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 is from Nara, who is looking for this Regency romance:
I read A LOT of Regencies and so I have no memory of the main characters, the basic plot, anything.
What I do remember is that the male lead’s mother has filled the house with various paintings of Judith holding Holofernes’ head as a message to her husband.
Please help, I have a friend who needs to read this!
What a fucking boss move.
Desperate Duchesses
by
Eloisa James
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I read this!! I’m trying to remember if it’s Eloisa James or Elizabeth Hoyt – I need to check my Kindle.
Desperate Duchesses – Eloisa James.
I have no idea what book this is, but I always thought the Biblical story of Jael driving a tent peg through Sisera’s head was pretty bad-ass too—although I don’t know that I’d want artistic representations of it around the house.
The painting is featured in some Kelly Bowen Regecies, but I don’t think it’s everywhere as a message (although it sounds awesome).
Beaumont’s mother from Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchesses
I 2nd all the Eloisa James answers
Eloisa James. That part of the story made me laugh!
This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James, although I think it features in the first one in the Desperate Duchesses series, too.
I knew this was Eloisa James as soon as I read the headline. Very memorable.
Oh I know this one! It’s one where it’s a marriage of convenience or they have to marry because the heroine is compromised, but the hero can’t be bothered with his wife because he’s too busy being a man with manly hormones so he goes off to slut around Europe, but then he comes home after a few years to make an heir or whatever and finds that his wife has placed a painting of Judith and Holofernes in every room, which is my kind of passive aggressive move that I strongly applauded. I think it is an Eloisa James, but I don’t think it’s Desperate Duchesses. Maybe Duchess in Love? I know it’s part of a series where the heroine is friends with a bunch of artists and hosts some very posh salons and the other books in the series involve her friends who are -gasp!- male.
Somebody narrow this down because I NEED TO READ THIS!
Definitely Desperate Duchesses. Chapter 2.
It is Desperate Duchesses but the character whose MIL has the penchant for Judith and Holofernes is featured in this book and the three that follow in the series, with her story in Book 5. I think the art is mentioned throughout the series for humor value.
Definitely Eloisa James”s Desperate Duchess series!! It’s one of my favorite series of all time! It’s technically Book #5 “This Duchess Of Mine” (Jemma and Elijah), but the 1st book in the series starts with the brother of Jemma and she’s just returned from Paris after being estranged from her husband and her and Elijah’s story is an ongoing subplot through the series up to their book! It was hilarious and made me cry a lot!
Thank you guys!!!!! Desperate Duchesses it is – I’ve read them all! Off to tell Facebook which books to read 🙂
Okay so I love all those paintings. I have actually considered dedicating a wall of my room to prints of those paintings. When I was in Rome for my honeymoon (swoon), we saw Caravaggio’s take on it, which is so fantastic, and I bought earrings that look like the ones Judith is wearing. Double swoon. 😀
If you’re a fan of the Judith and Holofernes story you definitely need to read this article which ranks various versions of the painting, it’s hysterical.
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/ranked-10-paintings-of-judith-beheading-holofernes
Karin, your link to the painting ranking is the best!
Karin that current affairs link to the ranking of paintings made me snort laugh! Thank you!!