I usually read romantic suspense, paranormal romance and some contemperaries.  If I want to try and give historical romance a try, where would I start?  

I always highly recommend LaVyrle Spencer.  I would start with "Hummingbird" or "Morning Glory."

Another good author is Maggie Osborne.  I would start with "Bride of Willow Creek"  or "The Brides of Prairie Gold."

I'm currently on a Maggie Osborne binge myself:P  And enjoying it, I might add.  Right now, I'm reading The Bride of Willow Creek, and it's pretty good so far.   I've finished Silver Lining, The Wives of Bowie Stone, The Best Man - all of which were excellent.  And also A Stranger's Wife (pretty decent, but not great), and I Do, I Do, I Do (very entertaining & funny, if a little contrived at times).

If you're just breaking into historicals, my best recommendation is to get yourself some Marsha Canham.  Start with these:

Pale Moon Rider, Swept Away, The Pride of Lions & The Blood of Roses (2 book highlander series), Across a Moonlit Sea and The Iron Rose (2 book pirate series), Through a Dark Mist, In the Shadow of Midnight and The Last Arrow (3 book "Robin Hood" series), and Under the Desert Moon (western).  All of them are excellent, and don't be put off by anything being part of a series - they're all well worth your while.

Where to start with historical romance... Do you have a time period in mind?

I agree with reading LaVyrle Spencer - and Morning Glory is wonderful! It takes place in the 1940s, in the south. I haven't read Hummingbird yet, but it's turn of the century Colorado. Another of hers I love is That Camden Summer which takes place about 1918 or so, in Maine. So if you want historical Americana, these are a great place to start!

I also heartily agree with reading Marsha Canham - I just finished The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses, mentioned above. It's a 2-part series, same hero/heroine, taking place in Scotland and England in 1745/46 during the Jacobite uprising. Definitely a 5 star read for me - but you do have to read both, in order, to get the whole story. Her good research on the uprising shows in her writing, but she does throw details in that are not historically accurate, which sort of threw me off a little. I'm not a history buff, really, but some things I ended up looking up because they didn't seem right. I still loved it, on the whole!

If you like comedy in your romance, I suggest author Julia Quinn - maybe read the Bridgerton series, which take place during the Regency (England, early 19th c). There are 8 Bridgerton siblings, 1 book each - start with The Duke and I. My favorite of this series is When He Was Wicked, but it's a little darker and not like the rest of the series; my 2nd favorite is It's In His Kiss. I think they are "typical" historical romances, with dukes and counts and upper classes - the "ton", the marriage mart, the idea that women are trotted out into society at age 18 to find a husband by attending balls and musicals, and men are rogues and rakes and all that. Lots of fun, and true historical accuracy is taken lightly!

My personal, absolute favorite author for this time period (early 19th century England) is Jo Goodman, and my favorite book of hers is A Season To Be Sinful. It's the first in a series, followed by One Forbidden Evening and If His Kiss Is Wicked. Goodman has  a way with prose that I just love - I find her words just seem to melt around in my brain, and pull me deep into her story - if that makes any sense at all!! While I wouldn't consider her writing comedy, it is clever and witty and I find myself smiling a lot when I read it. Another author with a similar writing style is Loretta Chase - my favorite of hers is Lord of Scoundrels.

I guess it sorta depends on what time period and what type of book you like - hopefully you'll find something in these suggestions!

I have to recommend Julie Garwood - my favorite historical author!

Sherri

Jo Goodman is good, but I think she is a little "dark" to start with. Alot of her women have been abused in the past.

I would second the recommendation for Julie Garwood, expessally her earlier books.

Personally I would read Lisa Kleypas' wallflower series. "devil in winter" is my favorite in that series

I enthusiastically recommend Marsha Canham's "The Last Arrow" or Mary Jo Putney "Thunder & Roses" or Lisa Kleypas "Dreaming of You."  They're all outstanding and you counldn't go wrong with any of these great authors and their best books.