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!
This HaBO is from Krysta, who has a tough one for you. She doesn't remember much, but what she does remember is rather epic in the “Whatnow?”
Ok, so I have a book that I read about 14 years ago, when I was at the
tender of age of much-to-young-to-be reading-romances! I honestly can't tell
you a lot about the plot of this contemporary romance except that there was
a heroine, who may or may not be in some sort of trouble, and a hero, who
may or may not be some sort of government agent, and-to my preteen mind-lots
of sexin' going on.
It seems I also remember most of the action happened on an island…maybe
the book was about some sort of hidden treasure? There was definitely an
explosion in the end of the book, possibly a house, possibly the island…
Could I possibly be more vague?
The best clue I can give you for this book is one of the sex scenes, which
my 11 year old brain translated as the most scintillating thing eva! There
was something about pearls that the plot revolved around and the woman, or
maybe the man, was in possession of a string of pearls…which the hero
skillfully used like like sex beads to give the heroine the best O ever.
It was literally the hottest thing I had ever read. Which doesn't say a lot
since the book I read right before that was the Boxcar Children, I know, but
my mind has elevated that scene to epic hotness porportions and I must read
the book again!
So, do you recall this book? What was he doing with those pearls? Wait, I don't think I want to know.
I know I remember this, and my gut tells me Pearl Cove by Elizabeth Peters. But it’s been forever.
I had a similar experience with In Too Deep by Cherry Adair.
Elizabeth Lowell’s PEARL COVE contains some of these elements, though I don’t remember pearls being used as sex beads. But I haven’t read it in years so my memory could be faulty.
Otherwise, the book could be the one in question. Heroine in trouble, check. Government agent-y type of hero, check. Hot sex, check. Epic pearl necklace gone missing, check. Hurricane (or not?) damage to pearl operation, check. Though if I remember correctly, it was on a remote part of the Australian coast, not an island. And part of it took place in Hong Kong (IIRC) and Seattle.
Damn, now I want to reread it like whoa!
In Too Deep by Cherry Adair definitely has a scene where a pearl necklace is used to pleasure the heroine! Very memorable scene for me. I think this is the book she is looking for because it happened on an island and there were explosions too.
It couldn’t be Master of Temptation by Nicole Jordan, could it? Published in 2004, which may be a bit recent for you, but it was definitely set around a tropical island and I distinctly remember a very hot sex scene involving a string of beads…
This sounds familiarish………sounds similar to the Pearl of Sharah series by Fayrene Preston……
I just read a scene like that in “All Night with a Rogue” by Alexandra Hawkins. Probably not the book but if you want to “relive the moment….”
I think it’s In too Deep by Adair. It fits all the parameters.
It’s definitely not Pearl Cove—I’ve got that and the rest of the Donovan novels by Lowell, and I re-read them not too long ago. 🙂
LOWELL! Lowell! I shouldn’t be allowed to post at 4 am. My bad.
Yep, I’ve never come across a scene like that in any Elizabeth Peters book I’ve ever read. Of course, Amelia Peabody’s always pretty coy about what she and Emerson really get up to…..
As others have noted, it has to be In Too Deep, except that one has a 2002 publication date and couldn’t have been read 14 years ago. The pearls were the heroine’s and she got them from her evil arms-dealing father who had his own island, and yes, there was an explosion at the end. Also the hero was a one-eyed former Navy SEAL who was there to take vengeance on said evil father. Really.
I must add that another Cherry Adair book includes a sex scene on the back of a camel. Or so I’m told.
No idea what book you are talking about, but I definitely remember my first accidentally bought when I was too young to be reading it book, which was “Passions Heirs” by Elizabeth Bright (sometime in the early 1980s). I learned a LOT from that book. Up until reading it, my knowledge of sex basically amounted to “Tab A goes into Slot B” (which my adolescent brain translated as yuck). After reading it, I had a better idea why people would want to.
That’s it, Cherry Adair is officially going in my goodreads queue after reading the amazingness of plot in this post. Rediculously awesome.
OP, I got into romances only a year or so ago, so I don’t have any help… But I’ll keep reading to see if anyone finds it, since it looks rather interesting.
Good gravy. The sheer number of possible titles makes me think that pearl-pleasuring must be so ubiquitous in romancelandia as to make it miraculous that I’ve not yet encountered it in a book.
A Coral Kiss by Jayne Ann Krentz? It takes place on an island and it has an explosion (or maybe just a shoot out?). The pearls / sex beads thing is probably too racy for JAK though.
I swear one of Gennita Low’s books has the “pearl scene.” Into Danger maybe? I haven’t read it since it came out in 2003. The heroine is an assasin and the hero is a SEAL who works on a task forced named TIARA (or some such wtfery).
I think I have to agree with the Cherry Adair book In Too Deep. And I will confirm the scene on the back of a camel from Out Of Sight! (it was one of my favorites 🙂 ) I know I’ve seen a link on here from Adair that was about the camel scene. A letter or something tongue-in-cheek about the treatment of camels? It was in a post about weird sex scenes?
I have no clue what the HaBo book is, but I just wanted to say I love “The Boxcar Children” and I’m glad somebody’s read those books within the past 50 years. That is all, carry on with your “OMG, YOU WANT TO PUT THOSE PEARLS WHERE? AND THEN I’M SUPPOSED TO WEAR THEM AROUND MY NECK???” discussion.
I do not know what the book is but I think I need to read it, sounds good
let me add my vote to In Too Deep by Cherry Adair. Michael and Tally were the h/h. Still one of my faves!
A one-eyed Navy SEAL? An arms-dealing father with a private island? Done. I simply must read this nonsense.
My friend and I used to play Boxcar Children with our Barbies. Those kids have never been curvier. My friend even had a little pink cup like the one kid’s favorite cup. It was awesome.
I’m sure you’re right, but it’s a terrific series. Definitely recommended!!
Ok, so it’s definitely In Too Deep. Apparently I’m as bad at math as I am at remembering book titles, because unless I’m psychic there’s no way I read it before 2002! Thanks for remembering this. Now I just need to re-read to see if it was as awesome as I thought it was…
Yeah, the Donovan quartet pretty much remain my favorite Elizabeth Lowell books. 🙂 And I particularly liked Pearl Cove, just because Archer Donovan is, in fact, _that awesome_.
In Too Deep? Pearls? Rly? Bwahahahaha!
Darlene—my daughter currently reads the Boxcar Children and absolutely loves them! There are more than a hundred of them now, probably ghost written, but still, I think she’s read every one.
This conversation is why I LOVE HaBos. Where else can I reminisce about a beloved children’s book and learn how to use a classic fashion accessory as a sex toy?
Here’s the link – thanks for mentioning it, it’s hilarious
http://smartbitchestrashybooks…
I knew someone I read wrote something like this. Thanks.
The publishing date fits better than the Adair book, but after reading that description, I’m adding it to the read list.
Wow. I’ve read In Too Deep more than once (although not in a number of years) and I SOOOO don’t remember the pearls scene! I do believe it’s time for a reread.
Glad the Bitchery narrowed it down to Cherry Adair—I’m just here to add that there’s definitely a pearls-as-sex-beads scene in a Susan Johnson historical I read in my impressionable teen years. I think it was Temporary Mistress? Or was that the one with the champagne bottle?
Jules, I think it’s Adair’s In Too Deep the reader’s looking for, not my book :). My SEAL definitely had both eyes, looking for that Twitty Bird tattoo :).
This book is so going on my tbr list. you guys are great!
I was thinking the Pearls of Sharah also! Though I was remembering it as Shannah, but hey, close enough. I found them in the library and HOLY COW they were hot, to my fourteen-year-old self. Too hot to take them up to the checkout desk where all the librarians knew me, so I had to settle for reading the good bits in the microfiche room.
Isn’t it strange that Cherry Adair and Jayne Ann Krentz have both written books called In Too Deep? However, from the descriptions of both books, it seems Cherry Adair’s is the correct one.