March #9
I am trying to recall the name of a book I read a long time ago. It was a Regency Romance time period and there was heavy banter between the hero/heroine that was mingled with Shakespeare's Romeo/Juliet. I have been researching for awhile, but have had no success, if anyone can help, sure would appreciate it. Thanks.

March#20
I think the book starts off at this woman's wedding. Her husband who had been presumed dead shows up and stops the wedding. The woman still loves her husband, but he loved adventuring more than he did staying home (he is a photographer or a researcher or something). So she gives her husband and fiance both chances to court her. There was one sweet part where the husband cuts into the fiance's time when repels from the balcony in his hotel room to her's. Of course in the end she chooses her husband. I am pretty sure this is how the story goes. I read it like 4 years ago.

March#26
I am looking for a book I read about 10+ years ago. The heroine is a young lady who is asked by her parents to marry her older sister's jilted groom. Her sister never shows up at the wedding and the parents are horrified since all the guests are already there. So they ask the younger sister to marry him and the groom dejectedly agrees to the arrangement. After she gets married, he takes her first to the house of his aunts where he grew up and finally to the house he had prepared for his original bride. Slowly they begin to get to know each other and fall in love. Then her sister comes back, and with some seedy accomplices, tries to extort money from the husband (I believe they try to kidnap the younger sister?). In the end, he must go and rescue her. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

March#29
I am so pleased to have found your site. I have been trying to remember the name of a book for ages without success. I believe that the story takes place in the Victorian era, and centers on a young woman who is a spinster due to a combination of bookish traits and the "misfortune" of being very tall and having proportions she finds unattractive (small breasts and large hips, by her own description). She makes a living by teaching deportment to young ladies, until she encounters the hero one day in a dress shop. There, a mouse frightens her, and she is on a stool, holding her skirts rather high, when the hero -ostensibly a rat-catcher -comes to the rescue. He is immediately struck by the length of her legs, and we are treated to a first person reflection of their erotic possibilities from his perspective. Somehow, two other gentlemen become involved in the narrative, making a bet that the woman can't teach this rat-catcher to pass as a gentleman at an upcoming ball, no small feat, considering that he has a cockney accent and a habity of cursing like a sailor. She takes the bet, however, despite some misgivings, and their relationship begins (very properly on her side, and with a good deal of scandalous sexual innuendo on his). They discover that the ratcatcher has an aptitude for accents, and they successfully pass him off at the ball. Even better, we discover that he is the long-lost grandson of some wealthy old coot who can't wait to leave everything to him and clear the way for a perfect HEA ending.

March#31
This book was a Mills and Boon, from the 90's or before. The heroine, G(emma?) is a dancer, low on cash. Her mom, B, is a famous opera singer, but they're not close and G doesn't want to take money from her. She is a "beatnik", doesn't believe in wearing a bra - freedom of movement for her breasts. She hitches a ride with the hero, Logan. Logan proceeds to kiss her to illustrate the danger in hitchhiking. Something he says makes Gemma recognize who Logan was - a producer? Logan is going to visit the home of an older guy he hopes will fund a gig. He needs a fake fiance so the guy's young wife won't hit on him again. He offers Gemma the role. At one point, Logan throws G into the pool. She climbs out and comes back and sits at the table with him and the older guy. They're on a boat, G sees Logan come out of someone else's bedroom, and is furiously taking laps around the swimming pool. He joins her, she kicks him in the stomach. He thinks it's time to end the relationship, but finds he can't walk away. One morning, B arrives. She is the female lead in Logan's gig. Logan can't pretend Gemma is his fiance any longer, since he didn't know B was her mother. He asks if Gemma was auditioning for a role with him, that she'd given a hell of a performance. G's old classmate and friend is also there - they used to dance together. Someone suggests that mother and daughter both do the gig - it would be a great for marketing. Gemma is left on an island. B doesn't, but Logan notices she isn't on the boat, and goes back to fetch her. She is upset, and hits him. He bears down on her, and ends up kissing ... and more? She realizes he's now going to hate her for making him look weak? She auditions for the dancing role, mostly a formality. At the end, Logan orders her out of her friend/dancing partner's car into his own, and proposes with a new ring.

May#1
The main characters of this novel are a female artist who at one time was very well known but her teacher/mentor died and she is accused of stealing his work which has never been found. She has moved to either Santa Fe or Taos, New Mexico to get away from the scandal. She thinks she accidentally meets a man and they fall in love. However, he has been sent by her teacher/mentor's widow to discover the missing art. Can you help me with this? It may be by Nora Roberts but I have moved twice in 7 years and cannot find all of my books. Thanks so much for your help.

August#1
I'm looking for a Harlequin Presents novel, a few years old, wherein a man (maybe Italian) marries a woman because she's pregnant, but ignores her for the most part, and doesn't realize his mother, who also lives with them, treats her badly behind his back. She is not feeling well, and asks him to stay home with her, but he thinks she is just looking for attention and leaves on a business triip anyway. She loses their baby.

August#2
I am trying to find an older historical romance novel I read in the late 1970s. The characters were named Rowena and Nicholas. She became his ward and was part gypsy, they fell in love, he abandoned her right before she gave birth, they reunited in the US (I believe the story began somewhere in Europe). She became a famous singer and he was a Dr. although she didn't know it at the time they married. I LOVED the book and any help you can give me is appreciated.

August#4
I'm looking for the title of a book. The guy has to marry but doesn't want to because I think he's in love with this woman he frequently visits. I think she's a prostitute. Anyways he and the Heroine agree to a fake engagement which later turns to marriage though the guys wants to leave her in the country so that he could go back to his mistress. As the story progresses he expects her to do all of her wifely duties, as in go to social parties and such, but doesn't really give her any love in return. Anyway at some point in the story he walks into her room to I think tell her that he loves her but finds a hat or something and thinks that she has a guy hidden in her room. As he tries to look for him he throws her aside but she tries to stop him which makes him think even more that she's lying and so he slaps her, which is when I think either her sister or cousin, who had dressed as a guy, comes running in to tell him to stop. Anyway they go to his ex-mistress for help to hide the girl away from some guy. Oh, and I think someone might be trying to either kill him or the girl, though I may be wrong. Thats all that i can remember and I might be confusing some of the details with other books.

August#6
I am looking for this harlequin presets novel. It's about a couple who got married too young. He was a struggling writer and she was an up and coming reporter. she ended up leaving him because acted like he didn't care. Anyways she found out she was pregnant and had the baby without telling him. The boys name was Jamie. Make a long story short, he became a famous author, contacted her boss to have her do a story on him, (more like blackmailed), she didn't want to but she did they rehash things and end up together in the end after the kid have a fall.

August#7
I am looking for a romance novel I read years ago... I don't remember the title but the main characters were called Connor & Anne (may be different spelling). From what I can remember they knew each other as children (he is older) & she suffered incestual abuse at the hands of her brother. They reunited years later & fell in love. I think he was a carpenter & the story is set around an old house she used to live in.

August#11
I cannot remember the name of a book that I read YEARS ago. It is about 2 sets of identical twins, 1 set male, 1 set female. Set around the time of the Revolutionary War? 1 twin from each set (outgoing) pretends to be old, as they both have secret identities that they are trying to protect. The other twins pretend to be their twin (both reserved).

August#12
The book I am looking for is a Harlequin presents book, published in the late 1980s or early 90s, I've read this book about 10+ yrs ago. The heroine's name is Charlotte, people call her "Charley". The first part of the story was set in England. The hero was looking for the heroine's uncle because he did something to the hero, not quite sure what. The hero then blackmailed the heroine into marrying him otherwise her uncle will go to jail, then he brought her back to the US after they married, I think he lives in the Chesapeake Bay area.

August#13
..."John" is a photographer sent to take pictures of wild animals in Africa, Australia, or L. America. "Jane" is his driver (filling in for someone). Few scenes: John got upset at Jane for being late one evening. She told him the car had a flat tire that she had to change. John mentioned about how females don't know anything as changing tires; hearing that made her furious. Days later, the real driver came back bringing with him John's gorgeous assistant or publisher(?). Jane of course realized that she was falling in love, her time is up, and had to leave. Weeks later, she went to John's art show and saw a picture of her smiling into the camera while only a towel hid her nudity. Next to her picture is the picture of that gorgeous lady. She felt that she was only a stand-in lover to John. So she left the exhibit and gone home (not knowing that John was following her). In her room she ripped his picture... and someone at the door was knocking. It's him, and he loves her too. Clues listed later on the R.C. thread: *The cover has a picture of the couples. *Might be similar to the pictures in Harlequin Romance covers...they're in a "kiss" position.(could be wrong) *The Hero has a scar on his leg(?) and one morning caught the Heroine staring at it, and he said something like "Like what you see?".... *Don't know if it's a Harlequin book *Strongly agree its contemporary

August#14
I read a book in the early 90s but can't remember author or title. The main characters are Natalie and Matt, she is a children's book illustrator and very shy and he is a math professor. He is haunted by the suicide of one of his students and she wants to have a baby. They agree on a marriage of convenience so she can get pregnant. He falls in love with her but doesn't let her know until he finds a picture she drew of herself as a pregnant hippo (after they have split up of course). At the end of the book she paints four pictures of the apple orchard behind the house, 1 painting for each season.

August#16
I read a book, probably 10 years ago??? I think it was a Silohette Intimate Moments book. It was about a women who has been searching for her child. Her ex kidnapped the child as an infant (it was a boy I think) about 6 months later her ex turned up dead with no signs of the baby. Years later she falls in love but never finds the child. I don't remember much of the romance or the hero she falls in love with. Just that the child was not found by the end of the story.

August#17
The book I am looking for is a English historical 2nd in a series. It take place at a country party in which the hero a confirmed bachelor and rake becomes sick (he thinks he is dying) The party is put on by his friend and his wife. The heroin is the younger sister of his friend or friends wife and has secretly been in love with him forever. She seduces him in his sick bed and he agrees to marry her because he thinks he is dying. I think he is a duke or some form of royalty as is his friend throwing the party. I am not sure when the book was written could have been in the 90's.

August#19
I'm not sure if this is the right way to ask this question. I read a book probably 5-10 years ago, and it has been driving me nuts trying to find it again. I don't remember the author's name, the title, or the character's names. It was set back in time with Scottish clan wars. The heroin is stealing cattle from her neighbor to use as dowry for her sisters. When she is caught by her neighbor, she offers her maidenhead in exchange for the cattle (thinking he will be shamed and just give her what she wants). He accepts (calling her bluff). They begin to fall in love when the king orders her to serve the crown by being kidnapped by a neighboring clan. She ends up marrying her kidnapper and falling in love with him. Later in the book, he dies, and she tries to go back to her first love. I may not have all of the details correct, but it was one of my favorite books, and I am dying to find it and read it again.

August#20
I am looking for the names of two books. The first book involves a heroine who sees a pirate (named Johnny?) on the beach and in her mirror.. Turns out he is a vampire who was somehow separated from himself. The story culminates with the heroine, the pirate image and the vampire traveling to a foreign country to try to reunite his two halves so that they can live happily ever after.

August#21
The second book is about Navy Seals. A female officer in the Navy decides she wants to become a Seal which isn't allowed but she is given clearance to test the program. Her CO does not want her to be a Seal but falls in love with her. They end up going to Mexico to get married. He gets mad when she gets a trident tattoo on her rear and she shows him it when out on a training exercise. His father had raped his mother so he decided he didn't want to have kids and they argued about that. In the end, she was hurt on a mission, he reconsiders having children and they wind up adopting the child she saved on the mission.

August#24
I am looking for a book that was written the '90s, I think. There are 3 books in the series, all a bit long in length. A woman (British, maybe) ends up on a pirate ship, falls in love with pirate, becomes his wife (long-term mistress?). When on land, they live in a mansion in Grenada, maybe, somewhere in the Carribean? She stays there in the end while he pirates. There is something about her petticoat (red or black) which he flies as a flag while he is a pirate. And something about a conflict with the governor on the island they live on. There might have been something about her shockingly blond hair? I think the title had the words "wind" or "song" or "night" and all three titles were related.

August#25
I read it back in 96 or before. All I remember is the premise really. The hero is engaged to this woman, but had never met her and wasn't interested to either. They have a very public engagement, but he also has very public mistresses. I think one of his mistresses even makes fun of his intended and he basically agrees with her on it. Once he meets her, however, he is enchanted completely. I'm not sure, but I think the story revolves around an engagement ring as well.

August#26
There was a historical romance novel, I'm not sure which time period, that I read a few years back. The story was about a girl who takes her sister's place on her wedding night because her sister is not a virgin and they need to fool her new husband. I didn't get to finish the book but I remember that the sister slept around with men in their village quite a bit and the main character was very disapproving. It's not much to go on, but I'd love to finish the book if I could find out what it was!

August#27
i am looking for a book set during the early 1900's in new york city/brooklyn/manhatten. A uncle has guardenship over his neice and he wants her money and holds it over her that he pays for her sister to be in a mental hospital. The sister is accused of killing her mother and father in a fire. The ward wants to go to a coming out party for an irish girl but her uncle denies her and smacks her in the face and locks her in her room. The brother of the irish girl takes a list of the people who didn't attended and set out to ruin them finanically. When the uncle finds out there is no more money he ties her too the irish man's door step in the rain. The man makes a bargain with her to train his sister for society. when she is done she can leave. The irish man is called an upstart by high society. it was an older book when i read it about a year ago.

August#28
The book itself was older, far from new. The setting was a long time ago, what time period I am not sure. There are half sisters, one in Japan, one in Scotland. They share a father, who is in the military and therefore travelling. There might be a third sister, but I did not get that far into the book. The Scottish half sister in introduced first, tells a story of her being a young woman, barefoot, using an old loom to weave, living with only her mother. The Japanese sister is introduced next, there is a festival in her town, but something happens and she and her mother are forced to leave and escape into the mountains. This is, very sadly, all I have to go on.

August#30
It was a romance where I believe the woman was a photographer and she had somewhat of a medical problem where she would get really bad cramps and didn't think she could ever have children. In the end she gets pregnant, and the guy thinks she tricked here. I know that isn't much, but I don't think too many stories would have cramps in the plot :)

August#32
Many years ago I read a historical romance about a girl named Poppy. She had a parrot. Her father died or abandoned her. I think he abandoned her. He might have been a sailor. Do you know what book I am talking about?

August#33
A woman artist lives in New Mexico and has friends in the art world there however she makes no effort to advertise her work outside of the group where she is known. Her manager makes an appointment without the artist knowledge with an important art world figure to look at some of the artist's work. The important figure knows of the artist and believes that she stole a group of painting from the estate of the artist's mentor. He does not tell her who he is and she falls for him.

August#34
Hello! I have been searching for days for a book that I read many years ago when I was in high school that I would like to purchase again. I cannot remember the title, but I believe that the main male charactor's name was Will and I know that the main female charactor's name is Cassie (at least, that is what she tells him in the beginning, but she actually has a different name, but she attempts to hide her past from him for most of the book). He begins to look after her and, I cannot remember exactly what happens, but they begin to tell people that they are married for safety's sake. They then go and visit his family and realize that Cassie is pregnant...They get married for real and I cannot remember much after that (I am actually surprised that I remembered as much as I did).

August#35
About 7 or 8 years ago I read a romance book set in the civil war era. The hero was some sort of spy and the heroine ended up going with him on this mission. She may have been a spy also. I think at one point near the beginning of the book they were at the white house or somewhere really important like that. They pretend to be married and hide in the secret room of someone's house while the "bad" soldiers search the place. They also end up hiding under the porch of a house at some point from the same "bad" soldiers.

August#39
Heroine and Hero are witches/warlocks. They have been matched up by their council? He's a lawyer and comes from a bad family background. His parents were matched as well and his father walked out on his family. She comes from a happy family and believes that love conquers all. She gets pregnant and he freaks out. In the end she is kidnapped? and he comes for her and saves her and the baby using his powers.

If you like a challenge, check out the questions in our Needle in a Haystack column. This is where we post the real toughies! They will appear in the column for six months. Help a fellow reader!

Readers, if you have any answers for these questions, please email TRR, and be sure to include the month and the question number so we can list them accurately! As always, thanks for your help!