About the book

The Reluctant Countess

A marriage of convenience based on love

Diana Tilney hates the very idea of marriage—married women are virtually owned by their husbands and have no freedom. But when her sister and brother-in-law die and leave their daughters in Diana’s care, Ned Faulkes, the new earl, needs her with them, in Swanstead, their palatial home.

For her nieces’ sake, Diana agrees to a marriage of convenience. Ned swears he doesn’t want an heir, and that it will be a marriage in name only. He’s being honest: his first wife died in childbirth and he never wants to put a woman in that position again.

A woman who rejects marriage, a man who rejects intimacy…can they trust each other enough to make a real marriage together?

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"I’m a big fan of (her) vivid and intelligent historical romances. They give me everything I want in a book – drama, heartache, struggle, triumph, and an enthralling glimpse into the past that teaches me something I did not know. "

- Kate Forsyth

Regency romance books

Books in this series

If you enjoyed this book, don’t miss the rest in this series.

This book is part of Little Foxbury Omnibus Edition.
author elizabeth leydin

About Elizabeth Leydin

My story

I write Regency stories because I love them. I decided to get serious about writing these when my Regency novella, A Generous Heart, won the RWA Ruby Award (maybe the universe was sending me a message). I came late to writing in this genre, and for many years before that I wrote for children as Pamela Freeman and mystery novels plus early 20th Century novels as Pamela Hart. I started out in the Regency writing romances. Now I’m bringing my mystery writing together with a thread of romance in a Regency murder mystery which will be out in 2026. A classic country house mystery set in 1814: Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie, you might say!

Elizabeth Leydin was my great-grandmother, and I have her dressing table in my bedroom. Elizabeth is my second name, and it was my mother’s middle name too; a family tradition. My plan was to name any daughter I had Elizabeth, but I had a son, so the name was free for me to use when I decided to write Regencies.

Why the Regency for both mystery and romance? Well, when I first started reading adult books, my wonderful local librarian steered me towards Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. I loved them both, and it’s so much fun bringing those two genres together!