19 Erotic Historical Romance Novels That Will Steam Up Your E-Reader
If you’re looking for some extra steamy historical romance novels then you’ll want to check out this book list of erotic historical romance novels that are sure to heat up your reading pleasure.
These romance novels don’t hold back despite the etiquette of the time period.
Dig into these erotic historical romance novels if you’re ready for something spicy!
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Don’t let the “historical” in historical romance fool you into thinking this category of romance is all sweet with no spice.
Sure, many historical romance novels build wonderful chemistry between characters with just a glance, a touch, or a chaste kiss, but it doesn’t have to end there.
Historical romance novels can easily fit into the erotic romance category when things steam up behind closed doors, or perhaps even on a long stroll within the manor’s gardens.
Erotic historical romance novels ARE a thing and I for one am so down with it.
What Makes an Erotic Historical Romance Novel?
When it comes to steamy historical romance novels, what one person may consider steamy may not necessarily reflect another person’s idea of erotic romance.
For me, there’s a steamy historical romance novel and then there’s a true erotic historical romance novel.
What differentiates most erotic historical romance novels from the rest is the focus on how the intimate relationship between characters propels their relationship forward.
Or, they can simply include some bedroom kink such as BDSM that fit them into this category.
For this book list, I’ve included several erotic historical romance novels with some firmly on one end of the kinkiness scale and a few others more on the steamy end of the spectrum.
Whatever your pleasure, I am confident you’ll find some great books worth reading.
Don’t forget to share YOUR favorite erotic historical romance novels in the comments below. I’d love to hear about them!
The Steamiest Erotic Historical Romance Novels
The Duke I Tempted
by Scarlett Peckham
Having finally redeemed his family name, the Duke of Westmead now needs to produce an heir. This means he must find a wife who won’t discover his secret craving to spend his nights on his knees.
Poppy Cavendish has never wanted to marry. Her only desire has been to build a successful botany business to keep her independence.
But when her reputation is ruined, Westmead proposes a marriage of convenience which she cannot refuse.
This is a beautifully written, slow burn historical romance novel that has a steamy side of kink.
Westmead is a hero hiding a secret that once out to his wife becomes a uniting interest instead of a divisive one.
The look at BDSM in this erotic historical romance novel does not overpower the romance. So if you’re looking to just test the waters when it comes to steaminess in historical romance, this is the perfect book to check out. My Review.
Truce
by R.L. Mathewson
Elizabeth is desperate for her independence which she can have at her next birthday when she gains ownership of her grandmother’s inheritance.
Only plans change when she’s compromised by none other than her childhood nemesis, Robert. Neither can stand each other and yet the passion between them may just burn into love.
This is one of my all-time favorite romance novels that I re-read again and again.
The chemistry between these two in this enemies to lovers story is off the charts which makes it quite the steamy historical romance novel.
If you want an erotic historical romance novel that is so well-written, you won’t be able to put it down, I cannot recommend this one enough.
Seven Years to Sin
by Sylvia Day
Seven years ago, on the eve of her wedding, Lady Jessica Sheffield witnessed a scene so scandalous she could not erase it from her memory.
Shocked, yet strangely titillated, she nevertheless walked down the aisle into a life serene yet unremarkable. But what she kept hidden fueled wildly imaginative and very illicit dreams.
Alistair Caulfield ran far from the temptation of the prim debutante–all the way to the West Indies.
But when newly widowed Jessica steps aboard his ship for a transatlantic passage, seven years’ worth of denied pleasures are held in check by nothing more than a few layers of silk–and the certainty that surrender will consume them both.
If Sylvia Day is writing a steamy erotic romance novel, I’m so there! Her novels are known for being HOT and the bedroom scenes even hotter.
This erotic historical romance novel about second chances is definitely worth a read.
A Night to Surrender
by Tessa Dare
Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the bookish, the shy, the heartbroken or misunderstood. It’s a haven for young women who don’t quite fit in.
Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn’t belong here. So far as he can tell, there’s nothing in this village but spinsters and sheep. But he has orders to gather a militia.
It’s a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch–a woman who is determined to save her ladies’ refuge from the invasion of Bram’s makeshift army.
The last thing either of them expects is a powerful attraction. Much less passion.
This historical romance kicks off Dare’s Spindle Cove series and is one of her steaminess historical romance novels!
If you love a dominant historical hero who is a true alpha when it comes to his leading lady, you’ll enjoy this read.
A Midnight Dance
by Lila DiPasqua
Born into wealth, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister lived a life of luxury, their father’s prestigious theater frequented by royalty and aristocracy alike. And Sabine dreamed of her own prince charming–the devastatingly handsome Jules de Moutier.
That was before the loss of her sister and her family’s fall from grace–a disaster Sabine blames on the Moutier family.
Now, with the loss of her father, she’s inherited his sizable debt and the responsibility of caring for his spoiled long-time mistress and her two wastrel daughters.
But with the help of Sabine’s eccentric friends–the balance of her father’s acting troupe–she plans to get very close to her old infatuation, seduce the rake–and make away with a fortune.
Resisting Jules’s skillful mouth and tantalizing touch is not as easy as Sabine supposed. And soon she must decide whether her desire for vengeance is greater than her desire for her one and only prince.
I love this Cinderella-inspired, erotic historical romance novel that is not shy in bringing on the extra steam.
A bit of an enemies to lovers romance fueled by revenge, you’ll devour this story.
Passion
by Lisa Valdez
Young widow Passion Dare thought she’d never love again. But a handsome earl has been pursuing her and after a lifetime of propriety, Passion ponders throwing caution to the wind.
After several heady encounters, the pair must face blackmail, learn a shocking truth-and choose between duty and desire.
This is one of the most popular erotic historical romance novels so buckle up for some definite steam with this one.
Propriety is definitely thrown out the window once Passion’s desires are awoken by a mysterious stranger.
If you love secret rendezvous and LOTS of pleasure then you’re sure to enjoy this novel.
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The Scandalous Diary of Lily Layton
by Stacey Reid
Beneath Lily Layton’s sweet and charming exterior beats the heart of a vixen—one with shocking and scandalous secrets and desires.
But as a genteel lady, she confines her forbidden fantasies, like those about her employer’s devastatingly handsome son, to her diary…until she loses it.
Oliver Carlyle, Marquess of Ambrose, has finally found the perfect wife, a woman who will not hide from his dark, carnal cravings. He just needs to figure out who she is.
When he has a secret rendezvous with a mysterious stranger, suddenly he starts to believe she might be the author of the diary.
He’s determined to find out who his mystery woman is. His biggest fear—and deepest fantasy—is she may be the one woman he cannot have.
This book has so much going for it that I cannot resist it – a widow who’s told her interests are “unnatural,” a diary that outlines them and a man who will undoubtedly feed them. Gah!
I can already see the smoke coming off the heat from these pages.
After reading this erotic historical novel, check out all the books in the Sweetest Taboo series which can be read as standalones.
Mastering a Sinner
by Kate Pearce
Bound by sensual secrets and illicit fantasies, the select members of the Sinners Club are privy to carnal pleasures too shocking to share.
Keeping tabs on everything is Club secretary Alistair Maclean. But when the women of the Club demand a secretary of their own, Alistair finds himself at the mercy of a wanton beauty who demands submission in ways he’s only dreamed about.
Diana, Lady Theale, has secrets from her past she must protect. But that doesn’t stop her from enjoying passion in the present.
She needs Alistair’s help to untangle the mystery of her parentage, but she also needs his body to satisfy her darkly erotic desires.
I’m infatuated with this erotic historical romance first because it involves a Scotsman, but also because it looks at his submissive side.
I love how it’s the woman in this erotic Regency romance that is the Dominant in the relationship with both characters finding equal pleasure in each other.
Submitting to the Marquis
by Victoria Vale
Lady Sophie Baxter must wed a wealthy lord by the end of the Season, or risk the ruin of her family. Her father set his sights on Simon Fitzwilliam, Marquis of Ashton—a man known amongst the ton for being as cold and aloof as he is rich and powerful.
While his frigid gaze and reserved demeanor prove intimidating, Sophie cannot help but wonder if there isn’t more to the marquis than meets the eye.
Before long she learns that Simon’s secrets are far darker than she could have ever imagined.
Darkest of all being the hidden chamber behind a locked door, filled with ropes, restraints, and implements of torture that her husband has specified she is never to enter.
Yet, Sophie soon discovers that what appear to be instruments of torment are capable of unlocking the most exquisite pleasure.
Convincing him to teach her the ways of submitting to his dominance will be easy. Uncovering the secrets of his heart and soul will be one of the hardest things Sophie has ever done.
A BDSM Regency historical romance? I am so there!
This erotic historical romance novel gives a look into what a BDSM relationship may look like for someone new to it, but be prepared for a hero who has a troubled past.
After reading this novel, binge-read the entire series.
A Thief in the Nude
by Olivia Waite
It’s been ten years since Hecuba Jones last burgled her way into a darkened house, but how else can she recover the lost paintings of her artist mother?
She manages to find the Earl of Underwood’s study and the four paintings she’s searching for—but just when she is about to make off with her prizes, she is discovered by the earl’s sardonic younger brother.
John Rushmore has all but given up on his talents as a painter until the appearance of a redheaded thief who he’s introduced to the following night in an elegant Society ballroom.
Miss Hecuba Jones is prickly and suspicious and absolutely irresistible. She’s also an inspiration.
Soon, they reach an agreement. John will trade the four paintings she attempted to steal for four portraits of Hecuba herself.
Intimate nights and candlelight soon transform artistic pleasures into physical ecstasy—but old family secrets and a blossoming scandal threaten to shatter their fragile liaison.
This book blurb totally has me envisioning these two reenacting Jack drawing Rose in the movie The Titanic!
I love how Hecuba really doesn’t have a choice but to accept John’s proposition and how their forced proximity in creating his art brings their desires to the surface.
Buckle up for this artist, erotic historical romance novel!
Unveiled
by Courtney Milan
Ash Turner has waited a lifetime to seek revenge on the man who ruined his family–and now the time for justice has arrived.
At Parford Manor, he intends to take his place as the rightful heir to the dukedom and settle an old score with the current duke once and for all. But instead, he finds himself drawn to a tempting beauty who has the power to undo all his dreams of vengeance.
Lady Margaret knows she should despise the man who’s stolen her fortune and her father’s legacy–the man she’s been ordered to spy on in the guise of a nurse.
Yet the more she learns about the new duke, the less she can resist his smoldering appeal. Soon Margaret and Ash find themselves torn between old loyalties–and the tantalizing promise of passion.
Even lies and deception can’t stifle the chemistry between these two!
Courtney Milan is definitely a go-to in historical romance and I love how the passion between Margaret and Ash sizzle off the page despite them masquerading as someone else.
Give this one a go when you’re in the mood for something steamy.
Her Wanton Wager
by Grace Callaway
When her brother falls into the clutches of gamester Gavin Hunt, feisty heiress Persephone Fines will do whatever it takes to save him.
Hunt offers her an outrageous proposition: he will release her brother if she can resist six nights of seduction. Can she withstand the scoundrel’s wicked charm, and the shocking desire he rouses with each touch?
A product of London’s violent stews, Gavin Hunt has clawed his way to success and power. Now he will stop at nothing to achieve his life-long goal: revenge upon the man who betrayed him.
He plans to seduce his enemy’s sister, but doesn’t count on losing his heart. Will he give up his need for vengeance or risk forsaking the only woman he’s ever loved?
Who’s will is stronger in this battle of seduction? While both Gavin and Percy have their own agendas, their chemistry is undeniable in this erotic historical romance novel. A must read!
Unmasqued
by Colette Gale
Christine heard rumors of the hideous Phantom said to haunt the great Opera House in 19th-century Paris. But its youngest and brightest star knows something no one else does-the truth.
For in the darkness she thrills to the deep velvet timbre of his arousing voice, and quivers to the soft strokes of his leather-gloved fingers. He is real. Her inspiration. Her Musique d’Ange. Her liberator.
Condemned to the catacombs below, Erik has desired his obsession from the shadows, careful to keep his identity, and his secret, in the dark.
Only he understands Christine’s extraordinary talents and her beauty. Only he can pleasure her like no man has before.
But his sensual power comes with a price-and a risk to everyone who stands between them. For Christine too is succumbing to her most forbidden and dangerous desires, and to the Phantom who’s making them all come true.
Oh, how I love that this erotic historical romance is an erotic retelling of The Phantom of the Opera!
Whether you’re a fan of the musical or new to the story, this is one novel you shouldn’t pass up.
His Harlot
by S.M. LaVoilette
Edward Fanshawe is everything Nora Hudson wants in the bedroom, and everything she should avoid out of it.
He gives her the pain, humiliation, and domination she craves from a partner, but his search for the perfect, blue-blooded wife means the last thing Nora should do is fall for him. Except it’s too late. She already has.
When Edward offers to make Nora his mistress, the idea of being utterly under his dominion is as terrifying as it is titillating. As much as she wants to stay with Edward forever, she worries that living with the man she loves will eventually destroy her.
But then Nora meets the woman Edward intends to marry and her situation becomes considerably more complicated. And erotic.
What DOESN’T this erotic historical romance novel have in it? Whatever your kink, it’s probably here.
From BDSM, voyeurism, exhibitionism, FF and more, you’ll be asking why can’t a harlot fall in love with her client?
The Devil’s Submission
by Nicola Davidson
Disinherited by his parents and estranged from his wife, Fallen pleasure club co-owner Lord Grayson ‘Devil’ Deveraux long ago learned to place his trust in ledgers rather than people.
But his ice-cold reserve hides the scandalous truth: he’s a man who craves pain with his pleasure, and a loving lady to instruct him.
Banished to the country when her whirlwind marriage collapsed, Lady Eliza Deveraux never knew why Grayson fell out of love with her: she’d tried so hard to quell her fiery self and be a proper, obedient wife.
But when Eliza is forced to return to London and back into Grayson’s intoxicating world, banked passions reignite. Can a marriage built on secrets and pretense truly get a second chance?
There really are far too few romance novels about married couples, so when I come across one, I’m all over it.
I love how both Grayson and Eliza hid their true natures from one another in order to maintain a proper marriage.
I can’t wait to see how their true desires are made known to one another and where it leads in this erotic historical romance novel!
Love Under Siege
by Samantha Kane
Phillip Neville and Jonathan Overton have been best friends since childhood. When they return from the war, they enter the marriage market.
It doesn’t take long for them both to fall deeply in love with shy, awkward, beautiful Maggie Trueheart. Phillip and Maggie marry, but Phillip and Jonathan do not tell her about the relationship the two men hope to have.
When Maggie finds out, it takes the persuasive power of both men to convince her that they were all meant to be.
And when danger strikes, it will take all the love and determination the three possess to achieve their happily ever after.
This is actually book two in the Brothers in Arms series which has a total of fourteen books for you to binge read after this one.
If you’re in the mood for a MMF erotic historical romance novel, this should be your pick.
Erotic Historical Romance Novellas & Anthologies
The Accidental Mistress
by Merry Farmer
When Miss Verity Barnes, disastrously ruins her reputation, she seeks out a different way of life by becoming the mistress of a powerful man.
Thomas Manfred, Marquess of Landsbury, is on the brink of ruin, so he needs a wealthy wife, and Lady Charlotte Grey, darling of the ton, seems to be the only answer.
But when Verity shows up on his doorstep, demanding he take her as his mistress as amends for the part he played in her ruin, he simply cannot resist the temptation.
But Lady Charlotte isn’t willing to give up her position at Thomas’s side or share his attentions with anyone. Her acid tongue could ruin Verity’s reputation even more thoroughly than it has already been destroyed unless fate intervenes.
This is a fun Regency historical romance novella that is high on the steam.
If you want just a taste of what erotic historical romance novels could be, give this one a try first.
Duke I’d Like to F…
When it comes to reading erotic historical romance novels, why stop at just one when you can read several? That’s what the authors who came together to create Duke I’d Like to F… believe.
This anthology includes the following five erotic historical novellas which you can grab together or read separately.
Anthology Includes:
The Chasing of Eleanor Vane
by Sierra Simone
Ajax Dartham, the Duke of Jarrell, has a problem. And that problem is his future niece-in-law.
When the clever and capable Lady Eleanor Vane-understandably-runs off into the night rather than marry his horrible nephew, the Duke has a choice.
Should he catch Eleanor and return her to her fate-or make Eleanor his own instead?
My Dirty Duke
by Joanna Shupe
Violet knows that her father’s best friend, the Duke of Ravensthorpe, is the most powerful man in all of London with a reputation for sin.
But nothing can stop Violet from wanting to shed her wallflower ways and fulfill her darkest, most forbidden desires…even if it means seducing a man twice her age.
An Education in Pleasure
by Eva Leigh
As a governess to the Duke of Tarrington, Cecilia Holme resigns herself to a passionless life. Except now the old duke is dead and Owen, the new duke, is very tempting-and much younger.
Is the chance to give Owen an education in pleasure too enticing to refuse?
Duke For Hire
by Nicola Davidson
As her fiery clergyman father chases away all suitors, Miss Ada Blair is resigned to spinsterhood. Yet while she can’t wed, bedding might be another matter. One man meets all her requirements for a discreet and expert pleasure tutor-Jasper Muir, Duke of Gilroy-but he insists on a very wicked contract.
The Duke Makes Me Feel
by Adriana Herrera
Dukes and their demands are nothing new for Marena Baine-Torres. Her newfound success has her little apothecary teeming with ill-mannered aristocrats. But as tiresome as they are, she needs the business.
When the unflappable Duke of Linley storms into her shop and makes her an offer she’d be a fool to refuse, Marena soon finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime with a man who is as infuriating as he is intriguing.
Rake I’d Like to F…
After you read Duke I’d like to F… you have to jump right into Rake I’d Like to F…
This is another erotic historical romance anthology that includes five novellas.
The Last Crimes of Peregrine Hind – Sierra Simone
Peregrine Hind, known to all as the most dangerous highwayman ever to grace the road, seeks only one thing—revenge against the Dartham family.
And so when a robbery sends the second Dartham son and notorious rakehell Alexander Dartham tumbling to Peregrine’s feet, it seems like fate has given Peregrine his vengeance at last.
Except then Alexander offers him a desperate bargain: to kidnap him instead, so Peregrine can harvest a generous ransom from Alexander’s family first.
Peregrine agrees, but he’s in no way prepared for a captive like Alexander, who insists only on the softest beds and the finest wines…and who enjoys being tied up a little too much.
Two Rakes for Mrs. Sparkwell – Eva Leigh
The last thing Mrs. Vivian Sparkwell wants is to tie her life to another stifling husband. But thanks to the surprise terms of her last marriage contract, if she refuses any reasonable offer to wed again, she loses her widow’s portion.
What she needs is a thorough and public ruining to make her would-be suitors cry off. Who better to provide the necessary scandal than notorious rake Rushton Cantley?
Yet when Rush proposes that his friend, gaming bruiser Jack Morgan, join in on the ruination, Vivian can’t decide if she’s shocked—or aroused. How far is too far when infamy is on the line?
A Rake, His Patron, & Their Muse – Nicola Davidson
London playwright and notorious rake Lennox Townsend is renowned for bold melodrama and bolder pleasures.
When he loses interest in both, his shy yet devoted patron Lord Jonathan Grant escorts him to a country boarding house managed by repressed widow, Mrs. Viola Prescott.
The trio soon surrender to sizzling—and forbidden—passion, made sweeter as each share their deepest secrets and find acceptance of their true self.
Yet cold reality is ever ready to intrude, and they know happiness is fleeting. Or is it?
Monsieur X – Adriana Herrera
Joseph Cantor Marshall never imagined reaching the pinnacle of artistic success would be so uninspiring. Desperate for a spark of excitement he attends the notorious masked soirée at the most exclusive club in Paris.
The moment he walks in he’s entranced by the mysterious X, the embodiment of the painter’s darkest fantasies. But X is as slippery as he is tempting, and soon Marshall’s days and nights are consumed by growing desire for his elusive lover.
Will falling for X prove to be Marshall’s undoing or his greatest masterpiece?
Sold to the Duke – Joanna Shupe
Though she once lived a life of privilege, Lady Eliza is now destitute and desperate to care for her ill sister. She decides to sell the one thing of value she has left: her virginity.
At the auction, a shocked Duke of Blackwood recognizes Eliza and refuses to allow her to fall into the clutches of a depraved bidder.
But his role of noble rescuer is upended when the proud beauty insists on giving him his money’s worth.
More Historical Romance Book Lists:
- Best Historical Romance Novels To Fall in Love with the Genre
- Steamy Historical Romance Novels
- Best Historical Romance Series Worth Reading
- Books Like Bridgerton for Fans of the Series
If you ever wish to refresh this list, I’d consider adding the historical why choose duet Beautiful Things and His Grace the Duke by Emily Rath. Her followup in that same world, Alcott Hall, is also enjoyable. As a why choose they are steamy, although not as steamy as some as the focus is more on the relationships and plot but I thought they were very well done.