Welcome to another 21 Faves of 2021. Today, I’m spotlighting my favorite historical romance reads of the year. I’m a sucker for a swoon-worthy romance, and I was fortunate to read a bunch of great ones this year. Let’s take a look at my faves!
I listed all books in alphabetical order by title. Also, this post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.
1. The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels
Series: Secrets, Scandals, and Spies #1
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: May 17, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Bachelors, beware. For those who keep secrets and prey on the innocent, you will be exposed, with all your dirty little secrets laid bare to one and all. You have been warned…
Lady Olivia Haliford has had enough. Tired of seeing women lose their reputations, futures, and sometimes even their lives to scandal while the men walk free, she is ready to take back power and stand up for women everywhere. Along with her two closest friends, she plans to start an anonymous publication dedicated to dishing the dirt and exposing the secrets of society’s most eligible bachelors. But in order to do so, she will have to make a deal with the devil…
Sebastian Colver, known as the Bastard of Baker Street, is feared throughout London as the city’s most notorious gambling den owner and undisputed king of the underground. His life is nothing but darkness and danger, so he is shocked when the petite lady gracing his doorstep seems anything but frightened of him. He agrees to be a silent partner in the publishing of the Gazette if she will use her connections to sponsor his sister and launch her into Society and away from his dark world.
But exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful can be dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a lady falling in love with the king of the underground.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
2. A Cowboy of Legend by Linda Broday
Series: Lone Star Legends #1
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Synopsis: It’s time for a new generation to become Legend.
Deacon Brannock is determined to make a name for himself and the saloon he’s worked his whole life to afford. He was prepared for life in the Wild West, but he hadn’t counted on Grace Legend…
Grace has always fought hard for what she believes in, and after her best friend is killed at the hands of her drunk and angry husband, that includes keeping alcohol out of her town. When the owner of the new saloon turns out to be a kind and considerate man, she can’t help but wonder if they could have a future together…if they weren’t on opposite sides of every issue.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
3. Dancing With Danger by Kerrigan Byrne
Series: Goode Girls – Book 3
Page Length: 219
Publication Date: Feb. 9, 2021
Synopsis: Mercy Goode, is only truly good at one thing: finding mischief wherever she goes. Such as getting arrested at a murder scene with Raphael Sauvageau, a brutally handsome, ruthless smuggler with a dangerous past and a dubious future. The silver-tongued devil doesn’t deserve a lick of her confidence, but she has evidence that he’s not the killer.
But she can’t deny that he’s relentlessly wicked.
Raphael has no time for obsession. He’s an empire to run, a murder to avenge, and a plan to save his brother that is likely a suicide mission. But this clever, infuriating bluestocking who insists she’s an amateur sleuth keeps showing up where she doesn’t belong. And for some bloody reason they can’t seem to be in the same room without him yanking her into his arms and kissing her until they’re both breathless.
Power, prestige, and a staggering fortune hasn’t filled the abysmal void where Raphael’s heart should be…
Perhaps what he needs is a night with her.
Perhaps what he needs is redemption.
Perhaps what he needs is a bit of Mercy.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
4. Dare to Be a Duchess by Sapna Bhog
Page Length: 150
Publication Date: Feb. 8, 2021
Publisher: Entangled
Synopsis: He’s a powerful duke. She’s his uncle’s ward. They have forever been at war, until one night, one masquerade, and one kiss…
Lara Ramsay is no stranger to scandal. As the orphaned daughter of a British colonel and his beloved Indian wife, whispers follow her everywhere. Not even the protection of the formidable Duke of Wolverton, a man she can’t stand, keeps the gossips at bay.
The audacious Lara has driven Tristan Wentworth, The Duke of Wolverton, to distraction since the day his uncle took her in—and he’s quite certain doing so is her favorite pastime. After catching her and his younger sister at a salacious masquerade, he’s had enough scandal and issues a marriage ultimatum: find a husband within six months or one will be chosen for her.
Unfortunately, no one in the ton appeals to her. Except, perhaps, the duke himself. The battle of wills has only just begun, and when Lara kisses him, their fate is sealed.
Sometimes even the most proper duke needs to break the rules to win the heart of the woman he loves…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
5. Deflecting the Duke by Alexa Aston
Series: Dukes Done Wrong #2
Page Length: 260
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2021
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Synopsis: Welcome to the new world from Alexa Aston—Dukes Done Wrong.
Accused of something they never did. Five boys banished from their homes in disgrace, to the place where they find the brothers of their heart—and build new family ties that will last a lifetime.
An angry army spy who becomes a reluctant duke. A virgin widow who seeks a husband who will give her children. An attraction that leads to passion… and love…
Wyatt Stanton served as a spy for Wellington until he receives word of his brother’s death. Reluctantly, he returns to England as the Duke of Amesbury and to Amberwood, a place he once loved and was banished from after his brother falsely accused Wyatt of burning down the family stables with over two dozen horses inside. His soul seared by war, the man who lived for danger must now become a member of Polite Society and find himself a duchess so he has an heir.
Meadow Grant’s father sold her to Lord Selfridge so he could pay his gambling debts. Selfridge collects beautiful things, and Meadow is the most beautiful girl of the Season. Once he possessed her, Selfridge lost interest and moved on to other things. Now a widow, the resilient Meadow is ready to make her own choice this time and find a husband who yearns for children as much as she does. Though attracted to the Duke of Amesbury, he is far too arrogant and conceited for her tastes, even if he does kiss well.
Wyatt is bored with all the younger women on the Marriage Mart, but he believes the beautiful and more mature Lady Selfridge fits his idea of a suitable duchess. The fact that he is attracted to her and she gets along well with his friends only confirms she is the one. Meadow wants to be courted, though, and Wyatt is up to the challenge, relentless in his pursuit, even liking how Meadow makes him work to earn her favor.
Though neither looks for love, will the reckless Wyatt and spitfire Meadow realize love has found them and will flourish, given the chance?
Find the answer in Deflecting the Duke, Book 2 in Dukes Done Wrong.
Each book in Dukes Done Wrong is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order and can be read for free in Kindle Unlimited.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
6. A Duke Worth Fighting For by Christina Britton
Series: Isle of Synne #3
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2021
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: To protect the dukedom from an incompetent and greedy cousin, Daniel Hayle, Duke of Carlisle, has promised to find a bride in London this season. But the idea of facing ballrooms and card parties is as intimidating as any battlefield in France, including the fight at Waterloo that left him terribly scarred. Perhaps a month on the Isle of Synne can provide him with the practice necessary to find a wife who can tolerate him enough to give him an heir.
Margery Kitteridge has been mourning her husband for four years, and while she’s not ready to consider marriage again, she does miss intimacy with a partner. When Daniel asks for help navigating Synne’s social scene, and they accidentally kiss, she realizes he’s the perfect person with whom to have an affair. As they begin to confide in one another, Daniel discovers that he’s unexpectedly connected to Margery’s late husband, and she will have to decide if she can let her old love go for the promise of a new one.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
7. Girls Before Earls by Anna Bennett
Series: Rogues to Lovers #1
Page Length: 320
Publication Date: Dec. 28, 2021
Publisher: St, Martin’s Paperbacks
Synopsis: WHAT A GIRL WANTS
To survive her difficult childhood, Miss Hazel Lively relied on two things:a tough outer shell and a love of books. Now, at the age of twenty-eight, she’s finally realized her life-long dream of opening a school for girls. She’s hoping that the wealthy families who flock to the shore for the summer will entrust their daughters to Bellehaven Academy―and help pay the way for less fortunate students. All Hazel must do is maintain a flawless reputation and raise a good deal of money. It’s a foolproof plan…till a sinfully handsome earl strides into her office.
WHAT AN EARL NEEDS
Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, has had a monstrous headache since the day his teenaged niece became his ward. She’s been expelled from two London boarding schools and is doing her damnedest to scare off his potential fiancée. But Blade has a plan of his own―enroll his niece at Bellehaven Academy, where she’ll be out of town and out of his hair. He just needs to convince the buttoned-up headmistress with the soulful brown eyes to take on his niece.
LEAD TO AN IRRESISTIBLE DEAL
When Blade makes a generous offer to the school, it’s impossible for Hazel to refuse. But she has one non-negotiable condition: the earl must visit his niece every other week. Soon, Blade discovers there’s much more to Hazel than meticulous lesson plans. In moonlit seaside coves and candlelit ballrooms, their sparring leads to flirtation…and something altogether deeper. But the passion that flares between them poses a threat to Hazel’s school and Blade’s battered heart. They say a good thing can’t last forever, but true love? Well, it just might…
8. Hidden Hart by Emily Royal
Series: Headstrong Harts #3
Publication Date: Feb. 25, 2021
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Synopsis: A lasting friendship, a dream sacrificed, a life destroyed.
Major Devon Hart, the ultimate rake, had women flocking to his bed, until a street brawl four years ago left him scarred, inside and out. His once-handsome face now damaged beyond recognition, he remains hidden, except at night, when he dispenses his own brand of justice on the streets of London. He has nothing to live for except his friendship with Colonel Fossett, who saved his life, and his love for Lady Atalanta Grey, a woman he can only hope to admire from afar.
Lady Atalanta longs to be loved for something other than her wealth and beauty. Her life holds no excitement, until the night she’s set upon by thieves. The masked stranger who comes to her aid stirs delicious passions with tender words and scorching kisses, but he disappears before she can identify him.
Devon believes that Atalanta could never love the scarred, bitter man he’s become. But when Fossett asks for Devon’s help in wooing her, Devon must choose between sacrificing his dream of happiness, or betraying the man to whom he owes everything.
When a man has little to live for, will he sacrifice his dreams for the sake of a friend?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
9. Highland Hero by Cynthia Breeding
Series: Children of the Mist #3
Page Length: 264
Publication Date: June 14, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: If Juliana Caldwell said the sky was blue, Rory MacGregor would tell her it was gray, with a storm due any minute. No man gets under her skin more than the arrogantly handsome Scot. When she is abducted by a rival clan, Rory is the last person she expects or wants to call her hero.
Rory is the best tracker the MacGregors have, so when his brother’s sister-by-marriage goes missing, he’s ordered to find her. But binding himself to the fiery English redhead with an opinion about everything is not how he saw this rescue going. To save her from the clutches of the villainous Cameron laird’s son, though, he must declare them handfasted.
When their escape goes horribly awry, Juliana and Rory are forced to take the long way home. Surviving blizzard conditions, meddling clanspeople, and a near-fatal ambush on the trail, nothing compares to the unexpected and unlikely passion that ignites between the rugged Highlander and his English warrior princess.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
10. The Highlander’s Pirate Lass by Heather McCollum
Series: Brothers of Wolf Isle #2
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Historical
Synopsis: Eliza Wentworth is no lady. After the notorious pirate Jandeau murdered her family, she vowed to spend the rest of her life at sea, saving others. She’d rather be firing cannons than embroidering pillows—or worse, bowing to the demands of a husband. But when she’s stranded on an island off the coast of Scotland, now she is the one in need of help. And, annoyingly, that help comes not only from a man, but a man she struggles to resist.
Highlander Beck Macquarie has never met a woman like Eliza. He hasn’t met many women, period, thanks to the blasted curse set upon Wolf Isle decades ago. To save the clan, he needs a wife and bairns, and rough-around-the edges Eliza is anything but wife material. She has no intention of staying once she’s able to set sail again. He should let her go. But the desire between them is impossible to ignore.
When she asks Beck to teach her the ways of the bedroom while she bides her time on his island, he can’t say no. As they learn more about each other, though, past trauma and secrets resurface. Now, Eliza must choose between the freedom and comfort of the only life she’s ever known and sacrificing it all to save the people she loves…including Beck.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
11. Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean
Page Length: 330
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Synopsis: Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is the fastest gun west of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, he’s ready to hang up his hat. Sure, being notorious has its perks. But the nomadic lifestyle—and people always tryin’ to kill you—gets old real fast.
Now he just wants to find a place to retire so he can spend his days the way the good Lord intended. Staring at the sunset. And napping.
When his stubborn horse drags him into a hole-in-the-wall town called Desolation, something about the place calls to Gray, and he figures he might actually have a shot at a sleepy retirement.
His optimism lasts about a minute and a half.
Soon he finds himself embroiled in a town vendetta and married to a woman named Mercy. Who, judging by her aggravating personality, doesn’t know the meaning of her own name. In fact, she’s downright impossible.
But dang it if his wife isn’t irresistible. If only she’d stop trying to steal his guns to go after the bad guys herself.
There goes his peace and quiet…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
12. How to Train Your Viscount by Courtney McCaskill
Series: The Astley Chronicles #1
Page Length: 346
Publication Date: July 17, 2021
Publisher: Hazel Grove Books
Synopsis: The only one who can help her is the man who broke her heart.
Four years ago, Lady Caroline Astley took one look at Henry Greville, Viscount Thetford, and fell horribly in love, in that particular way you can only fall in love at the age of fifteen.
He didn’t just reject her.
He humiliated her.
But now, in a stroke of rotten luck, he’s the only one who can help her.
It turns out that the “paste” pendant she borrowed from her sister, Anne, was no fake. It’s actually an ancient Egyptian amulet, and now Anne wants to auction it off to save hundreds of widows and orphans. What Caro can’t bear to tell her sister is that the necklace was stolen from right around her neck.
Caro has a few clues, but she doesn’t know an amulet from an obelisk, and the trail has gone cold. Guess who grew up in a house stuffed with Egyptian artifacts? Caro may despise Henry, but she needs him if she’s going to track down the thieves. Which begs the question of which is worse: letting down the orphans or risking her heart all over again.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
13. The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner
Publication Date: July 22, 2021
Synopsis: A scandalous countess plays matchmaker…for a man she once longed to take for herself.
Georgiana Whitcomb, Countess Winterbourne, is known as the Ice Countess for her rebellious ways and refusal to marry again. But a scandalous Christmas wager fashioned by Georgiana’s childhood obsession changes everything.
The demanding duke needs a bride…
Dexter Munro, mere days from becoming the Duke of Markham, made a promise to his dying father to find a wife by the Twelfth Night. Except the only woman he’s ever desired has vowed never to marry again. Not even to become his duchess.
Georgiana and Dex share a sizzling attraction and a wicked past…but is their scorching passion enough to melt the Ice Countess’ heart?
If you adore sexy Dukes, feisty Duchesses, and a steamy second-chance romance set in the magnificent Regency era, The Ice Duchess is the historical for you!
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
14. The Knight’s Convenient Alliance by Melissa Oliver
Series: Notorious Knights #4
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2021
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: The only man who’s tempted her…Now poses as her husband!
When an injured knight arrives on Brida O’Conaill’s doorstep, the village assumes he’s her long-lost husband. But her only previous connection to Sir Thomas Lovent was an intense shared moment at a tournament years ago. Brida maintains the pretense while she nurses him, yet once he’s back to full, virile health, she cannot reveal Thomas is not her husband—or that she’s unmarried!—when everyone is expecting them to act like husband and wife…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
15. The Marquess Next Door by Virginia Heath
Series: The Talk of Beau Monde #2
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: A dashing new neighbor…
Temptation on her doorstep!
To avoid an unwanted suitor at a ball, Hope Brookes asks another gentleman to rescue her. He obliges—with a surprisingly passionate kiss! He’s revealed as her sinfully handsome new neighbor, Lucius, Marquess of Thundersley, and they forge a friendship over their balconies. It’s refreshing that Lucius is more interested in her writer dreams than her looks, so why can’t she stop thinking about that kiss?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
16. Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath
Series: The Merriwell Sisters #1
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Synopsis: The trouble with lies is they have a tendency to catch a man out.
The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, wants is a wife.
But since the only way to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay is the promise of
impending nuptials, Hugh takes the most logical action: he invents a fake fiancée.
It’s the perfect plan – until Hugh learns that his mother is on a ship bound for England to meet his ‘beloved’. He needs a solution fast, and when he collides with a mysterious beauty, he might just have found the answer to his prayers.
Minerva Merriwell is desperate for money to support her sisters, and although she knows that posing as the Earl’s fiancée might seem nonsensical, it’s just too good an offer to refuse.
As the Merriwells descend upon Hugh’s estate, the household is thrown into turmoil as everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight. And with Hugh and Minerva’s romantic ruse turning into the real thing, is true love just one complication too many?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
17. The Rake of Hearts by Emily Windsor
Series: The Games of Gentlemen #2
Page Length: 299
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2021
Publisher: Senara Press
Synopsis: When the heart is afire…
By his own admission, Lord Ernest Brook is a rake. With sapphire gaze, sinfully handsome looks and a duke for a brother, the pleasures of London have come with ease…apart from one.
Ever since the gauntlet of her first wintry dismissal was thrown, the widowed Hebe Lock has stirred his deepest desires, but just what would it take to woo such a woman?
Sparks will fly.
Hebe Locke has vowed to never again fall for a scoundrel after her brief marriage to one left her broken and haunted.
Now she finds comfort with paintbrush and canvas, but as a female artist in a male world, commissions are as rare as a ballroom without rakes.
A castle of enchantment.
As the heat of late summer warms the land, an ancient, moated castle plays host to a widow and a rake, both concealing passions contrary to their reputations.
But as Lord Ernest awakens Hebe’s desire and thaws her frozen emotions, can she hold true to her vow?
Or can this rake win the one heart he yearns for?
Sensual Regency romance with warmth and wit, this tale also includes a disreputable aunt with a secondary love story, Cotswold country fairs, sinful masquerades and…a goat.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
18. A Rogue to Remember by Emily Sullivan
Series: League of Scoundrels (Book 1)
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: In this irresistible historical romance debut, a seasoned spy sets out to rescue the childhood friend he once loved from a reputation-destroying rumor—only to discover that she is actually the source.
After enduring five interminable seasons, Lottie Carlisle has had enough of shallow London society, her boring little life, and her uncle Alfred’s meddling. When he demands she accept a proposal by the end of next season or else he will choose a husband for her, she devises a plan: create a scandal shocking enough to make her unmarriageable and spend her spinsterhood far enough away in the countryside where no one will ever recognize her.
Alec Gresham hasn’t seen Lottie since he left his childhood friend without a word five years ago. So he’s not surprised to find her furious when he appears on her doorstep. Especially bearing the news he brings: her uncle is dying, her blasted reputation is still intact, and Lottie must return home. As they make the journey back to her family estate, it becomes increasingly clear that the last five years hasn’t erased their history, nor their explosive chemistry. Can Lottie look past her old heartache and trust Alec, or will his secrets doom their relationship once again?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
19. Scoundrel of My Heart by Lorraine Heath
Title: Scoundrel of My Heart
Author: Lorraine Heath
Series: Once Upon a Dukedom (Book 1)
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: She is desperate to wed a duke…
Lady Kathryn Lambert must marry a titled gentleman to claim her inheritance and has finally gained the attention of a duke. Yet she is unable to forget the scandalous second son who aided in her achievement—or his betrayal.
He wants what he can never possess…
Lord Griffith Stanwick is tormented by the bitter truth that as a “spare,” he will never be able to give Kathryn what she yearns to possess. But when his father is found guilty of treason, Griff detours into the dark and dangerous corners of London, haunted by memories of the woman lost to him forever.
Love not to be denied…
As the duke’s courtship intensifies, Kathryn discovers Griff has become a man to be reckoned with. When old passions flare and new desires ignite, she must decide if sacrificing her legacy is worth a lifetime shared with the scoundrel of her heart.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
20. When You Wish Upon a Duke by Charis Michaels
Series: Awakened by a Kiss #2
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2020
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: All it takes…
After a childhood spent cavorting around Europe with a dangerous crowd, Miss Isobel Tinker has parlayed her experience and language skills into a safe, reliable life. Working as a clerk in Mayfair’s Everland Travel Shop, she dreams of someday owning her own travel agency and has vowed never to leave the familiar shores of England ever again. When a handsome duke arrives at her doorstep, she realizes her staid existence is about to take flight.
…is faith and hope
Jason “North” Beckett, the Duke of Northumberland, desperately needs a travel guide. He’s inherited a dukedom but has a final mission for the Foreign Office—rescuing his wayward cousin from Nordic pirates. Isobel Tinker is the ideal translator, discreet and unknown, but she’s also uncooperative, stubborn, and disarmingly beautiful.
And a little bit of trust
In exchange for her help, North promises Miss Tinker her own travel agency upon return and strict professionalism at sea. Isobel cautiously agrees but soon realizes “strict” and “professional” are not how she would describe her feelings for the irresistible duke. As their adventure sweeps them to the shores of Iceland and beyond, can temptation and growing trust give way to the magic of wild, passionate love?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
21. The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret
Series: The Mating Habits of Scoundrels #3
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series with a debutante who believes she is destined to marry the lord next door until a fateful encounter with a rogue makes her wonder… if she might be falling for the wrong marquess!
The wrong place…
Elodie Parrish can feel spinsterhood breathing down her neck. That’s the trouble with waiting for the marquess next door her entire life. But Ellie knows if she gives him one last Season, he’ll finally propose. The only problem is, her path keeps crossing with the arrogant Lord Hullworth, who is convinced she has designs on him.
The wrong time…
Brandon, Marquess of Hullworth, never wanted to be “London’s Most Elusive Bachelor,” or have a horde of hopeful debutantes and their scheming mamas follow him around. His past has left him too jaded to consider marrying any of them. At least, that’s what he thinks… until he meets Ellie. She’s quirky, opinionated, blushes easily, and drives him absolutely wild. The only problem is, she believes she’s in love with someone else.
Ellie never imagined that one sultry summer could change everything. But the more time she spends with Brandon researching her book on the mating habits of scoundrels, the more she wonders if she might be falling for…
The Wrong Marquess
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
What was your favorite historical romance of 2021? Comment below!
So excited to be included with this list of AMAZING authors! 😉 Thank you!
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Thank you so much! Absolutely thrilled for ♥ ‘The Rake of Hearts’ ♥ to be included. xx
You’re welcome! I loved the book!