$0.99 (regularly $4.99) 5/22/2017 - 5/28/2017!
What happens when a Regency lady crosses paths with a spy? Sparks! Lots of them. And that’s what the Secrets of the Zodiac is all about. The Lady Dauntless is the fourth book in the series, but it’s a great place to start reading, even if you haven’t picked up any other titles. (But the first one, A Heartless Design, is free!)
The roguish hero, Logan, is an agent of a super-secret group called the Zodiac, which is sworn to protect Britain against all enemies. Logan’s tough, but he meets his match in Gemma. She’s clever, competitive, and knows just a little too much about the enemy he’s investigating. So of course she catches Logan’s eye…
I love Jane Austen’s books. I also love James Bond movies. So it was no-brainer to write about spies in a Regency setting. On the one hand, I get to dream up gorgeous ballgowns and write witty conversations. On the other hand, I send my characters running for their lives though the London underworld. Whether they’re evading bad scones or master criminals, there’s always something happening. All my ladies have skills that go way beyond the usual expectations for the age. Gemma, for instance, is a sharpshooter and also may know a little bit about smuggling (no spoilers!) I also wanted to make my hero different, so Logan comes from a lower-class background than his fellow agents, and he also may know a little bit about piracy (no spoilers!). Why should dukes get to have all the fun?
The Lady Dauntless was especially thrilling to write because the action takes place not just in the ballrooms (and bedrooms) of London, but also in Scotland, with some side trips to Bermuda—and what’s more James Bondian than that? Unfortunately, I didn’t actually get to travel to Bermuda for “research.” Maybe next time!