This HaBO request is from Kate and she’s searching for a historical romance:
I am looking for a historical romance book that I read within the last 5 years or so. It was written in the last 5-10 years I’d say.
It is a historical romance set in England, I believe.
The hero is scarred/disabled and lives in a castle/mansion, is not married, and has a small group of employees who live with him. Older employees, like a cook, stable hand, etc. All his employees know that he is rude and angry, but they love him anyway because they have worked for him and his family for years and know how he is a generous and loyal man. But because of what’s happened to him, he’s become angry. He was in a war and became disabled and scarred physically and mentally from that.
The heroine comes to stay at his home and work for him as a housekeeper. I do not know if she already has children when she moves in, but I do not think that she does. She is pregnant however when she comes to work for him; that’s why she stays to work for him even though he is rude to her. She does not tell the hero she is pregnant when she starts working there, but the older woman who is a cook/housekeeper there at the home figures it out and tries to help the heroine.
Finally the heroine does give birth, to a son I believe. Either before the baby is born or afterwards, the hero falls ill. I don’t know if he gets hurt or if he falls ill from sickness, but the heroine nurses him back to health. In one scene, she gives him her breastmilk. (The hero later finds his out, I believe).
In another scene, the hero has started to recover some and is sitting in his office/library. And the baby is there playing on the carpet and I think it starts to walk in front of the hero. The hero was cold towards the baby to begin with, but he does grow to like the child. Just like the heroine, the hero does not like her to begin with but he does grow to respect her and like her. She is a lot younger than the hero as well.
The closest I have come to finding this book is To Beguile a Beast. However, after talking with another read who remembers the same book as me, we’ve discussed it and neither believes that the book we are looking for is that one.
Anyone know this one?
My first thought was To Beguile a Beast as well, but the heroine wasn’t pregnant in that one.
This sounds similar to Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros, but the heroine is a caretaker not a housekeeper and does not get pregnant.
Wow. That is pretty crazy sounding for a book that came out 5 to 10 years ago.
It could’ve been written earlier than the last 5-10 years; but I know it was written after 2000. Not earlier than that.
It’s not Yours Until Dawn either. The baby is a key characteristic of the story and does cause tension between the hero and heroine once he finds out his new employee hid the pregnancy when she came to work for him. And the giving him breastmilk when he was ill is another key point.
I hope someone knows the name of this book, I’ve been following this request on another website.
This may be a reissue of an author’s earlier novel.
I have no idea as to the book, but breastfeeding a sick or starving adult (for medicinal purposes) is termed “Roman Charity” because of a story from classical Rome in which a woman visited her imprisoned father and kept him alive through allowing him to breastfeed (altogether now—UGH!!). It was a popular theme in late Renaissance art and appeared as a subject up until the Victorian era. Here endeth the lesson.
In Penelope Ward’s ROOM HATE (a book I didn’t care for very much) had a somewhat douchey hero who insists on putting the heroine’s refrigerated breast milk in his coffee.
That could be a possibility – a reissue. And that would explain why it’s so difficult to find.
It was definitely a historical romance though. Not western historical. But set like in England. Or the UK in general at least.
A year and day by Virginia Henley
It’s not A Year and a Day either.
Yay Kate!
I suggested to Kate on Goodreads to post a HaBO on Smart Bitches because of the awesome success rate of solving HaBos. We have been trying to help her find this book for a while now. I know if anyone can help the bitchery can! Someone has to know this book, please!
The details don’t seem quite right but I was checking out reviews of some of Mary Balogh’s older books and noticed that TANGLED apparently includes a scene with breastmilk and a veteran hero.
I read through a detailed description of Tangled and it doesn’t sound familiar at all.
The heroine in this story was poor, with child, and started working for the hero to keep herself and her baby safe. While hiding the pregnancy from the hero until she began to show and couldn’t hide it anymore.
I think the hero in the story I’m looking for was in a war or battle at some point though because I remember him being either disfigured/disabled. Was not a fan of the heroine at all until he got sick and she cared for him.
I could be totally wrong about the published years though, so if it’s anything older from the 90’s, it’s worth a check.
These are all suggestions that have been made: To Beguile a Beast, A Year and Day, Silver Flame, Harper’s Bride, Dreaming of You, Passion or Wicked Intentions.
None of these are the book I am looking for though. I realize I might never find it though; me or the other reader I’ve come across who remembers the same description but can’t find the book either.
Follow
Hmmmm. How about Simply Love by M. Balogh? His Second Hand Wife by Chery St. John? Night in Eden by Candice Proctor (long shot)? Or….most promising is It Started with a Scandal by Julie Anne Long. It was written in 2015, she’s a housekeeper, with a young son (not pregnant with one) who appears frequently in the later portion of the book to interact with the hero. There is a list of books on goodreads with “Housekeepers in Historical Romance”
I’ve checked all of those books out and none of them seem familiar at all. I have read His Secondhand Wife very recently so I know for sure it’s not that one. But the other ones don’t seem familiar whatsoever.
I’ve checked the housekeeper list on goodreads too and none seem to fit the description I’m looking for.
Maybe the heroine wasn’t a housekeeper? I know she lived and worked for the hero but maybe in a different position? (I don’t think so though because the other reader I’ve talked to who is looking for the same book believes the heroine was a housekeeper too)
Thank you though!
It’s not the book you’re looking for, but John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” has a scene at the end where a young woman gives breast milk to a starving man. I read it for class in high school, and you can imagine what a class of hormone raddled teens made of that scene.
@ Kate that is what I was thinking. That maybe another employment position because housekeeper/heroine book searches have been exhausted. Is there an outside chance that the baby/child is the heroes? Also I don’t remember if you said or not… did you read this in an ebook or paper back book? Do you remember if it might be a relatively unknown author or a well known author?
Balogh especially comes up in searches for housekeeper/ heroine. Which is frustrating because I keep adding to my towering tbr pile lol.
I find it is difficult to search specifically for a bad tempered invalid war hero who unknowingly drinks employee heroine’s breastmilk. 🙂
I’m intrigued and hope this mystery is resolved! There’s a few different “scarred hero romance” lists on Goodreads – any of those sound like the right one?
I read this is an ebook in my kindle. I guess there is a slight chance the heroine wasn’t already pregnant when she began working for the hero, maybe he got her pregnant? Not what I remember, but I guess I could be wrong.
I know the breastmilk is definitely a part of it though – not in erotic sense but because he falls ill. He didn’t know he drank it at the time, or maybe he did, but was so sick it didn’t really register with him. I know it’s kind of a “beauty and beast” type of theme because he is kind of surly and not very friendly or nice to the heroine to begin with. But all those who work for him definitely do care for him.
I feel like it was a relatively known author though too. I know I had to of stumbled upon it on a goodreads list or through searching for historical romances.
I’m pretty much open to checking out any book where the hero drinks the heroine’s breastmilk though – but I’ve only come across lists where that’s been done during sex. Which I know didn’t happen in the book I’m looking for.
I know this search has been difficult! I’ve been looking for almost two years and the other reader I’ve come across on goodreads has been looking even longer.
Kate-I’ve read this book, I am absolutely sure of it. He is at death’s door, and he does drink her breast milk, but like you said-it isn’t sexual, he is totally out of it and it is presented like a natural instinct, like a baby suckles? If I remember correctly, he was so sick he couldn’t eat or drink anything.
The problem is, I cannot remember the title. I want to say it is older than 5-10 yrs, just because I am pretty sure this isn’t a book that is on my Kindle, which I guess isn’t a super reliable way to date things, because I still go to the library and I also still buy physical books. BUT…I feel like I read this one a while ago. The novels of Bertrice Small, Roberta Gellis are popping into my head, but I’m really not sure.
Trying to remember if it was medieval setting or more recent, definitely set in England though. Could it be Catherine Coulter?
Shoot, now this is going to bug me till I figure it out. I guess the only contribution I have is that I am sure this is a book I’ve read, because I wondered about the science of feeding breast milk to severely injured patients. Easy on the stomach, full of vitamins and minerals.
Maureen! Thank you so much for remembering this too – I’ve begun to think I’m crazy!
Exactly! He was completely out of it and had no idea what he was drinking was breast milk – it was instinct.
It could very well be older than 5-10 years, I am not ruling anything out. I thought I had read it on my kindle but obviously not since I cannot find it in my library. I feel like I’ve read it in the last 5 years or so, but it could be waaaayyyy older.
I can’t remeber If it’s medieval or not, but I seem to remember it being in a sort of castle type home? Maybe I’m wrong though.
I’ll have to check Catherine Coulter’s books because I really am not sure anymore who wrote it.
Please let me know if you do find it! I’ve been searching for this for a few years now and have had no luck.
Kate-I totally agree it was in a castle or some kind of manor-he was an important man, a Lord or Laird or one of those type guys. I am going to go to my physical bookshelves, in case anything jogs my memory. That is the thing about e-books, maybe you could have borrowed it from the library or if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited-it could have been available, then goes away!
I just tried a bit of googling, and not helpful at all! What is weird is that it obviously is a memorable scene-and especially before my Kindle obsession, I didn’t read many obscure historical romance authors. So why this isn’t coming up, seems like a mystery. If I find out anything, I will make sure to let you know.
Maureen- Yes he was! He definitely had a title with him.
That’s true – it could have been available but then disappeared. I’ve even gone back on kindle unlimited and gone through everything I’ve borrowed but still can’t find anything that seems familiar.
I’ve done googling before too and it is weird that nothing comes up. Especially with it being such a memorable and unique scene. And with others remembering it too (I’ve posted this on Goodreads and have found another reader who remembers it too – but not the title).
Maureen- did you ever find it? I’ve still not been able to find the title or have any other suggestions either from goodreads or this site.
@Kate-sorry, no luck! I thought I owned the book, but now I’m wondering if I got it from the library. I’ll keep looking though!
Not helpful but I’d totally read this book now.