Katrina Kendrick: Historical Romance As Fantasy

The ballroom pulses with life, a world unto itself. Whispers and anticipation saturate the air. But is the ballroom in Regency London or a fantasy realm?

In the world of historical romance, the line often blurs. Like their fantasy counterparts, societal rules and settings form the backdrop for passionate encounters. From alternate history to traditional Regency novels, authors play with reality, weaving magic into the familiar. Both genres are as much about worldbuilding as they are about love. Whether it’s a duke’s ballroom or a (sexy) dragon’s lair, the allure lies in the escape—and the promise of a happily ever after.

At first glance, historical romance may seem a far cry from fantasy. After all, one is ostensibly grounded in real events, while the other takes place in imaginary realms. Yet, as Sarah MacLean so aptly put it in an interview with Brooklyn Magazine, “Historical romance is more closely aligned to fantasy in a lot of ways. There is a certain amount of fantasy that I’m able to inject into the stories, but with intent.”

In Regency or Victorian novels, dashing dukes are as common as dragon’s teeth. Heroines have sprawling castles to call their own. Fantasy mingles with historical fact. Like their fantasy counterparts, historical romances transport readers to richly imagined realms. The historical details provide a veneer of realism, but it’s an idealized, escapist vision of the past.

Worldbuilding is integral to historical romance. Authors must evoke the sights, sounds, and social mores of a bygone era. They paint vivid pictures of ballrooms and battlefields, country estates and frontier towns. The Regency era, spanning 1811 to 1820, remains enduringly popular. It boasts elegant country houses, decadent London townhouses, and fashionable promenades. Author Georgette Heyer helped define the subgenre with novels like Regency Buck (1935) and Frederica (1965). Her works are known for their historical authenticity, witty dialogue, and sweeping romances. Heyer’s influence can be felt in countless historical romances that followed, each building on the rich tapestry of the era she helped bring to life.

Even the most historically grounded stories offer the pleasure of escape. Part of the enduring appeal of authors like Jane Austen and modern historical romance writers is how they transport readers. They create a world that feels both real and tantalizingly remote. This is where historical romance intersects most clearly with fantasy fiction—in creating an immersive world that operates by its own internal logic and societal norms. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is as much a sprawling political saga as an epic fantasy. Clashing noble houses, intricate lineages, and courtly intrigue shape the fate of kingdoms.

The same could be said for many historical romances. The rigid constraints and dramatic stakes of the past provide fertile ground for the central love story to blossom against. Almack’s assembly rooms with their exclusive vouchers and chaperoned dances. The unbreachable divide between nobility and servant classes. The dire social consequences for women who transgress the bounds of propriety. The fictional world is at once rigorously structured and pliable to passion—a historical setting that can feel as fantastical as any enchanted kingdom. It’s a place where a single dance can seal a fate, where a whispered word can ruin a reputation, and where a stolen kiss can change the course of history.

Bestselling author Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, recently adapted into a smash Netflix show, reimagines Regency England with modern sensibilities and social mores woven in, conjuring swoon-worthy love stories from this alternate 19th century milieu. My own historical romance series Private Arrangements employs a similar blend of history and fabrication. Code-breaker dukes work for Her Majesty’s secret service. Former spies become earls. Criminals rise to become power players in English politics. By combining historical authenticity with imaginative fantasy, a world emerges that is familiar yet exotic.

Historical romance evokes the fantasy of a world with strict rules that true love can nonetheless overcome. It presents a tailor-made escape from contemporary life—a subversive, adult fairy tale. In its pages, as in fantasy novels, anything is possible.

And what could be more magical than that?

The Wayward Duke by Katrina Kendrick (Aria, Head of Zeus) is published 10 October