Hidden Intent (Historical Edition)
When we know the who, but not the why
Hidden identity can be a lot of fun in romance, and can cause some delicious strife and drama. Hidden intent can be even more fraught, because the who and what are easily verifiable, but the WHY is not. So for this week I picked three historical romances where at least one of our protagonists isn’t being honest about their intentions, either related to their romance or something else entirely.
The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan. To the ton, Jane Fairfield is a brightly colored mystery. She wears wild clothing and colors, has no social graces, and yet because of her massive dowry, she can’t be entirely banished from the marriage mart. Which is frustrating, because that’s exactly what she (secretly) wants. But she’s playing a tricky game, trying to be just weird enough to not get seriously proposed to while also appearing like she’s trying to find a husband. Because her hidden intent? She’s stalling to protect her younger sister, and needs to be in the house and in (somewhat) control of her own fate to do so.
Oliver Marshall, aspiring politician and bastard son of a duke, needs a colorfully chaotic heiress like he needs a punch to the face, at least as far as he’s concerned. He’s got ambitions if he wants to bring power to the people, and part of that is making himself so uncontroversial that people forget about what side of the blanket he was born on. Unfortunately, he’s instantly drawn to Jane, the worst woman to fall for if he wants to fly under the radar.
You know from my scandal roundup that I’m a sucker for heroes allegedly in need of a partner with a particular reputation, and their colorfully independent heroines who don’t fit the bill at ALL. I also liked that, slight spoiler I guess, Jane’s gaudy outfits aren’t entirely a joke, she kind of honestly likes them and isn’t forced to undergo a Pygmalion transformation by the narrative. Let Jane wear clashing patterns and overly bright colors! She’s earned them!
How hot? 🔥🔥
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean. Felicity Faircloth might be a failed almost-duchess (she’s one of the fake but she doesn’t realize it suitors in The Day of the Duchess!), but she’s DONE with being made to feel like it, so when she overhears some terrible fellow debutants being shady, she makes a surprise announcement; that the latest hot duke on the mart, the Duke of Marwick, is HERS. It’s a surprise announcement because she’s never met him, whoops, and also he’s surprisingly fine with it, for his own reasons.
But it’s not the duke who ultimately catches her fancy; instead, it’s Devil, one of the Bareknuckle Bastards (and bastard half brother of the duke), who overhears her lie and realizes he’s got an opportunity here. Because he wants the duke to suffer, and having a debutant at his disposal to do so is perfect. Of course, what Devil tells Felicity is that he’s gonna help her win the duke and learn a bit of passion ahead of time. Hidden intent!
However, Felicity is far from the flighty female he expects, and quickly Devil realizes that the reason he doesn’t want the duke to have her is more complicated than just revenge.
This book is HOT, it’s ROMANTIC, it’s truly Sarah MacLean at her best.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden. Growing up, Hugh Deveraux had everything. Happy, love-matched parents, doting sisters, and a title. Unfortunately, after his father passes, he realizes the cost of their happy-go-luckyness was a sweetheart father with no head for finances. In order to keep his father’s memory intact, he can’t reveal the state of the estate to his grieving mother and sisters and must figure out a way to marry an heiress, quick.
Enter Eliza Cross, or, rather, her businessman father, who wants to offload her to a man with a title. The catch: Eliza has to think she’s been wooed honestly, and must never know that Hugh traded in his debts for her dowry. Hidden! Intent!
Eliza cares a lot less about the title her father bought for her (though she doesn’t realize it at the start, of course) and more about finally getting a family, but at first, her new mother and sister in law (also not realizing Eliza was picked to save them, and finding her beneath them) are Not On Board. Thankfully, one person in this newly merged family is persistent, honest, and wonderful (I’ll give you a hint: it’s not Hugh) and manages to win everyone over just in time to learn that her marriage is a lie.
I love when men lie and then realize that the didn’t need to because they actually got the best wife ever, they were just too stupid to realize it at the time because of all their lofty preconceived notions.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Next week, I’ll be recommending a roundup of contemporary romances where danger lurks behind every plot point… and possibly even within the couple!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
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