10 Must-Read Historical Romance Novels that feature Spies
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Are you a fan of Romantic Suspense and would love to read it within the Historical Romance genre, then you must check out these 10 book recommendations? In this list, I am sharing Historical Romance novels that feature one or two characters that are spies. In these historical romance novels, in addition to the romance, we have an external plot that the characters need to solve. The majority of these books are set in the Regency era which was a prime time because of the war against France.
10 Historical Romance Novels that Feature Spies
No man can outsmart him, but she’s been outsmarting him for years
Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn’t the only one with secrets.
Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he’s not who she thinks he is after all.
Why you should read this book?
If you would like to read a reimagining of Mr. and Mrs. Smith set in Regency England, then “The Lord and Lady Spy” is for you. This book is action-packed as a married couple works on solving a mystery and they discover each other in their relationship. This book’s trope is marriage in crisis meets second chance romance.
Notorious rake Alexander Sinclair, Earl of St James, takes pride in displaying his sins. When he’s tasked by the Home Office with finding the men who attempted to assassinate the prime minister, his hunt leads him to Olivia Everett, a most proper schoolmistress who wants nothing to do with a profligate nobleman like him.
Unknown to her, Olivia’s brother Henry has been working with the revolutionary group planning to overthrow the government. Shocked and hoping to save her brother, Olivia agrees to help the persuasive earl. But the closer they get to uncovering the villains, the more Alec and Olivia will need to trust each other.
Why you should read this book?
If you love Marvel movies, this whole series is a Marvel Universe reimagining. This book features a hero that is based on Spiderman. If you like romance that features different social classes and the heroine has a job, then this book is for you. There is a mystery that the hero is trying to solve.
Lord Rimswell is a man of honor and absolutes. If he says something is impossible, it is. Yet his life of right and wrong is turned upside down when he finds himself in a compromising situation with the most unyielding, yet maddeningly beautiful, woman in London. If only he had not given in to the irresistible temptation to kiss her. Now he must marry her.
Miss Roselie Stratton is the very definition of impossible—headstrong, outspoken, and carrying a reticule of secrets that could ruin more than her reputation. Kissing Brody is hardly the most ruinous thing Roselie has ever done as a secret agent for the Home Office…nor will she let a marriage of convenience stop her from continuing her work. Little does Roselie realize that she has underestimated Brody’s resolve to keep her safe—for he has hopelessly fallen in love with her and is determined to do the impossible by stealing her heart in return.
Why you should read this book?
Yes, this is book six in a historical romance series but I read it as a standalone and so can you. The heroine is a spy that the hero had a previous encounter with and has been enchanted. If you like a marriage of convenience with a side of action then this book is right for you.
She’s never met a man she couldn’t deceive…until now.
She’s braved battlefields. She’s stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She’s played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can’t outwit.
Why you should read this book?
The heroine is a French spy who is held captive by the hero. Their meet-cute is in the middle of a dungeon in France where the heroine saves the hero. This book packs the punch with twists and turns and you want to know how this couple will come together to have their happily ever after.
Shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is done with men who covet her purse more than her person. Even worse than the ton’s lecherous fortune hunters, however, is the cruel cousin determined to force Georgie into marriage. If only she could find a way to be . . . widowed? Georgie hatches a madcap scheme to wed a condemned criminal before he’s set to be executed. All she has to do is find an eligible bachelor in prison to marry her, and she’ll be free. What could possibly go wrong?
LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
Benedict William Henry Wylde, scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. Georgie doesn’t realize who he is when she marries him—and she most certainly never expects to bump into her very-much-alive, and very handsome, husband of convenience at a society gathering weeks later. Soon Wylde finds himself courting his own wife, hoping to win her heart since he already has her hand. But how can this seductive rogue convince brazen, beautiful Georgie that he wants to be together…until actual death do they part?
Why you should read this book?
I really love this meet-cute. The heroine goes to prison looking for a husband who will soon be hanged. Lo and behold, she marries a spy. In this book, the heroine is an heiress who wants to run her business yet she has to work with the hero to prevent a potential crime from Napoleon.
Alex Harland, Earl of Melton and dedicated rake, never pictured himself as an agent of inquiry. But the thrill of investigation is a challenge he now embraces. When he’s asked to pursue the Nightjar, a notorious thief who is reclaiming France’s crown jewels, the case throws him into the path of the beautiful and equally elusive Emmy Danvers, reminding him of the only puzzle he’s never solved: the identity of the mysterious woman who once stole a kiss from him—and left him wanting so much more…
WILL HE SURRENDER HIS HEART?
The daughter of a thief, Emmy learned long ago how to keep her secrets safeguarded—and, as the notorious Nightjar, her love for Alex Harland is one of them. With the determined earl hot on her trail—and making her hot under the collar—Emmy has no choice but to keep her distance. But when a moment’s danger threatens Emmy’s life as well as her name, will Alex finally discover that he’s followed every clue…to true love?
Why you should read this book?
This book is a cat and mouse game. The hero works in Bow Street while the heroine is a Jewel Thief. They had one encounter with the instant attraction they longed to recapture however they don’t know each other’s identities. This book will keep you guessing how they will end up with a happily ever after.
He’s Getting Tired of Deception…She Wants a Little Intrigue
Baron Winslow Keating is honor-bound to finish one last mission as an elite spy for the Barbican group even though he just wants to go home and be with his family. But after years of secrecy and absence, his daughters hardly know him and his wife has given up on him.
Lady Elinor has had enough of domestic boredom. She contemplates an affair with a rakish spy, only to discover a world of intrigue and treachery that she never knew existed. Even more shocking, her neglectful husband is suddenly very attentive-quite the jealous type-and apparently there is much more to him than she ever knew.
Why you should read this book?
True Spies is a Regency re-imagining of True Lies. This marriage in crisis romance between a great spy and a bored wife who had enough and is looking for extracurricular activities. The hero finds himself discovering his wife and working to rekindle the relationship.
THE SOCIETY BEAUTY WHO SAVED HIS LIFE…
Beauty, charm, wealthy admirers: Mina Masters enjoys every luxury but freedom. To save herself from an unwanted marriage, she turns her wiles on a darkly handsome stranger. But Mina’s wouldbe hero is playing his own deceptive game. A British spy, Phin Granville has no interest in emotional entanglements…until the night Mina saves his life by gambling her own.
THE JADED SPY WHO VOWED TO FORGET HER…
Four years later, Phin inherits a title that frees him from the bloody game of espionage. But memories of the woman who saved him won’t let Phin go. When he learns that Mina needs his aid, honor forces him back into the world of his nightmares.
IN LIVES BUILT ON LIES, LOVE IS THE DARKEST SECRET OF ALL…
Deception has ruled Mina’s life just as it has Phin’s. But as the beauty and the spy match wits in a dangerous dance, their practiced masks begin to slip, revealing a perilous attraction. And the greatest threat they face may not be traitors or murderous conspiracies, but their own dark desires…
Why you should read this book?
If you would like a darker tone, an angsty book full of drama. This book is for you. The hero who is a spy meets and is saved by the heroine after their first encounter. Four years later they reconnect when the heroine needs help from the hero. This book deals with family dynamics and espionage.
Phillippa Benning is the unrivaled beauty of the Season. But when another lady challenges her for a marquis’s attentions, Phillippa entices him to a secret rendezvous only to stumble upon The Blue Raven, England’s most famous spy, lurking at the site of her planned tryst.
The Blue Raven has uncovered an enemy plot directed at upcoming society functions, but he’s unable to infiltrate London society. Phillippa makes an offer: In exchange for entrée among the ton, he agrees to have his true identity revealed at the Benning Ball, guaranteeing her unrivaled notoriety. As the danger draws closer, the mysterious spy and Phillippa give in to mutual desire. But when the game turns deadly, betrayal waits around the corner, and Phillippa must decide once and for all, is it the myth that captured her heart, or the man?
Why you should read this book?
The heroine connects with the Blue Raven, a notorious spy and they make an agreement to work together. This book strongly features the Ton with full of balls and intrigue. A reviewer on Goodreads shares that this book is a “sex reversal of one of my favorite tropes — the alpha hero who falls in love against his will, especially with a rather ordinary heroine.” In this case, the heroine is the Queen Bee and the hero is an ordinary hero who happens to be a spy.
Bow Street agent Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, doesn’t believe in love – until a passionate kiss with a beautiful stranger in a brothel forces him to reconsider. When the mysterious woman is linked to an intrigue involving a missing Russian princess, however, Seb realizes her air of innocence was too good to be true.
Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London as plain “Anna Brown”. With a dangerous traitor hot on her trail, her best option is to accept Wolff’s offer of protection – and accommodation – at his gambling hall. But living in such close quarters, and aiding Wolff in his Bow Street cases, fans the flames of their mutual attraction. If Anya’s true identity is revealed, does their romance stand a chance? Could a princess ever marry a rogue?
Why you should read this book?
This book features a Russian Princess living in hiding in London. The hero is an Earl that works in Bow Street on a case in relation to the heroine. This book features forced proximity, a gaming hell, and some Russian espionage. This book was a great conclusion to the Bow Street series.
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Are you a fan of historical romance, if so let me know what is your favorite time period?
