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 Anonymous, who probably has one of the most incredible HaBO requests we’ve had in a while:
I read this when I was in middle school in the early nineties, and I think it was probably YA? All I get when I Google for it are various Christmas things and that Blitzen shifter romance, and it’s definitely not any of those.
It was set somewhere like the Arctic Circle, with a sort of faery-tale vibe, and I think the cultural context was not European? Although it could have been related to the Sami people. Not sure if it was supposedly our world or an analogue.
The heroine was a rather bad-tempered young woman, who might have been a hermit, and she somehow ended up having to foster this magic baby who had some sort of connection to reindeer — maybe he was a reindeer spirit? or part reindeer spirit? She is Vastly Annoyed at having to take him in, but she does anyway. He grows up unnaturally fast and goes away a few times because he’s magic and has Destiny. Later on, he becomes hot and they fall in love and SOMEHOW this is all okay because he makes the first move and she had never developed maternal feelings for him. Also she might be his aunt? I’m not sure I’m remembering correctly, but I think she might be his aunt. This is somehow not a problem either.
There is a lot of snow. That’s as salient in my memory as the, er, unusual romance setup.
Maybe we can convince Elyse to review this one if we all wish hard enough.
I remember this one! The Woman Who Loved Reindeer by Meredith Ann Pierce. It was a weird one and one of the earliest PNR books that I had read.
I am in awe, both at the speed of identification, and the fact that the title is so very perfect. WOW. Nice job, Meysha!
Wow that sounds like a doozy!
I’m shocked as well. If my memory is correct, that might be the same book in which she had to breastfeed the baby. Yes, the same man-deer that she later had sex with. It was a crazy book!
That’s definitely it! @Meysha — thank you so much! The cover even looks familiar now that I’ve googled it. I don’t remember the breastfeeding, but that’s the sort of detail my brain would have decided to repress.
I was exactly young enough when I read this book that I remember doing a lot of ‘This seems… weird… but… well it’s in a book so I guess it must be okay but?????’
ACK, it’s available on Amazon. “4 left in stock.” I’m so torn! Do I want to pay for a paperback I will only read once and then feel I should maybe hide from my kids??? But can I live with myself if I don’t read this crazysauce?
It got pretty good reviews on Amazon… Not my cup of tea, but I would love it if someone would review it on SBTB.
Please please PLEASE ask Elyse to review this! I will bake her a dozen internet cookies!
Check your local library. Mine owns two copies!
All right, I caved and bought it. It was that whole “4 left in stock” thing, gets me every time. And the floral yoga pants that have been languishing in my cart as I waited to take advantage of free shipping.
@Nanda – I didn’t even think of that. Just canceled the book purchase & requested a copy from the library. There’s one in a nearby branch so it’ll take a few days. Woot! You saved me! And I still got the pants. 😉
Do we need to start a petion for the Elyse review?
I don’t know what this says about me, but this is the most I’ve ever wanted to read a HaBO. Holy crazypants!!!!
When I saw that the book had been identified, I sat in the break room maniacally chanting Elyse to myself as if it would reach her like an incantation. I’d love to see what she would have to say about this.
Just put this on hold through my library. I cannot wait to experience this bonkers book.
I’ve gone and put it on hold as well. Impromtu HaBO book club?
“Do we need to start a petition for the Elyse review?”
Do we? Please, Elyse, please?
Oh my gosh, it’s in my library. Have just placed a hold.
It is available on Open Library, if you can’t wait to get your hands on it. 🙂
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17672289W/The_woman_who_loved_reindeer
Since Elyse is already watching and reviewing The Bachelor – SOBER – wouldn’t making her read this to review be cruel … and distinctly unusual punishment? Although I would love to read it … I remember reading a book of Meredith Ann Pierce’s … The Gargoyle, perhaps?
How is it possible that so many libraries own this crazypants book? That’s, well, crazy!
That said, while my library doesn’t own it, other libraries in our consortium do. I’m on the fence about putting a hold on it. I think I’d rather read a review (by Elyse or one of you) and spend my time with a book I really want to read.
I hope librarians are getting together to try and figure out the spike in their The Woman Who Loved Reindeer borrows.
@Amanda I hope if any librarian asks, the reader simply answers “I need to read it before Elyse reviews it” and sets off. Then there will be spikes both in book borrowing and librarians googling “reindeer sex bonkers book reviews Elyse.”
Of all the HaBOs I’ve seen, I can’t believe this is the one I knew instantly.
I read his book when I was far too young to understand it, because it was shelved at the library next to Tamora Pierce. I indeed remember it being kind of bonkers. I also read at least the first two books, but perhaps all three, of her Darkangel Trilogy, which was about a servant girl who tries to take down a vampire-like creature after he kidnaps her mistress. There was also a whole lot of business with the spirits of other young women that the darkangel had stolen — I think eventually the heroine has to do various things to free them/send them on to the next world.
Funny to think I was reading things like this and fluffy teen romances like Sweet Valley High at the same time.
Todd my library has Darkangel bk 1, a Gathering of Gargoyles bk 2, The Pearl of the Soul of the World (The Darkangel bk 3 as well as the HABO.
Atlantic Monthly Press??!
This one screams to be reviewed–especially since there are no copies in Northern New Jersey, per BCCLS.org.
One I actually know! And of course, beaten to it so badly. I remember loving this book.
I’m a little afraid to request an inter-library loan on this one.
I can’t believe it! For once I know the book, but everyone else does, too!
This book skeeved me out completely when I read it (at twelve years old). I’ve never had any trouble reading sibling-cest (thanks for that, Arthurian myths and Star Wars), but the whiff of parent-child incest in this one made my skin crawl.
The world-building was awesome, though, so – mixed feelings??
In all honesty, I think reading this book in my formative years did something to me, in that I keep wanting to read books with a less crazysauce version of the setup, where she’s significantly older than he is and has known him for a while, but the age difference is not as dramatic (six to fifteen years, not adult and TECHNICALLY-STILL-A-TODDLER) and there’s no incest and no one is a reindeer. You know, versions of this trope where there’s nothing actually wrong or particularly sketchy with the relationship at all, and if you swapped the genders it would just be Tuesday’s Romance Novel, but everyone would look at you funny because of societal conventions?
I totally just bought this. It sounds awesome. Glad it was solved!
I own it, and the dark angel trilogy. Maybe it’s time to re-read “The Woman who Lived Reindeer “ because I don’t remember all that craziness.
@Anonymous: “I keep wanting to read books with a less crazysauce version of the setup”
LOL, I have that reaction to a lot of fiction books, even not-crazysauce ones. “That was nice but could someone write this as a legit ‘Romance novel’?”
Librarian here. Yes, we notice these spikes of ILLs (book clubs, I’m looking at YOU). 😀 Don’t worry, if enough of you put in requests, we might even buy a copy for our local library. 🙂
I have just finished reading The Woman Who Loved Reindeer and it is a *****wonderful***** story, truly wonderful. There is not a single hint of incest but there is a lot of magic. While there is a love story within it, it is not primarily a love story. I really loved it.
I am going to read everything this woman writes.
@Gloriamarie – thank you for reading it & reporting back! Now I’m looking forward to reading it instead of just feeling morbidly curious. 🙂
@Liza S, you are welcome. I wrote a review, sent it in, dunno if the SB can use it or not. If not, I’ll post it here instead.
It really is a lovely book.