Synopsis

Three novellas, three times the romance, and three times the love . . . in this brand new Timeless Regency Collection

The Seventh Star Inn, by Sally Britton

After years of looking after one another, Susan Baxter and her mother view their neighbors in Totnes as family. When a new landlord inherits the leases on their homes and businesses alike, Susan dreads knowing her world could change at the whim of a stranger. But when she meets Collin Stonecroft and his inquisitive daughter, her feelings shift quickly from cautionary to hopeful. Collin has lived in the confines of London boarding houses all his life, and he’s determined to give his daughter more. They check into the Seventh Star Inn with plans to return to London as soon as possible, but both find Miss Baxter and her local history lessons far too enchanting to leave behind. When Susan learns of Collin’s proposed changes to her beloved neighborhood, will she be able to help him see that some things are perfect the way they are?

The Truth about Mr. Blackmore, by Annette Lyon

Leigh’s life at the Old Grey Inn is drudgery broken by flights of fancy thanks in part to novels by Simon Blackmore. When Mattias McGrady comes to the inn for a fortnight, Leigh captures his attention. A relationship develops, and she dreads the end of his stay, which will mean a return to an unhappy life. An urgent letter to Mattias leads to him inviting Leigh to an event that stands to change both of their lives forever. If all goes well, Leigh will have a life of her choosing after all. But half-truths and lies have a way of complicating matters. When their plans go awry, Leigh loses her reputation and Mattias almost surely loses his career. Can either of them find happiness?

The Coachman’s Choice, by Deborah M. Hathaway

Ever-reliable Mary Thorne has helped her widowed mother run The Golden Mermaid Inn for years. She spends her days greeting guests, ensuring the inn runs smoothly—and dodging flirtatious remarks from passing coachmen. But she’s far too busy to pay any attention to such men, even the enticingly attractive Mr. Northcott. Known far and wide for his horsemanship, punctuality, and dallying reputation, Robert Northcott relishes his life as a coachman, especially his freedom to flirt with numerous women from inn to inn, all without the messy details of commitment. There’s just one woman who’s immune to his charms: the lovely, single landlady of The Golden Mermaid. Robert is determined to win Mary over, just as heartily as she is determined to keep her distance from him. But his carefree life is threatened when his pursual of Mary becomes more than just a game…

About the Series

Since 2015, Mirror Press has been publishing the Timeless Regency Collection, a curated anthology of novellas and short stories set in early 19th century England. Featuring bestselling authors from the historical romance genre, the series has hit the USA TODAY bestselling list and charted at #1 at Amazon.com. Learn more about the series and other anthologies published by Mirror Press at their website.

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Excerpt

The Coachman’s Choice, by Deborah M. Hathaway

Clovelly, Devonshire—Thursday, April 13, 1815

It was said that nothing could rival the view from the Golden Mermaid Inn. Guests claimed they could see the blue-green sea stretching for miles on a clear day, as well as the heavy clouds of approaching storms hours beforehand.

Shoals of pilchards migrating round the peninsula were impossible to miss from the upper windows, and—rumor had it—even mermaids could be spotted from the edge of the inn’s property.

Of course, Mary Thorne had never seen a mermaid herself, nor did she agree with the guests’ opinions. The view was, indeed, spectacular. But it wasn’t the view from the inn she preferred.

It was the view of the inn.

Her footsteps slowed. Three and twenty years of living at the Golden Mermaid still had not lessened her anxious anticipation upon rounding the bend in the road from Clovelly and coming upon the first image of her family’s inn, the inn she would one day run.

Ivy—growing greener now that April had arrived—crept across the front of the inn’s white walls. Carefully trimmed bushes lined the stone path to the wooden front door, and above it, the carved wooden sign portraying a mermaid fin dipping into a wave rocked back and forth in the wind. The thatched roof of the inn shone golden in the afternoon light, and the windows were hooded by the heavy, dry straw, like Papa’s thick brows, which had once shadowed his brown eyes.

Mary and her mother prided themselves in caring for the Golden Mermaid, ensuring the outside promised what would be enjoyed on the inside: warm food, clean rooms, and a charitable reception.

Papa had taught them to do that.

Mary pulled out the small, gold pocket watch that had once belonged to him.

“There is no one he’d rather give possession of it than to you, my dear,” Mama had said.

The narrow hands on the watch verged at the edge of five o’clock, and a soft jingling on the wind slipped past Mary’s ears from behind, drawing her mind from her twisting heart.

Right on time. As usual.

Glancing over her shoulder, she searched for any sign of the approaching stagecoach. The dirt road was empty, though fraught with divots caused by carriages and puddles of mud still lingering from last night’s rainstorm.

Even without any visible sign of the coach, everything pointed to the contraption pulling around the bend in minutes—the time ticking away on her watch, the growing rattles of spinning wheels, the hooves pounding against the earth like thunder rolling across the sky.

And, of course, the fact that it was Thursday.

He always drove the coach on Thursdays, and he was never late.

Just as she suspected, a moment later, the carriage finally rounded the bend behind her, and her ears perked like a hound on the hunt.

Her brow furrowed. No, not like a hound on the hunt. She was nothing like a hound on the hunt. She wasn’t on the hunt at all. In fact, she was on the opposite of a hunt. She was . . . she was on the run, that was it. She was on the run from anything that would distract her from her responsibilities.

Not that a passing stagecoach would be a distraction nor the coachman directing it either. Mama and Papa had always warned her about those men—their desire for mischief with women, their only duty being to ensure they arrived at their next destination on time.

Her parents were right, of course. Mary had been wounded before by, well, never mind by whom. She’d moved on, she’d learned her lesson, and she’d made a solemn promise to never associate with a coachman again.

The coach rattled closer, but she kept her gaze forward. She didn’t have the time to even glance at the contraption, let alone the driver. She needed to get back to the inn and her many duties.

Although, she would have to stand aside to ensure she was far away from the coach to be safe. And if she had to stop anyway . . .

She slowed her steps, moving farther off the lane as her eyes trailed along the puddle-pocked road, slid up the powerful bodies of the horses, then landed squarely on the intolerably handsome coachman.

Mr. Robert Northcott.

He watched her in return, his typical, overly confident smile already spread across his lips. He’d taken residence at the inn every Thursday over the last two months, enough for Mary to know that his smile was always accompanied with some sort of trouble—playful words, winks, and grins.

About the Authors

Sally Britton is a wife, mother, and author who loves the world of romance, received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, and reads voraciously. She started her writing journey at the tender age of fourteen on an electric typewriter, and she’s never looked back.

Sally primarily lives in Oklahoma with her husband, four children, and Izzie the Aussie Shepherd. She loves researching, hiking, and eating too much chocolate.

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Annette Lyon is a USA Today Bestselling author. She’s won a Whitney Award (2010) and is an eight-time recipient of Utah’s Best of State medal for fiction and short stories. She’s the author of more than a dozen novels, even more novellas, a cookbook, a grammar guide, and some 120+ articles. She’s worked as a professional editor for publishers and bestselling authors and graduated cum laude from BYU with a degree in English.

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Deborah M. Hathaway graduated from Utah State University with a BA in Creative Writing. As a young girl, she devoured Jane Austen’s novels while watching and re-watching every adaptation she could. She finds inspiration for her novels during her travels with her English husband to the United Kingdom, where she draws on the beauty of the country in such places as Ireland, Yorkshire, and her beloved Cornwall. Be sure to sign up for Deborah’s Newsletter to stay updated on new releases, free and discounted Clean Romance novels, and more!

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