She knew her new husband was keeping secrets…but she had no idea how many.

Turned out…neither did he.

Newly married Celia is shocked to arrive at a crumbling Elizabethan estate with 21 bedrooms, parlors filled with taxidermy…and an aunt. How could Peter forget to mention an entire person—and does it mean that Celia and her cousin will be abandoned among the broken crockery too?

Peter Alcott made a series of increasingly desperate decisions to protect his young brother and sister from a fate worse than death. Thirteen years later, he’s come home to the wild, windswept land of his birth, and this time, he’s going to do do everything right—if he can unravel the tangle of secrets that his family has spent three generations building.

After a disastrous first week, with a houseguest making accusations and the locals turning against Irish-born Celia and their mixed-race household, Celia is delighted by the rumor that Peter planned to stand for Parliament—while Peter is reeling from the threat of annulment from his beloved bride.

With his father’s demands looming and the memories in Avonleagh Manor becoming too loud for Peter to bear, Peter has an accident that smashes the fragile safety protecting their entire family. Celia buries her own anger to help him heal. But while Peter and Celia struggle to find connection, political questions cleave their family apart—and the Alcott family secrets turn deadly.

Perfect for fans of the intrigue of Bridgerton and the sisterly devotion of Little Women. Sink into this immersive, intricately woven Regency romance, featuring a deeply wounded hero, an atmospheric setting, found family that never gives up, and most of all—a heartfelt romance that deepens through to the very last page.

Tropes you'll enjoy:

• Romance within marriage
• Wild & scenic setting with house as a character
• Wounded hero & generational trauma
• Inclusive: queer, racial, and disability rep
• House parties & political intrigue
• Protective hero with “touch her & die” energy
• Found family
• Secret identity
• Kidnapping
• Slow-burn romance that ignites, and an ending that is more than a sugar rush!

The Bonnet Brigade Series

Book 1 – The Bonnet Brigade

Book 2 – The Domestic Diplomat

Book 3 – The Ambassador and the Architect

Book 4 – The Musician and the Marquess