Trope Round Up: Childhood Friends in Historical Romance Books

The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne (2021)

Historical romance, Victorian England. Book 3 of the Devil You Know series. We start with another tragic prologue telling us about the Mont Clair Massacre, where the entire household was slaughtered and burned. It seems that Pippa (the cook’s daughter) has survived and now assumes the identity of Francesca (the new countess) and is seeking revenge. As she gets deeper into infiltrating her enemy’s lair, she catches the attention of a spy, Chandler, who is also targeting the same enemy. It turns out that Chandler is her childhood friend who she loved and saved her, but he was in love with Francesca and believes her to have truly survived the massacre. It’s a tangle of lust and secrets here and slightly heartbreaking for the woman who is actually in front of the man she loves.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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A Love by Design by Elizabeth Everett (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 3 of the Secret Scientists of London series. The previous book hinted at a history between George and Margaret and we get the full story here. This book takes place about a year and a half after the events of Book 2. George and Margaret (and Violet, the main character of Book 1) were childhood friends out in the country where George was not part of the aristocracy at all. One summer, when it seemed that a romance was developing between George and Margaret, heartbreak occurred instead (we get to learn what it was at some point during the book when they finally talk it out). After they parted ways, George joined the army and somehow ended up an earl, while Margaret found an engineering mentor in Paris, got married, and became widowed. Now Margaret is back in England to start her own engineering company and is undertaking a huge project…. that is unfortunately funded by the nemesis of the female scientists at Athena’s Retreat and of George’s. While George and Margaret are growing closer again and working out their heartbreaking pasts, Margaret’s still holding secrets about her employer’s funding and causing discourse among the female scientists. George ends up being the more emotionally mature and politically progressive one in the relationship, supporting Margaret’s ambitions, providing her comfort and humor and safety. And there’s a scene in here that was hinted at earlier with one person’s awkwardness in the bedroom, with deliciously delightful payoff when the truth finally comes out… it was so good, I sent a screenshot of the scene to my friend immediately via text.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Beginner’s Guide to Scandal by Alivia Fleur (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Tales from Honeysuckle Street series. Childhood friends and neighbors Iris and Hamish are separated when Hamish suddenly becomes the heir to an earldom, losing his mother and older brother in a carriage accident. When Hamish returns to town twelve years later, he’s been instructed by his father to find a suitable wife, but he plans to thwart his father’s plans and create a scandal instead. Meanwhile, Iris has been assisting with her father’s merchant company, traveling the world, and learning the business for the past decade. However, her father’s mental state has been declining for many years and Iris has been keeping it secret. As Hamish and Iris reunite, they have to deal with her heartbreak after he left, their differences in social station, and her need to stay proper so that the board of directors will approve of her joining the leadership of her father’s company. It’s a huge mess competing interests and Hamish is mostly an idiot throughout the book. I did enjoy reading about all of the quirky neighbors on the street and am looking forward to reading more from this series.

Advance ebook provided by Alivia Fleur via NetGalley.

Texas Legacy by Lorraine Heath (2019)

Texas Legacy is the follow-up novella to the Texas Trilogy. It was published 20 years after the original series and takes place another decade after the epilogue of the third book. So we have our next generation here. Faith is the daughter of Dallas and Cordelia and Rawley is the boy that they adopted, so these two have grown up together in the same house. Which is a little squicky to me, but let’s ignore that and go with it. The text says explicitly that they’ve never had a sibling-like affection for each other, but ok. When Faith is nineteen, she kisses Rawley, but he’s spooked and feels that he doesn’t deserve her, so he runs off and is gone for six years. He’s finally called home and they have to deal with all their bottled up emotions. Aside from the adopted sibling thing, I did really like this novella and revisiting this big important family. I also loved how cousin Maggie was the best wingwoman ever.

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Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard (2023)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Taming of the Dukes series. Lots of banter and bickering here between Vesper (daughter of a duke) and Aspen (the duke next door and former childhood friend). Somehow these two had a falling out as teenagers, grew apart, and then Aspen spurned Vesper at her debut ball. Now it’s many years later, Aspen has been off looking for fossils and back in England to deal with his wretched mother. Despite multiple offers of marriage, Vesper is still unwed and ruling society with her perfect poise. Aspen believes Vesper to be a spoiled society miss and tries to avoid her, even though he needs her help in preparing his mother’s ward for the Season. Despite Vesper’s outward appearance and reputation, she’s still the same outspoken and fiery lady she’s always been in the presence of her trusted friends. There’s a lot of push-and-pull between Aspen and Vesper as they fight, and kiss, and push each other away.

Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Forever Books.

The Baker and the Bookmaker by Ally Hudson (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Most Imprudent Matches series. Augie and Anna have been lifelong childhood friends as their parents serve in a viscount’s household. This book pretty much covers their friendship and relationship over many years and is told from Augie’s point of view. Even though Augie has been in love with Anna from the very beginning, he never quite makes a move for various reasons: at first thinking Anna would prefer their friend Michael, and then traveling to London to support Michael’s endeavors. When they finally get to see each other again after many years apart, Augie finally realizes the opportunity in front of him and makes an earnest effort at courting Anna. This book was low on the drama, but still entertaining, and gives more insight into Michael’s backstory from Book 1 of the series. I would recommend reading the series in order to not spoil some major plot points from Book 1.

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Once and Again with the Viscount by Andie James (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Reluctant Lords series. Angeline is a widow who is slowly re-entering society after mourning her beloved husband. She’s been struggling with seeing her friends marry and have children, as she was unable to have any children of her own in the time that she was married. Meanwhile, her neighbor, childhood crush, and brother’s best friend, Sidney is around to notice her and offer comfort. Sidney has been in love with Angeline after he notices her in a new light during her debut; however, he lost out on the chance to be with her when he left society when his father died, and returned later to find her already married. Now that she’s widowed, Sidney has a second chance to woo Angeline. There’s actually tons of tragedy up ahead though as Sidney’s older brother unexpectedly passes away, leaving Sidney as the next viscount. Angeline is even more distressed with her inability to have children because of this. It’s a lot of angsty emotional upheaval to get through before these two can find a happy ending.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited and provided by Andie James.

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Six Degrees of Scandal by Caroline Linden (2016)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Scandalous series. This book starts with a heartbreaking prologue where Olivia and James meet as youths, are nearly engaged, and then Olivia is married off in exchange for money for her father’s debts. Ten years later, Olivia is widowed and being pursued by one of her late husband’s associates looking for smuggled treasure. When Olivia flees London to investigate a lead, she’s soon caught by James who vows to assist her and secure her safety. He’s been feeling guilty and regretful ever since he missed his chance to marry her all those years ago. We get these two partnering up to solve the mystery her late husband left behind and rekindling their lost love. Super interesting to uncover the mystery and see it tie back to characters from previous books in the series. And we eventually unmask the writer of the notoriously scandalous pamphlet that has been circulating in London.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews (2020)

Childhood friends Nicholas and Maggie are separated when Nicholas is accused of a crime and she helps him escape. Ten years later, Maggie is in London for the Season after an illness and mourning her father and her aunt, when a handsome viscount new to London is paying her court. It doesn’t take long for Maggie to suspect that the handsome viscount is really her childhood friend Nicholas in a new identity and persona. Both have their money and property at stake if they continue their association, but cannot seem to stay away from each other. It’s also interesting to watch them uncover the mysteries of the past and explanations for the viscount’s current identity.

Ebook purchased via Amazon.

Not the Duke You Marry by Jess Michaels (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Kent’s Row Duchesses series. With both of her widow friends married now, Bernadette is feeling lonely and undesirable. She expresses her interest in finding a lover to Theo, a childhood friend who she recently reconnected with. His aghast reaction makes her feel horribly rejected and insecure, but she rallies and finds her way to a pleasure club. When Theo spots her there, he tries to emphasize how dangerous her actions are, but really he just lusts after her himself and is conflicted about his feelings. These two go back and forth a bit, but end up having an affair, and try very hard not to fall in love with each other. Add in a backstory where Theo had long ago rejected a chance to marry Bernadette and we’re just waiting for her to be heartbroken by the revelation. Lots of steam and internal revelations in this one, without too much external drama.

Advance ebook provided by Jess Michaels via NetGalley.

The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe (2021)

Historical romance. Gilded Age New York and Rhode Island. Book 1 of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. Harrison Archer is back in town after living in Paris for the past three years; his horrible family is broke and he’s intent on finalizing their financial ruin. While they want him to marry an heiress to pay off their debts, he only has eyes for his childhood friend Maddie Webster, who broke his heart years ago by declaring that she only thinks of him as a brother. With the time apart, he’s hoping that she’ll change the way she sees him. I’m a total sucker for the emotional gut wrench of rejection, even though Maddie had no idea that she was the cause of Harrison’s departure. So now Maddie is trying to help Harrison find a bride, even though he just wanted to use the Newport house party as a way to get close to her again, and she’s kind of almost engaged to a duke. Messiness all around. Still, Maddie was incredibly stubborn in this book and totally oblivious to the fact that Harrison has loved her for years, even though everyone else in the world had seen it. Great set up for all the other characters that will feature in the remainder of the series and looking forward to finishing the rest of the books.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Snowed in with the Scoundrel by Kat Sterling (2023)

Historical romance. 1908 Cascade Mountains, Washington State. Standalone novella. Tommy is a bookseller and book thief running away from trouble and stumbles upon a warm and comfy cabin in the mountains. Imogen has been living in that cabin ever since she was rejected by her fiance and had her photography judged as mediocre. She’s surprised to find Tommy there and it turns out they were childhood friends who were separated by circumstance. Even though she insists that he leave, Tommy is stuck there with a series of snowstorms. These two slowly rekindle their friendship and attraction for each other in this quick holiday treat of a book.

Advance ebook provided by Kat Sterling.