The Harris List of Covent Garden Ladies is one of those details. It was a real publication, a witty description of the London's leading light skirts--yes, prostitutes. Men lined up to buy a new version of the List for nearly forty years. I always wanted to learn more about it and I often thought I would write a comedic take on it--a girl who ended up on the List that didn't belong there.
So when the time came, I started to do some research--and I realized that I couldn't write the story as a comedy. Yes, the List is full of whimsy and witty descriptions of the girls, their abodes and even, sometimes, their preferences. But I found it too sad to turn into a comedy. So I started to think about that girl who didn't belong on the List ... and The Love List was born.
Miss Brynne Wilmott ends up on the list when her vindictive former betrothed puts her there--in order to ruin her and those who helped her escape him. She desperately wants off--and to prevent the rebirth of the List. She wants it desperately enough to ask the reclusive Duke of Aldmere for his help. And although Aldmere is reluctant, he's found his brother is also entangled in the business. They agree to work together and as their search takes them through London's most dangerous haunts, it quickly becomes clear that her former intended's plans are more twisted and treasonous than anyone has suspected. Yet the danger and intrigue are as nothing compared to the effect Aldmere and Brynne have on each other . . .
Today I'm very excited to announce the audio version of The Love List! I got shivers listening to the very talented Stevie Zimmerman bring the characters and intrigue to life.
Click here to listen to a sample
If you are in the mood to lose yourself in the romance, passion and adventure of the past, I hope you'll give it a listen!
