by: Jenna Jaxon
Genre: Victorian Historical Romance
Release Date: March 31, 2026
A scandalous mistake…or a wicked way to happiness?
Hoping to compromise herself, Lady Amantha Easton sneaks into the bedroom of her would-be suitor only to find a total stranger there—a totally handsome, charming stranger to be sure—but not at all the man she plans to marry. She leaves his room with her reputation intact—barely—only to fall victim to the gentleman’s charms in a public place. Now Amantha must face the fate she’s tried to avoid—marriage to a man who will never love her.
All Rafael Beauregard wanted was a warm bed and a good night’s sleep…but what he got was an unexpected romp with a beautiful vixen and a fiery kiss that left him wanting more. An excellent trade, except now he’s got to marry Lady Amantha, one of the most willful women he’s ever met. So Rafe’s challenge is to persuade her that marriage to him might be the best thing for them both…once he convinces himself.
First, and this is the one that gets a lot of people invested, is that you get to become a time traveler. Historical romance takes you away from the hustle and bustle of 21st century life and lets you experience an era when things were done very differently. Very formally. And sometimes dangerously. Because all the contemporary rules of conduct (or lack thereof) are out the window. In Medieval, Georgian, Regency, and Victorian times, there were actual rules of conduct that people lived by and broke only at their great peril. One misstep while courting and you could find yourself married to the wrong man. Have an affair with someone, and you could be ostracized by all of polite society (literally no one would even speak to you, or they’d be shunned as well). So there’s a danger in the past that is fascinating to watch as heroines navigate their paths to happiness.
If that’s not enough to convince you, how about having an immersive experience that sucks you in until you can see the ballrooms and smell the flower gardens? There is a huge amount of world-building in historical romances in order to recreate those ballrooms, country estates, and the twisting streets of fog-shrouded London. The amount of details historical authors put into their works is specifically to give you that feeling that “you are there” in whichever time period you decide to try.
And lastly, historical romance gives you the chance to experience the lives of unconventional heroines who defy the mores of their time to be spies, swordsmen, intellectuals, and adventurers. Even though constricted by the rules of the period, historical heroines are some of the most kickass women you’d want to read about. They will defy conventions and put themselves in danger just to live their lives to the fullest, even if it means doing things that might shock the society matrons.
So if you’d like to travel back in time, into an immersive experience, and watch kickass heroines defy the odds and everyone who stands in their way, I’d say pick up a historical romance and dive in. The water’s fantastic!
“What is it, love? What’s wrong?”
“Father,” was all she could get out at first.
“You went to see him? He didn’t agree to grant your request?”
Amantha nodded and sniffed. Rafe reached into his breast pocket and produced a handkerchief. “He g…gave me a choice. Marry you or…or be put in p…prison.”
“Prison!” What kind of monster would threaten his own daughter with prison? And what kind of power did such a man wield? “He’s going to send you to Newgate? On whose authority?”
“His own authority.” She wiped her eyes and nose then clenched the square of linen in her fist. “And not Newgate. Not a real prison. But he will turn his northernmost property, Woolston Lodge in Northumberland, into a prison. He will send me there tomorrow, with no clothes and no friends, just a jailor and armed guards for the rest of my life.” Tears threatened again and Rafe pulled her head back to his shoulder.
“Shh, love. Don’t think about it. We won’t let that happen, will we?” She shook her head and nestled deeper. The small movement of acquiescence shot straight to his heart. He could fix this. “I am afraid, though, that I’m going to have to change my mind about our marriage.”
She sat bolt upright, terror widening her eyes as she stared at him.
Damn. He hadn’t meant to frighten her even more. His own fault for drinking that second brandy.
“Shhh.” He ran a gentle thumb down her delicate jaw line, cupping her chin and pulling her face close enough that she had to look into his eyes. “Amantha, I just meant I now want to marry you more than anything in the world.”
“Father,” was all she could get out at first.
“You went to see him? He didn’t agree to grant your request?”
Amantha nodded and sniffed. Rafe reached into his breast pocket and produced a handkerchief. “He g…gave me a choice. Marry you or…or be put in p…prison.”
“Prison!” What kind of monster would threaten his own daughter with prison? And what kind of power did such a man wield? “He’s going to send you to Newgate? On whose authority?”
“His own authority.” She wiped her eyes and nose then clenched the square of linen in her fist. “And not Newgate. Not a real prison. But he will turn his northernmost property, Woolston Lodge in Northumberland, into a prison. He will send me there tomorrow, with no clothes and no friends, just a jailor and armed guards for the rest of my life.” Tears threatened again and Rafe pulled her head back to his shoulder.
“Shh, love. Don’t think about it. We won’t let that happen, will we?” She shook her head and nestled deeper. The small movement of acquiescence shot straight to his heart. He could fix this. “I am afraid, though, that I’m going to have to change my mind about our marriage.”
She sat bolt upright, terror widening her eyes as she stared at him.
Damn. He hadn’t meant to frighten her even more. His own fault for drinking that second brandy.
“Shhh.” He ran a gentle thumb down her delicate jaw line, cupping her chin and pulling her face close enough that she had to look into his eyes. “Amantha, I just meant I now want to marry you more than anything in the world.”
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She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including Olive, an almost silent cat, Earl Grey, a very curious bunny, and a Shar-pei mix dog named Frenchie.
Places to find Jenna Jaxon:
Website | BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
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