Queer Historical Romance

Queer stories with good representation of periodic romances.

Updated November 7, 2025
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I Am You
Redel, Victoria
Paper Book
This "lush, sexy, absorbing novel" of historical fiction "brings to life two artists who are inextricably linked in passion and competition" (Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Girlhood) A "captivating" lesbian romance set in the "wonderfully atmospheric" art world of 1600s...
The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special tale' VAISHNAVI...
By any other name
Cotter, Erin
Paper Book
"A high-stakes, high-drama mystery...led by a plucky, determined hero I would have followed anywhere...[A] romantic, delightful romp!" --Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue A down-on-his-luck actor and an...
Don't want you like a best friend : a novel
Alban, Emma R.
Paper Book
A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other--the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed! Gwen has a brilliant...
Fingersmith
Waters, Sarah
Paper Book
The Handmaiden, a film adaptation of Fingersmith, directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Kim Tae-Ri, is now available. Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a "baby farmer," who raised her with unusual tenderness, as if Sue were...
Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe
Flagg, Fannie.
Paper Book
Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who's in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who's telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women--the irrepressibly...
The gentleman's guide to vice and virtue
Lee, Mackenzi
Paper Book
A Kirkus Prize nominee and Stonewall Honor winner with 5 starred reviews! A New York Times bestseller! Named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR and the New York Public Library! "The queer teen historical you didn't know was missing from your life."--Teen...
Gwen & Art are not in love
Croucher, Lex
Paper Book
'Exactly what I needed right now - a delightful, heartwarming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it' - ALICE OSEMAN, bestselling author of HEARTSTOPPER 'Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate...
The hellion's waltz
Waite, Olivia
Ebook
It's not a crime to steal a heart...   Sophie Roseingrave hates nothing more than a swindler. After her family lost their piano shop to a con man in London, they're trying to start fresh in a new town. Her father is convinced Carrisford is an upright and...
Infamous
Croucher, Lex
Paper Book
22-year-old aspiring writer Edith 'Eddie' Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together-climbing trees, throwing grapes at boys, sneaking bottles of wine, practicing kissing . . . Now that they're out in society, Rose is suddenly talking about marriage, and Eddie...
It takes two to tumble
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
"Sebastian proves she is a new force to be reckoned with in historical romances."--Booklist Some of Ben Sedgwick's favorite things: Helping his poor parishioners Baby animals Shamelessly flirting with the handsome Captain Phillip Dacre After an...
Ladies in Hating
Vasti, Alexandra
Paper Book
A pair of Gothic novelists trade rivalry for love in this swoony, steamy, sapphic Regency by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti. Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, she's also acquired an enemy: the...
A lady for a duke
Hall, Alexis J..
Paper Book
A lush, sweeping queer historical romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material - perfect for fans of Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Lisa Kleypas! When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But...
Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND STONEWALL BOOK AWARD * From acclaimed author Malinda Lo comes a gripping, tender coming-of-age novel exploring identity, queerness, and historical upheaval set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s. ...
Learned by heart
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of...
The librarian of burned books : a novel
Labuskes, Brianna
Paper Book
For fans of The Rose Code and The Paris Library, The Librarian of Burned Books is a captivating WWII-era novel about the intertwined fates of three women who believe in the power of books to triumph over the very darkest moments of war.  Berlin...
Like a love story
Nazemian, Abdi
Paper Book
Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time "A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves."--Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and...
A little light mischief
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
A seductive thief Lady's maid Molly Wilkins is done with thieving--and cheating and stabbing and all the rest of it. She's determined to keep her hands to herself, so she really shouldn't be tempted to seduce her employer's prim and proper companion, Alice. But how can she resist when...
Most ardently : a Pride & Prejudice remix
Novoa, Gabe Cole
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A STONEWALL HONOR BOOK A trans boy searches for a future--and a romance--in which he can live and love openly as himself in this heartwrenching YA reimagining of Pride & Prejudice, perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Gwen...
Mutual interest : a novel
Wolfgang-Smith, Olivia
Paper Book
An enthralling, dishy novel about ambition, sexuality, and the rise of a capitalist empire in post-Gilded Age New York. "Hernan Diaz's Trust but make it gay? Narrated in the sly-eyed style of Plain Bad Heroines? I am absolutely...
Not for the Faint of Heart
Croucher, Lex.
Paper Book
Rip-roaringly romantic, fast-paced and funny - discover the brand new Sapphic historical fantasy adventure from the author of Cafe Nero Award shortlisted, YA Book Prize winner and Books Are My Bag Reader's Award winner, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love 'You aren't...
One night in Hartswood
Denny, Emma
Paper Book
'A thrilling, heart-stealing historic romp and achingly romantic.' M.A. Kuzniar, bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood 'A heartwarming tale of forbidden love that captured my heart from its opening page... Unputdownable.' Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York...
The perfect crimes of Marian Hayes
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
The price of salt
Highsmith, Patricia
Paper Book
A chance encounter between two lonely women leads to a passionate romance in this lesbian cult classic. Therese, a struggling young sales clerk, and Carol, a homemaker in the midst of a bitter divorce, abandon their oppressive daily routines for the freedom of the open road, where their love can...
The queer principles of Kit Webb :
Sebastian, Cat
Digital file
Critically acclaimed author Cat Sebastian makes her trade paperback debut in a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart. Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee...
A rare find
Lowell, Joanna
Ebook
When an aspiring archaeologist teams up with her childhood enemy for a treasure hunt, they find it impossible to bury their growing feelings, in a charming queer historical romance from the author of A Shore Thing.   Elfreda Marsden has finally made a major discovery-...
The safekeep : a novel
Wouden, Yael van der
Paper Book
* SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE * * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION * * WINNER OF THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION * Shortlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize and Aspen Words Literary Prize * A Best Book...
The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels-until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London...
A shore thing
Lowell, Joanna
Ebook
"Glorious.... Every scene in this book is a treasure."--The New York Times "A Victorian queer love story that will have you giggling and blushing... This book is full of charm and low-stakes adventure, just the warm and soft romance many of us are looking for."--NPR...
Something fabulous
Hall, Alexis J.
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of Boyfriend Material comes a delightfully witty romance featuring a reserved duke who's betrothed to one twin and hopelessly enamoured of the other. Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally. It was always his father...
Time after time
Daughtry, Mikki
Paper Book
**A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick** **A USA Today Bestseller** Two love stories. One hundred years apart. An unforgettable sapphic romance from the screenwriter and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel and film Five Feet Apart....
Two rogues make a right
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
Will Sedgwick can't believe that after months of searching for his oldest friend, Martin Easterbrook is found hiding in an attic like a gothic nightmare. Intent on nursing Martin back to health, Will kindly kidnaps him and takes him to the countryside to recover, well away from...
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet
McLeod, Lnda.
Paper Book
'A triumph of a book, and an utter delight from start to finish' Thomas D. Lee, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Perilous Times Jane Austen meets Bridgerton in this slow-burn sapphic romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet, taking place...
We could be so good
Sebastian, Cat
Ebook
'A spectacularly talented writer!' Julia Quinn, author of Bridgerton From their first awkward meeting I was completely invested in Nick and Andy's relationship. Nick's grumpiness vs Andy's chaotic sunshine was wonderful. Emma Denny, author of One Night in...
The world and all that it holds
Hemon, Aleksandar
Paper Book
The World and All That It Holds--in all its hilarious, heartbreaking, erotic, philosophical glory--showcases Aleksandar Hemon's celebrated talent at its pinnacle. It is a grand, tender, sweeping story that spans decades and continents. It cements Hemon as one of the boldest voices in...

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