This HaBO comes from Kiruthika, who is trying to find this Mills & Boon romance. Content warning for mentions of abuse and rape:
It’s a 70s or 80s Mills and Boon that my mom had that I sneakily read as a 12 year old!
The cover was white with a couple embracing, fair haired woman and darker haired man. He’s described to be lion like in movement and has tawny eyes. I remember that part really well.
The plot summary:
She is widowed and found out her husband was an abuser on their first night together after their marriage. I think he rapes her/ beats her and leaves her, but is killed in an accident. She discovers she’s pregnant and decides to carry the child.
She marries the hero because he’s either going to help her financially/ends up buying her husband’s firm/something like that.
The hero and heroine meet on a ship, I think?
The hero ends up marrying her. Her daughter (I think it’s a daughter) adores the guy; he takes good care of them both. The heroine is terrified of sex and tries to work through her trauma from her first husband. There’s a lot of angst as she tries to work through this without telling her new husband.
I’ve been looking for this book forever!
Can we HaBO?
Back in the day Harlequin would send you a free book if you wrote to them. I still remember the Violet Winspear they sent me but alas, I do not remember any with a Tawny Lion Guy
Following
Try Living Together by Carole Mortimer.
It might be Living Together by
Carole Mortimer. Plot seems to mostly match up, except for the child.
I downloaded the sample from the Kindle edition, and there were a few uses of the word “tawny” to describe the MMC.
Sounds like you got it.