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!
Mrs. J is looking for a book she can't find, and y'all, you have to read this:
I read this historical romance YEARS ago and I can’t remember the name of it. The story starts with an older man defrauding the hero when he was a young man. In order to get revenge (years later), the hero decides to start a relationship with the man’s daughter with intentions to ruin her.
He starts by sending letters to her and she falls in love with him via the letters. IIRC over the course of their writing courtship the man realizes two things:
1) he really likes her and she really likes him
2) it would be a better revenge to marry her and take her from her father who treats her like crap
So, the hero comes to town to get his woman. Since the father has seen him last the younger man has grown a fortune and started collecting priceless dragon statues. The dragon statues are like his totem or symbol or something. IIRC they have some special meaning for him and people know of him and the statue collection.
The father knows who the hero is and wants money from him. Having a bad relationship with his daughter, he tries to blackmail her into stealing a dragon statue by telling her he’ll ruin her (IIRC in a way that will embarrass her man) before she can marry her love.
The heroine doesn’t know of the past her father has with the hero but she loves him and wants to protect her man – so she pulls out a gun threatens to kill her father. The hero shows up, hears her threaten to kill her father and gets all choked up. Then he saves the day and the HEA ensues.
PLEASE, please please! Tell me someone knows what book this is! I want to read it again so badly!
Revenge is always best when it's visited upon the children of the dastardly person. Because that's fair and makes all the sense in the world. Jeez. Anyone recall this book?
I think it’s ‘Scandal’ by Amanda Quick.
I second that.
It is Scandal by Amanda Quick, I recognized the plot immediately but double-checked the title. That’s is one of my favorites. I love JAK!
Yep, Scandal it is! This and Ravished are the only Amanda Quick’s that I keep on my Kindle. This is the first time I’ve ever known the HaBO, and I still wasn’t fast enough. You ladies amaze me!
Yes, it’s Scandal, one of my ‘I have the flu and I want a comfort read’ books. It also features the Fabulous Faringdons and the *absolute* best use for a white silk cravat.
I thought it was the Feckless Faringdons—and yeah on the silk cravats 😀
You guys are good. I thought it sounded like an Amanda Quick, but I rarely remember which plot goes with which MCs or with which title. I *do* remember the silk cravat. Vividly. Now I want to re-read it.
IIRC?
Scandal by Amanda Quick
Ah, IIRC… if I recall correctly… got it!
BTW, it wasn’t the father the heroine was threatening with a gun but another guy.
I’m so bad at this game: I’ve read this book, I own this book, I love this book, and I read the description without a glimmer of recognition.
So late to the party, but may I say yay for actually knowing what this HaBo was as soon as I read the dragon-y bit? We read it for the SBTB book club a while back…
HA!!! Finally, one of these HaBO pops up with a book I’ve actually read! Of course, I couldn’t remember the title and I know I read it last year, but it’s the thought that counts!