This HaBO comes from Amy, who is looking for a book from over two decades ago: I have a vague recollection of a book I read twenty-five years ago and would love some help figuring out what it is. It’s set in the 1800s in the Pacific Northwest. The story may have started with a woman traveling to/from San Francisco via boat. Possibly the boat sank and she was saved by a young man. She … Continue reading HaBO: Younger Hero Saves Heroine from Sinking Boat →

This HaBO is from Anonymous, who probably has one of the most incredible HaBO requests we’ve had in a while: I read this when I was in middle school in the early nineties, and I think it was probably YA? All I get when I Google for it are various Christmas things and that Blitzen shifter romance, and it’s definitely not any of those. It was set somewhere like the Arctic Circle, with a sort … Continue reading HaBO: Magic Reindeer Baby →

This HaBO request is from Di, who is in search of a gothic novel or an older novel with supernatural elements: I read a series of books that were gothic/supernatural in the 1970’s or early 1980’s. The heroine (Amanda?) of the books is trying to get control of the family business (shipping/shipbuilding, maybe) and she blackmails a local man into marrying her. I believe she threatened his family and their own business — so he … Continue reading HaBO: Gothic Heroine Haunts Future Generations →

This HaBO comes from Jaclyn, who wants to find the first romance she read. Content warning for the description below: I’m looking for the very first real romance novel I ever read. It was given to me by my grandmother when I was no older than 14. She said, “Here, read this. You’ll like it.” Boy, did I! I would have read this book around 2008, but I’m sure it was older–based on its aesthetics. … Continue reading HaBO: Cabin Love Scene and a Lavender Cover →

This HaBO request is from Megan, who is trying to help her friend track down this romance. Content warning for the description below: This is a secondhand HaBO. My best friend was describing the first romance she ever read (which she found at her mormon Bishop’s house when she was a teenager!), and she can’t remember the title. She read it circa 2007 but has no idea when it was published. Here’s what she remembers: … Continue reading HaBO: Flavored Ice Cubes →

This HaBO request is from Katy, who is looking for a historical romance: I am looking for a book that I read in the ’80s or possibly early ’90s. It was a historical, and the heroine was a bluestocking while the hero was a terribly spoiled rake. I remember one of the early scenes depicted the hero walking drunkenly through the streets after a night of debauchery, when a door to a townhouse opens and … Continue reading HaBO: Heroine Pushes Hero Down the Stairs →

This HaBO request is from Tee, who’s searching for a holiday romance: So this was my first romance, stolen from my mother. It was a Harlequin about a woman and a man both going home for Christmas, but when they get to the airport, the weather is so bad that the flight is cancelled. It’s a couple days before Christmas and there is a blizzard. They both race to the rental car counter but surprise! … Continue reading HaBO: There’s Only One Rental Car Left →

This HaBO request is from Hazel, who’s trying to find a book based on the first scene: This is a book sample I read a while ago and I meant to buy the full book but didn’t get around to it, and now I can’t find/remember the title. The opening scene is some type of high-society fundraiser at a library, and the guests are doing a silent dance party – where they’re dancing with headphones … Continue reading HaBO: Silent Dance Party at a Fundraiser →

This HaBO is from Virginia, who’s stumped on this historical romance: I need help! I can’t remember this book I’ve read within the last two years. At first I thought it was Duke of Pleasure or Earls Just Want to Have Fun, but I re-read both and the scene I’m remembering is not in either of them. The scene goes like this: a lowborn woman, possibly a thief or a pickpocket, and an aristocratic man … Continue reading HaBO: Heroine Lives in Attic Hidey-Hole →

This HaBO request comes from Suleikha, who’s searching for a romantic suspense: I cannot for the life of me remember the title and author of this book. I know it’s romantic suspense featuring lawyers. It may have been a Harlequin Intrigue. The heroine’s basically been butthurt for years that the hero rejected her article for a law review. When they actually start interacting long after law school, she’s hostile because of that incident. She even … Continue reading HaBO: Hero Rejected Heroine’s Law Article →

This HaBO is from Alexa and who is searching for a historical romance, possibly of the YA variety: This was in the ’90s, but it was a library book, so I’m not sure when it was published; I remember it being not terribly tattered or brown around the edges, so it may have been published around then. I think it was part of a series, though this was the only one I ever read. It … Continue reading HaBO: Rosie & the Shell Embroidery →