Five Medieval Romances to Start With (If You’ve Never Read One)
You don’t need to know the difference between an earl and a laird to fall in love with medieval romance. I promise. Instead, what you need is a story that makes you care. Two people who want each other… and a world that gives them every reason to stay apart.
It might be a marriage arranged for land and power. Or a protector who can’t afford to fall for the woman he’s guarding. Or a heroine who’s done letting her family decide her life. The castles are the escape. The choices made inside them are the romance.
If you’re wondering where to start, here are five ways in. Two are mine. The other three are from authors I love: Julie Garwood, Monica McCarty and Judith McNaught. Pick whichever one makes you want to turn the first page.
1. The Secret by Julie Garwood
Start here if you want: the Highlands, a friendship at the center and a hero who doesn’t know what hit him.
Judith Hampton travels from England to Scotland to be with her childhood friend when she gives birth. She’s also hoping to find the father she’s never met. Her escort is clan laird Iain Maitland… and neither of them is ready for what happens next.
This one’s perfect for a first-timer because Judith is the outsider too. You learn the Highlands right alongside her, through people instead of history lessons. If you’ve never read Garwood, I’m a little jealous of you.
2. The Thief’s Countess by Cecelia Mecca
Start here if you want: a reluctant protector, a forbidden attraction and the wild border between England and Scotland.
Sir Geoffrey is trying to win back the life that was stolen from his family when he’s asked to protect Lady Sara Caiser. She’s facing a betrothal she doesn’t want and a cousin who wants her earldom. A border reiver is the last man she’d have picked to keep her safe.
What I love about these two is the gap between the man Sara thinks Geoffrey is and the man he turns out to be. But being guarded doesn’t mean she trusts him. Sara has had more than enough men deciding what her life should look like.
This is Book 1 of my Border Series, set in the thirteenth-century borderlands. It’s where a lot of my readers started.
Meet Geoffrey and Sara in The Thief’s Countess
3. The Chief by Monica McCarty
Start here if you want: an arranged marriage, a guarded warrior and Scotland’s fight for independence.
Tor MacLeod is loyal to his clan and has no interest in joining Robert the Bruce’s war. His marriage to Christina Fraser is part of a plan to pull him in to lead a secret band of warriors. Christina wants more than a political deal.
After all, a marriage can be negotiated. Love can’t. If you want the romance to play out against real danger and the start of a brotherhood, this is your book. It’s Book 1 of the Highland Guard series, so there’s plenty more waiting if you fall for the whole crew.
4. Ruthless, But for Her by Cecelia Mecca
Start here if you want: reivers on the North Sea, a morally gray hero and a slow burn.
Ashton and his brothers have taken their reiving to the sea. When Lady Cassia, the deputy warden’s wife, falls into his hands, he takes her as leverage. Her father traded her into a marriage. Her husband wanted an heir and nothing else. She expects one more man who plans to control her.
He doesn’t. Cassia is his captive, but Ashton waits for her to come to him. And that changes everything.
This is the first book in my brand-new Black Sails of the Border series. If your idea of an escape includes outlaws, a ship and a darker kind of hero… come aboard.
Meet Ashton and Cassia in Ruthless, But for Her
5. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
Start here if you want: a fierce battle of wills between a captive and her captor.
Scottish heroine Jennifer Merrick is taken from her convent by the English warrior Royce Westmoreland, the Duke of Claymore. His terrifying reputation doesn’t impress her one bit.
If you love a heroine who pushes back hard against a formidable hero, this is a classic for a reason. It’s part of McNaught’s Westmoreland books, but it reads fine on its own.
Find A Kingdom of Dreams on Amazon
So which one first?
To make it easy, pick the thing you want most right now:
- Friendship and Highland secrets: The Secret
- A thief turned protector: The Thief’s Countess
- An arranged marriage with a war coming: The Chief
- Reivers at sea and a morally gray hero: Ruthless, But for Her
- A defiant heroine and an enemy warrior: A Kingdom of Dreams
There’s no wrong door. Start with the couple that grabs you and let that book tell you what you want next.
A few questions I get a lot
Do I need to know medieval history? Not at all. It adds a layer if you do, but the titles and customs make sense as you go. Start with the people.
Is every Scottish romance medieval? Nope. In fact, Highlanders show up in every era. If you want medieval, check the setting… not just the kilt on the cover.
Do I have to read the whole series? Read one book first. That’s the only commitment. If you love it, the author’s reading order will be waiting for you.
Find your next castle escape
Want more? Browse all my medieval romances and where to start each series.
Already finished one of my books? Grab the reader bonuses… but save each bonus scene until after its book. No spoilers!
xoxo, Cecelia
