and Their Ladies. They weren't as well written or as clean as I expected them to be.