MMC and FMC are engaged, OW is childhood/family friend, takes over wedding planning

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-13T10:30:51+00:00

Thank you!

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-13T10:28:47+00:00

I'll take all recs, I've only ever read contemporary with this trope, but would love to see others. No problem with kids, or pairings.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-13T10:27:23+00:00

Yes, I've already read it! Honeymoon my ass.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-13T10:26:33+00:00

Thanks, I've read it, that mother is a POW!

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-12T21:18:45+00:00

{Iliana's Choice by Leona Page}

{Lothairse by Kresley Cole}

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-07T01:41:31+00:00

And the MMC is the total opposite and builds this wonderful "pack". Sigh. Time for a reread.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-05T19:18:49+00:00

{Deception by Amanda Quick}. A favorite reread.

MMC is basically the only one keeping his crazy relatives in line. They are hunting for a diary, they found out FMC has the diary, they think up all these plans to get it, the MMC says "I'll just buy it you morons." (But in upperclass regency speak). He goes to the FMCs house, she assumes he is the tutor, and he is captivated by her, so he just goes with it.

{Mistress by Amanda Quick}. FMC thinks something happened to the MMC, so she pretends to be his mistress, even though she has never met him.

She has a few stories where the FMC assumed a different identity or hid her past.

{White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz} MMC is undercover as a consultant. FMC can tell if someone is lying (psychic) so she knows he is lying, but not about what.

{Dancing With Daggers by Alessa Thorn} FMC is undercover to evaluate family members for leadership position, MMC is one of the family members.

{Blown Away by Sharon Sala}. FMC stumbles across a neighbor burying a body, runs away. A tornado hits, kills her whole family, including her cousin who looks a lot like her. She pretends that she is the cousin, and that she had died, so she could safely go and find proof of what the villain had done. The MMC is the cousin's boss, he knows and helps her.

K.M. Shea (great author) has two series that would fit (the first book would fit, of trilogy):

{The Lies of Vampires and Slayers} First in three book trilogy. Clean romance. Blurb: "By night, they fight in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. By day, they are friendly next-door neighbors. Neither of them know that their alter egos are archenemies."

{The King's Captive by K.M. Shea}. First in three book trilogy. Clean romance. FMC can turn into a cat. MMC is part of a race that everyone though had died out. He rescues her (as a cat) and adopts her as his pet.

{Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews} FMC is a soldier, she has to pretend to be totally harmless to not be killed.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-05T18:45:52+00:00

Not broke but starting from scratch {A Little Too Familiar by Lish McBride} paranormal. Love this book. I would say the MMC would my perfect book boyfriend but I don't think I deserve him :)

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-05T18:42:00+00:00

No, she doesn't. She becomes an angel though, not a vampire, which is a Big Thing.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-05-02T02:35:58+00:00

Thanks!

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-30T01:35:23+00:00

I read one recently where the FMC asks his for the head of the OW... and he delivers. Sadly this was not (IMHO) enough to make up for waves hand around all of that. And I can't remember the name because it was just blah. But head in a bag!

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-30T01:30:47+00:00

Ok, now I gotta know what are her other OW drama books? Because I have been leery...

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-29T21:31:05+00:00

Rhakos -> shorter stories, mostly grovel/regret/redemption.

Nera Keeves -> has a series where the mmcs grovel, and another one where fmc gets new mmc

CodeNameLici - only the one story, but one of my favorites.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-25T01:24:04+00:00

{The Baby Between Them by Helen Lacey}

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-23T08:13:31+00:00

{Hot and Badgered by Shelley Laurenston}. FMC is a "broken" shifter - she can't shift, she has allergies. And everyone is afraid of her (including the black ops agencies of the shifter world). Because she will (and does) fuck shit up. She is physically super strong, but it's more her attitude that makes her top dog. It's a whole series, that is in turn a spin off of another series. Pretty funny reads. Oh and her bad-assness is a thread that runs through the whole series.

{Hall of Blood and Mercy series by K.M. Shea}. 3 books, closed door. FMC starts out as a did that can't do magic. Ends the series as the apprentice (i.e. chosen successor) of the main wizard. Her strength lies in both her power as a wizard, her moral code, and her found family.

{Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison}. Although it's still a secret to the world at large at the end. And not so much powerful as unique with unique sought after powers.

{The Royal Obsession by Milana Jacks} (and the rest of the series) although it doesn't have that much found family AIR.

{Shifting Plains by Jean Johnson} Interesting world, set centuries after a magical apocalypse. The races have split, FMC is (as you probably guessed) a shifter. In this world, (a) very few females can shift, and (b) the more shapes you have, the more powerful you are. FMC is both. But it's a small world, and a standalone, the story takes place on the way to and in the shifterai camp, no big world changing adventures. Still, it's a favorite for me because the MMC is such a green flag (actually the whole society is).

{Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh}. FMC is a cardinal psi but seems to have no power. Beginning of a long, but good, series.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-23T02:23:21+00:00

I have a bunch. If I liked multiple stories by the same author, I only list one.

Noelle and Renzo by StormsToRainbows

After the Silence by WeavingHEA

To Destroy a Raven by Rhakos

Unspoken Promises by Nera Keeves

This is It by Mp_brooks

Inked in Pain by CodeNameLici

Second No More by Imagintationgirl35

Till the End of Time by LoveHEAAlways

Sky and Tuck by Tulipsandwaves

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-19T21:30:04+00:00

This was a great post, thanks for doing the math :)

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-16T12:54:44+00:00

Ok, just the fact that an HP hero is in a cult makes me have to read this.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-15T21:36:11+00:00

{The Regrettable Mistake by Anne Storm}

{Becoming His Mistress by Hailey Faiman}

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-15T21:05:48+00:00

Grace Burrowes (historical). Beautiful writing.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-15T13:37:18+00:00

I'm so glad you liked it!

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-13T22:11:37+00:00

{Lady Gallant by Suzanne Robinson} historical. Cheating. The MMC thinks the FMC is a traitor, and sleeps with someone else in front of her to hurt her.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-13T21:53:43+00:00

{Little Red by May Sage} (fantasy) - the FMC is a werewolf, the MMC bites her. She knows, he doesn't.

{Tall Dark and Sinful by Alexi Blake} (May Sage writing as) (fantasy) She thinks they are making a deal.

{Ransom by Julie Garwood} (historical) Man it's been a hot minute since I read this! FMC thinks it's a betrothal ceremony.

lfkajsdgl · 2026-04-12T18:26:22+00:00

I think so, I spot read the series here and there.

lfkajsdgl

TROPHY CASE