Lovelysalome asked for several different romance recommendations, and while I can’t launch them all at once, I am going to go bit-by-bit to ask for more Bitchery Booklists.
I’d be curious about recommendations for books about non-American / non-English subjects. Mexico, Australia, the Orient, harems, WWI, Russia, Caribbean, Klondike, other European locales – ANYTHING outside of the regular old settings!
So, what are your recommendations? Bring it on!
loretta chase’s completely delightful “mr. impossible” is set entirely in egypt (though the characters are english, so maybe that doesn’t count?).
chase also recently had a re-release of one of her early books that takes place almost entirely in albania, i think.
kresley cole’s early books are about english folk who are mainly on ships in and around various interesting locations such as polynesia.
and then, there are these: http://sheikhs-and-desert-love.com/
oh! and judith ivory, writing as judy cuevas has a couple of titles set entirely in france. they can be a bit hard to find, as they are all out of print, but they are well worth it!
I always loved In the Shadow of the Moon, by MM Kaye. It’s not technically a romance novel, but it is quite romantic, and set during the 1857 Sepoy uprising in India…
How about “Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, set in Barcelona? I’m not sure how much it qualifies as a strictly romance book, though the two (three?) main love stories are an integral part of the plot. It’s really good, though the female lead loses out a little in the translation.
‘shadow of the wind’ is on my top-ten-best list!
and while we are on the subject of m.m. kaye, ‘far pavilions’ is definitely a romance and it is set entirely in india. it’s a bit problematic if you have issues with books that aren’t strictly accurate in their portrayals of other cultures, but it’s-fun-so-who-cares is what i have to say about that!
Does anyone else remember a trend from like 15 years ago, where there were a lot of romances set in Australia? Connie Mason did a bunch, and I remember Karen Robards wrote one that I LOVED. I think it was called Dark Torment. The hero was a hot indentured slave named Dominic. And I believe Laura Kinsale’s most recent book was set in Italy, right (I know, it’s blasphemy, but I swear it’s on my TBR pile!)? More recently Gaelen Foley wrote a series about a mythical mediterranean island kingdom (the titles escape me but I loved the books)
Carla Kelly’s Daughter of Fortune is set in northern Mexico during the 16th century.
Bonnie Dee’s Bone Deep is set in the US in 1946, not a time that a lot of American-published books are set in.
Marjorie Jones’ The Lighthorseman is set in post-WW1 Australia.
Morag McKendrick Pippin’s Blood Moon Over Bengal is set in India in the late 1920s or early 30s.
Barbara Cleverly has a mystery series (protagonist named Joe Sandilands) set in India in 1922. There are several books; I’ve only read Ragtime in Simla, which I enjoyed.
Mary Jo Putney’s Veils of Silk set in Afghanistan and India during the 19th century.
I would recommend Oliva and Jai. It’s set in India in the 1840s, and though it’s out of print, I consider it a great book and well worth the search.
Also, I recently read Paullina Simons’s epic novel The Bronze Horseman, an incredible book set in Russia during World War II.
I have my pen ready and my amazon link open – thanks in advance for all of the suggestions!
lovelysalome
I highly recommend Bronwyn Jameson‘s “Princes of the Outback” series (Hq Desire) for a lovely Austalian outback feel.
One of my favourite Aussie historicals is The Gentleman’s Garden by Catherine Jinks. very beautifully drawn.
Im sick of Anglo settings. Where are my Asian romances??
The Last Mermaid by Shana Abe, though it takes place in England/U.S., too, it centers mostly on a mythical island. I highly enjoyed it, personally.
Paula Reed’s books are set in the exotic Carribean locations and on ships—and they’re earlier than the usual Regency period as well.
I loved A Gentleman’s Garden. It’s not strictly speaking a romance but well worth reading for a feel of the early Australian colony (Hi Kiki!). Cathy Jinks is a terrific and diverse writer. Her Medieval thrillers The Notary and The Inquisitor are terrific.
Er, that would be Olivia and Jai, not Oliva. Sorry, I need to self-edit. Oh, and the author is Rebecca Ryman.
Kinsale, The Dream Hunter; also her first book, The Hidden Heart is set partly in Tahiti and the Amazon.
Candice Proctor, Night in Eden and Whispers of Heaven, both set in the penal colonies in the territory that eventually becomes Australia. Also Midnight Confessions set in New Orleans after the Civil War, and The Bequest, set in Colorado(?).
Jo Goodman, the second and third installments of her Thorne Brothers trilogy, My Reckless Heart and With All My Heart (the first, My Steafast Heart, takes place in England). Also her Dennehy Sisters books are set in the US (my favorites are the first and the last), as are her Hamilton Brothers books (More Than You Wish, More Than You Know after the Civil War).
Judith Ivory, Bliss and Dance, both of which take place in France near the turn of the 20th century. Dance is particularly fascinating as the heroine makes motion pictures. Her first book, Starlit Surrender, also set in France during the Revolution, is being re-released in August under a different title.
Christine Monson, Rangoon, set in the title city of Burma with an Indian hero and an American heroine. Incredible commentary on colonialism in the book, although it’s not very elegantly written.
Isn’t Lydia Joyce’s Music of the Night set in Venice?
Tom and Sharon Curtis’s The Windflower is set mostly on a pirate ship.
Loretta Chase, The Lion’s Daughter, set in Albania.
I know there are more I’ve read, but those are off the top of my head.
>Isn’t Lydia Joyce’s Music of the Night set in Venice?
Yup. And Whispers of the Night is set in Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. 🙂
I tried to pick up Blood Moon Over Bengal and grabbed Blood Moon Over Britain instead. Blood Moon over Berlin is next, BTW.
Lisa Cach’s The Wildest Shore hasn’t been mentioned. It was a fun read! It takes place mostly on a ship traveling to various exotic locals.
LocalEs, that is.
I adore romances set in Asia or other more exotic locales.
I own all three of Sharon Maas’ books. I re-read “Of Marriageable Age” this afternoon. Or parts of it, anyway.
There’s also “Peacocks Dancing” and “The Speech of Angels.” It’s hard to pick a favourite from the three, for me.
“The Twentieth Wife” by Indu Sundaresan was also a beautiful book.
I also recall reading “Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind” and “Haveli” several times in highschool. They’re probably more romance-ish novels for the younger set, but I enjoyed them. Some sites say it’s for ages 12 and up, but I recall some fairly graphic stuff in there about lust and sex and people being riddled with bullets and then holding a dead person in your lap and hiding from people who want to kill you and your kids even if it means you have to hide from everyone, even those you truly love. Depends on the twelve year old, I guess.
Cheryl Sawyer’s Siren. Set in the Caribbean. Plus: pirates!
I read Dawn of Desire
1976: New York: Avon
A prince and princess must overcome danger and intrigue to find passion.
Desert Fires
1978: New York: Avon
An Egyptian king named Ameni, the lovely Nefryaten, Troy, Atlantis. . . . by Joyce Verrette back when they first came out. They are set in ancient Egypt. I haven’t seen either since then but I remember enjoying both. I seem to remember three books though….
Someone mentioned Christine Monson – she wrote another one whose title escapes me right now, but it starts off in France and the main characters then join the Crusades. I thought she did a very thought-provoking job of showing both sides of that religious/political conflict, without losing sight of the (very entertaining) story. And I loved-loved-loved that the heroine isn’t a ‘Cinderella’, she’s a ‘Mulan’(can you tell that I spend too much time forced to endure Disney ?)
What I mean is, she doesn’t wait around uselessly, letting everyone walk all over her, until the Prince takes some masterful action or other.
She gets the job done herself instead.
‘Crocodile on the Sandbank’ by Elizabeth Peters. Will forever be one of my top-five favourite books. SO MUCH FUN. Set in Egypt with Victorian (post-Victorian ? I’m a little hazy on dates) English characters, with lots of stereotype challenges. Not strictly romance, more romantic suspense, or else suspense with romantic elements. The heroine, again, is a ‘Mulan’, not a ‘Cinderella’.
Wow. Maybe I need to think more deeply about what the whole mulan/cinderella dichotomy says about me ?
As far as I know they’re still available, so if anyone hasn’t savored the Angelique series by French writers Serge and Anne Golon, writing as Sergeanne, you’ve missed a serious treat and a hero to die for. 🙂
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Zumaya recently published the first volume in a trilogy set in Renaissance-era Japan called The Seabird of Sanematsu by Kei Swanson. Warning: cliffhanger ending, but the second book will be out later this year.
We also have Daisies Never Die by Judy Lawn, which is a bit of a romance and a bit of a mystery with just a hint of a ghost story, all set in gorgeous New Zealand. Judy’s earlier novel, Progressions, won an EPPIE Award, and also has enough romance to satisfy.
Our books tend more toward what I call “women’s fiction” (NOT chick-lit) rather than standard romance, but they usually have an HEA.
Well, there are an awful lot of HM&Bs by Australian authors, set in Australia.
Going further back, Vitoria Holt wrote some wonderful historicals set in colonial India.
Morag Prunty writes chick-litty books set in Ireland, as does Cathy Kelly Belinda Jones sends British characters off to various destinations. A lot of Katie MacAllister’s books are in European locations.
Problem is, we’re always being told to make our characters relatable. So the heroine at least is usually homegrown.
However, if I can chuck my own hat into the ring, my first book was about an Egyptian vampire and her Greek lover, set in modern London. The second had German and French werewolves in various bits of Europe. I also have one set in Rome, and another in Lapland. Howzat for exotic?
Bed of Spices by Barbara Samuel – Set in 14th century Strassburg. Heroine is daughter of a German nobleman. Hero is son of a Jewish merchant.
Dinah Dean wrote a six-book series set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. At least three of the six are very hard to find (and very expensive if you do), so it’s something of a risk to become a fan.
Okay, I have *very* strong opinions regarding her current writing over the last few years, but, try Catherine Coulter’s Devil’s Embrace and Devil’s Daughter. Both are from the early/mid-80’s and there are some scenes where it’s a fine line between forced seduction and rape (which is already a fine line to begin with). Both mainly take place in Italy with some time spent in northern Africa and the harem.
1. Madeline Brent wrote books set all over the world in the 19th century featuring adventuous female protagonists—first person POV.
2. Rosalind Laker has written a fair amount of novels set during various time periods and settings
3. Someone mentioned Victoria Holt’s book set in India, it’s called The India Fan. All of her books are in first person, but are well worth it.
4. I recommend Morag McKendrick Pippin solely for the time period they are set in
5. Katherine O’Neal always writes books with exotic locales. They can border on melodramatic at times, but they’re entertaining.
6. Megan Chance has written some wonderful historical romances in a variety of time periods and settings.