10 Sweeping Historical Romance Books to Make You Swoon

Set in 1929, Simons’ novel follows Isabelle Lazar, a young Ukrainian farmer who endures unimaginable hardships as the Soviet Union's oppressive policies threaten her family's existence. Barely escaping the devastating conditions, Isabelle finds herself alone in Boston, grappling with the weight of her past and the uncertainty of her future. 

In Boston, Finn Evans is a successful banker. He leads a life of apparent stability with his wife, Vanessa, and their children. But beneath the surface, Finn harbors a secret that could unravel his carefully constructed world. When fate brings Isabelle into his home under difficult circumstances, their lives become inextricably linked. As the stock market crash of 1929 plunges the United States into the Great Depression, both Finn and Isabelle face crises that will make or break them.

Callaway’s novel is perfect for anyone as excited about the return of HBO’s The Gilded Age as I am. It follows Virginia Loftin, an aspiring novelist and member of a once-prominent Bronx family fallen on hard times. 

As Virginia recovers from the distancing of her childhood love, Charlie, she immerses herself in her writing and finds solace in the company of an eclectic salon of artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers who gather in the lavish Fifth Avenue home of John Hopper—a mysterious and charismatic patron of the arts. The society becomes a refuge and a source of creative inspiration for Virginia, especially as she tries to define her voice in a male-dominated literary world. 

But beneath the glittering conversations and artistic ambition, Virginia uncovers secrets about Charlie, her hosts, and members of her family that complicate her pursuit of her dreams. 

Picture it: Cambridge, 1958. Two students, Eva and Jim, nearly collide on a path. From this moment, Barnett splits their story into distinct versions, each tracing the different lives they might have lived depending on whether they meet, stay together, or part ways. 

Across these versions, Eva becomes a writer, a wife, a mother, and sometimes all three—though never in quite the same way. Jim, an aspiring painter, grapples with success, mediocrity, and his emotional limitations. As the decades unfold, their paths cross, tangle, and diverge in ways both subtle and dramatic. Each version captures the beauty and heartbreak of long-term relationships, the quiet compromises that accumulate over time, and the enduring “what ifs” that often haunt us just as we’re trying to fall asleep.

Set during the American Civil War, Blue Asylum tells the story of Iris Dunleavy, a Southern plantation wife. She’s declared insane and sent to Sanibel Asylum for Lunatics after defying her cruel husband and rejecting slavery. Her “madness” stems not from delusion, but from a society that punishes women for dissent.

At the asylum, a lush, isolated institution on a Florida island, Iris meets a cast of deeply troubled and unforgettable characters. Among them is Ambrose Weller, a Confederate soldier broken by the traumas of war. Ambrose is consumed by visions and haunted memories, and he spends his days wandering the island, detached from reality. But when Iris arrives, something stirs in him. A fragile, forbidden connection forms between the two—one rooted in shared trauma, mutual longing, and the hope of liberation.

Caitriona Wallace, a young Scottish widow, struggles to find independence and purpose after the death of her husband. When Cait is hired as a chaperone for two wealthy Scottish siblings on their extended European tour, she finds herself captivated by the bustling, artful chaos of 1880s Paris. 

During a hot-air balloon ride, she meets Émile, an engineer and one of Gustave Eiffel’s closest collaborators on the Eiffel Tower. Their connection is instant but fraught with tension: Cait’s precarious social position and Émile’s entanglement in his complicated personal life make their love both tempting and dangerous.

Claudia Hampton has spent her entire life acting courageously, as an agent of change. In her youth, she worked as a war correspondent and went on to become a well-known historian. Like everyone, she has regrets—things that she would’ve liked to accomplish, and choices that she may have liked to change. Now, in a losing battle with cancer, Claudia is determined to turn out a mammoth of a final work.

Claudia’s final project, her attempt at writing a history of the world, takes the reader through her long and well-lived life. The history of Claudia’s world is affected by her failing health, and the entrances and exits of those close to her.

Shoemaker takes on the daring task of reimagining a literary icon: Edward Rochester, the enigmatic, brooding hero of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Told entirely from Rochester’s perspective, the novel offers a richly imagined backstory that stretches from his lonely boyhood in Thornfield Hall through his education, colonial entanglements in Jamaica, and ultimately to his fateful meeting with Jane.

Shoemaker brings new life to Rochester’s complex character, tracing the wounds left by an emotionally distant father and a rigid social order that sends Edward away to school and then to Jamaica to earn his inheritance. There, he enters a disastrous marriage with Antoinetta Bertha Mason, who becomes central to his moral conflict and emotional reckoning. 

Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is a rakish, cynical, and worldly nobleman known in society as "Satanas" for his wit, charm, and ruthlessness. His life takes a dramatic turn when he encounters a red-haired street urchin named Léon, whom he impulsively purchases off the streets of Paris. But Léon is no ordinary boy—“he” is Léonie, a spirited girl disguised as a servant, hiding from a dark past.

Intrigued by her boldness and struck by her resemblance to the hated family of his longtime enemy, the Comte de Saint-Vire, Avon devises a plan for revenge. He whisks Léonie away to England, posing as her guardian, with the intention of revealing her true parentage and using her as a pawn in his long-standing grudge. But as Léonie blossoms into a captivating and headstrong young woman, Avon’s carefully calculated detachment begins to crack.

Alex Hightower, an American professor and devoted Emily Brontë enthusiast, travels to England to investigate the enigmatic circumstances surrounding Emily’s untimely death. 

Alex is convinced that Emily did not die of natural causes but instead took her life after a secret, passionate love affair that inspired the intense emotions in her famous novel. His quest takes him to the windswept village of Haworth, where he meets Dr. Maggie Flynn in a scholarly debate about the famed author. Alongside the present-day drama unfolds a haunting tale of Emily’s imagined romance, a love so intense that it could explain the fiery longing between Cathy and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

Inna Feldman, a young Jewish woman, flees pogroms in 1911 and seeks refuge with distant relatives in St. Petersburg. Welcomed into the bohemian circle of the Leman family, renowned violin makers, Inna finds herself apprenticed in their workshop, where she begins to rebuild her life.

As political unrest escalates, Inna becomes entangled in a complex love triangle. She is drawn to her passionate and rebellious cousin, Yasha, who is deeply involved in revolutionary activities. At the same time, she develops a connection with Horace Wallick, an Englishman who works for the prestigious Fabergé company, offering her a path to security and respectability. Amidst the growing chaos, Inna must navigate her feelings and make choices that will determine her future.