Lord Martin's Scandalous Bluestocking

by Elizabeth Rolls

Torn apart by scandal

Reunited by passion!

Since Kit Selbourne scandalously broke her betrothal to Lord Martin Lacy, she’s become an independent woman, running her uncle’s bookshop. But when her uncle is murdered, Kit must turn to Martin for help—and she discovers the desire between them still burns strongly. Yet Kit is wedded to her new, free life…unless Martin can finally convince his courageous bluestocking that their marriage would be one of equals…

Genres: Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Harlequin, Romance

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2022

About the author

We live in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, in a beautiful lush valley full of apple, pear and cherry orchards. We moved here a couple of years back, escaping from the city and it’s just gorgeous. The property is small, only five acres, but we have room for two small noisy boys, three dogs, two cats and several woolly things masquerading a environmentally friendly lawnmowers. Before that we lived in Melbourne, which was fun, but we always wanted to live in the country and now we do.


I’ve been married to an ex-nuclear physicist – don’t ask! for the last 17 years and we have two rowdy little boys, commonly described as “feral”. Most of our friends think we have far too many animals, and everyone knows we have far too many books.I grew up moving around a fair bit. Dad was in the army and every few years we had to up sticks and move on. I was born in England, expelled from kindergarten in Melbourne, started school in Papua New Guinea and finished school in Melbourne. After taking a degree in Music Education I taught music for several years while my husband finished his Ph.D.


How I started writing
I had the writing bug from a very early age. From the time I could read I loved writing stories. Throughout my school days I was nearly always writing something very quietly, and there were several teachers who encouraged me. One student teacher, whose name I have totally forgotten, when I was in sixth grade, as well as a couple of high school English teachers, Mrs Redman and Mrs Mackay.


I started writing my first book after I finished my Masters degree. For one thing I really, really missed my thesis. I’d enjoyed researching it, and I loved writing it. So it seems inevitable now that when I was looking for something to do in the evenings to unwind after work, I started writing again.


I’d been staying with an old school friend. Meg is a fellow Georgette Heyer fan, and she had a very large collection of Regencies on her bookshelves. Well, that was an eye-opener. I’d had no idea anyone else apart from Heyer had actually written them. By the time I went home I had an idea floating around in my brain and I sat down and roughed out some sort of chapter plan. Then I started typing. Six months later I had a story with a beginning a middle and an end which I sent to Meg. After a great deal of talking, she persuaded me to send it off to Harlequin Mills & Boon. After doing the rounds of all three editorial offices and undergoing a major rewrite and extension while I was about seven months pregnant with the second small noisy boy, it was accepted for publication and published as The Unexpected Bride.


Most of my writing friends have threatened to lynch me over that story at one time or another. Personally I envy them for having learnt an enormous amount about writing and the industry before acquiring an editor who understandably expects you to know what you are doing.

Reviews

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent historical romantic thriller. It reads well, but I'm not in love; neither with the characters, nor with the author.

[Noemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kit had to break her betrothal to Lord Martin Lacy because of her family circumstances. However, it doesn't mean that her feelings disappeared too. A couple of years later, Kit is in danger and Martin is the one to come to her rescue. The close proximity makes their feelings for each other resurface, but someone doesn't want to see them happy.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kit Selbourne - AKA: Catherine Carshalton - has established a comfortable life helping her uncle run his bookshop in Soho after the treacherous existence she had to live, under her father's thumb. The events which caused Kit to flee her father's household, also caused her to break her engagement to Martin Lacy, a man she actually had feelings for.

Martin Lacy really did love Kit when she broke their engagement and fled her father's house. Because of that, he has kept an eye on her through quiet channels, to make sure she is safe. When a series of tragic events occur, Martin's secret career comes to light, as it and he enter Kit's immediate sphere once again.

This story had quite a bit of interesting intrigue to it, as well as other likeable (and unlikable) characters, and an engaging romance. I really enjoyed it.

[Laurie Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Harlequin novel in decades to be honest. I love all the sub genres now available. This is also my first Elizabeth Rolls novel.

I have just a few pages left and then I'm done. Throughout I have felt that there must be a prequel to this. Now, I feel there is definitely another after.

My only complaint is that I cannot find ANY indication on Harlequins website or on Google that there is either. My only disappointment. I would've bought the whole series. Hoping none of the other novels I bought are like that too LoL

I very much enjoyed the story and loved the characters. I want MORE Elizabeth!!!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to know how Kit and Martin's story proceeded following on from how their relationship ended in 'His convenient marchioness'. The third in the series this book for me is more intense than the first two, with murder and mystery. It is set about 18 months after the second book ended. You do not have to had read the first two books to enjoy this story. I will also need to read 'A marriage of equals' as this is also has linked characters.

[Rogetwhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated Kit!!!!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from the author's fondness for tipping a shilling - roughly a day's pay for a labourer, so completely excessive for a tip for a child - it is a lovely tale of lost love reunited.

[Kirsty Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struggled with the web of relations could have done with a family tree for reference!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

You kind of needed to read some of the author's previous works to truly enjoy this, but the story itself was sweet and romantic.