It’s that time of year when I share my favorite heroes and heroines from the novels I have rated 5-stars. Noble men, who overcome tortured pasts, flaws and the odds against them to pursue great deeds and love, and heroines who persist against overwhelming obstacles to be with the man to whom they would give their heart—strong, intelligent women of character. Every one a worthy hero and heroine. The best are set deep in history.
 
See my favorites, my Christmas gift to you--HERE! This just might be your next year’s reading list!

Who among us ladies hasn’t dreamed of a knight in shining armor? A valiant hero living in a time when honor prevailed and a woman of character who loved him. (I did say we were dreaming, right?) These historical novels will take you there.
 
Since the medieval period in European history spanned the 5th century to the 15th century, all the stories on my list take place during that time and all have garnered 4 or 5 stars from me. See the list.

The Isle of Iona is a very special place as anyone who has been there can tell you. A small isle that lies about a mile off the west coast of the larger Isle of Mull in the Scottish Hebrides, Iona has a long and illustrious history. Today is it a tourist destination and the faithful make pilgrimages to its shores and its Abbey Church. I have walked the white sand beaches, felt the constant breeze on my face and experienced the tranquility that characterizes this sacred place. See more.

In my research for the award-winning Medieval Warriors series, I learned much about the Nordic peoples who at one time raided and ultimately settled in England and Scotland. These included the Danes, who settled in Yorkshire and what became known as the Danelaw, as well as other Nordic groups. To write scenes in the home of my half-Danish heroine in York for Rogue Knight, I had to understand the names, the personal grooming habits and the clothing, even the jewelry. And for Rebel Warrior, I had to know about the weapons they preferred and whether the leader of a Viking attack might be dark-haired. Take a look at some of the things I discovered about “Vikings” from my research.

Every now and then I love a good Viking story. Not fantasy, not paranormal, just straight up historical love stories from the time of the raiding Northmen. The Viking Age was that part of the medieval period from the end of the 8th century to the middle of the 11th century, although there are Norse pirates still around beyond that. It was an age of valiant and sometimes ruthless warriors and raiders. See the "best" on Historical Romance Review.

My Victorian list features romances set in the Victorian era, generally from 1837 (the year Victoria became Queen) to 1901 (the year of her death). The common perception of the period is that the Victorians were “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and narrow-minded”.  But these perceptions are not always accurate, particularly when the British characters were traveling and learning much about other cultures, as you will see in these romances. See the list.

For those of you who didn’t know, as a part of my research for my new Clan Donald Saga, I spent the last three weeks in the Western Isles of Scotland, from Skye in the north to the Mull of Kintyre in the south to Arran and Bute in the Firth of Clyde. Today the "Western Isles"are the Outer Hebrides, but in the 13th century, the setting for Bound by Honor, the next book in the series, the Western Isles were all the isles west of Scotland's mainland. See more.

Castle Coeffin on the Isle of Lismore was built between 1200 and 1250 AD to guard the sea passages between Scotland's western isles. The castle became one of the strongholds of the MacDougalls, the Lords of Lorn, the enemies of the Macdonalds, the Lords of the Isles. Both clans were descended from the Norse-Gael Somerled who forged the Kingdom of the Isles. (You can read his story in the award-winning story, Summer Warrior, book 1 in the Clan Donald Saga.) 
See the book on my website.

Lismore Isle became a point of contention between the two clans in the late 13th century. Alexander Macdonald, heir to the Lordship, fell in love with and married Juliana MacDougall. Her dowry was to be Lismore Isle where Castle Coeffin then stood. But Alexander MacDougall, the MacDougall clan chief, reneged on his promise and denied the dowry.

Ultimately, King Edward I of England would decide for the Macdonalds. You'll be able to read about it in the story I am writing now, Bound by Honor, coming later this year.
See a description.

Geddes MacGregor once wrote, “No one in Scotland can escape from the past. It is everywhere, haunting like a ghost.” Scotland’s past is the subject of this list, romance novels set in Scotland, most in that magical part of Scotland called the Highlands. Some have a Scot as hero or heroine. The best are set deep in Scotland’s history.
See the list here: https://reganromancereview.blogspot.com/2021/05/best-scottish-historical-romances.html

Best Irish Historical Romances! I first developed this list for a friend of Irish descent who loves Irish historical romances. Since then, I have updated this list each year as I have come to love stories that feature Ireland and/or Irish heroes and heroines. The books on this list cover all time periods. Some transcend typical historical romance as they bring to life heartrending tales of the Irish fight for freedom from English tyranny and/or the wonderful Irish people who survived much hardship to help make great their adoptive countries.

If you’re looking for stories of the Emerald Isle or handsome Irish hunks, or worthy Irish heroines, you will find them here. All these have been rated 4 or 5 stars by me.