This HaBO request is from Rachel, who is searching for a romance that may have been renamed:
Some years ago, I read a romance novel and I recall that the title was You Only. Regrettably, I did not pay attention to the name of the author. I have searched for the book by the title I recall and have not found it mentioned online.
The paperback book I read had dark blue cover art — a night scene with a carriage in front of a residence and probably a man/hero embracing the reluctant heroine who is dressed in black (she’s a widow). I think the hero is a gentleman, who is also an undercover pirate or has some smuggling action on the side. The heroine lives with her aunt and the aunt is why I want to read the book again; she’s a very funny character.
While searching for another book, which I found, I discovered that a book can be republished not only with a different cover (common enough), but also with a different title. I wonder if the widow’s story has been renamed.
This one sounds a little tougher than our usual HaBOs, but I’m confident the Bitchery can help!
There is “You and No Other” by Cathy Maxwell. The original cover is purple with a carriage on the front. The heroine is a widow whose aunt lives with her.
Or there is “You Only Love Twice” by Elizabeth Thornton, who I had no idea had passed away! 🙁
It looks like the original has a carriage in front of a manor, but not sure what the inside picture is (can’t find it online), maybe the couple? But this one isn’t about a widow, but the lovely amnesia trope.
It has *so many* JAK / Amanda Quick plot elements (widows, funny aunts, pirates and/or smugglers) but I can’t come up with one that combines all of the elements.
Not the right book, but Tomorrow is Mine by Rebecca James (Jim Elwal’s pen name) is a FABULOUS historical romance where the hero is, in fact, a smuggler who marries a tall, supposedly homely heiress to eradicate his debts (he’s a gentleman and a gambler), not revealing that he does not, in fact, need the money. SO SO SO GOOD I bought my copy at alibris after getting it from the library dozens of times.
Description kinda reminds me of Connie Brockway’s ‘All Through the Night’ She’s a ‘widow by day’ and a ‘masked thief by night’. He’s a secret agent. (Of course he is.)
At one point the library copy had a dark blue cover with black images on it.
I’ve read so many smuggler books, I can’t keep them straight, especially when they’re situated near Cornwall
Uhhh. Lora, why do you have to make me fall in love with a book that’s not on Kindle, there’s no reviews on Goodreads, and the only copies are used on Amazon. Hahah. Now I have to wait 2 weeks for the hard copy! (Tomorrow is Mine)
I just checked and Tomorrow Is Mine is available on openlibrary as an ebook.
I really feel like I’ve this but can’t put my finger on it. I have read a lot of aristo-smuggler and night scene/carriage meet ups. Does the requester have any more details?
Perhaps, Watch The Wall, My Darling by Jane Aiken Hodge – but this book is fairly old (70’s?) and hasn’t undergone a title change. There is a smuggler/spy hero and an aunt. The opening scene is the heroine arriving in a carriage and being stopped by the smuggler hero.