Historical Romance Fiction Quotes

At times Valentine wasn't sure whether he kept Matthews about because of his supreme unctuousness or because he had half a suspicion the valet was trying to kill him. ~ Suzanne Enoch

Horeb bent over me and ran his hand down my neck, not stopping when his fingers reached my chest.
I jerked backward. "What are you doing?"
His eyes were black and intense. "A little taste before the wedding, Jayden? ~ Kimberley Griffiths Little

As my body recalled my soul, I began to quiver with pain and gasp for air. ~ Nancy B. Brewer

That's what we all were, wasn't it? Created beings who bore traces of their Creator, each with a different piece of his nature augmented in order to show the world who he was. ~ Joanna Davidson Politano

On this night of the Harvest Moon. They tossed bones into the "Bone Fire" and asked the yellow moon to shine its protection over them. (Today we call it a "Bonfire") ~ Nancy B. Brewer

They wouldn't, if they realized that socialist "freedom" involved killing anyone who held a different view. That was no freedom. That was the worst form of tyranny - the kind that lied about what it was. ~ Roseanna M. White

Are you a traveling man he asked? ~ Nancy B. Brewer

I brought you something. It's my sister's coat. It
gets cold in Nashville in the wintertime. ~ Nancy B. Brewer

Despite everything, every piece of Alaska sang to me. I remembered every curve in the trails, every tree in the forest. It was familiar to me, comfortable. The more I thought about leaving it, the less I liked the idea. This was my home. ~ Summer Lane

He came back to her lips and tasted them briefly before settling his forehead against hers. "I don't care what Grayson or his legal document says," he muttered between catches of wind. "God's given you to me, and as soon as He allows, I'll claim you as my own."
He spoke with such confidence that if she allowed herself, she could almost believe him. But with belief came hope, and with hope, the inevitability of pain.
The knocking at the door resumed, more urgently this time.
Along her throat, splotches of cool marked where he'd sampled her. Milly lamented that it was already warming. In heartbeats, all she would have was memories. And anguish. Could God truly fill the hollow Phillip would leave? Last night, His promise had filled her to the depths of her soul. It was enough. It would have to be.
With his eyes locked on hers, Phillip's hand trailed her cheek and throat. It brushed over her shoulder and down her arm. Then, in one blink, he wiped every emotion from his face, stunning her with the callous glaze of his eyes.
He gripped her by the elbow, whisked her through the kitchen, and opened the door to her wretched future. ~ April W. Gardner

The characters tell their story - I am merely the tool used to record it ~ Marti Melville

A brusque whisper coaxed Phillip from slumber. Someone had called his name. The cot squeaked as he sat up and squinted at a featureless silhouette. "Who is it?"
"Rise. Quick. Bring your medicine maker." The ragged voice belonged to True Seeker.
Tasked with keeping a watchful eye on Milly, the young man would come to Phillip at this hour for only one reason. He swung his legs to the ground. With one foot going into his trousers, he took a wide step across the narrow barracks and jostled Buck's shoulder.
His friend was on his feet and half-dressed before Phillip left the building, alarm urging his feet to a gallop. No one need tell him which direction to go. He buckled his sword belt as he went. The scabbard slapped his leg with each footfall, bringing to mind a similar night not long enough ago. His stride lengthened.
This time, he would run Collins clean through. ~ April W. Gardner

You must remember also that He would never make any mistake in creating you. No matter what harsh and hateful words have been said to you, no matter the wrong actions against you, those opinions are not valid. The only valid opinion in which we can place true merit is that of God, and ultimately, your own.--Olivia Worthington of River Oaks Plantation ~ Lisa M. Prysock

Love was something he had banished from his life years ago out of necessity, but she made him yearn to be loved. ~ Stacy Reid

I could faintly smell the ocean. I imagined being one of the old oak trees standing there swaying in the wind and braving all sorts of weather. I pondered what they had seen in the past and what they might see in the future ~ Nancy B. Brewer

You don't know if you can do it unless you try! :) ~ A.M. Westerling

When he [Colin] reached the center of the field, he paused to catch his breath and scan the area for telltale tufts of wool. When the lamb failed to appear, he cupped his hands around his mouth and tried again. "Dinner!"
This time, his call earned an answer. Several answers. In fact, the ground shook with the collective bestial response. He spied several large, dark forms lumbering toward him through the twilight dusk. He blinked, trying to make them out. These weren't sheep. No, they were ...
Cows. Large cows. Remarkably fast and menacing cows. A small herd of them, all thundering straight for him where he stood in the center of the field.
Colin took a few steps backward. "Wait," he said, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean you. ~ Tessa Dare

Perhaps their papas should buy them some manners instead of squandering their wealth on party dresses. ~ Margie Bayer

Gut instinct said she was bound to be up to her neck in trouble. She always was. Gut instinct was right ~ Shehanne Moore

Even if you break the bird's wings, you cannot change its spirit and heart,"-- Lilette (The Sign of Change) ~ H. El-Tahwagi

Thorne looked to the woolly beast at his [Bram's] knee and and cocked a brow. "You seem to have acquired a lamb, my lord."
"The lamb goes home tomorrow."
"And if he doesn't?"
"He's dinner. ~ Tessa Dare

She [Susanna] realized she was still hugging the wall. Pride propelled her two steps forward. As she advanced, something bleated at her, as though chastising her for trespassing. She stopped midstep and peered at it. "Did you know there's a lamb in here?"
"Never mind it. That's dinner."
She gave it a smile and a friendly pat. "Hullo, Dinner. Aren't you a sweet thing."
"It's not his name, it's his ... function. ~ Tessa Dare

She was not the type of woman to keep a lover. A man would have to work hard day and night to even gain her notice. She was intelligent, strong, interesting, and even a little bit mysterious. ~ Lina J. Potter

There is not only one measure of beauty, Lanore. Everyone adores the red rose, and yet it is a common sort of beauty. You are like a golden rose, a rare bloom but no less lovely. ~ Alma Katsu

I don't know where we are, but we'll soon find our way home! Le avventure di Pinocchio ~ Nancy B. Brewer

Children worked in the mills: I will always believe that children are designed for green meadows and play, not for factories and cotton dust. ~ Nancy B. Brewer

A man´s desire is a powerful thing. It can reduce a strong man to nothing. When he sees a woman who fascinates him, he will give up everything for her. ~ Alma Katsu

Do you plan on marrying Charles?"
She shook her head.
"Good. I wouldn't want to shoot him, but I would."
... Finding Promise ~ Scarlett Dunn

I am a slave in your palace. - Sultan Suleyman Khan, Suleyman the Magnificent, The Shadow of God on Earth. ~ P.J. Parker

Once the two of you come together, even the devil himself will be running for cover.
- The Duke of Traherne ~ Diana Quincy

Bram stared into a pair of wide, dark eyes. Eyes that reflected a surprising glimmer of intelligence. This might be the rare female a man could reason with.
"Now, then," he said. "We can do this the easy way, or we can make things difficult."
With a soft snort, she turned her head. It was as if he'd ceased to exist.
Bram shifted his weight to his good leg, feeling the stab to his pride. He was a lieutenant colonel in the British army, and at over six feet tall, he was said to cut an imposing figure. Typically, a pointed glance from his quarter would quell the slightest hint of disobedience. He was not accustomed to being ignored.
"Listen sharp, now." He gave her ear a rough tweak and sank his voice to a low threat. "If you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say."
Though she spoke not a word, her reply was clear: You can kiss my great wolly arse.
Confounded sheep. ~ Tessa Dare

I´ve always wanted him to love me the way I loved him. He did love me, I know he did. Just not the way I wanted him to.

"And it´s so different for a lot of people I´ve known. One partner doesn´t love the other enough to stop drinking, or gambling, or running around with other women. One is the giver and one is the taker. The giver wishes the taker would stop."

"But the taker never changes," Luke says, though he wonders if this is always the case.

"Sometimes the giver has to let go, but sometimes you don´t. You can´t. I couldn´t give up on Jonathan. I seemed to be able to forgive him anything. ~ Alma Katsu

I'll love you until I'm ashes in the dirt beneath the Earth. Then, I'll love you even more. ~ K. Webster

He could fit what he knew about women in a bullet casing and still have room for the gunpowder. ~ Karen Witemeyer

You have a spine of steel and fire in your eyes, Rosalie. To have such a quality, one must be shaken to the foundation of one's soul and put back together. I want to know how you emerged from hell made of steel and fire. ~ Moriah Densley

Outside, the dogs whine over the wind. They sense the wolves - they sense the wild. It calls to them, like it calls to me, and I wonder sometimes if we are the only ones who hear it. ~ Summer Lane

My novels are in the literature section as opposed to the romance section of bookstores because they're not romance novels. If I tried to have them published as romances, they'd be rejected. I write dramatic fiction; a further sub-genre would classify them as love stories. ~ Nicholas Sparks

You're mad," he said in a low voice, "if you think I would leave you now. I'll see you safe and well no matter what it takes. ~ Lisa Kleypas

Can you put your hands on my crotch?"
"Why, hell no, I cannot." I didn't remember anything like this happening in Pride and Prejudice. ~ Jennifer Echols

Ben walks in the room and asks, "What were you guys doing?" Nikki says "Nothing" at the same time I say, "Your sister and I were just makin' out. ~ Simone Elkeles

If you love no one, no one can hurt you," she whispered. ~ Kerrigan Byrne

LAURA ATCHISON, Author of "What Would A Wise Woman Do?", on DANGEROUS ODDS by Marisa Lankester:
"Truth is always wilder than fiction.
Hold on to your hats and enjoy this page turning look inside the world of sports betting from a good girl gone bad for love. ~ Laura Atchison

Lovemaking only really works and is satisfying when each person in the sexual and lovemaking act wants it and actively participates. ~ J.F. Kelly

It's degrading being routinely subjected to a battery of medical tests to ensure I continue to deserve a place in this new world. ~ Siobhan Davis

Burn wounds always elicited pain more terrible than anything else he had ever endured. He didn't relish the idea of forcing himself to suffer through such agony. But it was necessary. Earth depended on them taking possession of the key. "It's the only way out," Andrew reminded him.
"I understand that, but - "
"The trials we have faced thus far have been minimal," Andrew said, cutting off Sebastian's retort. "What we seek is the key to the universe. You didn't expect it to be easy, did you? ~ Laura Kreitzer

I was about to sit down when Kyle's hand wrapped around my left wrist lightly and pulled up my arm. The suddenness of his touch was startling. I looked at him, confused, and saw fire in his eyes - raw anger I didn't understand. His eyes looked up at me and penetrated mine. ~ Christie Cote

Her smile hollowed out his chest. She'd changed since last he saw her. She was brighter. More vibrant. Happiness suited her. ~ Carolyn Jewel

We both must burn this midnight oil together. You're just as new to me as I am you.
Andrew ~ Laura Kreitzer

For a moment, I felt sorry for him. The pain and disappointment of his life hung about him like a cloak. It permeated the air, giving him a rank and bitter scent. This, I mused, was an example of human betrayal left festering, and I felt some compassion for the man whose life had been so disturbed by his wife's ambitions and dishonesty. ~ Evette Davis

Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must be cantankerous and objectionable in order to be bright; that ego is paramount over skill; that one can rise to a level from which one can tell the reader to go to hell. These myths, if believed, can ruin you.
If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego. ~ David Brin

He strained his ears, and the darkness felt heavier than before. Oppressive.
"We're hungry." That came from behind him.
"They smell tasty," a voice to his left hissed.
"I don't like this," Andrew said, feeling like the world around them was spinning with voices, taunting, echoing them.
"I don't like this," a voice parroted. "I don't like this. I don't like this. I don't like this. ~ Laura Kreitzer

Why won't you look at me?" she murmurs.
He doesn't speak, seemingly at a loss for words.
"It's my scars." It comes out as barely a whisper.
Horror spasms across his face. "What? No," he says, a bit breathless. "You're beautiful. All of you. ~ Laura Kreitzer

E wanted her.
And at another time, as another man, he would have her. Without hesitation. As lover ... as more. ~ Sarah MacLean

Lust is the purest emotion. If Love is the effect, then lust is the cause. Love might be intangible but lust is omnipreseent, evergrowing. Evergrowing. Always! Forever!! ~ Abhishek Leela Pandey

I'm in love with fiction. A fantasy that slips between my fingers when reality sets in. ~ Moryah DeMott

I love to read history books, which is where I get my ideas. I also read historical romance for pleasure. ~ Virginia Henley

You don't have to say a thing except yes. You don't have to do anything, either, I'm quite willing to plan it all."
"You?"
"Yes me."
"You'd plan all of it? Even the wedding?"
"Why not?"
"You don't even like to plan your own breakfast."
He grinned. "You mean more to me tban bacon."
"More than [i]bacon?[/i] I'm honored."
"You should be, my foolish pea brain. ~ Karen Hawkins

No more tears, Rose. I'm here. I'll protect you."
"I thought you were mad at me."
"Don't be silly. How could I be mad at you?" - Morgan McCaw & Rose Frost ~ Alexandra May

Pleasure suffused her and she snuggled deeper into his arms, her heart clenching when he tightened his hold on her. After a while his breathing slowed and his hold relaxed. Convinced he slept, she whispered, "You should have been my first." A small ache pinched her heart.
His chest vibrated beneath her hand, sending a thrilling shiver up her spine as his deep voice rumbled through the air, "I'll be your last. ~ Sophie Jordan

He did not have time to wallow, to give a moment's thought to what may have happened to her or whether she was alive.

Turn into the punch, grab hold of the gun, leap into the arena. Attack.

He had to move. Now. ~ G.S. Jennsen

God, she was beautiful. Hair a tangled mess, clothes torn, lips pale and swollen, skin streaked in dirt. And she was so damn beautiful and flawed and perfect. ~ G.S. Jennsen

And the only hope-perhaps the real hope he'd been missing all along-was found in God. ~ Jody Hedlund

Ned seemed so different from any other man of her acquaintance, and, certainly, the antithesis of the rake she had set her sights on. She had chosen DeVere as her best prospect, yet after only this short time in Ned's company, she couldn't help fervently wishing that he was DeVere. She should feel triumphant that her goal was within easy reach ... In truth, it was as if her appetite had been whetted for beefsteak ... only to be served liver instead.
-A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE ~ Victoria Vane

Jace's husky voice almost came out in a purr. He said, "You want to make a bet on that, Charlie." Oh yeah, he can sell that stuff alright. "No worries," Jace was saying. "I only have eyes for you." He touched the tip of my nose with his finger. I swatted him away. Jace laughed.

~Jace~ ~ J.L. Clayton

He gazed deeply into my eyes. Placing his hand to my cheek, he caressed my skin with his fingertips. "Ariel, you have a strength that cannot be hindered by anything. A strength that I admire greatly." - Luca ~ Victoria H. Smith

After watching too many scary movies it was hard not to have an overactive imagination, along with an inherent distrust of seemingly benevolent (and sometimes inanimate) things, like lawn gnomes. ~ Kat Stiles

The line from Pulp Fiction - the one Samuel L. Jackson shouts at John Travolta as they're trying to wash blood off their hands - pops into my head: 'I used the same soap you did and when I dried my hands, the towel didn't look like no fuckin' maxi-pad!' I almost - almost - share this most quotable of cinematic quotes with him, when I remember it contains The Word. You know: 'maxi-pad. ~ Elle Lothlorien

Collin! What a gorgeous name. Then again his name could have been Cracker Jack and I would have thought it was just as wonderful. ~ Nicole Gulla

With unsteady hands, Phillip yanked on the mare's bridle straps while trying to loosen one of the stubborn buckles. She snorted at his rough handling.
Totka appeared beside him. "Let me."
Phillip gratefully released the task, an unexpected sense of brotherhood filling him. If anyone knew the heartache of separation, it was the man whose deft brown hands readied Phillip's mount for the long road ahead.
Totka's own road had been lengthy. And yet, after two years, he somehow managed to continue to place one foot in front of the other. His breath still entered and left his body in the same monotonous pattern. How? When already several times over the half-day since Grayson had ridden out with Milly, Phillip had wondered if his chest might explode with the effort of expanding and contracting without her. ~ April W. Gardner

Thank you father, thank you. I know you watched me from above and protected me. I promise I shall serve the Magnarian Confederation with all my body and soul. I shall dedicate myself fully to our confederation, the family that you so loved. And I love it too. I shall protect, love and respect it always. This is my promise and commitment. Thank you ~ Chayada Welljaipet

She's a mixed-breed and not the least bit aggressive.
She decided long ago she wanted to be a pet dog, not a guard dog. I think that's another reason why that man wanted to get rid of her. I've never understood all this fascination with aggressiveness. It's like an epidemic. People don't just want aggressive dogs, they want to be aggressive themselves. ~ Sonal Panse

There is no gravity. The only thing holding me to this planet is you. ~ Shelly Crane

Count this as a mere taste, sweetheart, of all the pleasure I can give you. Marry me and let me show you more. Be mine, and I'll take you on a journey the likes of which you've ever only imagined. ~~ Adam to Mallory ~ Tracy Anne Warren

As I was escorted outside by the officers, my friends looked back at me with blank expressions. I don't think they knew what to say to me. I had lied to them about my home life. They had always been there for me and probably would have understood if I had told them the truth from the start, but it was too late. All the lies I had told them about having a perfect family had been shattered by that one incident. ~ Jen Naumann

How long has it been since I entered this blackness? Has it been days, months, or years? I'm stuck here with my mind, my thoughts, my memories, and my nightmares. ~ Shari J. Ryan