{WATTY'S 2020 WINNER & EDITOR'S PICK.} Hopeless romantic and aspiring writer Mare Atwood has fallen madly in love with her childhood correspondent. There's only one catch-she doesn't know who he is. When the beaus of Star's Crossing return from boarding school to begin the courting season, Mare is determined to uncover the identity of her writer, flout her family's intentions of orchestrating an advantageous marriage, and procure the life of writing and romance she's always sought. But as in the tales she so adores, it won't be easy. Galas, masquerades, picnics, and hunts-alongside an old friend, a former teacher, and an unlikely ally, Mare delves into an investigation that leaves her torn between three clever, deceptive, and wealthy young bachelors. If Mare can confirm which is her writer and claim his hand before the courting season ends, she'll have her wish: the love of her life, a valuable marriage, and a future of writing romance. But with the eyes of Star's Crossing upon her, a business plot forcing invisible hands, and the unwillingness of her writer to come forward-Mare's future may not end in triumph, but tragedy. Set against the gilded Victorian backdrop of coastal Connecticut and lush with pre-war luxury, fans of Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell, and Louisa May Alcott are sure to enjoy this lighthearted, lyrical novel of young love, independence, and identity. #1 Literary #1 YA Romance #1 Victorian #1 Lyrical #8 General Fiction

Confident, independent, and beautiful, Lady Cecelia is the envy of every woman in London. Nothing ever breaks her composure, not even the handsome rake Major Godfrey being in love with her. Then her childhood sweetheart Sebastian Price returns to London, and everything falls apart. 21,000 words, completed.

Believing she's unlikely to ever have any man offer her marriage, unconventional Lady Chloe Albright impetuously seizes the chance of a pretend engagement with Lord Christopher Fellingham, Earl of Twyford. Having loved Kit for years, she's learnt to carefully hide the pain of knowing that she is no more to him than his friend's studious little sister. But should she now put her research skills to good use and try some experiments in love? At turns kissed, flirted and argued with, Kit doesn't know whether he is more amused, annoyed or —dare he admit it?—aroused by Chloe's unexpected attention. Suddenly he's wishing that their pretend engagement could become the real thing!

Verity Baker has spent her life cleaning up after her father's mistakes. But one day, he goes too far and sells her, for one night only, to a local lord to pay his debts. What kind of man would buy a woman? What kind of woman would agree to be bought? COMPLETED

SHE IS CONFLICTED... Emma Everard has said yes to marrying Samuel Theobald, a dear friend of hers. Emma cannot find a single fault in her decision, but she also has trouble recognizing if it is the correct one, especially when someone else comes along to pique her interest, both intellectually and physically, as he exposes her into a completely different world in the Town she has never seen before. HE WANTS IT ALL... Samuel Theobald has always been in love with the beautiful, intelligent and opinionated Emma Everard. And now that she has said yes, he cannot be happier. The Town loves him for his bold articles and he revels at the freedom the pen provides, but trouble and intrigue will soon make him face choices that may change the course of his career forever. THE INTRUDER... For Wynne Hastings, getting close to Emma Everard is beyond knowing more about his friend's future wife. He is on a mission to shake the Everards and those they protect. Wynne is quite willing to do anything to get closer to Emma and the secrets of the Everards, even if it meant seducing her and losing his best friend. But there is one thing Wynne does not know: Emma Everard is on to him and she is ready. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL... In the end, it is a battle of good and evil; of wits and tricks; and of loyalty, ambition and love. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this final book in the Everard Family series follows one man obsessed to push society to fight while struggling to keep those he loves, another man who slowly falls for the wrong woman his family wants to ruin, and the heroine who happens to be in the middle of a silent, brewing war against herself, the man she adores, and the one she is fighting not to love. [This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series] [This is a FREE book with PAID exclusive chapters]

THE BANDIT She merely meant to steal and get away with it. She did not mean to find a dying woman and be chased for it. She merely meant to help. She did not mean to be dressed in a gown and be a target for murder. THE GUARD He was tasked to chase them. He was not expected to work with them. He merely meant to pay for an oddly professional service. He was not expecting it to be complicated and sexually dangerous. (This story is a title in the Everard Family series.)

When Margaret Everard is asked to investigate the man she once loved for the murder of the Prime Minister, she knows he's innocent, until clues start to prove otherwise. ***** Years ago, Margaret Everard was engaged to be married to Cole Devitt, but a series of tragic events ruined it all. Now, ten years later, she's forced to infiltrate his life for reasons other than romance. Cole Devitt is the prime suspect to the murder of the Prime Minister and Margaret can hardly believe it. But as a member of a secret elite group of spies, she's given one difficult task: spy on him. Taking on the challege, Margaret has to fight old feelings buried in layers of pain of the past. But when she stumbles upon more clues, she realizes that the case she's working on is more complicated that it seems. As secrets of the past and their feelings start to unravel, Cole and Margaret have to learn how to trust again. However, one of them is bound to betray the other. Trigger warnings: abuse, violence, mental trauma, sexual assault, mental health illness

Lady Victoria Ashdown will do anything to protect her inheritance and defeat her conniving stepmother, even if it means competing against the young, beautiful and talented debutantes in the most wicked social season in town...to find a charming husband. ***** Levi Everard was once a charmer, until he hid himself in his Standbury estate for reasons only he knows. Now, he is back in town, no longer the charmer, but the man forced to find Victoria Ashdown a husband, for friendship's sake. She is his good friend, he tells himself. Nothing more. And good friends are not supposed to kiss... *This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by Ashley Santoro

"Deliciously captivating! It's the perfect amount of laughs, love and drama. You won't be able to put this book down!" - Grace K @ HQ. When Agatha becomes the Everard's governess, she's grateful for a way to escape her dark past. That is until her growing feelings for the mysterious Lord of the house begin to present an even greater risk. ***** The Everard's are one of the most esteemed families in Wickhurst. And Benedict, the Lord of Devonshire and the eldest of the clan, is as mysterious and brooding as anyone The Town has ever seen. His face is marked with scars, and no one dares to speak on how he got them. Known to all as 'the beast,' the townsfolk tremble in his wake. But little does he know that he is about to meet his match in Agatha Blair, his sisters' new governess. Agatha is witty, smart and gives him a run for his money when he tries to peel back the layers of who she really is. She truly intrigues him more than any woman he has met but she is a governess and he is a Lord. The Town would shun the union of two people from different stations and any romance between them is surely a recipe for social disaster! But what can they do when the burning hot feelings refuse to relent? And when Benedict uncovers that Agatha is hiding a secret far more dangerous than anything he could have imagined, will love save the day and will Agatha finally tame the beast? *This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series. [Now a Hachette Audiobook!] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

Banished for five years, Lady Belinda Carrington returns to Willowfair, claiming to know things one would find impossible to believe. With her tainted reputation, can Belinda make Town Guard McKenzie Haverston help her in her pursuit of the truth? *** After her banishment five years ago, Belinda Carrington returns with secrets and tales too impossible to believe. But something in her lies makes McKenzie Haverston desperate for the truth... When Belinda shows up in McKenzie's home asking for protection in return for important information on a case he's working on, he rejects her. But when he learns where she had been banished after her great scandal five years ago, he finds himself striking a deal with the woman-he protects her, she gives him answers. The question now is: how true is her tale? She was once considered the fairest of them all, but one scandal later, she has become the most reviled. And she is also being hunted. If Belinda wants to stay alive, she has to start trusting McKenzie Haverston, a task she finds to be surprisingly easy to do. However, as the truth of the past begins to resurface, and the secrets of her scandal is revealed, Belinda is confronted by her own demons, causing her to doubt her own reality. Trigger warnings: abuse, violence, mental trauma, sexual assault, mental health illness