Scandalous Regency Secrets & Forbidden Passion
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- Diane Gaston's "Scandalous Summerfields" trilogy spans three novels published by Harlequin Mills & Boon between 2015 and 2017, each centered on a sibling navigating scandal in post-Napoleonic England.
- Lucy Ashford writes Georgian and Regency historical romance for Mills & Boon, with a focus on widows and rakes flouting social convention.
- Sophie Barnes's "At The Kingsborough Ball" series, published by Avon in 2012–2013, follows interconnected scandals at a single high-society event.
- Liz Carlyle's "One Touch of Scandal" (2011) is the fifth entry in her "Fraternitas Aureae Crucis" series, blending secret societies with Regency intrigue.
- The Regency period (1811–1820) saw the Prince Regent rule during George III's madness, a time of strict social hierarchies and scandalous undercurrents.
- Historical romance as a commercial genre exploded in the 1970s with authors like Georgette Heyer and Kathleen Woodiwiss, and Regency-set novels remain the subgenre's bestselling category.
Bound By A Scandalous Secret (The Scandalous Summerfields, Book 3) — Diane Gaston
An officer returns from war to a child who might be his — and the one night that changed everything.
Gaston knows how to weaponise a time-jump. Captain Summerfield leaves for the Napoleonic Wars after a single reckless night with his childhood friend, Lady Aurelia. He returns to find her a widow — and the mother of a child whose age raises uncomfortable questions. The "did we / didn't we" tension carries the first half, but Gaston's real trick is making the secret less about the child's paternity and more about whether two people who've spent years guarding their hearts can finally admit what that night meant. It's the capstone to the Summerfield siblings' arc, and the payoff lands because the stakes are domestic, not melodramatic. Explore our current copy of Bound By A Scandalous Secret. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
The Widow's Scandalous Affair — Lucy Ashford
A widow with a reputation to protect and a rake who refuses to let her keep pretending.
Ashford's widow isn't the demure mourning type — she's playing a long game, keeping society at arm's length while quietly managing her late husband's estate. Enter the rake who sees through the performance and decides to call her bluff. What makes this one work is the bargain at its centre: they agree to a fake affair to deflect suspicion from her real secrets, but the fake becomes inconveniently real fast. Ashford writes Regency widows with agency, and the dynamic here is less "reformed rake" and more "two people who know exactly what they're doing and do it anyway." The banter carries the weight. Explore our current copy of The Widow's Scandalous Affair. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
Bound by One Scandalous Night — Diane Gaston
One night, one mistake, and a marriage neither of them wanted — until they did.
The first book in Gaston's Summerfield trilogy sets the template: respectable lady, heated encounter, social ruin averted by a marriage of convenience that becomes inconveniently passionate. What saves it from formula is Gaston's refusal to let the "mistake" be the villain. The night in question wasn't coerced or accidental — it was a choice both characters made, and the novel spends its pages unpacking why they made it and what it costs them. The marriage-of-convenience trope only works when the slow burn actually burns, and Gaston knows how to stretch tension across a page. It's Regency romance as a genre exercise done with craft. Explore our current copy of Bound by One Scandalous Night. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
Bound by Their Secret Passion — Diane Gaston
A war-haunted captain and a scandalous widow — passion that could destroy them both or finally set them free.
The second Summerfield novel pivots from "accidental scandal" to "deliberate recklessness." Captain Glenville returns from the Napoleonic Wars broken in ways the Regency ton doesn't have language for, and the widow society has already written off is the only person who doesn't demand he perform normalcy. Gaston leans into the PTSD angle without turning it into tragedy porn — the captain's trauma is real, but it's not the plot, it's the context. The secret passion here isn't about hiding from society; it's about two people who've been told they're damaged goods deciding to stop believing it. The emotional arc hits harder than the external stakes, which is exactly the point. Explore our current copy of Bound by Their Secret Passion. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
The Scandal In Kissing An Heir (At The Kingsborough Ball, Book 2) — Sophie Barnes
A fortune-hunter in disguise and an Earl who sees right through her — one kiss at a ball changes everything.
Barnes's "Kingsborough Ball" series is structured like a heist film: one event, multiple perspectives, overlapping scandals. Rebecca Neville is at the ball for one reason — land a wealthy husband before her father's debts swallow the family. Daniel Neville (no relation) is the Earl of Roxbury, and he's not interested in fortune-hunters. The kiss happens early, the scandal follows, and the rest of the novel is a negotiation between two people who are both lying about what they want. Barnes writes Regency marriage-mart politics with a cynical edge, and the romance works because neither character is pretending to be noble. It's transactional until it isn't, and the shift is earned. Explore our current copy of The Scandal In Kissing An Heir. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
One Touch of Scandal — Liz Carlyle
A fortune teller who knows too much and a murder investigation that could expose her past.
Carlyle's "Fraternitas Aureae Crucis" series blends Regency romance with secret societies and occult intrigue, and this fifth entry is where the genre-blending fully commits. Grace Gauthier makes her living reading fortunes for London's aristocracy — she's a con artist with a conscience, and she's seen enough secrets to know when to keep her mouth shut. When a murder investigation threatens to unravel her carefully constructed life, she's forced into an alliance with a man who represents everything she's been running from. Carlyle writes London's underbelly with texture — the fortune-telling parlours, the back-alley deals, the aristocrats slumming for thrills. The romance is secondary to the mystery, but the chemistry is real, and the stakes are higher than a ruined reputation. Explore our current copy of One Touch of Scandal. Browse more Romance books at Patina.
Regency scandal romance thrives on the gap between what's said in ballrooms and what's whispered in private — and these six novels know how to exploit that tension. Whether it's Gaston's Napoleonic veterans, Ashford's knowing widows, Barnes's marriage-mart cynics, or Carlyle's fortune tellers, the forbidden passion here isn't just about defying convention — it's about two people deciding the risk is worth it. As of April 2026, Patina's Romance collection includes rotating stock of Regency-set scandal and passion, all preloved, all ready to ship. Shop all Romance books at Patina Paperbacks →
Where can I buy secondhand Regency romance novels in Australia?
Patina Paperbacks stocks a rotating selection of preloved Regency romances, including titles by Diane Gaston, Lucy Ashford, Sophie Barnes, and Liz Carlyle. We ship Australia-wide from Sydney, with free shipping on orders over $29. Browse the full Romance collection here.
What makes a Regency romance "scandalous"?
In Regency-set romance, scandal typically involves breaches of social propriety — secret pregnancies, clandestine affairs, widows flouting mourning conventions, or marriages forced by compromising situations. The tension comes from the era's rigid social codes, where a single misstep could destroy a woman's reputation and marriage prospects. Authors like Diane Gaston and Sophie Barnes build entire plots around these high-stakes moments.
Who are the best authors for forbidden passion in Regency romance?
Diane Gaston's "Scandalous Summerfields" trilogy is a solid entry point for Regency scandal and secret passion. Lucy Ashford writes widows and rakes with sharp banter and agency. For genre-blending, try Liz Carlyle's "Fraternitas Aureae Crucis" series, which layers secret societies and occult intrigue onto Regency intrigue. Sophie Barnes's "Kingsborough Ball" series structures multiple scandals around a single event, heist-style.
Are Diane Gaston's Scandalous Summerfields books connected?
Yes — the trilogy follows three Summerfield siblings, each navigating scandal in post-Napoleonic England. The books are connected by family and overlapping timelines, but each can be read as a standalone. Book 3, Bound By A Scandalous Secret, wraps the family arc with a war-hero captain and a childhood friend whose one reckless night years ago left consequences neither expected.
What's the difference between Regency romance and historical romance?
Regency romance is a subgenre of historical romance specifically set during the British Regency period (1811–1820), when the Prince Regent ruled during George III's madness. It's characterised by strict social hierarchies, marriage-mart politics, and the tension between propriety and passion. Historical romance is the broader category, covering any romance set in a historical period — medieval, Victorian, Georgian, and beyond. Regency remains the bestselling subgenre within historical romance.