We were super tickled by this request sent in by Anna:
This might be a vague question, but it’s for a library patron! I am looking for books with a similar relationship dynamic to Howl’s Moving Castle (not necessarily in a fantasy setting!) where the woman is plain, pragmatic, and reserved and the man is flamboyant, charismatic, and more conventionally attractive (same-sex pairings and queer and non-binary characters with similar dynamics welcome, just not straight pairings where the woman is fanciful one). Any leads?
Sarah: I am wondering if some Heyer’s would qualify. Definitely Anna Cowan’s Untamed, published in 2013. ( A ) The hero is a bi cross dressing duke, and while there are some Plot Inconsistencies I think the dynamic would work here. And wouldn’t The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune also work for this request? I think so, but I’m going to ponder more.
Claudia: Yeah, I feel there are a good amount of books showing this dynamic but immediately coming to mind is Mary Balogh’s Heartless. The book is a little dated, fair warning. Oh, another one would be K.J. Charles’ A Fashionable Indulgence, which has My Fair Lady overtones — long-lost frumpy heir and chic dandy tasked with making him into a gentleman fall in love.
Sarah: Yes. Also, I love this request – this is a fun one!
Catherine: Ooh, I love this request, and this dynamic but can I remember any books that fit it? Not so much…
Speaking of Balogh, what about A Summer to Remember? Lauren is the quiet, conventional well-behaved one, and Kit is definitely flamboyant and charismatic.
I wonder if The Duchess War or The Countess Conspiracy, by Courtney Milan, would fit here? The dynamic for both of these novels certainly starts that way, though it doesn’t entirely finish that way, especially in the Countess Conspiracy.
The upcoming Olivia Dade novel, All the Feels, looks like it will have that dynamic, too. I am absolutely positive I’ve read more books in this category recently but I just can’t think of them…
Maya: I HAVE ONE!!!!! What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken! ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) Gwenvael the Handsome falls in love with Dagmar Reinholdt aka the Beast. Dagmar is described as plain (but brilliant) and Gwenvael definitely thinks his looks will let him get away with anything.
Susan: This library patron knows what’s good and I respect them for it
Jeannie Lin has written a couple of these – her recent short story Tale of the Drunken Sword, and her novel The Lotus Palace both have very reserved and practical heroines paired up with heroes who cover their competence with a solid layer of flamboyance.
I feel like T. Kingfisher MUST have written romances like this because I don’t think she’s ever written a female lead who wasn’t sensible and pragmatic – Catherine, do you have any ideas?
Catherine: The thing is, her heroes are also generally sensible and pragmatic, rather than flamboyant. I mean, comparatively, yes, Istvhan is more flamboyant than Clara in Paladin’s Strength (and he certainly plays that role well at the end), but yeah. I don’t think flamboyant heroes are Kingfisher’s style.
Susan: Ah, that’s true!
Catherine: On the other hand, getting back to my traditional brand, Laura Florand does this in A Crown of Bitter Orange – Tristan being the flamboyant, charming, extroverted perfumer and Malorie being the contained, quiet accountant.
Susan: Apart from that, possibly Jordan L. Hawk’s Hexbreaker – it’s a historical shifter romance with soulmates, and I believe the protagonists are a beat cop trying to keep his head down, and a cat shifter who’s incapable of not being the centre of attention. Or maybe Silver in the Wood, where the protagonist is content to be a Wild Man in the woods not talking to anyone about his past or any magical goings-on, and a love interest who really would LOVE to talk to him about all of those things.
Which titles would you suggest? Let us know!
Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon (FF, NA) might fit this. Pairs shy baby butch from a wealthy family with a poorer young woman who works as a stripper to pay for college. They met first at a bachelorette party and then in their shared computer science class.
Edge of Glory by Rachel Spangler (FF contemp with Olympic athletes). Goofball snowboarding champ and uptight, practical downhill skier meet at US winter training camp and romance and hijinks ensue.
On thought on the recs for A Summer to Remember by Mary Balough – I love this book and it fits the request except that Lauren is conventionally beautiful.
I don’t think the Scarlet Pimpernel quite fits. Sir Percy (the Scarlet Pimpernel) is definitely gregarious, attractive, flamboyant in his dress (but most well-off 18th century men were flamboyant); however, Marguerite, Lady Blakeney is not plain. She was a major actor at Comédie Française before her marriage to Sir Percy and is described as being fashionable, beautiful, and charming. The disconnect is that Marguerite is also witty and intelligent, while Sir Percy is thought to be good-nature, but foolish and dull. Society can’t understand why such a smart, successful, witty woman would marry such a foolish man.
I think Heyer had a lot of books that play with this idea of the plain and/or practical heroine and more flamboyant and gregarious hero. But she often twists the trope a bit (like in Cotillion where at first Kitty appears to be plain or least plainly dressed and Freddy impractical, but by the end it turns out neither is true). Others with a practical/plain heroine and more social/attractive hero include Sprig Muslim (Lady Hester and Sir Gareth); The Quiet Gentleman (Gervase, and Drusilla); Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle (Sylvester and Phoebe); A Civil Contract (Jenny and Adam).
There also Joan Smith’s Imprudent Lady (Prudence and Dammler) and Aunt Sophie’s Diamonds (Claudia and Sir Hillary). Both were Fawcett regencies from the 80s I think, but there are ebook editions.
Agree that Karina Bliss’s Rise fits this.
Late for work, but how about Jane Eyre? Jane describes him as definitely not handsome, but he is rich and charming and extravagant. And she’s his poor, plain governess.
I love this request and feel like I definitely know some books because I love this dynamic too! BUT I can’t remember any right now! Will think and read what people have written!
Ooh my first thought (as I’ve been re-reading her series) was Gail Carriger, as she loves practical characters and flamboyance. I’m not sure any of the romantic relationships in her main series quite match the requested dynamic, but that feel is totally there.
Soulless, the first book in her Parasol Protectorate series, probably works? Alexia (practical) and Lord Maccon (over the top) is close, but the better fit to the requested theme is actually the friendship between Alexia and Lord Akeldama (the definition of flamboyant). Romancing the Werewolf (m/m) probably fits, but it has two side characters from the Parasol Protectorate/ Custard Protocol series and probably works best if you read the Parasol Protectorate series at least.
I love this trope, so I’ll be checking out a bunch of these!
I think Rose Lerner’s first book IN FOR A PENNY fits. It’s a class difference book in which Nev is a wild 20-something aristocrat, forced to marry an sensible, somewhat plain manufacturing heiress when his father is killed and he inherits nothing but debts.
I’m currently adoring the Stariel fantasy romance quartet (beginning with THE LORD OF STARIEL) which mostly fits the request in that Hetta, the “lord” who inherits Stariel is not necessarily plain, but definitely common-sensical, pragmatic and down to earth. Her love interest is the house butler whom she grew up with. It’s not that he’s flamboyant per se, but he is Fae and is hiding his attractiveness with magic in order to fit in with the humans.
My final rec is for INSIDE TRACK by Tamsen Parker in which a wild and crazy drummer for a rock band, who has severe ADHD and absolutely no filter, falls for a sensible former child actor with severe agorophobia who works as a financial counselor for famous people to keep them from being taken advantage of the way she was.
Practical heroine, flamboyant hero:
Robin D Owen’s Celta series:
“Heart Thief”, book 2 in the series, the heroine is a pragmatic Judge and the heroine is a swashbuckling their who hides his troubles past with Devil may care.
“Heart Duel”, book 3. The heroine is a practical healer who is over the crap of the privileged class. The heroine is a recovering flamboyant heir who is trying to figure out if he is still that dashing Rogue or someone more mature?
I think The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho would qualify. One of the heroines is simple and plain, and the other, not so much!
A lot of Betty Neels would qualify as well. The heroes are not always what I would term out and out flamboyant, but they’re definitely more conventionally attractive and charming. A Girl to Lovewould definitely qualify for this rec imo.
The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden has a more flamboyant hero as compared to the heroine, who’s slightly more pragmatic and reserved.
Nalini Singh’s “Play of Passion”, book 9 in the Psy Changeling series- Indigo is the protective, capable, and serious (but pretty) Lieutenant of the Snow Dancer wolf pack, more dominant and a few years older than Drew, the loveable and flamboyant jokester who plays pranks and everyone feels comfortable approaching. He struggles to get Indigo to take him seriously as a romantic option.
Anne Gracie’s “The Perfect Rake” Prudence is the practical and plain oldest sister who tells a white lie that she is engaged to a reclusive Duke so that her beautiful younger sisters will have a chance marry and escape their physically abusive grandfather. However, the Duke’s rake of cousin Gideon falls for Prudence and madcap hijinks ensue.
Young Adult:
Meghan Whalen Turner’s excellent YA fantasy “The Queen’s Thief” series, 5 short books?
A fantasy world influenced by ancient Greece instead of your typical medieval England, the hero is a flamboyant thief who is released from Prison to steal an enchanted jewel. In the second book, we are introduced to the Queen of the antogonistic neighboring kingdom, smart and cold and well aware of the duties of her station.
YA fantasy series:
Tamora Pierce’s “The Song of the Lioness” series, 4 short books where we meet Alanna, a practical young girl who wants to be a knight, so she trades places with her twin brother and masquerades as a boy during her page and squire training. While in love with her friend, the Prince Jonathan, in the first books, she slowly starts to romantically notice her friend George, the flamboyant King of Theives.
Apparently, I enjoy this dynamic…
Contemporary romances:
Kristen Callihan’s New Adult “Game on” series, particularly book 2 “The Friend Zone”, but all of the books in the series have down to earth heroines who suddenly have to deal with larger than life college and professional football players.
book 1 in Kristen Callihan’s “VIP” series has a similar dynamic, where a homebody heroine is suddenly having to deal with a flamboyant rock Star hero.
Glitterland by Alexis Hall fits this trope well. Ash is almost house bound with anxiety when he meets “Essex” (Darian) at a club. Darian,as aspiring model is all about the looks. It’s a marvelous, emotional read.
In some way Mesalliance by Stella Riley (Book 2 in the Rockcliffe series) also fits. Rockcliffe’s not a fop, but he’s definite dresses befitting a Duke,while Adeline is described as only “passably pretty.” The next book, The Player, might work here as well.
I was thinking of Rachel Reid’s Tough Guy, but Heated Rivalry also fits.
KJ Charles has been mentioned several times, but I didn’t see An Unsuitable Heir or An Unnatural Vice.
I would also include AJ Demas’s two Saffron Alley stories, and Courtney Milan’s The Pursuit of…
Ooh, I think Erin McLellan’s Candy Hearts might fit the bill. One hero is fun and likes watermelon body wash and lingerie while the other is more practical, all work and no play. I don’t actually remember the physical descriptions of either hero, so it might not be an exact match. But it was still really good!
“some Heyer’s would qualify. Definitely Anna Cowan’s Untamed, published in 2013. ( A ) The hero is a bi cross dressing duke” Ha! I read this too fast and missed key punctuation.. I was desperately trying to remember a Heyer hero who is a bi cross dressing Duke!
Jordan Hawk, Jordan Hawk, Jordan Hawk.
And Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale? The heroine is a Quaker, aka Plain Folk, the hero a Duke who loves pretty things (but has a stroke, young, and is at risk of being judged insane as a result).
Yes! Yes! to “Devil in Winter”, a perfect fit and always in the top 20 of all time romances. “The Dark Highlander” by K.M. Moning also would apply. I also remember “Lover Eternal” by JR Ward having a movie star handsome hero with a plain heroine. I also think “The Indiscretion” by Judith Ivory fits this bill.
I think Elizabeth Harmon’s Shining Through might work here. The hero is one of the bad boys of ice skating and loves eyeliner and tattoos. The heroine is one of the good girls of ice skating and is much more career-focused, to the extent she’s burning out.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix has a protagonist, Susan, who is not conventionally beautiful and tends to the pragmatic, and the hero, Merlin, is fabulously flamboyant with just about the most interesting dress sense I ever remember coming across in fiction.
If I can do a self-recommendation, my book ACTING UP fits this – Cath is the practical-minded stage manager and Paul is the more dreamy artist director of a theater production (contemporary). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Q8F8T4V
I’ll second Kylie Scott’s Play and G.A. Aiken’s What a Dragon Should Know. There’s nothing better than a Sex Puppy hero paired with a down to earth, practical woman.
I’d add Duke’s Wager by Edith Layton, though the heroine’s straightforwardness tends to be trumped by her innocence and vulnerability. However, she is pursued by not one but two! aristocratic rakes.
Heyer has been mentioned several timed, but I saw no mention of Venetia. The heroine is the strong center of her household who discovers that her new neighbor is a notorious rake. Over the years, it’s been mentioned a number of times on this site as a favorite Heyer.
The first book I thought of after reading this was Painted Faces by LH Cosway. Heroine is a snarky, working class girl in Dublin with multiple jobs whose new neighbor is a gorgeous, extreme extravert who performs in female dress at a gay night club. The perfect blend of humor, music, steam and angst made this a multiple reread for me.
Two recent reads: Eliot Grayson’s THE ONE DECENT THING—m/m, with one rather flamboyant hero and the other a more subdued ex-con trying to find his footing now he’s out of prison. And another m/m—Sarina Bowen’s ROOMMATE—with one hero out and proud, the other shy and struggling with his sexuality.
@ Mintaka14 — Yes! I was debating whether there’s enough romance in The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, but on reflection, I think there is. And the characters definitely fit.
Kate Meader’s Insta Crush would fall into this! Theo is a flamboyent outsized personality and Elle is practical, sensible, and former military, although I’m not sure she fits the “plain” criteria.
I love the Howl/Sophie dynamic, so even though I didn’t put in this request (despite sharing a name with the OP), I’m loving the recommendations!
Nalini Singh Rock Hard which is book 2 in the Rock Kiss series is definitely this. Also Rock Kiss I think, but definitely book 2 which I loved.
Also Heyer’s A Civil Contract. She is plain and pragmatic, he is a dashing war hero, they get married for money reasons but he comes to treasure her. She stays plain and pragmatic right to the end which I liked — no magical transformation where she’s suddenly hot and he is in love, he comes to value and love her for exactly what and who she is. Again, a little dated so ymmv.
I think I saw this dynamic when I read Stella Riley’s the Black Madonna, an excellent book which is more in the historical fiction category, but with an important romance. I think the romance in this book between Kate and Luciano is a good example.
@SBSarah: Off topic, but thank you for adjusting the link text that appears when navigating between pages of comments. There was nothing wrong with how the links were labeled previously, but I like this better.
Marie Sexton’s STRAWBERRIES FOR DESSERT. One of her best novels, in my opinion. The dynamic between the two main characters is just beautifully written.
I started reading Loretta Chase’s MISS WONDERFUL last night and thought, “Ah, timely for Rec League!” The hero would rather die traveling in a storm than accept an offer of shelter overnight and suffer the horror of wearing the same clothes the next day, and every last one of his sartorial sensibilities is offended by the heroine’s unfashionable presentation, which is deliberately hideous because she runs her father’s estate and can’t afford to have anyone believe her thoughts are consumed by trivialities like hair and clothes.
Ooh, this is a fun trope. For contemporaries, this makes me think of If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane– I’m not sure Laurie is described as plain, but she’s definitely very pragmatic and amused by Jamie’s charm and flash. For historicals, there are a bunch of good ones that have already been named like A Summer to Remember and A Week to Be Wicked. A Convenient Fiction by Mimi Matthews also seems to fit this trope– Alex is handsome and dashing and determined to marry a beautiful heiress but finds himself falling for kind, plain, and sensible Laura. I know a bunch of Heyers have already been mentioned, but I’m not sure if anyone has added The Nonesuch, which is one of my favorites. Sir Waldo is handsome, wealthy, titled, and fashionable, but he falls in love with Ancilla, a plain, spinster governess-companion, instead of her beautiful young charge because of Ancilla’s good sense and level-headedness. Also, another trad Regency romance in Heyer-style that fits this is Imprudent Lady by Joan Smith, which features a plain, Jane Austen-like writer heroine and Lord Dammler, a dashing and handsome marquis who writes adventure stories.
I love this trope so much!
A lot of people have mentioned Duke of Sin, but that’s one of my favorite books so I’m going to include it again.
I think Lee Welch’s Salt Magic, Skin Magic fits the bill. One hero is a down-to-earth industrial magician, the other is an aristocratic artist under a mysterious curse. It’s a great book, especially if you like K.J. Charles!
Meredith Durand’s Bound by your Touch definitely fits this description. It’s one of the books I often re-read
This is my absolute favorite pairing! I’m sure I’ve read more but the memorable ones that come to mind are Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall – Oliver is VERY pragmatic and Luc is more flamboyant and also an adorable mess. Also Status Update by Annabeth Albert – at one point Noah has to keep reminding Adrian to stop flirting because it’s too tempting for Noah, who is ‘absolutely not looking to get involved’.
I think Burned by Kaylea Cross fits — heroine is more serious than the practical-joker hero
Also Marriage Lessons by Katie Ruggle/Allen — hero is a little sillier than heroine
Would also suggest some of the Penny Reid books