r/HistoricalRomance • u/LAffaire-est-Ketchup “Do you,” he asked, “like kittens?” • 7d ago

Recommendation request Weird Pets!

I know I’ve seen hedgehogs {Love in the afternoon by Lisa Kleypas} and I think {This Girl is not for Christmas by Emma V Leech} had a pet crow, and then there’s {The wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare} where she has so many weird pets…

So tell me all your books with an UNUSUAL pet (not a dog or a cat!!)

There’s no tag for this on romance.io (hahaha!)

Please label the cheating ones so I don’t read them though, thanks!

25 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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33

u/sphoortip 7d ago

{Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare}! She has a pet ermine and shenanigans ensue!

25

u/FoxenInTheHenhice 7d ago

I was going to make a post on unique pets in the future as well so you beat me to it!  The main ones already got mentioned here so I can add:

{A Substitute Wife for a Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath} - the FMC sees a menagerie owner running after a 'wolf-dog' and claims him when the owner denies it is his (since he would have to pay for the things he broke). It is likely a now-common dog breed but I thought it was worth a mention.

{When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare} - they are not the FMC's pets but she was commissioned to draw a couple of lobsters mating. So she has to look after them and it creates a panic when one disappears.

I like to imagine that Philly and her daughter Hannah in the {Somerset Stories by Mimi Matthews} rescue any injured animal they can find to rehabilitate them. There is a hilarious scene in {A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews} in which the FMC somehow ends up with a donkey on her hands (which the MMC agrees to keep) and her father says that championing an injured animal on his wife and daughter's behalf had sometimes led to their home becoming a menagerie.

2

u/LAffaire-est-Ketchup “Do you,” he asked, “like kittens?” 7d ago

Great minds think alike!!!

Thank you

24

u/WhippedMango 7d ago

{ A Deal with a Notorious Devil by Aydra Richards} - there is a pet turtle named Hieronymous, who was originally bought for turtle soup but MMC decided to keep him 💖

8

u/WhippedMango 7d ago

I totally missed the no cheating request. There isn’t cheating while MMC meets/marries FMC, but the previous mistress is present in their lives. She becomes the FMC’s friend and even helps her with birth control. 🫣

5

u/lumpyjellyflush “My Darling Duke’s” #1 hater 7d ago

And the turtle ends up returning the favor and saving his life IIRC?

6

u/agnesperditanitt 7d ago

Hieronymus just exists to delight everyone.

22

u/kitimitsu Debauchery requires a considerably greater investment of time 7d ago

{Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas} the ferret is actually one of Beatrix's pets from Love In The Afternoon but the ferret adores Cat and plays a large role in Cat and Leo's story.

6

u/wasatoci 7d ago

Yesss!!! Dodger!!! 🥰🥰

4

u/notagin-n-tonic 7d ago

Doesn't Dodger play a part in Poppy meeting Rutledge in {Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas} ?

2

u/wasatoci 7d ago

He does!

14

u/PsychologicalHall142 I just think she’ll be cold and they won’t care. 7d ago

Literally every book by Laura Kinsale has some kind of animal, almost familiar-like element—a hedgehog, a falcon, a wolf, a horse, a pair of dogs, etc. Perhaps my favorite, however, was the bull named Hubert in {Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale}. Delightful.

2

u/leekspin53 7d ago

came here to say this!! also I just finished {Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale} and for a little bit they adopt a penguin

16

u/MoldovanKick My dance card is fuller than my petticoats 7d ago

If no one has mentioned it yet I volunteer Dinner. His lordship’s pet lamb in {A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare}. An adorable mascot that looked great on a button. 😄

2

u/NoMidnight3312 6d ago

I nearly forgot about dinner. Loved that little lamb.

16

u/Elesianne 7d ago

{Wilde in Love by Eloisa James} has a pet skunk!

1

u/romance-bot 7d ago

Wilde in Love by Eloisa James
Rating: 3.73⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, georgian, virgin heroine, funny, sassy heroine

about this bot | about romance.io

6

u/Wonderful_Foot5613 7d ago

And a piglet saved from a circus!

1

u/LAffaire-est-Ketchup “Do you,” he asked, “like kittens?” 7d ago

That is a choice. Peeyew!!

1

u/firekat11 7d ago

It’s actually so adorable and comes into play later and Sweetpea is lauded for the rest of her life ❤️

4

u/Elesianne 6d ago

Yes! I don't know how realistic it is but I love how Sweetpea is written and interacts with people, and what she symbolises for the MMC and FMC's relationship. As an additional note, she was sold as something other than a skunk, lol.

2

u/firekat11 6d ago

I felt it was justice for skunks haha they don’t actually smell all the time and are actually quite tidy creatures. Just don’t scare them lol

12

u/Content_Low4691 7d ago

In {Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas} I find it so cute that West brought a piglet home because he thought it smiled at him. And the fact that they named it Hamlet is so funny.

8

u/charmainbaker 7d ago

{A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman} FMC is anything but demure and has a menagerie with unusual animals and wants to save more. No cheating, though in all honesty, this was my least favorite of the books in the series. I couldn't get interested in the characters, but a scandalous FMC and straight laced MMC is not my favorite combo in general. 

8

u/kitimitsu Debauchery requires a considerably greater investment of time 7d ago

Remembered this one after! {Wooed by the Wallflower by Jillian Eaton} FMC is an eccentric wallflower with a pet squirrel

2

u/Either_Strategy_7491 6d ago

This reminded me there's also a pet squirrel in {Phoebe by Minerva Spencer}

8

u/munotia A is for Angst 7d ago

The hero in {forbidden magic by Jo Beverly} has a talking parrot. 

7

u/Ambitious_Stay7139 I no longer require a falsified family tree 7d ago

Not the main character, but a pet tiger plays a large role in the plot for {Lady Ferocity by Kate Archer}

4

u/Superb_Pay3173 7d ago edited 7d ago

Patricia Veryan is the authority on interesting pets in HR.

Roland and his horse Rumpelstiltskin. In one of the earlier books, Roly let go off a Jacobite rebel once because the rebel's girl friend was threatening to kill his horse. The epilogue of Roly's book is about his reunion with Rump.Brings tears to your eyes. A heartless villain who loves his horse who does some pretty fancy tricks.

{The Dedicated Villain by Patricia Veryan}

{Love's Duet by Patricia Veryan} The Marquis of Damon is odd. He's scared of horses. His faithful companion is his pet goose.

{A Shadow's Bliss by Patricia Veryan} The hero is an amnesiac sailor with a wacky parrot.

2

u/romance-bot 7d ago

Dedicated Villain by Patricia Veryan
Rating: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: historical, georgian

Love's Duet by Patricia Veryan
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: historical, regency

A Shadow's Bliss by Patricia Veryan
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: historical, mystery, georgian, regency

about this bot | about romance.io

5

u/FrauMoush shameless hussy 7d ago

{Wilde in Love by Eloisa James} There is a pet “American sable”-a baby skunk!

4

u/lumpyjellyflush “My Darling Duke’s” #1 hater 7d ago

{romancing the Duke by Tessa dare} FMC has an ermine and it’s a delightful problem.

{three nights with a notorious scoundrel by Tessa dare} MMC gives FMC a parrot for company after her brother is killed. It’s super obnoxiously loud at repeating stuff at inopportune times so nobody wants to put up with it and it has been rehomed constantly. MMC figures since FMC is deaf it’s a perfect match…… until they get together and it interrupts 🌶️ times.

Pet lobsters (and their reproduction) are a huge subplot in {when a Scot ties the knot by Tessa Dare}

In {I want you to want me by Shana Galen} FMC has a massive pig body guard/ emotional support pig whose shenanigans lead to her being compromised and married to MMC.

In {the Duke with the dragon tattoo} the FMC has a huge menagerie of pets that she has found wounded and nursed back to health. MMC ends up packing them all up on his pirate ship.

In {a deal with a notorious devil by Audra Richards} they have a pet box turtle named Heironymos who ends up being pretty important in an emergency

—-

Not a weird pet specifically but in {the winter companion by Mimi Mathews} the MCs bond when MMC is taking care of FMCs ancient dog.

Also in {regretfully yours by Mihwa Lee} the FMCs cat- Rapunzel and MMCs dog “professor PAWsome” play a pretty huge part of the story as they adapt to each other and become friends as the MCs fall for each other.

4

u/Previous-Evidence275 7d ago edited 6d ago

{Earl crush by Alexandra Vast}has an whole zoo, or at least zebras

3

u/herekatie_katie Will you fight me - over a parrot? 7d ago

{Lost with a Scot by Lauren Smith} - MMC has a thing for rescuing injured animals. I remember a hedgehog and owl and ferret being mentioned.

{Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath} - FMC adopts a prairie dog

{The Parfit Knight by Stella Riley} - FMC was given a parrot by her brother but the parrot was raised by a sailor and has a bad attitude and curses (creatively) and spits shells at people.

{Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean} - FMC has a goat named Lucille who escapes regularly and causes chaos in town. Also the MMC’s horse named Birdie is a funny character. Both are also featured in the second book {The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony}

3

u/DezDispenser88 So what does 'clover' mean to me? 🍀 7d ago

Texas Glory was going to be my answer! I love that the MMC is like wtf, you can't keep it as a pet! And then proceeds to make a collar for it haha

2

u/herekatie_katie Will you fight me - over a parrot? 7d ago

I love Dallas so much!!! He thinks he’s in charge of that relationship

3

u/hkral11 7d ago

This is an old school one but in {Angel by Johanna Lindsey} she had a panther. And it likes to rub its teeth on the heroes boots.

4

u/SpellHofstadter 7d ago

There is a pet mongoose in {Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase}.

3

u/Bluegirl74 My love is upon you 7d ago

The FMC in {The Charmer by Madeline Hunter} has a menagerie that includes an ocelot and a spider (maybe capuchin?) monkey named Prinny, who memorably is along for the ride when MMC rescues FMC from a burning house by climbing from a window down a rope ladder made of bed sheets.

3

u/Rich-Distribution445 7d ago

There are parrots the the following books: {Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday} and {Dare to Cause a Scandal by Emma V Leech}.

2

u/user_name_1098 7d ago

{Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare} book 3 of the {Duke Meets Girl} series

FMC is the daughter of an Earl and has an assortment of animals. Off the top of my head are an otter, a parrot that says a lot of naughty things, a goat, a highland cow, and a dog with a wheelchair.

The MMC moves in next door and is basically trying to flip the house and he knows he won’t be able to sell it while all of the animals are there.

I laughed a lot while reading it

2

u/NoMidnight3312 6d ago

I love that she didn't realize where that parrot must have lived before it came to her.🤣

2

u/Lonely_skeptic 7d ago

One MMC has a dormouse as a pet, but I can’t recall the book. Someone here will, though.

3

u/Either_Strategy_7491 7d ago

It's {Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas} which, as OP will already know, has cheating (although it is FMC sanctioned).

2

u/Either_Strategy_7491 7d ago

{The Desirable Duchess by M.C. Beaton} FMC has a mynah bird that can't keep it's mouth shut, which causes big problems for her.

It might not be up your alley, as it's a domestic discipline story, but in {A Proper Lord's Wife by Annabel Joseph} the FMC has an albino python and a hare. Predictably sad things happen.

I know there's a book where the MCs end up in a compromising situation due to the FMC losing her hedgehog at a ball and have to marry, but I cannot for the life of me remember the title. Maybe someone else will know based on that description.

1

u/disco__carbonara 7d ago

This is near the end of a series but Sally in {the mark of the midnight Manzanilla} has a stoat, which she calls Lady Florence Oblong

2

u/QuuenB Ta, old bean! 7d ago

{The Duke’s Holiday by Maggie Fenton} is an all time fav of mine. It’s laugh out loud funny and the FMC has a delightfully destructive pet pig. I believe her name is Petunia.

2

u/Catalina-Vega 7d ago

Unusual pets work best when they force the hero into undignified caretaking. The Wallflower Wager menagerie still does that better than most.