Historical Romance Book Club discussion

For the month of JUNE 2021, we will be reading HRs that feature a theme of SIBLING’S BEST FRIEND.


VOTING IS NOW OPEN!

Please vote using this VOTING FORM. This requires that you put your Goodreads name.

You can vote for up to three full-length books. Here's how the points work:

> First (or only) choice = 3 points
> Second choice = 2 points
> Third choice = 1 point

To see which books are nominated or if you prefer to vote in-thread, check out the Nomination Thread.

You can view the current vote tally HERE.

Please vote by APRIL 30. At the end of the voting period. the top two or three vote-getters will be the BOTMs. If we need to break a tie, we will use number of first place votes, or if that doesn't work, number of second place votes as a tie-breaker. If we need another tie-breaker, we will discuss in thread and add to rules in future.

Rules of Nominations :(view spoiler)[
Not more than 2 nominations per member.
We will track novella nominations separately
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.
We will use a tiered voting system

Nominations end on April 15th. (hide spoiler)]

Nominated books:

A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman

The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden

The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce

The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel

Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton

A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath

Ravished by Virginia Henley

Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter

Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel

All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan

Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden

Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney

Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Authors Not Eligible for May 2021 Group Reads:

Kerrigan Byrne - May 2021
Christi Caldwell - May 2021
Judith Ivory - May 2021
Samantha Holt - May 2021
Courtney Milan - April 2021
Rose Lerner - April 2021
Charlotte Bronte - April 2021
Shana Galen - April 2021
Loretta Chase - March 2021
Teresa Medeiros - March 2021
Tessa Dare - February 2021
Julie Anne Long - February 2021
Stacy Reid - January 2021
Eloisa James - January 2021
Vivienne Lorette - December, 2020
Candace Camp - December, 2020
Jennifer Ashley - November 2020
Jayne Fresina - November 2020
Ivory Lei - October, 2020
Lisa Kleypas - October, 2020
Anna Campbell - September 2020
Beverly Jenkins - September 2020
Sherry Thomas - August 2020
Elizabeth Hoyt - August 2020
Mary Balogh - July 2020
Meredith Duran - July 2020
Suzanne Enoch - June 2020
Anne Mallory - June 2020

Shoot-my favorite for this trope is Sherry Thomas.

I'll keep thinking!

Hmmm...I don't have a shelf for this, and a favorite does not come to mind. I may just vote rather than nominate this month.

I can think of a couple by Julia Quinn and a couple by Caroline Linden.

I will probably ponder some before nominating to see if there are some I haven’t read. I don’t think there’s a great list but there are some. Most seem to have a heavy focus on contemporary romance though.

Joanna Loves Reading wrote: "I can think of a couple by Julia Quinn and a couple by Caroline Linden.

I will probably ponder some before nominating to see if there are some I haven’t read. I don’t think there’s a great list b..."
Quinn might be the only other one I've read, you're right.

Here's mine...

Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton

All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan

I will nominate Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall

I'll nominate
A. j. Fenichel 's The Earl Not Taken. it falls into 2 tropes enemies to lovers and brother's best friend.
2. The Truth about Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden. but in this case he's her friends big brother. Will that do?

im trying to remember te title of one I'd read some time back and truly enjoyed
but when i truly want, I cannot seem to remember sigh! .

Leena wrote: "I'll nominate
A. j. Fenichel 's The Earl Not Taken. it falls into 2 tropes enemies to lovers and brother's best friend.
2. The Truth about Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden. but in this case he's her..."

I think we can open this up to Siblings Best Friends rather than just Brothers...is everyone ok with that?

I do think the friendship should be a key point in the h&h getting together.

I nominate A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden. This is one of my favorites by Linden, and I don’t think you need to read the first two to enjoy it.

I may nominate another but I am not sure yet.

Joanna Loves Reading wrote: "Leena wrote: "I'll nominate
A. j. Fenichel 's The Earl Not Taken. it falls into 2 tropes enemies to lovers and brother's best friend.
2. The Truth about Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden. but in this..."

I'm okay with that.

I'm okay with that since I have a shelf for a sibling's friend/friend's sibling.

Mariana wrote: "Joanna Loves Reading wrote: "Leena wrote: "I'll nominate
A. j. Fenichel 's The Earl Not Taken. it falls into 2 tropes enemies to lovers and brother's best friend.
2. The Truth about Cads and Dukes..."

Missy wrote: "I'm okay with that since I have a shelf for a sibling's friend/friend's sibling."


Thanks! We don’t have the reciprocal on the trope list so makes sense anyways.

A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman. Heroine's brother's best friend.

Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel. Heroine's friend's brother.

im.tryimg.to remember one novella where she's the older sister to his friend , a spinster and it starts with a fake courtship. demme ! I just can't seem to remember the name.

Can I nominate Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter? The hero falls for his brother's wife's best friend. Does this fit the trope well enough? Almost all of the other ones I can think of e.g. Julia Quinn are on the list of authors above so can't be nominated. Just let me know if it doesn't fit and I'll withdraw the nomination.

It's book 2 in a series but can easily be read as a standalone.

Jan wrote: "Can I nominate Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter? The hero falls for his brother's wife's best friend. Does this fit the trope well enough? Almost all of the other ones I can think..."

Sounds good to me!

Also Quinn is open to be nominated. She’s not on the list.

In that case, I will nominate Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn.

Mariana wrote: "In that case, I will nominate Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn."

I believe that specific book is out due to the two year restriction. It is among my favorites by Quinn though.

Joanna Loves Reading wrote: "Also Quinn is open to be nominated. She’s not on the list."

Ooh my mistake. I must have got mixed up somehow and thought Quinn was on the list. LOL. Thanks for letting me know, Joanna.

I could nominate The Duke and I, but probably every person and their dog has read or reread it recently due to the Netflix series. So my second nomination will be Romancing Mr Bridgerton.

omg ! The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever. fits the trope absolutely. its also one of my favs

The Sweetest Sin by the underrated Kelly Boyce - Book 7 of this excellent series but can be read as a stand-alone.

A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath.

I nominate Nowhere Near Respectable

I don't know if this book is a contender.
Ravished
Twin brother both want the same lady.
If it is this is my second nomination.

Annabelle Anders Cocky Baron fits the trope perfectly too.

Shaz wrote: "I don't know if this book is a contender.
Ravished
Twin brother both want the same lady.
If it is this is my second nomination."

I listed it and noticed it was tagged as childhood friends by some so seems like it fits.

I second the nomination of Raven's Heart🥰

The Voting Link is now live! I'll send out a message blast tomorrow.

No novellas this month.

The books are in alphabetical by author's last name, except I am not realizing I got the B's slightly out of order. We're just going to go with it.

Let me know if you have any issues! Thanks!

It’s a close race! 5-way tie for 1st at the moment. Here’s the current results:

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden 12
Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter 12
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney 12
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 12
Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall 12
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton 9
A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman 7
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel 7
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath 6
Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel 6
The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden 5
The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce 4
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 3
Ravished by Virginia Henley 1

WHAT FUN! Can't wait to see who prevails.

It’s still very close, but we do have leaders now. Here’s the current results:

Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 18
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney 17
Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter 15
Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall 14
A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden 12
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton 12
The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden 10
A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman 9
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath 7
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel 7
Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel 6
The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce 4
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 3
Ravished by Virginia Henley 1

A Rakes Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden

Shannon wrote: "A Rakes Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden"

Added your vote!

One more day, not much change since the last time I posted:

Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney 18
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 18
A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden 15
Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter 15
Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall 14
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton 12
The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden 10
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath 9
A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman 9
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel 7
Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel 6
Ravished by Virginia Henley 4
The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce 4
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 3

Latest tally, still close with some changes among the top few.

Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter 20
A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden 19
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney 18
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 18
Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall 17
A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman 12
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton 12
The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden 10
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath 9
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel 7
Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel 6
Ravished by Virginia Henley 4
The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce 4
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 3

Final results:

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden 23
Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter 20
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 20
______________________________________________
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney 20
Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendall 17
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath 14
The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden 13
A Raven's Heart by K.C. Bateman 12
Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton 12
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel 7
Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel 6
Ravished by Virginia Henley 6
The Sweetest Sin by Kelly Boyce 4
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 3

There ended up being a three-way tie for second place. Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney had less first place votes than the first two, which is the first tie-breaker we use.

The other option would be to have four books, but since none are a novella, that was not the original plan. Let me if you're keen on sticking with 4 books, however.

Putting these on my list. I may only have time for 1 so I'll start with the first. I suppose it helps that was my vote ;)

Joanna Loves Reading wrote: "There ended up being a three-way tie for second place. Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney had less first place votes than the first two, which is the first tie-breaker we use.

The other op..."

I say go with the regular tiebreaker! (But I did not vote since I probably can't commit to a group read then)

Ok, that’s what I was thinking too. I believe all three have audiobooks so that helps in me being able to participate.

I'll probably only read A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden since that's available at my library and Lessons of Desire by Madeline Hunter isn't. I've already read Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn and most of Mary Jo Putney's books have been misses for me, so I no longer read her books.

I'll be fine with whatever the group decides for June since I'll only be reading one book.

I have the first in this trilogy on audio, but the narrator was so bland that I couldn't get through it. Her character portrayal was fine but all the words in between were detached. Just thought if anyone is thinking about audio they might want to listen to the sample. I don't always do that before I buy. Maybe I'll give it another try and see if it was just me at the time I listened.

I've been wanting to read this series. I guess I'll be starting with the 3rd LOL...

Reading the nominated Caroline linden - just started

Is there a link for this BR starting June 1?

Here you go, MG.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I can't believe it's almost June!

Me, too! I hate the heat summer brings.