Who loves a good bodice ripper? There’s something steamy about people living in an era full of taboos flirting and getting it on – at least, to me there is. I’m absolutely obsessed with historical romances.

One of my favorite time periods? Regency. The Regency era in England was actually a really short period of time, but romance writers love it. It’s less stuffy than the Victorian era, with flowing fashion and tons of flirtation using fans.

My favorite romance novel series from this era is the Pink Carnation Series by Lauren Willig. If you like romance with a plot, look no further. The series is about badass spies (and usually the ladies are doing the spying!) during the Napoleonic Wars. And while some of the novels are more clean with a couple of nice make-out scenes, many of them are completely bodice-ripping worthy.

On the side, there’s also a modern storyline about Eloise, a woman researching the Pink Carnation, a mysterious English spy whose identity remains a secret. While her story wraps the entire series together, to me, it’s the historical drama that takes the cake. While Eloise’s story requires reading all of the books to understand, her “research” – or the historical storyline which makes up a majority of each book – can be read individually.

As a bonus, what I really like is that there are books in this series about young people, middle-aged people, and even older people falling in love! One of the steamier scenes in the series takes place between the eldest couple. Willig also writes about her “comic relief” characters, and when I tell my friends who are just starting the series that some of the sexiest scenes are from funny and/or elderly characters, they’re always shocked! Willig does such a great job bringing all sorts of relationships to life.

And if you’re interested, here’s a ranking of the series in the order from my favorite to least favorite – though my least favorite books are still enjoyable. (I just didn’t click with the characters so much.)

1. Henrietta and Miles from The Masque of the Black Tulip
2. Penelope and Alex from The Betrayal of the Blood Lily
3. Amy and Richard from The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
4. Arabella and “Turnip” from The Mischief of the Mistletoe
5. Jane and Jack from The Lure of the Moonflower
6. Emma and Augustus from The Garden Intrigue
7. Sally and Lucien from The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla
8. Gwen and William from The Passion of the Purple Plumeria
9. Mary and Vaughn from The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
10. Laura and Andre from The Orchid Affair
11. Letty and Geoff from The Deception of the Emerald Ring
12. Charlotte and Robert from The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

Have you read the series before? Who are your favorite couples?

Start your journey with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation for $3 on Kindle!

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Tagged with: Lauren Willig, Pink Carnation Series