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 Heather S., who is looking for this romantic suspense:
I read this romantic suspense book back in the late 90s at a friend’s house (isn’t that how many of us snuck our romances?).
The deets: The whole thing takes place on an island or some tropical costal location.
There was a car accident at the beginning of the book and the heroine had to have facial reconstruction surgery. She’s also the same size and having the same hair color as the hero’s ex (who was the other person in the accident and died), so she’s mistaken for the ex and her face is made to look like the ex’s did. Everyone thinks she’s the ex instead of who she actually is. Maybe she had amnesia after the accident? (Because it was the 90s. Of course she had amnesia.)
The heroine was being hunted by some creepy dude with an uncommon name – it had extra Xs or Zs in it that were totally unnecessary but he thought it made him cool.
Even young-teen-me thought this book was a heaping helping of crazysauce.
Sarah thought this may have been Mirror Image by Sandra Brown, but alas, it’s not.
I don’t know the book, but doesn’t it seem we had a similar HABO a few years ago and we discovered there were many books featuring accident (or attempted murder)/reconstruction surgery/revenge/new romance? Iirc, we had a great discussion in the comments about the 1980s Australian miniseries, “Return to Eden”:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Eden
Shadow Woman by Linda Howard maybe? (https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Woman-Novel-Linda-Howard/dp/0345506944) Mystery figure in Amazon description is named Xavier…
Could it possibly be After Caroline by Kay Hooper?
I have no idea what book this is, so I’m just spitballing here, but by any chance do the heroine and the hero’s ex turn out to be long-lost siblings or anything? As a veteran reader of 80s and 90s romances, that’s the next revelation I would expect.
I remember “Return to Eden” and enjoying it. Didn’t her husband and “best friend” (who was having an affair with the husband who had married the main character for her money) throw her to the crocodiles or something?
@Todd – Yes she got tossed to the crocs, survived, lost her memory for a stretch after being found by an old prospector who gave her the cash to get reconstructive surgery that resulted in a face that ended up on Vogue (she was originally in her 40/50s so not sure how the rest of her snapped back to 20). Attracted and then set up her husband and finally found love with the doctor who did the surgery. I remember watching it with my Mum – it was epic.
No, no “surprise! sibling” moment. It’s not the Hooper or the Howard.
Why do I feel like I’ve seen a Karen Robards like this …? Def found one called OBSESSION by her.
This sounds like Mirror Image by Sandra Brown.
Sorry. I just saw that Mirror Image had been ruled out.
@Shawna, I was thinking Karen Robards as well, but nothing sounds quite right. . .
Also might jog the memory: the cover was a watery aqua blue with a woman’s face sublimated on it?
This isn’t the book, but I was reminded of Danielle Steele’s The Promise, which was also made into a movie. I agree that reconstructive surgery was a common device in that era. I guess it makes sense because much of the innovation in that area was relatively new and writers jumped on the bandwagon to make use of it. Sort of a precursor to shows like The Swan and Extreme Makeover (yikes).
The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen?
The Ugly Duckling was actually the book I was thinking of; however, although there is reconstructive surgery, this doesn’t match the other plot points. It’s more of a thriller, where the heroine uses her new face (some significant weight loss as well) to hunt the killer of her husband and brother. No amnesia.
It’s not the Johansen, either.
This is an unlikely one, but how about What Lies Beneath by Andrea Laurence? It’s got the facial reconstruction as ex-fiancée, and one edition has two people walking along a misty beach.
https://www.juggernaut.in/books/mills-boon-introduces-what-lies-beneath-soldier-father-husband-the-seven-day-target-mills-boon-m-b-millionaires-of-manhattan
@Chemchik: Thanks for the suggestion, but that’s not it. It was definitely a full-length book, not a category.
Could it be What Lies Beneath? https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/what-lies-beneath-by-andrea-lawrence/
Ugh…was about to type a response but just saw the message about it not being a category. I vaguely remember a Harlequin Intrigue that had a similar plot.
It sounds like Meryl Sawyer’s book “Half Moon Bay”.
The heroine Amy was disfigured and is running away from her old life, then is a car crash with another woman named Shelly. Shelly’s ex-boyfriend (who wants nothing to do with her anymore because she’s not a nice person) identifies Amy as “Shelly” and she gets reconstructive surgery. the real Shelly died in the car accident.
Amy thinks it’s great because now she has “Shelly’s” wonderful life but I think someone is after the real Shelly and the nice ex-boyfriend can’t understand why Shelly is acting so different (much nicer) now.
I also remember something about the boyfriend noticing something is wrong at the hospital where a guy there is abusing Amy/Shelly when she can’t defend herself and saves her?
It’s set in Florida as I also recall.
@Christine – I think you are right, the goodreads image has the picture of the cover in a watery aqua with the woman’s face peering up.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/496181.Half_Moon_Bay
The villain is “Dexxter Foxx” as well so that certainly accounts for a lot of extra “XX’s”
Dexxter Foxx?? 1980s P0rn-Star Name alert!!
@DiscoDollyDeb or Dixxter Foxx maybe (;
AND he changed his name from because he was tired of saying “Dexter Foxe. That’s Fox with an E.” So he decided to become a double X because it was “distinctive” and “classy”?? Ugh. Who changes their name for of a reason like that?
@Layla: so he was tired of saying, “That’s Foxe with an e,” but had no problem saying, “That’s Foxx with two x’s”? That’s a primo villain right there!
@Christine: You’re right! It is “Half Moon Bay”!
Thanks to all y’all for your help. I had no idea “facial reconstruction/plastic surgery” was such a common plot point in the 90s. You’re all wonderful. I’m going to track down this book and see if it’s as over the top as my 13 year old self remembers.
Yay!! I’m so happy someone else had this stuck in their head for years too!
I just had to pull it out to re-read it after your post, and yes, it’s just as crazy as you thought. It was even crazier than I remembered.