Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Help a Bitch Out: The First Romance She Ever Read

Bitchery reader Liv is totally inspired by our romance sleuthing:

I’m amazed at how good the Bitchery is at identifying books, and I’m hoping they can do one more - the first romance I ever read.  Here’s what I can remember:

The heroine is visiting someone, and gets put up for the night in a bedroom that turns out to be the hero’s (who’s away somewhere).  The hero returns unexpectedly late that night, crawls into bed and immediately falls asleep.  Of course, the next morning, the hero and heroine are found in bed together and must marry to stave off any scandal.

They move away to some grand but dilapidated estate, which the heroine begins to fix up.  The hero is described as a dandy or a fop, and the heroine is an uptight, spectacle-wearing prude.  Through the joys of house rehabing or somesuch, the hero starts to think the heroine looks kinda sexy in soot and construction dust.  At some point, the heroine gets kidnapped and taken to a cave.  The hero tracks her down, beats up the bad guys, and rescues her.  The heroine realized he’s not such a dandy after all but a hot hot manly man.  Much sex and at least one baby ensues.

I remember that it was Harlequin - and I think it was published in the mid-nineties.  I hope this is enough for someone to identify it!

Bring it on - sexy heroine with construction dust? Mrwor!