For this Rec League we have a couple of personal requests. The first is from Reader Jennifer:
I’m a young widow and the idea of reading about a hero who had lost his wife was interesting to me, as there’s a dearth of that available in fiction in general.
I’d love to have some suggestions for books about younger people moving on after the death of a spouse. By younger, I mean under 50, I guess. I’m 39 and lost my husband when I was 35, and so much widow/widower stuff I found is about older people.
Sarah: Coincidentally, we received a second request from Reader A. who wrote:
I’m a long time reader of your site, and have a bit of a sad recommendation request.
I was very recently widowed, so now I’m a 28 year old childless widow and really do feel like someone in a historical, minus the romance part…
For a long time I’ve enjoyed reading romances especially when I’m in need of a pick me up. And I could definitely use one hell of a pick me up right around now.
Do you have any recommendations, or can post asking for them, books where the heroine is widow? Looking exclusively for books where the late husband wasn’t a 50 year old tyrant, or they weren’t married for a half day, or anything like that. Just widows (from a happy first marriage) finding new nice love, etc.
I’m partial to period romances but will read nearly anything! Among my favourites are Courtney Milan and Lisa Kleypas, to give a taste, but I’m very open to suggestions.
Redheadedgirl: The new Eloisa James is just that – Seven Minutes in Heaven ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
As is…oh Caroline Linden’s third book in the Reece trilogy. something Guide to Seduction?
Amanda: A Rake’s Guide to Seduction ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Redheadedgirl: There was one by Erin Knightly…
Amanda: The Viscount Risks It All
Elyse: Augh what’s the super romance where the hero falls for his late wife’s best friend? The one with all the feels. Australian author? Sarah Mayberry maybe?
Amanda: Within Reach ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Sarah: Recommendations ahoy! Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) – Chase is amazing and her books are terrific.
It Takes Two to Tangle by Theresa Romain ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) – this is a romance of pen-pals, Cyrano style, and the heroine is a war widow.
The Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn – a mystery series with a warning: the first book opens as Lady Julia’s husband has just been poisoned and is dying. She learns more about him as she investigates his death, and there’s a longer romance thread that builds with another character through the series as well.
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) – this is a contemporary, and the heroine is recently widowed. The hero has become guardian of his late sister’s daughter.
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) – Carla Kelly’s historicals are wonderful comfort reads, and many feature characters enduring hardship due to the Napoleonic wars, or due to social or economic hardships. In this one, the widow in question, Mrs. Drew, loved her husband deeply.
Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) – The heroine is a widow who instigates an affair with the hero out of revenge. He was unkind to her in a very public fashion.
Amanda: Some other contemporary options are Bringing Home the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and Worth the Fall by Claudia Connor ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
What about you, Bitchery? What great romances have you read with a young widow or widower main character? Bonus points if the prior marriage was NOT a miserable one!
I just finished Lady’s Companion by Carla Kelly, the hero is a widower
His Remarkable Bride by Merry Farmer widower hero with 8 children. (Full disclosure, I edit for her)
Grace Burrowes’ novella in “Christmas in the Duke’s Arms” widow and her late husband’s solicitor.
Liz Talley’s. “The Sweetest September”. The hero’s wife was killed in an accident the year before the book opens. In the opening scene he ends up sobbing and apologizing after having a bathroom sex hook up in a bar (with the heroine, who just got dumped by her fiancé and was in the same sort of emotional spiral as the hero). She’s humiliated. He feels awful. They avoid eye contact and walk away. Then a 10 weeks later she hires an investigator to track him down to tell him she is pregnant. Conflicted feelings on both sides as they grapple with choices.
A while after seeing this post, I watched a movie that might exactly fit the bill. It was called LOVE ALWAYS, SANTA. The heroine is a widow with a somewhat precocious daughter, about 9 years old. The girl writes a letter to Santa, and it’s delivered to (coincidence alert) the author of her favorite book, who has been blocked since his divorce and is writing Santa letters as a side gig. A lot of the book recs I thought of featured less-than-happy first marriages, or the widow thought things were good but her late husband actually cheated on her or something. In the movie, the marriage was definitely a happy one. LOVE ALWAYS, SANTA is next showing on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries this Monday evening, Dec. 12.
I’m very sorry for the loss you both have suffered, and hope some of the recs will suit your needs and bring you comfort.