This book kicks off your new Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley series. How does A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh fit into the larger series?
This book introduces us to the daughters of Lord Aynsley, as we see the very proper Caroline finds her notions of propriety challenged by romance, friendship, and faith. We’ll have glimpses of her sisters and hints of the issues they might be facing, which I hope proves a nice teaser for people to read the subsequent books: Underestimating Miss Cecilia and Misleading Miss Verity.
What can readers expect from the Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley series?
More romance, interesting settings (Misleading Miss Verity takes us to Australia and Scotland!), and more of the questions of faith and how that translates to decisions believers make. I’m so encouraged by readers who appreciate the forthright depictions of faith found in my Regency Brides books, and I want to continue to pose some of those challenges wrapped up in a good story, swoon-worthy romance and intriguing setting.
How does this series intersect with your previous Regency Brides series (A Legacy of Grace and A Promise of Hope)? Do all these characters live in the same world?
This series is less connected with the previous two, although we see some links, particularly as Serena (from Miss Serena’s Secret) is one of Caroline’s schoolfriends. I had some fun opening A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh with a scene from The Making of Mrs. Hale, albeit from Caroline’s perspective.
We’ll also see some crossover between the series in Underestimating Miss Cecilia, as some of the characters mix in similar circles in London. Readers tell me they enjoy revisiting previous characters and seeing what they’re up to now. Having said this, each book can always be read as a standalone, so new readers can enjoy a good story and then invest further in the Regency Brides world.
What do you hope readers take away after reading A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh?
I hope readers can appreciate that being a hero doesn’t have to mean being some kind of handsome, alpha male, big bicep type of guy, but that heroism is also found in the small, often sacrificial choices we make to put another ahead of ourselves. I pray that readers will respond to the faith message of the book, and be encouraged that doing the right thing, doing the godly thing, is not always easy and will not always be understood, but that doing things God’s way ultimately leads to a greater sense of peace with God, with others, and within ourselves.
And I hope they want to read the rest of the Regency Brides series, too!
Visit Carolyn Miller’s author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/carolyn-miller
A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh
Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley #1
Carolyn Miller
Kregel Publications
Can a proper noble lady find a future with a fossil-hunting man of faith?
As the daughter of Viscount Aynsley, Caroline Hatherleigh knows every rule of society—and she’s always followed them precisely. But when she visits south Devonshire and encounters a fossil-hunting scientist and his sister, her assumptions about what is right are shaken. Questions she has never considered about the importance of friendship and faith suddenly confront her—and her comfortable understanding about how the world works is thrown off balance. What if God wants to be the center of her life, rather than merely a social obligation?
Gideon Kirby loves science, and hunting down proof of past lives is a joy he won’t willingly give up. But his scientific leanings are being challenged both by his personal beliefs and by local smugglers in the Devonshire countryside. And every day his sister’s illness becomes more desperate, her care growing more demanding. Adding a viscount’s daughter to the mix is a complication Gideon never expected–especially since he must stay far away from this young woman he’s falling for in order to protect his beloved sister’s secret.
When a mysterious stranger visits the village, that secret will be exposed, no matter how Gideon fights. Then tragedy strikes in a smugglers’ cave. And the threat of scandal may lead to broken hearts and passionless propriety. Will the shaky bond these two have nurtured be strong enough to overcome their differences—or will the trust they’ve withheld from each other tear three lives apart?