6 Regency-Era Novels that Aren’t Romances

Beyond the glitz and intrigue of the Regent’s court, there was a life of ordinary people. Many of Eliot’s works are set in or around the Regency era, and he is known for his realism and treatment of issues of class, religion, and economic change in the early 19th century. Silas Marner The book opens with the story of a weaver who is accused of stealing from his congregation and is forced to leave his home in Lantern Yard and move to the Midlands countryside. The book follows Cyrus’ life, including the adoption of his daughter, while weaving in themes of change that reflect the changes England experienced during the Regency.

This historical mystery novel explores the death penalty system that existed in Regency England. Rider Sandmann, returning from the Napoleonic Wars, expected to return to the life of a gentleman, but two years after Waterloo, his family had no money and he broke off his engagement to the woman he loved. Desperate to make money, he takes a government job investigating pleas for mercy from convicted criminals. His first case involves a painter sentenced to death by hanging, but as Ryder investigates the case, he begins to question the man’s guilt.

bridge tower sonata “George Bridgetower” is a novel about the life of George Bridgetower, a genius regency violinist of mixed race and German and Barbadian parents. Bridgetower, a darling of the Parisian music scene and known as “Black Mozart”, was taken to England by his father and became a favorite of the Prince of Wales. With Dongarra’s signature satire and wit, Bridgetower’s life is vividly portrayed, from his musical talent and debates with Beethoven to the systems of class, race, and privilege that surrounded him during the Regency of England.

If you like historical fiction mixed with fantasy, pick up Cho’s first book. Sorcerer Royale series. Zacharias Weiss is a magician and former enslaved person who holds the position of Sorcerer Royal, a respected unnatural philosopher inherited from his adoptive father. England’s magic begins to decline, and those plotting against Zacharias accuse him, forcing Zacharias on a quest to discover why magical stocks have dwindled. Along his journey, Zacharias encounters kind witches, magical schools, and a fantastical world that blends fantasy and Regency customs.

The year is 1811, and whispers of revolution haunt George III’s England. In this environment of discontent and suspicion, a woman is found murdered in the altar of an old London church. The main suspect is Sébastien Saint-Cyr, Viscount Devlin, an aristocrat who served as an intelligence officer during the Napoleonic Wars. To clear his name, Sebastian enters the shadowy world of espionage, with both unlikely allies and dangerous enemies, in a case that could hit the heart of the British monarchy.

Lady Abigail Worthing may be a member of Regency high society, but she is by no means accepted. Ever since she agreed to marry Lord Worthing, the color of her skin and her mother’s infamous past have haunted her, making her the subject of gossip and scorn among her neighbors. When the body of her neighbor Juliet appears at Abigail’s mansion, she realizes that she is the prime suspect in Juliet’s death, and no one but herself is willing to clear her name.