The Rec League: Ted & Rebecca Energy

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old bookThis Rec League was sent in by Daniela. Thanks, Daniela!

I have been reading a lot of Ted Lasso fanfic lately and it spurred a rec league request: can you recommend some books that have a Ted/Rebecca type of pairing? It’s not quite grumpy/sunshine but more like ice queen/extreme sunshine-shaped marshmallow. Ideally, if it’s an MF pairing, the hero is the marshmallow.

Amanda: Please be respectful of Ted Lasso spoilers!

Catherine: Ok, this is absolutely and definitely A Crown of Bitter Orange by Laura Florand. Tristan is sweet and sunny and ridiculously nice (if also a little bit of a drama Queen when it comes to his art), and Malorie is self-possessed and self-protective and determined to freeze him out. Highly recommended!

The Runaway Duchess
A | BN | K
Claudia: I’m going to go with The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell, which is scheduled to be published in late January. Our “Rebecca” is the antagonist in the first book of the series, an ice queen married off to an older man because her family has fallen on hard times. I loved that she remains somewhat “unlikeable” (I liked her from the get go) throughout while showing different facets. Hero is a down-to-earth botanist, loyal, funny and a bit goofy with a traumatic experience in his past. There’s even a “Rupert,” the nasty husband. (edited)

Sarah: I REMEMBERED THE ONE I WANTED: A Lady Awakened. ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) He’s a big puppy of a man and she’s very reserved and basically wants him to impregnate her so the terrible heir won’t inherit from her very-recently-deceased husband.

Tara: Ooh, Sarah, that one is so good, too!

Which romances would you recommend? Let us know!

Comments are Closed

  1. Maybe The Widow of Rose House, by Diana Biller? The hero is a (genuinely brilliant) golden retriever/cinnamon roll of a guy who just totally doesn’t notice the icy shield the heroine has put up around herself (due to the nightmare of her past marriage) and only sees how smart and beautiful and secretly kind she is. I really love them together!

  2. Jill Q. says:

    I don’t even watch Ted Lasso (yet, it might be my Christmas gift to myself), but I am following this closely. I love it when the guy is a sweetheart and just respects and admires the heroine being a badass.

  3. FashionablyEvil says:

    I’d suggest Rosie Danan’s THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT, Talia Hibbert’s GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN, and Alisha Rai’s THE RIGHT SWIPE. I’m sure there must be a Jackie Lau or two that fits the bill; ICE CREAM LOVER has the overall dynamic, but the heroine is the marshmallow.

    (Also, I’ve never read a romance novel with as much bad sex as A LADY AWAKENED. It’s next level.)

  4. Lap says:

    Hi, I don’t watch ted Lasso but A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner has an ice queen / sweet hero dynamic.
    I really love this book !

  5. Book Riot has a post about romance books to try if you like TED LASSO: https://bookriot.com/romance-books-like-ted-lasso/

    I binged out the show earlier this year, and it’s fantastic. Can’t wait for season 3! 🙂

  6. Kat says:

    I’m not sure everyone would see it this way, but I think of The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan.

  7. cayenne says:

    +1 re the Laura Florand rec – a lot of her pairings meet the criteria, or are really, really close. In addition to A Crown of Bitter Orange (which is my absolute, total favourite of hers), I would also suggest The Chocolate Rose, Once Upon A Rose, The Chocolate Temptation, and Chase Me.

  8. TinaNoir says:

    – First one to come to mind is Silver Silence by Nalini Singh but it isn’t a ‘start here first’ sort of book.

    – What A Dragon Wants by Shelly Laurenston fits the bill a bit. I feel like this dynamic has a lot of Shelly Laurenston energy but off the top of my head can’t think of others.

    – The Witness by Nora Roberts also. The hero has more of an ‘Aw Shucks’ than the infectious optimism of Ted but the heroine if definitely icy but with a heart. Romantic Suspense not a straight contemp.

  9. cleo says:

    Small Change by Roan Parrish – m/f bi romance between two small business owners. She’s an angry, prickly tattoo artist and he’s a super sweet chef who just opened a sandwich shop near her tattoo shop. Ginger is maybe less icey than Rebecca but she’s just as, if not more ragey, and she’s a great character. A large part of the story arc is her dealing with terrible men in the tattoo field.

  10. DonnaMarie says:

    @Fashionably Evil, YES! It was a masterpiece on how sex without intimacy is not always all it’s cracked up to be. I loved that book.

  11. Kate K.F. says:

    I feel like some of Laurenston’s honey badger books might fit this with all the caveats of her series with the sex and violence but with the honey badgers, the heroes are usually marshmallow to the claws of the badgers. The first two especially since the heroes are both different types of bears.

    My first thought was The Devil’s Delilah but that’s less ice queen and more a different sort of energy. Otherwise I’m not sure, not a trope that I tend to search out.

  12. KB says:

    I literally just read an article about this earlier today. One of the books it recommended was WINDOW SHOPPING by Tessa Bailey. I have not read that one, but have enjoyed everything I’ve read by Tessa Bailey so far. I also feel like one of the Immortals After Dark books by Kresley Cole has this energy–it is DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK, with Cade and Holly. He is sweet and immediately smitten with her but it takes her a LONG time and most of a transcontinental road trip to thaw toward him. That entire series is completely bananas so know that going in, but it’s crazy in a fun way.

  13. Courtney M says:

    Ooh I love a good ice queen so I’ll be watching this thread. I think Miss Wonderful by Loretta Chase fits?

    I think there are definitely overlaps with the sex puppy recs as well: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/07/the-rec-league-sex-puppy/. Specifically, Play of Passion by Nalini Singh sprang to mind; however, it is from a longer series. @TinaNoir rec’d Silver Silence in the same series (agreed), which makes two books out of the Psy/Changeling series. Possibly also A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare, although I’m not sure the hero is ENOUGH of a marshmallow?

  14. Nina A says:

    Loretta Chase’s Mr. Impossible, I think. Also, Lisa Kleypas’s Brown-Eyed Girl and Smooth Talking Stranger.

  15. PamG says:

    I haven’t seen Ted Lasso, being too lazy to watch TV. However, I’m wondering if Teach Me by Olivia Dade might fit this Rec. Perhaps someone familiar with both could chime in?

  16. Eliza Whiting says:

    I just finished Well Matched by Jen Deluca, and I think Mitch and April have a Ted and Rebecca energy.

  17. Maureen says:

    I started Window Shopping last night, and it was really hard to put down. I am loving Aiden so far, and so interested in Stella’s backstory. So many books now are the “second chance” romance, I do relish the meeting of the characters and the plotline of them getting to know each other. Thanks for the recommendation!

  18. Daniela says:

    Thanks so much everyone for your recs! My TBR pile just got way longer but in the best way possible. Also, hit me up if you want TedBecca fanfic recs, cause I got’em!

Comments are closed.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

↑ Back to Top