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 request comes from Marix, who is looking for a historical romance she read:
I have been trying to find this book for ages and have had no luck on the “name that book” forum on librarything so upon advisement from those lovely ladies I decided to contact the big guns.
I have no idea of the title but I’ll tell you what I can remember. So here are the details:
Published before 2003
Historical romance
England
Both hero and heroine are nobility
Heroine involved in a scandal. She is caught having sex with or about to have sex with a servant who has tricked her into believing he loves her. This makes her unmarriable/ scandalous.
Heroes’ name might be Gavin and he has been married before and has a daughter who was abused by her caretakers ( something about being tied by the foot with a rope to furniture).
Not sure how the hero and heroine end up together. But she is not happy about it
He seduces her more than once and she tries to resist but can’t and there is a scene in a garden at a ball where they have sex on a bench or something like that and afterwards she opens her hand to see it full of blood from crushing a rose in her hand. She tells him that he owns/ controls her body but not her heart/ soul.
There is also a scene where he seduces her in a chair ( I think this is the first sex scene between the Hero and heroine). Title was probably one word but a long word like Scandalous or Temptations ( used these keywords on both Amazon and Google and didn’t find it).
They end up happily married and she helps his daughter trust him again.
I would be eternally gratefully for any help.
Maybe it could be called The Angry Gardener Who Wants to Know Who Schtupped In His Roses? But that’s not one word. Anyone recognize this book?
Sorry, keep coming up dry!
Maybe an Amanda Quick or Mary Balogh, though I checked the Quick one word titles, and though a few of the details show up, they’re all under different books, none in a single book.
But similar themes popped up, so if you want to add them to a list:
Strictly Forbidden by Shelley Bradley
His Every Kiss by Laura Lee Guhrke
Dark Moon by Corey McFadden
White Mist by Jaclyn Reding
Beauty Like Night by Liz Carlyle (which is definitely going on my TBR list)
afterwards she opens her hand to see it full of blood from crushing a rose
I’ve definitely read this one. I hate it when the HaBOs are familiar, because I never have anything to contribute beyond that. My guess would be a Quick novel, but I can’t seem to find one that fits.
Thanks for trying ladies
I’ve already had a look at all the amanda quick novels and none seem to fit (but im going back to each one on amazon and “trying a sample” just to be sure. Because I’m sure the book begins with the heroine sneaking off to join the servant/ commoner at a barn/ stable since she believes that he is in love with her but he just tricked her.
Also I’m reading strictly forbidden right now to see if it might fit. but the guy who ruined the lady in that book is a nobleman.
this book has been bothering me for over a year i really hope we find it
I confess it does not sound like any of the historical, one word title Amanda Quick’s to me, ladies. Beyond that, I am sad to say that I have nothing actually constructive to contribute here *scurries away*
It doesn’t sound like an Amanda Quick to me. I think it could be Mary Balough, although I couldn’t tell you why I think that. This sounds so familiar. Argh.
I’ve read that one as well, many years ago. Alas, I can’t remember the title either. How about we call it “Roseschtuppers” for now?
Really, really hate knowing I’ve read this and don’t remember the title either.
I’m coming up blank, too. But I just wanted to say to olivia that Beauty Like Night by Liz Carlyle is excellent!
I just got a message back from Mary Balogh. It’s not one of hers. I didn’t think it was but thought I’d ask anyway. I’m no help otherwise. Sorry!
The sooner there is a series legitimately called Roseschtuppers, the better for everyone, I think!
Not all the details match up, but for some reason this reminds me of an old Iris Johansen romance called Midnight Warrior. I don’t have time to google plot details, but I remember stumbling across that book and another (something about a rogue… Magnificent Rogue?) and reading them back to back. There’s definitely chair sex, and the rose sounds familiar. In one the hero’s name is Gage. Yeah, that’s the extent of my recollections. Good luck!
Ugh, tried again, no real luck, sorry.
I tried focusing on the wife first aspect, and here’s one “One Night of Scandal” by Teresa Medeiros
but couldn’t tell from the description if you remembered if they were “forced” to get married after compromising position, or just admitted feelings for each other.
There’s also “Potent Pleasures” by Eloisa James, but probably not that either.
Dear Holly that was incredibly nice of you I mean you went above and beyond. so thank you very much.
i can also report that it is not strictly forbidden (but its an incredible book so if you haven’t read it i would suggest you do)
Its also none of the other books you listed in your first post olivia but i will definitely be adding them all to my reading list.
olivia and elaine i will be looking up the rest of your suggestions tonight
also i’m really glad that other people recognise this book because i was starting to think i made the book up 🙂
It sounds like a Julia Quinn, or a Tessa Dare? it also sounds very very familar
Not the right book, but for great chair sex, there’s always Judith Ivory’s ‘Untie my Heart’.
I’ve read this. The roses imagery suggests an angst master, Mary Jo Putney or Christina Dodd maybe except nothing from their backlist is jumping out. H’mm.
You’re very welcome, Marix. It was not a bother at all!
The roses made me think of Quick also – Desire by Amanda Quick? It was a perennial (pun intended) favorite of mine for many many years. In fact, I should re-read it now….
It is medieval however, which is like a subgenre of Historical I guess. Not sure if it’s the one, but its awesomesauce.
http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Amanda-Quick/dp/0553561537/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MCSSWFEDQV4JK4EKR4T
I’m going to be no help at all, but I wanted to commiserate. I know I’ve read this book and after looking back at my read book list for the past few years cannot remember the title. I’m also thinking Julia Quinn or maybe Lisa Kleypas or Gaelen Foley. I really hope someone remembers soon.
Sounds like it could be a Virginia Henley book and she had several one word titles
Grrr, this is starting to bother me, maybe…
“Impulse” by Candace Camp
“Meet Me at Midnight” by Suzanne Enoch
or maybe a Kat Martin?
I know and as our favourite heroes and heroines would say ” I fear I have gone quite mad” 🙂 trying to find this book
I’m just kind of surprised there aren’t lists or more info on historical books that have heroes that have children, rumors surrounding first wife’s death (since that is usually a popular plot line), or heroines that have fallen in love with someone “improper” and sent to London to find someone else, since that’s also a common-ish theme.
But I really feel like I’ve read this. Was the daughter so traumatized she went mute? or am I thinking of a different one…
Olivia your right she did she was mute for most of the book!
Also alas it isnt impulse, still looking at the others, also not julia quinn ( and i had high hopes there.. its not jo beverley either and defininately not a amanda quick either. She was wearing a yellow and red dress on the cover im pretty sure id recognise it if i saw it
Oh and its not virginia henley either cherrie and i had such high hopes when i went to her website and it had all these one word titles
I know this one. I think the unsuitable guy is a servant, probably an irish horse trainer/stable master/etc, and I really feel like his name is Gavin, not the hero.
I think because she’s disgraced she goes off to be a governess, which turns out to be for the hero’s mute daughter. *possibly* mute from something tragic, like mom running off to her lover and dying in a carriage accident? and dad was a little tragically distracted for a bit, and ended up accidentally getting an evil governess who was the one who abused the girl.
Or am I conflating other stories? Notice that I still don’t know what the book is, even though I could SWEAR I read it, and can definitely come up with other books it could have been except for important details.
It’s so frustrating right? I think your definitaly right about it being the evil governess who abused the girl and you might be right about the heroine going to work for the hero as a governess but now im gonna have to start my search fro scratch cause ive been ignoring stories involving a governess…. ahhhhhhh! But thank you so much cause every bit helps
Scandals by Penelope Neri? http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=3956
Strange that it seemed so familiar, but I haven’t read that one. I was conflating Mistress of Mellyn with Seduction by Amanda Quick and Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney.
Your book is probably not The Perfect Waltz by Anne Gracie, as that misses some significant elements of the list. (but is still a very good book.)
Carly!!!!!!! You found it hun! Thank you so much!!!! I was beginning to think id never find it!! Just so i know what search parameters did u use cause i thought id tried everything ? Regardless thank you to all you lovely ladies for your help ! Ive got a lot of extra reading material now! SMART BITCHES you were wonderful! Thank you again! Finally some peace! 🙂
Tehe… now if someone could just tell me where i can buy the ebook?
I think it was “romance heroine scandal stable” that brought up that AAR review.
@Celia Marsh: I feel like the one you described is a much more recent release, and possibly the one I was thinking of, cause I know I’ve never read the one it turned out to be. But the wife dying with the lover in a carriage accident rings a bell, as well as the heroine in love with the stable-person, and after marries the hero, meets the first love again, and is like “eh, nothing there anymore”.
and now this one is going to bother me until I remember
Me too Olivia. I know I’ve read it, but nothing in my read list seems right.
I might be mixing up some different books, but the one that’s annoying me right now. I can completely see it in my mind: the first wife gets into a carriage with her lover, I *believe* the daughter is watching but can’t see who the man is, the wife is planning on running off with him cause she hates the hero, but, (and I’m pretty sure), the wife ends up dying in a carriage accident not long (like a few hours) after leaving.
And it would’ve been published in the last few years…
“Scandals” is not available as an ebook so far as I can tell. However, Penelope Neri wrote a much better book – Stolen. That one is free to read if you have Kindle Unlimited. 🙂