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 Maia, who is hoping to find this Regency romance:
I wonder if the Bitchery might be able to help. I’m looking for a Signet Regency romance, but have only the barest details. I never read this book, in fact, I learned about it from the teaser (first chapter?) in the Signet I had just finished reading in the late 1990s/early 2000s. I don’t remember the title of that one, either.
The teaser had a grumpy hero (who may or may not have been looking for his new ward/female person) walking up to a cottage in which our heroine was gardening. I remember her not taking his attitude and being dismissive.
That’s it, that’s all I’ve got. If the Bitchery can point me in the right direction, I’d be amazed for two seconds before I remembered its power.
There are a lot of grumpy heroes in romance, but do you recognize this one?
A Rake’s Reform
by Anne Barbour
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Adele Ashworth, Winter Garden, maybe?
This suggestion is a HaBO within a HaBO. “Grumpy hero/dismissive heroine in garden” calls up whatever-that-one-is wherein the hero’s peer father forces hero (not peer’s biological son) to marry peer’s illegitimate daughter. They meet for the first time in the garden behind the cottage, and she wants nothing to do with him. Can’t remember exactly which book this is so I don’t know if publishing dates are right. But I’ve got it lost in the ether of my kindle.
@Caitlyn It’s not that one, but now I want to read it 🙂
@genevad That sounds like it could be it, fingers crossed the additional details help!
Thank you both 🙂
Genevad’s sounds like Jo Beverley’s An Unwilling Bride. There are trigger warnings for that one though I enjoyed it.
To give a few more details on An Unwilling Bride, the hero was the third son of a duke who was the result of an affair by the duchess. The first two sons die and the duke wants his title to pass to a true descendent so he forces the hero to marry his illegitimate daughter. The heroine is a school teacher and strong believer in the rights of woman and is not interested in marrying but forced into it. The TW is for a slap by the “hero” of the heroine when in a jealous rage. Not treated lightly or that is was anything other than an inexcusable act by the hero, and the parties worked to overcome a very bad thing.
You’re right, PatriciaM. It’s An Unwilling Bride. I just looked it up on my kindle and that’s not the Maia wants. Now I’m itching to know what she’s looking for, because I know I have a copy of one where grumpy hero meets dismissive heroine in garden, and he *has* to marry her because of family pressure. Wooing is done with a basket of goodies containing marvelous things like ham. Plus younger brother(s?, maybe sisters) are promised educations (dowries?). It’s by a major author, with characters from a series and so could easily have been previewed at the end of a book, perhaps a previous entry in the series. Damn it!
Is this a Mary Balough? It kind of sounds like one of her Bedwyn adjacent books but I’m not coming up with any more than that.
I need more details. There were so many Signet Regencies. I thought from the header that it was the hero who was gardening, so thought immediately of Mary Balogh’s Lord Carew’s Bride. I think maybe the heroine of Patricia Oliver’s Roses for Harriet enjoys gardening but it’s been 25 or so years since I read it so I could be wrong.
I’m not sure if this is quite right, but there is the Regency “Roses for Harriet” by Patricia Olivier. The hero was named Giles. The heroine was Harriet. They have a marriage of convenience. I remember the heroine just wants to be left in the country to garden and I believe there is a scene where the hero comes to visit her while she’s gardening, but I don’t think it’s an opening scene. It’s not available digitally, but I seem to remember it’s later in the book and he sees her there and realizes he’s inconveniently attracted to his wife.
I really liked it when I read it in the 90s, but I’m not sure it held up well (especially from the reviews on Amazon talking about what a jerk the hero is)
Maybe Mary Balogh’s Indiscreet?? Heroine is disgraced ‘widow,’ hero has a twin. She liked gardening and lived in s cottage.
A Rake’s Reform by Anne Barbour has a grumpy hero looking for his ward. He sees the heroine in her garden and accuses her of hiding his ward. She sets him straight immediately. The copyright is 1996.
@SusanE that sounds like it! Thank you! The power of the Bitcheey is amazing.
Thanks to everyone else as well.