Regency romance
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the English Regency or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic conventions that derive from the works of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, and from the fiction genre known as the novel of manners. In particular, most Regencies feature a great deal of intelligent, fast-paced dialog between the protagonists and very little explicit sex or discussion of sex.
However, it is not true that Regency romances never feature sex; such authors as Sandra Heath, Anita Mills, and Mary Balogh were the first to show sexual relations between the hero and heroine (or more rarely, between the hero and his mistress). Nor were Regencies invariably frothy period pieces. Such authors as Balogh, Carla Kelly, Sheila Bishop, and Mary Jo Putney all depicted the underbelly of Regency society, exploring a variety of social ills. Some authors featured seriously troubled heroes and heroines, suffering from post-battle trauma, alcoholism, depression, and the like.
