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 Sarah, who is looking for either an anthology or historical romance series:
I read this romance within the past 3 years or so and now I can’t find it again. I don’t think the book itself was that new though. The plot involves three women and their interlinked stories – all taking place at a country house party – so I have had trouble narrowing down the keywords for an online search.
What I remember:
The romance is about 3 women – the first story is about Olivia (? I think), a desperately impoverished widowed noblewoman who decides to become the mistress of the local lord. She is already friends with the lord’s sister (named Annabelle I think?), and is ultimately invited to the house party at his estate – although no one knows they are romantically involved. [This part of the story is slightly steamy, I remember they cement their arrangement by making out in her garden.]
The second mini-story is about an heiress (named Judith I think?? who has frizzy unmanageable hair) who is in a marriage of convenience to a cash-strapped nobleman. She loves him, but he is only icily polite to her. [He is embarrassed that he had to marry for money.] At the same house party, she learns about his tumbledown nearby estate and offers to restore it. I remember they skip the final ball because they fall into bed together and stay there for hours.
The third mini-story is about Annabelle, the 1st nobleman’s sister, who develops a romance at the house party with an old friend, maybe named Anthony??
I’m not sure why I feel the need to find this book again – but it was well-written, and after a recent dry spell reading mediocre Regencies, I may be nostalgic…
You know the drill, Bitchery!
The Wedding Affair
by Leigh Michaels
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Sounds a bit like one of the Julia Quinn/Eloisa James/Connie Brockway novels in three parts (There are two in the series) but the mistress bits don’t line up. Sorry not to be more help!
The two books that come to my mind that have 3 Ladies, house parties, steamy romance and excellent writing are: “The Lady most likely” and “The Lady most willing” by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway. The first one includes making out in the meadow 🙂
Following.
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Sounds like a lotta fun crazysauce
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Was it Christmas/holiday themed, do you remember? The setup kind of reminds me The Last Chance Christmas Ball, though I don’t think the details match. But there are lots of Christmas novella collections like that
Thanks for the suggestions so far. But it’s not one of the titles mentioned here. It was not Christmas themed, just house party themed. I think it was one author also not a split assignment. So frustrating!
I just read this. There are three red headed school girls who have a club and use men’s names. Alex and Cecil maybe, and someone else. In the first book, Alex kills the school’s headmaster who attacks her. Her friends and the gardener(?) help her get away. The rest of the story takes place years later. She has become a doctor of archeology (?) She comes back to England to attend her red headed friend’s wedding. I can’t remember the name of the book or the author. I have crazy menopause brain.
@Mag The trilogy you’re thinking of is Kerrigan Byrne’s The Devil You Know series. (I admit, I had to look up the series name.) How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is the one with Alex (Alexandra). Cecil’s (Cecilia’s) book just came out – All Scot and Bothered. Frank (Francesca) is next. I really enjoyed the first 2 books!
No clue about this one though.
If ya’ll figure this out, please publish a link because I want to read it! House Parties are my cat nip 🙂
Would love to know what this is sounds great
A lot of the plot details sound like Leigh Michaels’ the Wedding Affair, but the names are slightly different…
Hmmm…I’ve been reading historical romances like crazy since March-and this HABO has so many things in common with many of them, but nothing is hitting on the mark. I think because it sounds like the setting is at one house party. Could it be a Merry Farmer novel? Some of her novels take place at one party in the country.
Thank you thank you Grace. It is indeed The Wedding Affair by Leigh Michaels. As soon as I saw the author name I remembered. And apologies I did get some of the names wrong. Now to snatch it up for my Kindle! (I think I forgot because she’s not one of the first names one might think of for a Regency author).