I decided to make this list to share with you my favorite Chinese historical romance novels, set either in Ancient China or within Imperial Courts. Before we dive into it, let me explain the criteria I used to create this list.... more>>

I tried to organize them in a rough order of preference, but it’s not an exact ranking — every story here has something special that stood out to me. When it comes to this genre, there are a few things I value the most:

Realism: I love narratives and characters that make sense within the historical context, that feel captivating but also believable.

Well‑written storytelling: I prefer novels with detailed world‑building and careful attention to character relationships and historical accuracy.

Convincing characters: If the protagonists or other characters don’t feel consistent or well‑developed, I usually don’t include them in my list.

Finding truly good novels in this genre can be hard, since many fall into clichés or skip proper historical research. That’s why I want to share the ones I think are genuinely worth reading. Some of them you might already know, while others may be new discoveries for you.

I’ll be updating this list every month to bring you fresh recommendations and keep the content exciting for anyone who loves this genre as much as I do. <<less

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Just some ongoing and completed novels I came across in 2025!! No particular genre, historical, modern, and so... ... more>>

You can follow to get updates as soon as new reads are added!!  <<less

This is your list if you want good reads historical romance novel. A more culturaly realistic setting. The author doesn't make the leads (FL mostly... more>> for this genre)  seem smart by making the other people around them s*upid. The ML doesn't easily fall for the FL just because she's the FL. <<less

A realistic novel set in ancient China 

Cunning Protagonist  Historical  Power StruggleRoyalty Schemes And Conspiracies 

Empresses in the Palace vibes + strong female lead who is either a concubine, noble consort, or empress... more>>

There are NO idiot/dumb/naive/innocent FLs in this list. Some FLs are kind, but most are ruthless. Emperor ML is not her prince charming & I prefer it that way. 

Palace intrigue & harem struggle between the concubines is the spotlight of most of these novels. However, the true hidden gem is the complex female relationships among the concubines/consorts, especially those who are deeply aware that the harem is their gilded cage ^^

Note: This is MY list. This means that just because a certain novel fits this niche, it won’t automatically be here. I don’t like wasting my time and other people’s. The novels here are my personal favorites and trusted recommendations. 

TBR means I can’t vouch for the novel yet. It’s labeled and found at the bottom of this list, which means that the synopsis was either really interesting or simply caught my eye . Since it’s a TBR, I don’t have an opinion on it yet and depending on the my reading experience, I may or may not remove it from this list. <<less

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The main characters (MCs) know very well what it means to live in the harem. Because of that, they never fully fall in love with... more>> the male lead (ML). Some of them even hide their true selves and never show their real personality to him.
Give novel suggestions in the comments. <<less

This is the second part of Chinese Novels with unique plot that differs from others! Most of them contain fluffy to angst stories, often with... more>> thousands chapters or even less than ten chapters. <<less

Here lies some historical stories that are all kristel_m approved. The stories on this list focus are mostly focused on BG relationships sprinkled with the... more>> occasional happy familial relationships.  <<less

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These are my ]want-to-read books that have multiple genres, I give a bare minimum summary and my eagerness to read. <3

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Novels I have read

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Plotting, scheming, backstabbing, and dog blood galore! Palace fighting and backyard fights. BG ... more>>

I try to put the most recent ones on top. <<less

Female lead rebirth/transmigrated.