Books like “Persuasion”

What to read after “Persuasion” by Jane Austen: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

About “Persuasion”

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1
Slightly Married
Mary Balogh · 2003
Same genre: “Regency romance”
Colonel Aidan Bedwyn promises a dying soldier that he will protect the man's sister. To honour that vow he marries Eve Morris in name only, keeping her home safe. What begins as a cold bargain between two strangers slowly softens into affection and love.
2
Love and Other Words
Christina Lauren · 2018
Similar plot moves: “Mutual Pining” and “Second Chance Romance”
As teenagers Macy and Elliot spent every weekend trading books in a closet and slowly falling in love, until one night tore them apart. Eleven years later they meet again in San Francisco, and the friendship and heartbreak they buried come rushing back as they decide whether to try once more.
3
Normal People
Sally Rooney · 2018
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
Connell and Marianne are drawn together in a small Irish town, then meet again at university in Dublin. Over the years they keep circling each other, hurting and rescuing one another, unable to say plainly what they feel or where they belong.
4
The Ugly Duchess
Eloisa James · 2012
Same genre: “Regency romance”
Lady Theodora Saxby weds her childhood friend James, Duke of Ashbrook, in a marriage meant to save their families. When his secret betrayal comes to light he flees abroad, and years later returns a changed man, forcing them to decide what their convenient marriage is really worth.
5
Venetia
Georgette Heyer · 1958
Same genre: “Regency romance”
- Regency England
- Slow Burn
Venetia Lanyon has spent her life dutifully running her family's estate. Her scandalous neighbour, the rake Lord Damerel, becomes an unexpected friend and ally. As gossip spreads and society disapproves, Venetia must weigh propriety against her own heart.
6
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen · 1813
Same genre: “Regency romance”
- Regency England
- Slow Burn
Elizabeth Bennet has little patience for the proud Mr Darcy, whose fortune and manners make him an easy target for her wit. Their sparring slowly gives way to a truer understanding as family scandal and society threaten to keep them apart.
7
Far from the Madding Crowd
Thomas Hardy · 1874
Similar plot moves: “Second Chance Romance” and “Slow Burn”
- Second Chance Romance
- Slow Burn
Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm and runs it herself. Three men want her: the steady shepherd Gabriel Oak, the wealthy neighbour Boldwood, and the dashing soldier Troy. Her choice and its consequences reshape all their lives in the farming country of Wessex.
8
The Grand Sophy
Georgette Heyer · 1950
Same genre: “Regency romance”
- Regency England
When Sophy Stanton-Lacy comes to stay with her cousins in London, she finds the household tangled in debts, broken engagements and bad tempers. Cheerful and managing, she sets out to arrange everyone's happiness, clashing with her proud cousin Charles along the way.
9
The Duchess Deal
Tessa Dare · 2017
Same genre: “Regency romance”
- Regency England
- Slow Burn
Scarred and bitter, the Duke of Ashbury needs an heir, so he offers a plain marriage of convenience to Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress. She accepts on her own conditions. Inside his forbidding house, two wary strangers slowly discover warmth, trust and unexpected love.
10
Happy Place
Emily Henry · 2023
Shared in the plot: refuse, feelings
- Mutual Pining
- Second Chance Romance
Harriet and Wyn broke up months ago but still have not told the friends they spend every summer with. Sharing a room at the Maine cottage for one last week, they pretend to be the happy couple they used to be, hiding their split while old feelings refuse to stay buried.
11
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston · 1937
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
Janie Crawford tells her friend the story of her life: three marriages, a long search for love and independence, and the storm that changes everything. Set in the Black towns and farms of Florida, the novel follows her from a silent girl to a woman who speaks for herself.
12
Before We Were Strangers
Renée Carlino · 2015
Similar plot moves: “Mutual Pining” and “Second Chance Romance”
- Mutual Pining
- Second Chance Romance
In college, Matt and Grace were inseparable neighbours in their NYU dorm who fell in love, until lost contact after graduation pulled them apart. Fifteen years later, a missed-connections post brings Grace back into his life, and the two have one chance to understand what happened and decide whether their story is really over.