Rules of the Heart: A Novel [Hardcover]

A beautifully evocative historical novel about the perils ofall-consuming love, inspired by a real-life eighteenth-century loveaffair, from the bestselling author ofThe Other Bennet Sister

When I love at all, it is with my whole soulmy heart must be torn topieces before it can forget or resign the objects of its affections.

England, 1794.Now in her thirties, Lady Harriet Bessborough, already the veteran of several liaisons, finds herself pursued by a much younger man. This isnt unusual in her circle, where married women often take younger lovers. No one minds much, provided they follow the rules of the game: Dont embarrass your husband, maintain complete discretion at all times, and never ever make the mistake of falling in love.

So when Harriet meets Lord Granvillebrilliantly handsome, insistently ardent, and twelve years younger than hershes confident she can manage their affair. Until she finds herself falling uncontrollably under his spell.

As shes plunged into an all-consuming passion, Harriets worldliness and sophistication desert her. With each besotted step, she finds herself edging ever closer to exposure and ruin. She knows she should leave Granville but cant bring herself to do itshe loves him far too deeply now to escape the scandal that threatens to engulf her.

Janice Hadlowworked as a television producer and commissioner for most of her career. She graduated with a first-class degree in history from Kings College London and has always been fascinated by the eighteenth century. She is the author ofA Royal Experiment, a family biography of George III, Queen Charlotte, and their children.The Other Bennet Sister, her fiction debut, was named a best book of 2020 byLibrary Journal, NPR, andThe Christian Science Monitor. It is currently in production as a drama for BBC television.

Within the first few pages I was captivated by lã;