Help A Bitch Out

HaBO: Heroine Falls for Betrothed’s Grumpy, Reclusive Brother

This HaBO is from Laura, who is hopping to identify one of the earliest romances they’ve read:

I’ve been searching for a romance I snuck from my mom in the 90’s/early 2000’s FOREVER and neither she nor I remember the name or author.

What I remember is:

A woman starts the book engaged to a perfectly nice guy, kind of traditionally handsome and sweet (blech) and comes home to visit his home (in my head it’s a manor, but cannot confirm. I don’t actually know if this is a period romance or if I just wanted it to be so changed it in my head). She then meets his grumpy, recluse brother (yay!) who I think is scholarly and falls in love with him.

In the end, the sweet brother finds someone who is also sweet so everyone ends up happy.

The book would have been published before 2003, probably but not definitely historical. My mom read a lot of Jude Deveraux but I don’t think this one was hers (but maybe an author that would have been suggested as similar?).

Thank you so much. This book is one of those *formative* romances in my brain so I would love to find it.

Aw, I’m glad it works out for all involved!

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  1. Hillary says:

    Could it be Jude Devereaux’s The Duchess? The heroine goes to meet her fiance’s family in Scotland and falls in love with his older brother, who has malaria (I think) and is a reclusive grumpy explorer.

  2. Lisa F says:

    Ooh, Tres Sabrina! Bookmarking this one.

  3. JennyOH says:

    @Hillary, I immediately thought of The Duchess too. What made the biggest impression on me was that the modern mansion was built around the original medieval hall, which was the part of the building that the recluse older brother skulked in. It had some creepy old skool overtones in that the R.O.B. skeeved on the heroine’s younger sister (14 or 15 yrs old?) and another major female character, AND there was a significant age difference between him and the heroine (18/33).

  4. Chris Alexander says:

    I was going to suggest THE DUCHESS, also. I can still envision him transcribing all his notes and grumpily telling her to go away.

  5. Sarah Drew says:

    Possibly “Enchanting Pleasures” by Eloisa James?
    “Gabrielle Jerningham cherishes the portrait of her betrothed, the perfect Peter Dewland…until she meets his commanding older brother Quill. But it is Peter to whom she has been promised. And how can she possibly transform her voluptuous, outspoken self into the poised gentlewoman Peter requires?”

  6. Ellie says:

    Christina Dodd’s In My Wildest Dreams, part of her Governess Brides series, is a Sabrina-esque tale.

  7. Kit says:

    It’s probably too new, but my first thought was a Tessa Dare, “Say Yes to the Marquess”

  8. Laura says:

    I think it probably was The Duchess-I had forgotten about the malaria but everything else sounds spot on. I will check that one out to make sure (and be sure to check out all these other suggestions too!) Also, I did not know this was the plot to Sabrina-how have I never seen this!?

  9. Sarah Drew says:

    What fun never to have seen Sabrina before! Enjoy!

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