One Foot on the Floor

Playing off the legendary rules of the Hays commission, this list contains wonderful romances with non-explicit or less explicit love scenes. Using AAR’ssensuality system, these would be romances rated Kisses or Subtle. We have provided separate listings for both types.

(List begun 08/99, updated 02/10)

Kisses Only

  • The Gladiator (2009) by Carla Capshaw
  • Silent Knight (12/1996) by Tori Phillips – HH-343
  • The Perilous Gard (1974) by Elizabeth Marie Pope
  • Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen
  • Emily and the Dark Angel (1991) by Jo Beverley
  • A Debt of Honour (1982) by Diana Brown
  • Prospero’s Daughter (2003) by Nancy Butler
  • Reclaiming Lord Rockleigh (2001) by Nancy Butler
  • Brighton Road (1988) by Susan Carroll
  • The Devil’s Delilah (1990) by Loretta Chase
  • Knaves’ Wager (1990) by Loretta Chase
  • Allegra (1974) by Clare Darcy
  • Lydia (1973) by Clary Darcy
  • Lady Barbara’s Dilemma (1993) by Marjorie Farrell
  • Friday’s Child (1995) by Barbara Hazard
  • The Wary Widow (2000) by Barbara Hazard
  • A Change of Heart (1995) by Candice Hern
  • Beauvallet (1929) by Georgette Heyer
  • Frederica (1965) by Georgette Heyer
  • The Grand Sophy (1950) by Georgette Heyer
  • The Nonesuch (1950) by Georgette Heyer
  • A Grand Design (2000) by Emma Jensen
  • What Chloe Wants (1996) by Emma Jensen
  • Libby’s London Merchant (1991) by Carla Kelly
  • Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career (1992) by Carla Kelly
  • Miss Milton Speaks her Mind (1998) by Carla Kelly
  • Miss Whittier Makes a List (1994) by Carla Kelly
  • One Good Turn (2001) by Carla Kelly
  • Reforming Lord Ragsdale (1995) by Carla Kelly
  • Summer Campaign (1989) by Carla Kelly
  • A Bird in Hand (1999) by Allison Lane
  • Balmorrow’s Bride (1998) by Judith Lansdowne
  • Camilla’s Fate (1997) by Judith Landsdowne
  • The Clandestine Betrothal (1967) by Alice Chetwynd Ley
  • The Georgian Rake (1960) by Alice Chetwynd Ley
  • The Bad Baron’s Daughter (1978) by Laura London (Sharon and Tom Curtis)
  • Love’s a Stage (1980) by Laura London (Sharon and Tom Curtis)
  • Her Man of Affairs (1980) by Elizabeth Mansfield
  • Passing Fancies (1983) by Elizabeth Mansfield
  • The Phantom Lover (1979) by Elizabeth Mansfield
  • Regency Sting (1980) by Elizabeth Mansfield
  • The Lady in Gray (1999) by Patricia Oliver
  • The Incomparable Cassandra (2004) by Laura Paquet
  • Belle of the Ball (2001) by Donna Simpson
  • Lord St. Claire’s Angel (1999) by Donna Simpson
  • Brighton Honeymoon (2000) by Sheri Cobb South
  • French Leave (2001) by Sheri Cobb South
  • Of Paupers and Peers (2006) by Sheri Cobb South
  • The Weaver Takes a Wife (1999) by Sheri Cobb South
  • Moonlight and Mischief (2004) by Rhonda Woodward
  • An Unlikely Alliance (1998) by Patricia Bray
  • The Other Mr. Darcy (2009) by Monica Fairview
  • Duel of Hearts (2002) by Diane Farr
  • Gallant Waif (2001) by Anne Gracie
  • The Devil On Horseback (1977) by Victoria Holt
  • On the Night of the Seventh Moon (1972) by Victoria Holt
  • Penmarric (1971) by Susan Howatch
  • A Company of Swans (1985) by Eva Ibbotson
  • A Countess below Stairs (1981) by Eva Ibbotson
  • Madensky Square (1988) by Eva Ibbotson
  • Magic Flutes (1978) by Eva Ibbotson
  • The Mystery Kiss (2001) by Judith Lansdowne
  • Silent on the Moor (2009) by Deanna Raybourn
  • A Town Like Alice (1950) by Nevil Shute (set in Malaya and Australia)
  • Sentimental Journey (1990) by Barbara Bretton – HAR-365
  • A Season in Eden (1999) by Megan Chance
  • Constance (1968) by Patricia Clapp
  • The Iron Peacock (1966) by Mary Stetson Clarke
  • The Revolt of Sarah Perkins (1965) by Marian Cockrell
  • Promise Me (1998) by Laura Lee DeVries
  • Country Kiss (1993) by Sharon Harlow
  • Yours Truly (1994) by Sharon Harlow
  • Here’s to the Ladies (2003) by Carla Kelly
  • Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell
  • Love Comes Softly (1979) by Janette Oke
  • The Sherwood Ring (1958) by Elizabeth Marie Pope
  • Still Life with Murder (2003) by P.B. Ryan
  • Daddy-Long-Legs (1912) by Jean Webster
  • A Time for Love (1999) by Joye Ames
  • A Rather Curious Engagement (2008) by C.A. Belmond
  • A Rather Lovely Inheritance (2007) by C.A. Belmond
  • Wife is a Four Letter Word (2/1998) by Stephanie Bond – HLL-37
  • Autumn’s Eve (1999) by Jordanna Boston
  • The Little Lady Agency (2006) by Hester Browne
  • Going to the Castle (12/2001) by Nicole Burnham – SR-1563
  • All-American Girl (2002) by Meg Cabot
  • Pants on Fire (2007) by Meg Cabot
  • Princess in Love (2002) by Meg Cabot
  • A Thousand Roses (12/1986) by Bethany Campbell – HR-2803
  • Letting Loose (1998) by Sue Civil-Brown
  • Fifteen (1956) by Beverly Cleary
  • A Bride Worth Waiting For (8/1999) by Cara Colter – SR-1388
  • Just Listen (2006) by Sarah Dessen
  • Sorry, Wrong Number (4/1993) by Patricia Ellis – SR-391
  • Daniel’s Gift (1996) by Barbara Freethy
  • When I Was Older (2000) by Garret Freymann-Weyr
  • Utterly Charming (2000) by Kristine Grayson
  • Thoroughly Kissed (2001) by Kristine Grayson
  • Invitation to the Boss’s Ball (2009) by Fiona Harper
  • His Secret Past (5/2008) by Ellen Hartman – HSR-1491
  • The Search (2005) by Christiane Heggan
  • A Rush of Wings (2003) by Kristen Heitzmann
  • The Still of Night (2003) by Kristen Heitzmann
  • Danger in the Shadows (1999) by Dee Henderson
  • The Negotiator (2000) by Dee Henderson
  • True Devotion (2000) by Dee Henderson
  • The School for Husbands (2007) by Wendy Holden
  • Mommy Said Goodbye (4/2004) by Janice Kay Johnson – HSR-1197
  • With Child (5/2005) by Janice Kay Johnson – HSR-1273
  • The Shadowy Horses (1997) by Susanna Kearsley
  • Rent a Friend (4/1998) by Valerie Kirkwood – HLL-42
  • Knit Two Together (2007) by Connie Lane
  • Her Secret Santa (12/1997) by Day Leclaire – HR-3486
  • The Bachelor and the Babies (7/1998) by Heather MacAllister – HR-3513
  • When We First Met (1982) by Norma Fox Mazer
  • Still Mr. and Mrs. (2002) by Mary McBride
  • Handyman (2000) by Linda Nichols
  • The Living Stone (2000) by Jane Orcutt
  • If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend (2005) by Alison Pace
  • Pug Hill (2006) by Alison Pace
  • The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman (1995) by Louise Plummer
  • All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School (2003) by Janette Rallison
  • The Ivy Tree (1963) by Mary Stewart
  • A Bachelor Falls (5/1998) by Karen Toller Whittenberg – HAR-727
  • Seduction of the Crimson Rose (2007) by Lauren Willig
  • The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (2009) by Lauren Willig
  • Miranda Blue Calling (2004) by Michelle Curry Wright
  • California Demon (2006) by Julie Kenner
  • Second Star to the Right (1999) by Mary Alice Kruesi
  • My Heart Stood Still (2001) by Lynn Kurland
  • When I Fall in Love (2007) by Lynn Kurland
  • Season of Angels (1993) by Debbie Macomber
  • An Angel for the Earl (1994) by Barbara Metzger
  • Daughter of Gold (2004) by Janeen O’Kerry
  • Archangel (1996) by Sharon Shinn
  • Heart of Gold (2000) by Sharon Shinn
  • Mystic and Rider (2005) by Sharon Shinn
  • The Shape-Changer’s Wife (1995) by Sharon Shinn
  • Summers at Castle Auburn (2001) by Sharon Shinn
  • Companions of the Night (1995) by Vivian Vande Velde
  • To Say Nothing of the Dog (1997) by Connie Willis
  • Promised Land (1996) by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice
  • For Camelot’s Honor (2005) by Sarah Zettel

Subtle Sensuality

  • Lion’s Legacy (2/1996) by Suzanne Barclay – HH-304
  • Another Chance to Dream (1998) by Lynn Kurland
  • From This Moment On (2002) by Lynn Kurland
  • If I Had You (2000) by Lynn Kurland
  • This is All I Ask (1997) by Lynn Kurland
  • A Kingdom of Dreams (1989) by Judith McNaught
  • Katherine (1954) by Anya Seton
  • Born of the Sun (1989) by Joan Wolf
  • The Edge of Light (1990) by Joan Wolf
  • The Famous Heroine (1996) by Mary Balogh
  • The Notorious Rake (1992) by Mary Balogh
  • Lord Stanhope’s Proposal (2000) by Jessica Benson
  • Her Perfect Earl (2005) by Bethany Brooks
  • The Emerald Necklace (1981) by Diana Brown
  • The Rake’s Retreat (1999) by Nancy Butler
  • The Fourth Season (1995) by Anne Douglas
  • Beau Crusoe (2007) by Carla Kelly
  • The Lady’s Companion (1996) by Carla Kelly
  • Miss Chartley’s Guided Tour (1989) by Carla Kelly
  • With This Ring (1997) by Carla Kelly
  • Married by Mistake (1992) by Melinda McRae
  • The Rules of Gentility (2007) by Janet Mullany
  • The Rake and the Reformer (1989) by Mary Jo Putney
  • Courting Trouble (2004) by Nonnie St. George
  • The American Duchess (1982) by Joan Wolf
  • His Lordship’s Mistress (1982) by Joan Wolf

(“Subtle” European Historicals generally have one relatively short love scene with sex. Readers should be aware that even when they are labeled “subtle,” new European Historicals are not as subtle as Regencies nor are they as subtle as some Americana.)

 

  • The Bargain (1997) by Jane Ashford
  • A Matter of Class (2010) by Mary Balogh
  • My Dearest Enemy (1998) by Connie Brockway
  • Marrying Mozart (2005) by Stephanie Cowell
  • The Lymond Chronicles (1961-1975) by Dorothy Dunnett
  • An Honorable Thief (2002) by Anne Gracie
  • Rightfully His (1998) by Tracy Grant
  • A Company of Swans (1985) by Eva Ibbotson
  • A Countess Below Stairs (1992) by Eva Ibbotson
  • To Love a Wicked Lord (2009) by Edith Layton
  • Heather and Velvet (1991) by Teresa Medeiros
  • The Thorn and the Thistle (1997) by Julie Moffett
  • A Most Lamentable Comedy (2009) by Janet Mullany
  • The Anglophile (1957) by Egan O’Neil (Elizabeth Linington)
  • The Rake (1998) by Mary Jo Putney
  • How to Marry a Marquis (1999) by Julia Quinn
  • The Chase (2005) by Cheryl Sawyer
  • Bride of the MacHugh (1978) by Jan Cox Speas
  • Anne’s Perfect Husband (2001) by Gayle Wilson
  • Jezebel’s Sister (2001) by Emily Carmichael
  • Rachel LeMoyne (1998) by Eileen Charbonneau
  • The Randolph Legacy (1997) by Eileen Charbonneau
  • Patterns of Love (1998) by Robin Lee Hatcher
  • Always to Remember (1996) by Lorraine Heath
  • Walks in Shadow (2005) by Joyce Henderson
  • Shades of Honor (2002) by Wendy Lindstrom
  • A Taste of Honey (1995) by Stephanie Mittman
  • Redeeming Love (1991) by Francine Rivers (Multnomah edition only)
  • Siren (2005) by Cheryl Sawyer
  • My Love, My Enemy (1961) by Jan Cox Speas
  • Morning Glory (1989) by LaVyrle Spencer
  • Years (1986) by LaVyrle Spencer
  • These Is My Words (1998) by Nancy Turner
  • Savannah Blues (2002) by Mary Kay Andrews
  • Body and Soul (1999) by Jennifer Archer
  • Harvest Dance (1997) by Deborah Bedford
  • Never Change (2001) by Elizabeth Berg
  • The Virgin and the Vagabond (4/1998) by Elizabeth Bevarly – SD-1136
  • The Boyfriend School (1989) by Sarah Bird
  • I Think I Love You (2002) by Stephanie Bond
  • Wife Is a Four Letter Word (1998) by Stephanie Bond – HLAL-37
  • Billy Bob Walker Got Married (1993) by Lisa G. Brown
  • Little Lady, Big Apple (2007) by Hester Browne
  • Every Boy’s Got One (2005) by Meg Cabot
  • Queen of Babble trilogy (2006 – 2007) by Meg Cabot
  • Size 12 Is Not Fat (2006) by Meg Cabot
  • Girl from Mars (2009) by Julie Cohen
  • The Cinderella Deal (10/1996) by Jennifer Crusie – LS-807
  • Sunshine and Shadow (1986) by Sharon and Tom Curtis
  • This Lullaby (2002) by Sarah Dessen
  • The Keeper (12/1995) by Margot Early – HSR-668
  • Nick’s Kind of Woman (1/1997) by Margot Early – HSR-724
  • The Monk Downstairs (2002) by Tim Farrington
  • Practically Perfect (2008) by Katie Fforde
  • Something Blue (2005) by Emily Giffin
  • Something Borrowed (2004) by Emily Giffin
  • Crazy for Cornelia (2000) by Chris Gilson
  • Austenland (2007) by Shannon Hale
  • Catch of the Day (2007) by Kristan Higgins
  • Lucy Gets Her Life Back (2006) by Stef Ann Holm
  • Warm Hands (2000) by Margaret Johnson-Hodge
  • The Winter Sea (2008) by Susanna Kearsley
  • Can You Keep a Secret? (2004) by Sophie Kinsella
  • Remember Me (2008) by Sophie Kinsella
  • Shopaholic and Baby (2007) by Sophie Kinsella
  • The Undomestic Goddess (2005) by Sophie Kinsella
  • Then She Found Me (1990) by Elinor Lipman
  • Starting from Square Two (2004) by Caren Lissner
  • The Boy Next Door (2002) by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
  • The Best Gift (2009) by Wendy Markham
  • Lost Highways (1999) by Curtiss Ann Matlock
  • Disturbing the Peace (2002) by Nancy Newman
  • The Pajama Game (2005) by Eugenie Seifer Olson
  • Freudian Slip (2009) by Erica Orloff
  • Die for Love (1984) by Elizabeth Peters
  • Me and Mr. Darcy (2007) by Alexandra Potter
  • Her Secret, His Child (5/1999) by Tara Taylor Quinn – HSR-836
  • Julie and Romeo (2000) by Jeanne Ray
  • Little Darlin’ (6/1998) by Cheryl Reavis – SSE-1177
  • Summer Light (2001) by Luanne Rice
  • The Fortune Quilt (2007) by Lani Diane Rich
  • Prospect Street (2002) by Emilie Richards
  • Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (2009) by Laurie Viera Rigler
  • Look of Love (1999) by Lydia Sandoval
  • Maybe This Time (1990) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel
  • Mirrors and Mistakes (6/1984) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel – HAR-57
  • The Same Last Name (4/1983) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel – HAR-2
  • Summer’s End (1999) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel
  • When Love Isn’t Enough (11/1984) by Kathleen Gilles Seidel – HAR-80
  • Joy in the Morning (1963) by Betty Smith
  • High Stakes (11/1989) by Dana Warren Smith – SSE-563
  • A Place to Call Home (1998) by Deborah Smith
  • Losing It (1/1989) by Beverly Sommers – HAR-278
  • Touch Not the Cat (1976) by Mary Stewart
  • Good in Bed (2001) by Jennifer Weiner
  • Fireside (2009) by Susan Wiggs
  • Lakeshore Christmas (2009) by Susan Wiggs
  • Breaking the Rules (8/1994) by Ruth Wind – SIM-587
  • Meant to Be Married (8/1998) by Ruth Wind – SSE-1194
  • A Fashionable Affair (1/1985) by Joan Wolf – RR-102
  • Couch World (2005) by Cathy Yardley
  • A Girl’s Best Friend (2003) by Elizabeth Young
  • Making Mischief (2005) by Elizabeth Young
  • A Promising Man (And About Time, Too) (2001) by Elizabeth Young
  • Beneath a Sapphire Sea (1993) by Jessica Bryan
  • The War for the Oaks (1987) by Emma Bull
  • Stardust (1999) by Neil Gaiman
  • Shimmering Splendor (1995) by Roberta Gellis
  • A Garden in the Rain (2003) by Lynn Kurland
  • Till There Was You (2009) by Lynn Kurland
  • MacGowen’s Ghost (2009) by Cindy Miles
  • Angel with Attitude (2006) by Michelle Rowan
  • Angelica (2003) by Sharon Shinn
  • Angel-Seeker (2004) by Sharon Shinn
  • Tinker (2003) by Wen Spencer
  • Warprize (2005) by Elizabeth Vaughn

This list is now closed for submissions.