A debutante with a spine. A rake with a ledger. A city that worships gossip.
When Lady Charlotte Ashbourne steps into her first Season, she expects ribboned dances and tidy suitors-not her name splashed across The Whisperer alongside a certain marquess with a reputation and cheekbones. The Ashbourne coffers are wobbling, the patronesses are watching, and the family cannot afford another scandal. Enter Sir Thomas Beresford: impeccable, safe... and catastrophically dull.
Enter also Lord Tristan Ravensfield: once the crush she swore off, now a man determined to earn daylight by conduct, not apology.
As rumors multiply, Charlotte learns that rival hands are paying for headlines, a pilfered "letter" isn't what it seems, and London's kindness can be hired-if you know where to place the chairs. Between a masquerade sketch, an Almack's cut, and a benefit that turns society into witnesses, Charlotte must pick the life she can live with: the tranquil future everyone approves of... or the dangerous honesty she actually wants.
Meanwhile, the House of Ashbourne fights back with brains and receipts-Eleanor with a pencil like a sword, Henry with polite violence, Jonathan with arithmetic (and an inconvenient heart), and the Countess with artillery-grade etiquette. Because in this family, you don't burn your own-you turn the room.
The Debutante's Secret is Book Two in The House of Ashbourne series-smart, scandal-kissed Regency romance with wit, warmth, and just enough bite. It can be read as a standalone, but the secrets taste richer in order.
Expect:
Rake redemption & second-chance sparks
Forbidden garden near-kiss (mask optional)
Gossip-paper warfare, receipts and all
A heroine who weaponizes charm, not lies
A proposal made in daylight-on terms
Perfect for readers of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, and Evie Dunmore who like their ballrooms with banter, their scandals with strategy, and their happily-ever-afters hard-won.