Samhain Publishing

My perfect fantasy man would is a black-haired, blue-eyed English Duke who looks fabulous in tight riding pants. He has a perfectly formed behind and powerful thighs, and he rides expertly on a large black stallion. He scoops me up on his horse and transports me back to Regency England*. (Of course, I’d settle for Colin Firth in his role as Mr. Darcy.)

My love affair with Regency England began when my best friend from junior high school discovered her mother’s stash of romance books under her sofa. My friend began sneaking out books one at a time, reading them, and then passing them to me. Many of the stories featured dashing dukes (or marquesses or earls) from Regency England, and these quickly became my favorites. I’ve been reading books set in the Regency ever since, devouring everything from stories written during the era like the novels of Jane Austen to the more staid traditional modern Regencies to racier Regency historicals.

When looking at the types of romance books available today, one can easily see that Regencies are one of the most popular types of historicals. So what makes the Regency era so appealing?

The distinctive social customs of the era are fascinating. Regency readers get to learn historicals details like how one should address a member of the aristocracy or what a fashionable young woman would wear to a ball. The upper class was expected to follow a strict social code, however, morals were much looser than in the later Victorian era. Women’s clothing was far more revealing than it was twenty years later and unmarried females had far less restrictions when it came to interacting with the opposite sex. These more relaxed social mores make the perfect setting for a romance.

England fought the Napoleonic Wars during this era and the intrigue and heroism surrounding the military provides great material for romantic stories. Many Regency romance heroes are soldiers, sea captain or intelligence officers. And there are also many books with heroes or heroines who smuggled French goods into England during the wars.

Many readers admire the lifestyle of the people of Regency England (or at least the life of the upper classes). How romantic it would be to go visiting and take tea with other ladies wearing one of the beautiful high-waisted dresses shown in the film adaptations of Jane Austen’s books. Attending balls and dinner parties and card-playing evening with dashing men dressed in formal attire sounds delightful. And of course one could also go visiting in the country and ride horses and have picnics amidst beautiful scenery.

I’d love to know why other readers find the Regency so appealing, so be sure to tell me in the comments.

*The Regency era officially lasted from 1811-1820, the period of English history when the future George IV ruled as regent while his father George III was incapacitated. However, the term is often used to refer to the period from 1795-1830 which has it’s own distinctive social mores.