It's the sound of violins.

It's the candle light.

It's the faint brush of hands.

It's the catch of a breath.

It's the yearning.

It's the hoping, longing and dreaming for that one person who can look at you in the middle of a ballroom and instantly set your skin ablaze.

It's the way that declaration of undying love and devotion comes the moment you stop being so damn honorable.

Ohhhhhhhhhh…my God, I swoon! To me, there is something fuckin’ magical that surrounds the very air of historical romances.

I’m a romantic at heart and I have loved periode pieces ever since I was a little girl. Films like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Anna Karenina, Much Ado About Nothing, Dear Jane, and Little Women were some of my favorites. Eventually my greatest love of all, Bridgerton, defined what love looked like to me.

It was even the Bridgerton books that first got me into reading. They had all the things I loved about Jane Austen film adaptations: the balls, grand gestures, pomp and circumstance, and everything that made regency England so enjoyable to watch. But what I found in Julia Qinn's words was different from what you find in your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.

Dear reader, what I found was far more salacious…

I found SMUT!

I know, no surprise, right?! That's what we do here. We talk about smut. But it’s these very books that first inspired in me questions about women’s relationship between sex and pleasure, and this was long before I ever came up with SMUNTH. See, the characters in these books paint the perfect picture of the “uneducated woman” I am always talking about.

This is what makes these books pure gold!

Think about it like this: these books are mainly looking at upper-class ladies in society. These women's only job in life is to be good wives and give birth to an heir. But in order to be members of polite society they have to be perfectly innocent flowers! Sex and anything that has to do with sex is not a part of any conversation for these women. Mothers should not talk about it with their daughters. Girls don’t know about it so they are left guessing and an unmarried woman is never allowed to be alone with a man who might enlighten them! So while young women are left in the dark until their wedding night, sex becomes literally their only purpose from then on.

Do you see the storytelling treasure trove in this???!!!!

These historical romance books are doing what we already love, creating compelling and sexy romances that have us turning the page as fast as we can. However, they raise the stakes by placing the characters in a world where their lustful longing could be their ruin.

I knew the only way to truly wrap up this year of SMUNTH (and yes I said year, but we will talk about that a little later ;) ) would be to go back to my first love and the books that started it all. So, this month I spent my time with my beloved “period piece novels” or as we bookish people call them: “historical romances.”

All the books I read this month were new to me but I did read almost exclusively authors that I have read before. The other thing that you must know is that this month’s books were written during my lifetime. See, Jane Austin wrote about love in her time period in ways that were bolder than her contemporaries. She pushed the envelope by making her heroines strong and opinionated. Yet, to write stories containing smut would have taken things too far. So I didn’t read any novels written from the actual regency time period.

I also didn't want to read bodice rippers of the 1970’s and 80’s because they are not the inspirational stories you might think they are. See, that was still a time when men controlled publishing (you can learn more about this in my blog). So, I don't find these stories all that compelling.

So I chose current novels. I love to read stories set in the past when society had fun activities, such as hosting balls, promenades, and courtship as well as the ever interesting social constrictions of women's rights. However, I like reading about them from the perspective of today’s authors who take the constrictions of the past and bring true love and sex into their stories. Maybe the man is an honorable gentleman, maybe the lady knows a bit more than she ought to. Whatever it may be, to me the best stories look at desire and paint a picture of our heroine not being forced into situations she doesn't understand or want.

No, these stories are of a woman unlocking the wonderful world of pleasure and finding peace and happiness within that!

This month I chose 6 books. These books dug a little deeper than your typical debutante story. The first two told the stories of renowned rakes who finally find the love of their lives in bold strong women. One of the heroines is a widow who just wants to be touched again. The other is not a lady at all but a working class woman trying to make a name for herself. These women challenge the world around them and ask for more. They want respect, success, and passion!

The next three books I read asked the question: What happens when individuals’ desires extend beyond heterosexuality? Obviously gay marriage was not a thing during this time and we still have many limitations today of what a marriage can mean. However, queer love certainly existed. To answer my question, I read Emily Rath’s Second Son series, which contains three “why choose” (polyamorous) stories. Rath is one of my favorite authors. Though I know “why choose” is not everyone's cup of tea, here's what I want to say: though their happily ever after may look different from a traditional one, the stories were no less romantic or moving. Honestly, they may even have been more so. It's one thing to have two people get over their own fears of emotional intimacy and surrender to love. But let me tell you, it’s quite another watching four people find joy together in such conservative times. And one thing is for sure: not everyone can write like Emily Rath! She can keep the dream of love in Regency time alive for all.

Finally, with my last book, I had to ask one last question: what if our promiscuous character was the heroine, not the hero? A rake is only ever slightly slut shamed. Most often it's a slap on the wrist from his mama but he is never ostracized from society. What about a Rakess? How would she be treated? Well, Scarlett Peckham’s Rakess gives us Seraphina Arden, a heroine who is a prolific author and activist for women's education. She finds her happily ever after on her own terms. Yes, she is slut shamed, yes, she is ostracized, and yes, she is abused for her actions and beliefs. But… she is also celebrated by those bold enough to listen. And it’s authors like Scarlett Peckham, who remind us of the nuance of the genre. She tells us something we know so well and re-imagines it for us.

It's been 12 months of reading smutty books for me and on the one hand, I am back where I started, wistfully dreaming of ballrooms and thinking that lines like “Day and Night I dream of you” are the most romantic words ever to be uttered. But on the other hand, my eyes have been opened to the variety of romance and physical intimacy that can exist in this world. Each character I read, each story I venture into, reminds me that there is still so much I have to learn. So many new perspectives to consider. I can be the innocent heroine, the dreamer, or the rakess. Sometimes going back to the things you love, a bit later in life, will show you just how complex you can be if you're bold enough to listen.

So keep reading, my dear ones!

The Book List

Rating system: (this is based on price, just try and come between me and my kindle)

⭐️Library, ⭐️⭐️kindle, ⭐️⭐️⭐️paperback, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️hard cover,

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ special edition

Spice level:

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Oh my God, I didn’t know you could do that!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Not suitable to read at work

🌶️🌶️🌶️Good Lord!

🌶️🌶️HOT

🌶️ hot

FMC= Female main Character and MMC= Male Main Character