Historical Romance Book Club discussion

For the month of December, 2019 we are reading HRs featuring Ugly Ducklings/ plain looking heroines.

Rules of Nominations :
Not more than 2 nominations per member.
No book we have read as a group read in the last 2 yrs. (Please check the group's Bookshelf)
No author we have read in the last one year.

Lists to help you:

Plain Jane and Hot stud Romances
Plain Jane in HR
Unfortunate Female-Popular male romance

Nominations end on 15th October, 2019

Authors not eligible for December, 2019 group read

Kerrigan Byrne - November, 2019
Tessa Dare - October, 2019
Olivia Parker - September, 2019
Carolyn Jewel - August, 2019
Julia Quinn - January & July 2019
Lisa Kleypas - December, 2018 & June 2019
Sarah MacLean - May 2019
Julia London - April 2019
Elizabeth Hoyt - March 2019
Lorraine Heath - February 2019

I nominate Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer and The Lover by Robin Schone.

Ooh yes, Hummingbird. Love your pick Mariana. I'll nominate The Gamble, another lovely LaVyrle Spencer read. In this one, the h is a prim, lonely spinster in a wild west town, who considers herself plain and unattractive to men. She has a permanent limp due to a childhood accident. She falls in love with the highly inappropriate Scott Gandy, a gambler who's a refugee from the old South and the civil war. But he's a true gentleman, actually, and it's a lovely story. Great cast of secondary characters too.


My second nom is Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne. Another story set in the American old West, but it's not a cowboy story. A really lovely romance about 'Lowdown', a woman who has not really had an opportunity to be herself rather than 'one of the boys'. The story set up at the start is slightly ridiculous, but if you just go with it, it turns into a beautiful love story.

Oh I love this trope! I'll nominate Guilty Pleasures for now, and think over the next one :)

I nominate The Arrangement by Mary Balogh

I am nominating Seduction or The Lover

Debby "Piene Raven" wrote: "I am nominating Seduction or The Lover"

Hi Debby. Mariana has already nominated The Lover (see message #4), so you could have another nomination if you wish.

Jan wrote: "Debby "Piene Raven" wrote: "I am nominating Seduction or The Lover"

Hi Debby. Mariana has already nominated The..."

Great minds think alike. 😜

I'd like to nominate:

and

Darbella wrote: "The Perfect Rake was the winner in October 2018 BOTM."

Oh, I'd like to nominate instead then:

I would like to nominate my favorite author who is not very well know but funny, hot and original. She writes medieval romance that is taking place fictional country.
“Her baseborn husband” by Alice Coldbreath.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
(Really don’t know how to link a book :(
But please consider it. It’s so wonderful, funny with heroine that is at the beginning considered almost disabled (but she is not)

And my other nomination would be Devil is a Marquess by Elisa Braden.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The heroine has had 3 or 4 seasons with no offer of marriage. She very tall and definitely clumsy. The hero is considered one of the baddest rake and has problem with alcohol but is otherwise devilishly good looking and skilled.

Thanks Jan.

My 2nd choice would be The Lord Next Door

Thank you Darbella. It doesn’t work on a phone. However I don’t want to take up this space about my lack of Goodreads skills. I’m excited about all these nominations.

I nominate True Story by Jayne Fresina and Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden.

Petra wrote: "Thank you Darbella. It doesn’t work on a phone. However I don’t want to take up this space about my lack of Goodreads skills. I’m excited about all these nominations."

Petra, try switching over to desktop website format on mobile browser. That way, you can access all features on mobile too.

Priya wrote: "Petra wrote: "Thank you Darbella. It doesn’t work on a phone. However I don’t want to take up this space about my lack of Goodreads skills. I’m excited about all these nominations."

Petra, try swi..."

Oh that worked!!! Thank you so much Priya. Now I know how to use Goodreads on my phone.

My nomination is
The Abduction of Julia, By Karen Hawkins.

I'm nominating and

LoL!! Right?! A lot of good choices for this one!

Darbella wrote: "So many good choices, so many ugly ducklings. Decisions, decisions. LOL"

Yes! And so many I haven't read, which is nice.

Lots of good nominations this month. Here’s the list:

1. An Infamous Marriage by Susanna Fraser
2. The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James
3. Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer
4. The Lover by Robin Schone
5. The Gamble by LaVyrle Spencer
6. Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne
7. Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke
8. The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
9. Seduction by Amanda Quick
10. That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd
11. The Charm School by Susan Wiggs
12. Her Baseborn Bridegroom by Alice Coldbreath
13. The Devil Is a Marquess by Elisa Braden
14. The Lord Next Door by Gayle Callen
15. True Story by Jayne Fresina
16. Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden
17. The Abduction of Julia by Karen Hawkins
18. The Spinster's Secret by Emily Larkin
19. Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers

Let me know if I missed any!

December polls are open for voting.
We tried adding book links to a regular poll. Please let me know if this way is any easier to find the books than our usual book polls.

Voting ends on 31st of October, 2019.

Lots of good ones to choose from!

Mariana wrote: "Lots of good ones to choose from!"


True. I am finding it difficult to vote for just one!

Me too! I may change even my vote later.