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 request comes from KitKat, who is looking for a regency romance with a virgin hero:
I read a story in 2011/12 and it was mostly based in Regency London. I believe it had been released recently, but no more than 5 years previously. It was about a young noble aged 19-24 who was to marry an equally young woman. I believe the marriage had been arranged.
The young man was looking forward to marrying the young woman, but was concerned because he was a virgin and cared enough about her to want to learn what to do. He ended up going to his club to ask a much older notorious rake (with whom he either didn’t get along or else held in disdain) for advice, who in turn sent a “picture” book in a plain brown paper wrapper to the young man.
As he was reading said book, she enters the study (I think by this time they were already wed). He tries to hide the book before she can spot it, though she may have gotten a look at it later. I remember that he was a virgin because he’d been afraid of catching something.
I have no idea what the conflict may have been and I got the distinct impression that another book was coming out with the rake as the H. He too was a noble and had a mother breathing down his neck regarding his duty. Something he was not looking forward to.
The rake was interesting and I would like to read that story but can’t because I have no idea who the author is. Please help!
Virgin heroes are like unicorns. Surely someone knows this!
I know I’ve read this! Is it something by Eloisa James? Now I’m going to have to go searching.
I know I haven’t read it, but I think I want to! I just went looking and found a USA Today article with a few books featuring virginal heroes.
http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2014/05/28/madeline-hunter-romance-unlaced-virgin-heroes/
OMG, sounds like my kind of catnip! I hope someone knows what this is.
Argh! It’s on the tip of my brain!
Ah I feel like I’ve read this. There’s a massive list on Goodreads. I looked over the first page, could it be “The Naked Duke” by Sally MacKenzie?
In case others are interested, here are some more hero virgins I’ve read, but one’s I don’t think they are:
“Thief of Shadows” by Elizabeth Hoyt (too recent)
“The Making of a Gentleman” by Shana Galen (prob only virgin b/c imprisoned)
“A Matter of Temptation” by Lorraine Heath (also virgin b/c imprisoned, not b/c ‘afraid of catching something’)…I think
“Kiss Me, Annabel” by Eloisa James…although in the description it mentions “tired rake Garret Mayne” and he’s the hero of the next book, so possibility?
Oh man, it sounds SO familiar, but I can’t think of the book! It’s definitely not “Kiss Me, Annabel” though…
Haven’t read it but if someone knows it, tell!
There’s a virgin hero in Gwendolyn Thomas’ Spinster’s Gambit that combines the scarred hero trope. His scars (result of burns) led to rumors that he had the French Pox. On the occasion when he decided to lose his vrginity in a brothel, the madam said she had a few girls ‘willing to take the risk’ (of catching the pox!) and this freaked him out on so many levels he immediately left and never went back (and became a benefactor for women’s cause)
But there’s no book plot in that one so its not the novel the post refers to.
Not this request of course, but in “The Rosie Project” the hero learns from a book.
Sounds like When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
I am 100% convinced I read this. Just can’t remember.
Pear, I agree. After googling I think its when the duke returns also. I read a pretty limited list of historical authors: Eloisa James, Elizabeth Hoyt, Miranda Neville, and Julie Anne Walker – and its definitely not any of the last three, and I am positive I read this book.
Yay, my question got posted!
I just went through everything I could find of Eloisa James and don’t think it’s her. It’s definitely not Annabel, though.
At the time, I was reading an insane amount, and kept 50-60 books on hand while still going to the library every week and getting more. My records are incomplete as a result.
For some reason, and I’m probably way off here, I don’t think it was a major (at that time) author. But, like I said, I’m probably wrong about that.
Although, let me just say thanks to everyone who tries to help. Even if my question isn’t answered, I’ll still get some great suggestions. Long live the never-ending TBR!
Seems to me Courtney Milan and Stephanie Laurens have written about virgin heroes.
Ermagerd someone figure this one out! I have no suggestions to offer, all the virgin heroe stories i know are not this book.
Not the HABO, but add Joanna Bourne’s “Rogue Spy” to the list. He knew what went where, but chose not to indulge for reasons…
“Worth Any Price” by Lisa Kleypas?
or, it’s a much older book but has younger H and h, “Gentle Conquest” by Mary Balogh?
It’s definitely not the Kleypas mentioned nor is it the James book When A Duke Returns. I’m fairly cetain there was no separation between the H/h once they were married other than his possible preference for horseback rather than carriage travel.
I’ve read some Mary Balogh but it’s not Gentle Conquest either. When I read the book in 2011/12 it was either brand new or recent- the library copy was in really good condition.
I know I’ve read this book within the past year. I think it’s Courtney Milan’s “The Duchess War.”
This is the blurb for The Duchess War “Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly–so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don’t get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.
But that is precisely what she gets.
Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he’s up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he’s determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match… “
I think there’s another Mary Balogh with a virgin hero-former courtesan heroine, No man’s mistress.
I KNOW I’ve read this, and not too long ago. I wish I did better tags on goodreads……
Alright last one I could find that I might have read with a hero virgin, “The Marriage Ring” by Cathy Maxwell (don’t think it is it though)
but would like to add, I’m totally going to go out and buy “Untouched” by Anna Campbell, sounds really good.
I SWEAR I’ve read that book. Was it “Season For Scandal” by Theresa Romain?
I take it back, don’t think it was Season For Scandal. Possibly “The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife” by Ruth Ann Nordin?
It’s definitely not Milan’s Duchess War nor her Unclaimed (both with virgin heroes but neither of them reading books on it (though the virgin hero in Unclaimed wrote a book about male chastity).
There’s some book whose author’s name escapes me who has a virgin hero study up on being a rake as revenge on a woman who kissed him on a bet (I actually got kind of creeped out by that one).
Ruth Ann Nordin has several virgin heroes (and one virgin heroine) passing around a book. Don’t remember a fear of catching anything being a cause.
@Lisa, I think you’re thinking of Miranda Neville’s The Dangerous Viscount, where the hero is a virgin and tries to get revenge for the heroine making a bet about him.
It’s definitely not The Duchess War… Though it does have a virgin hero who is great. Virgin heroes are my catnip! I hope someone figures this out!
???????????
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1814625.A_Matter_of_Temptation
“Seducing an Angel” by Mary Balogh and “Secrets in Scarlet” by Erica Monroe both have heroes that are either virgins or very inexperienced. In SiS the hero does consult a book, but I don’t think it’s the HABO because he’s a policeman, not nobility. And there is no arranged marriage.
The Theresa Romain book with the virgin hero is “To Charm a Naughty Countess”, but that can’t be it because the H&h are older, and she’s experienced.
Something about this HABO made Celeste Bradley jump into my head, but I haven’t read her for a while, and can’t think of the specific book. Surrender to a Wicked Spy is on a Goodreads list of virgin heros…
Been scrolling through that list of 369 books listed on Goodreads as “virgin heroes.” Unfortunately, Goodreads defines a “virgin hero” to include virgin heroines.
@Gloriamarie: I got sucked into the same vortex. How anyone can include heroines on that list is beyond me as most Regency heroines (indeed, romance h’s in general) are portrayed as virginal. Whatever.
Ladies, I apologize for taking so long to repost but Lisa suggested Ruth Ann Nordin and so I decided to check out her books. It’s possible it’s been identified.
I honestly don’t know what to say about The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife. (Currently free @ Amazon.) Turns out I own the ebook but it was published at the right time. A fair amount of the plot matches my description but not in some admittedly small ways. There’s the part where the Earl goes to Lord Edon, a known rake for advice, and he sends a book in a brown paper wrapper to the house. However, at no point in the story does she nearly catch him reading it. And I’d swear she ended up reading it too much later in the book- something she did happily with her husband. But not in this book.
This marriage wasn’t arranged like I thought but came about as a result of her being publicly compromised (albeit innocently) and their subsequent need to rectify that. There was a great deal of resentment on both sides as a result. It ended decently enough but I didn’t really care for it.
Is this the book? I’m not really sure even though I just reread the damn thing. I remember thinking that there was a story behind the rakish earl and wanting to know what it was. My library no longer has Ms Nordin’s books but I did read the preview of the next book A Most Unsuitable Earl.
He doesn’t read like I thought he had originally in either book. My memory paints him as an older, jaded, cynical, political and rather worldly individual. One who would eventually marry out of duty but had no real desire to do so. Again, my possibly faulty memory tells me that there was a scene in the 1st book with his mother where he informs her upon her nagging that he’s only too well aware of his duty and he’d see to it when he was ready. Also again, not in TEIW.
The Earl described in these books meets that on the surface but is also somewhat immature. When I read the preview of book 2 he was actively sabotaging his own marriageability. At this point, I have no idea.
Thank you for all your assistance and may you enjoy whichever books suggested intrigued you.
Dear kitkat9000, no apology necessary. Interesting how the book just read doesn’t quite match. I wonder if you have possibly conflated two books that are somewhat similar?
Strikes me as also possible that this not the book you read. I say that because I am convinced I’ve read this book you describe in your original post.
Although as I look in my cloud of archived items I see that I too have The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife. Whether I read it or not, I don’t know. At one point it was necessary to reset my Kindle to original factory settings and all content that was on it at that time was erased from it. Luckily it’s in the archive.
It’s not on my spreadsheet and I know I’ve read everything on my spreadsheet. Which is why I created it. So I could tell the difference between what I know I read and what I don’t.
@Gloriamarie: Honestly, it is only too possible that I am conflating two different books, especially since I recall liking the one described but not the one found.
Although, in my defense, considering the proliferation of Regency period historicals available, there may just be a book other than Ms Nordin’s that better meets the set parameters. And it may very well be the one I can’t fully recall. Perhaps one day I’ll even find it.
I have a spreadsheet that contains most everything I’ve read until about 10 years ago. I’ve battled depression for decades and whenever it worsens I retreat into books which exponentially increases the number of books read. At my current pace I’ll top 450 this year, not including rereads. This will be the 8th or 9th year running for this. Better more normal years average 300. As a result my updates have been haphazard at best and are woefully incomplete.
At some point, and hopefully it’ll be soon, I’ll start working on the spreadsheet I have and at least get somewhat it more accurate. Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me.
Dear @kitkat9000, I am disabled for Major Depressive Disorder and I too find books an endless source of solace. I read two and sometimes three books a day so I hear ya about how hard it is to keep up with the spreadsheet. But I am trying because I also, inspired by the reviews on this blog, give the books a letter grade so I know whether or not I want to read that author again.
Although I have not read a word of a book today because one of the legs snapped off of the laptop desk I use in my recliner and I’ve been on the phone all afternoon, talking Amazon into a refund and/or researching new one to replace the broken one. Which I think I’ve picked out after reading a lot of reviews. So grateful for that feature.
Looking through my kindle, I don’t have one that fits the plot. The closest I have is the Ruth Ann Nordin.
Catalogue of virgin heroes books that I have:
Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
Loving Lord Ash and The Naked Duke by Sally Mckenzie
His Brother’s Bride, Her Imperfect Groom, and Desires of the Baron by Rose Gordon
A Christmas Waltz by Jane Goodger
Christmas Seduction by Samantha Holt
Duchess War and Unclaimed by Courtney Milan
The Dangerous Viscount by Miranda Neville
Love Lessons with the Duke – Ruth Ann Nordin
Spinster’s Gambit by Gwendolynn Thomas