I have a collection of vintage Mills and Boon novels. The oldest book in my collection is ‘With this Ring’ by Fanny Heaslip Lea, published in 1926. Next year, I will write about the romance novel itself to mark its 100th anniversary.

Regency romance has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past century, evolving from tightly structured, mannered tales inspired by Georgette Heyer into a vibrant, diverse, and emotionally expansive genre. While the ballroom remains, the stories unfolding within it have shifted dramatically.

Historical romance has transformed dramatically over the past century, shifting from male‑dominated, adventure‑driven narratives to stories that foreground women’s agency, diverse voices, and historically grounded emotional realism. The genre’s evolution mirrors broader cultural changes in gender roles, publishing trends, and readers’ expectations.

While it is not easy, there are also joys in writing romance, in this case in a historical context.

In The Earl's Revelation, we briefly meet an army surgeon. We know more or less what they did, but goodness, how did they manage to do it so far away from proper equipment and assistance?

In The Earl's Revelation, La Duchesse uses a hearing trumpet. She would have used something like the selection below.