This HaBO comes from Gayle, who wants to find this historical romance:
Long time reader, infrequent poster!
I read this book possibly early/mid 2010s. It was probably a Regency. In the prologue, a couple is about to be wed. He had a title and she was marrying above her station. His best friend was a woman on the estate next door and everyone thought they would get married instead, but the hero and heroine fell in love. After the ceremony, the heroine went to find her new husband and saw what she thought was him and the other woman locked in a passionate embrace. She runs away.
Chapter 1 is almost 7 years later and no one has heard from the heroine. Everyone is encouraging hero to have her declared dead so he can re-marry and get an heir. The childhood best friend is now a widow and wants him.
They are at the theater or opera when the door to the box opens and it is his wife. The reason she came back was because she had an almost 7 year old son, whose birth was witnessed and had been documented as his heir.
Can this be solved?
If she ran away following the ceremony and had a son shortly after, that must mean… *waggles eyebrows*
I have my doubts, but I recently read Candace Camp’s A Momentary Marriage (book 2 in a series) and something about this made me think of how the characters in book 1 were described. I have not read book 1 but it’s called A Perfect Gentleman. The blurb says she was spurned by her husband on her wedding night and now years later has returned from America.
The first couple of paragraphs read exactly like To Kiss a Thief by Susanna Craig, but they couple in that one reunite in a small seaside town, rather than the opera.
FOLLOWING!!!!!!!
No idea but definitely one I want to read
Following!
Following
Following! This sounds like something Sherry Thomas would cook up
Following
Hmmm the Candace Camp book came out in 2017, so im not sure if it’s the right one.
I’m a big Sherry Thomas fan and I don’t believe she has s book with that plot!
What a mystery. I would definitely read this.
Sarah McLean The Day of the Dutchess
Man, this situation needs to be solved with poly.
Now I’m intrigued as to who the hero ends up with.
It’s not Day of the Duchess, she doesn’t have a son, and her not being able to have children is a big part of plot (insert rant and a giant eyeroll about the epilogue here).
A husband and wife reuniting years after a misunderstanding involving an embrace with a friend sounds like a Catherine Coulter book, but I think heres had the wife embracing a male friend and the man running off.
Can the OP confirm reading it in 2010 or thereabouts? Day of the Duchess was out in 2017. And if I recall correctly they see each again in parliament when the wife is asking for a divorce, not the opera.
ARGH! I am so discouraged! I have such vivid memories of some of the scenes – and how much I hated the woman on the adjacent estate.
Since there are so many following this, maybe if we can’t figure out the title, we could pitch it to some of our favorite authors!
No, it is for sure not Day of the Duchess. And I feel certain I read it between 2012 and 2015 (maybe 2016).
Don’t be discouraged Gayle, we will figure it out.
@ Laura- I immediately thought Sherry Thomas, too! I feel like I have read a book like this at some point, and Thomas has done a few where the heroine reappears after being gone for awhile.
Definitely not Day of the Duchess. The premise sounds like Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath except its the husband who runs away after seeing his wife in the arms of his brother. She goes to London to reconcile or get pregnant or both? He has a mistress (who’s very wicked) and there’s opera or theatre.
Could it be Keepsake by Heather Boyd??
@ Susan!!!! That’s it! I never would have figured that out from the book’s description – Oh golly, I sure hope it is as good as I have built it up in my mind!!! (Cue Kermit waving his arms madly.) Thank you, bitchery –
@Emily P – sorry – thanks to everyone but especially you – I am shaking I am so excited!!
@Gayle – eeee, I’m glad I could help! I went down QUITE a few paths, finally found it on a list of “runaway brides”
Wait so is it Keepsake or Passions of a Wicked Earl?
So sorry- Keepsake.
I have downloaded Keepsake on Hoopla and am loving the story! Thanks @Gayle and the Bitchery for providing a new read.