Top Ten Tuesday: Old Fashioned Romance

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Today's top ten Tuesday was left open to interpretation. The topic was to pick ten books you think every fan of a certain genre should read. You could choose any genre you want, and so I thought I'd pick historical romance. I love historical fiction and my favorite kind of romance is historical. There's something about it that I enjoy much more than contemporary (though there are a few contemporary romance novels I enjoy). Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with ten books that I wanted to list here; there are so many historical romance novels that I want to read, but haven't gotten around to yet. But the ones I've listed below are great, and I hope you enjoy my list, anyway.

7: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights may not be everyone's cup of tea with its darker elements, but it does have some romantic moments. And I couldn't make a list of historical romance novels without featuring the only Bronte novel I've ever read (I'm working on remedying that soon).

6: The Singing River Series by Gilbert Morris

This is a really good series involving a strong female protagonist, a handsome small town doctor, and a swoony-broody author guy. Check it out!

5: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I just read this in a group and it is a really good book. It's different than Jane Austen's more popular novels, what with the Gothic touches and all, but it's still a really good book and has those "swoony" moments.

4: Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery

This is one of L.M. Montgomery's shorter novels, but it's a really sweet story. I'd definitely recommend it.

3: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

2: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

This is one of my favorite novels. It's so beautifully written; one of those that you really want to savor. If you're looking for a story about first loves set in an English castle in the '30s, then this is the book for you.

1: The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

I cannot say enough good things about this book! It's just so incredibly lovely. Valancy starts out as a rather pitiful heroine, but grows so much throughout the book. I wasn't sure about Barney in the beginning, but by the end, I loved him. He and Valancy are so perfect together.