15 More Amazingly Named Romance Novel Heroines

Almost any regency historical. Amazing names abound in all historical romances, but some of the most fun and bizarre ones are found in regency. One of my favorite heroines is found in Sarah MacLean’s Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. Calpurnia Hartwell‘s mother boldly named after the roman Empress, and the story starts with Callie rejecting the name after struggling to live up to it her entire life. There’s also Eloisa James’ Xenobia India (Three Weeks With Lady X), who you know must be a strong and capable heroine to successfully carry that name into polite society in Regency England, and Mary Balogh’s Lady Freyja Bedwyn (Slightly Scandalous), who easily lives up to her Norse goddess name. And even the heroines’ names that are considered totally normal during the time, sound exciting and fun in this day and age, like Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Weatherby from Stephanie Laurens’ Devil’s Bride. 

Classic western romances. Who doesn’t love stories about the West? There’s basically nothing sexier than a cowboy with a duster jacket, which is such a widely held belief that I’m pretty sure it’s not even an opinion at this point. It’s just a fact. And, in addition to sexy cowboys riding around town on horseback, westerns are filled with some fantastically named heroines that just scream wild, wild West.  While there are plenty of Anne’s and Annie’s, names like Lark Morgan (A Wanted Man, by Linda Lael Miller) and Evelyn Starr Johnson (Only You, by Elizabeth Lowell) also feel right at home in the western setting. Maggie Osborne’s Low Down in Silver Lining is a personal favorite of mine because the name speaks volumes about the character. Low is actually a nickname for Louise, who is just trying to be one of the guys, as she prospects for gold in the Rockies.

Jayne Ann Krentz’s Lost Colony Series. In this futuristic series, humans have evolved into two different types (Harmonics and Wolves). But it doesn’t matter if they’re Harmonic or Wolf, they all seem to have creative names. That’s wonderful thing about a high concept science-fiction setting: the sky is the limit when it comes to picking names. The first in the series, Sweet Starfire, follows Cidra Rainforest, who was raised amongst the Harmonics, but lacks their telepathic ability. She teams up with the (also wonderfully named) Wolf Teague Severance, captain/owner of a spaceship, to find an artifact to augment her senses. The two later books in the series bring us Kalena (Crystal Flame) and Sarianna (Sheild’s Lady), respectively. And if you’re interested in more from Jayne Ann Krentz, she also has some fantastically named heroines in her Rainshadow Series (like Sedona Snow in The Hot Zone), written under the pen name Jayne Castle.

Every other book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. But maybe what you want is a contemporary romance—something where a unique and creative name sticks out of the setting. Well, then, I give you the contemporary works of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. As one of romance’s most prolific writers, SEP has unsurprisingly hit on some truly great names. She had a character named Blue (Blue Bailey from Natural Born Charmer, Chicago Stars #7) long before Beyonce and Jay Z even dreamed of having a daughter, much less naming her Blue Ivy. And her latest in the Chicago Stars Series, First Star I See Tonight, features a private investigator named Piper Dove. Then there’s my personal favorite: Sugar Beth Carey from Ain’t She Sweet, which sounds exactly like the name you’d expect from the most popular girl in her small town high school. Another favorite: Honey Jane Moon (Honey Moon), a former child star complete with all the drama of her youth.
Who has your favorite name in romance?