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 was sent in by Bobbie, who is looking for some ghostly sexxytimes:
I’m looking for a book that I read while waiting for my mother to pick me up from the library when I was in my early teens (so 97-99ish).
I wasn’t able to read it all because she wasn’t gone long, but it did contain the first sexy times scene I’d ever read. From what I remember of the plot is was pretty similar to the Ghost and Mrs. Muir but had sex scenes (which I don’t believe the Ghost and Mrs. Muir has?) and I think the Ghost was a lord of some kind instead of a Captain.
If memory serves the heroine fought with him a lot and…there may have been some dubious consent going on (I seem to remember the heroine having a wet dream that wasn’t really a dream?). Of course, I’m trying to remember something that I read more than 15 years ago so I might be remembering everything completely wrong, but I’d really like to find this book again.
Thanks for your help!
This is a difficult one – but it wouldn’t surprise me if someone in the comment was like, “Oh! That book! Yes! It’s Title by author and here’s the cover!” Because y’all know everything. Do you recognize that book?
I’ll take a stab: Susan Krinard’s Body and Soul http://www.amazon.com/Body-Soul-Susan-Krinard/dp/0553569198.
Jesse Copeland, an expert in mountain rescues, has returned to Manzanita after years in the Peace Corps. Despite an indomitable courage that sent her rappelling down cliffs, she is haunted by the nightmares and shadowy half-memories surrounding her mother’s mysterious death. Now she is determined to find out if her mother’s “accident” was murder. What she finds instead is a man as transparent as air–sensual, muscular, his blue eyes burning into hers as she cries out one word from a place deep within her: David.
David Ventris, Lord Ashthorpe, late of His Majesty’s Light Dragoons, is, simply put, a ghost. He’s waited two centuries to be called back to earth by the woman he wronged. He knew her as “Sophie,” a wondrous lady who sparked a passion so blazing that time could not dim the flames. Now he is being given the chance to guard her from danger and get back his soul–if only she will believe him real and not madness. If only she will love him enough to create a miracle…and give him life again.
Pretty sure this one is Everlastin’ (book 1 in the Baird House series) by Mickee Madden
It was published in 1994.
Ahhh, one I actually knew and someone got it before me! But I absolutely know the cover because it’s one of those where it’s semi-holographic and the dude disappears and reappears.
Could it be Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland? Published in 1996:
Genevieve Buchanan inherited a castle – and a ghost to go along with it. But Kendrick de Piaget was no typical ghost. He was a handsome and infuriatingly arrogant thirteenth-century knight. At first he wanted to frighten Genevieve, though she was more charmed than scared by his ghostly tricks. But when his thoughts turned to wooing her instead, Genevieve had to face her greatest fear: falling in love.
Catherine Hart’s Splendor had a Captain/Pirate that is like a ghost can only be seen by one woman.
Never mind, my eyes went to the word “Captain” not realizing you were saying that the Hero most likely was not a Captain.
I know it’s not the one you’re looking for, but for ghostly hanky panky, try Kresley Cole’s Dark Needs at Night’s Edge. The ghost in this case is a woman. A very good if underrated installment of her Immortals After Dark series.
@Becky: That one is my favorite of the series. Bonjour from Le Spectre!
My mind immediately went to Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher. I love that book.
Ghost and lady Alice by Marion Chesney?
@azteclady, thank you for reminding me about Mickee Madden and Everlastin’. Loved that book, and I didn’t realize there were sequels!
I remember two different romances with Revolutionary War era soldiers as ghosts, and contemporary women as “Mrs. Muir”. One was set in a small New England town, the other was set in Minnesota. Either of these sound likely?
My first thought was Lynn Kurland too, but I’m pretty sure she is PG 13 only, in a fade to black way. I loved that series though.
All of a sudden it’s really tempting to do a comparative study of ghost-lover treatments
Okay, I’ll throw one out there. Elizabeth Mansfield – The Phantom Lover. This really stuck with me and I still have this book. The Lord *pretended* to be a ghost to try and drive her away but he was very much alive. The sexy times were real in this one. Worth looking at and written in the late 80’s so very well could have been on a library shelf then.
Well.
I plan on reading every single one of these.
I am definitely going to have to read some of these because I cannot begin to imagine how the HEA can take place if Our Hero is a ghost and Our Heroine is very much alive unless Our Heroine becomes very much the reverse and that seems to me would diminish the H potion of the HEA.
I don’t know if this is the book you are looking for, but it’s worth adding to the list. As I recall it was an enjoyable book for it’s kind — Harlequin Temptation #166 –The Ivory Key, by Rita Clay Estrada. It’s from 1986, so might be on library shelves by then. This was a unique plot for Harlequins back then, before paranormals were everywhere. It was also one od the early Temptations, so was sexier than the usual back then. I don’t remember much, but I do remember the ending made me smile (won’t spoil it). Here’s a GR link:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/729073.The_Ivory_Key
I am too tired to climb the stairs and grab the book, but will look later. IIRC, he’s a pirate ghost, or perhaps a part time pirate/part time nobleman who was done wrong. I don’t remember why she’s alone, but she was in a MN cabin or someplace, seeking solitude, and ended up stuck with him.
@Cyranetta Yes, please!
Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland was my first thought too, until the “dubious consent” was mentioned. Kurland has much courtship and anything beyond kissing usually isn’t detailed.
I have no idea what this one is, because although paranormals are my thing, the ghostly lover trope was never my fave. I burned out reading too many “meh” stories when Ghost the movie became a hit and that bandwagon got jumped on. (Ah, that film gets me right in the nostalgia!). But my favourite exceptions are Lynn Kurland’s books and Kresley Cole’s Dark Deeds at Night’s Edge, and I happily add to the earlier recommendations for these books!
(By the way, time travel is the other paranormal trope that I frequently have problems with, and Lynn Kurland is my exception there too. Somehow she manages to make these tropes work, or else make me not care because her books are so much fun. No, I haven’t read Diana Gabaldon, maybe someday.)
Dark Needs At Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole is currently on sale for $1.99 BTW. Naturally I paid full price for it recently …
You are all so awesome! Sorry that I’m delayed replying, there’s a lot of flooding where I live and I forgot to check this yesterday. To all of you who suggested Everlastin’ by Mickee Madden, I believe this is the book!! I recognized the cover and the summary y’all provided sparked more memories!
At the age when I found this book, I was only allowed to read Christian romances and someone in the Library had disheveled this one. I can only guess because the title sounds vaguely Christian. I was such an avid reader that I noticed the new book right away and sat down to devour it. I only got about half way through before my mom came to pick me up. I knew I’d never get away with checking the book out, so I tried to hide it in shelves hoping it would still be there when I came back a week later. Sadly it wasn’t and I couldn’t find it again. Thanks to all of you, I’ll finally know how it ends!!!!! Thanks!!!
^err…meant to type mis-shelved. Autocorrect fail 🙁
Who knew ghost romances were a “thing”? These all sound fun, will have to check them out.
@Susan D, ghosts and time travel were more of an early 90’s paranormal thing, right before we were overrun by vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters.
Amazon.com has the six books of Everlastin’ series as ebooks. Around $4 each. Worth it?
Amazon has the six books in the Everlastin’ series in Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Everlastin-Book-1-Mickee-Madden-ebook/dp/B005FMSIMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432837708&sr=8-1&keywords=Everlastin%27
Based on all the comments above, I bought Everlasting and I am not sure that I can bear to finish it. I have read some terrible Scottish accents in books but this has simply got to tbe the worst one ever. Dreadful dreadful dreadful. And where’s the ghost?
I have just posted a review of Whispers in the Wind to Amazon and Goodreads, if anyone is interested.
I have just submitted a review of Everlastin’ to Goodreads and Amazpn