The Rec League: Emotionally Competent Historical Romances

This Rec League request is from SBTB reviewer, Kiki!

I’ve been stuck in a loop of reading a lot of historicals that can be summarized as “this deeply emotionally traumatized man is actively saying that he is unable to love me/is not nice to me, BUT I love who he used to be/who I imagine him to be SO I’m just going to heal him with my love and there are no consequences for his dumbass” and it has tangibly affected my irritability levels.

If anyone has some favorite emotionally competent historical recs they want to send my way please know that I am frothing at the mouth for them right now.

I’ve read two books in the last month in which the male lead essentially didn’t realize he loved/should be nicer to the female lead until she was almost thrown off a literal tower and I think I would love avoid that ~vibe~ for the rest of the summer.

Elyse: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

Sarah: It’s extremely purple and some of the plot is WAY out there, but one of the things I love about Devil’s Bride ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) is that the hero, as commanding and autocratic as he is (It was published in 1998) struggles to articulate his feelings as he recognizes that he has them, but he’s never unkind to the heroine. He values her a lot and he pursues her (mostly because socially they have to get married though she refuses to accept it)

Kiki: Yes! I haven’t read Devil’s Bride in a long time but I remember that aspect of it really well. There can be personality conflict that is not emotional neglect and abuse. There can be “this man needs support or a push in the right direction and I want to give it to him” without the heroine being devoured in that effort.

And I love mess and melodrama as much (or more) than the next girl, but I need a kind boy book.

Sarah: YES. And Devil isn’t always the most nuanced dude but he isn’t unkind

You might like the Devil’s Delilah, an older regency. The heroines father is going to release his memoirs and he was a rake so she’d be screwed socially and his secretary is the hero

He’s very kind and unassuming but also secretly a plotting scheming smartypants.

Shana: The Rakess by Scarlet Peckham has a beta hero who is pretty emotionally fluent. Actually, the sequel, Portrait of Duchess, would probably work too.

If queer romances are ok, I remember Honey and Pepper by AJ Demas ( A | BN | K ) as having heroes that were sweet and definitely into each other. Also maybe We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian? I’m having trouble remembering the details but I think most of the conflict was external.

Claudia: The Halifax Hellions novellas would fit this request! And I second Shana’s Cat Sebastian rec.

Which historical romances would you recommend? Let us know in the comments1