This HaBO request is from Alana, who is hoping to find this book:

Here is what I remember. There are at least three protagonists. Two men and one woman. I believe that these three people are taken from their modern world and dropped in Camelot. The three characters did not know each other in the modern world. Two of the characters, one of the men and the woman, find each other and are trained to be the “good guys”. The man who meets up with the woman starts off kinda scrawny and trains to be a swordsman and the woman he meets trains to be a mage or magic user of some sort. They fall in love and I remember that she is really into licking her lips. I think that the man who trains to be a swordsman has sandy blond/brown hair with blue eyes and the woman is blonde and wears a blue dress a lot. I can’t be sure on those descriptions though.

The other man, think like a young Severus Snape look, is found by some sort of evil dark mage/warlock that trains the young man to replace him.

I know the book is on the thicker size. I read it in probably 2010 – 2011ish. I have no idea what the title is or anything else about the plot.

I have been trying to find this book for years please help!

Let’s HaBO!

This HaBO comes from Maria, who wants to find this romance:

Hello! I’ve read this book many years ago, I remember loving it but sadly I can’t for the love of me remember its title! (I’ve also posted this over some other groups, so fear not, you’re not seeing double)

This is a mix between historical and modern, (kinda time travely) about a family who had been rivals for years and both main characters work in construction and they hate each other because of their families’ history. The book takes place between historical (flashback) and modern times with the construction taking place, some house renovation. There’s a rock or a necklace that connects everything (the families, timeline, etc) and it’s crucial to the plot.

Please, if you have any clue or if anything rings a bell, let me know….

Can we HaBO?

This HaBO is from Colleen, who is hoping to find this romance:

Ack! I have been searching for this book and am beginning to think I made it up. Okay, so the heroine works for a financial risk/management company and has traveled to South Africa (I think) with her boss to pitch to the hero. They want him to use their company. He is a risk-taking surfer, so the boss learns surfing terms and it goes horribly.

However, the heroine catches his interest (of course). There’s a scene in a bar where and a spider is involved? He and another man complete a “dare” to secure a business deal of some kind?

Eventually, he chooses their business but only if she is in charge of the account.

Later, she and the hero spend time on an island together. She learns the hero used to date a swimsuit model.

Ugh. That’s all I can remember. Help!

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

This HaBO comes from Alexis, who wants to find this trio of romances:

I read this series of books when I worked at a public library somewhere between 2010 and 2015. There were three different books, each about a different friend in a group of three. The first has a one night stand with what turns out to be a vampire, and they become a happy couple. The second does the same with a werewolf. The third is some kind of an Avon lady and dedicates her life to selling makeup and becoming the top earner to get the pink car, until she finds out she’s dying. For the life of me I cannot remember what happens after, but I’d love to reread the books! HABO please??

I, too, want to know what happens to the third friend, considering the previous two books are paranormal and the third’s paranormal elements aren’t quite revealed.

This HaBO is from Raina, who wants to find this older historical romance:

Looking for a really old romance novel. Probably 20-30 years or so.

It was a historical with the hero taking over the heroine’s castle by force. I believe the hero’s name was Royce and the heroine was Bethany, but don’t quote me on that. One was a Saxon and the other a Norman?

The heroine tried to save all of her people by having them leave through a secret tunnel while she tried to fight the hero in armor. He found them and then basically made her his servant/slave. They have a slow burn enemies to lovers type thing through the story. He makes friends with her younger brother (a child) and only the younger brother knows that the hero speaks their language until the end of the book. The younger sister (probably early 20s) winds up being the villain of the story. This has an HEA. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sarah and I have asked Raina and it is not The Prize by Julie Garwood, A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught, or Glorious Surrender by Nickii Fowler.

This HaBO comes from Mary, who wants to locate this comfort series:

My tale is long, so get a cup of tea, coffee, or wine. I’m an older citizen of Romancelandia, having cut my Romance eye teeth on Heyer, Cartland, and Woodiwiss in the 70s and 80s. Our large family lived within walking distance of a library. My parents never censored what we read, so I read The Godfather and others while I was still in high school. So in the adult fiction, I found a group of books all by the same author, all set during WW2, I think.

The one I remember, the female main character was a young ingenue working in NY. Her love interest was labeled unfit for service, but not really. He was a spy/agent for the Defense Department, trying to locate some saboteurs.

The heroine would window shop, specifically Gump’s and a window display with jade jewelry. For a teen in Mississippi in the 70s, it all sounded so luxurious. I could swear the author’s last name was Lowry or Lowery, but would not swear to it. I’m sure they wouldn’t hold up, but they were such a comfort read on a hot summer day. In my mind’s eye, I can still find on the shelves on the wall around the corner from the circulation desk, next to all the magazine racks and study tables. Maybe there are some librarians who can recall these books. Help me, my Smart Bitches, y’all are my only hope!

Let’s HaBO!

This HaBO is from Andrea, who is hoping to find this romance. Warnings below for faking a child’s death:

I know I read the book in late 1990s to mid-2000s. Frontier or Western setting.

Man enters an inn and ends up marrying a young woman (who knows how to live in mountain area) by spending night in bed with a board between them (jumping the board). The woman is with a scout or guide. They get married and she guides or goes with them, but he leaves her at another inn and plans to return later. Innkeeper woman does not give the heroine her husband’s note that he will return and makes her work for her keep.

The heroine finds out she’s pregnant and goes into labor from a fall off a wagon while unloading it. She’s told her baby died. She leaves. Man comes back and is told her and the baby died. However, the people who had taken the child, a son, bring him back. Innkeeper woman tells the hero his wife died and she couldn’t keep baby, so she gave him away.

He discovers wife is still alive and goes to get her from (possibly) England. On the way home (maybe Colorado), she gets amnesia from being struck in the head on a ship. He takes her home to meet son.

At some point, someone tries to capture her and the son. She avoids being caught by carrying her son on her back in a icy river. Husband tracks them down and finds them safe in a cave with a Native American. They reconcile as she has her memory back.

This sounds wild and I have no clue how geographically this all works.

This HaBO is from Layla, who wants to find this contemporary romance:

I’m looking for a book that I think came out within the last two years. It’s a contemporary romance, possibly small town, and I’m pretty positive it’s on KU. I read the first chapter through the author’s newsletter but I cannot remember the author or the title and it’s driving me crazy. I’m subbed to a lot of author newsletters and I delete emails after reading so I can’t just try to find it in my archive.

The main male character was coming (back?) into town and stopped at the bar where he saw the female main character who is working there. The FMC is the sister of some guys he has a feud/rivalry with? I remember the vibe being sort of like a Hatfield/McCoys situation. It’s definitely part of a series and I’m pretty sure the FMC’s brothers were the focus of the previous books. Also pretty sure the first chapter was dual POV.

Details I’m not entirely sure are accurate: there’s a regular and/or an asshole at the bar and he defends her or feels the urge to and he offers her a ride to and from work the next day because of…reasons? Again, this part is the most fuzzy and may be my brain mixing up two different books.

I feel like it was someone along the lines of Melanie Harlow but it’s entirely possible that I’m just making that up.

I know this is a long shot as there are a million books like this out there but if anyone has any ideas, I’d appreciate it!

Can we HaBO?

This HaBO is from Elizabeth, who wants to find this historical romance:

Trying to find a Regency that I believe was published in the 1980s.

Plot: Heroine, definitely upper class (don’t know if she’s a titled lady or just well-born), whose name is Helen, I think, or something with an H (not positive, though) falls in love with a titled lord and he with her. Trouble is, he’s already engaged to another woman, named Cynthia, who’s drop-dead gorgeous and a real bitch who’s only marrying him for his status/money. Things get complicated because she’s also fooling around with Duncan, a groundskeeper or someone low-class like that who she’s enormously attracted to/has illicit sex with. Book ends with Cynthia becoming pregnant, running away with Duncan, and the hero being freed from his engagement. I’m sure a great deal more happens, but that’s really all I remember.

Sex scenes are either just alluded to or, if described, are short and not steamy. This book (for the most part) respects the Regency romance conventions.

I think it was a slightly longer book than, say, the Harlequins of the day, but nothing like the bodice-ripper length.

Can we HaBO?

This HaBO is from Lori, who wants to find this romance:

I read this book in the late 70s or 80s and I’m thinking it was a Harlequin.

A man is on the run (maybe from the FBI) and he kidnaps a woman who suffers from ulcers. Milk toast is the only thing that settles her stomach.

He escapes with the woman by rafting through the Grand Canyon, where she has a change of heart.

These are quite the specific details!

This HaBO comes from Kierra, who wants to find this YA book:

I read this book a friend gave me when I was in 6th grade (I’m 20 now for reference). It’s about a girl in a post-apocalyptic (maybe, not sure?) world, and she has this love interest named Cole.

There are a few other characters. I remember this one guy who dates a girl named Kayla (maybe?). She ends up dying and I think she comes back as a zombie?

The cover maybe had something to do with either zombies or Alice in Wonderland. It’s a romance novel, young adult for sure. When I read it, there were about three or four books to the series. If you have ANY ideas, please send them in! I’ve been searching for the last year for this book!

Sound familiar?

This HaBO is from Gerry, who is hoping to find out whether this book is real:

I haven’t read this book, but it was casually referred to in another book, and it is driving me crazy. It is a romance novel. The main character is a physicist and she collects medieval assassins’ tools. It was mentioned in one of Ghost Mountain Pack books by Audrey Faye. I think it was in Shield, but it could have been in Sentinel. The way she mentioned it made me think it was a real book.

That’s it, that’s all I know, but I want to read it! I know it is a long shot, but can someone identify it? I just got obsessed with finding it. I know it is a longshot, and if you guys don’t recognize it, maybe I’ll try to contact her directly. I hate to bother authors, though.

The concept does sound very cool.

This HaBO comes from Tiffany, who wants to find this romance:

I’m trying to track down a STEM romance that I meant to read but Iost track of.

I remember that the heroine is a lab manager who takes a lot of pride in running a tight ship and taking care of “her scientists” as she calls them. The hero is a wealthy tech mogul with a lot of media/pop culture buzz, but is tired of the “cool” factor overshadowing the seriousness of his work. There may or may not be a cybersecurity element to it. He is planning a big launch that will change all that and make a difference.

The hero and heroine are online pen pals, so only know each other through screen names, and first names maybe. They are comfortable joking and sharing their true selves online, since they’ll probably never meet in real life.

The hero’s business ends up partnering/consulting with the heroine’s lab for the new project. He is annoyed with the media and is very rude to the staff at the lab, but no one calls him on it because he is a “big deal.” Except our heroine of course, who comes to the rescue, telling him off and demanding respect for her team. Palpable sexual tension ensues. Not knowing this is actually his pen pal soulmate/BFF, he is snarky and rude to her as well.

Somehow he realizes later who she is and feels bad (maybe when they are ranting to each other in their latest pen pal exchange about having a horrible day at work). The author and/or heroine may have a Spanish/Hispanic name/background.

I feel like I remember so many details except the title. Can you HABO?

I know a few people who would love to read this one!

This HaBO is from Gina, who wants to find this romance:

I am submitting a HaBO about a book I can’t stop thinking about, but I have very little to go on. It was during my witch phase probably between 2010-2013. And unfortunately I can’t remember anything else, I just remember being really into it and wanting to read the sequel! I believe the main character has some kind of witchy powers. I know that she and the male lead character are searching for something that they don’t want to get into the hands of bad actors. I think it was set in Wales and I remember one scene was at some kind of outdoor fair and things go down at said event. It was set up as a cliffhanger but I don’t remember the sequel ever coming out. I think the cover might have been dark blue or black and had some kind of emblem on it. That’s all I’ve got. If this sparks something for you, let me know!

Could this be one of the witchy Nora Roberts titles?

This HaBO comes from Gayle, who wants to find this historical romance:

Long time reader, infrequent poster!

I read this book possibly early/mid 2010s. It was probably a Regency. In the prologue, a couple is about to be wed. He had a title and she was marrying above her station. His best friend was a woman on the estate next door and everyone thought they would get married instead, but the hero and heroine fell in love.  After the ceremony, the heroine went to find her new husband and saw what she thought was him and the other woman locked in a passionate embrace. She runs away.

Chapter 1 is almost 7 years later and no one has heard from the heroine. Everyone is encouraging hero to have her declared dead so he can re-marry and get an heir. The childhood best friend is now a widow and wants him.

They are at the theater or opera when the door to the box opens and it is his wife. The reason she came back was because she had an almost 7 year old son, whose birth was witnessed and had been documented as his heir.

Can this be solved?

If she ran away following the ceremony and had a son shortly after, that must mean… *waggles eyebrows*

This HaBO is from Alyssa, who wants to find this romance:

Hey y’all! There are some spoilers in this ! I’ve read this book before and would love to read it again, but I don’t remember specific details like names of characters, titles, or author. I do remember events in this book. It is not really all that dark but more of a taboo relationship but:

It’s an age-gap romance. I think there’s like a 15-16 year age gap and the book starts off with the heroine being like 18 but she blames the hero for her dad’s death that happened years ago on a mission gone wrong. The main characters reconcile. She goes off to college unexpectedly and they lose contact, but he unknowingly runs into her again years later at a strip club where she’s dancing but has a mask on. He asks for her help with a job and then he ends up finding out it was her the next day. They lose contact again, but I think it was another year or so they run into each other again. She’s now a cardiologist helping treat a heart condition of the hero’s friend. I know at some point he fakes his death to try to protect her but she gets herself into a sticky situation trying to save her half brother. The hero comes back to save her but she gets hurt. I think the hero owns a private security company or something. The heroine also has a tattoo on the back of her neck that I think was the world on fire because she thought he would burn the world down for her. It does have an HEA.

Thank you for any help in advance!

That’s a lot!

This HaBO comes from Linnea, who wants to find this historical romance:

I have read too many romances; been reading them for fifty years so there are bound to be some I cannot find again, especially after my daughters donated most of my books to help me declutter. I have over 6k books on my kindle and have gone through them, too, and cannot find this book.

I think it is part of a series. The plot involves the daughter of a cranky minister. She is a teacher who is on the way home from visiting a wise woman when she finds an unconscious man in the cold. He has been attempting a climb with a friend and they got separated. The treacherous weather has turned cold and there is snow involved. She rescues him by dragging him into a cave and getting him warm with body heat. In the morning, she is found in a disheveled state by her father who insists that the two marry immediately and will not listen to her claiming innocence.

They do marry and it turns out that the groom is heir to a family mansion and land if he and his siblings marry someone with faery blood. Turns out the heroine does have faery blood in the distant past.

The time is later than Regency, perhaps Victorian. I do not remember when I read this.

Faery blood, you say? I’m interested.

This HaBO is from Renay, who wants to find this audiobook:

I am so freaking excited to find this area on your website! I think I found this website like years ago… Possibly, but I can’t remember for sure? If so, I haven’t been on it in forever, and I am thrilled to think that you all may be able to help a bitch out!

This is what I can remember…The male lead quotes the lyrics to Ludacris’s song “What’s Your Fantasy” as he’s getting the female lead all hot and bothered. That’s it, besides the fact that it got me all hot and bothered when listening to it on audiobook! The voice narrator had a panty melting voice for it.

Thank you so much for offering this platform and I’m hoping to hear those lyrics when I get to listen to the (missing from my memory) book again!

Looking forward to my happy ending!

Who knew Luda would be such an inspiration for foreplay?

This HaBO comes from Lucy, who wants to find this historical romance:

It almost sounds like I’m combining West Ravenel (The Ravenels series by Lisa Kleypas) and Benedict Chapman (Rescued from Ruin series by Elisa Braden), but medieval: She is the heiress or conquered prize of a castle or keep that has fallen to ruin after losing most residents to a or “The” plague. She’s independent and really good at running the place even with the lack of resources.

He’s an alcoholic, and doesn’t care about her at all. He takes to the fields to restore their crop potential and the physical labor and connection to the earth help him to stop drinking. I think he might be the younger brother, so like book two in a series that starts with an older brother. And maybe in the older brother’s book, the older brother was worried seeing his younger brother drink so heavily/ become dissipated and hoped he could get on track.

They both go about their work for a while, andIi think he falls in love with her steady efficiency. It might be Norman Conquest or Scottish Medieval setting. Would love to find! Thank you!

Ringing any bells for the Bitchery?