You did it! We figured this one out! It is a truth universally acknowledged (by me for certain) that the Bitchery pretty much knows everything, and really, it's true. Scroll down to see the solution for this HaBO - and many thanks!
Emily Ryan-Davis writes:
Some friends and I were reminiscing over old WTF plots (weren’t they all?)
and I remembered one book that I THOUGHT was a Karen Robards historical, but
after doing some research I’m not so sure. Is there any chance we can ask
the HABO readership? Here are the deets (blurred by time as they may be):Historical from the late 80s/early 90s. I believe it was a historical with a
western American setting. The heroine was taking shelter in a brothel that
had secret passageways and she was nearly raped in the kitchen with the aid
of a packet of bacon grease. The brothel kept a talking bird on the
premises, named Onan – after the masturbating Onan of Biblical reference –
because it jizzed all over the place. Does anybody remember the title of
this book? I have a vague memory of a white cover with brilliant peacock
feathers and the feathers were raised/embossed.P.S. I think there was a hot and heavy ‘horses mating’ scene that got the
hero and heroine going, too.
How many historical romances featured couples who got all hot and bothered by watching horses mate? I know I’ve read at least a few – anyone remember this one?
AgTigress, alas I did not write that book – it was a gift. I asked for “smut”, and I got “educational smut”. One of my most favorite gifts ever. I write scientific papers on evolutionary biology, not fun animal-sex-filled romps (though I guess in evolutionary biology sex is always implied…). In fact, in the style of any self-respecting journal article, my papers are rather coma-inducing. Perhaps I should rethink my career choices….
No idea what the book is, but re: impregnating your brother’s widow – in many traditional societies, women were (and still are) defined by their relationships to men. You’re a daughter, wife, or mother (of a son). And it’s not just that that’s what defines you, it’s what determines who’s responsible for you. If she has no husband, then she’d probably be stuck going back to her father’s home, or being the poor relation who takes care of someone else’s family (sounds like many a regency plot right there). Having a son, even if she’s a widow, ties her to her husband’s family and gives them responsibility for her (and him).
I am gonna have to leave the site b/c of laughing at my desk (and following following naughty linkage)…but…um…anyone know the name of the book yet?
Just as my reading of Dickens is richer and more informed after my 19th Century Social History Seminars, I believe my reading of this HaBO is going to be incredibly rewarding.
Coulter wrote a peeps getting hot watching horses scene in one of her Magic books.
Don’t have a clue about the HABO though.
The rest of this thread just boggles! Thanks for the chuckles this morning. The things you people know is amazing. =)
LEW, sorry for the misunderstanding. I am full of respect for your career; evolutionary biology is (as they say here!) awesome! I am just a common-or-garden archaeologist.
🙂
@Delphine Drydon But comparitively speaking, the Blue Whale has a tiny, weenie one. If he was a human man, it would be less than four inches long. I’ve always felt a bit sorry for Mrs Blue Whale, actually, always wondered if she has an ‘is it in yet?’ moment. And anyway, as well all know, size isn’t everything.
And has anybody ever SEEN a Tomcat’s penis? Nastynastynasty.
Hee, yes, Kismet! I grew up around horses and a farm with an active breeding program, and then worked at one later in life, so I think that probably warps our perspective.
Also my favorite was the miniature teaser stud who was named “Mr. Thunderpants”. Poor little guy. Eternally blueballed for the sake of telling if the ladies were ready for the big men.
I know! Spikes, eek! DO NOT WANT! which is pretty much what the lady cat always seems to be saying. Those things are no French ticklers.
Because I was not brought up on a stud farm, I have always wondered about the poor teaser stallions. Are they ever allowed to do their thing? If not, I think that is Not Fair.
Hey, everyone to his (or rather her) taste! The fact that a cat in season will happily mate with a series of several males in quick succession suggests that in spite of the screaming, she enjoys the barbs. In fact, the screaming may well be a token of her appreciation.
Bitches, on the other hand (I mean the canine ones) must sometimes get pretty bored during the tie, which can go on for 20 minutes or so.
The variety is amazing, and that is just in familar mammal species. When you get to insects, sex can get really weird.
I can’t speak for all farms, but Mr. Thunderpants got to get his thunder on twice, but otherwise not really. I never blamed him for being a cranky little sod.
Poor Mr. Thunderpants!
Yes. His thunder never got to leave his pants.
Forgot to add that I think Onan and the Horses would make a bitchin’ name for a band.
When I write my rock star BDSM, I might just be asking you for permission, Sarah.
Okay, this thread got me curious. Yes, there are a whole bunch of horse mating videos available on Youtube. Likely other animal-mating videos as well; haven’t actually checked. Later, maybe.
Did anyone identify the book? We seem to have got slightly sidetracked.
😀
Marrying one’s brother-in-law if left widowed and childless is a part of traditional Jewish law, hence the story of Onan and Tamar in Genesis. A variation of it also shows up in the Book of Ruth. For those of you interested in a romantic take on this, look for the Israeli film “I Love You Rosa”, about a young woman who has to wait for her brother-in-law to grow up and release her from the obligation to marry him.
Don’t know if the film’s available on Netflix.
Thank you, Darlene. I’m glad I remembered this correctly.
🙂
After reading this thread I think I’m going to have to designate one of my friends to clear my YouTube and Google image history when I die! Too many things I need to look up now.
AgTigress, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you in the other comment thread. I was afraid too much time/comments had gone by. I do remember your tigress drawing! And I’m pretty sure I still have the gray kitty drawing you made for me, but unfortunately the computer that it’s saved on sort of crashed. I’ve been meaning to bring it in and have it fixed but it’s one of those things that I never get around to because the CPU is so heavy. I think that because it was a battery issue I won’t have lost data so I’m sure I’ll still have your drawing!
omg, I totally remember this book. Ack. What was the title?? I was reading it during my Zebra phase, along around the time of Rebecca Sinclair’s sleeping-during-masturbation scene, late 90’s early 2Ks. It was set in the old west, and the heroine was a virgin working in the kitchens of a brothel. Hence the horse scene; he was “teaching” her what sex was while standing behind her like the male horse… I remember it was kind of hot to teenage-me. The hero did something shady… smuggled, maybe? He stayed below the brothel in a room accessed by some trap door in the kitchen store-room. The heroine went down there to get something & she accidentally witnessed a secondary plotline couple doing the buttsecks (during which the hero spied on the heroine spying on the couple). Does this help ANYBODY?
Sigh. This is what I get for not checking my google feed for a week. The bk that Emily is looking for is RENEGADE’S ANGEL by Phoebe Fitzjames. You can see the cover with the peacock feathers on this site:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/Renegades-Angel-Phoebe-Fitzjames/book/0821737600/
Oh, well done, Seton. We all had fun with the discussion, but hadn’t made any progress in identifying the book.
What a pretty cover, too!