Regency romances are a type of romance novel set during the British Regency period (1811–1820) or the early 1800s. They are not simply modern romance stories moved to the past but have their own unique style and story patterns. These patterns come more from the works of Georgette Heyer, who wrote over 20 novels set in the Regency era from 1935 until her death in 1974, and from a genre called the Novel of Manners. Traditional Regency romances often include smart, quick conversations between the main characters and rarely mention or describe sex explicitly.

Subgenres

Many readers and writers of Regency romance books often separate two types: "Traditional Regency Romance" and "Regency Historical." Some authors begin by writing Traditional Regency Romances and later write Regency Historical works. These authors include Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, Loretta Chase, and Mary Jo Putney.

The difference between these types depends on the genre's definition. Traditional Regency Romance follows the style of Georgette Heyer, focusing mainly on the love story. Writers of this type usually pay close attention to historical details because readers are well-known for pointing out mistakes. These authors often do a lot of research to understand and copy the style of Heyer's books. After Heyer's books became popular in the United States in the 1960s, publishers like Signet, Dell, and Fawcett started printing Regency-set books by new authors, such as Clare Darcy and Elizabeth Mansfield. Fawcett later created a special imprint called Fawcett Coventry to publish Regency romances and other historical romance books.

Books set in the Regency era written by authors like Christina Dodd, Eloisa James, and Amanda Quick are usually called Regency Historical works. These books may include more realistic descriptions of society or characters who act like people today, which some readers classify as "Regency Historical." This means the story is set in Regency England, but the plot, characters, or writing style goes beyond the usual style of Heyer's books and those of her followers.

In recent years, the sensual Regency historical romance has become popular, with authors like Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, Loretta Chase, Lisa Kleypas, and Stephanie Laurens writing these books. These novels are more detailed than Traditional Regency works and include more love scenes.

Common elements

Regency romance novels often include these elements:

• Mentions of "the ton" (a term for high society)
• Descriptions of social events during the social season, such as carriage rides, morning calls, dinner parties, routs, plays, operas, assemblies, and balls
• References to or descriptions of physical activities enjoyed by fashionable young men, including riding, driving, boxing, fencing, hunting, and shooting
• Differences between social classes
• Marriages of convenience: Many women in the British Regency did not marry for love because securing a stable income was the main goal for women and their families
• Fake engagements
• Mentions of sex workers, women with bad reputations, mistresses, and other women who worked for wealthy or immoral men
• Mistaken identities, whether accidental or intentional
• Plot elements involving mystery or comedy
• The rank system of England’s nobility is important in the "marriage market" of Regency romance. Some people have noted that the genre has an unusual number of Dukes compared to historical records.

• Duke
• Marquess
• Earl
• Viscount
• Baron

Popularity of the genre

Regency romance novels, like other types of fiction, have seen changes in how popular they are over time. During the 1990s, fewer people read Regencies because many readers began preferring historical romances. Many Regency writers also started writing historical romances instead. In the early 2000s, both Regencies and other historical romances became less popular as readers turned to stories set in modern times. In the United States, changes in how romance books were sold and distributed affected the market. The last two major U.S. publishers to make shorter "traditional" Regency novels were Zebra and Signet. This ended in 2005 when Zebra stopped publishing traditional Regencies, and in early 2006, when Signet also stopped. Today, a few publishers still produce traditional Regencies in the United States, including Avalon Books, Five Star Books, and Cerridwen Press (Cotillion). Older Regency novels can also be found through second-hand book stores, from Belgrave House (which prints books that are no longer in print), and as e-book reprints.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Regency romance novels changed as authors added more romantic scenes to their stories. This change was influenced by the preferences of new readers. While some older readers were not happy with this shift, publishers believed that including romantic scenes would help keep the Regency genre alive. The goal was to attract younger readers while still keeping the clever and witty plots that longtime readers enjoyed. Authors like Sandra Heath, Anita Mills, and Mary Balogh were among the first to write about romantic relationships between the main characters in their stories.

Not all Regency romance novels are light-hearted stories set in the past. Authors such as Mary Balogh, Carla Kelly, Sheila Bishop, Anna Harrington, and Mary Jo Putney write about the difficult parts of Regency society, showing problems like poverty, illness, and unfair treatment. Some stories include characters who face serious challenges, such as injuries from battles, alcoholism, or depression.