The authors do excellent research, the characters are engaging, and you can skip the spicy bits, if you like! <grin> But why would you?
There's a sub-genre of historical romance that adds in real historical figures --- for example, the Roselynde series by Roberta Gellis features Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I (aka "The Lion-Hearted"), John (aka "of England," aka "Lackland"), and William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (aka the "Marshal of England") --- as secondary characters. Done properly, as in the Roselynde series, it is very cool stuff to read!
If you like historical romance, no series (IMHO) can ever beat Diana Gabaldon's Outlander.
It's got a time travel element to it, which is always fun, but the characters are so well-developed and the research so well-done, that you'll never regret tackling it!
I loved it so much, I paid $35 dollars for an autographed hard cover of the first book, Outlander. Dragonfly in Amber is the sequel and there are 3 more after that!
Check it out!