Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic conventions. These derive not so much from the 19th-century contemporary works of Jane Austen, but rather from Georgette Heyer, who wrote over two dozen novels set in the Regency starting in 1935 until her death in 1974, and from the fiction genre known as the novel of manners. In particular, the more traditional Regencies feature a great deal of intelligent, fast-paced dialogue between the protagonists and very little explicit sex or discussion of sex.
Jeanette Nolan was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series The Virginian (1962–1971) and Dirty Sally (1974), and in films such as Macbeth (1948).
Lisa Kleypas is a best-selling American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts 1985 and competed in the Miss America 1986 pageant in Atlantic City.
Michele Bardsley is the pen name of Michele Freeman who is an American writer of paranormal and contemporary romantic fiction. Bardsley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and has published more than 40 novels, novellas, short stories, and articles since the publication of her first book in 1999. She has written young adult paranormal fiction under Michele Vail. She lives in Texas with her husband, four dogs, and two cats.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, was an American novelist. She pioneered the historical romance genre with the 1972 publication of her novel The Flame and the Flower.
Virginia Henley, is a British writer of historical-romance novels. She is well known for her Medieval, Renaissance and other period piece romance novels.
Loretta Chase, née Loretta Lynda Chekani is an American writer of romance novels since 1987.
Joan Elliott Pickart was an American writer of over 100 romance novels, who also wrote under the pen name Robin Elliott.
Jill Shalvis is a best-selling American author of over 50 contemporary romance novels, including her award-winning Lucky Harbor series.
Marjorie M. Liu is an American New York Times best-selling author and comic book writer. She is acclaimed for her horror fantasy comic Monstress, and her paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels including The Hunter Kiss and Tiger Eye series. Her work for Marvel Comics includes NYX, X-23, Dark Wolverine, and Astonishing X-Men. In 2015 Image Comics debuted her creator-owned series Monstress, for which she was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best New Series. In 2017 she won a Hugo Award for the first Monstress trade paperback collection. In July 2018 she became the first woman in the 30-year history of the Eisner Awards to win the Eisner Award for Best Writer for her work on Monstress.
Simone Elkeles is an American author known for the teen romance Perfect Chemistry trilogy and How To Ruin trilogy. She is a New York Times Bestselling young adult author. Simone has won the 2010 RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry. The sequel to Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, appeared on USA Today Best Sellers List and The New York Times Best Sellers List.
The Charlie Madigan series is a collection of urban fantasy novels by author Kelly Gay. The books present a future in which humanity has discovered two vastly different dimensions, making Atlanta a crossroads for various supernatural beings. The protagonist, Charlie Madigan, is a police officer who attempts to balance her paranormal cases with life as a single mother.
Jenn Bennett is an American author of novels for teens and adults. Her notable works include Alex, Approximately, Starry Eyes, and The Anatomical Shape of a Heart. Her books have received critical acclaim and award recognition.
J. T. Ellison is a New York Times bestselling American author. She writes domestic noir and psychological thrillers, the latter starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens. She also pens the "A Brit in the FBI" series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. With over a million books in print, Ellison's work has been published in twenty-eight countries and sixteen languages. She is also the co-host of the Emmy Award-winning television series, A Word on Words, which airs on Nashville Public Television. Ellison is also the founder of Two Tales Press, an independent publishing house, and The Wine Vixen, a wine review website. She lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee.
M. L. Buchman is the penname of USA Today Bestselling American author Matthew Lieber Buchman. His novels have been critically acclaimed by Booklist three-times as "Top 101 Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years", by NPR as one of the "Top 5 Romance Novel[s] of 2012", and by Barnes & Noble as one of the "Best 5 Romance [Novels] of 2013". He has worked in IT at Seattle Opera, and as a specialist in applying lean principles in legal and manufacturing environments. He also has ridden his bicycle on an 18-month, 11,000-mile solo tour around the world.
Friday Harbor is a series of contemporary romance novels written by best-selling author Lisa Kleypas. The series focuses on the lives of the Nolan family and is set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington.
Christmas with Holly is a 2012 made-for-TV film based on the 2010 book Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas. It originally aired on ABC as a Hallmark Hall of Fame film on December 9, 2012, starring Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris.
Molly O'Keefe is an American author of contemporary romance. She is a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Contemporary Romance for Crazy Thing Called Love in 2014, and for Best Romance Novella for "The Christmas Eve Promise" in 2010.
Carla Laureano is an American author of inspirational romance and young adult fantasy. She has received multiple Romance Writers of America RITA Awards, including Best Inspirational Romance for her debut novel Five Days in Skye in 2014.
Helen Hoang is an American romance novelist, best known for her best-selling debut novel The Kiss Quotient.
