Romantic fiction is an important development; it is possibly the only art form developed FOR women BY women!

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Regency romances are a sub-genre whose primary element is their English Regency era setting, where King George was ousted from the throne and his son took his place, later followed by Queen Victoria (approximately 1795-1837.)

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Rather than simply being romance stories in a charming historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with specific and unique plot and stylistic conventions in the tradition of Georgette Heyer,'s novels, published as early as 1921 (Georgette Heyer), specifically set in the Regency. Borrowing from the deft Novels of manners, they create a highly fanciful backdrop that shows off characters to maximum advantage.

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Traditional Regency Romance feature intelligent, fast-paced dialogue between protagonists with very little explicit sex, or even discussion of sex as a general rule. Thus the distinction between the "Traditional Regency Romance" and the "Regency Historical" novels.

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Regency Romance's highlight the central romance plotline, and writers do extensive research, emphasizing historical detail, but they do not strive toward historical realism with their heroines. Instead, the female protagonists often have “unusual” ideas about how to behave, as the conventional-minded characters around them constantly point out, ideas that are distinctly that of the twentieth-century.

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The style evolved into the “Regency Historical” romance that emphasizes  social realism, or  modern characterization, where the plot, characterization, or prose expand  and characters behave according to modern values, rather than that of 18th Century England's. They are much more explicit than Traditional Regency works, and include significantly more love scenes.

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Characteristic elements or tropes include references to  British high society during the late Regency and reign of George IV, étiquette, "good manners" or "good form,  and 

social season activities such as carriage rides, morning calls, large social gatherings / parties, and the  attendance of  plays and  operas.

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There was extensive athletic activities such as riding, driving, boxing, fencing, and hunting come up frequently. 

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Differences of social / economic classes are integral to Regency novels, as are marriages of convenience, as marriage based on love was rarely an option for most women in the British Regency. (Securing a sufficient income was the first consideration for both the woman and her family.)

 

False engagements were a common device, as were  "Cyprians" (sex workers), women of "ill repute," mistresses, and prodigals, wastrels and men from the upper classes, rakes who combined riotous living with intellectual pursuits and patronage of the arts. 

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Mistaken identity, deliberate or otherwise, frequently is a plot device, and mysteries and moments of farce, or farcical plot lines are common.