A Most Inconvenient Love

A Regency Romantic Comedy of Manners

A gentleman with too much duty.

A bookseller with far too many opinions.

And a society that notices everything—except what truly matters.

England, 1819. Lord Edmund Ashworth has perfected the art of polite evasion. He smiles when required, dances when cornered, and avoids marriage with admirable consistency. Unfortunately, society—and his formidable mother—have decided it is time he be seen.

Enter Benjamin Hartley: son of a bookseller, reader of forbidden literature, and a man who does not belong at garden parties… yet refuses to leave them quietly. One chance encounter over criminally sour lemonade sets off a series of misunderstandings, glances, and conversations that polite society would very much prefer not to notice.

Witty, warm, and deliciously improper, A Most Inconvenient Love is a Regency romantic comedy about expectations, appearances, and the quiet rebellions that change everything.

In the carefully managed world of Regency England, love is meant to be sensible, strategic, and suitably advantageous. Lord Edmund Ashworth understands this perfectly—and intends to avoid it at all costs.

As heir to a venerable family and frequent subject of matchmaking schemes, Edmund has learned that the safest way through society is charm without commitment. He attends garden parties, endures lemonade, and submits to dances with the air of a man fulfilling a civic obligation.

Benjamin Hartley, meanwhile, has no such protections. As the son of a bookseller, his world is one of ink-stained fingers, ledgers, and ideas that make respectable people nervous. Invited—somewhat mysteriously—into the orbit of high society, Benjamin finds himself observing its rituals with sharp wit and very little patience.

When their paths cross beneath wisteria and chandeliers, what begins as conversation turns into something far more dangerous: understanding.

As gossip gathers momentum and expectations tighten their grip, Edmund must decide whether a life built on appearances is worth preserving—and whether inconvenience might, in fact, be a form of freedom.

A Most Inconvenient Love is a comedy of manners in the finest tradition: clever dialogue, slow-burn affection, and romantic tension built on glances rather than embraces. There are no explicit scenes, only wit, warmth, and the quiet thrill of connection in a world determined to misread it.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

• Jane Austen–inspired romance with a twist

• Historical fiction with humor and heart

• Slow-burn relationships and emotional intimacy

• Stories about choosing authenticity over expectation