Lisa Kleypas

We here at Wordcandy firmly believe that Lisa Kleypas is the Western World's finest living historical romance novelist. Her books are thoroughly researched without being obnoxious about it, her characters are multifaceted and believable, and her romances are alternately starry-eyed and smokin' hot.

Also, unlike the vast majority of today's historical romance novelists, Ms. Kleypas's stories don't strain credulity to the breaking point. I'm so tired of reading historical romances that feature supposedly intelligent, well-bred 19th century women with a sexually open-minded 21st century mindset. (Calling 'em "spunky" only goes so far, you know?) A Kleypas heroine is unlikely to easily dismiss social conventions, and when she does so there's always a carefully provided reason for it. Ms. Kleypas's characters understand that premarital sex in the Regency and Victorian eras was rife with scary consequences--pregnancy, a forced marriage, death in childbirth, social ostracism. I only wish that more authors understood that a story about an intelligent, competent 19th century woman taking a real gamble on a sexual relationship is actually much hotter when the heroine is risking something more serious than a slap on the wrist.

Note: Ms. Kleypas's website used to be jaw-droppingly lurid, but now it's very tasteful. And, sadly, kind of boring.

Aftertaste:
None.

Availability:
Everywhere. If you see a copy of Lisa Kleypas's weird time-travel book in a used bookstore, grab it immediately. It's out of print and very hard to find. I, sadly, have lost my copy, and no one believes that it exists when I tell them about it.

Other Recommendations:
Anything by Georgette Heyer

Nine Coaches Waiting, by Mary Stewart

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte



Website:
http://www.lisakleypas.com/ -