Welsh Blades
Series books are all stand-alone, and are not required to be read sequentially
Book 1: The King's Man
Published 2015
Ranulf Ombrier’s fame throughout 13th century England for his skill at swordplay is rivaled only by his notoriety as King Edward I’s favorite killer. Ranulf's actions have gained him lands, title, and a lasting reputation as a hired butcher. But after years of doing his king's bidding, he begins to fear for his mortal soul and follows his conscience away from Edward, all the way to the wilds of Wales. Gwenllian of Ruardean, Welsh daughter of a powerful Marcher lord, has every reason to leave Ranulf for dead when one of her men nearly kills him. As a girl she was married by proxy to a man Ranulf murdered, only to become a widow before she ever met her groom. In the years since, she has shunned the life of a lady, instead studying warfare and combat at her mother’s behest. But she has also studied healing and this, with her sense of duty to knightly virtues, leads her to tend to Ranulf’s wounds. Saving her enemy’s life comes with consequences, and Gwenllian and Ranulf are soon caught up in dangerous intrigue. Forced together by political machinations, they discover a kinship of spirit and a surprising, intense desire. But even hard-won love cannot thrive when loyalties are divided and the winds of rebellion sweep the land.
Book 2: Fair, Bright, and Terrible
Published 2017
Wales is conquered, and Eluned has lost everything: her country, her husband, her hope. All that remains is vengeance, and she will stop at nothing to have it. Certain there is no trace within her of the idealistic girl who loved Robert de Lascaux a lifetime ago, she agrees to marry him to advance the fortunes of her son, to avoid the nunnery, and most importantly - as an easy way to gain access to the man upon whom she will avenge Wales. When Robert is asked to marry the woman he has loved for eighteen years, he never hesitates. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her bold and passionate younger self. Marriage to her might gain him the fortune and status his family has always wanted, but no wealth has ever mattered to him as much as Eluned has. Trapped in a web of intrigue, revenge, and desire, they cannot forget their past – but can they share a future? The fascinating world of medieval Wales is continued in this riveting companion novel to The King's Man.
Book 3: Desire Lines
Published 2019
All he ever wanted was to go home. Leaving his life as a noble hostage behind him, Gryff has fled from one danger to another, never safe, always longing for a forbidden return to his conquered Welsh homeland. Held captive by villainous men, his unlikely savior is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen – and the most deadly. Her silence is unnerving, her generosity unexpected, and her pointed warning that she will not be an object of lust is perfectly clear. Nan has no doubt the ragged Welshman she has saved from certain death was born to better things, far different from the servant’s life she’s led. Though the last thing she wants is a companion on her journey to find her cherished sister, she is compelled to help the man with haunted eyes and a mysterious past. But she feels the pull of his fascination every instant, and her own unexpected desire soon takes them places neither could have foreseen.
Book 4: One Burning Heart
Published 2024
William prefers not to think of his insufferable burden of a wife. She's far too pious and, even worse, painfully meek and submissive – qualities he holds in the highest contempt. But there's very little he won't do to achieve his political ambitions and fulfill his duty as the Lord of Ruardean, even if that means marrying this bore of a woman and forcing himself to finally produce an heir with her. Margaret could not be more pleased that her loathsome lord husband thinks her an overly devout fool. She's worked quite hard to make him dismiss her as little more than a vapid nuisance – a skillful ruse to mask her true intentions to undermine the vast power of the Church and William's aspirations for a new Crusade. But when he insists that they attend to their duty to provide an heir to Ruardean, she finds her powers of deception are not quite up to the task of pretending to be repelled by his touch. Attraction and affection somehow grow between them, but can their connection withstand the tangle of lies, political intrigue, and lethal accusations of heresy?
Ladies of Scandal
Series books are all stand-alone, and are not required to be read sequentially
Book 1: A Fallen Lady
Published 2015
Six years ago, to the outrage of her family and the delight of London gossips, Lady Helen Dehaven refused to marry the man to whom she was betrothed. Even more shockingly, her refusal came on the heels of her scandalous behavior: she and her betrothed were caught in a most compromising position. Leaving her reputation in tatters and her motivations a mystery, Helen withdrew to a simple life in a little village among friends, where her secrets remained hers alone. For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. There is nothing he abhors so much as scandal - nothing he prizes so well as discretion - and so he is shocked to find, when he tracks Helen down, that he cannot help but admire her. Against all expectations, he finds himself forgiving her scandalous history in favor of only being near her. But the bitter past will not relinquish Helen's heart so easily. How can she trust a man so steeped in the culture of high society, who conceals so much? And how can he, so devoted to the appearance of propriety, ever love a fallen lady?
Book 2: House of Cads
Published 2018
Vivez la vie pleinement…Live life to the fullest. That’s always been Marie-Anne de Vauteuil’s motto. As a Frenchwoman of highly questionable upbringing, she was shunned by genteel society when her fiancé died years ago, leaving her a penniless, fallen woman. Almost married, almost a widow…She retreated to an isolated village where no one knows or cares about her sordid past. And with no one to answer to, she will do as she pleases, including eating cake until her corset strings pop if she so chooses. But then, an invitation to London on a mission of mercy from the very family that cast her aside lands Marie-Anne back in society—and into the arms of a man who can be nothing but trouble. Wealthy American businessman Mason is a) accidentally engaged, b) desperate to get out of it, and c) neither wealthy nor a businessman. Marriage is the last thing on his mind. Money, however, is always of utmost importance. He’s only in London to gather material for the gossip pamphlets he illustrates, his scheme to make as much money as he can before he’s found out and skips town. But when he meets the irresistible Marie-Anne, she makes him rethink his life as a fraud, and for once consider his true talent as an artist. Her carefree attitude about life in general—and sex in particular—has Mason hoping for something he never believed possible: A proper life with a not-so-proper wife. But can two misfits of society find a way to live happily ever after? Or are they doomed to their separate, lonely lives?
The Continuing Misadventures of
A Titian-Haired Goddess and an Outrageous Hellion
Sequential epistolary short stories co-authored with Susanna Malcolm
1: Our Heroines Suffer A Scandal
Free
BEING the FIRST INSTALLMENT of the compleat and unexpurgated Correspondence of two Ladies of Quality, who defied the constraints laid upon them by Society in order to consort with dashing rogues, overindulge in strong spirits, attempt to escape an intolerable betrothal, engage in some light vixenish teasing, and learn the details of a delicate and daring Matter of Honour; AND DESCRIBING the many gentlepersons of their acquaintance, their most shocking exploits, their most fashionable dresses, and the finest ballrooms; AND ILLUSTRATING their eternal sisterly devotion each to the other and their unflagging pursuit of Passionate Romance.
2: Our Heroines Endure the Colonies
BEING the SECOND INSTALLMENT of the compleat and unexpurgated Correspondence of two Ladies of Quality, who are swept away to the Americas and encounter the crassness of the newly moneyed class, are horrified to learn Gainful Employment is held in high esteem, toy with the affections of various lowly but wealthy Misters, play some strip-whist, and negotiate the delicate matter of being a captive bride to a Noble Savage; AND DESCRIBING the lack of moors in the American landscape, the efficacy of assless chaps, the superior dentistry, the slightly addictive quality of doughnoughts, and the unfortunate state of New Jersey; AND ILLUSTRATING as ever their eternal sisterly devotion each to the other and their unflagging pursuit of Passionate Romance.
3: Our Heroines Brave the High Seas
BEING the THIRD INSTALLMENT of the compleat and unexpurgated Correspondence of two Ladies of Quality, who are heinously abducted by Pyrates, who defy their captors with their willful spirits, thrill to the sight of many well-sculpted and always bare chests, and who are cruelly separated from one another, from their cherished gowns, and from their restorative gin; AND DESCRIBING a masked scoundrel with mysterious connections to High Society, a free exchange of ‘booty’, their looming dread of a nameless Pirate Queen, and many shocking revelations; AND ILLUSTRATING as ever their eternal sisterly devotion each to the other and their unflagging pursuit of Passionate Romance.
4: Our Heroines Prevail
BEING AN AFFECTIONATE PARODY and the fourth and final installment of the compleat and unexpurgated Correspondence of two Ladies of Quality, who are cruelly sold into a silken prison, delight in the discovery of caftans, avoid the heated embrace of dark-eyed foreign potentates, and make a thrilling yet totally believable escape; AND DESCRIBING a tender reunion of parted lovers, attempted reconciliations with Certain Pyrates, a triumphant return to High Society, and a Really Good Grovel; AND ILLUSTRATING how their eternal sisterly devotion each to the other and their unflagging pursuit of Passionate Romance leads our heroines at last to their Happily Ever After.