A Lady for All Seasons

By: TJ Alexander

Published by Random House, 2026-03-10

<b>From the acclaimed author of <i>Chef’s Kiss</i> and <i>A Gentleman’s Gentleman</i> comes a riotous Regency romp, featuring a charming and unforgettable genderfluid lead.</b><br><br>It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman who has lost her fortune must be in need (not <i>want</i>) of a husband. Beautiful, cunning Verbena Montrose must marry to save herself and her odious family from abject poverty. Fortunately, what she lacks in a dowry, she makes up for in the currency of gossip. <br><br>When she hears an alarming rumor about her very dear, very queer friend Étienne that could ruin him, she comes to his aid with a proposal—for a marriage of convenience, that is. But when Verbena discovers that a mysterious and celebrated poet by the name of Flora Witcombe has been publishing verses that hint she is onto their scheme, Verbena has no choice but to pretend to be a poet herself to confront her in a local salon. And—unexpectedly—be charmed by her.<br><br>Flora, in turn, is terrified by and smitten with Verbena in equal measure. But she holds a secret of her own: he is also William Forsyth, a struggling novelist and fifth son of a minor noble family. And if circumstances don’t allow Flora to woo Verbena, perhaps William can. Faced with two suitors <i>and</i> a fiancé, Verbena, who has always had to be clever to survive in society, starts to realize she may need to think <i>outside</i> of society’s constraints to find true happiness.