I'll third Courtney Milan. Her "Duchess War" is free right now. Well written, well researched (
see her articles on law), funny, good supporting characters. Some lesbian and gay romances for supporting characters in some of her books.
If you try Heyer, it might be useful to know that "The Grand Sophy" has some really blatant, nasty antisemitism. (Her views on social class are also rather horrible, but I find it easier to hold my nose and enjoy her books despite those -- probably because antisemitism is still a problem today. Nobles being genetically superior to common folks, not so much.)
If you like science fiction, you should try
Local Custom by Miller and Lee. There's some romance in most of their books, but "Local Custom" is the only one I've read so far where the romance is the main plot, not a supporting plot. (There's some element of the supernatural there, though -- some people are empaths or have other (usually minor) psionic abilities.)
If you want to try gothics, you might want to try Wilkie Collins' "Woman in White" (in the free library here). I read it after having read
Sarah Rees Brennan's parody, I think it made me enjoy it more:
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Sarah's parody
LAURA: I’m finally back from honeymoon Marian! Turns out marrying a dude who was pure evil, and who I did not love or wish to marry, was kind of a bad decision!
MARIAN: Oh Laura. I love you, but you are not the brightest jewel in the Royal Treasury.
|
And of course, there's Jane Austen, if you haven't read her yet.
...and I almost forgot: Mary Robinette Kowal's
Glamorist histories. There's magic, so it might not fit your "no supernatural" requirements, but the magic feels like an new kind of technology. Glamour is a useful skill which ladies use to decorate their homes, and it's nice to have a coldmonger to keep the pantry cold.