Camy Tang’s blog

Regency Hare Soup: An 1808 Recipe with a Red Herring

2026-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I was writing the below dinner scene in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 4: Betrayer, and since I wanted to be authentic, I went looking in some antique cookbooks that had been published around that time period.

In the cookbook, The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald, I found an interesting recipe, Hare Soup. (If you click the link, you can download a pdf copy of the scanned antique book.)

The book was reprinted many times over the Georgian and Regency eras (the edition I was looking at was published in 1808, which is 3 years before the events in Lady Wynwood’s Spies), so this soup would have been served at Laura’s dining table.

Laura’s heart ached for Phoebe, and she had prayed over her niece. But Phoebe hadn’t appeared calmed by the prayer. She declined dinner and retreated to her room down the hallway, and so now Laura was sitting to a solitary meal.

After Aya had set a bowl of hare soup in front of her, she asked the question Laura had been expecting. “What will you speak with Mr. Drydale about?”

I was really excited to try this soup since I had enjoyed authentic Regency White Soup quite a bit.

Here is the original recipe:

Cut a large old hare in small pieces, and put it in a mug, with three blades of mace, a little salt, two large onions, one red herring, six morels, half a pint of red wine, and three quarts of water; bake it in a quick oven three hours; then strain it into a toffing-pan; have ready boiled three ounces of French barley, or fago, in water; scald the liver of the hare in boiling water two minutes; rub it through a hair-sieve, with the back of a wooden spoon; put it into the soup with the barley or fago, and a quarter of a pound of butter; set it over the fire; keep stirring it, but do not let it boil: if you do not like liver, put in crisped bread steeped in red wine. This is a rich soup, and proper for a large entertainment; and where two soups are required, almond and onion soup for the top, and hare soup for the bottom.

My changes

I did not have access to hare or rabbit, so I substituted chicken thighs, which (according to the internet) is about the same texture as rabbit.

The soup seems to have quite strong flavors, which I am guessing is to mask the gaminess of hare. The meat is strained out of the soup, and it was probably repurposed for a stew or pie for the servants.

I thought removing the meat was a waste, so after making the soup (and taking pictures), I added the solids (minus the bonito flakes) back into the soup.

Since I have IBS, I had to make several substitutes. I can’t eat most dried mushrooms so I didn’t add the morels, but I included it below since that’s what was in the original recipe. I also substituted 1 cup of chopped leek tops instead of the onions. For the bread, I used homemade sourdough.

The red herring threw me a little (haha), but I realized that the term “red herring” had to have come from somewhere, so it was likely an actual fish. When I looked it up, red herrings are typically strongly brined or smoked fish.

I could have probably substituted smoked salmon, but that’s really expensive, and I had an unorthodox but cheaper alternative in bonito flakes, or katsuoboshi, which I use a lot in Japanese cooking and which a lot of people use as cat treats. Bonito flakes are finely shaved and very strong tasting so I only used 15 grams (about 1 cup) in place of the red herring.

I also didn’t have mace so I substituted ground nutmeg.

I looked up “fago” and I think it’s referring to buckwheat. I can’t eat barley because of my IBS, and I didn’t have buckwheat grains, so I substituted quinoa.

Also, using the oven for 3 hours would use a lot of electricity, so I used my Instant Pot instead. You can use a pot on the stove in lieu of the 3 hours of baking.

I’m guessing the 3 hours of baking is to extract maximum flavor from the hare meat and bones. I didn’t want to cook my chicken until it was falling apart, so I substituted a mix of stock and water.

For the bread: When I first made it, I followed the instructions and soaked toasted bread in wine, then strained it through a fine metal strainer. But after doing that, I realized it was the same thing as adding bread crumbs to the soup, so I have suggested below that you can substitute bread crumbs for the bread in the original recipe.

The recipe called for 1/4 pound of butter, which is kind of a lot. Since the original recipe used an “old hare,” I’m guessing it wasn’t as fatty as our modern day chicken or turkey. So I only added 4 tablespoons of butter. If I ever try this with turkey instead, I’d add a little more butter.

How it tasted

I’ll be honest, when I made it, the soup smelled very unusual and I was worried I’d wasted my chicken thighs.

But when I tasted it, it was delicious! It was different from chicken soup, but not weird or unpleasant. It was really rich and meaty-tasting, almost like a beef stock although I had used chicken. It had a slight tang, probably from the red wine I used.

It wasn’t as exotic tasting as you might think, considering the ingredients. It was mostly just a rich soup that had been made with wine.

Hare Soup

Ingredients

1 cup red wine and a little extra to soak bread

2.5 pounds chicken thighs

2 large onions (I used 1 cup chopped leek tops)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 quarts water or stock or a mix of both

6 dried morel mushrooms (I did not add this)

1/2 teaspoon salt

0.5 ounce (15 grams) bonito flakes (you can substitute a filet or two of smoked fish). If you do not intend to strain out the meat, put the bonito flakes/fish in a muslin bag so it’s easier to remove later.

3 ounces (weight) of barley or buckwheat, or 1/2 cup of quinoa, boiled until tender

1-2 pieces of bread or 1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs

4-8 tablespoons of butter, to taste

Instructions:

Put wine in Instant Pot and set to sauté to boil off alcohol. If you’re using the stovetop or oven, you don’t need to do this.

Add chicken, onions, nutmeg, water/stock, morels, salt, and bonito flakes or smoked fish.

Set the Instant Pot on Soup/Stew high pressure or Manual high pressure for 13 minutes. After cooking, you can release the pressure instantly or let the pressure release naturally. If using the stovetop, bring everything to a boil and then simmer gently until the chicken is tender.

In the meantime, cook your barley or buckwheat or quinoa.

If using bread, toast the bread and crumble into a bowl. Add red wine just until the bread is soaked. If using breadcrumbs, you don’t need to toast them, but soak them in a little bit of red wine.

When the soup is done, strain it to remove all the solids.

Add the cooked grains (barley, buckwheat, or quinoa), and the butter. If using bread, strain the bread through a fine metal sieve. If using breadcrumbs, simply add the breadcrumbs and wine mix.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Did you try it? Leave a comment if you did! How did you like it?

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

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This post relates to Camille Elliot’s Lady Wynwood’s Spies, a Christian Regency romantic suspense series set in 1811 London and featuring intrigue, espionage, botanical alchemy, slow-burn romance, and themes of faith and redemption.

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

A Pistol, Two Knives, and a Gentleman Spy

2026-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Norton is a gentleman spy for the Crown, but he broke every rule in his agency to save one woman's life. Now his superior officer has come to collect.

Norton was about to settle down to a delicious dinner prepared by his club’s cook and a bottle or two of wine when a man seemed to appear out of thin air.

“Norton,” the harsh voice said. The tall, spare man addressed him familiarly, but there was no warmth or cordiality in his grating tones.

Norton liked to play the reckless fool, for it caused men to underestimate him. In actuality, while his actions were usually very daring, most of the time he had already looked at the situation and conjured up a dozen different ways that everything could go wrong, and considered what he might do in response if any of those occurred. So he had accustomed himself to a certain level of preparedness no matter where he found himself, and he did not like being surprised.

But this man, being here and approaching Norton, was not only a surprise, but a nasty one.

“Mr. Antingham,” Norton said carefully. “I was unaware that you were a member of The Runny Knees.”

Mr. Antingham couldn’t quite suppress the curl of his upper lip as Norton mentioned the name of the club. But he attempted to paste a polite smile upon his face as he said, “Yes, I have been a member for many years, although I rarely spend time here.”

Norton gave terse nods to the two men behind Mr. Antingham. “Mr. Maghew, Mr. Golding.” They were both Antingham’s agents at the Ramparts, and Norton had worked with them a few times.

But Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding were not members of The Runny Knees, as far as he knew, which meant that all three of them were here for Norton.

“What can I do for you, sir?” he reluctantly asked Mr. Antingham.

“I’d like to have a word with you in private, Mr. Norton. Perhaps you would be so good as to come with me?” Mr. Antingham gave a close-lipped smile.

The senior officer had a wide jaw and a wide mouth, so even his stiffest smile often fooled people into thinking that he was more congenial than he actually was. But Norton knew to look at his cold blue eyes instead to gauge his true emotional state. And he didn’t like what he saw there.

Mr. Antingham looked triumphant, the victor collecting his spoils and trampling his enemies. Norton didn’t have to guess whom he considered his enemy.

He didn’t fool himself into thinking that Mr. Antingham’s request was anything less than a direct order. And the fact that Mr. Antingham wanted to remove Norton from the very public surroundings of this club meant that he wasn’t going to like what followed.

But Norton couldn’t refuse, and Mr. Antingham knew that.

Norton sighed. He had been looking forward with great pleasure to the beefsteak with red wine and mushroom sauce, which was a specialty of the chef of the club.

Instead, he was aware that his idyllic days were over.

Norton gave a smile as false as the one on Mr. Antingham’s face. “Of course, sir. Where would you like to have this discussion?”

“My carriage is waiting outside.” Mr. Antingham turned and led the way out of the club, not even watching to see if Norton followed or not.

Then again, he had brought Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding to ensure that his orders were obeyed.

Norton followed with every appearance of compliance. He knew that even at rest, his face had a friendly mien, and as they headed out, several of the other gentlemen in the club saw Norton and his companions and nodded farewell, unsuspecting that there was anything wrong with the situation. Norton considered stopping to speak to one of the club members, but aside from causing Mr. Antingham to grind his teeth in impatience, he couldn’t think of a way to use the delay to his advantage.

Norton collected his scarf, hat, and gloves and gave the doorman a brief nod as he exited the club.

Mr. Antingham’s carriage was indeed standing in the street outside. It was a large, finely built vehicle, high off the ground to ensure a quick, smooth ride. As Norton spotted the type of vehicle, he realized that here was his chance.

Mr. Antingham entered the carriage first. Norton was flanked by Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding, but he hesitated before following his superior officer inside.

Mr. Antingham pulled a pistol from the depths of the carriage and pointed it at Norton. “Get inside,” he said tersely, no smile on his face any longer, his eyes hooded and dark.

“Of course, sir.” Norton’s words were respectful, but not too submissive, for that would be out of character and might raise alarms.

He still held his hat in his hands, and he pretended to fumble it. The beaver dropped onto the ground.

Shame, that. He quite liked that hat.

He bent down, ostensibly to collect his headgear, but he smoothly pulled a slim knife that had been hidden in his Hessian boots. With his other hand, he nudged aside his coat and reached for the knife in the concealed sheath at the small of his back.

Mr. Maghew was on his left and Mr. Golding on his right. Maghew was closer to him, and Norton was able to stab the knife directly above the knob of Mr. Maghew’s knee. At nearly the same moment, he plunged the other knife into the meaty part of Mr. Golding’s thigh.

Mr. Antingham, being seated inside the carriage, did not have a good angle to see what Norton did. He likely only saw the faces of Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding contort in pain, their torsos bending as they reacted to the wounds.

Norton pulled his knives free as quickly as he had attacked with them. With his body still bent low, he sprang forward under the carriage harness even as Antingham fired the pistol. Amid sudden shouts and screams, Norton rolled neatly over his right shoulder on the dirty cobblestones, both hands still clutching his knives, and landed on one foot and one knee. He surged upward and darted away, disappearing into the crowd.

—From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

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• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

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The Shape of a Forgotten Memory

2026-08-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was only a torn piece of paper—until Phoebe turned it over.

A piece of watercolor paper wasn’t something Phoebe would have expected Mr. Coulton-Jones to carry with him when meeting someone about a horse. But after what happened today, she began to suspect that there was much about him that was unexpected. Perhaps the smooth facade he showed to the rest of the world was far more fake than she had realized.

She flipped the piece over.

A circular symbol had been drawn on the paper, but the majority of it was missing because of the torn edge. The symbol had two long narrow leaves radiating from the center, and the stalks of two flowers in between the leaves.

She gasped and nearly dropped the paper. She recognized this symbol. Or rather, it triggered a hazy memory from her childhood. She had seen the symbol carved into wood somewhere, but she couldn’t remember where or when. She remembered the smell of dust and maybe a bit of dirt and mold.

She also knew that the symbol was circular, and originally of five leaves and five stalks of flowers between the leaves, even though there were only two on this partial symbol, which proved that her memory was not faulty.

Where had she seen this symbol before?

And why had Mr. Coulton-Jones had it in his possession?

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

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When is a Young Lady "Out"? Debut Ages and Regency Expectations

2026-08-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Most of us have never been a debutante, but historical romance readers can imagine the flutter of a first Season—the nervous anticipation, the whispered judgments, the delicate balance of being noticed without being too noticed. For modern sensibilities, the Regency debut can feel both enchanting and impossibly rigid.

At its heart lies a simple but loaded question: at what age was a young woman considered ready to enter society?

In Jane Austen’s world, the answer was far more fluid than a single birthday. A girl was “out” when her family declared her available for courtship, and this could happen anywhere from fifteen to twenty or even later, depending on family circumstances, maturity, and social strategy.

Take Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. At just fifteen, she is already “out,” attending balls and flirting shamelessly. Austen uses her to show the dangers of launching a girl too early—Lydia’s impulsiveness and lack of guidance lead to near-ruin. By contrast, her older sister Jane, at twenty-two, is the model of graceful eligibility. The difference isn’t just age but readiness.

Fanny Price in Mansfield Park offers another view. At eighteen, Fanny has not yet been formally brought out into society—her quiet nature and position as a poor relation made an early debut feel inappropriate. But when her brother William visits and expresses a wish to see her dance, Sir Thomas thoughtfully arranges a ball at Mansfield. This event serves as Fanny’s gentle introduction into the neighborhood, showing that “coming out” was never merely about turning a certain age—it was a carefully timed social signal shaped by family judgment.

This same careful timing appears in Lissa and the Spy. The Gardinier family holds to a tradition of waiting until their daughters turn nineteen.

Mrs. Gardinier pulled Lissa with a grip like a vise on her elbow. “Come. Let us speak to Lady Wynwood. Perhaps she may find you an acceptable partner.”

“Isn’t she occupied with finding Phoebe an acceptable partner?” The Gardiniers’ family friend, Miss Phoebe Sauber, was debuting this year, sponsored by her aunt, Lady Wynwood.

Lissa’s younger sister had wanted her comeout at the same time, but the Gardiniers had a tradition of allowing their daughters to debut only once they turned nineteen. Lissa herself had turned twenty during last Season, which made her feel ancient next to the dewy seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds around her.

Lissa’s self-consciousness isn’t just about age—it reflects the pressure of perfection in a world that valued youth, poise, and strategic silence. Her mother’s constant corrections remind us that the debut wasn’t only about finding a husband—it was about proving the family’s refinement and protecting their reputation.

Lissa might have worn an evening dress like this one from the fashion magazine, La Belle Assemblee, published in 1807.

For families like the Gardiniers, waiting until nineteen balanced protection with opportunity. Launching too early risked gossip and missteps (as with Lydia). Waiting too long risked being labeled a spinster (as Lissa fears at twenty). The “right” age was always a moving target shaped by family strategy, finances, and social standing.

Yet beneath the etiquette and anxiety lay something deeper. Whether at fifteen or twenty, every young woman stepping into society carried the same quiet hope that she would be seen, valued, and perhaps even loved for who she truly was.

In Lissa’s case, that longing leads her down unexpected paths—toward secrets, danger, and a love that sees beyond the performance. Because sometimes the most important debut isn’t the one society notices, but the one where a young woman finally finds her own voice.

This article originally appeared on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog and is reposted here on my blog.

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing Lissa and Jeremy, a pair of spies in my Lady Wynwood’s Spies world.

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• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

Some secrets wear very good tailoring.

2026-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Coulton-Jones didn’t see Phoebe because she was sitting behind the enormous flower arrangement, but he had just approached a man who stood against the wall near the fireplace. Mr. Coulton-Jones’s fine, coffee-brown hair had been forced into a fashionable style, and his cravat was elegantly tied, his shirt-points high but not overly so. His jacket was perhaps a couple of years old but not out of style, and it suited his muscular physique admirably.

“Aunt.” Phoebe nodded toward the two men.

“He only just arrived a moment ago.”

She wasn’t certain how she ought to feel upon seeing him again. Now that she knew the connection between the symbol she had found on the Heath, her late Uncle Wynwood and Uncle Sol, Mr. Coulton-Jones’s meeting with that strange man took on a more sinister cast.

Was he involved in something to oppose the government or the war? Because if Uncle Sol were investigating something for the Home Office, it possibly involved one of those two. Yet remembering her conversation with him, and her impressions of his personality, she had a hard time believing that possibility. Or was she simply blinded by her attraction to him?

There was a purr in her aunt’s voice as she said, “It’s very interesting that as soon as he entered the room, he chose to speak to that man.”

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

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Three Women. One Dangerous Street.

2026-08-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Phoebe remained aware of their surroundings as they walked the narrow streets, and at one point, she thought that they were being followed. She turned to boldly confront the man following behind them, and when his heartbeat pulsed and he pulled a knife from his sleeve, she made a fist and punched him solidly in the nose.

His cry of pain as he dropped to the cobblestones echoed off the buildings on either side. Even better, it accomplished what she had intended—two other men who had been lying in wait several yards ahead of them on either side of the road abruptly withdrew.

The three women were not accosted by anyone else on the way back to the tannery.

—From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 9: Shelter

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

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• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

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The Message That Couldn’t Wait

2026-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Laura opened the note immediately, not bothering to move back into the drawing room. She frowned as she read the hastily scrawled lines:

I require your presence immediately. The boy will have brought a hackney cab and ordered it to wait for you.

Placing a hand to her throat, she felt the pulse racing there. She forced herself to take a deep breath, and then she told Aya, “I must go to Saffron House immediately.”

Her maid frowned. “The gall of her, to order you about as if you are a servant.”

“No,” Laura said thoughtfully. “She is not normally so forceful. I fear something is wrong.”

—From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 9: Shelter

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

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• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

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The Half-Open Door

2026-07-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

Phoebe realized the sound was coming from the partially opened door at the end of the drawing room that led to the library.

“M’lady, please come out from under the desk!” Aya sounded mortified.

“I was simply checking in case a re—in case something might have fallen behind the drawer.” Aunt Laura’s voice was muffled.

But as Phoebe approached, the strange tone of Aya’s voice made her slow her pace and pause out of sight of the half-open door.

“A receipt? A jeweler’s receipt?” Aya spoke quietly, unlike the half-scolding, half-joking tone she usually took with her eccentric employer. When her aunt didn’t reply, Aya continued, “I saw the crest on the watch. It’s the same one that was on that pendant.”

“Of course not,” Aunt Laura replied briskly, but Aya interrupted.

“I was there with you that night. I saw it. That watch is somehow connected to her, isn’t it?”

Phoebe’s limbs had become solid blocks of ice. She had the feeling that whoever that woman was, she was important to her aunt for some very unpleasant reason.

“Will you reach out to the Senhora?” Aya asked.

“No, not yet.”

“You’ll probably have to tell Phoebe.”

“I’m not ready for that yet, either.”

She might be overhearing something she ought not to know. Although she was close to her aunt, naturally there would always be things Phoebe would never know, but she had the impression that these secrets were weightier than normal. It was like a dark, shabby closet that had cracked open, and she knew she would not like the spiders she found inside.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

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• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

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Why Regency Ballroom Conversation Was So Difficult

2026-07-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Costumes are period accurate for the Regency era, and her gown is based on the fashion plate below.

She Had Four Minutes to Make a Good Impression. And She Couldn't Say Anything Interesting.

If you've ever read a Regency romance and wondered why the heroine spends so much energy on not saying things, you're asking exactly the right question.

Regency ballroom conversation had rules. Unwritten ones, which somehow made them worse—because everyone was expected to simply know them.

The short version: say as little as possible, make it pleasant, and never reveal anything that might embarrass your family. The weather was safe. The quality of the supper was safe. Admiring someone's gown was safe. Anything beyond that required careful navigation.

Fashion plate of a Regency ball gown from Ackerman’s Repository, February 1809.

What you absolutely could not discuss:

Politics, religion, and money were off the table entirely. War—even as soldiers were dying on the Continent and families waited anxiously for news—was considered too grim and too masculine for a ballroom. A young woman who expressed a strong opinion on parliamentary matters risked being quietly written off as odd, or forward, or both.

Personal matters were equally dangerous, but in a different direction. Gossip, romantic speculation, or anything that smacked of impropriety marked you as vulgar rather than refined.

Jane Austen, who knew this world from the inside, was endlessly fascinated by the gap between what people said and what they actually thought. In Northanger Abbey, Henry Tilney parodies the expected ballroom script almost the moment he meets Catherine Morland—he rattles off exactly what they're supposed to say to each other, right down to whether she finds Bath crowded. It's funny because it's true. That really was the script, and most people stuck to it faithfully.

The ones who didn't are the ones we still remember.

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet's conversations with Darcy stand out precisely because she refuses to perform. She asks real questions. She pushes back. She teases. Darcy, who has spent his entire social life surrounded by people telling him what he wants to hear, genuinely doesn't know how to respond at first. Their verbal sparring is romantic because it's so unusual.

On the other end of the spectrum, Austen gives us Anne Steele in Sense and Sensibility as a cautionary tale in the opposite direction. Anne's problem is that she shares too much. She chatters constantly about which men might be interested in her and speculates openly about her romantic prospects, which was considered embarrassingly forward. In a world where discretion was the highest social virtue, the Steeles were a walking reminder of how not to overshare.

The sweet spot was to be witty but not sharp, warm but not familiar, interested but not too interested—and it was genuinely difficult to hit. Most young women erred on the side of saying very little at all.

An AI-generated image of the same dancing dress as above, based on the illustration and the description in Ackermann’s.

Which brings me to Lissa Gardinier, the heroine of my novella Lissa and the Spy.

Lissa has been given strict instructions by her mother: safe topics only. Weather. Fashion. The food. She understands the rules perfectly. She simply finds them unbearable.

So when she finds herself dancing with Mr. Collingworth for the second time, she quietly rebels. And it works … until it doesn’t:

Lissa was not so obedient to her mother that she would subject herself to the torture of conversation topics such as the weather and the food at the ball, which she’d already discussed at length with her other dancing partners. So she asked a more unusual question. “Mr. Collingworth, shall you miss activities at your country estate while you are in town?”

His slack-jawed face abruptly became animated. “Yes indeed, Miss Gardinier. I breed hunting dogs, you see, and I’ve had particular luck this year with several pups …”

It was not that Lissa was interested in the pedigrees of his hunting dogs, who all seemed to have the most ridiculous names. It was that Mr. Collingworth became more interesting as he waxed eloquent about something that interested him, as opposed to the safe topics to which Lissa’s mother had restricted her daughter.

Her dance with Mr. Collingworth last Season may have been the start of it all. At the beginning of the Season, she’d been overwhelmed by the number of people at each party compared to the small gatherings in her home village, and by the way they all seemed to know each other and converse so easily with each other. She had attempted to join in their conversations, but while every one of her peers knew about the latest fashion plates from France, no one was particularly interested in the latest discussion in the House of Lords, or at the very least, they didn’t admit to doing so. And they visibly shied away from speaking about the war, as though it were a dirty topic that only the uncouth brought up in polite conversation.

She had ended up not saying much at all, which she belatedly realized made her uninteresting and boring compared to other young women. It hadn’t helped that Lissa’s face was rather plain, and her only beauty, her blonde hair, had been ruthlessly styled in a ridiculous—but a la mode—fashion that made her look like an egg had exploded.

But last year during that first dance with Mr. Collingworth, upon seeing him excitedly discuss his dog breeding, she had been encouraged to also speak without restraint. So she had voiced her exact thoughts rather than hiding behind a vapid facade. “Why in the world would you name a dog Lickspittle Furrybottom?”

At Mr. Collingworth’s startled look, Lissa realized that she’d said that out loud now, in this dance with him.

“… Not that it’s not a lovely name,” she added lamely.

Mr. Collingworth didn’t believe her, and his conversation faltered. She regretted that, for she hadn’t intended to be rude to him.

“Er … did I speak of Lickspittle Furrybottom?” he asked.

Lissa did a mental shriek at her mistake. “We spoke briefly about her last year. You were worried about her compatibility with Snout Droolalot.” To alleviate his embarrassment at not remembering her, she said, "I was relieved to hear that Lickspittle Furrybottom and Snout Droolalot had such a healthy litter. What are your plans for their puppies?” Talking about puppies was acceptable dance conversation, wasn’t it?

It pleased Mr. Collingworth to continue discussing puppies for the remainder of the dance.

What I love about this scene (aside from the fun of coming up with those dog names!) is that Lissa's instinct to ask about something real, something that actually matters to the person in front of her is genuinely because she wants to connect, not perform.

That desire, I think, is timeless. The rules of Regency ballrooms are long gone, but the tension between saying what's expected and saying what's true is still very much with us.

Get Lissa and the Spy free

Lissa and the Spy is a Regency romantic suspense novella about a plain-spoken heroine, a spy with secrets, and a London Season that goes sideways in the best possible way. You can receive it free when you join my newsletter.

Lissa and the Spy

A Regency Romantic Suspense Novella

In her quest for a marriage of convenience, plain and unpopular Lissa finds herself entangled with the enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude, who has a secret mission for the Crown. As danger stalks them, they must navigate a labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love.

Click here to get Lissa and the Spy

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

This article originally appeared on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog and is reposted here for my readers.

A Knock on the Most Dangerous Door in London

2026-07-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

With all haste, Maner made his way to the section of London known as Orario, to a portion of Rachey Street lined with warm, comfortable, elegant townhouses. He passed them all until he reached a particular house, which did not appear much larger than the others, but which he knew extended far to the rear.

His hands shook as he rapped with the door knocker. The owner of the building had no reason to harm him, and yet he was nervous. Even the most vicious of rats would hesitate to approach a poisonous snake, no matter that the snake was not hungry for his flesh.

The large butler who answered the door possessed a body heavy with muscle and could have squeezed Maner’s neck in one meaty fist. He had been working for his mistress for as long as Maner could remember.

“I would like to request an audience with the Senhora,” Maner said in a contrite voice. “Please tell her it is an extremely urgent matter. It is about an illegal slave auction that will take place in two days.”

—from Lady Wynwood and the Forbidden Auction

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

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Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

A Gentleman Spy Behind the Curtain

2026-07-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

In the far corner of the Senhora’s room, the heavy burgundy curtains twitched, then a man stepped out from behind them. While his feet would have been visible underneath the edge of the curtain, they were hidden from view of anyone sitting near the fireplace by the placement of the Senhora’s desk.

“The last time I hid in a woman’s chamber was more than twenty years ago,” Sir Derrick Bayberry complained. “It was quite suffocating behind the curtain.”

Ignoring his grumbling, the Senhora gestured to one of the seats in front of the fire. Sir Derrick was about to sit on the same sofa as Maner, but he frowned at the cushion. “Mr. Hanson left a stain.”

The Senhora gave a huff of exasperation. “I am not so terrible, am I, that I would frighten a grown man? Englishmen are entirely too fragile.”

Sir Derrick refrained from pointing out that the Senhora had certainly not made an effort to appear more ingratiating, but she knew he was thinking it.

—from Lady Wynwood and the Forbidden Auction

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

You Couldn’t Just Say Hello: Regency Rules of Introduction

2026-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

In Regency England, a lady could not simply speak to a gentleman—every conversation required a formal introduction. Here’s how it worked, and why it mattered.

A Regency ball (illustrative image)

How Did Regency Ladies Meet Gentlemen?

Imagine you are at a ball in Regency-era London.

The chandeliers are blazing, the musicians are playing something lively, and your slippers are already pinching because you insisted on looking elegant instead of sensible.

Across the room, you notice a gentleman—respectable, pleasant, possibly even interesting. Naturally, you might think to walk over and introduce yourself.

… Except you can’t.

Not because you are shy (although you might be). Not because he is surrounded by others (although he might be). But because in Regency society, unless you have been properly introduced, you are not supposed to speak to him at all.

The Small Matter of Being Allowed to Speak

In Regency society, conversation between unmarried ladies and gentlemen was not freely entered into. It required an introduction by a mutual acquaintance, a hostess, or a Master of Ceremonies.

A gentleman was always presented to the lady (never the reverse), and she (or her chaperone) could decline. Accepting implied willingness to dance or converse. Without the introduction, a gentleman should not address a lady, and a lady most certainly should not encourage him.

It sounds terribly restrictive to us, but introductions served as a social safeguard. Reputation was everything, and introductions acted as a filter—ensuring that one was not speaking to someone entirely unsuitable.

(Or at least, not obviously unsuitable.)

Enter the Gatekeeper

A mutual acquaintance, hostess, or Master of Ceremonies often functioned as a social conductor—guiding interactions and deciding who could safely meet.

Introducing a gentleman to a young lady (illustrative image)

At public assemblies, the Master of Ceremonies often stepped in, as in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, where he introduces Catherine Morland to Henry Tilney so they can dance.

In a private ballroom, the hostess filled that role. Which leads us to this moment from Lissa and the Spy:

Mr. Collingworth came up to her, accompanied by Lady Cliffton, the hostess of the ball. As always, Lady Cliffton’s jewelry—while in good taste—was as flamboyant as the matron. “Miss Gardinier, allow me to introduce Mr. Collingworth.”

Lissa curtseyed, keeping a polite smile on her face, while Mr. Collingworth bowed. In truth, they had been introduced last year, in her first Season, but from the vacant look upon Mr. Collingworth’s face, he had likely forgotten about it.

“Would you do me the honor of a dance, Miss Gardinier?” Mr. Collingworth asked, and Lissa assented.

Re-introductions were actually common and necessary. If a gentleman had forgotten, or the acquaintance wasn’t acknowledged, etiquette dictated they be treated as strangers again.

The Quiet Power of Chaperones

Unmarried ladies, especially those under thirty, were also expected to be accompanied by a chaperone—usually her mother, or a married sister, or an older female relative.

Chaperones did more than sit in chairs and observe—they controlled access. They ensured that conversations remained appropriate, discouraged unwanted attention, and maintained a lady’s sterling reputation ensuring she was never left alone with a gentleman.

What Happens If You Ignore the Rules?

A lady could technically speak without an introduction, but she might be thought “fast” or “forward,” and her marriage prospects would dry up.

Two gossiping ladies (Ackermann's Repository of Arts, October 1810)

For men, the consequences were not quite so dire, but even in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins’s self-introduction to Mr. Darcy is instantly recognized as a social blunder.

It wasn’t just about being unpopular—a failed Season was hundreds of pounds down the drain for her parents or guardian (about $100,000 – $140,000). So most young women—particularly those without title, money, or social standing—were careful.

When You Are Not Easily Noticed

This system favored the well-connected, confident, and wealthy. Many debutantes from lesser-connected families languished on the sidelines, lacking someone to engineer introductions.

My heroine, Lissa, is thoughtful, observant, and not inclined to push herself forward. She very properly relies on others to notice and to introduce her.

And if they don’t? Then she remains at the edge of the room, unremembered even by a gentleman she has already met.

She can’t let her discouragement show. She must smile and curtsey as though nothing is amiss, accept the dance, and pretend she has not been forgotten.

A young lady at her debut ball (Ackermann's Repository of Arts, May 1809)

A Small Opening in a Very Ordered World

Yet, for all its restrictions, the system created moments of real possibility.

A single introduction could change everything. A hostess might bring a quiet young lady forward, or a gentleman might ask for a dance (and remember her the next time).

In a world where one could not simply walk up and speak, every sanctioned interaction carried weight. That scarcity, perhaps, is part of the charm. When something as simple as a conversation is not easily obtained, it becomes all the more significant.

And for a heroine like Lissa, even a slightly awkward re-introduction might spark something unexpected.

Get Lissa and the Spy free

If you enjoy Regency romance with adventure and a dash of humor, you can receive my novella Lissa and the Spy free when you join my newsletter.

Lissa and the Spy

A Regency Romantic Suspense Novella

Click here to get Lissa and the Spy

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

This article originally appeared on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog and is reposted here for my readers.

When He Looked at Her Differently

2026-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Coulton-Jones’s smile faded and his expression grew serious as he turned and bowed to Mr. Drydale and Lady Wynwood, but when his gaze fell upon Phoebe, there was a strange intensity at the back of his eyes, hidden by his words and his serenity. Despite his beautiful hostess, despite Lady Wynwood’s elegance and Mr. Drydale’s authority, Phoebe alone moved him.

Phoebe had not told Keriah of anything that had occurred between them lately. But his reaction now was novel, as if Mr. Coulton-Jones had been a cold, dark grate, and now there were bright embers banked beneath the ashes.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 9: Shelter

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

Mr. Verling in Motion

2026-06-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Verling attacked the man closest to Keriah, but instead of aiming at him with his fists, he dropped low and swept his leg in a wide arc. It took the man by surprise, causing him to fall hard upon the ground.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 9: Shelter

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

The Clue She'd Already Seen

2026-05-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

A carved wardrobe. A childhood memory. A symbol that shouldn't exist in two places at once. Meet Phoebe Sauber—and the mystery that's been waiting for her all along.

Phoebe had fallen near her uncle’s ornately carved wardrobe, which stood against the wall between two large windows, and she’d just missed having her head smashed against the wooden edge. God had perhaps saved her from a more nasty injury.

As a child, when she’d come to her aunt’s house to play, she’d spent hours fascinated by the ridiculously elaborate and intricate carvings on the door. It was like a treasure map that would lead to something wonderful if she could decipher it. Staring at the wardrobe door again, the memories came flooding back to her.

Now, she rolled over onto her stomach and reached out her hand to trace the familiar carvings. Those had been the days right after her brother had been born and her mother had died. Right when her father had changed from a parent doting on his only child to a distant man who barely remembered her existence compared to his newborn heir. At the time, she had only been eight years old and hadn’t understood what had been happening, and while her nanny had tried to fill the gap, it had left her feeling lonely and abandoned.

So she had retreated to fantasy stories that were fueled by this old wardrobe.

And then it happened.

It was seeing the wardrobe and remembering those days that did it. She had a flash in her mind’s eye of a wooden floorboard, and a tiny symbol carved into the surface of the wood. The symbol had been barely visible since it hadn’t been filled with blacking to make it stand out, but with a child’s curiosity, she’d seen the strange flaw in the grain of the wood and crawled closer to investigate it.

It had been near the wall, next to the back edge of the wardrobe. Here, in her uncle’s bedchamber.

It had been the same symbol she’d seen just today, on the torn scrap of paper that had been caught by her arrow.

“Aunt Laura!” Phoebe turned and began crawling frantically toward the far wall, to the right of her uncle’s portrait. “Aunt Laura! Where was Uncle’s wardrobe before you moved it?”

“The wardrobe?” All trace of languor was gone from her aunt’s voice. Her light footsteps sounded as she crossed the room toward Phoebe. “No, farther to your right. Yes, there. It stood right there.”

Phoebe began running her hand over the floorboards near the wall. “I interrupted Mr. Michael Coulton-Jones today. He was most certainly doing something illegal, but knowing his personality from years ago when I first knew him, I doubt it was anything treasonous.”

“Treasonous?!” Aunt Laura’s voice was just a tiny bit alarmed.

“My arrow hit the papers he had been holding … or perhaps the other man had been holding them …”

“Your arrow?! Did you shoot at him?”

“Not deliberately.”

“That is not ‘interrupting’ the man, that is attempted murder.”

“It was purely by accident. They were hidden in a copse having some clandestine meeting. Ah!” Phoebe’s fingers felt the rough edges of the circular symbol carved into the floor. It was smaller than she remembered, but the same strange shape of the five-leaved, five-stemmed flower.

Aunt Laura squinted at the floor, then shook her head. “That is impossible for my eyes to see. I will fetch a lamp.”

While her aunt left in search of light, Phoebe was still on her hands and knees near the wall. She rubbed the symbol with her finger. It was still rough, as if it had been carved into the wood only yesterday, since it hadn’t been worn down by feet or furniture in the years since she’d first seen it. What did it mean? Why was it carved into the floor? Did it point to something in the floor, or the wall, or perhaps in the wardrobe, which had been standing beside it?

And what was the connection between her dead uncle and Mr. Coulton-Jones?

A Heroine Who Steps Forward

Phoebe Sauber is not a quiet, retiring sort of Regency heroine. She's practical, observant, and far more capable than polite society gives her credit for.

When she realizes something is wrong, she doesn't wait for answers. She starts hunting for them.

That instinct pulls her into danger she didn't ask for—a conspiracy playing out beneath the ballrooms and drawing rooms of 1811 London, an unexpected romance, and secrets that reach closer to home than she ever imagined.

⸻

The Beginning of Something Much Larger

That single moment on the archery field sets off a chain of events that stretches far beyond one mystery, one relationship, or even one book.

Along the way, Phoebe meets a man who knows far more about these shadowy figures than he lets on—a man who brings his own complicated past, his own unanswered questions, and his own reasons for seeking the truth.

⸻

A Book Designed to Reflect the Story

The Special Edition hardcover of Archer, designed to reflect the story’s hidden layers.

I designed the special edition hardcover to reflect the heart of the story.

Small details in the design echo the elements that shape Phoebe’s journey—the pocketwatch that draws her into the mystery, the archery skill that sets her apart, and the mysterious symbol that reveals this secret war beneath the surface of Regency society.

⸻

A Reading Experience Meant to Be Discovered

One of my favorite aspects of this edition is how the design unfolds as you read.

The book opens with full-color title pages, setting the tone immediately that this is something a little more special.

Each chapter begins with a two-page color header spread. Delicate floral corners echo Regency artwork, while a small illustration on the left page hints at the tension or turning point ahead.

Along the margins, you’ll notice vertical scroll designs running beside the text, with subtle variations between the main story and the front and back matter.

And when the book is closed, the sprayed edges feature a coordinated scroll motif, giving the entire volume a finished, elegant look even before you turn the first page.

Even the smallest elements—like the decorative page numbers and scene dividers shaped around a pocket watch—don’t just tell the narrative, they echo the emotions in it.

⸻

If You Enjoy Stories Like This…

You might enjoy beginning this series if you like:

Strong, capable heroines
Gentle romance that grows over time
Intrigue hidden within polite society
A sense of unfolding mystery

⸻

A Gentle Invitation

This story begins with a single, unexpected moment—but it doesn’t end there.

If you’d like to step into that world, you’re welcome to read the first few chapters and see where that first arrow leads.

And for readers who enjoy beautifully designed books, I offer special edition hardcovers through Kickstarter.

If you’d like to keep informed about when the next campaign launches, you’re welcome to join my newsletter for updates.

⸻

About the Series

Lady Wynwood’s Spies is a Regency-era romantic suspense series set in 1811 London, featuring intrigue, espionage, botanical alchemy, slow-burn romance, and themes of faith and redemption.

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

Once-in-a-Blue-Moon Tea: Honest Thoughts on Adagio’s Bella Luna Blue

2026-05-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Once-in-a-Blue-Moon Tea: Honest Thoughts on Adagio’s Bella Luna Blue

I’ve tried dozens of teas, but nothing is quite like Bella Luna Blue by Adagio.com. It’s absolutely beautiful when it brews up—stunning indigo blue—and then magically turns vibrant pink with a splash of lemon.

It’s normally only available for 24 hours on the next Blue Moon—May 31, 2026—but I received permission to share a link so you can start buying it early, on May 15!

What is Bella Luna Blue?

Limited-release herbal tea (caffeine-free).
Ingredients: Lemongrass, butterfly pea flower, natural blueberry flavor.
The interactive experience: the color changes due to the butterfly pea flowers and a pH reaction.
Flavor profile: a muted citrus flavor from the lemongrass with subtle blueberry flavor.
Steeping: 212°F for 5–10 minutes.
Why it’s special: It’s a fan favorite that sells out fast since it’s only available for 24 hours on the day of the Blue Moon. Many people set reminders on their phones to remember to buy or they join Adagio’s email list to be notified when it goes on sale.

My Experience & Tasting Notes

I’ve ordered the tea before, but this time, I was fortunate enough to get the tea early.

The dry tea itself is beautiful—pale green lemongrass and deep purple butterfly pea flowers.

While the majority of the aroma is lemongrass, there’s also a strong note of a candy-like blueberry flavor that’s very pleasant.

I brewed 2 tablespoons of tea since it’s very loose, in 2 cups of boiling water. Hot, it was a very dark blue, but after it cooled and I added ice, you can see the pretty blue color.

Then I added lemon, and the color instantly changed, even before I mixed it.

I feel like a Regency-era alchemist! 🫖✨

Even though the lemongrass is already citrusy, I prefer the tea with a little bit of freshly squeezed lemon and a bit of sweetener to give it a sort of blueberry-lemonade flavor.

This would also be neat as a base for a unique Mocktail, especially with a bit of honey.

The blueberry is subtle, though, so expect more lemongrass-forward flavor.

Perfect for:

Large gatherings, since not everyone will want caffeinated iced tea.
Kids because they’d enjoy the color change
Tea parties—hot with a little lemon and sweetener, it’s very tasty.
Food images as a pretty backdrop.

Pros & Cons

Pros: Dramatic visual spectacle, subtle flavor, caffeine-free

Cons: Very limited availability (plan ahead!), blueberry flavor is not strong.

How to Get It

My readers can get early access starting May 15th via this link. It’s only available to order until midnight May 31st, while supplies last—don’t wait!

(Using my link earns me a small commission at no extra cost to you, and helps support more tea reviews.)

If you like herbal teas, this is a great one to try. Take advantage of the early access link to get your own beautiful cup of tea.

Have you tried it before? Share in the comments.

Why a Second Season Was Every Regency Heroine’s Fear

2026-04-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever read a Regency romance, you’ve probably seen it—the heroine stepping into her second Season, determined this time will be different.

But beneath the glittering ballrooms and elegant dances, there was a quiet, ticking pressure most people don’t realize.

During England's Regency era (1811–1820), upper-class families descended on London each spring for “the Season,” a glittering parade of balls, concerts, dinner parties, and carefully choreographed social events.

Because the Season wasn’t just social—it was a deadline.

For a young woman making her debut, it was exciting, terrifying, and loaded with expectation. The unspoken goal was to ~~capture~~ find a husband before summer arrived and everyone retreated to the countryside.

Most girls entered society between the ages of seventeen and nineteen. They'd be formally presented at court, then escorted to event after event by a watchful mother or chaperone. A ball wasn't just an evening of dancing—it was an audition. A gentleman requesting a dance was one of the few socially acceptable ways for a young couple to actually speak to each other.

And if the Season ended without an engagement? Back home she went—and back to London the following year.

Here's where it gets interesting for those of us who love romance fiction.

The second Season carried a quiet, particular pressure that the first Season didn't. A young woman returning for another year knew that a fresh crop of bright-eyed debutantes was entering the ballrooms for the very first time. She was still young—perhaps barely twenty—yet she might feel positively ancient by comparison. Mothers fretted. Aunts offered unsolicited opinions. And the young woman herself often wondered what she had done wrong, or whether she would ever find the right match.

That tension—the fear of falling short, the pressure to perform, the longing to simply be seen and known rather than evaluated—is exactly the kind of emotional terrain that makes for a wonderful romance story.

Because society's expectations never accounted for the fact that the right love story rarely arrives on schedule.

Many real women married in their second or third Seasons, or not at all, and lived full and meaningful lives. But for our heroines, the second Season is the perfect storm—just enough disappointment to make her guard her heart, just enough hope to keep her searching, and just enough social pressure to push her into exactly the situation she’s been trying to avoid.

That's where the sparks fly.

And this is where so many Regency heroines find themselves. My own heroine, Lissa Gardinier, arrives in London for her second Season having learned her lesson—blend in, stay quiet, and don't attract the wrong kind of attention. Of course, the best-laid plans have a way of unraveling, especially when an intriguing stranger suddenly makes that very difficult.

When reading Regency romances, the second-Season dilemma is one of those timeless setups that never gets old. The stakes are real, the emotions run deep, and love, when it finally arrives, means that much more.

Because sometimes, the Season that feels like a failure is the one that changes everything.

If you enjoy Regency romance with adventure and a dash of humor, you can receive my novella Lissa and the Spy free when you join my newsletter.

Lissa and the Spy

A Regency Romantic Suspense Novella

Click here to get Lissa and the Spy

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

A Past He Cannot Escape

2026-04-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Full excerpt + character images below.

Mr. Drydale studied Michael’s face. “I’ve known for months that I need more help than just the two of us, but it has been difficult finding people to trust. I was hoping you might join us in pursuing this group, but you seem reluctant.”

Michael didn’t blame his job, but when he was focused on a mission, he rearranged his priorities and discarded what should be most important to him. He knew he couldn’t regain what he had lost, but he didn’t want to go back to being an agent again. “I quit my work for the government because I wanted to find Richard’s murderer, not uncover a plot for treason. I have been working toward that goal for the past year.”

Perhaps he was so focused on Richard’s murderer because he didn’t want to face a future so completely the opposite of what he had thought his life would be. Or maybe he was so focused on the murderer because he didn’t want to face the fact that, if he had handled the situation better, his brother would not now be dead.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

When a Regency Spy Falls in Love with a Lady Archer

2026-04-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Michael Coulton-Jones — master of disguises and reluctant heir.

My character, Mr. Michael Coulton-Jones, is a man who laughs easily, moves confidently, and seems untouchable … until you discover what he carries alone.

Michael isn’t tormented in the obvious way. He doesn’t brood in corners or glare across rooms. He smiles. He jokes. He adapts.

But beneath every disguise is a man who believes he failed the one person who trusted him most.

This is a story about espionage, about secret societies hidden beneath Regency society.

But it’s also a story about guilt, and whether a man who cannot forgive himself can ever believe that God might.

The Spy Who Laughs

At first glance, Michael is exactly the sort of Regency gentleman who should not be trusted.

He is broad-shouldered and deceptively relaxed. His coffee-brown hair falls longer than fashion dictates, often into glass-green eyes that seem to be laughing at a joke no one else has heard. He speaks French like a commoner from the countryside and Spanish like it is a childhood lullaby.

He grins at danger and bows over a lady’s hand as if the world were nothing more than a ballroom. He is charming. Reckless. Quick with a blade. Quicker with a smile.

And he lies for a living.

A Spy in Disguise

As a younger son, Michael joined the army at seventeen, where his gift for languages and his ease with disguises drew the attention of men who worked quietly in the shadows. Before long, he was no longer simply a soldier. He was retrieving information, slipping through borders, trading false documents for real ones. He learned to become other men as easily as changing coats.

He cultivated a persona—the fool, the adventurer, the rogue who never appears worried. It made people underestimate him. It kept him alive.

But even then, he had somewhere to return to—his family’s estate only an hour from London, a steady older brother who handled responsibility, a charming younger sister, and a mother who believed him merely restless, not dangerous.

His anchor was his brother Richard.

And then Richard was murdered.

The Brother He Could Not Save

Michael could have prevented the tragedy. That’s what haunts him the most.

Richard had written to him after a friend had been killed and he suspected a man with strange facial scars was involved. But Michael was in the middle of a mission and didn’t take it seriously enough.

By the time he returned to England, Richard was dead—officially poisoned along with other club members in what was called an unfortunate incident.

But Michael knew otherwise. Richard’s papers regarding the strange man were missing.

His own unconcern gave evil time to strike.

He hasn’t forgiven himself, and he wonders if God has not forgiven him either.

The Archer He Should Not Want

Before all of that—before grief hardened him—Michael had met a woman who unsettled him.

He was drawn to Miss Phoebe Sauber from the first moment they were introduced—she was awkwardly tall but pragmatic, not impressed by his flirtations. He was intrigued because she did not seem to need him.

But a spy’s life is not kind to attachment, and he’d already learned to keep women at arm’s length. Better to remain unattached. Better to remain free.

So he left her alone.

And then Richard died.

Michael’s focus narrowed to one thing—finding the truth behind his brother’s murder.

A Dangerous Reunion

When Michael encounters Phoebe again, it is not in a ballroom.

It’s when she nearly uses him for target practice.

She found her arrow lodged, not in a victim, but knee-height in a tree trunk at a downward angle, and it had caught a strangely shaped leaf against the bark. As she yanked it out of the tree and the leaf fluttered to the ground, a snapping twig behind her made her tense. It did not sound like anyone from her party who may have been running into the trees after her—it was an isolated sound, made from a slow-moving foot, like someone sneaking up on her.

It had not occurred to her that it might be dangerous for a young woman to be alone on the Heath, where she and her friends often had social gatherings. But these trees extended back hundreds of yards, and anyone could be sneaking around within.

Phoebe clenched the arrow tightly, regretting that she had dropped her bow. She straightened, trying to appear relaxed, listening for sounds other than the leaves dancing in the wind. Then she whirled around, her right arm pulled back and brandishing the arrow overhand like a dagger. At the very least, if there was someone behind her, she could try to stab them.

“Whoa! Whoa!” A tall man stood about ten feet—no, twenty feet distant as he backed away from her, his hands raised in front of him. “I apologize, miss, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The man’s voice had a strong country accent, but the timbre was familiar. At first glance, he didn’t look like anyone she knew. His plain colored clothes were made of rough-woven fabric, stained with dirt in places, and his shoes were old cracked leather. His coat was shabby and poorly sewn, and much too short for him. He had a large nose and deep chin, and his eyes, shadowed by heavy brows, were glass-green.

But then she recognized something about his limbs, the way he moved his hands, the general shape of his face—and those glass-green eyes. “Mr. Coulton-Jones?” she exclaimed in surprise.

She had seen him only rarely over her past several Seasons because he had been fighting on the Peninsula up until last year, when his older brother had died. They had been introduced at a ball in her second Season, and he had danced with her only that one time. While she had a good memory for names and faces, that wasn’t the reason she remembered him clearly—it was because he had made an impact upon her that she hadn’t wanted, but couldn’t erase.

Mr. Coulton-Jones controlled his face admirably, affecting a confused look. “I’m sorry, miss, but you’re mistaken.”

She was not. Like a woman deranged and obsessed (which she very well might be), she had covertly watched him at every gathering they attended together. This was most definitely him. “Mr. Coulton-Jones, why are you dressed like that? And your face … is that stage cosmetics? It’s quite realistic.”

He hesitated for several seconds, and she could tell he was debating between continuing to deny his identity or abandoning his act. The certainty in her gaze must have decided it for him, because he relaxed and his normal saucy smile quirked up the edge of his mouth. “You have me at a disadvantage, Miss Sauber.”

From there, they discover they’re both caught in a web of secrets that stretches farther than either of them expected. Michael discovers that Phoebe’s own uncle may have had ties to the very conspiracy that killed Richard.

Now the woman who unsettles his carefully constructed detachment is suddenly entangled in the same darkness he is hunting. The two of them are drawn together by questions neither can answer alone and a growing awareness that neither truly wants to be rootless.

Guilt, Forgiveness, and a Slow-Burn Love

The story has espionage and secret societies. But it also is about Michael’s guilt over failing his brother.

Phoebe sees what he hides—the grief he buries beneath humor, the daredevil courage that masks shame. And she, too, carries wounds of her own.

Their romance does not resolve quickly.

This series is a serial novel, and their love unfolds gradually across multiple volumes. Trust is earned. Wounds are revealed slowly. Faith is wrestled with honestly. Forgiveness—of others and of oneself—is not immediate.

Michael may be fearless in battle, but learning to hope again is far more dangerous.

If you love:

A charming spy hiding a wounded heart
A courageous heroine who refuses to be dazzled
Secret societies and layered Regency intrigue
And a slow-burn Christian romance where faith and forgiveness unfold over time

Then you may enjoy stepping into Michael and Phoebe’s world.

Lady Wynwood’s Spies is a serial Regency romantic suspense, which means their story doesn’t resolve in a single book. The mystery deepens. The danger grows. And their relationship develops gradually across the series.

If you’d like to meet them from the beginning, you can read the first three chapters of Volume 1 here.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

He Was Not Alone in the Room

2026-04-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

The man he was waiting for opened the door to the study with barely a click of the door latch. His silhouette was partially outlined in the dim light from the candle he held, and he was far enough away that he shouldn’t have seen the predator in the shadows, but he grew still for a moment.

Then he continued into the darkened room, although he did not head toward his desk, as might be expected. Instead, he set the candle on the mantle of the fireplace, with his back to his desk and the stranger waiting for him.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

The Dark Knew His Secrets

2026-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

As he waited in the darkened room for his quarry to appear, he felt like the shadows were loving arms clasped around his shoulders. He was comfortable in the dark—it blurred his many disguises, and it somehow made his emotions rest in slumber. Everything that felt messy inside of him was hidden by the dark so that he could pretend he was whole and without pain.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

Inside the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood's Spies, Volume 2: Berserker

2026-03-28T00:54:00.000-07:00

The Spy You Don’t See Coming

A closer look at Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 2

Some characters arrive quietly. They don’t announce themselves. They don’t command attention.

And yet, the moment they step onto the page, everything begins to shift.

That’s the role a certain prince plays in Volume 2.

⸻

When One Person Goes Missing

At the end of the first volume, everything is already unraveling.

The danger isn’t theoretical anymore. It has a name—a man willing to experiment with something no one fully understands.

But Septimus, a member of the team, is missing. Instead of an investigation, the team must urgently search for their lost, but time begins to feel like the enemy.

⸻

A Man Alone

While the others scramble to find him, Septimus is left to endure something very different.

He is injured, isolated, and moving through a world that is no longer predictable. There is no safety in skill, no careful planning to rely on. He only has his instincts and endurance. He is determined to keep going.

⸻

The One No One Fully Understands

At the same time, a new figure enters the story.

He is known only by a title—le petit prince. A master of disguises, an agent whose loyalty is trusted, but whose identity is not widely known. Even among allies, he remains a mystery.

And now, finding Septimus may depend upon the abilities of le petit prince.

⸻

A Book That Carries the Story Into Its Design

For the hardcover Special Edition of this volume, the dust jacket itself offers more than one way to view the story.

On one side, there is a silhouette rather than a full portrait so that Septimus is present but not fully revealed.

Behind him, shadowed figures suggest something else at work, someone concealed—the mysterious prince.

Reverse the dust jacket, and you’ll find an alternate version of the Special Edition paperback cover, along with an additional image of Septimus on the back. It allows the mood to shift depending on what you choose to display.

Beneath the dust jacket, the book is bound in cloth, with the title stamped in gold. It has a weight to it.

The sprayed edges carry a scroll and floral motif that ties this volume to the others in the series. Even when closed, it points to the story world.

⸻

Details That Echo the Conflict

The endpapers are full color and feature the image from the chapter headers of the Special Edition paperback version of volume 2.

Also, the margins are not identical throughout the book. In the opening and closing pages, a more delicate scrollwork appears alongside a small illustration of a vial—the Root potion at the center of the story’s danger.

In the main chapters, that design shifts. The scrollwork becomes bolder, and the vial appears again in a different form, reinforcing how deeply it affects the events unfolding on the page.

⸻

Moments Marked as the Story Moves Forward

Each chapter opens with a two-page color spread.

The floral elements are inspired by a Regency-era design, but each chapter also includes a different image, something that reflects a moment, a tension, or a turning point ahead.

These pages create a pause—or maybe a warning—before each new development.

⸻

A Small Detail That Matters

Even the scene dividers carry meaning.

A simple throwing knife appears between sections—a quiet reference to a moment that becomes important as the story builds toward its climax.

⸻

If You Enjoy Stories Like This…

You might enjoy this volume if you like:

Quiet, resilient characters
Mysteries that deepen rather than resolve
A sense of urgency beneath a calm surface
Relationships that develop under pressure
Stories where not everything is immediately explained

⸻

Where This Story Fits

This is the second volume in a continuing series.

Each part carries its own arc—but the larger story continues to unfold across multiple books.

If you’re drawn to stories where tension builds and the stakes grow more personal, this is where that shift begins.

⸻

A Note for Curious Readers

From time to time, I create special edition hardcovers of these volumes in small batches only during Kickstarter campaigns.

These editions are designed to reflect different aspects of the story—not just through the cover, but through the details inside.

If you enjoy stories that carry a sense of atmosphere both in the writing and in the object itself, this is one way to experience it.

If you’d like to see previews and hear when the next campaign launches, you’re welcome to join my newsletter for updates.

And if you’d prefer to start with the story itself:

📖 Read a free excerpt

🏹 Or begin the series with Volume 1

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

She wasn’t meant to find it …

2026-03-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was seeing the wardrobe and remembering those days that did it. Phoebe had a flash in her mind’s eye of a wooden floorboard, and a tiny symbol carved into the surface of the wood. The symbol had been barely visible since it hadn’t been filled with blacking to make it stand out, but with a child’s curiosity, she’d seen the strange flaw in the grain of the wood and crawled closer to investigate it.

It had been near the wall, next to the back edge of the wardrobe. Here, in her uncle’s bedchamber.

It had been the same symbol she’d seen just today, on the torn scrap of paper that had been caught by her arrow.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

A Handsome Stranger… and a Ruined Future

2026-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was possible Phoebe had just helped an immoral, albeit handsome, criminal. But good gracious, that man was intriguing.

On the carriage ride back to town, the Misses Layton had initially congratulated themselves in a burst of high spirits over the successful archery party. But for the latter half of the trip, they lapsed in silence and dozed with exhaustion, and Phoebe was left to her own thoughts.

Her curious interaction with Mr. Coulton-Jones was at the forefront, but the archery party had only postponed her inevitable ruminating over her new, dire situation.

Now that she had had time for the shock to fade, Phoebe felt as if she had been completely routed, like an ill-equipped army that fell helplessly before Emperor Napoleon. Only now could she think of all the things she could have said, all the arguments she could have made in her defense.

But could she have spoken with any semblance of calm in the face of Mrs. Lambert with her perfectly beautiful face and her hateful smile?

As the carriage neared her home, her heart felt quashed by a heavy stone of dread. She couldn’t return to her father’s indifference and an army of servants who knew about her banishment and likely tittered about her misfortune.

—from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer

Curious how it all begins?

Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance.

👉 Read the excerpt now

💌 Prefer to ease into the series?

You can join my newsletter and get a free ebook copy of Lissa and the Spy, a romantic Regency mystery introducing another pair of spies in my world.

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap

Inside the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood's Spies, Volume 3: Aggressor

2026-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Volume Where the Spy Wakes Up

Pride and Prejudice meets Mission: Impossible—with a supernatural twist.

In Volume 1, Mr. Michael Coulton-Jones was knocked unconscious.

In Volume 2, readers weren’t sure whether he would ever wake.

In Volume 3, he does.

And nothing is the same.

One Man Faces Death

Michael has survived Apothecary Jack’s deadly Root elixir—a potion derived from the mysterious Goldensuit plant, capable of granting unnatural strength … at a terrible cost.

But survival is not the same as freedom.

Now that he understands what was done to him, he must face an inevitable truth—unless he risks taking more of the potion, he will eventually die.

The man who once moved through London’s shadows with calculated precision must now live in a body altered against his will.

And he must decide whether power is worth the price.

One Man Faces Theft

Meanwhile, a notorious French spy arrives on English soil, determined to steal the Goldensuit plant and secure the Citadel’s plans to sell the potion to Napoleon.

The conflict spills into London’s rookeries and into an illegal gambling hall—where antique playing cards are more than decoration.

In one pivotal scene among gamblers and spies, Michael is forced to confront something far more dangerous than enemy agents:

His growing attraction to Phoebe.

One Man Faces Rage

When a member of the team is exposed to strange pollen from Jack’s plants, a savage madness takes hold.

The threat is no longer merely foreign spies or criminal empires.

It is something darker.

Something that begins within.

Volume 3 is where the cost of the conspiracy becomes deeply personal.

⸻

Why Volume 3 Matters in the Series

If Volume 1 launches the conspiracy …

And Volume 2 deepens the mystery …

Volume 3 changes the emotional landscape.

Michael returns from the brink of death only to discover that civilians are now entangled in the team’s operations. He’s conflicted about this because he blames himself for his brother Richard’s murder.

Richard pursued a scarred man suspected of poisoning a gentleman’s club. He died for it.

Michael was away on assignment. That guilt shapes every decision he makes in Aggressor.

This is the volume where he must confront:

His altered body
His responsibility
His grief
And his heart

Without spoiling the story, this is the book where Michael stops being merely the enigmatic former spy, and becomes a man forced to choose who he will be.

⸻

A Collector Edition Designed Around the Conflict

Because Volume 3: Aggressor marks such a pivotal shift in the series, the Special Edition hardcover reflects its intensity.

The hardcover features a refined, elegant silhouette of Michael—echoing the design language of the first two collector volumes.

Behind him, subtle antique playing cards appear in the background, referencing the illegal gambling hall scene that changes everything.

And woven into the design are poppies—symbolizing the fictional Goldensuit plant at the heart of the Root potion.

⸻

A Reversible Dust Jacket

Like the previous hardcovers, this edition includes a fully reversible dust jacket.

On one side—the elegant silhouette design.

On the other:

A variation of the Special Edition paperback cover.
A different title treatment.
And instead of a back-cover blurb, a bonus portrait image of Michael.

You can choose how to display the book on your shelf.

It’s meant to feel interactive—like a hidden layer in a spy’s file.

⸻

Beneath the Jacket: Cloth and Gold

Under the dust jacket, the book itself is bound in deep red cloth.

The title is stamped in gold foil on both the front and the spine.

It feels substantial—like something that might have sat quietly in a Regency study, waiting to be opened.

⸻

Sprayed Edges: The Goldensuit Motif

When the book is closed, the outer edges display a scrollwork and poppy design sprayed directly onto the pages.

Even before the book is opened, the Goldensuit plant—the source of the potion—surrounds it.

⸻

Inside the Pages: Symbolism in the Margins

The interior design of Aggressor is where the story details subtly unfold.

Two Distinct Margin Designs

There are two elegant scrollwork border styles:

One appears in the main chapters and includes small illustrations of a slice of lemon cake and a treacle bun—symbols of Lady Wynwood’s young twin servants from the rookeries, whose role expands significantly in this volume.

The other margin design appears in the front and back matter and features poppies, again echoing the Goldensuit plant.

⸻

Two-Page Full-Color Chapter Headers

Each chapter opens with a two-page full-color spread.

The floral corner illustrations draw inspiration from Regency and Victorian design aesthetics.

On the left-hand page, a unique illustration hints at a central conflict or emotional turning point within that chapter.

These spreads create a visual pause before each escalation.

⸻

Scene Dividers & Hidden Details

Even the scene dividers carry meaning. An ace of spades references the gambling hall and the calculated risks at the heart of the story.

Small scrollwork details frame the page numbers, and each hardcover in the series features slightly different designs—making each volume quietly unique.

⸻

A Note for New Readers

Aggressor is Volume 3 of a projected 12-volume Christian Regency suspense series.

Like the novels published in Jane Austen’s time, each volume completes a story arc—but the larger conspiracy continues.

If you’re new to the series, you may wish to begin with Volume 1: Archer.

But if you are drawn to:

Tormented heroes
Spy conspiracies in 1811 London
Slow-burn romance
Supernatural undertones
And stories where faith is tested under pressure

Then Volume 3 may be the turning point that pulls you fully into the world.

⸻

Limited Collector Editions

The Special Edition hardcovers are produced in small batches and are available only during Kickstarter campaigns.

This campaign features:

The Special Edition Hardcovers of Volume 3: Aggressor and Volume 4: Betrayer (but Volumes 1 and 2 are also available)
Matching Special Edition paperbacks for Volumes 1–9

If you’d like to keep informed about when the next campaign launches, you’re welcome to join my newsletter for updates.

And if you’d prefer to start with the story itself:

📖 Read a free excerpt

🏹 Or begin the series with Volume 1

Reference Footer

• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page

• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap