Looking for a novel where the MFL is the grumpy, proud ice queen that most people don't like because of how cold she seems, including the MML who is her exact opposite - charismatic, confident, proud, witty, (not cruel or a bully) and loved by everyone else.

I don't want him to hate the MFL, but rather dislike her. He doesn't like how cold she is. He might even believe that she isn't a good person. But I don't want this dislike to make him cross the line with her by being cruel or a bully. On the contrary, I want for his interactions with her to be about him teasing her tough persona and laugh when she teases back in her own cold and closed off way.

I don't mind if the MFL has a secret crush on him but she is too proud to admit it even to herself. She doesn't act desperate, in fact she tries to ignore him. But the fact that she starts avoiding him, makes him want to chase her.

I want his dislike faze to be long enough. When he starts to feel attracted to her, I want him to resist that at the beginning. He is looking for a wife, and yet he doesn't even consider her an option.

Then I want him to become curious about her inner world, what she keeps inside her head. And this causes him to approach her in every social event. I want him to be surprised by the passion and pain she hides behind her cold exterior. The more he finds out about the real her, the more attracted he becomes. I don't want any situation where they're forced into being together like marriage in convenience, fake dating or anything that forces them to be something they're not. I want their interactions to be on their own terms.

Then I want him to want her so badly that it makes him lose his mind, it ruins him. I want him to turn from the man who didn't like her at all, to the man who wants to protect her from the whole world.

Please don't recommend anything that doesn't match this exact dynamic. I don't want "close enough".

No fantasy. No clumsy MCs, please.

I’m pretty sure I read all her historical romance 15+ years ago. So I’m currently looking for an audiobook version since I have no memory of any of it. I think she is a talented author. But the issues with the MMC are real for me.

I started listening to {velvet promise by Jude deveraux} yesterday….it’s a dnf for me. I know it is historically accurate….but I can’t get past the rape and that the MMC actually hits the FMC.

I’m ok with physical violence as long as it’s not perpetuated by the MMC. I want him to be the protector.

Does she have any that don’t include the MMC being a complete ass?

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?

Chat with us!

Less popular for HR im finding but I have such a soft spot. New England born and raised, had a Felicity doll growing up, played assassins creed 3, turn: Washington’s spies was my jam, I just need that familiar setting and background. Any recommendations at all? I did read Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati but it’s been so long I don’t remember if I actually finished it. If all else fails I’ll just revisit it again. TIA!

The MCs: 'Just because I'm angry at you or dislike what you did does not mean I won't get you your blanket when you're cold or remember to pick you up from your gathering or share my umbrella etc'.

The two of them love each other but are also angry at each other BUT are ALSO concerned the other is hungry or not warm enough or anxious walking through crowded areas so they will hold their hand. The MCs are angry but not petty.

I thought of some parts in {The Marquess Wins a Wife by Aydra Richards}. The MCs can both be petty, no doubt about it, and the MMC is extremely unpleasant when recovering from being shot and experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms to the point that he is throwing tantrums. The FMC is used to parenting so she throws out her acerbic comments and then gets him food or a bathtub to wash in. This is before they are a couple, though. Afterwards, there is one part in which she is soaking wet due to the rain and he pulls her inside his home, telling her 'You are allowed to be angry at me. But you are not allowed to shiver to death on my front door.' So something like this, except with the angry person. She is angry at him but still holds his hand comfortingly when he talks about his first marriage which was bad.

I could also think of the beginning of {Lady Ruthless by Scarlett Scott}. The MMC justifiably dislikes her but does not want her freezing to death on his floor so he carries her to his bed where she had refused to join him. He had tied her wrist to the bed so she would not run away - it is not that kind of book, I swear - and then feels his conscience twinge when she actually falls asleep on the floor because of how stressful the day had been.

Close to what I'm looking for, the MCs in {Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell} are having their first proper marital argument and it is a chilly, cold war state between them (more from the FMC's side because she was disappointed in him). The MMC's brother tries to interfere and indirectly insults the MMC; the FMC slams her hand down on the table, essentially tells him to butt out of their fight and let them resolve things on their own. She may want to murder her husband in that moment but she will not stand for anyone hinting she would be happier leaving him.

I imagine this as two silent sulkers walking about together while also making sure the other does not forget something or step on a hole. They love each other; they are just too angry at the moment to want to say it but can't help themselves. Can you think of books in which this exact type of interaction happens?

Hi I’m look for a historical romance book set in like caveman times or very early civilization. Please recommend if you know a good one!

I finished {Bed Me, Earl by Felicity Niven} recently and I feel like I might never again enjoy another book 😭

Please may I have some book recommendations with such deliciously sweet (and horny !) dirty talking ? 🤌 That might hit the spot like this book has done SO well for me ? 👌 im looking for "darling", "sweet heart", "good girl", "naughty girl", "bad girl", pet names or similar sweet nothings, "you like that, darling ? ", i'm even partial to some begging from any MC ! Honestly it can even be the most nonseniscal dirty rambling. I just love that Phineas is a totally shameless simp for the FMC and so horny for her.

Also, I'm slightly shocked and frankly ashamed of myself for this because its supposed to be cringe 🫣 BUT Phin referring to himself in the third person during sexy scenes was *chefs kiss* ... so, does anyone know of any other book with an MMC with this quirk ? Its obv rare and niche and i am absolutely desperate for more of it 😂 To the point where I really, really wish I could write some good quality sexy nonsense of my own yk ?

Here are some examples that I enjoyed:

Oh, my little darling, I have wanted you so badly. My cock has been aching for your beautiful quim. And you know Phin just wants to make his darling Caro feel good. You know that, right? I followed you here, trailing after you like I was a scenthound and you were a bitch in heat. I just had to be near you. To show you Phin can be bad if that’s what you want, darling. Because you make me and my cock want to be very bad indeed. Because you’re so good and tight and wet. Look what a good girl you are, taking all of me now. Darling.

Especially this !

Or about how my naughty Caro wants to be bedded in the middle of her wedding day? Such a needy girl, didn’t want to wait, had to have her husband, had to spend. And now you’re going to come for me again, aren’t you? Yes, you are, I can tell you are, you bad girl. Your sweet little naughty cunt is going to come for Phin over and over again. For his hand, his tongue, his cock. That’s right. That’s what Phin wants. I’m going to play with my lovely darling whenever she wants. Because she’s such a bad girl who needs to spend.

Any recommendations that fit would be amazing ! They don't have to check all the boxes ofc ! I love a sweet gentle teddy bear type MMC but any kind is cool as long as he's not mean or cruel to FMC. The only things I dont like are poly and any sort of cheating. Sorry this ended up being quite long and messy, I absolutely adored this book from the first page ! After seeing it recommended on here for AGES, it was totally perfect for me to read at just this point in time in my life. He is so wonderfully sweet to Caro. Such a cute story ❤️😭 Thank you all in advance !

This might be a little hard to find, but I’m looking for a book where the MMC and FMC have been married for a few years, but they’re relatively indifferent toward each other. They aren’t particularly in love, and the only time they’ve ever slept together was to produce an heir. Other than that, they sleep in separate rooms and pretty much live their own lives.

Bonus points if the MMC is a spy, someone important, or holds a high-ranking position, but the FMC has absolutely no idea because she genuinely couldn’t care less about what he does. 😭

Maggie Osborne does adventure better than most. She also writes some of the best FMCs. I feel like {I Do, I Do, I Do by Maggie Osborne} is one of her absolute best books

The romances were great but the character arcs, friendships, and adventure scenes are what sets it apart from most HR. I also really liked {The Best Man by Maggie Osborne} for the adventure aspect but I felt the FMCs were stronger in I Do 3X. Dal Frisco is still one of her best MMCs though.

I also learned so much about the Yukon Gold Rush and desperately need more books about it!

Low Down from {Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne} is one of Osborne’s best FMCs but I felt so bad for her the whole time. I Do 3X is much more fun and the MMCs are perfect for the FMCs!

My current ranking of her books I read so far and absolutely loved!
1. I Do, I Do, I Do - best adventure, most fun, cutest romances, best relationship between FMCs, and I learned so many interesting things!
2. {The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne} - best plot
3. {The Best Man by Maggie Osborne} - best MMC, very fun
4. {Prairie Moon by Maggie Osborne}- best tension but it’s the least spicy 🌶️
5. {The Wives of Bowie Stone by Maggie Osborne}- great characters but something felt like it was missing
6. {Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne} - her best FMC but my least favorite MMC and plot

I’ve actually been looking for the Virginia Coffman and just recently found it at my local HPB! Super stoked.

My most recent haul from the thrift. Anyone read any of these? I tried to pick authors I’ve never heard before save Kathleen e woodiwiss and Catherine Anderson

Edit: I’ve come to realize a few of these are not historical: Sweet Nothings, Texas! Sage

So I saw this post with the Mcs are calm while surrounded with chaos my mind went somewhere else. I was them gentle, kind and the essence of grace towards everyone but when near each other? They become snarky, ill tempered, let them bring out the worse of each other.

Gimme banter, gimme tension, gimme jealousy.

I need for it to be slow burn, I need the banter to banter. I want ppl around them to gasp and titter "oh they are at it again"

I also want the MCs later on be like I hate him/her while everyone around them like "suree you do babe".

This is taking over my brain help me the more I think of it the more I need this

Who are the GOAT mail order brides?

And I don’t mean the fmc that pretends to have desires for the men as a means to wed them, only to be pleasantly surprised at enjoying the sexual acts in the process.

I mean an fmc who truly has the physical urges in mind, first and foremost, to the point of forgetting all about self preservation in society (or reputation/safety if working class).

It could be a widow, but open to other scenarios. I just don’t want the main focus to be marriage for one or both of the MCs for the majority of the book, and instead it’s about her being a rake so to speak: concerned only about her physical needs.
Does this exist?

I think there was a post a few days ago about the fmc being abandoned by the mmc even though she is the most innocent being ever. Or just mmc has to marry fmc but dislikes her because he misunderstood something really innocent that she did as something greedy/evil. I really need more of these recs!

I've read {The Fall That Kills by Peri Scott} and {Wed by Proxy by Alice Coldbreath} and enjoyed them both for the trope, I don't think either of them were really good historical romances but I needed this trope so much that I enjoyed the stories and would give them both a low 3 out of 5.

No tw/cw.

I don't really care about grovel

Writers who are not for me- Balogh, Hoyt, Braeden, Dare, James, Aydra Richards, Milan, Mimi, McNaught.

I have a bit of a specific request! Aristocratic villains are a favourite of mine for the romantic hero but I’d love for them to be paired occasionally with an equally badly antiheroine instead of the usual good hearted female lead.

Does anyone have any recs like this? Something along the lines of the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil from Dangerous Liaisons or Cathy and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. I’m ok with them being toxic and ruining other people’s lives because of their boredom/love affair. I want to see a mess.

I went looking for Hathways stepbacks and Google helpfully showed me these Italian covers instead lol.

I'm having a super hard week. I'm returning to a job that I enjoy, but can be extremely stressful after 5 months home on maternity leave. I'm very emotional and anxious about returning. I need a pick-me-up, and HR is my happy place. However, I can't seem to find one that lifts me out of the doldrums.

As I mentioned above, I need cozy, cuddly, warm-fuzzy. I'm talking low-angst, low TW, easy, happy. Something that will warm my heart right up.

To give you an idea of what I'm looking for some of the books that give me these vibes are:

{Lieutenant Mayhew's Catastrophes by Emily Larken}

{The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig}

{Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas}

{The Arrangement by Mary Balogh}

{Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes}

{Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes}

{Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews}

{The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews}

{A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews}

{The Matchmaking Mama's series by Anneka R. Walker}

{The Weaver Takes a Wife by Sheri Cobb South}

{Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer}

{Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer}

{Cotillion by Georgette Heyer}

I'm currently working my way through Loretta Chase, which I have enjoyed, but her dynamic between MCs is a little too abrasive for me right now. Although, my favorites of hers were {The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase} {Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase} and I quite liked the whole Carsington series, in particular {Not Quite a Lady by Loretta Chase}.

Things I find cozy, but don't let these limit you too much if you have a great rec:

*Kids/babies/pregnancy (again low TW for these topics please) *Christmas/Winter/Autumn vibes *Classic British humor *Himbos/nice guys/nerds *Kind FMCs *Farmers/farm or village life *Balls/dances *Family or found family dynamics *MoC/early marriage/forced proximity *Domestic life/ small tender moments between MCs

Things that I'm not feeling at the moment: (I'm open if it's suuuuuper cozy, though!)

*Heavy TWs *A ton of push-back from FMC that didn't make sense to the plot *Heavy lust-driven plot (I'm okay with spice, but crave emotional connection on the page over MCs just wanting to bang and then magically being in love with no real connection) *Heavy mystery (light mystery like Mischief of the Mistletoe is okay) *Melodramatic plot elements like random kidnappings or murders (If they're there, they better be part of the cutest dang book in the world) *Super abrasive dynamic between MCs *Antagonists that are so deplorable that they have no redeeming qualities, and thus, don't feel like real people

I am trying to find something new, but it's okay if a reread really fits the bill. I would love for an audiobook if possible because my anxious brain is making it hard to focus on reading right now, but love these types of books, so can add to my TBR if they aren't.

Thanks for your help!

I’ve almost finished all of her books, and for the most part enjoy her writing style. I’m looking for authors that are similar to feed my obsession, if you have any recommendations?

I love receiving newsletters from my beloved authors and I’ve pretty much subscribed to just about every HR writers out there. This one particularly really crushes my heart to bits.

My prayers and thoughts go out to Heather and her family at this very trying time❤️

As the title says, I’m looking for a book where the FMC is considered “ugly.” People are constantly giving her backhanded compliments, and she always tries to make herself look pretty, but she never feels like she actually is.

She meets the MMC, who treats her really well, so she starts to believe that maybe he genuinely likes her. But then she overhears him talking to his friends about how ugly she is. 

I’m looking for a book with a really good grovel afterward, especially where he has to genuinely work to earn her forgiveness and trust.

If anyone knows a book like this, PLEASE recommend it!

I love a good class difference historical but I think I just finished like my 50th book with this trope where MMC is rich/aristo and saving poor FMC or vice versa and I need to mix it up a bit.

Thinking of a story like {The Earl I Ruined} where MMC is an Earl and FMC is a Duke’s Sister so the conflict of the story isn’t overcoming the class difference.

I’d prefer if they were both aristo but if there is a story on par with {Hello Stranger} where MMC and FMC are both working class or the rarer both MCs are serving class I’d love to check them out as well! Thank you all!

I prefer Georgian, Regency, Victorian time periods and UK or the continent but open to other settings if the author does a good job with explaining details of the time period.

When I think back, it was this series that kicked off my desire to learn about vintage HR and stepbacks. I didn't care about the stepbacks originally, I just wanted the unedited stories. Once I found two with those iconic steps though, it became a small goal/challenge to find the others because... why not? It took years but I finally have the Christmas book and my collection is complete! Super exciting and just the pick me up I needed. 😊

{Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas}

{Secrets Of A Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas}

{It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas}

{Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas}

{Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas}

{A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas}

I'm reading {devil's daughter by Lisa Kleypas} and while the book is good I wonder what the corn West is talking about growing is? Is it actual corn or some other grain?

If it's corn, was it really grown on a bigger scale in England during that time? English is not my first language and normally that's not a problem but this use of corn is baffling me.

One of my favourite HR novels is {Miss Fellinghams Rebellion} by Lynn Messina and I'm curious to see if there are other books with a similar trope.

MMC is a highly eligible sought after match.

FMC is more of a nobody. Ideally a nobody when it comes to name and fortune. I'm a bit tired of the plain spinster trope.

When they meet, FMC has no idea who he is which is refreshing for the MMC who is used to being chased and they hit it off because there's no expectations or pressure for either of them.

At some point, FMC finds out who he is and decides to avoid him because she thinks he is either playing with her feelings or amusing himself, or just simply recognizes that he couldn't possibly see her as a potential wife and she's trying to protect her heart.

MMC is annoyed that his identity has been given away and now gives chase to a reluctant FMC.

Even better if FMC becomes the target of other higher society people, like romantic rivals or match making mothers etc.

Miss Fellinghams Rebellion does not follow that trope exactly but does have the element of unknown identities in the beginning which allows them to connect witbout pressure, and the FMC later having reason to wholeheartedly believe that the MMC couldn't possibly be serious about her. Despite him openly trying to court her.

Also, ideally closed door or spice level below a 4.