Holding Out for a Hero

I’ve written many heroes over the years, but Stephen Roth may be unique. How many Regency gentlemen not only fought Napoleon for his country but also served as bodyguard to a royal house? Roth is the last of my Batavarian Imperial Guards to marry, and his story, Never Hire a Hero, is the finale of my Fortune’s Brides series.

A former elite soldier, Stephen Roth was trained to be ruthless as he served as bodyguard for kings and princes. So why would his English patroness, Lady Belfort, and her cat, Fortune, arrange for him to take a position as the tutor to the heir of Alldene Castle and the boy’s siblings? And why does the children’s mother, Lady Alldene, look at him with shining eyes, as if he could be some sort of hero? This was not the sort of challenge he bargained for!

A peer in her own right, Thea, Countess of Alldene, was raised in Alldene Castle and taught how to rule over it. But nothing prepared her for the death of her husband and the villainy of the man he appointed as guardian for her children. If a tutor with a razor-sharp gaze will prevent that man from taking her sons away from her, she’s willing to put up with Roth’s rough-shod ways.

But the castle holds a secret that may prove Thea’s undoing. When danger threatens, she turns to the one man who might be able to keep them all safe. Could a marriage of convenience over Christmas prove that heroes can turn up in the least likely places?

“I fell in love with Never Hire a Hero on the first pages. My heart immediately went out to a family trying to overcome their past and not shirk their responsibilities or let the bullies rule. Thea is a wonderful mother trying to do too much with too little and she needs help. Luckily, she’s found a friend. If you love your sweet romance to have substance, you can’t go wrong with a book by Ms. Scott!” Gina Hott, Hott Book Reviews

Available in paperback and ebook from fine online retailers (and you can order at a bookstore near you), such as

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And if you want to learn more about the entire fourteen-book series, see my website.

Three Things You Might Not Be Aware Of, and Maybe a Fourth

I am very thankful my eye issue turned out to be self-healing, no need for surgery! Phew! While I couldn’t write for a while, I could do some other things on the computer, which might amuse you.

First--I collected the rest of the Fortune’s Brides main series into duets. Engaging the Earl and the Viscount: Fortune’s Brides, the Middle, includes Never Envy an Earl, in which a spy in hiding dares to fall in love with the earl protecting her. Its partner is Never Vie for a Viscount, in which a perky socialite convinces her former love to take a chance on teaching her the ins and outs of ballooning.

Marrying the Knight and the Marquess: Fortune’s Brides, the End, features Never Kneel to a Knight, in which an etiquette teacher tries to hide her secret love for the boxer-turned-knight she is helping. Its partner is Never Marry a Marquess, in which a shy young lady joins a grieving marquess in a marriage of convenience to care for his frail baby daughter. 

You can find the links to these and all the Fortune’s Brides series on my website here. 

Second—I brought out as a standalone novella a story I had published some years ago but is still one on my favorites. (Shh! Don’t tell the others!) In An Engagement of Convenience, Chaperone Kitty Chapworth isn’t about to believe a gentleman’s silken promises, until charming rake Quentin Adair returns to her life. Ten years ago, Kitty was instrumental in causing the poor fellow to be exiled. When he requests her help to prevent his father’s ruin, she cannot refuse, even to pretending an engagement at a summer house party. Quentin has spent years becoming the man his father always hoped. He will protect him at all costs. But as danger threatens, Quentin finds that his priorities have changed. Can a reformed rake convince the perfect chaperone to overlook propriety for love?

Available for only 99 cents at

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Finally—I tried something different. For this summer, the complete Grace-by-the-Sea series is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Those of you who are subscribed can read them for free. The stories in this six-book series are set in a little spa town on the Dorset coast during the time when Napoleon was threatening to invade. The quiet little Regency village of Grace-by-the-Sea welcomes everyone to visit its spa, partake of the waters, bathe in the cove, shop among the unique stores, and dance the night away at the assembly rooms. Just be careful to keep an eye on the horizon for adventure, and love. Find the set here. 

And now, back to work on writing something new! Look for Never Admire an Adventurer in July. You can preorder at

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Happy reading!

Never Kneel

To a Knight, that is! I’m excited to report that the 5^th book in my Fortune’s Brides series, Never Kneel to a Knight, is now out in ebook and print and available at fine online retailers.

When the thoroughly poised Charlotte Worthington requests that Miss Thorn and her cat Fortune find her a position, she never dreams the savvy employment agency owner would reunite her with Matthew Bateman, her brother’s former bodyguard. Matthew is about to be knighted for an act of valor, and he and his sisters could use some polishing if they’re to enter Society after his elevation. Yet how can Charlotte maintain her calm, cool demeanor as their sponsor when she harbors a secret love for him?

Matthew Bateman cannot forget the beauty who is miles out of his league. Once a boxer called the Beast of Birmingham, Matthew would like nothing better than to be worthy of Charlotte’s hand. As old enemies and new ones attempt to bring him low, can Matthew prove to Charlotte that their love is meant to be?

Here’s a little taste:

Charlotte inclined her head. “Our approach for your sisters is settled, then. What about you?”

Matthew frowned. “Me? I’m fine.”

She was watching him. “You’ve been told what will be expected of you at the prince’s levee, then?”

By no less than three lords, all of whom had seemed certain he’d embarrass himself even with their wise counsel. He shrugged. “More or less.”

She puffed out a sigh. “Come now, Beast. You must know there are expectations for your behavior.”

He could feel his frown deepening. “Like what?”

“Like introductions, for one. How do you bow to the prince?”

He rose and inclined his head.

She stood and put her hand on his shoulder. “Deeper. He is the sovereign.”

“And I’m a knight,” Matthew reminded her. “Or I will be soon. Don’t I deserve some dignity? If you’re supposed to keel over for a kingly sort, do you at least kneel to a knight?”

“Never,” she said. “Your obeisance is tempered by the elevation of the person you are greeting. Knights, even the hereditary ones, are at the very bottom.”

“No, that’s reserved for us common folk,” he said.

Either the tone or the look on his face must have said more than he’d intended, for her eyes dipped down at the corners, and she removed her hand from his shoulder. “Now, then, you and your sisters may need to brush up on Society’s expectations, but you know many things I’ve never been taught.”

“Like what?” he asked, struggling to see her as anything less than perfect.

“Like boxing,” she said with certainty.

Matthew snorted. “Fat lot Society needs to know about that.”

“Some know far more than they should,” she informed him primly. “But my point was that you are an expert in that area. For example, how would you go about besting me?”

His brows shot up. “What? You think I fight women?”

She laughed, a warm sound that made him want to move closer, as if he’d stepped through the door of his own home for the first time in a long time. “No, of course not. But you must have a strategy. Appearing before the prince is no different. You have to know what you hope to achieve.”

Matthew stuck out his lower lip. “All right. But when I fight, I mostly think about staying alive, avoiding injury.”

She frowned. “All defense? No offense?”

“Well,” he allowed, “I did have one particular move that served me well. I can take a punch better than most, but if a fellow was especially trying, I’d wrap him up.”

“Wrap him up?”

“Yeah, like this.” He reached out and wrapped his arms about her, pinning her against his chest. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but he didn’t see any fear in the grey. She fit against him as if she’d been tailored just for him.

He knew he should let go. Yet everything in him demanded that he hang on, hold her close, all the days of his life, no matter the cost.

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Enjoy!

Once More an Incomparable

Once upon a time, there was a historical romance author. She loved writing about the Regency period, and she loved stories that connected in some way, so she populated her books with characters who were friends or cousins or school acquaintances. After all, the ton, or those people in London counted to have good breeding and taste, numbered no more than 10,000 by some estimates. Surely they knew each other at least in passing.

She never set out to write a series. Her publisher early on wasn’t too keen on that. When she sat down to write the next book, she simply chose a year that made sense to the plot and looked at who else she’d already written about who might be in that location at that time. But slowly, over the course of ten novels and three novellas, she built a little community within her stories.

And now, more than 15 years later, those stories are coming back to life again, this time in the order they should have been published to begin with and buffed to a shine.

I’m delighted to report that The Incomparable Miss Compton, the eighth Regency romance I published, is now the second book in The Uncommon Courtships series. It follows the story of Anne Preswick (of The Unflappable Miss Fairchild) as she attempts to find a wife for powerful Parliamentarian Malcolm Breckonridge. Of course he must be introduced to the Incomparable Miss Compton, the reigning belle. But Malcolm finds he is far more attracted to the young lady’s spinster chaperone, Miss Sarah Compton.

Here’s a peek:

“You have nothing to say to me, then, madam?” he demanded as the dance once more sent them past each other, shoulder to shoulder. As she took her place opposite him, her expressive eyes widened at his gruff tone. He waited for her to pretend he had actually asked her to dance, to say anything that would give him some idea of her game. She merely allowed the gentleman of the second couple in their set to take her hand and lead her out, as the dance demanded. When he approached the lady of the second couple to do the same, he could not help but notice that she quailed under the frown that had evidently formed on his face. He managed a grimace that would have to pass for a smile and found himself back opposite the mysterious lady. He was rather glad to see that they had reached the end of the line of dancers and would be standing out for a round.

“Forgive my impertinence, my lord,“ she said as they waited to rejoin the set. Her voice was deep for a woman. “I must thank you for not giving me away. It was most kind of you.”

“I hope you plan to reward my kindness with an explanation,” he replied.

She blushed again, and he found the effect even more charming. Was she some kind of sorceress that he could not focus on his intended interrogation?

“I shall try, my lord,” she said. “You had just been introduced to Persephone Compton, I believe?”

He frowned, toying with the idea that she was bent on usurping the lady in his affections. As he had not had time to form any affections, and she was not in the lady’s league in looks, he threw the idea off as preposterous.

“Lord Prestwick had performed the introduction as you arrived,” he confirmed.

“May I ask why you wished to be made known to her?” she persisted.

His frown deepened. That ought to have been enough to cause the most ardent campaigner to desist, but she did not seem to be affected by it. “I am not in the habit of discussing my affairs with strangers, madam.”

She gazed at him. “I imagine you must convince them to vote your way out of sheer intimidation.”

Surprised, he could not think of an answer.

Malcolm Breckonridge, speechless. His peers would laugh themselves sick. He was so appalled that the moment of silence stretched. As the dance ended, she dropped a curtsey, and he remembered himself and bowed.

“Your servant, madam,” he managed. “I wish you luck.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “I fear I have been forward. Would you take a turn about the room with me, my lord, so that I might explain myself further?”

Malcolm stared at her. He had given her a set-down calculated in look and manner to quell the most pretentious upstart, and she remained focused on her purpose. Could she be the woman he sought? She certainly had the courage to stand up to him. One could not have asked for a more queenly consort. It was too much to hope that she be intelligent as well. He decided it only made sense to investigate further.

He offered her his arm. “Very well. I’d like to hear how a sensible woman like you came to invite me to dance.”

I hope you’ll want to read The Incomparable Miss Compton. Again.

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Free! Oh, and a Preorder Too

Yes, it’s true. I have joined the ranks of authors offering entire e-book novels for free. For a limited time, in preparation for the fifth book on my Lady Emily Capers, Love and Larceny, coming out in May, I’ve made book one, Secrets and Sensibilities, free.

When art instructor Hannah Alexander agrees to accompany four of her students on a country house visit before Easter, she never dreams of entering into a dalliance with the owner David Tenant, the handsome new Earl of Brentfield. But one moment in his company and she’s in danger of losing her heart. There are secrets aplenty at Brentfield, enough to challenge any lady’s sensibilities, even those of Hannah’s protégé, Lady Emily Southwell. As events unfold at Brentfield, Hannah quickly learns that loving David comes at a price, to her future plans of being a portrait painter, to her position as a teacher, and to her very life.

You can find a free copy at the following retailers through April 29:

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But wait, there’s more! J

I’m pleased to announce that “An Engagement of Convenience,” in the Timeless Regency anthology Summer House Party is available for preorder. The book, which also features stories by acclaimed Regency authors Donna Hatch and Sarah M. Eden, will release on June 7.

Pretty chaperone Kitty Chapworth has foiled five elopements, four proposals of ill intent, and the worst first kiss in history, so she isn't about to believe a gentleman's silken promises. That is, until charming rake Quentin Adair returns to her life. Ten years ago, Kitty was instrumental in causing the poor fellow to be exiled to Jamaica in a tragic case of love gone wrong. When he requests her help to prevent his father's ruin, she cannot refuse, even when helping requires her to pretend she is engaged to the handsome rogue at a summer house party.

Quentin has spent the last ten years becoming the man his father always hoped. Now he will not allow an old enemy to harm his family. Kitty is the perfect conspirator--sharp, witty, fearless. But as danger threatens, Quentin finds that his priorities have changed. Can a reformed rake convince the perfect chaperone to overlook propriety for love?

Preorder now. 

Goodness, after confessing all that, I feel so free!