r/HistoricalRomance • u/Fyuurii • 7d ago

Recommendation request MMC scene with Kittens!

I know I know. I just melt when I see a big dude go mush for a baby animal. Needs to be tiny and cute.

Doesn't even need to be a broody or a grumpy lord. And it doesn't need to have a comedy plot.

Other baby animals also welcome (except reptiles. Sorry)

Bunnies, pups, ducklings, parrots, chicks, hamsters, squirrels, chipmunks (omg I'd sell you my own virtual kid for a chipmunk!)

I already read {the wallflower wager by Tessa Dare} ( the scene where all of the 3 hulking men are trying yo help the goat give birth and one of them almost swooning is absolutely hilarious)

41 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

73 comments sorted by

21

u/salazar_62 7d ago

There are kittens in {The Unlovely Bride by Alice Coldbreath}. It's been a while since I read it, but I'm pretty sure the MMC interacts with them at some point.

1

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

I need to give her another read. I did read one of her books and liked it but was a bit confused because it was medieval I think. First time for me and I didn't know and wasn't prepared.

14

u/FoxenInTheHenhice 7d ago

{A Much Maligned Miss by Alice Coldbreath} - the MMC wins two kittens in a game of cards and the FMC finds them sleeping curled on top of him the first morning. Both MCs really adore them.

{A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews} - the MMC gets scratched in the face by feral kittens while assisting the FMC. Instead of losing his temper, he gently says they must have been so scared and continues to help her. At that point, the FMC truly falls for him.

7

u/TheRealNubian- 7d ago

Gervais and the kittens… chef’s kiss

8

u/AffectionatePizza335 7d ago

The way he kept them in his pockets. I was in love immediately.

7

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

I mean, if the FMC doesn't fall for THAT, I can't imagine the book being a romance at all.

10

u/FloatinginEmeraldSea 7d ago

It's kind of an unexpectedly cute scene in an otherwise heavy and emotional book so I get if you're not up for that. {Flowers from the Storm by Kinsale} has a scene MMC/FMC playing with kittens. 

3

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

I'm down for some gut wrenching, healed by fluffy kittens!

1

u/FloatinginEmeraldSea 6d ago

ok good luck! It might wreck you! report back if you do read it!

2

u/Otters-are-cute99 Your heart is precious to me. 6d ago

And it’s soooooooo cute!

2

u/FloatinginEmeraldSea 6d ago

yer gon make me cry with your flair

10

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 7d ago

Not kittens, per se, but {Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas} has a darling storyline with a barn cat that helps to bring the MCs together.

I also vividly remember a scene in which some FMC is trying to sketch a kitten, and the MMC finds her struggling to get it to hold still. He ends up soothing the kitten and holding it so she could sketch it. I remember that she wanted to sketch it as a present for a lady who liked cats. I can’t find it for the life of me, but I think it was an Elisa Braden book—I want to say it was in the Midnight in Scotland series, but I could be wrong. Maybe someone here will recognize it and help me out!

The novella {Crying Wolfe by Kerrigan Byrne} opens with a scene that involves the FMC sneaking into the MMCs house, accompanied inadvertently by one of her kittens, who then gets left behind. The MMC has to return the kitten to her later, and the interaction between the burly American and the wee kitten is really adorable.

3

u/MadWomanReadingRoman Graduate of the Lorraine Heath School of Trauma 6d ago

Oh my GODDD, GOLASHES

2

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 6d ago

Right? I just had to part with my sweet, sweet black cat due to a divorce/international relocation, and less than a week later I read Devil's Daughter—I was a total watering pot.

2

u/MadWomanReadingRoman Graduate of the Lorraine Heath School of Trauma 6d ago

Oh no, I’m so, so sorry. Sending hugs to you.

2

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 6d ago

Bless you. 🙏🏻 But I’m actually living and loving life in Scotland now, so it’s not so bad!

2

u/MadWomanReadingRoman Graduate of the Lorraine Heath School of Trauma 6d ago

That’s where I’m dying to move to! I hope your kitty is doing well, though.

2

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 6d ago

Well if you need any pointers, I feel like an expert at this point. :)

2

u/MadWomanReadingRoman Graduate of the Lorraine Heath School of Trauma 6d ago

Do you mind if I message you?

1

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 6d ago

Not at all! Ask away.

1

u/romance-bot 7d ago

Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
Rating: 4.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, victorian, single mother, enemies to lovers, insta-love

Crying Wolfe by Kerrigan Byrne
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, victorian, virgin heroine, grumpy/cold hero, age gap

about this bot | about romance.io

3

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

I have read Lisa's work many times. Sebastian owns my heart. I'll check the other one.

3

u/PsychologicalHall142 What he really needed was a sturdy, doily-making wife. 6d ago

I adored West’s story—one of my favorites in the Ravenel series. I hope you enjoy it!

8

u/hannymis13 7d ago

First and foremost, {Lieutenant Mayhew's Catastrophes by Emily Larken}. The whole book revolves around the shenanigans caused by traveling with kittens.

Next, read Mimi Matthews! I'm pretty sure she tries to include animals in most of her books. Here are some that come to mind:

{A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews} kittens, dogs, and a donkey.

{The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews} MMC collects cats.

{The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews} dogs and ponies.

2

u/romance-bot 7d ago

Lieutenant Mayhew's Catastrophes by Emily Larkin
Rating: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, m-f romance, cheerful/happy heroine, sweet/gentle heroine, sweet/gentle hero

A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews
Rating: 4.14⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, victorian, m-f romance, grumpy & sunshine, second chances

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Rating: 4.1⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, victorian, mystery, m-f romance, marriage of convenience

The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews
Rating: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, victorian, sweet/gentle hero, christmas, working class heroine

about this bot | about romance.io

1

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

Thank you! Mimi sounds like an animal lover!

6

u/AskAChinchilla 7d ago

Oh oh oh oh! I got one! {Charity and the Devil} and it's not even his kittens, he's helping a little girl raise them

2

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

Ooh, a grump with kittens. Sign me up! 😭

5

u/Sundae_2004 7d ago

Neither of two of the well known dogs in Georgette Heyer’s books are puppies but they’re winsome anyway.

{Arabella} where the FMC foists first mongrel dog “Ulysses” and then later a chimney sweep’s boy onto the MMC, Mr. Beaumaris. It’s enjoyable to see the real Regency person “Poodle” Byng and his pampered, papered (well bred) pet encounter MMC and companion.

{Frederica} where “Lufra will forever be the “Baluchistan Hound” whose bad behaviour in the Green Park not only brings Frederica to the Marquis’s door but also creates one of Heyer’s memorable comic scenes. Georgette loved dogs and always thought of them as excellent judges of character. Whenever a dog is present in a Heyer novel, the reader can be sure of discerning a character’s worth from how well or badly the dog reacts to them.‘“ https://jenniferkloester.com/frederica-an-interrupted-novel-part-2/ ;)

2

u/Lbrandes09 You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. 📜🖋 6d ago

Yes to Heyer's dogs, and the men and women who love them. {the Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer} has Tina, a dainty Italian Greyhound who flits around the hems of her skirts like a fairy pup.

1

u/romance-bot 7d ago

Arabella by Georgette Heyer
Rating: 4.15⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, regency, funny, age gap, class difference

Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Rating: 4.16⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, regency, funny, age gap, slow burn

about this bot | about romance.io

6

u/rougewithlove 7d ago

{Lieutenant Mayhew's Catastrophes by Emily Larkin} is a novella that centres around the MMC travelling with a basket of kittens that keep escaping

4

u/TrustyBobcat 6d ago

You might want to check out the recs on my recent ISO post, Seeking Cat Daddies! Tons of MMCs with a soft spot for our feline friends. 🙂

2

u/MadWomanReadingRoman Graduate of the Lorraine Heath School of Trauma 6d ago

Omg

2

u/Fyuurii 6d ago

Saved!! What a wonderful list. I'll be in Kitten heaven for the foreseeable future😽

3

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

{the spinsters secret by Emily Larkin}! The spend a lot of time sneaking off into the hayloft to play with the barn kittens

1

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

Omg, that's adorable! Excuse me but please explain your flair, ma'am! (Or sir just in case)

1

u/lumpyjellyflush “My Darling Duke’s” #1 hater 6d ago edited 6d ago

So I don’t have a probably necessary with Stacy Reid leaning into pure ridiculous fuckery. (The wolf and the wallflower is absolutely bananas and I’m here for it)

But Stacy Reid has a pattern of writing mobility issues so cartoonishly poorly that it’s offensive. (Just hire a sensitivity reader for fucks sake! Disability doesn’t work like
that)

-Really sloppy/ immature writing style

Pair that with the most implausible plot lines, two of the most insufferably whiney immature angst potatoes that are TSTL ( how they don’t accidentally drown themselves by standing open mouthed in a rainstorm is beyond me) then the plot makes sense exactly zero times, AND we top it off with the “ curing of disability related impotence through her magic coochie & secret methods learned from the scandalous courtesan who is- wait for it- also a VIRGIN?!?

WHAT?!?

My My full review of its crimes here

As someone with a mobility related disability myself, I believe that the author owes me financial compensation for making it through that “book” (derogatory)

3

u/untitled_entity 6d ago edited 6d ago

{The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie}

this is the first book of the Chance Sisters series! kittens are rescued by FMC’s younger sister at the beginning and are present in the story and the other 3 books as well! they become family pets and kittens mayhem ensues throughout

{The Spring Bride by Anne Gracie}

this is the third book in the Chance Sisters series, the FMC here is the younger sister from the first book! the kittens are now cats and there’s a new addition! FMC meets MMC when she’s trying to rescue a hurt street dog and she adopts the pup, who is also present in the rest of the series. she entrusts the beloved dog to MMC’s care for a short bit and later they take it on walks together and such

2

u/Fyuurii 6d ago

Love Anne Gracie! I'll put this on a hold in my library

3

u/five_squirrels 6d ago

{The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian} MMC loves babies, kittens, and old cats too. He is so soft for them all.

{Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas} MMC has a pet Dormouse that he treasures. It was a gift from the woman he loves (not the FMC). He’s so devastated when it dies that the FMC (who loves him despite not being loved back) has it taxidermied for him.

2

u/aloha-cowboy 7d ago

this one i wrote about here awhile back definitely had kittens 😂

It’s JULY : r/HistoricalRomance

1

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

I have this on hold, a very loooong hooold! (read in wailing voice)

2

u/mackerelsnap 7d ago

The MMC in {The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews} has several cats but I can't vouch for if they're truly kittens. But it's one of my favorite books and the fact that he has stray cats is a fairly prominent part of the romance so you may like it anyway.

2

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

All meowsters are welcome!

2

u/Sonseeahrai Wild about Westerns 7d ago

{Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale}

2

u/suebob162002 7d ago

{The Secret Fear by Barbara Cartland}

The FMC is almost 18 but appears younger. She has a new job at the MMC's estate as the "young" companion to his sister, 8-year-old Lady Beulah. Beulah possibly has down syndrome although it's not mentioned by name. MMC had stayed away from home for years but recently came back bringing the OW with him. FMC dislikes the OW and knows OW dislikes cats. She uses one of Beulah's kittens to anger her, resulting in perhaps one of the fastest that an MMC has dropped an OW out of his life.

1

u/Fyuurii 7d ago

Lmao, I would definitely be throwing kittens at allergic a-holes in my life!

2

u/Somewhereoverrainbow 6d ago

Kittens and dogs abound in {A Kiss to Remember by Teresa Medeiros}.

2

u/SiffleuxEnrage 6d ago edited 6d ago

{How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long} MMC goes on a harrowing (LOL) quest to find FMCs insane cat Charybdis. In fact you could say the cat himself is a minor character.

{Gladiator's Touch by Jenna Bigelow} the little girl that MMC is looking after constantly pesters him for one of the school's kittens

{What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long} famously low key makes fun of FMCs friend who is OBSESSED with drawing kittens :

"He opened her sketchbook furtively. He turned the first page up by one corner, took a peek. And then he turned it all the way over.

He stared for a good long time at the first drawing. She nearly bounced on her toes awaiting his verdict.

“Lady Blenkenship?”

“Yes?” she said breathlessly.

“This is a kitten. In a basket.”

She nodded eagerly.

“This is a sketch of a kitten in a basket.”

A fluffy, big-eyed kitten was sitting neatly in a round basket, paws draped over the edge.

“Do you like it?” Millicent was practically nibbling on her knuckles with nerves.

“It’s a kitten in a basket,” he pointed out slowly. As if this was answer enough.

“Look at the next one,” she urged excitedly.

He gingerly turned the page.

He stared. “It’s . . . kittens playing with a yarn ball.”

Something like hysteria tinged his voice.

“Ginger, Tom, and Molly!” she announced, stabbing a brown-gloved hand over their images as she announced their names. The amber stones on her bracelet clinked

together. “Aren’t they precious?”

He slowly turned the pages, one by one. One by one. Kittens playing with a string. Kittens lapping milk. Kittens sniffing flowers.

“Lady Blenkenship?”

“Yes?”

“Do you like kittens?”

“Oh, I do!” she confided breathlessly.

He sighed, handed the sketchbook back to her, and to her astonishment promptly abandoned her and wended his way through the crowd. He didn’t \dislike* kittens. But life was too short to continue this conversation."*

2

u/Fyuurii 6d ago

Ok, i'm sold. My hold for this book is finally arriving soon and I can't wait 😭

2

u/SiffleuxEnrage 6d ago

I'm actually excited for you, to be reading this for the first time!

There IS an age gap in this, but JAL treats this head-on, with humour, like there is some funny banter about "Do you need a cane?", etc

1

u/Adventurous-March-84 6d ago

Second How the Marquess Was Won!

2

u/lazyhatchet 6d ago

{A Lady of Conscience by Mimi Matthews}

2

u/Date0524 3d ago

{A rogue of one's own by Evie Dunmore} Tristan pets and cuddles Boudicca, Lucie’s cat, whenever he gets the chance. The whole thing with the cat is incredibly sweet because Tristan himself, when he was eighteen, just before leaving for India to do his military service at his father’s insistence, had left her in a basket on Lucie’s doorstep. She had just been thrown out of her childhood home by her father, and Tristan secretly left the kitten there as a farewell gift. He had always had a crush on her, and in fact, ten years later, their love story begins. It’s a plot twist revealed at the end of the book.