• Best Historical Romance Books

    The Renegade’s Heart by Claire Delacroix

    They never imagining that their single shared kiss has launched a battle for Murdoch’s very soul.

    Released from the captivity of the Fae, Murdoch Seton wants nothing more than to forget his lost years. Undertaking a quest to recover treasure stolen from his family seems the perfect solution – but Murdoch is not counting upon a curious maiden who holds both the secret to the theft and his sole redemption.

    Isabella is outraged to find her brother’s keep besieged by a renegade knight – especially one who is too handsome for his own good or hers. After a single encounter, she becomes convinced that his cause is just and decides to unveil the true thief.

    As the treacherous Fae move to claim Murdoch forever, Isabella seeks to heal the knight who has stolen her heart. But will Murdoch allow her to take a risk and endanger herself? Or will he sacrifice himself to ensure Isabella’s future?

    The author on writing historical and medieval fiction:

    “Throughout the medieval era, all over Europe, there’s a persistent notion that more is going on in the world than what we mortals notice. Many cultures tell stories of otherworldly beings, of gods walking amongst us or even of the intervention of the divine in our world. I love that sense that so much is possible, and also that much of what’s happening is hidden. The idea of worlds parallel to our own is fascinating. “

    Claire Delacroix

  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Her Counterfeit Husband by Ruth Ann Nordin

    A conspiring duchess. An amnesiac doppelgänger. Can hearts be true in the midst of double deception?

    Anna feels little anguish when she sees the dead body of her husband. The young widow has no plans to mourn over the cruel Duke of Watkins, but she knows that his untimely death will put her at the mercy of his malicious younger brother. With help from her loyal butler, Anna smuggles away the body in the dead of night…

    Anna hopes to keep her husband’s death a secret until she’s settled far from the reach of her spiteful brother-in-law. When she stumbles upon an unconscious, wounded man who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Duke, she wonders if she’s found the solution to all their problems. The stranger wakes up with no memories of his life, and Anna wastes no time convincing him of the lie…

    As her husband’s doppelgänger begins to treat her like true royalty, Anna succumbs to his affections. Just when she thinks the charade is in the clear, the truth bubbles to the surface. Can Anna convince the amnesiac of her love before losing her husband a second time?

    The inspiration for writers:

    “We can’t compare ourselves to others because our personalities are different. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. And as writers, we all write different things, and our writing process works in different ways. So really, I think the biggest thing is to focus on what you’re doing… Figure out what your strengths are, learn to appreciate them, and use them to your advantage.”

    Ruth Ann Nordin

  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Oppressed & Empowered: The Viscount’s Capable Wife by Bree Wolf

    A woman with the desire to heal. A lord with a shameful secret. And a contract that binds them together.

    Wishing to follow in her father’s footsteps, Evelyn Procten has always tended to those in need. The only future Evelyn can see for herself is that of a doctor…until she is called to Farnworth Manor to tend to the young viscount’s sister, who finds herself unmarried and with child.
    Unfortunately, her stay at Farnworth Manor once again throws Evelyn into the path of Lord Ashwood, a man she has loved from a distance for many years. A man who has never looked at her twice. A man who disapproves of her professional ambition.

    As far as society is concerned, Richard Davenport, Viscount Ashwood, is a cold-hearted and uncaring man. Nevertheless, Richard knows his duty and would never act against propriety. However, the whispers retreat into the background when his unmarried sister reveals to him that she is with child. Determined to maintain her secret, Richard keeps her locked away at Farnworth Manor. Still, in order to ensure his sister’s well-being, he is forced to call upon the one woman who has always been able to melt the ice from his heart.

    Will he be able to resist her? Or will he succumb to her tender heart and share with her the one secret that has always determined his life?

    The author on self-publishing:

    “I chose to self-publish because it allowed me to stay in control and get to it right away, without waiting for someone else’s approval. I write the book and I decide when it is ready to be published and put before readers.”

    Bree Wolf

  • Best Gothic Romance,  Best Historical Romance Books

    Dark Prince by Eve Silver

    Dark Prince book cover

    Isolated and alone, Jane’s only companion is the man she dare not trust, the man who looks at her with heated desire that she both fears and craves.  

    Innkeeper’s daughter Jane Heatherington is sold into indentured servitude to cover her father’s debts, sold to Aidan Warrick, a man whose handsome face and form mock the rumors that skulk in his shadow, rumors that paint him a smuggler, a pirate…and worse.

    On the rainswept Cornish coast, Aidan’s business is carried out in the darkest hours of moonless nights, his secrets are many, and death follows in his wake. Isolated and alone, Jane’s only companion is the man she dare not trust, the man who looks at her with heated desire that she both fears and craves. As she finds herself ensnared in the twisted schemes carried out within the walls of Aidan’s looming estate, Jane must decide if Aidan Warrick is the dark prince of her dreams or a monster preying on the innocent…

    The author’s favorite poetry:

    ” love the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe. Yes, I know, very dark and tormented, but I see it too as full of beauty. The Raven, Annabel Lee, A Dream Within A Dream, all such beautiful works.”

    Eve Silver (Kenin)

  • Best Christian Romance Books,  Best Clean and Wholesome Romance,  Best Historical Romance Books

    A Lady of Esteem by Kristi Ann Hunter

    Who to trust when her reputation is at stake…

    Miss Amelia Stalwood may live in London at her absent guardian’s townhouse, but she’s never actually met any nobility; instead of aristocrats, her closest friends are servants.

    Quite by happenstance, she’s introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed Marquis of Raebourne. They welcome her into their world, but just as she’s beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect that she may have caught Anthony’s eye, she’s blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who’ve become like family and the man who’s shared his faith and captured her heart?

    The author on faith during Regency England:

    “Despite the general debauchery across much of the culture, there were people who were devoutly Christian. This was the generation laying the groundwork for greats such as Charles Spurgeon and D.L. Moody to rise up and change the world. While the faith was certainly present, evangelism as we know it today was not a priority yet.”

    Kristi Ann Hunter