This HaBO comes from Mary, who wants to locate this comfort series:
My tale is long, so get a cup of tea, coffee, or wine. I’m an older citizen of Romancelandia, having cut my Romance eye teeth on Heyer, Cartland, and Woodiwiss in the 70s and 80s. Our large family lived within walking distance of a library. My parents never censored what we read, so I read The Godfather and others while I was still in high school. So in the adult fiction, I found a group of books all by the same author, all set during WW2, I think.
The one I remember, the female main character was a young ingenue working in NY. Her love interest was labeled unfit for service, but not really. He was a spy/agent for the Defense Department, trying to locate some saboteurs.
The heroine would window shop, specifically Gump’s and a window display with jade jewelry. For a teen in Mississippi in the 70s, it all sounded so luxurious. I could swear the author’s last name was Lowry or Lowery, but would not swear to it. I’m sure they wouldn’t hold up, but they were such a comfort read on a hot summer day. In my mind’s eye, I can still find on the shelves on the wall around the corner from the circulation desk, next to all the magazine racks and study tables. Maybe there are some librarians who can recall these books. Help me, my Smart Bitches, y’all are my only hope!
Let’s HaBO!
I think you might be thinking of “In Times Like These” by Emilie Loring. It’s set in San Francisco, which is where Gump’s is located, and includes a major plot line about jade jewelry. (A lot of Emilie Loring’s books were set in New York, though, so it would be easier to get that detail mixed up.) That particular book is a little later in date but Loring did write a lot of WWII-set books with spies and intrigue and plucky heroines! Emilie Loring was one of my favorite authors when I was young. Unfortunately she is difficult to recommend now because she too often engaged in racial stereotypes for secondary characters, which is too bad because her heroes and heroines were wonderful, the details about clothing, settings, etc are delicious, and the books are remarkably good about consent and female empowerment for an author who started writing in the 1920s.
Janine, I’m crying!! You have made my day, my week, my year!!!
I see I was beaten to it. I loved that book. I gobbled up Emilie Loring books as a teen. This was my favorite.
I’ve enjoyed rereading some Emilie Loring because many of her books are on Kindle Unlimited – choosing carefully for plot points and characters that are not too unpalatable. For the best reading experience I recommend looking at the publish date and start with those books published before her death. There were others published after her death that are just not as well written or plotted.
Mary, I can so identify when this “I’m an older citizen of Romancelandia, having cut my Romance eye teeth on Heyer, Cartland, and Woodiwiss in the 70s and 80s.” I’ll admit though to having read The Godfather well before high school age! Glad to see that Janine was able to help you out. Enjoy your reread.
Well, it sounds like you found the right book already, but the Jade jewelry reminded me of Jade Island by Elizabeth Lowell, my favorite of the Donovan Brothers books, pub in the early 2000s I think. They are sort of old style romances with alpha male heroes, but at least the women seem to be fairly strong and not wilting flowers. Also if I remember right Emilie Loring’s books are fairly clean and these are open door, although not particularly spicy by current standards.
@Mary & @Kareni: I prefer the term “Matriarchal Bitches”, lol!
I cut my teeth back in the dinosaur age, too, but I somehow missed Emilie Loring. Just ordered In Times Like These and am looking forward to trying it. You bitches are the best!!!
My mom gave me a book called “Janet Hardy In Hollywood” that was hers when she was a girl. It was the same idea — reading about a teenager going to Hollywood and seeing a movie being filmed, then going to NY to Radio City Music Hall….such glamorous escapism!