Scandalous Liaisons! Tragedy! Intrigue!
Castonbury Park, a Regency series which I’ve written in collaboration with seven other Harlequin Historical authors, has it all. The series takes its inspiration (though absolutely nothing else) from the hit television series Downton Abbey (and if you’re old enough to remember, Upstairs, Downstairs). Each book is designed to be read as stand alone, though the characters, the house and servants are all part of one world, one extended family, which we created as a team. And linking the whole series is a mystery which gradually unfolds book by book to its resolution in the last story.
The Premise
The Montague family are one of the highest and most influential in England, but the Napoleonic Wars have left them in disarray.
First Jamie, the eldest son and heir, disappeared in Spain under mysterious circumstances and is now presumed dead.
Next Edward, the youngest son, was tragically killed at Waterloo. Stunned by the loss of his favourites, the Duke of Rothermere became an ailing recluse leaving the the next in line, second son Giles, to take over the running of the extensive estates and struggle to release the family from the ruinous debt caused by his father’s unwise investments.
And as if that’s not enough, as the series opens, a mysterious young woman turns up at Castonbury Park claiming to be Jamie’s widow, bringing with her her young son who, if his heritage can be proved, will displace Giles as the heir apparent to the dukedom and throw into turmoil all his careful plans for financial stability.
The Family
The Books
Flirting with Ruin (Undone! Prequel) – Marguerite Kaye
The Wicked Lord Montague – Carole Mortimer
The Housemaid’s Scandalous Secret – Helen Dickson
The Lady Who Broke the Rules – Marguerite Kaye
Lady of Shame – Ann Lethbridge
The Illegitimate Montague – Sarah Mallory
Unbefitting a Lady – Bronwyn Scott
Redemption of a Fallen Woman – Joanna Fulford
A Stranger at Castonbury – Amanda McCabe