FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[Keslynn]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I just finished a book about a married couple who married for the wrong reasons but fell in love by the end of the book. They were married many years before the heroine kicked the hero to the curb. Only as he realized he was losing her did he straighten up. I'm looking for more books like this where the marriage is loveless or very rocky at first. Do you know of any?

I really enjoyed Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. It's the second book in her Mackenzies series and possibly my favorite one.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Keslynn

I really enjoyed Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. It's the second book in her Mackenzies series and possibly my favorite one.

Thanks! I have both.

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[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Thanks! I have both.

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I remember "Lady Johanna", by Julie Garwood, and "The wolf and the dove", by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I said they were old

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I remember "Lady Johanna", by Julie Garwood, and "The wolf and the dove", by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I said they were old

Got the Woodiwiss book have to check on the second. Thanks I love old school books. I'm starting to like new school too as long as it's edited well. Me reading mistoricals who would have thought?

Saving Grace is the title of the Garwood book.

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[hannahi]

In Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas the hero and heroine were married very briefly, I think before the action of the book starts. The there are about a zillion westerns where the heroine is a mail order bride.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by hannahi

In Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas the hero and heroine were married very briefly, I think before the action of the book starts. The there are about a zillion westerns where the heroine is a mail order bride.

Thanks I have that book.

The Shana Galen book is called True Spies it's second in the series. It's a make off the movie True Lies which I just love so hoping I like the book too. The first one would work too for this trope. It's a make off Mr. & Mrs Smith. It's called Lord and Lady Spy. I read it years ago and really enjoyed it.

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[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I'm looking for where the h/h lived together but never really loved together. Those kinds of stories. There has got to be some out there. I found one by Shana Galen. It can be historical or modern makes no difference. I just want to read about imperfect marriages that get a second chance.

I think I've read two Roberta Gellis historicals which had storylines like Galen's Lord and Lady Spy, where the couple still lived together but became emotionally estranged for reasons but not actually physically separated for the main part. They've been on sale in the past, so you might have picked either or both of them years ago.

IIRC, Fire Song is the one where after a series of incidents the husband gets the notion that he married beneath himself and his wife is unworthy of his station and treats her accordingly until everyone telling him he's an idiot who doesn't deserve her finally sinks in. There's a very entertaining jailbreak scene in this one, which ISTR is also the start of their overt marital problems. This has previously been one of Ellora Cave's 99 cent specials, back when they were still around, but no longer seems to be available. I hope she finds a better publisher for them, if she can get the rights back.

Knight's Honor can still be gotten from Baen (sadly, there's no longer a discount for their 4-book Gellis bundle, and couponable at Kobo, but relatively pricey) and is apparently based on RL historical personages and the actual Roger, Earl of Hereford (Wikipedia) did exist, although this particular wife of his is not the historical one. Anyway, they become estranged during the course of the book due to some petty argument which leads to bad feelings and shows of coldness after an initially good start (and a certain level of paranoia that succumbing to loving impulses for their spouse will give the other far too much control over them) and eventually they reconcile with the help of a hot competent red-headed mutual friend (also a personage who actually existed, though sadly considerably less nice than his depiction) whom I kept hoping they'd have a conciliatory threesome with. I should probably mention that this book was written in the 1960s, so there was absolutely no chance of ménage, if you're not into that.

I'm generally not into romance, but I liked both of these.

IMHO, Fire Song was the better-written of the two as far as the couple went, since their eventual disagreement seemed rooted in something relatively more sensible and stemming from the conflict in their personalities and individual backstories (and the jailbreak scene really was very entertaining) even if he treats her kind of doormat-like and she takes it for a long while before lashing back, compared to what seemed a bunch of contrived miscommunication leading to escalating mutual hostility for the sake of inventing relationship drama in the other, albeit in a more equal relationship between people who want to show affection for each other, but don't dare because they think it'll be letting the other party “win”. But the historical bits were better in Knight's Honor, since that one was written around actual events. YMMV.

[worktolive]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I just finished a book about a married couple who married for the wrong reasons but fell in love by the end of the book. They were married many years before the heroine kicked the hero to the curb. Only as he realized he was losing her did he straighten up. I'm looking for more books like this where the marriage is loveless or very rocky at first. Do you know of any?

Sent from my XT1528

I like marriage of convenience plots, but I don't think that's exactly what you are looking for. I looked through my list and came up with these:

- Seducing the Duchess, Ashley March. This is very angsty and very good. The hero marries the heroine for revenge on her brother, then abandons her. Now, 3 yrs later, she wants a divorce, but he's realized he loves her and wants her back.

- Soldier of Fortune, Judith James. Set in the 1600's, Charles II makes one of his barons marry the King's mistress so that he can keep her around without his wife getting upset. I have this, but haven't read it. The author wrote one of my favorite romances, Broken Wing.

- An Infamous Marriage and A Marriage of Inconvenience, Susanna Fraser. These are both $0.99 right now and might fit the bill for you.

- Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas. Someone else mentioned Not Quite a Husband by this author. Both books feature estranged couples and both are fantastic (and fantastically angsty). Also, she wrote a book called Ravishing The Heiress, which features a couple that have been married for 8 years. She's in love with him, but he's only ever looked at her a close friend and is wrapped up in his love for another woman.

I'll glance through my contemporaries also and see if I can find any there.

[Blossom]

Ravishing the Heiress sounds just what I'm looking for. Thanks!

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[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

whom I kept hoping they'd have a conciliatory threesome with. I should probably mention that this book was written in the 1960s, so there was absolutely no chance of ménage, if you're not into that.
.

Thanks for recs. I have her books I'm pretty sure.

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[Fbone]

Google Play has a Kensington promotion going on with many titles at 99 cents.

https://play.google.com/store/books/...n_romance_sale

[Blossom]

Did I miss something while I was busy the past few years? Did Kensington buy Lyrical Press?

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[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Did I miss something while I was busy the past few years? Did Kensington buy Lyrical Press?

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Yes, in 2014.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...cal-press.html

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Yes, in 2014.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...cal-press.html

2014 was when all the craziness started so that makes sense why I missed it.

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[ferrywoman]

Laura Kaye's Ride Hard is free for only one day, March 3rd, via instaFreebie. https://instafreebie.com/free/aWlkH