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 request is Susan, who wants to track down this historical romance:
I’m looking for a historical romance I read a few years ago. The heroine answers an ad for a position (can’t recall what it was for, maybe a governess?). In reality the hero had placed the ad under false pretenses. He is really looking for a wife and is using the ad to find somebody inappropriate to his family. He decides she’s the one that will really annoy his family. I think he had a falling out with his father (who is a duke?).
I recall that she is the oldest or second oldest of a large family that is orphaned. She and her older brother have gone to London to earn money to send home to the other siblings. The siblings live in the country. The hero marries the heroine and they immediately go to the family estate in the country. Also the hero is betrothed or is almost betrothed to a young woman on a neighboring estate. I think the parents had arranged the betrothal. He doesn’t want to marry this girl (she’s very young); hence the plot to thwart the engagement by showing up already married.
They show up at the estate, shocking his family. His wife, the heroine, has stayed in her unfashionable clothing on purpose. He really wants to annoy his family. At some point her goodness ends up bringing the family together. She is starting to fall in love and hates the deception. She finally leaves the estate to return to her siblings. The hero has no idea where she has gone. The only thing he knows is where her brother lives in London. He finds the brother and is able to track her down in the country. Things end on a happy note.
I thought this was a Mary Balogh’s The Ideal Wife. I’m reading that right now and it definitely is not the book I’m looking for, although there are some similarities. I’ve checked other Balogh books and don’t see anything. I can’t find it in the other authors I usually read. Can the bitchery help me out?
Let’s HaBO!
Hmm…could it possibly be “You May Kiss the Bride” (Penhallow Dynasty)? I don’t remember that having an advertisement, though. (But a great series, fwiw.)
Could it be THE MOCK MARRIAGE by Dirothy Mack? Not all details fit (heroine is an actress, e.g., and I don’t recall siblings beyond ine brother), but annoying his family and escaping an arranged marriage are part of the plot.
I’ll also say this description has some similarities with Tessa Dare’s Any Duchess Will Do, but it’s not a perfect fit.
Is it The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh? “Miss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart’s proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he wants: a wife who will enrage the father he despises and then disappear from his life. In exchange, Charity’s family will receive the money they desperately need. But after Charity agrees to this mockery of matrimony, she soon discovers a startling fact: She has fallen for Anthony, and breaking their marriage vows may also break her heart.”
@Lilim – I think you are right – I recently read that title and really enjoyed it.
My own review of The Temporary Wife mentioned that it seemed like a trial run for The Ideal Wife, so I believe @Lilim and @gks are correct.
Adding my support for Balogh’s “The Temporary Wife” — the plot matches this description precisely!
Solved! Its The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh. It doesn’t show up on her list. That was quick work ladies. Thanks!