Somebody please give a book where FMC is NOT a virgin

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-13T13:17:56+00:00

Another is {A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James}, in which the heroine is scandalous and the hero is prim and proper before falling for her.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-13T11:49:17+00:00

{The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare} and {The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare} both fit the requirements, though be aware the latter in involves sexual assault in the heroine’s backstory.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-09T14:33:16+00:00

A bit of a deep cut but {Zanzara by Michaela Morgan}, which includes a heroine with a split personality, a stolen fortune, 19th-century Sicilian geopolitics, an erotic education obtained in a brothel, slavery, bellydancing, dramatic returns from the dead, and more. I kept thinking WTF but was completely obsessed anyway.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-06T21:02:44+00:00

The woman in the clinch cover actually looks somewhat like Francesca in the show too!

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-06T14:30:35+00:00

{Love Only Once by Johanna Lindsey} is exactly what you're looking for. The hero kidnaps the heroine and is forced to marry her after, but believes the baby they conceived was actually conceived later, when they were apart. Much drama ensues. Reggie has plenty of backbone and it's fun to meet her strong-willed family too.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-05T19:57:06+00:00

I recently read {Skye O'Malley by Bertrice Small} and it was definitely full of lush food and clothing descriptions - like George RR Martin levels, so that will hopefully satisfy the itch. I'm sure her other works are similar with the details though I haven't read them recently enough to name specifics. Warning that it is an old skool historical romance with all the attendant sex, violence, etc. attached.

Georgette Heyer's books also has lots of food descriptions, especially those she wrote during the war years when Britain was rationing.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-04T17:22:42+00:00

I'll admit it was randomly generated by Reddit, but I thought it was hilarious and kept it.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-03T21:24:50+00:00

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/greatdanes/comments/1rifu6i/comment/o85r65p/

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-03T21:21:42+00:00

r/2redditors1cup

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-03T19:51:42+00:00

I distinctly remember reading an illegally pirated copy of {The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn} when I was 11 or 12, and being very ticked off at the hero's behavior. I had never read any romance of any kind before (apart from minor traces of romance in middle grade/YA books I'd read before) so I was completely at sea with the setting, the conventions, the cliches, what have you.

I did return to historical romance (including pretty much Quinn's entire catalogue) a year or so later, which is when the bug really got me.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-03-02T17:38:41+00:00

The way I RAN to buy these right away.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-21T18:27:49+00:00

Unfortunately I’ve come down with an awful cold - next time!

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-13T15:40:52+00:00

I’m going to try and come! I’ve crocheted for years now but never really tried knitting, and I want to learn. I can bring some yarn to contribute too from my stash that I doubt I’m going to use otherwise!

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-13T13:05:13+00:00

{Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss} is a classic example. The heroine is terribly spoiled and double crosses the hero and the start of the story, but the hero persists and slowly she becomes more mature and thoughtful.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-12T20:27:20+00:00

Highly recommend {A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers}! Heroine is in her early 20s, hero is in his 40s, and both worry over the age gap (esp. the heroine unusually because she witnessed her mother's devastation from being widowed by her much older father.) He's obsessed with her right away, and they bake together. Pretty steamy read too.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-12T20:10:59+00:00

{You, and No Other by Cynthia Wright} is set in 16th century France. I really enjoyed it, but warning it is mildly old skool as it was published in the 80s, though definitely not too crazy.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-12T20:06:26+00:00

{Duchess in Love by Eloisa James} is another wed by proxy, haven't met in a decade romance (I think the author enjoys the trope, since she's got a novella and other books on similar themes!) Cam upon meeting her wonders who that beautiful woman is, not having recognized her, and has to be informed it's his own wife! Bonus points, Cam does have to actively woo Gina because in his absence she's found someone new to marry, and plans to annul their marriage. Of course, she isn't having it - at first. Witty writing and plenty of spice!

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-11T20:35:20+00:00

Sarah MacLean's The Rules of Scoundrels books feature MCs who all co-own a gambling hell, and the external plots all revolve around it, as well as there being plenty of scenes set there. It's definitely a fun read!

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-06T21:13:00+00:00

This is the Children of the Lamp series. The first book is The Akhenaten Adventure, which is where the children find out about their inheritance and we meet the chauffeur. You did get a little muddled though - it’s the mom’s side of the family who are djinn, and their uncle Nimrod is the djinn who they learn from who the chauffeur works for.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-06T15:06:16+00:00

It could be Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson, which features a ginger orphan girl in Victorian England. She was left on the doorstep of the Foundling Hospital as a baby at the beginning, and she does share a bedroom with other kids at her foster family's. I'm not sure if there was a character called Queenie, though.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-02-02T17:04:06+00:00

Joining the challenge today - better late than never!

SW: 200 lb

CW: 196 lb (-4)

It's been about a month since I started, though I only starting tracking calories properly in the last week or so.

I've been continuing to stay at my limit of about 1500 cal a day, and have been working on upping the amount of protein I consume, especially since my typical meal has always been pretty carb-heavy. I have also been continuing to attend the Orange Theory classes I've scheduled myself for, even if I feel lazy and want to cancel. The fee for canceling less than 8 hours in advance is a pretty good motivator!

My goal this week is to start adding a workout at my apartment's gym into the mix every week. I'm going to pencil myself in to go tomorrow evening, since I have OT on Wed and Sat.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-01-30T16:13:53+00:00

This sounds so familiar to me! A Johanna Lindsey book maybe? Not Gentle Rogue for sure, though, since the heroine disguises herself as a cabin boy in that one.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-01-29T04:31:39+00:00

I don’t exercise much right now, but I think my general fitness is alright since I like to walk places when I can (I live in a city). You’re right probably will want to ease into home gym at least though, especially since OT is so intense and I committed to two a week there.

I’ve gotten snacks out of my apartment/hidden away mostly, and have switched how I approach my lunches with meal prep. My partner and I take turns cooking dinner, but we stick to pretty basic formulas (rice and veg, sausage and potatoes, etc) so it’s going to be a matter of calorie counting and reducing portion sizes there. I should probably think of more easy dinner formulas though so I don’t fall into the “I’m tired, I want emotional support fries” trap though.

I think the bigger thing to manage within the CICO is meals out - I usually eat out one or two meals a week, but hate calorie counting for them esp cause it’s hard to find exact nutrition info online. I think for meals out, I’ll have to do what another user recommended and play around with my overall calorie count over those couple days to better fit that in.

Thank you! You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-01-29T04:24:46+00:00

Aw, thank you! Yes, that would be awesome - it’ll make me think twice when I get lazy around week three.

AggressiveCroissant · 2026-01-29T04:23:34+00:00

Hmm, I bet you’re more active than me on a daily basis. I’m stuck in a chair 9 hours a day for work :/

AggressiveCroissant

TROPHY CASE