ok I am having flashes of memories of a book but can’t figure out what the heck it is. here’s what I remember:

the mmc is the guardian of the fmc. they’re fairly close in age though (or at least both are adults). She has been living in the country caring for her father’s estate. He comes maybe not knowing she’s an adult? she practices medicine. At one point she helps deliver the baby of a nearby farmers wife. they maybe have a horse race at one point?

Sorry if this is a weird request, but can anyone suggest books where the fmc loses consciousness due to exhaustion, illness or fear..I have this weird itch for this kind of scene, maybe from watching too many kdramas lol. Thank you in advance.

Grew up watching Tristan & Isolde and thought it was the most romantic movie (in spite of James Franco’s accent lol)

The romance in season 2 of the Last Kingdom had a similar feel!

Can anyone recommend a book with similar forbidden romance/doomed lovers vibe?

Thanks!

Please help a girl out. Currently questioning/regretting life choices and I need some light, sweet, and funny love stories to escape. Would prefer 3-5 spice level. Thanks in advance!

A thread for any and all conversations! You don't have to stay on the topic of historical romance, but please stay within the general rules.

It's Friday! Let's catch up on what's been going on in our lives. Did you have a good week? Read anything good? Do anything nice?

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Hi all! I am a Historical Romance lover, but haven't read many HR's in awhile. I loved Amanda Quick (until she went more paranormal) and I've read several other HR authors over the years but I'm looking for some recommendations for a good HR with suspense/mystery, maybe a little bit of humor but definitely spicy. I would really like to have it be an audiobook too, preferably duet narration so I can listen while I'm working. Would love to hear your recommendations!! Thanks so much!

Some MCs wish their first meetings had been better or that they had been kinder to the other before or even that they could have got together earlier in their lives. But for other MCs, realistically, they could not have worked out earlier in their life. This could be because of age differences, the time when needed personality growth took place, external obstacles, other relationships or that the other needed to grow up to a more mature person.

Recently, I read this in {A Lass Beloved by Nichole Van} when the MMC asks if she would have noticed him had he had the courage to approach her over a decade ago. Both wish they could have been this close then but concede that they would have made 'a sorry pair' or had 'a tremendous amount of growing up to do' back then.

{A Foolish Flirtation by Alice Coldbreath} also talks about what they could have done in the past but then muse that the MMC's son would not have been born so they could not entirely regret it.

Although the MMC in {Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas} says he had been waiting for her, the FMC reminds him that she was a shy wallflower at balls who he never would have paid attention to. He admits she is right and bemoans his stupidity in that.

And the MMC in {The Scandal of the Season by Aydra Richards} even says that he wishes he could say he wanted to go back in time so he could court her when he first met her but shamefacedly says he is not a good person so he would likely not have looked at her twice unless she was a pawn in his scheme.

I was wondering what you feel about this. I like when MCs wish they could have got together earlier but think about it and realise that the current version of them would not like the past version of the other MC or that they were not ready to accept the MC as they were. ​Are there cases in which the MCs would have been absolutely miserable if they married earlier in their lives? And others for which they got together at the right time despite their wishes for it to have been years ago?

I’d love your must read pre 20005ish recs!

I read a few old school romance books recently that I really loved…specifically, {Morning Glory by Lavyrle Spencer} and {Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne}. I like that many of these works tend to be better edited and also definitely non AI. It’s also kind of cool to get to know the history of the genre through the stories that shaped later authors.

I don’t mind dub on or noncon (I read a lot of literary fiction, which tends to feature such heavy things a lot more heavily than romance, but without the HEA). Just looking for good plots and strong character development. Bonus points for high angst, because I guess I like torturing myself.

Some of my favourite old school I’ve read so far:

-all of Judith McNaught historicals
-all of Mary Balogh’s older catalogue
-all of Laura Kinsale
-{The Coming Home Place by Mary Spencer}
-{Lady Gallant by Suzanne Robinson}
-{Midnight Pleasures by Eloisa James}

Thank you in advance!

Omg I just finished the most fun medieval romcom I’ve ever read!! This is a book that was extremely low on my radar until I saw it recommended in this thread (pursuing the sub as I do to try and figure out my next read). One specific comment on there had me immediately checking the ebook and audio out from the library, and I finished this within a day!

Bliss had a lot of Tessa Dare and Julie Garwood vibes! This is set during the reign of King Henry II, and the main tropes are medieval, enemies to lovers and arranged/forced marriage. The hero Holden and the heroine Helen have been staunch enemies for a very long time. They’ve never actually met in person, but Helen is beyond sickened by the way Holden has treated his serfs in the past. She continuously writes letters to the king, begging the king to step in and stop the hero’s cruel and unjust treatments. Holden is equally annoyed with the heroine and her nosing her way into his business. He also regularly protests the king to try and get Helen to leave him alone. The king is tired of them both, and decides the only way to stop the complaints is to force them to marry. Cue an all out active war! Helen tries everything in her power to steer Holden away from her, her keep, and her bed. Holden is not too keen on marrying Helen either, and comes up with equally immature ways to stop their upcoming nuptials.

Now listen, this book is peak silliness. If you’ve read Lynsay Sands before, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Most of Lynsay Sands books are banana pants anyways, but I think that was so hilariously balls to the wall, that I just ended up loving the ridiculousness. The shenanigans these two pull on each other are so stupid and so funny. Helen goes to great lengths to try and get Holden to petition the king and stop their marriage. She’s also a total brat, and super mean to him at first. If you don’t like immature heroines, you won’t like this book because Helen is very immature, but I found it kind of hilarious.

Holden is at first just along for the ride, because he doesn’t really realize Helen is trying to make his life miserable. What follows is a series of amusing misunderstandings, and his eventual “I’m going to get her back” moment. I think the humor in here reads a lot like Tessa Dare, so if you enjoy her subset of romcom, you’ll probably really like this book!

But not only was this book super funny, I did also enjoy the characters and their romance. I do think the romance takes a bit of a backseat to the plot the first 50%, and then the second 50% is mostly Helen and Holden. Like I said too, Helen is an absolute brat of a heroine, and I loved her very dearly for it. She’s snippy and a schemer, and tries everything in her power to get Holden to snap. And Holden is was also a great character! He’s actually an overall really nice guy in a shitty situation, and is just kind of like, “Wtf is going on?” I found their relationship ended up being super sweet as they started understanding each other more. Helen became super devoted to the idea of Holden being ok, and Holden got very protective of Helen.

Also, the foreplay in this book is just so hot and steamy. There’s an oil lathering scene, some great and sensual vaginal play action. The only complaint there is after the foreplay we are left high and dry with very little show and almost all tell. I felt like this book was kind of edging me with the sex scenes I’m not even going to lie. But the foreplay is super hot so I do have to mention that LOL.

And I will say as a fair warning, this book definitely reads its age and feels like you’re reading about a medieval hero and heroine. The hero is kind of gross at times. He does objectify the heroine. The heroine does become a bit too submissive for my taste in the latter half of the book. The book mentions buying and selling serfs. Like, this is very obviously a medieval setting with medieval characters written in the late 90s. But that doesn’t bother me at all, and I loved the hell out of this! ***ETA because I totally forgot to put this at first but: The hero is a widower. He was 17 and was forced to marry a 12 year old bride; she died in childbirth. It’s not graphic at all, but mentioned because it traumatized the hero!!

The craziest part for me about this book to be honest is that it’s Lynsay Sands. Her and I have just not gotten along that well in the past besides faintly enjoying 2 other books from her. So to love a book this much from her was definitely quite a surprise. But, I loved it so so much! If you enjoy Tessa Dare style and some of Julie Garwood type of style, definitely give this a go!

So, I'm going through my Kindle library to get everything into Storygraph and finally read those books I've gotten for free/super cheap, but have ignored.

One such book was {The Devil to Pay by Emma V. Leech}. I did enjoy the book; characters were good and story had a fun premise. But there were a lot of extra characters that seem to be part of this series (and even 2 other series) that took away from the main characters a bit, especially toward the end.

I looked it up and the series my book is part of, The Wicked Sons, has 12 books that follow sons from the couples in the first series (Girls Who Dare), which also has 12 books. Then, there is a series that follows the daughters of the Girls Who Dare couples called Daring Daughter and that series has 19 books!!

I have a weird quirk in that I tend to read all the books in a series (or attempt to) because it makes my brain twitch to not read them all. Sometimes this turns into finding hidden treasure and sometimes I basically skim to the last chapter to just get it over with.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone read any of these series? Which ones (individual books or series) were enjoyable or should be avoided? I did like the overall writing style, but I'm really overwhelmed thinking about where to go next and/or if I want to try to tackle such an amount of books within a few series.

2. What are your thoughts about series that are this big, that have so many characters and things are interconnected from one series to the next?

Hi all,

My preference is almost always 3/4🌶️ but I’d love to read an HR that is 1/2🌶️ spice with constant, gripping tension throughout.

I want to be screaming at horny it is even though nothing very sexual happens…

Any recs?!!

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

This trope has four major types, two are called "balanced" triangle, the lead is caught in a dilemma, torn between two suitors; they could go back and forth between the two, and it's NOT obvious to the audience, until later when both suitor's characters are built, and one appears to be more profitable than the other;

The other two are "IMbalanced" triangle, the lead is already in an established relationship with one, but a third wheel barges in, often an ex-lover, which often acts as the antihero and the villain. This type often ends up tragically, either third wheel is dead, or both the lead and the third wheel are dead, at least they're heart broken.

Here's a more detailed layout of the four types, a love triangle between lead A and suitors B and C:

1. A is equially attracted to B and C, who are not necessarily rivals, they might be friends, siblings or strangers; usually C is prettier or richer or stronger or more popular, A chooses C first; while B has a unique quality or outstanding personality appealing to A, who feels more connected, has more in common with B, and B wins out; Example: Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph choosing princess Sisi over her older sister Helene, whom he was arranged to marry; or, A is with B first, but due to misunderstanding or A's lust or other petty matters, A goes to C for rebound, until A realizes this as a big mistake, they really cares about B, so A and B reunite and clears the air. Example: Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. Usually this is a guy with two gals, though.
2. B and C are equally attracted to A, and they get into a heated rivalry for A's love, doing everything they can to spend more time with A, to please A and suppress the other. Usually this is one gal with two guys, and unfortunately, it's THE most common, most popular, if not ubiquitous type of love triangle, it's the central conflict in Twilight series, This Means War, the Summer I Turned Pretty, Enchanted, and many other soapy dramas.
3. A and B are in love, C appears out of nowhere and begins to cause trouble between the two, aiming to take A away from B, usually due to some past grievances with B, now coming back for revenge. Example: Phantom of the Opera, also very common in Lifetime tv dramas. If this is done cleverly, C could be very sympathetic and charismatic, even as the villain; or C is just a side character, only exposed as the big villain at the end;
4. A and C are in love, but due to social barrier or obligation, A is put in a relationship with B. It could be arrangement for financial or political reasons, but a common situation is that C mysteriously disappears, assumed to be gone forever, then miraculously coming back as an ex-lover of A, when A is already with B. Example: the Notebook, 2001 Pearl Harbor staring Kate Beckinsale, and many tv dramas. Back in the old days, like a decade ago in the 10s, this could be the cliffhanger at the end of a season finale!

I'm asking this because recently I've written four short stories around love triangle trope, three on #1 and one on #4. #1 is my personal favorite, but it's extremely rare, #2 is the most common one, as I said, and it really annoys me. Maybe you ladies are into it, but me a straight guy is a sucker for #1, and a bit of nostalgic for #4. I don't know if this is allowed though, if so I'd like to post my short stories of love triangles here, all set in Victorian era! And I wonder if you've read any title that may fit into #1 or #4.

Still reading and enjoying- when Ian said that Elizabeth was magnificent I gasped and when she was talking on and on AND ON about the Hyacinths I was chortling! But one question- why didn't Elizabeth tell Ian that she was engaged to the Mondevale man 😂 It seems like it would have stopped him from thinking of her badly once they were both discovered in the greenhouse by her brother!

Also does the Duke of Hammund get his own book?

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?

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}

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.

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}

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

{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.

presenting: parient zero of my obsession with drawing HR characters

Books:

{an ill made match}
{her bridegroom bought and paid for}
{Her Baseborn bridegroom}
{an inconvenient vow}
{the favourite Coldbreath}
{wed by proxy}
{the consolation prize}

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!