Why We Love a Heroine Who Refuses to Be Small

One of the things I love most about clean historical romance is the way it gives readers heroines who are strong without being harsh, capable without losing their femininity, and brave in ways that don’t always draw attention.

Phoebe Sauber, the heroine of my Regency-era novel Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer, is that kind of heroine.

When her story begins, Phoebe has been deeply betrayed by the one person who should have protected her most. Cast out of her home and stripped of security, she’s left asking a question many romance readers recognize immediately: Who am I, when everything familiar is taken away?

What makes Phoebe compelling to me is that she doesn’t respond to betrayal by becoming cruel or reckless. She doesn’t shrink, either. Instead, she learns how to stand her ground in a world that has suddenly become very unsafe.

I love heroines like that.

Phoebe is genteel and well-bred, fully at home in Regency society. She understands manners, expectations, and the quiet rules that govern polite life. But she’s also practical, resourceful, and more capable than anyone expects her to be. If circumstances demand it, she can defend herself and others without abandoning her principles.

That balance is something I find especially satisfying. Strength doesn’t have to look modern or aggressive to be real. In historical stories, it often shows up in quieter ways through endurance, moral courage, faith under pressure, and the refusal to let bitterness define one’s future.

Phoebe’s journey isn’t about revenge. It’s about choice. About deciding who she will become after betrayal, and whether faith and love still have a place in her life.

Readers who enjoy clean historical romance with emotional depth, slow-building relationships, and heroines who don’t quite fit the mold society gives them will enjoy reading about Phoebe and find that her presence tends to linger long after the final page.

What I love about reading and writing clean romance is stories that remind us strength and grace don’t cancel each other out, they grow best together.

If you enjoy clean historical romances with thoughtful heroines, gentle faith elements, and a touch of mystery, you may enjoy my Regency stories as well. Learn more on my website.