An Utterly Unsuitable Lady

A witty sweet historical romance about a career-minded naturalist and the scandal-shadowed lady who upends his mother's matchmaking. Gentle humour, unlikely courtship and Victorian Cambridge charm around a discreet matchmaking agency.

The brilliant young professor needs a wife. Just not this one.

Cambridge, 1890s, Professor Theo Watt’s dazzling career as a naturalist leaves no time for romance, so he reluctantly submits to his mother’s matchmaking. After a parade of disappointing candidates, he is unexpectedly captivated by a stranger who ruins her dress to help him rescue a stranded fish.

Ida Moss has long abandoned any hope of marriage. With her past marred by scandal and her days consumed with caring for her nephew, she knows no respectable man would ever claim her. Yet Theo’s kindness—and his curiosity—begin to tempt her heart.

In a summer of unexpected encounters, can a fish, a wooden acorn, and a sudden shower of rain bring two unlikely souls together against all social convention?

An Utterly Unsuitable Lady is the witty first book in the Moth Agency Romances series, set around Cambridge’s discreet new matchmaking venture—M.O.T.H.: Matters of the Heart. Perfect for readers who adore engaging characters, vivid period settings, and romance rooted in history.

Praise for The Moth Agency Romance series:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ An intelligent rendering of romance in the late Victorian era.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A perfectly sweet historical novel…

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Beautifully written and wonderfully clean, with humour, suspense and wit woven into a sweet historical tale.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ An unusual story and one I enjoyed very much.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Both social commentary and a tender romance… conjures up vivid pictures of a Cambridge summer.