Marriages in Crisis
Aka forced proximity but make it a second chance
Some tropes just tend to work better in historical romance than contemporary, and one of the best examples of that is marriage in crisis. Why? Because marriage was much more difficult to get out of (including during the engagement—we just saw it with Colin “I’m a gentleman and I’ve dishonored you so I hate you but I’m going to marry you” and Bridgerton).
PLUS if you’re married nobility, there’s a high chance you need an heir before you can separate or get a divorce or whatever tickles your fancy. And trust us when we say, nothing hits quite like a “I hate you but we do have to bang constantly to try to get pregnant” plotline.
That’s not to say there are no good contemporary marriage in crisis romances (looking at you, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan), but there are just so many more to choose from in historicals…so we’ve rounded up a few for you.
Hannah’s Recs
The Devil and the Heiress, Harper St. George: She thinks he’s her ticket out of dodge (an undesirable arranged marriage); he knows her dowry will rebuild his family estate (if only he can convince her to marry him). Through a roadtrip, some half truths, and a bit of light ruination, they end up married. When she finds out he intentionally ruined her, she rakes that man through the COALS. I love that he takes what he wants (it was hot sorry not sorry), but I also love that she stands her ground and makes him grovel until the cows come home. Coincidentally, he also just makes her come.
Regarding the Duke, Grace Callaway: Sometimes it takes a marriage counselor to fix a marriage...and sometimes it takes a little amnesia. They may only have sex on Wednesdays, but Gabriella loves her marriage with her husband, Adam. That is, until he loses his memories—of the proper husband he used to be—turning him into a completely changed (and ravenous) man. Not only is this my favorite Grace Callaway book, but it is also such a fun take on the amnesia trope!! Watching Adam become a better husband and father was seriously so heartwarming. Oh, and it’s HOT.
What a Gentleman Wants, Caroline Linden: This one is fun because Hannah (bonus points for the name) thinks she just married a nice man who will take care of her and her daughter. Unfortunately, it was all a lark and said man forged his twin brother’s name on the marriage license. Cue the hijinks! While it’s not a typical marriage in crisis, I’d definitely classify accidentally marrying the wrong brother as a major crisis. Even if he absolutely blows your back out the way your dead, boring vicar husband never could...<3
Bewitching, Jill Barnett: When you need an upstanding society wife but end up marrying a witch with uncontrollable magic, your marriage of convenience will turn out to be pretty inconvenient—and a major crisis of propriety vs. passion. If we’re being honest, that poor man was in a different crisis on just about every page of this book. You know I’m an absolute sucker for a paranormal/fantasy histrom, and this one was everything I wanted and more (seriosuly, so much more)!! Bonus: We have a whole episode on this book, S02.26: Seeing a Man Suffer Is…Bewitching!
Caroline’s Recs
The Sins of Lord Lockwood, Meredith Duran: If I’m reading a marriage in crisis, 9 times out of 10, I want to suffer. I want angst. I want drama. I want the pain that makes that sweet, sweet reconciliation so delicious. And Meredith DELIVERS. Anna thinks Liam abandoned her on the night of their wedding, disappeared with her money, and has turned back up without telling her and is throwing lavish parties. She’s pissed. What she doesn’t know is he was actually kidnapped and illegally transported to an Australian death camp that he barely survived, and now he’s a very different man (and bent on revenge). It hurts so good.
Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas: Speaking of suffering but liking it—I was torn between this one and Ravishing the Heiress, but this one has more of the “you betrayed me and now we hate each other” energy I associate with marriage in crisis, while RtH is closer to a marriage of convenience (but also illegally good). I feel like Hannah and I both bring up this book constantly, because we just can’t get over it. They are somehow icy but fighting the heated tension at the same time. It’s perfectly crafted. I’ve told you nothing about the plot but just trust me and read it okay.
The Day of the Duchess, Sarah MacLean: This is a controversial one, because I know some people hate this book. And if you’re one of those readers that is like DNF ONE STAR the instant there is a whiff of cheating, skip it. But if you, like me, love a little delicious “this person royally effed up and has to put in the effort to learn and grow” because sometimes people do horrible things but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of, you know, character development, this is a banger. She wants a divorce (and if you read the series in order you’ll totally get it); he doesn’t. He has a whole lot of groveling to do. It slaps idk. (Please note this deals heavily with miscarriage and take care when reading).
To Have and to Hoax, Martha Waters: Now that I’ve given you three books that will rip your heart out of your chest, I’m gonna throw in one that is literally just a silly goofy time! James and Violet married for love, but an unfortunate bit of miscommunication (gasp, people miscommunicate, I know) has left them giving each other the silent treatment for years. When James blows off Violet’s concern after a head injury, she gets so mad she decides to fake a deadly illness. He knows she’s faking. He raises the stakes. She knows he knows, and he knows she knows he knows, but they’re finally talking and flirting and neither want to stop so SHENANIGANS CONTINUE. This was one of my first ever histrom reads, and I giggled the whole way through.
We’ll both be traveling next week so the pod will be on a bit of a hiatus (although to be fair, we take those fairly regularly lately. Whoops). But hopefully we’ve given you plenty of recs to keep you busy, and keep an eye out in mid-July for some very fun announements…
Xoxo,
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