(From Amanda–Last year, I was invited to take part in a very exciting project, a continuity series pitched as “Downton Abbey in the Regency”. As a huge Downton fan, of course I immediately said yes, and I’m so glad I did! It was so much fun getting to work with the other authors and watch our new world take shape, and now the hard work is paying off as the first Castonbury Park title launches next month. Here is more info on the books in the series. Be sure and comment to win a copy of the guidebook from Kedleston Hall, our inspiration for Castonbury…)
From the eHarlequin website: “Are you a fan of the Upstairs/Downstairs genre made famous by the UK series Downton Abbey? Then be on the look out for the new Harlequin Historical DIGITALLY EXCLUSIVE series Castonbury Park! Now, the series is not set in the same time period as Downton Abbey, but fret not–these Regency romance novels are a great way to while away those dog days of summer, PLUS they’re written by some of the hottest Harlequin historical authors!“
Marguerite Kaye’s prequel short story, Flirting With Ruin, is free here for a few more days! Be sure and pick it up for an intro to the Castonbury world…
The series kicks off with Carole Mortimer’s The Wicked Lord Montague (August):
“Lord Giles Montague has always lived his life just the way he wants—fighting on the battlefields and fighting off the fawning ladies in London’s clubs. But after the death of his older brother in Spain, the notoriously wicked Montague is now reluctant heir to Castonbury Park!
Having grown up with the Montague family, Miss Lily Seagrove finds her least favourite by far is Lord Giles! He’s arrogant, rude and oh, so infuriatingly handsome… But she’s a girl of Gypsy heritage, and although she might be able to get under Giles’ battle-scarred skin, she can never be Lady of the Manor…”
Helen Dickson’s The Housemaid’s Scandalous Secret (September):
Ross Montague is a colonel in the East India Army. Raised at Castonbury Park in Derbyshire with his cousins the Montague children, he has come to look on the six siblings as his brothers and sisters. Ross is no celibate, but two things obsess him – India and the East India company. On receiving a letter informing him that one of his cousins has been killed at Waterloo and another – the Montague heir, listed as missing – and the Montague family in dire financial straits, bound by the ties of present and future relationship to the house of Montague, Ross has returned to England.
Having spent all her life in India, Lisette’s parents have died of cholera and she is forced to return to England to earn her keep, but her heart remains in India. Before leaving India Ross saves Lisette from drowning. Because she is disguised as a native girl, he believes that is what she is.
In London Ross again meets Lisette. Although she is familiar to him he cannot remember where he has seen her before. Intrigued and attracted by her, when he learns she is to lose her position as lady’s maid, he persuades his sister to take her on. Lisette engages his emotions at some deeper level, but Lisette is constantly reminded of her lowly position in life and that men of Ross Montague’s ilk are not for the likes of her. To protect herself from his passions – and her own, she is determined to stay out of his way, and yet there is a bond between them which tugs at her heart.
Marguerite Kaye’s The Lady Who Broke the Rules (October):
Shunned by society since she ended her disastrous engagement, Lady Katherine Montague is determined never to allow any man to hurt her again. Instead, Kate invests all her energy and emotions in philanthropy, building a village school, rescuing fallen women and supporting the abolitionist cause.
Virgil Jackson was born into slavery in Virginia, but sold into the north when he led a rebellion which had tragic consequences. Hard work, a brilliant mind and a fierce determination to succeed have earned him freedom, power and wealth, but it seems nothing will ever be enough to satisfy Virgil’s need to pay penance for his past.
Two outcasts, two rebels, Kate and Virgil are instantly drawn to each other. But the past, for each of them, has taken a heavy emotional toll. Can they cut themselves free from its fetters, and take a chance on a love so shocking that even the most liberal of Kate’s aristocratic family will find it impossible to accept?
Anne Lethbridge’s Lady of Shame (November):
When the scandalous Lady Claire returns home to Castonbury Park with her daughter, she is determined to redeem herself in the eyes of the Duke and marry well this time, for the sake of her daughter.
Up and coming chef Andre has his career all planned out, and his employment at Castonbury is an important stepping stone. He cannot allow an alluring woman, particularly one in a position to destroy all he has worked for, to distract his purpose.
Yet how can he use his talents with food to help her catch a husband, when what he really wants is her in his bed…
Sarah Mallory’s The Illegitmate Montague (December):
Adam Stratton hasn’t seen his mother Hannah for ten years. Fiercely independent, he has overcome his dubious birth to become a wealthy manufacturer and now he returns to Castonbury to make amends. Hannah is housekeeper at Castonbury Park, where the family have their own problems and she is reluctant to leave them at this difficult time. Adam therefore has to kick his heels at Castonbury, where he meets the equally proud and self-sufficient Amber Hall.
Amber is a cloth-merchant, a successful woman in a man’s world, but she must fight to maintain her place there. Sparks fly as she and Adam realise their mutual attraction, but dark forces threaten them and when disaster strikes they are thrown into a dangerous game of passion and intrigue, where no one is quite what they seem to be…
Bronwyn Scott’s Unbefitting a Lady (January):
Phaedra Montague’s always been wild. Wagering her mother’s pearls on a desperate dream is just the beginning of the adventure. Wagering her heart on Bram Basingstoke might just be the end.
The shocking losses of the past year have sent Phaedra fleeing to the stables, her traditional place of refuge in times of trouble. It’s a place she once shared with her brother, Edward. Only now, she flees there alone. Her beloved brother, Edward, is dead. The only thing left of their childhood together is a shared dream of winning Epsom. Phaedra is determined to make that dream come true as much for Edward’s memory as for herself. Life as she knew it has changed dramatically. She can rely only on herself for securing her future. A win at Epsom would secure that future, giving her a reputation as a breeder.
Ladies have never held any charm for Bram Basingstoke….until Phaedra Montague.
Exiled to the hinterlands of Derbyshire in order to escape his latest scrape with scandal, Bram Basingstoke knows he’ll die of boredom before his six months are out. When an opportunity to work as a groom presents itself at a horse auction in Buxton, Bram takes it. It will give him something to do while he kills time and it’s the perfect revenge on his father , the earl, who’d sought to send his son out of scandal’s way. Bram will show him—his errant second son can create scandal anywhere he goes.
But Bram may have torn off more than he can handle.
Joanna Fulford’s Redemption of a Fallen Woman (February):
Elena Ruiz needs a miracle if she is to escape a life behind convent bars, and Lord Henry Montague seems heaven sent. However, he has his own reasons for returning to Spain and those certainly don’t involve her. Nevertheless, when Elena’s well-intentioned plans unravel he becomes more closely involved than either of them ever anticipated…
Amanda McCabe’s A Stranger at Castonbury (March):
The final installment of the Castonbury Saga! Catalina lost her husband Jaime in the midst of battle in Spain, and broken-hearted she has come to his family’s home at Castonbury hoping to feel close to him just once more. But she finds more than she ever bargained for in those palatial halls, when Jaime turns up again…very much alive…
Do you enjoy continuity series? Are you as intrigued by the idea of “Downton Abbey in the Regency” as I was??? Comment for a chance to win!!
