r/HistoricalRomance

I read this pre-chemo and cannot remember anything else about this book except that the MMC called the FMC this at least one time. Please help me remember

Uttering an exclamation, Sabina recoiled, rearing back in alarm.  Unfortunately, the fact her legs were caught up in the bedclothes foiled her retreat, and instead, she pitched forward, landing sprawled on top of him.

(An Inconvenient Vow Alice Coldbreath}

I am sorry - whaaaaat?

Signs:

Seeing the MMC helpless and hurt brings out their nurturing side, a lot of their relationship may have her looking after him and feel disappointed when that aspect changes. The nursing is early in the relationship and that is how the tender feelings developed and come in. Some MMCs also feel more likable when they are too ill to be mean or behave badly.

Examples:

{Trusting Miss Trentham by Emily Larkin} - the clearest example I have read. Seeing the MMC wake up in tears after his PTSD-induced nightmares and looking so lost and helpless gets her nurturing tendencies in full swing. She also bosses him to eat more food, drink sleep medications, reads him to sleep and holds him till he drifts off.

{A Momentary Marriage by Candace Camp} - she guiltily calls herself 'wanton' for enjoying rubbing her husband's chest while he has a fever. She is a doctor's daughter so she is used to looking after the ill and the MMC (who is told he is dying) even mockingly says she found someone to play nursemaid to again.

{Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale} - playing 'nursemaid' comes up and she thinks he does not need her anymore once he sees an improvement (but not a cure) in his speech production and comprehension after his stroke. That thought saddens her - not that he is better but that she likely has no role in his life otherwise.

{The Woes of Wooing a Wife in 12 Days by Mihwa Lee} - she starts off hating having to provide 'intimate care' to her estranged husband but then feels disappointed that she does not have to tend to him anymore. It was actually the only intimacy they had shared up till this point.

While it is not in {Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas}, this aspect of the MCs' relationship is in the previous book and how the FMC meets him. She is gentle and sweet and he demands her presence while he is recuperating. He even asks her cousin later if she was 'playing Florence Nightingale' in hopes of getting a marriage proposal.

{The Marquess Wins a Wife by Aydra Richards} - I realised it may be the opposite - he is actually very obnoxious and she probably wants to strangle him because he throws tantrums - but she still looks after him and even chooses to forgo her own food for him. She has a habit of picking up 'strays', according to another but the feelings develop after he is recovered and deliberately working off his debt to the family.

I also did not include {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas} because that is much later in their relationship and her feelings for him had already developed. It probably had a reverse effect with HIM falling badly in love with her; this is for the nursing party to fall for the patient.

I have just read all 4 of the Dashworth Brothers regency romance tales by Ella Matthews. It’s truly unusual for me to go straight through a series without breaking for a change of pace/style, but these really captivated me.
There is no villain as such, but there is an intriguing mystery that runs in the background throughout all 4 books, which does ultimately get solved.
The brothers are totally adorable, the writing is easy, I wouldn’t really call it open door, though there are a couple of low-level scenes. If this appeals, I would highly recommend the whole series.

(I have to thank one of you lovely people I think for recommending these to me in the first place! If I discover who, I’ll thank them again personally. 😘**)**
{The Earl’s Unlikely Bride by Ella Matthews}
{The Governess’ Unlikely Suitor by Ella Matthews}
{The Lord’s Unlikely Betrothal by Ella Matthews}
{The Duke’s Unlikely Temptation by Ella Matthews}

Tell us what HR you are currently reading/listening to or have finished lately? Tell us as much or as little as you want. We just want to hear from you!

What do you think so far? Any great, hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming, etc moments? If you have finished, what rating would you give it? Give us the deets!

Fill free to spill all the tea, but remember to mark any spoilers!

This thread repeats every Wednesday.

Two that I know I’ve read, off the top of my head, are {Lady Beast’s Bridegroom by Jude Knight} and {Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh} but I honestly can’t remember much of either.

I’d really love a FMC who was scarred from something-or-other accident/event, is probably subconscious about it, and hasn’t had any romantic attention because of it, until now.

What else is out there?

Basically what the title says. I don’t know why, but some of my favorite books are the ones where the couple gets married early in or halfway through the story. I also enjoy books where they are already married from the start. Any reason for the marriage is fine by me: marriage of convenience, arranged marriage, circumstances force their hand, etc.

Here are some books I’ve already read or listened to (that I can remember):

{Bridal Discipline by Golden Angel} series

{Domestic Discipline by Golden Angel} series

{Slightly Married by Mary Balogh}

{Survivors’ Club by Mary Balogh} series

{My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes}

{The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare}

{Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden}

{Say I Do by Amelia Grey} series

{How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Laura Lee Guhrke}

{The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James}

{Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James}

{Prince of Dreams by Lisa Kleypas}

{Somewhere I’ll Find You by Lisa Kleypas}

{Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas}

{Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas}

{Bridgertons by Julia Quinn} series

{First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn}

{The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn}

{Splendid by Julia Quinn} series

{Wallflower Gone Wild by Maya Rodale}

{Love is Blind by Lynsay Sands}

I just read {When the Earl Met His Match by Stacy Reid} and greatly enjoyed it. However, the FMC’s brother made me SO mad. Richard is so patronizing and controlling of Phoebe. I haven’t read his story, which comes before this one, in {How to Marry a Marquess by Stacy Reid}, but I can’t help but feel like if I had read them in order I’d be so disappointed in Richard’s behavior. I kinda don’t even want to bother with his story haha.

Are there any other series that come to mind where the FMC or MMC in a previous book comes back and behaves badly? Just curious!

Edit for clarification: Usually if a character is horrible, their story will “redeem” them and then they are generally likable for the rest of the series. I’m curious about the books where the character comes back later in the series (after their story) and still behaves poorly!

So, you’ve seen it in a million different books: the men meeting up at Brooks or White’s etc. But I’m wondering if there are books set in the coffeehouses that men might have spent time at in the times BEFORE the advent of the clubs.

I just want to know if ANYONE has seen any.

Please warn me if there’s cheating. I want to know if it exists even if it isn’t something I would read.

Thanks!

Hello everyone! Looking for recos where MMC is intimidating, dominant, stoic, has a very alpha presence, or just scary to everyone else but when it comes to the FMC, he’s mushy, cuddly, affectionate, and completely soft for her.

I especially want MMC who enjoys physical affection with the FMC like cuddling and touching her.

I’m currently 37 weeks pregnant and would like to read something that will put my mind off the nervousness and anxiety of childbirth 😂

Thank you so much! xx

I absolutely inhaled The Survivors’ Club series by Mary Balogh- I loved the rich depth and maturity of the friendships within the group, the Sad War Boy trauma, the way that each couple’s story included some version of adapting their world to heal them and suit them a little better, whether it’s war wounds/disability or emotional trauma, or repairing relationships leading up to the HEA. I have reread each and am very much stuck in the story world, and would like to read something that scratches a similar itch. Does such a series exist? Where should I start? I am also a big fan of KJ Charles and I like select works by Tessa Dare, if it helps.

Can anyone suggest books where the FMC is the one with the big boobs and large hips? It seems in the books I’ve read so far, these descriptions usually fit the MMC’s old mistress or the woman who is trying to seduce him. Bonus points if she’s shy or reserved or just doesn’t « weaponize » her body to seduce the MMC.

I need a palate cleanser after some doozies of BAD books with annoying other women.

I want a book where there is NO OW that the MMC even remotely considers for even a moment. (Ideally no OM either!!)

Please recommend something that is about romance that DOESN’T have the OW trope.

{Beyond scandal and desire by Lorraine Heath} introduced me to Mick Trewlove. This man seriously thinks hes the most villainous man to ever commit treachery. In reality, hes just a really nice guy, who loves his mom, respects women, is deeply involved in community service and spends most of his revenge plan helping take care of orphans, and or using his money for good.

I just couldn't get over how different Micks thoughts and introspection were, vs. His actual actions. One second hes brooding thinking about how much he hates Kip, and the Duke and Duches. Then the next hes holding an orphan in one arm, a kitten in the other, while giving the FMC the exact support she needs in that moment. So inconsistent..... because hes a terrible villain. I loved it.

Pretty much what the title says.

I've found recommendations for books where the MMC has been injured before the story takes place, but I kind of want a story where the injury happens either early or mid-book? Type of injury can be anything, falling off a horse, fire, amputations, whatever you can think of.

Recently read {Slightly Sinful by Mary Balogh} with Alleyne's head injury, and while I'm not specifically looking for amnesia trope, I liked the care taking aspect and the MMC trying to figure out who they are after the injury?

Any time period will do, I'm not squeamish so even if it's darker romance it's ok, but it's not a must. Prefer M/F. Can also be series where we meet the MMC pre-injury

I just read Courting Trouble by Kerrigan Byrne and I think that was the first time I had read such a thoroughly flawed and damaged FMC. She's crass, unabashed, hires sex workers, the list goes on. Does anybody have any similar recommendations where it's the FMC who is the tragic, wounded, "bad" half of the pair, rather than the MMC?

There is a contemporary romance book I like which starts off with what is usually the ending of a Hallmark film. The city girl FMC is alone in a small town for Christmas, breaks up on call with her boyfriend of many years because she feels he prioritises his work all the time instead of making the effort to pick her up, falls for a rugged local man who teaches her the meaning of Christmas and gives up her soulless career for meaningful job in rejuvenating the town's newspaper. So the beginning of the book is her giving up her previous life to marry the man who seems like he will love and cherish her.

Five years later, the magic has all but worn off. The couple can barely stand each other, have gone for marriage counselling, have been struggling financially, she has few friends, her IVF procedures were unsuccessful and she has nothing meaningful to do because the newspaper shut down when everything went digital. And they are divorcing. She heartily regrets giving up her whole life for a man who promised he wanted to share his life with her... but it became clear later on that neither could adjust in each other's very different worlds and expectations after the honeymoon period was over. She leaves for her hometown and that is where the plot actually starts from.

Obviously, it will be different if in an HR book but are there any plotlines like this? A false start, reality seeps in and then the MC has to pick up their broken pieces to start over. I imagine that if someone wrote a sequel to many HR books with incompatible couples, this is how they might even start. I know there are books in which the MC marries someone at the beginning but they are widowed by the next chapter and they meet the other MC later so I suppose that could count. Second chances might also fit.

EDIT: I do not know if I can mention it in the comments but the book is A World Without You by Caitlin Moss.

In case anyone hasn't seen the newsletter which just came out - Constance and Douglas, who married under dramatic circumstances at the end of the last Karadok book, will be the next couple.

AC thought earlier that it would be Sir Ned and his witch next, but sounds like the muse took her elsewhere! I was very much looking forward to them but I'm so intrigued by this couple too, whom I wasn't sure initially merited their own book - I thought they'd end up being a secondary couple tbh. I need to reread their scenes with more care now.

In Alice's own words:

Hi All

As promised last month, I will now share whose story I am currently writing and it is…

… Constance and Douglas! (No title as yet).

I am halfway through chapter ten and so far things have been turbulent! When we last saw the (un)happy couple they stood before the king with a petition from Constance’s uncles to annul their marriage.

It is now five months later, and Constance has been mouldering at her family seat Northcott Manor, shunned by her new husband and in utter disgrace with her kinsmen.

Douglas has been following the tournament circuit, determined that by the close of the year, he will be free freed from their disastrous union.

Constance makes a decision, packs her bags and heads for the nearest tourney to confront her husband.

She wants to make their marriage real.

He is determined not to make things easy for the heiress who is used to getting her own way.

Let the games commence!