[bellamanko]

I am hoping to find a series that is sort of like Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby and Gothic mystery books - gothic or victorian (not picky about era though, as long as its historical) with steamy romance but a good mystery/thriller.
I also liked Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series but it was a little lacking in romance in the books after she remarries. I LOVE Anna Lee Huber's style, so if you have any recommendations, I am all ears - or eyes I should say :D

I was thinking of trying Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series, Mary Stewart's books, Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series, and Ashley Gardiner's Captain Lacey series, but I don't know if they have any romance. Any of you know if they do? I really love the romance element that Anna Lee Huber's books have. It's unputdownable. So that's what I am looking for.

[Dendra]

They don't have a lot of romance, but I like most of Madeline Brent's books. Stranger at Wildings, Moonraker's Bride and Golden Urchin are three of my favorites. All set in the 1800's or early 1900's.

[Fizban]

Most of the historical mysteries I read are more mystery and less romance, but in just about all cases there's at least some romance between the two MCs. I can say that Deanna Raybourn's and Lauren Willig's series are both great, but I think that only Willig's has a substantial amount of romance. There's also the fact that the books jump back and forth between modern and regency times because the premise is that the modern woman is transcribing the journals from 200 years ago where the historical scenes take place.

Another author of historical mystery series I really like is Andrea Penrose's Lady Arianna Hadley plus her Wrexford & Sloane mysteries. Again, there's some romance but possibly not enough for your tastes. Another great historical mystery series with just a little romance in it is the Daisy Dalrymple books by Carola Dunn which are set in the late 1920s.

Now, if you want a set of romances with some mystery in them, you might check ouf Lynne Connolly's Richard & Rose books, which are all first person and there's definitely a lot of romance/sex but in each book there is also a mystery for them to resolve. Stephanie Laurens also writes romances that usually have some sort of mystery to resolve, like in her Bastion Club, Black Cobra and Adventurer's Club novels. Her Cynster novels sometimes have a mystery and sometimes just a conflict to resolve for the main characters so they would likely be hit-or-miss for you.

Good luck and I hope you find some good stories to read!

[bellamanko]

awesome, thanks for the recommendations :) I'll check them all out.

[foxrampant]

I have only read the first book in Her Royal Spyness series, but I can tell you that the romance was barely there. It was quite obvious, though, that it would pick up some pace in subsequent books. From what I've read, it seems unlikely that the romance would become particularly steamy, but I might be wrong. Like I said, I've only read the first installment in the series.

With Mary Stewart it's quite the opposite: there's romance all right, but the mysteries are barely there .

You could try M.M. Kaye, especially her Death in Cyprus, Death in Kenya and Death in Zanzibar. However, they are set in not-so-distant past (circa late 1940's/early 1950's). On the other hand, so are Mary Stewart's books (at least the ones I remember.)

Also, check out Daphne du Maurier, if you have not done so already.

I have been recommended Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries series by Carrie Bebris. They sound like something you might want to look into, but I have not read them, so can't really say whether there's enough mystery/romance in them.

[bellamanko]

Awesome, thank you, fox! Great suggestions. I'll definitely check them out.

[proudbooky]

I loved the Deverill trilogy by Santa Montefiore, I'm sure you will like this, has all the ingredients you ask for

[CaptainKidd]

Burning Cove series by Jayne Ann Krentz (writing as Amanda Quick). 'The Girl Who Knew Too Much' and 'The Other Lady Vanishes'. Historical from the sense of mid 20th Century USA.