Delilah writes:
I like to unwind by reading an occasional romance novel, when I’m not surrounded by mountains of work. Sometimes, if I really like a book, I can read it twice, usually several years apart though. About five years ago, my mother-in-law loaned me a book and I loved it, but I can’t for the life of me remember the name. She is deceased now and most of her things are either gone or put away. I got most of her books, but that one was not in her collection. I remember a little about the story line. A man was in Paris, in bed with a woman when his friends interrupted and told him that someone had arrived. They left quickly. He was making plans to have revenge on an evil man, not sure what country but I think England, who years before had his wife killed. The previous man was framed for the crime….I believe he had been a schoolteacher who had tried to help the woman and child. In the end, the father tries to auction the child, now a woman, to the highest bidder. The man wanting revenge crashes the wedding and marries her, I believe. I hope that is correct. I may have gotten more than one book crossed. Can you tell me a title or an author, and perhaps some similar books?
ThanksOh, and I seem to remember a pet tiger in there somewhere.
I have a few books that connect me to someone who isn’t living any more – I hope someone can connect Delilah with this book. Any ideas?
For some reason your description reminds of The Black Moth (Heyer), although I’m sure that’s not the book you’re looking for.
I have no idea what this book might be, but I’m totally tickled by the way the seeker just sort of tosses the tiger in at the end with a negligent hand wave.
I was thinking of The Black Moth as well, Amelia, though again, yeah, definitely not the book.
I take it the book was an historical? What period was it? I’m having a little trouble following the description. I think what I’m reading is:
A man was in Paris, in bed with a woman when his friends interrupted and told him that someone had arrived.
This man in Paris is the hero? The “someone” is his enemy?
He was making plans to have revenge on an evil man, not sure what country but I think England, who years before had his wife killed.
The hero’s wife was killed by this evil man, and now the hero is making revenge plans?
The previous man was framed for the crime….I believe he had been a schoolteacher who had tried to help the woman and child.
Who’s the previous man? The hero? The hero is a widowed schoolteacher who lounges in bed in Paris with random women? Or is it someone else who’d tried to help the hero’s dead wife and child?
In the end, the father tries to auction the child, now a woman, to the highest bidder.
The father is the evil man, and the hero (who may or may not be a former schoolteacher but is now a framed criminal) is plotting revenge against him?
The man wanting revenge crashes the wedding and marries her, I believe.
I’m so confused. Who is the man, who is the hero? Is the original woman the heroine, or is the daughter-now-a-woman the heroine.
I’m not trying to be snide, there are a few things about the description that are tweaking my aging memory, but I can’t keep track of the characters well enough for my memory to gel.
Was it purely European, or was there some plot-thread that would allow a pet tiger in historical England or Paris? Was it primarily Romance, or was it one of those epic, generation-spanning soap operas with Romance elements? Was it primarily about one couple, or were there some secondary romances mixed in? Any idea when it was published?
I’d love to hear more, I’m all intrigued.
Definitely not The Black Moth. Not a tiger in the book, although I can think of a few other books that might be improved by tigers.
I can’t help otherwise.
LOL! That sounds like a marketing slogan!
No idea what the book is, but it sounds like crazy fun.
I agree with tigers improving several novels I’ve read! LOL!
I simply don’t believe in pet tigers. I am sure that individual tigers, brought up from infancy, can be tamed (lions certainly can be), but their sheer size makes them wholly impractical as pets.
Cheetahs are a different matter entirely, and were kept as hunting animals not only in India from the early Mughal Empire onwards, but also in Italy during the Renaissance. A pet cheetah would make sense.
I look forward to hearing if someone can identify the book.
🙂
Jeanne Savery had a series (Zebra Romance) that had in common a match making magic tiger. I read “A Smuggler’s Heart” a few years ago, and your quarry wasn’t that one but it might be one of the others in the series. Have a gander at her back list and see what you can find.
Based on the description, I would LOVE to read this book. Please, someone know which book it is!
Heart of the Tiger by Lynn Kerstan?
Miranda “Mira” Holcombe’s life is devoted to extracting vengeance against Jermyn Keynes, the Duke of Tallant. Keynes had viciously taken everything of value from Mira, driving her and her sick father away from their home and into hiding in London, where Mira bumps into Michael Keynes, the Duke’s younger brother. After spending several years in India slowly ruining his brother’s business interests, Michael has returned to England to rid the world of his beastly brother only to find he is not alone in wanting to kill the duke. Now Mira is torn between her desire for revenge against one brother and her desire for another brother who can protect her from everyone but himself. Exotic adventure, dangerous intrigue, seductive passion, some memorable secondary characters, and an appealing pair of protagonists—all mingle together beautifully as Kerstan fashions a superbly written story of revenge, redemption, and romance. This riveting historical, the second in a new trilogy by this RITA Award-winning author, is utterly magical. John Charles
Makes note to self: Remove aliens from chapter 10. Replace with pet tiger.
I think that might have to be part of the review rubric: “Could this book be improved by tigers? (™ DS)”
Suze, I’m thinking it’s like this:
This man in Paris is the hero? Yes.
The “someone” is his enemy? Yes.
The hero’s wife was killed by this evil man, and now the hero is making revenge plans? The evil man had his own wife murdered and the hero blamed for it, and so the hero is seeking revenge for the frame up.
Who’s the previous man? The hero? Yes. The hero is a widowed schoolteacher who lounges in bed in Paris with random women? The schoolteacher is not a widower, but he does appear to lounge in bed with random women.
Or is it someone else who’d tried to help the hero’s dead wife and child? The hero tried to help the evil man’s wife and child.
The father is the evil man, and the hero (who may or may not be a former schoolteacher but is now a framed criminal) is plotting revenge against him? Yes.
I’m so confused. Who is the man, who is the hero? Yes.
Is the original woman the heroine, or is the daughter-now-a-woman the heroine. The daughter of the evil man, once the little girl that the schoolteacher tried to help, is the heroine.
And apparently someone has a pet tiger.
I’ve never heard of this book.
This sounds really similar to The Last Duke by Andrea Kane. No tiger for a pet, but an abused daughter of a noble who was in very shady business with another noble friend of his. The noble friend had an “illegitimate” son who was rescued from a workhouse, and the son is now pretending to be a wastrel and moonlighting as a bandit who robs from the rich and donates to workhouses. He wants revenge on both his father and her father for the way the people in the workhouses are treated. The father plans to basically sell her off, and the hero rescues her. Here’s the Amazon page http://www.amazon.com/Last-Duke-Andrea-Kane/dp/0671865080/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
The schoolteacher storyline I remember from Briar Rose by Kimberly Cates http://www.amazon.com/Briar-Rose-Kimberly-Cates/dp/0671014951/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274717696&sr=1-4
In that one, turns out the hero’s family (schoolteacher father) was murdered and the hero was taken in by some noble so he’d have an heir and the hero’s been brainwashed to forget. Still no pet tiger, though.
Is it either of these, maybe?
I’m subscribing to comments so I can remember to come back to it later. It reminds me of Magic Embrace by Jennifer Horsman, but I can’t find a decent description and don’t have time to write one up now. [in the best bodice ripper tradition but well written non the less]
There’s a large cat, but not a tiger. A panther maybe?
Hmm, surely there must be a way to work a tiger into my historical YA set on a small island off the coast of Maine. Just give me a minute to think.
For MariK:
I don’t think it is the book, but I had to post the back of the book:
Magic Embrace by Jennifer Horseman
When the infamous pirate Black Garrett learned his brother had been murdered because of a flirtatious chit, the surly rogue swore revenge. Tracking down the worthless wench, Garrett stole her aboard his vessel, planning to ruin her reputation and use her brutally. But as the enraged male rudely kissed her lips and roughly felt her curves, he was transformed by her innocent response. Cursing himself for caring, Black Garrett relentlessly pleasured his captive … and swore she’d feel the lash of his fury the following night! Bewildered and betrayed, sable-haired Juliet Stoddard had no idea why the terrifying buccaneer had kidnapped her, promising punishment worse than death. Although she had no experience with men, he seemed convinced she was a brazen hussy, and ignored her pleas for mercy. Then the blue-eyed beauty felt Black Garrett’s hands where no one had ever touched before, and she nearly swooned with fear … and desire. Hating the scoundrel, and herself even more, Juliet was powerless to escape this devil’s sensual trance and wrest free of his Magic Embrace.
Oh man, the cover for “Magic Embrace” is even better: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0821727028/sr=1-1/qid=1274754590/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1274754590&sr=1-1
Who doesn’t love a pirate in a pink toga?
@Sarah Elle: lol. A tiger would would inprove that cover.
I’ll have to see about getting a tiger for my next family function.
@SarahElle: “Who doesn’t love a pirate in a pink toga?”
My pet tiger says they’re better in aspic. 😉
Heh, weird – I saw “tiger” and “Delilah” and thought this post had to be about that new romance game that just came out – “Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle box” (not only does it have a tiger but also stars a character named DELILAH. Funny timing!) I’m surprised Smart Bitches hasn’t talked about this game already, so I guess I’ll throw in that if Delilah is looking to unwind, I highly recommend trying out this game! 🙂 (You can find it on Big Fish Games)
And the cover of “Magic Embrace” is classic in another way: the heroine is described as “sable-haired” on the back of the book, but the woman on the front has red hair.
It sounds like a book that my grandmother used to have up at her camp. I don’t remember the title of it, but it was a Silhouette book and it involved a girl that kept big cats in her backyard or something to that effect.
Tiger’s really make a story come to life, whether you’re writing it or reading it. I reccomend giving it a try both ways.
@Debra – I’m playing Tiger’s Eye, no tiger’s in it (or not in it as far as I’ve played) but I’ve been reading/playing every romance game I run across and this is a good mix of romance story and game. I like that the puzzles are related to the plot. I don’t care for games that interrupt the story to have you search for bagels and butterflies when you were just reading a scene about trekking across Siberia. Now, if they interrupted the scene to have me searching for Siberian tigers I might be interested.