This HaBO comes from Katherine, who wants to identify this historical romance:
I’m looking for the name of a historical romance (Regency, I believe), in which the hero and heroine were arranged to be married at a young age.
They marry and he essentially disappears to London(?) – she eventually tracks him down there.
The only details I remember are that he wears an earring that she thinks is silly, he is a man of business, and has a business partner either from Africa or was formerly enslaved.
I don’t think it is very old. Perhaps Grace Burrowes? Julia Quinn? I’ve been searching my Kindle for 48 hours (I swear not every book I own ACTUALLY shows up), and I have the kind of brain that won’t let me read anything else with focus until I figure this out.
What kind of earring are we talking? Hoop? Stud? A statement piece?
Could is be Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James? It’s one of my favorites. The H/H were married at a young age but didn’t consummate due to male performance anxiety. The hero runs off and becomes a pirate as you do. Comes back years later with an earring. It’s quite fantastic. It’s actually the companion novella to the Ugly Duchesses (same author). Both would fit the description. Good comfort reads.
Marry in Secret by Anne Gracie? They married in secret then he went to war and his ship went down and she thought he was dead but he was captured by pirates and enslaved. Now he’s back. Don’t remember about an earring, though.
It’s probably Mia Vincy’s “A Wicked Kind of Husband”
Perhaps THE GIFT by Julie Garwood? The childhood marriage is there, the fiance-turned pirate, an African friend, and I remember an earring (although it might not be the hero who wore it). Of course, being Garwood many many shenanigans ensue.
The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran? I don’t know if there was an arranged marriage but she has to hunt him down in the city because she wants a divorce I think.There is an element of the story where the hero doesn’t like to be touched/looked at because of disfigurement he is hiding from the heroine, if that jogs your memory.
Seconding Joanie’s Eloísa James suggestion!
Super important question: does she make him take the earring out? I have this Thing for men with earrings, who are few and far between as romance heroes for some reason, so on the one hand I want to read whatever this is but on the other, if he had to take it out, it would make me angry.
I am going to second the Mia Vincy “Wicked Kind of Husband”. I remember her thinking how silly his earring was and it’s a recent and well received book.
It’s been mentioned twice already, but this is definitely “A Wicked Kind of Husband” by Mia Vincy. I read it just a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. The banter between Clara and Joshua is delightful.They spend the book trying to get her sisters engaged/married so they can part ways again.