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mermaidsirennikita · 10 months

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Such a random ask, but can you recommend a Historical romance that could make me cry?. Lol need a cry fest or some angst even

Oh, for sure! I love angst. It's my favorite thing, lol.

Some of my favorite angsty books:

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. Somewhat angst-lite compared to others, but very ROMANTIC angst, if that makes sense. Heroine is a trans woman who faked her death at the Battle of Waterloo in order to transition. She has no angst about who she is, but she does feel guilty because she left her best friend with survivor's guilt, as he's believed her dead for years. He's suffering from addiction and chronic pain after the battle, and years later, she reluctantly accompanies some friends to help him out. He doesn't recognize her... at first... But when he does... it's romantic and tragic and made me cry.

For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. BIG. DENSE. ANGST EXTRAORDINAIRE. A 17 year old medieval knight accompanies his mentally ill wife (who believes she's receiving visions from God) to a convent to drop her off (reluctantly) and encounters a married princess who he's immediately attracted to, though she scorns him. After he ends up wifeless, he finds out he's also been robbed, and the princess takes pity and gives him jewels to get back on his feet, after which he pledges his life (and his chastity) to her service. Flash forward 13 years and they see each other for the first time since then. He's lived to serve her from afar and has a romanticized idea of who she is, not actually knowing her. She's a total ice queen, now a widow, and ruthless. He ends up escorting her on this long journey, and it's like... Two broken jaded people slowly opening up to each other? Kinsale is very loyal to the era and doesn't tone down its issues, but I found it super romantic and moving but also quite emotionally impactful.

And it sets you up for the next book, which moved me even more, Shadowheart. Set years later, it follows a villainous character from the first book as he attempts to maneuver politics for his gain by forcing the heroine (who was raised as a borderline peasant but basically finds out she's the heiress to an Italian principality he wants to control) to marry him. I will warn you, the first encounter is non-con (though it's not, like... violent? It's very medieval "you will submit to your husband consummating this whether you like it or not", not good but accurate) but the relationship that develops after is like... Both dark and sweet, intense and romantic and just. They love each other SO much. And they're SO torn by circumstances. One of the best books I've ever read.

My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid. Heroine is in dire straits and wants to make her sisters more presentable to society so they can secure good marriages. She makes up this engagement to a duke who hasn't been seen in society for years, assuming he'll never find out and she can "break it off" after her sisters get engaged--he finds out and basically demands she play along with the engagement for a while... But he's been hiding because he became disabled after an accident, and uses a wheelchair. It's very emotional, very angsty, and very romantic.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Heroine is a widow being courted by a douchebag, and receives a note warning her about said douchebag from a younger lord who's somewhat ostracized by society because he's on the spectrum. They end up becoming friends before beginning an affair that's supposed to be temporary, but becomes much deeper. Ian is so misunderstood, even by the family that loves him, and his struggles are honestly very true to the era. It's super romantic and sad at once. I will say--these books do include the casual usage of the g-slur, though I don't know that it's used in relation to actual characters so much as "he had the look of a..." Which... I don't like. Unfortunately, it's something you do see in a LOT of older historicals, and I don't excuse it--but I also don't want people going into these books blind.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is the second book in that series (same issue as mentioned above, though I again think it's pretty quick). This one is about a separated couple who's been living apart for years, and when she arrives to give him a head's up that his paintings are being forged, he decides to win her back. It's very "these two love each other but can't figure it out". Heads up: they did separate for many reasons, but the final straw was the emotional fallout of a miscarriage. It's super sad but well-done, imo.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. Heroine works with the Underground Railroad and ends up nursing the hero, who's super renowned for his work helping people escape slavery, back to health after he's injured. He's a rake and she's a virgin, and he tries to pursue her but she attempts to resist. Classic older historical, lots of twists and turns. The heroine was born into slavery and ending up becoming free, but her mother is still enslaved. This book is gorgeously written and made me cry like a little bitch, tbh.

I mean, most Lorraine Heath books are very angsty and emotional, but I'd super recommend:

Waking Up with the Duke--Hero got into a carriage accident with his best friend years ago, and the accident rendered said friend impotent. Friend is now asking hero to impregnate friend's wife, who hates the hero because of the accident (which also caused her to miscarry); hero reluctantly agrees once she consents, but oops, he's actually been holding a torch for her for yeeears. Gloriously angsty, so emotional, I cry at one particular scene basically every time.

The Earl Takes All--gorilla twins; hero goes on safari with identical twin, and identical twin is KILLED BY A GORILLA; the hero, by his twin's request, returns to England pretending to be his brother because the heroine is pregnant and has a history of miscarriages. Madness and angst ensues.

Between the Devil and Desire--heroine is a cold duchess whose husband just died, and she finds out that he left the guardianship of their young son to a total stranger; stranger owns a gambling hell and moves in. Much opposites-attract and angst ensues. TW: discussions of childhood sexual abuse. The entire Scoundrels of St. James series is.... a lot.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt--hero is a virgin Quaker schoolteacher by day; a vigilante who rescues orphans by night. A society widow begins teaching him how to be a gentleman so he can secure patrons for the orphanage, while tangling with his alter ego after hours. It's crazy, but also an all-time favorite of mine, and so beautiful I could scream. Does include detailed discussions of miscarriage and infertility, as a heads up.

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne--another big favorite. Heroine works for Scotland Yard, and the hero is a crime lord who ends up kidnapping her. He basically found out she had an inheritance he wanted, and she's also in danger because of said inheritance, so he makes a deal to marry and protect her... but she wants kids. His issue: he's so traumatized by an extremely horrible childhood that he cannot touch people skin to skin. He literally wears gloves all the time. And she's like.... welp, have sex with me enough times for me to have your baby, with the gloves on. CRAZY. EMOTIONAL. ANGSTY. I WEPT LOL. There's a lot more to the plot than what I can explain. TW: hero was sexually assaulted as a child.

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean. Not for the faint of heart lol, but I love it. Hero and heroine got married, and though he was initially in love with her, he ended up cheating on her while she was pregnant (there are reasons, and those reasons have nothing to do with him like... legit wanting anyone else, but still, bad). She leaves, then returns just in time to lose their baby. Years of separation later, she returns asking for a divorce, which he agrees to give her--if she helps him find his next wife. Which is an excuse to try to get her back, obvi. This is a very "grown people with grown people problems" book to me. It's not about the fairy tale. They have real issues to work through. Which makes it hit harder for me, tbh.

The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin. Warlord hero in Tang Dynasty China kidnaps a former emperor's concubine to try to get information from her, then becomes obsessed with her. Two cunning people circling each other, trying not to catch feelings yet being helpless to resist. Sweeping, romantic, heartwrenching.

#romance novel blogging #book recs

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