What kind of romance books about Wales are you in the mood for? Below, you’ll find historical romance set in the Middle Ages, the Regency Era, and the modern-day. Some books, like White Lion, Red Dragon, are more of a historical love story, and others, like The Dark Knight’s Captive Bride, are of the steamier variety.
We love romance books about Wales because they’re so full of emotion and that breathtaking atmosphere that the Welsh landscape provides in every valley and forest. For example, readers love the popular Welsh Princes Trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman for those reasons and the believable portrayal of historical events.
What is the most-read romance book in the world? The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer remains one of the bestselling and most-read romance books among teens and adults at a whopping 160 million copies sold. Not only that, but the wildly popular paranormal romance also spurred a great deal of fanfiction. Fifty Shades of Grey is but one example, selling 100 million copies to date.
Another question readers often ask is, what are small-town romance books? A small-town romance is a novel in which the main character, usually (but not always) a woman, returns to her hometown or moves to a small town to start her life over in some way. Sometimes, the story is simply set in a small town or rural area where life moves at a slower pace. A Fresh Start at Well Cottage, below, is a perfect example of a small-town romance. Being set in a remote village in Wales as well, it couldn’t be any better!
This post is about romance books about Wales.
Romance Books About Wales
White Lion, Red Dragon: The Love Story of Edmund Mortimer and Catherine, Daughter of Prince Owain Glyn Dŵr by Nobilia Paen
This hard-to-find book is an incredible love story from Wales. It’s even written by an author who traces her ancestry back to Castell-paen in 1135. Per Paen, it isn’t quite a romance novel. However, that’s okay because it has so much going for it that I’d be remiss not to include it here. (“Welsh love story” totally counts!) On the back cover, it also gives the Welsh language blub. Currently, Amazon isn’t carrying the book, but you’ll find a link below on where to read this unique novel.
From the blurb: White Lion, Red Dragon covers the years 1400 to 1413—Owain Glyn Dŵr’s fight for Welsh independence as seen through the eyes of his daughter, Catherine, and her English husband, Sir Edmund Mortimer. The story begins at the great manor house of Llys Sycharth, moves to Ludlow, then Harlech castle, ending in London as Henry V is about to be crowned. How many know the dress rehearsal for Agincourt was fought in a wet autumn outside Worcester between young Prince Hal and Prince Owain Glyn Dŵr’s French allies?
Romance Books About Wales: The King’s Man (Welsh Blades Book 1) by Elizabeth Kingston
This historical romance gives us a strong female heroine from thirteenth-century Wales who was raised to rebel against English rule. Highly detailed and well-paced, The King’s Man shows impeccable world-building. You’ll experience the tangible feelings between the two main characters and a multilayered plot. Gwenllian is not your usual romance book heroine, which you’ll discover.
From the blurb: Ranulf Ombrier’s fame throughout 13th century England for his skill at swordplay is rivaled only by his notoriety as King Edward I’s favorite killer. Ranulf’s actions have gained him lands, titles, and a lasting reputation as a hired butcher. But after years of doing his king’s bidding, he begins to fear for his mortal soul and follows his conscience away from Edward all the way to the wilds of Wales. Gwenllian of Ruardean, Welsh daughter of a powerful Marcher lord, has every reason to leave Ranulf for dead when one of her men nearly kills him. As a girl, she was married by proxy to a man Ranulf murdered, only to become a widow before she ever met her groom.
In the years since, she has shunned the life of a lady, instead studying warfare and combat at her mother’s behest. But she has also studied healing, and this, with her sense of duty to knightly virtues, leads her to tend to Ranulf’s wounds. Saving her enemy’s life comes with consequences, and Gwenllian and Ranulf are soon caught up in dangerous intrigue. Forced together by political machinations, they discover a kinship of spirit and a surprising, intense desire. But even hard-won love cannot thrive when loyalties are divided, and the winds of rebellion sweep the land.
Thunder & Roses (Fallen Angels Book 1) by Mary Jo Putney
The story of Thunder and Roses begins in the year 1791 in South Wales. In this second novel in our list of romance books about Wales, the author does a wonderful job with the historical fiction aspect, such as how she portrays the Penrith mines.
From the blurb: A Welsh Methodist minister’s daughter changes her life when she appeals for help to Nicholas Davies, a half-Gypsy earl… They called him the Demon Earl. They said he could do anything. Son of a rogue and a Gypsy, Nicholas Davies was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside.
Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Clare Morgan to ask the Demon Earl to help save her village. Unwilling to involve himself in the problems of others, Nicholas sets an impossible price on his aid—only if Clare agrees to live with him for three months, letting the world think the worst, will he intervene.
Furiously, Clare accepts his outrageous challenge, and the two are swept into an intoxicating Regency world of danger and desire. As allies, Clare and Nicholas fight to save her community. As adversaries, they explore the hazardous terrain of power and sensuality. And as lovers, they surrender to a passion that threatens the very foundations of their lives.
The Dark Knight’s Captive Bride by Natasha Wild
While the main characters are fictional, you’ll recognize many names from history as you turn the pages of this emotional tale of a prince and princess in the late 13th century. Gwen and Richard are both loyal to a fault, adding even more complexity and confusion to their already complicated relationship. Get ready for angst, humor, love, and lots of steam.
From the blurb: She is the daughter of his enemy…and the keeper of his heart. Richard de Claiborne, the dark earl of Dunsmore, serves King Edward Plantagenet well. Sworn to obey his king’s every order, he nevertheless chafes at the command he wed the daughter of his enemy—a man who slew his father in cold blood.
But King Edward wants peace in his lands, and he will stop at nothing to get it. If he has to order his most powerful Marcher lord to marry a Welsh princess, he considers it a small price to pay. Princess Gwenllian is a political pawn. When she’s forced to marry the evil Black Hawk de Claiborne, she quakes at his fierceness and brutality. But she does her duty to her father and her people, knowing she will never surrender to her enemy.
In the halls of Black Hawk’s great keep, Gwen glimpses a man who can be tender and passionate—and who teaches her about breathtaking sensuality and a desire so great it threatens every vow she ever made to keep her heart locked tight. As war once more looms between Wales and England, Gwen realizes a terrible truth: she’s in love with the enemy. When long-buried secrets threaten to destroy her fragile happiness, she must make a terrible choice—or watch the man she loves sacrifice his life to save hers…
Romance Books About Wales: Where Love Dwells by Elizabeth Stuart
Written by a Welsh author, Where Love Dwells won the RITA award in 1991 for Best Historical Novel. Our tale begins after the passing of Llewelyn ap Gruffudd (Llewelyn the Last) in 1282. When Richard meets Elen, there is much he doesn’t know about her—not only who she is, but that she can speak English. A romance with plenty of historical action and a long, slow-burn love story.
From the blurb: In an age when duty was sovereign, the highlands of Wales resounded with the clash of arms as a Welsh lord and English knight met in a bloody conflict. And amid the rage of battle, two fiery spirits surrendered their enemy hears to an unquenchable passion…
Lady Elen of Teifi: Last in a proud line of Celtic warrior lords, she would seduce her dashing English captor into a last, deadly betrayal—until her impassioned heart would betray her secret yearning…
Sir Richard of Kent: King Edward’s liege knight of storied bravery and wisdom, he would vanquish a dreaded foe by luring him with the defiant lady captive—but lose himself in her scorching, scheming, sapphire eyes…
Knight and Lady—adversaries in a conflict they did not create—parried in a perilous duel of treachery and trust. For she held the secret to his campaign’s success and he, the promise of peace. Together, they forged an invincible love that would burn eternal and endure all reasons.
A Fresh Start at Well Cottage (A Little Village in Wales) by Sally E Morgan
A heartwarming romance set in the Welsh Borders in the beautiful Brecon Beacons mountains in South Wales. A Fresh Start at Well Cottage is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a clean, contemporary romance. It’s packed with atmosphere, interesting side stories, and plenty of laughs.
From the blurb: Amy’s world has fallen apart. Homeless and heartbroken after sacrificing her career for a cheating boyfriend, she’s sworn off men for good. When she’s offered the use of quaint Well Cottage for six months, it feels like a lifeline—a chance to start over.
Divorced architect Drew Giles and his farmer father believe they’re cursed when it comes to love—life has proven that time and again. Drew, meeting an annoying new neighbour, who has already stolen his dog’s heart, isn’t about to change that.
Village life isn’t what Amy expects, especially after making a new friend: loveable sheepdog Hamburger from nearby Rooks Row Farm. Little Talwern, nestled deep in the Welsh hills, is busy, sociable, and everyone knows everybody else’s business, but some secrets are kept well hidden. When a brutal snowstorm descends on the mountains, all of Amy and Hamburger are called on to help out.
The Beauty Bride (The Jewels of Kinfairlie Book 1) by Claire Delacroix
Last but not least on our list of romance books about Wales is The Beauty Bride. Madeline never guessed she’d fall for an outlaw like Rhys. He’s determined to risk it all to become the heir of Caerwyn. First of all, he’s the illegitimate son of Welsh royalty with big ambitions. And secondly, the English king is trying to hunt him down for being a traitor. You’ll love Madeline as an intelligent and outspoken heroine, Rhys’ defiance, and his enchanting Welsh stories.
From the blurb: More cherished than gold are the Jewels of Kinfairlie, and only the worthiest may fight for their love… The Laird of Kinfairlie has unmarried sisters, each a gem in her own right. And he has no choice but to see them all wed in haste. Lady Madeline’s heart is not for sale… especially not to a notorious outlaw like Rhys FitzHenry. Yet Madeline’s hand has been sold to none other than this battle-weary warrior with a price on his head. A more dutiful maiden might cede to the Laird’s command and meekly accept her fate, but Madeline has never been obedient.
Madeline decides to run away, though she never dreams that Rhys will pursue her. She does not expect this taciturn man to woo her with fanciful stories, much less that each of his enthralling tales will reveal a scar upon his shielded soul. She never imagines that a man like Rhys could imperil her own heart while revealing so little of his own feelings. When Rhys’ past threatens his future, Madeline takes a leap of faith. She dares to believe him innocent—and risks her own life to pursue a passion more priceless than the rarest gem.
This post was about romance books about Wales.
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