From Here to Timbuktu by Jean C. Gordon

I like to read historical (in particular) romances set in unusual places. Some old time favorites that that come to mind: The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale, Mary Jo Putney’s Silk and Secrets and Veils of Silk, and Dragonfire by Patricia Potter. I also like just about any historical romance set in Eastern Europe, where my grandparents emigrated from. But I have a problem. After the early 2000s, unusual setting became scarce—in print historical romances, at least. Almost all historical romances seemed to be set in the British Isles—not that I don’t also love Scottish historicals and some books set in the Regency Period. Even early American and westerns seemed to have disappeared. The publishing powers had decreed that Regency England was all historical readers wanted to read.

What’s a reading fan of unusual places to do? I went to the Classic and Cozy authors to see what they had written with unusual settings. Here’s what I found.

From Gina Ardito
The Bonds of Matri-money, Bali.
Mistletoe and Magic, Poland
Eternally Yours and In Your Dreams, in the Hereafter
www.ginaardito.com

From Zelda Benjamin
Chocolate & Sensibility—a novella set in the tropical rainforest on an island off Ecuador, www.zeldabenjamin.com

From Beate Boeker
A New Life, Florence, Italy, http://amzn.to/13tFD2S
Mischief in Italy—A romantic comedy set in Lake Garda, Italy,
http://amzn.to/11pkT4W
It's Raining Men—Four cousins inherit a magic umbrella in Paris—and have to take it to their homes in California, Edinburgh (Scotland), Florence (Italy), and Paris (France), http://amzn.to/1j1ae95

From Sheila Claydon
Cabin Fever, on a cruise ship, www.sheilaclaydon.com 











From Jean C. GordonHis Lady Viking, Scotland, but in the 10th century with a Viking heroine, http://amzn.to/1iceFiy

From Victoria M. JohnsonThe Doctor's Dilemma, a small village in Mexico, http://amzn.to/1kNwJFp




If you like Hawaii, from Annette Mahon
The Matchmaker Quilt Series:
Book 1: Dolphin Dreams
Book 2: Holiday Dreams
The Secret Romance Series:
The Secret Correspondence
The Secret Wish
The Secret Beau
The Secret Santa
The Secret Wedding
The Secret Admirer

The Pink Plumeria Quilt Shop Books:
Chase Your Dream
Above the Rainbow

Stand alone titles:
Just Friends
Maui Rose
Lei of Love

Mystery:
St. Rose Goes Hawaiian
www.annettemahon.com

From Fran McKnabb
On the Crest of a Wave, a fort on an island in the Gulf of Mexico during the U.S. Civil War,
www.amazon.com/On-Crest-Wave-Fran-Mcnabb/dp/0803499965

From Loretta C. RogersLady Adel's Captain, during the 1854 Sapoy Rebellion in India
www.lorettacrogersbooks.com/




If you like Australia, from Elisabeth Rose
Mango Kisses, the north coast of NSW Australia and Sydney
Outback Hero, outback
Instant Family, Canberra

Stuck, Sydney and a small rural town
The Right Chord
Coming Home
The Tangled Web
Love On the North Shore Line, all three in Sydney
The Wedding Party, Narooma, a beachside holiday town on the NSW south coast
www.elisabethrose.com.au