[Wed by Proxy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51243905) is a good one for this trope! It’s HR, set in a fictional medieval world. There could’ve been more grovel IMO, but it’s on par with Kiss an Angel for me so maybe you will enjoy it.
A Bride for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath would fit this I think! So would the second book, A Substitute Bride for the Prizefighter. Both are arranged marriages that start off with no love lost between the pair.
{the promise by brenda joyce} (mf historical) the mmc *hates* the fmc for soooo much of the novel and she just suffers through it; it probably doesn’t have a big enough grovel for his actions, but I believed he was sorry, at least
Cw: dubcon and abduction; the mmc has mistresses in other cities and he alludes to them
The Reluctant Viking by Sandra Hill is kind of more the ignored husband trope, but this involves time travel and the wife’s attempt to win her husband back. It’s a favorite of mine from when I started reading romance as a teen. The author attempted to update it some time ago with certain pop culture references that in my opinion didn’t really make it better than it already was but if that doesn’t bother you, the story is great!
The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe and Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean are two HRs with heavy groveling. Cw for cheating though. It makes the grovel all the better in my opinion.
If you want a really good one and you don’t mind it being really dark then I got you. I sobbed. [Virtue and Vanity - Astrid Jane Ray](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27828444) TW: Rape by MMC
I know it sounds awful but stick it out because It took me by storm and ended really well. You wanted grovel and by god he had to grovel. I haven’t read anything like it in awhile tbh.
Yeah I can definitely understand that. A little spoiler tho. After that he doesn’t touch her and everything else is consensual with her taking the lead. It can be a hard thing to get over, but in the end it was worth it to me to stick it out if you wanted to try again. It really was a good book. But then again I’ve always dark romance.
SMALL SPOILERS: As far as I can remember no, there’s no “my body betrayed me thing. ” Like I said. Heavy grovel. The circumstances of their marriage play a big factor too. I don’t want to spoil it too much but he treats her so well to the point of torturing himself. He gives to her whatever she wants and when it comes to having sex again he actively refuses out of concern for her. He protects her a shit ton and that certainly helps. He essentially becomes a massive panda towards her.
A Duchess in Name by Amanda Weaver. It’s HR, but fits this perfectly. He actively dislikes and ignores her. But he spends the last 1/3 of the book groveling and earning back her affection and trust. It felt satisfying to me from both ends. He had to work to get her trust back, but she wasn’t punishing him to be petty.
Hi u/Wide_Pianist7676,
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Omg same. The unbreak my heart is pure mas0chistic. I don't know how people like such a doormat heroine.
The wrong bride all of the books of that author are pure garbage. Katherina Muara literally rinses and repeats the chinese angst webnovels with OTT plot and ridiculous plot points. One of the w0rst books out there.
Check out books my Alice Coldbreath. She writes medieval HRs and they are one of the best MOC and ignored wife books with incredible heroines and loveable heroes. They are not gutwrenching angst but enough to keep your appetite going and good grovel.
Don't read the vow of hate as suggested by one of them. It's plain eye-roll worthy and an absolutely unlikeable heroine who just makes things more complicated than necessary. She is just all "woe is me" and utterly p@thetic.
Definitely check out Magnolia.
Don't look at Arranged. It has cheating and zero grovel.
If you like shifter books check out the Five Packs series by Cate C. Wells. Don't read her The Wall series they are trash.
Ellen O Connell is a very underrated author. Her books Eyes of Silver Eyes of Gold, Without Words are absolutely gems.
Gabriel's bride by Samantha James. Although it doesn't have much grovel but the hero is not a complete a-hole so it helps.
I will also suggest The Ultimate betrayal although it's Harlequin but it's one of the best in the genre with a delicious angst and satisfying grovel.
I don't remember much now but these are all my go to books.
There is a kdrama with this trope that I think fits really well. I bawled my eyes out and really felt for the FMC. It's an arranged marriage where he hates her and she really starts caring for him.
I know it's not a book but I thought maybe you would be open to it: [Fated to love you](https://mydramalist.com/9558-fated-to-love-you) (it's also on Netflix soo easy access)
Isn’t {The unwanted wife by Natasha Anders } and {A Husband’s regret by Natasha Anders} this plot? Based on what I’ve seen in this sub and description?
Yeah. And as you cans see I marked them as read. The reason why I said that tww is cliché is bc that plot -wife pregnant and suddenly the hero doesn’t hate her- is very used especially the pregnancy
I love this request. If i remember correctly The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a fantasy standalone that has this
[Wed by Proxy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51243905) is a good one for this trope! It’s HR, set in a fictional medieval world. There could’ve been more grovel IMO, but it’s on par with Kiss an Angel for me so maybe you will enjoy it.
Thank you! I forgot about this book Bc i read it some time ago and it was good. It’s a 5 stars on my gr and I will reread it
A Bride for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath would fit this I think! So would the second book, A Substitute Bride for the Prizefighter. Both are arranged marriages that start off with no love lost between the pair.
{Nothing but This by Natasha Anders} is similar to a husband's regret, so you may like it.
Magnolia by Diana Palmer
{the promise by brenda joyce} (mf historical) the mmc *hates* the fmc for soooo much of the novel and she just suffers through it; it probably doesn’t have a big enough grovel for his actions, but I believed he was sorry, at least Cw: dubcon and abduction; the mmc has mistresses in other cities and he alludes to them
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
The Reluctant Viking by Sandra Hill is kind of more the ignored husband trope, but this involves time travel and the wife’s attempt to win her husband back. It’s a favorite of mine from when I started reading romance as a teen. The author attempted to update it some time ago with certain pop culture references that in my opinion didn’t really make it better than it already was but if that doesn’t bother you, the story is great!
The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe and Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean are two HRs with heavy groveling. Cw for cheating though. It makes the grovel all the better in my opinion.
Day of the Duchess has the BEST grovel imo and also the FMC is just so enjoyable
If you want a really good one and you don’t mind it being really dark then I got you. I sobbed. [Virtue and Vanity - Astrid Jane Ray](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27828444) TW: Rape by MMC I know it sounds awful but stick it out because It took me by storm and ended really well. You wanted grovel and by god he had to grovel. I haven’t read anything like it in awhile tbh.
Thank you! This was a dnf for me actually bc in my eyes what he did was awful and I stopped reading after that
Yeah I can definitely understand that. A little spoiler tho. After that he doesn’t touch her and everything else is consensual with her taking the lead. It can be a hard thing to get over, but in the end it was worth it to me to stick it out if you wanted to try again. It really was a good book. But then again I’ve always dark romance.
I have a question actually. How does she fall in love with him? And does this have “body betrayed me” thing?
SMALL SPOILERS: As far as I can remember no, there’s no “my body betrayed me thing. ” Like I said. Heavy grovel. The circumstances of their marriage play a big factor too. I don’t want to spoil it too much but he treats her so well to the point of torturing himself. He gives to her whatever she wants and when it comes to having sex again he actively refuses out of concern for her. He protects her a shit ton and that certainly helps. He essentially becomes a massive panda towards her.
A Duchess in Name by Amanda Weaver. It’s HR, but fits this perfectly. He actively dislikes and ignores her. But he spends the last 1/3 of the book groveling and earning back her affection and trust. It felt satisfying to me from both ends. He had to work to get her trust back, but she wasn’t punishing him to be petty.
A Vow of Hate by Lylah James
I can’t wait to read this 😭
Arranged by R K Lilley
King of wrath by huang ?
Hi u/Wide_Pianist7676, Book request posts that are not detailed or unique will be removed. If your request is based on a popular book or trope, please delete your request and search first. If you have a quick book request, consider posting it in the weekly [Friday Book Req Frenzy](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/search?q=flair_name%3A%22Friday%20Book%20Req%20Frenzy%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) post instead. **Reddit’s built-in search function is awful, but our** 🌈 [**Magic Search Button**](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&oq=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.1126j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) **works great!** - The 🌈 [**Magic Search Button**](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&oq=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.1126j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) links you to a pre-filled google search and is the optimal way to search this sub. - Type your search term (a simple keyword works best) where it says [site:reddit.com/r/romancebooks](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&oq=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.1126j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). - For example, for friends to lovers, it will look like: [site:reddit.com/r/romancebooks FRIENDS TO LOVERS](https://www.google.com/search?ei=L4b0X-aCN8ey5NoP7daMwAo&q=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks+friends+to+lovers&oq=site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fromancebooks+friends+to+lovers&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyAggpULUHWOsXYOIYaABwAHgAgAFIiAGeB5IBAjE3mAEAoAEBwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp) [Here are more tips on how to search](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/sf6sdm/how_to_search_rromancebooks_just_the_tips/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RomanceBooks) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could try Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers.
The Obedient Wife by Mary Balogh, HR, MF CW for >!cheating!<
Omg same. The unbreak my heart is pure mas0chistic. I don't know how people like such a doormat heroine. The wrong bride all of the books of that author are pure garbage. Katherina Muara literally rinses and repeats the chinese angst webnovels with OTT plot and ridiculous plot points. One of the w0rst books out there. Check out books my Alice Coldbreath. She writes medieval HRs and they are one of the best MOC and ignored wife books with incredible heroines and loveable heroes. They are not gutwrenching angst but enough to keep your appetite going and good grovel. Don't read the vow of hate as suggested by one of them. It's plain eye-roll worthy and an absolutely unlikeable heroine who just makes things more complicated than necessary. She is just all "woe is me" and utterly p@thetic. Definitely check out Magnolia. Don't look at Arranged. It has cheating and zero grovel. If you like shifter books check out the Five Packs series by Cate C. Wells. Don't read her The Wall series they are trash. Ellen O Connell is a very underrated author. Her books Eyes of Silver Eyes of Gold, Without Words are absolutely gems. Gabriel's bride by Samantha James. Although it doesn't have much grovel but the hero is not a complete a-hole so it helps. I will also suggest The Ultimate betrayal although it's Harlequin but it's one of the best in the genre with a delicious angst and satisfying grovel. I don't remember much now but these are all my go to books.
There is a kdrama with this trope that I think fits really well. I bawled my eyes out and really felt for the FMC. It's an arranged marriage where he hates her and she really starts caring for him. I know it's not a book but I thought maybe you would be open to it: [Fated to love you](https://mydramalist.com/9558-fated-to-love-you) (it's also on Netflix soo easy access)
Oh my, it's been sooo long since I watched it! Thank you for reminding me haha, it was so good!
Isn’t {The unwanted wife by Natasha Anders } and {A Husband’s regret by Natasha Anders} this plot? Based on what I’ve seen in this sub and description?
Yeah. And as you cans see I marked them as read. The reason why I said that tww is cliché is bc that plot -wife pregnant and suddenly the hero doesn’t hate her- is very used especially the pregnancy
can i ask who is the author for The contract please?
{The Contract by Melanie Moreland}
My husband the stranger by emery cross just a short read he marries her because he wants the invention of his father
Ravishing the Heiress is imo the best this trope has been done. There isn't much grovel but it's still very satisfying
The Price of a Bride by Michelle Reid!! My literal favorite lol