Lady Millicent has tried to be the picture of perfect society manners, but she seems doomed to bumble her way through dinners and functions, much to the dismay of her very proper family. So what better than to trade the curse of London society for the highlands of Scotland where manners will not be important?

Lady Millicent finds it difficult enough to be launched into polite society without the added burden of living in her famous mother’s shadow. Her mother, the extremely proper Duchess of Weatherly, is the author of a renowned best-selling tome on manners, setting the bar higher than Millicent is able to perform.

In an unprecedented act of rebellion, Millicent flees to avoid bringing the family name to shame with her unmannerly exploits. However, with a tidy dowry settled upon her lovely head, she can’t travel under her own name and opts for Milli. But during her travels to Scotland, she’s rescued by a handsome highlander, and she believes her future is about to improve.

Lord McDougal doesn’t expect to find love on a stormy night on the road to Lock Droma. He needs a wife, but can it be this easy? He doesn’t expect a would-be governess with a wild imagination and a dark secret can fit into his life, but little does he know...

Arizonian Judi Thoman grew up with a deep and abiding love for books. She believe in dark and dangerous heroes; strong women who are not afraid to think for themselves; head-over-heels love; fairytale endings; and that it’s more fun to laugh than to cry, but doing both at the same time is the best gift of all.

When not busy crafting a story, you can find her caring for her extended family in her mountainside home in rural Phoenix, or in the ramshackle Victorian home she’s restoring in a small town in Ohio.

This is Judi’s first novel for AVALON.