Free Public Domain Romance / Love Stories - Includes Some Audiobooks!

A collage of some of the love stories you can read for free and their links in this page.

Love is in the air! So grab a good romance book and curl up on the couch with a blanket. These are all public domain books, so you should be able to easily get them at your local library or book swap. Otherwise, you can read them (or listen) for free!

In no particular order:

  • One of the classic covers of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It features the art of a peacock.

    Pride and Prejudice

    Most people have read what is often called the first romantic comedy. It focuses on the Bennet sisters and their romantic interests. It also shows what a social expectations were at the time and how hard it was to marry for love.

  • Old cover of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

    The Woman in White

    A mystery and a romance, all tied into showing the complexities of the social hierarchies of the time. At the start you follow Mr. Walter Hartright as he encounters a mysterious figure whose fate is entwined with that of his love interest.

  • An old cover of Jane Eyre showing an illustration of Jane asleep.

    Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

    This book follows the life of Jane Eyre, an orphaned girl done wrong by her surviving family. Her resilience in the face of tragedy and hardship, and her eventual role as a governess for the mysterious Mr. Rochester... slowly her heart grows to feel for him, but his past might destroy all hope.

  • The Enchanted April

    This story focuses on 4 women who seek a change from their lives in England and are drawn to a medieval castle in Italy. The characters start their journey of self discovery and a quest for personal joy.

  • The Mystery of the Ravenspurs old cover

    The Mystery of the Ravenspurs

    A romance / detective story that focuses on the Ravenspur family. A family who seems to have been cursed, a curse that has led to the suspicious deaths of family members. What is the curse, and what will happen to this new romance budding along all the mystery?

  • Older Middlemarch book cover.

    Middlemarch

    Set in the fictitious English town of Middlemarch this novel follows the intertwined stories of many different characters. It also captures the issues of women's rights, love, social hierarchies, political reform and education.

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  • Little Dorrit

    Like many of Dickens' tales this one involves a collection of characters trying to overcome poverty, the legal system and other injustices. Little Dorrit is born in the debtor's prison and is used to a life of hard labor and little to live on... but her Father and siblings are not. A great story about honor, love and resiliency.

  • The Adventures of Hatim Taï

    Follow the epic adventures of Hatim
    Taï including vivid imagery, acts of chivalry and impossible quests. Think "Arabian Nights". This is more of an action romance than just romance.

  • An illustration from Nathanger Abbey

    Northanger Abbey

    Follow the story of Catherine Morland, who longs for adventure, mystery and romance. She gets her chance for all three when she makes some friends in Bath. A great story about separating reality from fiction and recognizing a true from a manipulator.

  • Mansfield Park book cover

    Mansfield Park

    Follow the fate of Fanny Price, who was sent to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle at Mansfield Park when her parents were unable to afford her. As she grows into a young woman, her feelings start to grow for her cousin Edmund... but his feelings are less certain when some charismatic friends soon join the mix.

  • Cover of North and South

    North and South

    The story of Margaret Hale on her journey from the south of England to the town of Milton in the north. It captures the differences between social classes, norms and class conflicts. Amidst all of that is a blossoming potential romance.

  • The Great Gatsby Book Cover

    The Great Gatsby

    This novel follows Nick Carraway who recounts the life of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and excentric man. This book focuses on the world of the rich, love and the gap of social classes in America at the time.

  • Room with a view book cover

    A Room with a View

    This Edwardian era novel takes place in Italy and England. It follows the story of Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin traveling Italy. Her return to England and her battle with her own heart.

  • Beauty and the Beast book cover

    Beauty and the Beast

    A tale of self-sacrifice and love that has inspired people for generations since it was first published. Read the original version of Beauty and the Beast.

  • Cover for War and Peace

    War and Peace

    These novels take place during the Napoleonic Wars when the French invaded Russia in 1812 and onwards. It tells the stories of 4 Russian families as they navigate the changes war brings to them.

  • The cover of the romance novel Sense and Sensibility, the link to read it for free is beneath the description

    Sense and Sensibility

    The Dashwoods have just lost their father, and his estate passes onto their half brother… whose wife isn't really interested in their situation. Follow the Dashwoods as they move out of the life they were used to and into a small cottage they rent from a cousin. A wonderful romantic novel with a variety of characters.

  • Book cover for Ivanhoe, older cover

    Ivanhoe

    This classical novel follows the story of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight, returning from the crusades to find England in a state of unease. With Prince John scheming to take the throne from King Richard. Ivanhoe, the disinherited knight, follows his love for Lady Rowena and his loyalty to King Richard.

  • An old book cover of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    The Scarlet Pimpernel

    Set during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror (1792), it follows the story of Sir Percy Blakeney. Blakeney leads a secret life as the daring Scarlet Pimpernel. Rescuing French aristocrats from the guillotine.

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  • An old cover of the Scarlet Letter book

    The Scarlet Letter

    A tragic love story following the fate of Hester Prynne, a woman publicly shamed with a scarlet "A" for conceiving a child out of wedlock. The story is set in the harsh setting of puritan run Boston in the 17th century. It follows her hardship and resilience while she faces her scarlet "A" while refusing to out the man who fathered her daughter.

  • Emma book cover

    Emma

    Another Jane Austen novel that follows Emma, a woman of wealth of leisure and her quest to partner an friend of unfortunate birth with a gentleman. This quest unveils the social class conflicts, prejudice and manipulation of others.

  • Wuthering Heights book cover by Emily Bronte

    Wuthering Heights

    This darker romantic novel follows the fates of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff... a tale woven with social conflict, personal choices, revenge and obsession.

  • The Taming of the Shrew book cover

    The Taming of the Shrew

    This novella follows the courtship of the crude but comical Petruchio and the headstrong and short-tempered Katherina. While originally a marriage for financial reasons it shows the growth of both characters and eventually of their love.

  • Our Mutual Friend

    Like all works by Dickens this book has a wide cast of characters with an interwoven fate. It starts with the death of a dust contractor and winds its way to dead bodies pulled from the river and an obsessed teacher.

  • Doctor Thorne cover book

    Doctor Thorne

    A romance novel that follows the love of Frank Gresham and Mary Thorne. Mary being raised by her Uncle, Dr Thorne who knows the secret of her birth... while Frank's family rejects his attachment to her based on the financial needs of the family.
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Links to Free Public Domain Romance / Love stories and novels
Collage of free public domain love stories and audio books.