u/FoxenInTheHenhice

I was thinking about how a lot of FMCs have low self-esteem or confidence about themselves because of how their Season(s) had gone.

From the books I've read, Letty Trentham in {Trusting Miss Trentham by Emily Larkin} probably had the biggest reason for her low self-esteem. By the time the book starts, she has turned down almost 200 proposals and 18 just in that Season. Sounds like she's popular? Every single one of those men just happened to have financial difficulties and she just happened to be the richest heiress around. She has the power to detect lies - literally; she hears a clang sound - and knows all the men just wanted her money and would have not been faithful. She is also not considered to be pretty and having men come up to her for just her money and lie about finding her desirable for 6 years has been a painful experience.

On the other hand, Lady Clara Fairfax from {Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase} could well have a high level of self-esteem for the same reason. She is a rich and beautiful heiress so she gets proposals twice a week almost like it is a game. With her beauty AND fortune, she really has the pick of who she would want as her husband (unless she decides she wants someone from a different socio-economic class).

Who else can you think of who had either a really good or a really bad Season?

Think of the part in {Good Wives} in which the narration says: 'As few brothers are complimented by having their letters carried about in their sisters' pockets, read and re-read diligently, cried over when short, kissed when long, and treasured carefully, we will not hint that Amy did any of these fond and foolish things.' I've read quite a few books in which letters and cards are treated like that by an MC:

{Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt} - the MMC keeps all the letters his second wife (FMC) wrote him because he enjoyed re-reading them while they lived separately.

{When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare} - the FMC's letters (and silly drawings) to a made-up swain got sent to a real-life soldier with the same name. And the man had no family so these were the only letters he got. >!The letters were obviously not intended for other humans' eyes but he grew attached and was angry when she 'killed him off' instead of continuing to lie and send letters.!<

{The Favourite by Alice Coldbreath} - the MMC begs her to let him keep a letter she wrote which was very bold and affectionate, unlike how she usually is.

{The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh} - >!due to circumstances, the MCs do not contact the other for over a year and the one time the MMC wrote to her,!< the FMC kept the letter with her at her pianoforte or under her pillow depending on her mood.

{A Heart Sufficient by Nichole Van} - The MMC is hostile towards the FMC at this point and finds letters she had written to another man, intending to use them for his revenge scheme against her father. But he read all of them because (paraphrased) once he realised it was her handwriting and wishes of love, he felt bewitched to read the entire thing (and felt jealous because he had secretly wanted her).

{The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian} - I do not remember if the MMC actually treasured them but he eagerly anticipated the responses she sent. The man was so lonely and socially deprived at the time.

{A Foolish Flirtation by Alice Coldbreath} - only the MMC bothered to dance with the FMC during her Season a decade before and she kept all the dance cards with just had his name in them.

Not exactly treasured but important:

{Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen} - a very long letter that gives us a lot of exposition. As he asks later about the letter: 'Did it soon make you think better of me?'

{An Infamous Marriage by Susanna Fraser} - a letter sent as an apology >!and the FMC accepts it given that her husband could easily be killed in the battle he had joined but called himself a coward in his writing for hiding his worst behaviour from him.!<

{The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long} - a letter written as an apology and for making amends for everything he had deprived her off. >!She decides to run to get him back instead of letting him go to the US in her stead and getting all the property, money and freedom to love anyone that he was giving her.!<

{His Favourite Mistake by Aydra Richards} - the MMC's letters of pleas to his friend to help him fix his mistake >!and make his marriage legitimate before the FMC could find out get delivered to the FMC during their estrangement and they remove a lot of her hurt and humiliation.!<

There are books which have a Cyrano-style plot with an MC believing the letters were written by someone else believed so they treasured them but I have not read those.

In this sub or in other places, some books get brought a lot and everyone seemed to know the references or recs so that led me to read them. For example:

{Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas} - I read it because I would see the 'five minutes' speech brought up a lot.

{A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath} and {The Devil is a Marquess by Elisa Braden} - an MMC called Benedict would get brought up a lot and even have posts dedicated to him. I am not entirely sure which of the two books it referred to - probably both at different times - so I wanted to see why the character was so popular.

Someone called Wulfric was often the top comment on posts about starchy, icy, uptight, stoic MMCs so I read {Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh} and I can honestly say the recs were right. He is the starchiest of the starchy characters.

And Jessica Trent's shooting skills and general magnificence being brought up was one of the reasons why I read {Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase}.

I also feel like I need to read an earlier Julie Anne Long book because of the references to the Ballad of Colin Eversea.

Think of Shrek's speech that ogres are like onions because they have layers that people do not try to get to know and run away screaming from the first.

For the analogies, I don't just mean someone being compared to a joyful, clingy puppy or being graceful like a panther. Give me the weird and unusual ones.

For example, in {The Desire of a Duchess by Kathleen Ayers}, the MMC likens her to a prettily decorated stale oat cake - hard on the outside so people stay away and think it is not the effort because you could break a tooth but when you take a bite of the softer inside, you want more.

We are all historical romance readers so we would not judge a fellow romanticist in a novel.

Who are your favourite romanticisers? Any who are quite ridiculous? I would especially like it if the story is comedic and the MC gets a lot of their fanciful ideals disillusioned (but this is a romance novel so it has to come back to some romanticism).

Examples I've read:

{Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews} - the FMC is known for being bold and opinionated but she notes she has over-romanticised things before. Case in point: how she responds after her meet-cute with the serious, stoic MMC.

{On Bended Knee by Celeste Bradley} - the widowed FMC lives in a small village and takes the injured MMC in to nurse him. Her thoughts when she sees his face: 'My, he is mouthwatering'. Since she misses intimacy, she starts attaching meaning to small things between them like him smiling at her or taking her hand.

{Her Bridegroom Bought and Paid For by Alice Coldbreath} - The FMC saw the scary MMC lose a round to a young rookie knight and, against everyone's expectations, he happily congratulated and celebrated with him. She falls in love with him and the MMC is shocked that she projected her fantasies of being a noble knight espousing fair play onto him.

{A Most Forgettable Girl by Alice Coldbreath} - it was said in a previous book that she is fanciful but the FMC had her heart and self-esteem badly hurt twice and now serves as a confidant for other lovers to encourage their romances. She has ideas of what is courtly love (i.e. vocal admiration and compliments, sincere poetry, visible pining) and what a knight should be like. She wishes her friend would leave her betrothed (the MMC) to accept another suitor who seems to fit the ideals.

{The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret} - the FMC calls herself a romantic at heart and the first chapter has her accidentally interrupting three proposals because she was sighing or clapping at the couples. She is awaiting a proposal for herself from her childhood friend and one scene has her fantasising about their future children when he brings her flowers (in a lacklustre presentation).

Which other MCs misinterpret interactions and gestures as romantic (which they are not)?

The existence of a marriage licence or certificate becomes an important plot point in many stories when the marriage/children's legitimacy is threatened and taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals. It does not even have to be the the MCs' marriage but it could be their parents' and discovering the proof of marriage silenced the naysayers about the inheritance rights. Conversely, characters may have been believed to have been married but then the truth is revealed and has consequences.

Some books that I have read with the marriage legitimacy being challenged:

{His Forgotten Bride by Aydra Richards} - the FMC burned her marriage certificate when her father-in-law told her that his son likely played her for a fool and never married her for real, doubting that she has a real certificate. The father-in-law remembers that interaction years later and has the smallest doubt that perhaps his son might have really married her and they need to find proof of a possible wife since the MMC cannot marry another woman. They really have no clues to fall back on.>!Luckily, the FMC's sister had fished the certificate out from the fire before it could be completely burnt and kept it safe on the off-chance it could possibly be useful in the future. So the MCs had been married for 7 years for real without knowing it, owing to the MMC's amnesia.!<

{Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews} - the MMC's right to the title gets dogged by rumours of his illegitimacy because his father was a highwayman and of a dissolute reputation.>!The pastor has the records to show that the title character was married to an unexpected woman and the MMC was legitimate, though it was likely done to spite the man's father since Gentleman Jim really was a scoundrel.!<

{The Mésalliance by Stella Riley} - the FMC's aunt and uncle have been trying to hide her parentage from her to protect their honour. >!Turns out, she was, indeed, born in wedlock before her mother ran away with her lover.!<

{Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O' Connell} - the MCs are put through a forced 'marriage ceremony' as a humiliation by men who accompanied the FMC's father to get her back home. ​As she was found hiding in the home of the 'half-breed' MMC, the father and men physically assault the MCs and nearly beat the MMC to death after that. After they leave, the FMC brings him inside the house, nurses him and looks after his animals. When he has recovered and realises that her reputation is in tatters, he proposes they treat the marriage as legitimate. They even get a marriage certificate from the pastor and witnesses who had been there at the attack. Her father was going to force her to marry another and curses the men who forced the MCs to make their vows.

What else can you think of? I feel like there will be spoilers for when this plays out in the storyline.

The MC does not realise someone is flirting with them or giving them signs that they are interested. It could be that the other MC is being too subtle or trying wooing methods that had previously worked for others but not here.

As an example, in {Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase}, the FMC is frustrated that she practically threw herself on the MMC but he did not respond with a desire to see her again or write to her. Since she gets proposed to on a biweekly basis, this is rankling in her mind. The MMC is not actually oblivious but only because we know his POV as well; she thinks he is not reading the signs or interested.

Of course, {Pride and Prejudice} gives the classic example. When the woman you proposed to did not even suspect your intention, your 'wooing' methods may have been a little lacking.

I have seen this term thrown about a few times here and was not sure if it is an actual descriptor used or just a term in this sub. From what I understood, it refers to books which do not feel like the author captured the historical period or setting or norms or even characterisation well or at all. That is, the historical context and setting were treated like a wallpaper that was in the background but not really serving much purpose other than for the aesthetics. While there may not be anachronisms, the book could just as easily have been a contemporary romance and it would not have changed much of the plotline. Or the book only cherry-picked those historical elements that were convenient for the plot (e.g. being caught in a compromising position and being forced to wed). If I understood the term wrong, please correct me because I really want to know.

I supposed it meant that the author had either not done a lot of research or disregarded factual parts of the historical setting in the book. Since historical romance books are marketed towards people who want to feel immersed in that setting, I suppose it can throw you off that the book reads like a very modern-ish novel, down to the language.

So, are there any books that made you feel this way? If so, why? I could think of at least one that was a little too meta and even name-dropped tropes but I still enjoyed it.

This post is not for criticising or agreeing with authors who do that to their older books (because I have seen many posts here about why that is contentious) but I was curious about which other books had changes made or parts removed after they were already published. I just wanted to compare the editions and assess whether I found the changes improved/ negatively impacted the story because it makes sense that some authors would regret something they wrote years before, especially if their writing skills improve further.

I know a few Lisa Kleypas novels often get brought up because the author edited out some of the unsavoury elements and viewpoints she may not hold now/is uncomfortable about presenting. I had read somewhere that one of Alice Coldbreath's Karadok books had been edited which made the romance feel less... one-sided and uncomfortable (but I did not know if it was true). ​

Are there many HR books which are known to have been edited and re-published? If so, did that affect the story and romance? It can even be if certain slurs were removed or substituted for less-offensive language.

I would like to read more books with this moment. You receive a meaningful gift the other MC has made specially for you? Sweet. The other MC is a little lacking in artistic ability, craftsmanship, literary talent or culinary expertise? Even sweeter because it was made with love and with a lot of effort (and hopefully that is how it was received).

Some examples I have read:

• {When a Girl Loves an Earl by Elisa Braden} - the FMC embroidered a handkerchief with the MMC's initials and trout on it because he likes to fish. She is not skilled at needlework and spends a lot of time on it but ran out of different coloured thread so the fish ended up looking dreadful. Regardless, we saw the same scene in the previous book and it was painful how he threw it back at her feet in annoyance>!because this was the last straw for him trying to reject her advances and intruding in his life.!< Later, the MMC also decides to make a gift with his own hands.
• {Her Bridegroom Bought and Paid For by Alice Coldbreath} - the FMC practises her embroidery by making her husband's horse but the proportions are rather off and it does not look like a horse. She is frustrated and gives up on it.>!The MMC took that embroidered cloth and kept it in his chest of treasured items which is a sweet moment because the heiress FMC had given him so many expensive things but it was the cheap and meaningful items he cherished.!<
• {Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews} - the FMC's brothers are surprised when she suddenly starts crocheting and reading through ladies' domestic magazines that teach you patterns. She is making a muzzle for the MMC's dog as an inside joke about their meet-cute. The gift itself is not badly made, considering it was her first attempt, but the MMC's father notes that it is not sturdy and likely for show.
• {The Desire of a Duchess by Kathleen Ayers} - the MMC admitted that he had more passion than actual skill when it came to artistic pursuits like woodwork. Still, he crafted a bee out of wood and gave it to the FMC>!as a way of a betrothal token before he has confessed or proposed to her.!< As with all his handcrafted stuff, it gets mistaken as another insect by others but the FMC identifies it correctly.
• {A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy} - the FMC loves flowers and her husband wants to comfort her at a time when she badly needs it - >!specifically, she miscarried her baby after only a few weeks and he knows she will feel devastated and alone when she wakes up!< - so he goes to the garden to make a bouquet to put in her room. He does a terrible job and makes the most mismatched-looking bunch of flowers and ties them with a ribbon cut from his sister-in-law's bonnet. The FMC likes it because she KNOWS only he could have made something that weird for her.
• {One Kiss Alone by Nichole Van} - we did not get to see the poem but the FMC stayed up all night to write it for the MMC who is a very famous poet. Before she can read it out to him, her horse chomps down on it right out of her hand (to her dismay). Based on what she said about the content and rhyme scheme, it did not sound like it was going to be a very good poem but the MMC still calls it the best one he ever received.
• {The Scandal of the Season by Aydra Richards} - technically it was not meant as a gift but rather to annoy the MMC as a revenge prank. The FMC>!embroidered one of his pillow covers with every bad word she knew and she spelled some of them wrong. She did not even know what many of them meant but still devoted weeks to this despite being bad at embroidery.!<The MMC loves it and refuses to let her take it back.

Share whatever examples you recall. The more dreadful the attempt, the better (and preferably with the other MC appreciating it instead of insulting them).

I just read the last two books in {The Wicked Worthingtons by Celeste Bradley} and that family has my vote for the most loose-cannon, unconventional family in HR. The author does not seem to have upcoming books about the remaining three siblings, including the absolutely unflappable (and sociopathic) youngest daughter. Even in the series, they are regarded as an eccentric set that still gets invited into aristocratic circles and have ties to Prinny. You have two dotty Shakespeare-obsessed parents who are often in their own dreamland, many children named after famous Greek mythology figures and it is perfectly normal for the youngest 12-14 year old daughter to own weapons, a rodent skull collection and to dress up like a male theatre performer. The others should fear this family because they stick together and are fearless. And I have not read the earlier books but they allude to a lot of wacky happenings. Even their cousin carries a dagger in her sleeve and deals with being deceived into a marriage by going along with in amusement to see how it goes so she can get what she wants.

The recipe-stealing aunts in {The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series by Vivienne Lorret} also deserve a mention. They think nothing of infiltrating parties they are not invited to so they can nick recipes they find interesting for their collection. They also have loose ideas of propriety and are not very good judges of character despite being the archetype of the 'cool aunts'.

{The Vawdrey Brothers} in Alice Coldbreath's Karadok universe are infamous because all three ended up with a title (and the illegitimate son got to be a duke by marriage) and the Queen dislikes how much the King seems to favour them. In their professional lives, they are quite efficient. In the romantic and marriage situations... it is a joke at court that a marriage conducted on Vawdrey lines means that somebody is trying to get a marriage annulled in front of the King. The brother are all quite nightmares to be married to and their wives realise that and meet up together to laugh at their husbands' ridiculous inconsistent behaviour and poor emotional intelligence.

I feel {The Hathaways by Lisa Kleypas} may also fall into this but I have not read enough books to the series to accurately say so.

And I cannot forget {Pride and Prejudice} with the Bennets, including Mr Collins as a cousin.

Who are the wackiest or most memorable families in HR for you?

It can really stand out and make others take notice if they see the MC is deliberately acting differently from before. They may want the in-laws to like/ approve of them but may not know why they feel that way.

For example, in {Dukes Prefer Blondes}, the MMC has been obnoxious, stubborn and a know-it-all who loves bickering and bantering with the equally obstinate FMC. And he is aware that there is a lot of social difference in their stations in life. When her mother catches sight of him in her daughter's room, he behaves very politely and follows the conventional route of asking her father for her hand in marriage (and gets promptly rejected). The narration says that anyone who knew him would wonder if he was ill to see him acting so well-mannered.

Slightly different but {A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe} has the FMC make the arrangement with the MMC in the hopes that he will prove to be the worst kind of lout (to make another man that she wants look more approvable for marriage) but he sees this as his way to get into the part of society he can not access due to his lack of aristocracy (and reputation). So she is annoyed when he is behaving like a gentleman because that is NOT what she signed him up for. He is annoyed that she expects him to act like an embarrassing brute 😂

And then you have {An Unlovely Bride by Alice Coldbreath} with the MMC being angry at his new wife's parents for giving up on her after she was scarred by the pox so he wants nothing to do with them. An unexpected visit (at a very bad time) has him march off in a temper which does nothing to help his reputation as a bad-tempered brute in their mind. He later regrets his churlish behaviour, wondering how poorly his in-laws must think of him, and asks the FMC how he can win them over for her sake. We never get to see it, though.

What other examples can you think of?

I wonder why so many MMCs in HR see themselves as superior or better than emotional, loving mortals for not having that inconvenient (metaphorical) organ. The ones who believe love is a shameful weakness and distraction may not even understand the signs (or think they are ill or have indigestion). Others may have been hurt before so they feel their heart has long died. This even seems to be a topic of gossip that 'Lord So-and-So is famous for having no heart/ vowing to never give his heart to anyone' (which sounds like a challenge to the ladies, honestly).

But then the heart decides it will not be ignored and the MMCs feel the full pain of their actions and words on their hearts.

Examples:

{Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas} - the MMC contends that he must have a heart after all because it is giving him a painful time.

{The Scandal of the Season by Aydra Richards} - the MMC marvels at how the initially-unassuming FMC found her way to the frozen heart of his and managed to break through, leaving him at her mercy and goodwill after he messed up.

{How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret} - the previous book's male lead had described the MMC as being 'dead inside' after betrayals in love and even he talks about having no heart so he does not understand why he is hurting until someone spells it out for him.

Bonus if the MMC actually feels physical pain because of that, telling someone that it hurts, and thinks he needs to get medical help.

So many books are about a scoundrel, cad, rake, rogue, beast or devil - or so the title would have you believe. When you read the book, the MMC does not really live up to that epithet and it actually does a disservice to the character to call them that.

As I do not personally like the above-mentioned character archetypes as romance leads, I find it a welcome surprise that a character touted as more unsavoury by the title and blurb turns out to be more faithful, compassionate, friendly and devoted than advertised. However, for someone who may want to read the book BECAUSE of the scoundrel, cad, rake etc, they may feel let down. 😂

Can you think of books like that?

One example I have recommended many times is {Romancing the Rake by Nichole Van} in which the MMC pretends to be a rake in public because his father would actually have forced him to be one otherwise under threat of hurting his beloved mother. The persona becomes a habit with him but when he finds himself face-to-face with the FMC in her nightgown, he goes tongue-tied and cannot look her in the face. He had just panicked and needed to hide from someone in a room which turned out to be hers.

I just read {How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret} and, despite the previous book making it seem like he was a jaded man who is dead inside and dismissive of relationships, the MMC has to be the most respectful, fidelity-loving and generous 'scoundrel' ever. Even he is abashed that his staff and the FMC's automatic association with him is the bedroom. The man spent 4 days buying apology gifts for the FMC (barely 2 weeks into their relationship) because he felt bad about being too surly with her after a soirée. Hardly the scoundrel even he would refer himself as.

Not every couple has a meet-cute. Some had their first interaction under rather unsavoury circumstances (and bonus if it was their fault for that).

I would consider all revenge marriage-relationships to come under this. If the couple loves each other and their children, I doubt many would want to tell their children 'so, my friend/your uncle/a family wronged me and I decided the most logical way to avenge myself was to seduce their innocent sister/daughter and ruin her but...' And then you have something like {This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman} with 'I was going to marry a man on death row but they already executed him when I got there and the warden offered to marry me to your father who was also imprisoned there (in disguise!)'. Or {Making the Marquess by Nichole Van} as 'your aunt's labour started while we were out on a Yorkshire road and your father showed up to deliver the baby while dressed as Louis XIV with the wig and rouge...'

Which MCs would really not be proud/be embarrassed of how they met to pass that story on to their children? The title quote is from {Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare} which really has an awkward meet-cute which somehow becomes even more awkward with every page in the first chapter.

Edit: Thank you so much everyone! There were so many interesting books recommended.

I just read a book that gets recommended a lot and had read something else from the author as well so I went in with high hopes. After finishing it, I felt like I had been expecting a little more... genuineness and heartfelt conversation from the characters. The MCs clearly cared for each other and it was something of their special love language to insult and deride and deflect the other's words with sarcasm, self-deprecation and know-it-all witticisms (which did not start off affectionately, though). But I was waiting for a more emotional connection connection from them. Even if one MC prided themself on being logical and not bogged down by emotions, I thought the character development would show them becoming more comfortable with speaking their heart and true feelings.

Has anyone else felt that they do not always find witty banter and repeated playful insults a satisfactory substitute for a sincere and open conversation? I like reading well-written banter; I had just not thought I could find myself getting annoyed by it and wish for straightforward language 😂 Sometimes, I just want the MCs to talk about their anxieties and insecurities and the other just listen to them. I like a balance between banter and straightforward talk.

I have only read a few HR novellas but they do invariably end up feeling rushed and the characters seem like they fell in love and committed to the other rather fast. Given the length, that is understandable but are there novellas that have the relationship feel as satisfactory as a good full-length book?

For example, I have read two of the novellas in the {Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt} and both focus on previously established characters so I was expecting a little more. It is even more jarring because the one with D'Arque as an MMC has him go from infamous rake chasing after married women (in the series) to >!utterly devoted and ready to marry a woman after a couple of weeks that he had only met once years ago before.!< The fact that all the other characters are so happy about this is even stranger because of their previous experiences with him and the FMC had disliked him from the first moment 😂

I have read two novellas by Courtney Milan as well and I liked that they at least showed that time had elapsed in the middle instead of the entire story and romance taking place in a very short time span. Still, I feel the short length allotted to the relationship development can make things (and processing of emotions and grievances and resentments) seem rushed. Then again, full-length novels can also do that with rushed conclusions.

Are there novellas you would recommend?

I am not sure I have seen a book with this before so I was curious. Most of the books have the couple in love years later (either in the epilogue or in future books) the same way they were in their honeymoon period. That is sweet but I wondered about the fights and disagreements and miscommunication that are supposed to happen in any relationship (as well as the eventually de-idealisation).

I know it does not sound romantic but do any books have those relationship dynamics? Perhaps the couple fell head over heels and the other could do no wrong but slowly reality settles and they see the other as a human being who will make mistakes and annoy them but one that they also love and are happy to be around. Maybe they show their affection through different ways and love languages instead. If they can communicate and talk about how they feel or even make an effort to bring back the sparks in their marriage, that would be great. This is NOT about marriages that are dead, neglectful or abusive. The couple both loves and gets annoyed by each other. The 'marital quarrel' in {Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell} is a good example except the couple has not outright spoken of love with each other. In her best mood, the FMC will shoot anyone who hurts her husband; in her angriest mood with him, she wants to rip his head off and shoot holes in it. But they will move on and not let that happen again.

To quote {Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott}, 'They were very happy, even after they discovered that they couldn't live on love alone.' That entire chapter has the young newly married couple settling into their new life and homemaker Meg is determined her husband 'should find home a paradise; he should always see a smiling face, should fare sumptuously every day, and never know the loss of a button.' As time goes on, 'She was too tired, sometimes, even to smile; John grew dyspeptic after a course of dainty dishes and ungratefully demanded plain fare. As for buttons, she soon learned to wonder where they went, to shake her head over the carelessness of men, and to threaten to make him sew them on himself and then see if his work would stand impatient tugs and clumsy fingers any better than hers.' I would say Meg and John's marriage is a good example of what I am looking for because they indeed experience that 'married life is very trying and does need infinite patience, as well as love.' At one point, he comes home to see her crying like her heart is broken and panics and asks her what happened; she tells him her homemade jelly is not jelling and the man was imagining the worst so he accidentally offends her by laughing out in relief. These are the silly every day moments and faux pas I want to read about. 😂

Some books and authors crop up more than others and I also know which I have recommended a lot. It does not necessarily have to be my favourite books or authors but ones which have so many tropes that they can fit several different recommendation requests.

From authors I have read and recommended, Alice Coldbreath has a book for almost every request. Elizabeth Hoyt gets recommended often too. I personally feel I have recommended Nicole Van, Mimi Matthews and Mia Vincy a lot as well because I have finished at least one of their published series.

I really feel the book I have recommended THE most is {A Most Forgettable Girl by Alice Coldbreath} as it fits a lot of recommendation requests. Secondly, maybe either {A Heart Sufficient by Nichole Van} or {A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy}.

What is you most recommended book here?

Edit: Thanks for all the recommendations! I was looking forward to seeing new and unfamiliar writers' names.

One thing that I feel the 'opposites attract' dynamic may not cover many times is that what these two MCs will do to spend time together and build their relationship. If they have such different backgrounds, interests, hobbies, personality characteristics, friends circles and even age differences, then what do they sit down and talk about? This is especially for characters who had their very specific routines and schedules so another person interfering with those may cause frustration.

As an example, there is a part in {A Bride for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath} when the prizefighter/inn-keeper MMC wants to spend more time with his wife since they never courted (and the marriage was practically forced onto the two). The former-schoolteacher FMC has trouble visualising the two spending their evenings (such as her sewing and him reading the newspaper) together in her parlour room and wonders what she was supposed to do with him. 😂

Then, {Ruined by Rumour by Alyssa Everett} has the newly-married MCs have some awkward meals together because they have little in common. At the dinner the day after their wedding, he runs out of things to talk about because he has exhausted his store of conversation. She used to think him boring before and did not have a lot of interest in his work. The MMC even makes his secretary sit with them at dinner so there can be more interesting conversation for his lively wife.

I would love to read more about these types of awkward relationship-building interactions. Bonus points if the conversation goes to the weather or home decor.