"By Possession" by Madeline Hunter and "Storm Winds" by Iris Johansen.

I stopped reading Romance for a long time because every talented historical author wants to write about love among the Pretty English Gentry in the 18th century and every modern novelist writes about some feminist fantasy Xena Warrior Princess and the effimenate loser/freak/freak of nature who can't wait to lick her leather.
These two authors on the other hand write about real men and women, who are involved in their time periods and realistically involved with each other. The heroines are intelligent, loyal and kind-hearted but have their their own issues and the heros are passionate and sexy but no less complicated and human. The plots are layered and elaborate with a rich cast of secondary characters.
These books are forever keepers.