In my Regency era romance A Duke in Time, the female protagonist Katherine, Lady Meriwether Vareck, owns her own business. She makes bed linens, pillows, lap desks, and even has her own small workshop. She counts the Prince Regent as one of her customers.

But you’re muttering to yourself…Regency women didn’t work for a living.

Before you throw your hand against your brow and call for smelling salts, let me assure you that women did indeed work during this period of history. They even owned their own businesses. They were a very rare breed, but they did exist.

In the widely successful Bridgerton series, working women are portrayed proudly. Think of Penelope Featherington who loves Colin Bridgerton from afar. Her alter ego is the widely popular gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. Don’t forget Genevieve Delacroix. She’s the thriving modiste who can pick and choose her clientele. Every woman begs for Genevieve’s gown creations because they make those dashing Regency men fall hard.

There are other women who weren’t fictional characters that followed their own rules and found success during this era.

Normally, a Regency woman’s financial security resulted from marriage. Matrimony was the tried and true way of ensuring a woman had a roof over her head and food on the table. Most of society frowned on women becoming economically independent. But with the vows came certain duties such as raising children, helping husbands in their endeavors, all the while running households. When you think of how women of our period have worked during the recent pandemic, you get a pretty good glimpse of what an ordinary Regency woman might have experienced.

Some truly exceptional women during this period made a name for themselves as entrepreneurs. Let’s take a peek at a few. While most gentile women didn’t work, a few made names for themselves in several acceptable careers for a woman. Writing, painting, and elevated servant positions such as governess or a lady’s companion were considered suitable.

One of the most familiar examples is Jane Austen. Yet, poor Jane didn’t make enough from her beloved novels to make ends meet. Since she never married, she had to rely on the generosity of her brother after her father passed away.

Yet there were trailblazers who didn’t follow these so-called “suitable positions” for women. Let me introduce you to Harriett Mellon. She was the inspiration for my character Katherine. Have you ever heard of her? Probably not, though her influence on society during the Regency period was great. An actress of moderate accomplishment, part of her fame and biggest success came from her career as a banker and major partner at Coutts & Co. It’s still in business, and it’s where the Queen banks.

When Harriett’s first husband, the wealthy banker Thomas Coutts died, he left his majority interest in the bank to Harriett. The naysayers were ignored and she proved her mettle. She took her position seriously and was an active partner managing the day to day business and investments. Through the years, it’s been the financial institution favored by royalty. Of course, Harriett was friends with the Prince Regent who later became George IV. After her first husband died, Harriett married the Duke of St. Albans, who was twenty-three years her junior. Sigh. What a love story.

Let’s not forget Eleanor Coade who purchased a stoneware company and turned it into a successful business by supplying neoclassical statues and garden ornaments for the Prince Regent and others during this period. Her pieces are still found throughout the UK and the world. Oh, she never married.

Another business dynamo was Madame Marie Tussaud. Her famous wax museum is still in existence today! The woman was a marketing genius and knew how to entertain the masses.

Back then, both single and married women were experts at multitasking. They ran households, managed businesses and finances, and entertained their families and friends. Some even raised children on top of it all. It was all in a day’s work.

Let’s give a huge shoutout to the women who have helped us manage our way through the pandemic. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky took over the helm of the Center for Diseases Control. We wouldn’t have the vaccines without the brilliant work of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett and Dr. Nita Patel.

Brava to them.

During the last year and a half, we’ve turned into sourdough starter gurus, virtual schooling hall monitors, teachers, and principals, household CEOs, and masterminds of surviving the lockdown. All of this while juggling careers and zoom meetings.

Brava to us.

The next time you get the urge to make sourdough bread or you hear your children crying out for help with their online classes, take a breath. Our Regency superwomen survived and excelled by multitasking.

You’re doing it too, and just as well.

The post She’s The Boss: How Are You Like A 19th Century Female Entrepreneurs? appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey
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Acting like she’s in love with her handsome nightmare of a co-star—in a movie directed and produced by her complicated Hollywood royalty family—is Sloane’s job. But what happens when the lines between script and reality get blurred?

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
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Pitched as a modern-day, grown-up retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables, Anne and Gilbert collide in their final year at NYU.

The Checklist by Addie Woolridge
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In an energetic debut novel about personal and professional chaos, author Addie Woolridge introduces a multicultural cast whose exploits are redefining the modern rom-com.

Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey
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A charming and heartwarming new romantic comedy by the author of Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey. 

Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly
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The insightful, audacious, and deeply romantic story of a woman whose life turns upside down after she meets an enigmatic chef on vacation in Italy–perfect for fans of Beautiful Ruins or Under the Tuscan Sun .

The Layover by Lacie Waldon
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An unexpected tropical layover with her nemesis turns a flight attendant’s life upside down in this witty, breezy debut romantic comedy about life–and love–30,000 feet above the ground.

Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters
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For fans of Casey McQuiston and Abby Jimenez comes a bold, hilarious, and out-of-the-box novel about mixing business with battery-operated pleasure . . .

The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas
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Poignant, hopeful, and full of emotional power, an unforgettable story in the vein of P.S. I Love You about two people learning to love again after great loss, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver.

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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#1 New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her beloved Chicago Stars series with a romance between a Chicago Stars quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers—and a major diva.

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor
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Get ready for lost wills, broody dukes, and scorching hot kissing all over London in A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor.

To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne
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Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.

Pug Actually by Matt Dunn
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A Dog’s Purpose meets The Happy Ever After Playlist in this charming, pitch-perfect take on relationships as seen through the eyes of a wise pug named Doug, who is determined to play cupid to fix his owner’s love life with his own four paws.

What June romance books are you looking forward to reading? Tell us in the comments below!

The post June 2021 Romance Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.