Welcome to another 20 Favorites of 2022. 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 Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
Title: The Belle of Bellgrave Square
Author: Mimi Matthews
Series: Belles of London #2
Page Length: 432
Publication Date: Oct. 11, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Romance
ISBN: 978-0593337158
Synopsis: A BookBub Best Romance of 2022
A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.
Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.
For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.
In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
2. Dubious About the Duke by Alexa Aston
Series: Second Sons of London #5
Page Length: 249
Publication Date: Aug. 18, 2022
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Synopsis: An affable army colonel who abruptly becomes a duke. A shy beauty who missed her come-out. And two mischievous boys who bring this pair together . . .
A confident Colonel Winston Cutler finds himself a sudden duke when the brother he loathed perishes in a fire. Win returns to London, only to find he has two by-blow nephews to care for—and their specialty is running off their latest governess.
Reserved Seraphina Nicholls returns to England after being stuck in Canada due to war with the Americans. Sera is slated to attend a house party, where she hopes to make a match with a man who is quiet and loyal. Instead, she finds herself volunteering to act as a governess to a neighboring duke’s rowdy nephews.
Sera wins over the boys and is dismayed when she loses her heart to the roguish duke. Win finds Sera appealing but due to her retiring nature, he believes she would make for a terrible duchess. But Sera isn’t shy with him—especially when they are kissing. Win decides no one but this erstwhile governess will make him happy.
Can the outgoing Win persuade a bashful Sera that opposites can attract—and thrive—in a passion-filled marriage?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
3. The Duke Alone by Christi Caldwell
Page Length: 319
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2022
Publisher: Montlake
Synopsis: Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long.
Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door.
But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady.
Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
4. A Duke for Diana by Sabrina Jeffries
Series: Designing Debutantes #1
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Self-made civil engineer Geoffrey Brookhouse has unexpectedly inherited the dukedom of Grenwood. But he has a secret that could ruin his family. Hoping to save his timid sister from that fate, he seeks to marry her off to a respectable, protective gentleman. With the London Season imminent, Geoffrey hires Elegant Occasions to orchestrate her debut. Yet Lady Diana Harper, spirited fashion expert, proves more than he bargained for. Suddenly, Geoffrey’s sister is emerging from her shell, and he is beleaguered with social invitations and gossip! Worse, Diana is attempting to transform him into a presentable duke—when all he really wants is to win her heart…
Diana doesn’t know what to make of the handsome, disheveled duke. The man bristles at the very idea that his fashion faux pas might spoil his sister’s chances. Yet Geoffrey’s stubbornness simply inspires Diana to ruffle his feathers—by setting him on a course of self-improvement. Although there’s something endearing, even irresistible about his flaws, can a man who hates the ton tolerate a woman who makes her living catering to them? Little does either know that they have more in common than they suspect—and that two can create a society all their own…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
5. The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard
Series: Daring Dukes #3
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Nov. 8, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Synopsis: Lady Bronwyn Chase is far from the paragon of society that her mother expects her to be. Which is why she’s on her brother’s passenger liner bound for America with a secret packet of letters that could get her into trouble. Serious trouble. The kind sisters to dukes shouldn’t be in. But she doesn’t care, because for the first time in her life, she feels alive.
When Lord Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury—retired agent of the Crown and spymaster—is tasked with finding the tyrant who’s stolen correspondence from the British Home Office, he thinks it should be business as usual—track down the spy and turn him in. Valentine Medford has never lost a target. But when he discovers that the devious spy known as Kestral is really Lady Brownyn, his world is turned upside down. Soon he’ll have to decide what means more to him: the beautiful and mysterious woman who calls to him, or his allegiance to the crown.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
6. A Governess Should Never Deny a Duke by Emily Windsor
Series: The Governess Chronicles #2
Page Length: 350
Publication Date: July 7, 2022
Synopsis: “So tell me, Miss Beaujeu, why should I employ you as governess?”
A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess but for Isabelle, a lady with impeccable references and tightly pinned hair, it barely raises a brow. But this rugged Welsh duke of an employer is unlike any other: dubbed Mean, Moody & Mysterious in gossip columns, he’s known to scowl a path through London society. And why have three governesses fled his employ within the last twelvemonths?
“I appoint you as governess. When can you start?”
Rhys Cadogan, the Duke of Aberdare, never procrastinates. And besides, with a house party to be hosted at his coastal estate, the sole purpose of which is to find him a wife, he’s in somewhat of a rush. But this drab-gowned paragon of a governess is unlike any other: lauded in her references, she exudes composure and intelligence, a perfect fit for his troubled niece. So why do Miss Beaujeu’s eyes also flash with a wild silvered gleam?
The Prudent Governess and the Passionate Duke.
One should never judge a duke by his Mean, Moody & Mysterious reputation or a governess by her tightly pinned hair, for beneath both tamed façades lay wildness and shared passions – not to be denied.
With forbidden kisses on stormy nights, a house full of prospective brides, a scandalous rake of an heir, dragon folklore and cinnamon biscuits, the vocation of governess has never been so thrilling…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
7. An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire by Manda Collins
Title: An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire
Author: Manda Collins
Series: A Lady’s Guide #2
Page Length: 313
Publication Date: Sept. 27, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: A feisty heiress and reluctant duke are partners-in-crime but enemies in love in this delightful and witty historical romance from the bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem—for fans of Sarah MacLean, Sabrina Jeffries, and Netflix’s Bridgerton!
England, 1867: Miss Caroline Hardcastle has fully embraced her scandalous reputation—even though doing so cost her a chance for love. She would much rather bring aid to those ignored by society by writing for England’s most infamous crime column. When Caro’s dear friend is kidnapped, however, she is shocked to find an ally in Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart years ago. Refusing his help would be the height of foolishness, but can she trust Val to stand by her?
Val—the new Viscount Wrackham—is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet when Caro’s improper actions require her to marry for convenience, Val sees an opportunity to show her he’s a changed man. As the two grow closer to unmasking the culprit, can he convince her to give their love a second chance—before death does them part?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
8. The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan
Series: A League of Scoundrels #3
Page Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Forever Pub.
Synopsis: Society darling Lady Georgiana Arlington spent years crafting her image as the ideal wife, but since her husband’s unexpected death, she has lived mostly for herself while making desperately needed improvements to the businesses she inherited––and gaining a mysterious enemy in the process. With few people she can trust, Georgiana must rely on Captain Henry Harris, a former fortune-hunter turned private investigator who once claimed to love the woman beneath her carefully polished veneer. Time and experience have left a heavy mark on the dashing young officer she used to know, but she finds herself even more drawn to the dark and complicated man he has become.
When Captain Harris left London eight years ago, he was heartbroken and nearly penniless. Now he has returned as a decorated naval hero with everything he could ever want. Everything except Lady Georgiana… As a careless young woman, she once shredded his heart when she married another man. But now she is as alluring as ever, with a newfound tenacity he can’t help but admire. And the more he uncovers, the more nothing is as it seems, especially the woman he once swore to hate forever.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
9. Highland Lion by Celeste Barclay
Series: The Clan Sinclair Legacy #1
Publication Date: Feb. 8, 2022
Publisher: Oliver-Heber Books
Synopsis: A warrior determined to step out of his family’s shadow…
Liam Mackay journeys to Orkney to oversee the transfer of control from the Norwegian king to his grandfather, Laird Liam Sinclair, Earl of Caithness. Honored with the mission from his namesake, Liam is determined to prove to his parents, Tristan and Mairghread Mackay, he is no longer the “wee” lad they think. No one in the Sinclair or Mackay clans believed the transition would be smooth, but Liam never imagined he’d be caught in the midst of a woman’s perilous attempt to escape being ripped from her homeland.
A farmer’s daughter determined to control her future…
Elene Isbister never imagined her mother would remarry, especially not to the brutal Norwegian trader who visited their home on Orkney. Elene understands her fate if she’s forced to follow her mother and stepfather to Norway. Desperate to flee with her younger siblings, Elene turns to the one man she believes can save them. With rescue in sight, Elene believes she’s found a path to a peaceful future, but she underestimates how her life will change living amongst Highlanders.
A couple determined to follow their own path…
With an ever-present danger, can Liam and Elene overcome their cultural differences to nurture their budding relationship?
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
10. How to Woo a Wallflower by Virginia Heath
Series: Society’s Most Scandalous #1
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: He could have any deb
Except his best friend’s sister…
Jasper, the Earl of Beaufort, hasn’t seen Lady Harriet Fitzroy since her serious riding accident. She has grown into a kind, spirited woman, whose sinful smile plays havoc with his jaded emotions! Hattie’s family disapprove of Jasper’s rakish past, but when she risks her reputation to help him, the least he can do is pull her from the wallflower chairs and out of the shadows…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
11. A Laird for the Governess by Catherine Tinley
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: A penniless governess
And the dour Laird of Ardmore
Lydia Farnham must travel to a remote Scottish island to work for widower Alasdair MacDonald, who doesn’t trust her or her unconventional teaching methods! Yet as his daughter flourishes, so, too, does the intense connection between Lydia and Alasdair. Only she should know better than to fall for the handsome laird when it could leave her without a job, or a home.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
12. A Matter of Temptation by Stacy Reid
Series: A Matter of Temptation #1
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Pub.
Synopsis: Miss Wilhelmina “Mina” Crawford is desperate. Having been ruined in the eyes of society years ago for one foolish, starry-eyed mistake, she spends her days secreted away at her family’s crumbling estate, helping her brother manage the land but not able to truly live life the way she’s always dreamed. When her brother admits to just how dire their finances have gotten, she takes it upon herself to procure employment…but the only one who will even consider the scandalous idea of a female secretary is the brilliant, ruthless, and infuriating Earl of Creswick.
Simon Loughton, the Earl of Creswick, needs help if he wants to finally pass the reform bill he’s been championing for years and secure the vote for England’s most vulnerable constituents. Too bad help comes in the form of a woman with breathtaking nerve, fiery red hair, and a sense of humor to match.
Now temptation–disguised as a lovely, clever-mouthed devil–lives and works under Simon’s very roof. And Mina finally feels as though she’s truly living life to her wildest dreams. But even the most incendiary of kisses can’t incinerate Mina’s past…or the shocking secret that could ruin them both.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
13. A Remarkable Rogue by Anna Harrington
Title: A Remarkable Rogue
Author: Anna Harrington
Series: Lords of the Armory #5
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: July 26, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Synopsis: Fans of Bridgerton and steamy, mysterious Regency romance will swoon for USA Today bestselling author Anna Harrington’s newest book!
• A deadly organization determined to overthrow the government
• A rebel with a secret she’ll do anything to protect
• The steadfast soldier who’ll defend her at any cost
• Sizzling attraction that could burn them both
Lady Sydney Rowland, Baroness Rowland, has spent a lifetime keeping secrets, one of them being her young son. Now that the husband she despised is dead, she’ll do anything to get her son back and protect him however she can. And that includes risking her life when she’s coerced into working for a revolutionary group determined to overthrow the government.
Captain Nathaniel Reed has heard of Sydney’s involvement with Scepter. Though he quickly learns that Sydney is innocent, he’s determined to keep the secretive widow at arm’s length despite the attraction that burns between them. But when she turns to him for help, nothing will stop him from coming to her aid and showing her exactly what she means to him…
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
14. The Sea Siren of Broadwater Bottom by Courtney McCaskill
Title: The Sea Siren of Broadwater Bottom
Author: Courtney McCaskill
Series: The Astley Chronicles #3
Page Length: 295
Publication Date: Nov. 18, 2022
Synopsis: Sometimes there’s a fine line between assessing the competition and consorting with the enemy…
Thanks to an imprudent wager made by his younger brother, Edward Astley has to win a classical translation contest being hosted by Oxford University. This means he’ll have to beat the latest star on the literary scene, the anonymous translator whose rendition of On the Sublime is taking Britain by storm. He’s supposed to be studying, but all he can seem to think about is Elissa St. Cyr, the redheaded daughter of his former tutor, who’s every bit as brainy as she is delectable.
Elissa has problems of her own. With her father’s health failing, she’ll soon need to support her mother and sisters through her translation work. And that means she needs to win the Oxford contest, so she can secure the one thing she has never had the opportunity to earn: an academic credential.
To make matters worse, she managed to get stuck in the middle of a pond during a thunderstorm, and the person who happened along to rescue her, witnessing her in the most humiliating moment of her remarkably humiliating life, was her ultimate beau idéal, the brilliant Edward Astley. Now Elissa keeps bumping into Edward everywhere she goes. Which would normally be wonderful …
… except she’s worried he’s going to figure out that she is the anonymous translator everyone is talking about.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
15. Some Dukes Have All the Luck by Christina Britton
Title: Some Dukes Have All the Luck
Author: Christina Britton
Series: Synneful Spinsters #1
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Nov. 8, 2022
Publisher: Forever Pub
Synopsis: Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.
After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she’ll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn’t need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
16. A Stolen Knight’s Kiss by Melissa Oliver
Series: Protectors of the Crown #2
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: Captured by a knight…
Rescued by his kiss!
When orphan Eva loses the father figure who’d protected her on the streets of London, she suspects the Knights Fortitude. But when she steals information from them, she’s caught by brooding knight Nicholas. Learning he might not be the villain after all, she puts her distrust aside to work with him, yet Eva must stay focused—and not get distracted when they share a stolen kiss!
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
17. Tempted by Her Outcast Viking by Lucy Morris
Title: Tempted by Her Outcast Viking
Author: Lucy Morris
Series: Shieldmaiden Sisters #2
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Sept. 27, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: A passionate Viking romance
Tempted by the warrior…
But she’ll never wed!
Brynhild had once been close to Erik—until he’d betrayed her, and she’d hoped never to see him again. Now the fiercely independent shieldmaiden needs Erik’s skills to rescue her sister. Striking a truce with the tough, isolated loner, they reach a mutually beneficial deal: help her and, in return, she’ll help him in his quest to find a wife—by teaching him how to please a woman in bed!
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
18. Up All Night With a Good Duke by Amy Rose Bennett
Title: Up All Night With a Good Duke
Author: Amy Rose Bennett
Series: The Byronic Book Club
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Publisher: Sourceboooks Casablanca
Synopsis: Artemis Jones―”respectable” finishing-school teacher by day and Gothic romance writer by night―has never lost sight of her real dream: to open her own academic ladies’ college. When Artemis is unexpectedly called upon by a dear friend, a fellow Byronic Book Club member, to navigate her first London Season, she comes at once. Who knows, perhaps she can court the interest of a wealthy patron for her school. As long as she can avoid her high-handed aunt’s schemes to marry her off.
Dominic Winters, the widowed Duke of Dartmoor, needs a wife―someone who will provide him with an heir and help him to manage his spitfire adolescent daughter. The problem is, Society has dubbed him “The Dastardly Duke.” Rumors are rife that he murdered his mad wife, so his choices for a suitable bride are limited. But then, he meets the ravishing and passionate Artemis Jones, who might just be everything he needs.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
19. A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman
Title: A Wicked Game
Author: Kate Bateman
Series: Ruthless Rivals #3
Page Length: 304
Publication Date: Dec. 27, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Synopsis: A teasing bet.
Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. His incarceration has clarified his feelings for her, but convincing the infuriating woman he wants to marry her is going to be his greatest challenge yet. When Harriet’s revealed to be the very mapmaker he seeks, Morgan decides to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. . .
A dangerous enemy.
Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. She has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s failing eyesight and a rival mapmaker copying her work to play wicked games with a dastardly Davies―however tempting he might be. But when a threat from Morgan’s past puts them both in danger, Harry discovers that she and Morgan might not be enemies at all . . .
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
20. The Wicked Wallflower by Tracy Sumner
Title: The Wicked Wallflower
Author: Tracy Sumner
Series: The Duchess Society #3
Page Length:
Publication Date: April 2022
Publisher: WOLF Publishing
Synopsis: A slow-burn battle of wills leads to love.
Their biggest secret? Their infatuation with each other.
Independent, impulsive Lady Philippa Darlington guarantees her freedom by playing the role of a wallflower. After two miserable seasons in the ton, she’s vowed to never marry with the help of the most dreaded female enterprise in London—the Duchess Society. But a madcap misadventure will throw her plans off course and put her face-to-face with the most dangerous man she’s ever known.
Common-born Xander Macauley crawled from the slums to rule an empire. And he has secrets. One being that he’s smitten with his best friend’s little sister. Although Pippa Darlington is the last woman in England he’d risk his heart over. However, after a snowstorm forces them together and she lets him see the enchanting woman beneath the bluster, Xander finds he will do everything in his power to possess her.
The risks are undeniable. But so is the chance to find a true, overwhelming love.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite historical romances of 2022? Comment below!
These look fun!
Omg, why do I want to read all of these? 😭 I’ve honestly lost count of all the histroms that I’ve added to my TBR or told myself to keep an eye out for after reading your reviews, lol. The only one I’ve read is Windsor’s book and I totally agree, of the two I’ve read, this one was definitely my fave! Great list, Julie 🙂
lol – Thanks, Dini! You know I love a swoon-worthy historical romance!
I really need to get to Mimi Matthews books! I see that cover all the time. 😂 Great list of books!
Thanks, Joanna!
While I’ve read a lot of the authors, I haven’t read any of these books, though a lot are already on my TBR. I need to squeeze in more historical romances this year!
They’re my go-to when I want a swoon-worthy romance.
It is a far, far superior thing that I do, than I have at any point finished; it is a far, much better rest I go to than I have at any point known.
Your blog post on the “Top 20 Historical Romance Reads of 2022” is an absolute treasure trove for fellow historical romance enthusiasts like me! I appreciate how you’ve provided a diverse selection of titles, each with its unique premise and promise of romance and adventure. It’s evident that you’ve put a lot of thought into curating this list, and your brief yet enticing descriptions of each book have left me eager to dive into these captivating stories.
As a fan of historical romance, I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to my reading list, and your recommendations have given me a fantastic starting point for the year. I can’t wait to explore the intriguing characters, passionate love stories, and historical settings that these novels have to offer.