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 is from Laura and she’s looking for a historical romance:
I’m looking for a period romance that featured a rather steamy scene between the hero and heroine in a personal library – or possibly a study? They were definitely hiding near bookshelves, and there may also have been a fur rug of some kind. I can’t actually remember much about the heroine. but the hero was called Alasdair or Alastair I think. He had some kind of title – maybe a duke I think.
I always just kind of thought that this was These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer as the hero matches up quite closely, but I was rereading that book recently and the scene wasn’t in there (and I also remembered that Georgette Heyer doesn’t do sex scenes).
This was one of the first romance novels I read, and it definitely left an impression on my young teenage self. It was the first sex scene I ever read and I remember being quite turned on and also panicking a little because I had gotten the book from my local library not realizing what it contained! I was so embarrassed as I was a frequent patron (and one of my highly religious friends’ mother also worked there!!) and I thought that they probably all knew what I had read! Now it’s just an incredibly funny memory, but I’d really like to find the book I actually read!
The only other detail I can think of is that I’m pretty sure it was part of a series which I think revolved around a group of brothers or male friends, who were all peers of the realm with slightly scandalous reputations (?). I don’t think I’ve read the other books though – possibly my teenage self was just too embarrassed for a good long while!
It is an older book – I read maybe 10 – 11 years ago and knowing my local district library, it was probably a few years older at that, so maybe published around 2001? The only other things I can think of is that it was unlikely to have a topless/half-naked dude on the cover as high school me would definitely have not picked it up if it had!
I know it’s not Season for Surrender. I’ve been searching for it for about a year and I’m a librarian myself now – I can’t believe I can’t find it after all the weird books I help other people find!
Let’s help Laura out!
All About Love
by Stephanie Laurens
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I think it’s the Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens. Alasdair’s book is the 6th one- All About Love
It could be All About Love by Stephanie Laurens. It’s one of her Cynster novels which were published around that time. Alasdair “Lucifer” Cynster is the hero’s name. I think there is a study scene where he catches the heroine sneaking in late at night.
Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran.
Definitely All About Love by Stephanie Laurens
Another vote for All About Love.
By Winter’s Light, published a few years ago, proves the Bar Cynster heroes were still rakish as they aged.
I also immediately thought of Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran* but Goodreads says it wasn’t published until 2014.
*Library sex scene, hero named Alistair, he’s a Duke, no barechested cover(actually the cover is one of my favorite covers ever), part a series (pretty sure at least one of them contains one of his brothers but I could be mixing it up with another one).
Could it be The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick? It’s from 2004. The hero is named Arthur who is an Earl. There is a steamy library scene.
I’m fascinated by the apparent abundance of steamy library scenes! (Atonement, with its creative use of a library ladder, has my favorite scene of this type.)
Just an FYI – Both Trapping A Duchess & At Journeys End by Michele Bekemeyer has steamy library/study scenes if you like ….. ❤️
I know that Sylvia Day’s “Seven Years to Sin” has a hero named Alastair, and one of her historicals has a hot library scene (they’re barely hidden in an alcove), but I don’t know if they’re the same book (or the right book for this post). Still, I remember enjoying it/them!
Lucy –
I can’t be the only person who immediately is searching her memory wondering if I have myself had a steamy library scene. (It’s depends a bit on what you mean by library… A few in studies, certainly.)
It’s definitley All About Love by Stephanie Laurens!
Oh my goodness you are all amazing and I love you so much! I’ve been searching for this for a while and I can’t believe the mystery is finally solved!
This weekend is definitely going to be filled with re-reads!!
I’m not even gonna lie. I’m both ecstatic that I knew this one and ridiculously pleased to have a couple of new additions to my TBR pile. Steamy library scenes: What a catnip to have!!!!
One of my favorite library sex scenes is in Amanda Quick’s Paid Companion. It’s the first one I thought of with one of these scenes.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/367747.The_Paid_Companion
@Lucy – who is the author of the Atonement novel you mention? I did a search on Goodreads and BN and I’m overwhelmed by the number of results.
@66Trix: It’s Ian McEwan and it was also made into a movie. Be warned that it will rip your heart out.
@Amanda – thank you! That was the first one in the search results but I was anticipating a different genre and disregarded it. 🙂