Help A Bitch Out - SOLVED!

HaBO: The Hero Jilted his Ex on Purpose Because She Was in Love With a Woman

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!

Sara is looking for a book – and dude, this kind of sounds amazing. 

 I am trying to remember the title or author of a book, and I hope someone can help–my inability to remember this book is driving me insane. Here is what I remember:

-It's a historical romance, most likely Regency.

-The hero was engaged to someone before he and the heroine got together. He ended the relationship and refuses to discuss what happened.

-His “jilting” of the first fiance has led to much gossip about him. The first fiancee's brother hates him for calling off the wedding and wants to kill him; I believe they were supposed to duel near the end of the book. The brother also tries to stir up trouble between the hero and heroine.

-I think the hero and heroine are forced together by circumstances, but I am not sure. In either case, the heroine is very insecure about the relationship and fears she can't live up to the first fiancee, who is beautiful, polished, etc.

-The heroine goes to the first fiancee to ask if she'll get her brother to chill out and not try to kill the hero. While there, she realizes the first fiance is in love with the woman previously described as the first fiancee's best friend.

-We quickly learn this is why the hero ended things with the first fiance–he discovered that she was in love with her best friend. He let everyone think he “jilted” the fiance in order to protect her secret.

-First fiancee went to her brother and told him the truth about the end of the relationship so that he would no longer blame the hero.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

DUDE. Do you remember this book? 

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  1. snakeling says:

    It’s the fourth book in Mary Balogh’s Wicked series, the one with Morgan and Gervase. I can’t give you the title, though, because Goodreads is having fits 🙁

  2. M says:

    Definitely “Slightly Tempted” by Mary Balogh.

  3. Diane says:

    It sounds like Deception by Amanda Quick.  The heroine studies folklore and legends and is trying to raise three nephews.  The hero comes from a shipping family who prefer to remember they are descendants of pirates.  One of Amanda’s marvelously complex and interesting stories from before she fell and hit her head.

  4. Louise Rae says:

    Deception by Amanda Quick

  5. M— says:

    Another voice for the Deception suggestion.

  6. snakeling says:

    It was indeed Slightly Tempted that I was thinking of, but actually Deception fits the description better. In Slightly Tempted, it wasn’t the hero who’d been engaged, but the heroine’s brother.

  7. Erica H says:

    I agree with Deception by Amanda Quick.

  8. Lil says:

    Drat! I should get up earlier. Here I finally know one—it’s Amanda Quick’s Deception—and all these people beat me to ti!

  9. JaimeB says:

    Dammit! I finally knew one and was beaten to it!! Definitely Deception by Amanda Quick. Love the older AQ’s.

  10. I would go with both Deception and Slightly Tempted, but Deception’s closer to the description.

    All knowledge of romance novels is contained in the Bitchery.[g]

  11. cleo says:

    I was going to say Amanda Quick or Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James – think that’s the title, it’s Josie’s story in the Essex Sisters series. Some of the details are off but the hero’s ex fiance is in love with a woman.

  12. Sara says:

    That’s it—Deception by Amanda Quick! Thank you all SO MUCH!

    I have read all of the books named above and love them—that’s part of the problem. Sometimes they start blending together on me. 😀

  13. Vasha says:

    Hmm, I may have to read all three of these and compare how the authors used the same plot—all skilled authors so it coyld be interesting

  14. cleo says:

    The crazy thing is, I’ve read Deception and Slightly Tempted and I do not remember that plot point in either book. At all. But still, when I read the HaBo, I thiught it sounded like an Amanda Quick or Mary Balough (or the Eloisa James I mentioned earlier). So odd how memory works.

  15. Jae Lee says:

    @cleo

    The ex-fiancée, Sylvie, in Pleasure for Pleasure isn’t really in love with another woman. She definitely admires Gemima (I think that was her name), but I don’t know that Sylvie was even aware that Gemima was interested in women. I wasn’t sure if Sylvie was a lesbian who wasn’t aware that being a lesbian was an option or if she was just asexual. I kind of leaned towards her being ace. I just read this recently, so it’s still pretty fresh. Either way, I thought Eloisa James was pretty dope for including characters who weren’t totally het and weren’t also total stereotypes.

  16. De says:

    I was reading this thinking, ‘I’ve read this book!  I have no idea what it is, but I’ve read it!’

    And yes, I’ve read that Amanda Quick book.

  17. cleo says:

    @Jae Lee – I’d have to re-read it, but I interpreted that completely differently. Interesting. I remember Gemina (or whatever her name was) saying that she and Sylvie had been “dear friends” and she was pretty devastated that S had left town with a new “dear friend” and I read that as a euphuism for lovers. But I don’t think it was spelled out at all. And Sylvie was pretty disgusted by Mayne’s sexuality – I can see her being asexual, now that you point it out.

    And now that I think about it, Sylvie dumped the hero and he didn’t know about the “dear friends.” So it doesn’t fit the habo at all.

  18. DonnaMarie says:

    One of Amanda’s marvelously complex and interesting stories from before she fell and hit her head.

    Thank you @Diane. First laugh I’ve had ALL DAY! And I so agree with you.

  19. Kat says:

    I think it might’ve been one of Jayne Ann Krentz’s Amanda Quick books, Reckless comes to mind http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Amanda-Quick/dp/055329315X as it was one of the ones I remember reading that had something to do with a former fiancee that married another man, but involved a duel becuase the lady had been found with a lover—who wasn’t the man she wound up marrying—but was a woman…though JAK might’ve had another book with that theme, too. It’s been -years- since I read those books.

    I think there was an “Earl of Flame” or an “Earl of Blade” involved in the book as the hero or one of his family members….I hope this helps!

  20. Marry says:

    Yeah, it’s definitely Deception.

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