Based on today’s Dreaming of You review and motivated by my own selfish need for more of my own catnip, we’re after romances that can be interpreted as a Slytherin-esque character falling in love with a Hufflepuff!
There is also some debate on how certain romance heroes and heroines would be sorted.
Elyse: Oh boy.
Sarah: Act Like It, for sure. ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) Richard is a Slytherin and Lainie is a Hufflepuff.
Elyse: Devil in Winter? ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Sarah: Grumpy Fake Boyfriend, too – same pattern.
Amanda: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt, I think would qualify. ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Wintersong! ( A | BN | K | AB )
I’m torn about Gentleman in the Streets by Alisha Rai ( A | BN | K | AB ). The heroine has some Slytherin qualities, but I don’t think the hero is quite Hufflepuff territory.
Sarah: No, he’s not quite Hufflepuff, I agree.
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). Thabiso could be a Hufflepuff, and the heroine is Slytherin.
Redheadedgirl: I thought about that and I think she’s more Ravenclaw
Sarah: That is possible, you have a point.
Yeah, I agree with you – more Ravenclaw.
Amanda: I feel like this pairing would be popular in paranormals, but I’m blanking so hard.
What romances do you think would qualify? Who are your favorite Slytherin and Hufflepuff romance characters?
Cat Sebastian has said that this is basically her favourite trope, so her romances have a lot of this! In particular the Soldier’s Scoundrel (Jack is the Slytherin, Oliver is the Hufflepuff).
Probably The Werewolf’s Wife by Michele Hauf. With the hero being a Hufflepuff, and the heroine being an unapologetic Slytherin.
I’d say both of the books in the Dance Off series have this too. In the first book the heroine is a (fairly nice) Slytherin and the hero is a Hufflepuff, in the second book the heroine is a Hufflepuff and the hero is a Slytherin.
I agree with Naledi being a Ravenclaw, but I would say that at least a few of Alyssa Cole’s pairs fall into the Slytherin/Hufflepuff dynamic. In particular Be Not Afraid, where I’d say that the heroine is probably a Slytherin and the hero is definitely a Hufflepuff.
(I think arguments could also be made for An Extraordinary Union. The hero is definitely a Hufflepuff, but I can’t decide whether Elle is a Slytherin or a Ravenclaw.)
The Improper Bride by Lily Maxton DEFINITELY fits this. A full on Slytherin hero, and an incredibly stubborn Hufflepuff heroine.
The Spanish Billionaire’s Pregnant Wife is also definitely this. With another Slytherin hero, and Hufflepuff heroine.
I’m not sure who exactly is the Hufflepuff and who exactly is the Slytherin in The Devil is a Marquess by Elisa Braden (they both kinda have traits? They’re both Slytherpuffs, is what I’m saying) but the dynamic is definitely there and definitely great.
The first two books in the Six Sisters series fit this, I’d say (and maybe the fourth book, though I’m a good deal less sure on that). Miverva is definitely a Hufflepuff to her core, while Sylvester has a lot of Slytherin traits. In the second book Annabelle is 100% a Slytherin, while her love interest has a fair few Hufflepuff traits.
Kj Charles has a lot of Slytherin characters (I LOVE THEM), and so of course has a few Slytherin/Hufflepuff romances in there. The main one I can think of is Jackdaw, where Ben is a Hufflepuff and Jonah is definitely a Slytherin. A Fashionable Indulgence could also be said to be this (with Harry as the Hufflepuff and Julian as the Slytherin).
Provoked by Joanna Chambers has shades of this, with one Hufflepuff hero and one Slytherin hero? It’s been years since I read it, though, so I may be wrong!
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Aaaaaand in conclusion I have thought way too much about this and am now busily sorting every single romance that I’ve ever read in my head. Goodbye productivity. ;;
The raven boys series by Maggie Stiefvater has a poor but intensely ambitious character paired with a character whose defining trait is loyalty to their friends and family (even if they are monumentally self destructive).
Mark Vorkosigan and Kareen Koudelka…
Sorenson Carlisle and Laura Chant from Margaret Mahy’s The Changeover (he’s borderline Ravenclaw though).
Marcy and Julius from Rachel Aaron’s Nice dragon series (again Marcy could equally be a Ravenclaw but she is incredibly ambitious, Julius is a classic Hufflepuff).
Kel Brezan and Andan Tseya from Yoon Ya Lee’s Machineries of Empire series (most Kel are either Gryfindor or Hufflepuff and most Andan and Shuos are Slytherin).
Tremaine Valliarde and Illias from Martha Wells’s fall of Ile-Rien series, she’s essentially spent her entire life being trained to be a spy and he was abandoned as a child and is motivated almost entirely by the people around him.
This is a really interesting question
As someone who is constantly the Hufflepuff to Slytherins, I’m super into this trope. It just rings true to my relationships (romantic and platonic!).
But I really havs only seen it in films and tv, even as a kid (ah 9 year old Claudia loved this dynamic between Touya/Yukito on SCC) so I’m excited for this rec league!
– When Dimple (Slytherin) met Rishi (Hufflepuff)
– I second An Extraordinary Union!
Definitely Anne Stuart has this dynamic. Black Ice comes to mind as does Ruthless.
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean
I’m wondering if Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin works for this— hero is decidedly Slytherin, but I think the heroine is more Gryffindor than Hufflepuff.
One of my favorites for this dynamic is Lisa Marie Rice’s Dangerous Passions— I swear I have read this book about 20 times.
Another one of my favorite Lisa Kleypas books: Tempt me at Twilight which is the third book in the Hathaway series. Harry is Slytherin and Poppy is definitely Hufflepuff.
Suzanne Enoch’s London’s Perfect Scoundrel with Saint (Slytherin) and Evelyn (Hufflepuff).
Trigger warning: A character is held hostage.
Ah I love this pairing so I’m looking forward to everyone’s recs! (*ignores extensive TBR list side-eyeing me*)
Sarah Maclean’s ‘A Rogue By Any Other Name’ and ‘Never Judge A Lady By Her Cover’ (Duncan West strikes me as having Hufflepuff-esque elements)
Josh Lanyon’s delightful Holmes & Moriarity series (the latest installment should be out this year – yay!)
Talia Hibbert’s ‘A Girl Like Her'(I’d consider Ruth a Slytherclaw)
Jeannie Lin’s wonderful novella ‘Capturing The Silken Thief’
Alexis Hall’s ‘Glitterland’ (OMG Darian)
Elizabeth Hoyt’s ‘The Leopard Prince’ (loved Harry and George’s dynamic)
Rachel Spangler’s ‘Perfect Pairing’ (Quinn is 100% Slytherin, but Hal I think is more Ravenpuff)
To me, a few of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling books might qualify. Nearly all of her male Psy characters come across as Slytherin to me and Vasic & Ivy and Kaleb & Sahara are couples I think meet this trope.
I really love that absolutely no explanation is required here!
Loretta Chase: Lord Of Scoundrels is definitely a Slytherin hero; she’s maybe Griffinpuff more than whole Puff. I was trying to think of more historicals, and got stuck on Joanna Bourne: I think hers are double Slytherin though!
I absolutely second Act Like It. Also The Hating Game (Sally Thorne) has a Slytherin heroine and Hufflepuff hero (my favourite combo).
Not a romance, but Chick Wendig’s Blackbirds has the MOST Slytherin heroine and Hufflepuff…um, love interest.
And if you don’t mind me recommending my own: Max Seventeen has a very Slytherin heroine and the most Hufflepuff hero I’ve ever written. It’s SF, and won Paranormal Romantic Novel of the Year in 2017. Carrie reviewed it here: http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/max-seventeen-kate-johnson/
I totally agree with Harry and Poppy in LK’s Tempt Me at Twilight (Also one of my favorite LK books).
I think Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin and The Serpent Prince go well with this trope.
OK, step into my Time Machine and let me rec one of my all-time favorite books, an old Signet Regency titled Fallen Angel, by Charlotte Louise Dolan. Gabriel is such a Slytherin, and Verity is such a Hufflepuff. I love this book so much, and I miss the Signet Regencies.
You can get it as an e-book on Amazon.
@Kate Johnson, it’s so interesting to me that you consider The Hating Game to be a Slytherin heroine and a Hufflepuff hero. I was going to rec that book here, but as the opposite – a Hufflepuff heroine and a Slytherin hero. Ha! This just shows that we all have different House headcanons. Love it.
Either way, this rec is going to destroy my TBR! I’ll keep thinking of others.
Alexis Hall has Slytherin-Hufflepuffs galore. For Real has Laurie, who manages to appropriately channel his coldbloodedness into being a trauma doc, and Toby who is a Hufflepuff absolutely. Caspian Hart total Slytherin! Arden St. Ives is so Hufflepuff he lives in a seaside burrow!
The Shadow and The Star—look, Leda’s great talent is her ability to love, adapt, pay attention and create softness and Samuel’s talent is running from his trauma and being brilliant, so def a Slytherin.
I’m with @Pamelia, this req has Anne Stuart written all over it. I’d rec Dark Journey with Death being the Slytherin in question and Ritual Sins, my personal favorite.
I don’t agree that the Psy/Changling books would fit this bill. Those guys have Alpha Griffendor all over them. However, Dimitri from Archangel’s Blade in her Guild Hunter series? He just oozes Slytherin.
For Slytherin hero my mind first goes the the Duke of Avon.
But would Leonie be Hufflepuff?
For anyone who has watched the k drama Healer I wonder if it would fall into it?
And then My Ahjussi might be the reverse. A h Slytherin and H Hufflepuff.
I’m terrible at sorting.
Not books I know, but I fell in love, hard in love, with both this year.
Vicious by LJ Shen is textbook Slytherin/Hufflepuff.
Miles and Mark Vorkosigan are both Slytherins; Ekaterin Vorsoisson and Kareen Koudelka are both Hufflepuffs.
Another LJ Shen (She does love her Slytherin heroes) book that fits…Midnight Blue – Slytherin Rock Star falls for Hufflepuff sitter/clothes designer.
Old Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz!
Ooh, I just finished one! One Dance with a Duke, by Tessa Dare. It’s one of her earlier books and reads more like a “traditional” Regency romance, without a lot of the humor and pseudo-modern jokes that I know can bother some people. Amelia is definitely a Hufflepuff heroine who just wants to make everyone happy, plan menus (kitchens, yay!), host parties, and have a great summer at her childhood home. The hero, Spencer, is classic Slytherin, complete with semi-tortured childhood, obsessive need to win at everything, and Secret Pain – though that pain conceals some pretty mushy insides, so maybe he’s a Slytherpuff?
Pulling one deeeeeeeep from the memory banks, but I feel this trope would work with Susan Elizabeth Phillips, “Kiss an Angel.” He thinks she’s an airhead cuz he listened to her asshole dad. She’s full of surprising strengths and they have a marriage of convenience that takes place at a . . . circus? Is that right *Googles* yep, that’s right. This one wasn’t perfect, but I did like that her strengths were creativity and emotional intelligence and the biggest problem was opening his shut-down, Slytherin mind about what has value.
I just read Jane Doe, after reading the rapturous review on this site, and I humbly submit that Luke is a Hufflepuff and Jane/Enid is a Slytherin.
As a Slytherin I am 100% down for this! But just a quick note: Maggie Stiefvater of the Raven Cycle, who is a Slytherin herself (so is Lin-Manuel Miranda! #HousePride), has identified her Raven Cycle characters’ houses here: http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/post/141439237801/adams-a-slytherin
Anyway I spend a weird amount of time thinking about this, so I’ll probably come back to it. Heh.
@Annamal, you referenced THE CHANGEOVER!! That’s only been a favourite since I found it in the YA section of my public library in the late 80s! I have two copies, one I bought when I finally spotted it in a bookshop a few years ago and the second because it had the same cover as the long ago hardcover library edition.
Anyway, I have nothing to add about this trope but I’m enjoying reading all your posts. I just got excited because nobody ever mentions THE CHANGEOVER – that I know of at least!
I agree about Anne Stuart qualifying, especially the ICE series. The men are generally Slytherin, and the heroines vary between all the houses with just enough Slytherin to help them ‘get’ the hero.
As for the Hating Game – I think maybe they’re both Slytherpuffs?
I’ve been meaning to reread True Shot by Joyce Lamb for ages and this prompt reminded me because I think it qualifies. The heroine is Slytherin (although only because she has to be to survive) and the hero is an assertive Hufflepuff. Normally, I prefer it the other way around, but the hero in this book is so wonderful and sweet.
I love the Changeover. It is a wonderful book and well worth the time to track it down
Some I haven’t seen mentioned:
– Rose Gardner Investigations: Rose is a Hufflepuff. Current Love Interest is a complete Slytherin: underworld king, shrewd and manipulative.
– Seduced by a Spy, Andrea Pickens: Orlov is actually compared to snake. Shannon is all about loyalty to her friends and to those she protects.
– Make Me Yours, Betina Krahn: Hero’s a Hufflepuff, doing all sorts of things for his Prince. Heroine is a Slytherin, manipulative and ambitious. (There’s a review on SBTB)
– The Forbidden Rose, Joanna Bourne: Heroine is slippery and manipulative, in service of a good cause. Hero is so morally upright his bosses use him as a moral compass.
– The Black Hawk, Joanna Bourne: Two Slytherins, loyal to their countries. Which happen to be England and France during the Napoleonic Era.
– Rise, Karina Bliss: A Rock God. A history professor.
– Fall, Karina Bliss: A drummer as steady as the beat he puts. A PA who’s affectionately nicknamed “Honey Badger”.
(And I barely at 30% of my ebooks. Might return later)
Seconding some already mentioned:
– Archangel’s Blade, Nalini Singh: Dmitri’s totally a Slytherin. Honor’s a Ravenpuff.
– Heart of Obsidian, Nalini Singh: Hero’s a complete Slytherin. Heroine’s a Ravenpuff too.
– Tempt me at Twilight, Lisa Kleypas: Harry’s a Slytherin, Poppy a Hufflepuff.
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann
At Peace by Kristen Ashley
Lani Lynn Vale has a few, also.
Not a romance per se, but I saw VE Schwab/Victoria Schwab at a signing recently and she literally said her goal is to write Hufflepuff boys with Slytherin girls. I think you can definitely see that in her Darker Shade of Magic series
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin walk into a bar…
Nope, seriously, I pulled up my Goodreads, because THOUGHTS. Full disclosure, I’m a Hufflepuff, married to a Gryffindor, parenting what I think are a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin.
The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren — Rebecca was a definite Slytherin, with her ambition and drive to succeed defining a lot of her actions initially (and you can see a talent for manipulation that makes her a damned effective divorce attorney), and she has to learn to balance them better. Wes, with his affinity for food, tendency toward caretaking, and general, if hard-won, good humor? Oh, him a Hufflepuff.
Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman — Hanna, Slytherin. She sneaky as hell, and she John McClanes all over the place. It’s AH-MAZING. Nik, Hufflepuff, loyal to a fault, sometimes even to the detriment of his own safety and well-being. Yup, Puffy Puff.
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare — I’m a little torn here, but I’m thinking. Emma is a definite Puff, hard-working, loyal, and compassionate. I lean Slytherin for Ash, just because he is willing to manipulate a situation to serve his own ends, but he had a loyal heart, too, . That said, no one ever said a Slytherin can’t be loyal. Scorpius Malfoy proves the hell out of that. Hell, so does Severus Snape.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas — Feyre, big ol’ Slytherin. She’ll go to some serious lengths to stay alive and accomplish her ends. Rhys, that right there in a Hufflepuff dressed as a Slytherin. He’s unfailingly loyal, even to the point of letting it be if the woman he loves is really meant to be with someone else, but when she needs him, he gets there, and he takes care of her when she is in pain, and teaches her what she needs to survive in their world. And when she does become his? Whoo doggie, I might need to reread this.
Pretty Face by Lucy Parker — the work that Lily will put in in order to be taken seriously? That’s some Puff Pride, right there. Luc? He’s all about making his show great and pushing other people to come up to the level he needs. And he had an unfortunate situation where he uses some manipulation, though he gets his ass rightfully handed to him for it.
@Maile: The new Holmes & Moriarity book was released a couple of weeks ago. (But I’m not sure either is a Hufflepuff. lol)
I think most of the Jayne Castle (and probably the Amanda Quick and JAK) books fall into this category.
Ellen Kushner made a comment about Tremontaine featuring some of the best Slytherin women (I can think of a Hufflepuff or… two?) It’s a pretty Slytherin world, really. I mean, romance does happen, but it’s not the most HEA sort of place 🙂
I’m happy to see there are so many Slytherin women / Hufflepuff men featured here. I’m wondering about a variation on this, where you have the ambitious character who also has a bunch of skills and knowledge and is put up against the bright eyed pure souled naif, whether there are many cases of skills and knowledge character being female and the naif being male (other than Marcy and and Julius in Rachel Aaron’s Nice Dragon books)? The more standard trope is incredibly common, to the extent that I end up I finding it more than a little alienating, TBH.
I’m gonna go with the obvious and start with Katniss and Peeta from Hunger Games.
I see the ingenious @Crystal has already invoked Feyre and Rhys (I love Rhys so very much).
I have a theory that in After the Wedding (Courtney Milan) Adrian is a Slytherin survivor and Camilla is a Hufflepuff/possible recovering Slytherin due to her early defection from the sibling group that resulted in disaster.
I’m gonna go with the obvious and start with Katniss and Peeta from Hunger Games.
I see the ingenious @Crystal has already invoked Feyre and Rhys (I love Rhys so very much).
I have a theory that in After the Wedding (Courtney Milan) Adrian is a Slytherin survivor and Camilla is a Hufflepuff/possible recovering Slytherin due to her early defection from the sibling group that resulted in disaster.
In The Princess Deception (Molly Jameson) Lizzy is a Slytherin who takes no prisoners while Phillip (my personal catnip) is Hufflepuff to the marshmallow core.
@bev: I agree that Avon is a Slytherin, but I think that Leonie is probably Gryffindor not Hufflepuff. Their son, Vidal is also a Slytherin. Not sure if Mary is a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor. To continue the Heyer theme, I would say that the Marquis of Alverstoke in Frederica is definitely a Slytherin. I’m not sure about Frederica herself — maybe Hufflepuff?
I just read the latest Kristen Ashley and I think that some of her heroes would be Syltherin, especially all of the heroes in her Chaos series.
@Susan Ah how did I miss it?? Thanks for the heads up!
(JX reads as Hufflepuff to me – but that might change with the new book!)
Gentleman’s Guide to Virtue and Vice by Lee Mackenzie – mm NA 18th C grand tour friends to lovers. The narrator, the dissipated son of an Earl, is a Slytherin who’s secretly in love with his Hufflepuff best friend.
I think this works better as a coming of age story than romance, but there is a lovely slow burn romance with believable hfn. Plus pirates, highwaymen, alchemical mysteries and inappropriate public nudity at Versailles.
I agree about JAK – I’m trying to think of examples and I’m like, oh, oh that one with the straight-laced businessman hero and quirky heroine (ie most of them)
Anne Cleeland’s Doyle and Acton series fits this archetype. Acton is definitely, deliciously Slytherin; Doyle may be some Hufflepuff Gryffindor mix, but she’s basically a cinnamon roll.
I would love to see a thread where geeky bitches sort their favorite romance protagonists beyond this pairing. To avoid hijacking a rec thread that is 100% serving my catnip, I was prepared to go self-serve by posting a thread in the SBTB Goodreads group, but it appears the more random discussion area of the group has disappeared since I last visited. Any suggestions? This is proving such an edifying shorthand for character analysis.
As a Slytherin married to a Hufflepuff I am all in for these recommendations!
I just read Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare and it definitely fits this. Though I think Piers isn’t as Slytherin as he thinks he is, also I loved that book.