Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill

In the perilous world of kings and queens, she matched ambition with loyalty, ruthless intrigue with consuming passion…

London, 1673.

With her family ruined by war, penniless thirteen-year-old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles II. She soon wins the trust of Lady Anne of York, a lonely princess who becomes one of her staunchest allies. And though Sarah's beauty stirs the desires of the jaded aristocrats, she wants a grander future for herself than that of a pampered mistress. Only one man possesses ambition and passions that match her own: John Churchill, a dashing young military hero. He would ask for her hand ­­ and win her heart for a lifetime…

But Whitehall Palace is ripe with ever-shifting alliances and sexual scandal, and Sarah will need all her cleverness to succeed. Titles, power, and wealth are the prizes, while an idle whisper in the wrong ear can bring a cry of treason and the executioner's ax. Will Sarah's loyalties ­­ and her dreams ­­ falter when a king is toppled from his throne and a new queen crowned? And will she dare risk everything when her one true love is tested by a passionate, dangerous obsession?

What others are saying about Duchess

The American Booksellers Association has named Duchess a Book Sense Notable Book for August, 2006. The Historical Novels Review has named Duchess an Editor's Choice.

“Sarah Jennings's ascent from poverty as a 13-year-old to the highest echelons of late 17th-century English society has all the trappings of supermarket tabloids: intrigue, treachery, deceit and sexual scandals. In this first-person telling, Scott takes a near-scholarly approach but maintains the thrills… That Sarah is an ancestor of both Winston Churchill and Lady Diana Spencer gives this novel appeal to several generations of historical fiction readers.”
--Publishers Weekly

“Scott's elegantly crafted story of two charismatic soul mates who gave up the chance to marry others, preferring wealth and advancement, is sure to appeal to lovers of good historical fiction.”
--Library Journal

“This wonderful fictional biography of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborogouh, whisks the reader into a period rife with intrigue, love, sex, war and religious strife...There are so many reasons to reccommend this book, from its myriad of believable chracters, ably drawn settings, polished and fluent prose, to its ability to totally immerse the reader in the past...Readers looking for a true escape into the past will want to add this book to ther collection and their keeper shelf.”
-- Historical Novel's Review, An EDITOR'S CHOICE for November, 2006

“I couldn't put down Duchess. The portrayal of life at Court is full of the intrigue and scandal that surround any royal family, and that makes for an excellent read. I highly recommend it..”
--Bookreporter.com


Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess of Castlemaine and King Charles II

Susan Holloway Scott “brought to life the racy world of post-Restoration England”*  in her acclaimed novel Duchess. Now she returns to this decadent world with the enthralling story of one of history's most notorious women -- the voluptuous favorite of King Charles II….

London, 1660.

Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome, jaded king.

Though each is promised to another, Barbara soon becomes Charles’s mistress and closest friend, and the uncrowned queen of his bawdy Restoration court. Rewarded with titles, land, and jewels, she is the most envied and desired woman in England––and the most powerful.

But the role of royal mistress is a precarious one, and Barbara’s enemies and rivals are everywhere in the palace. Even kings can lose their heads to treason, and swirling political intrigue brings new threats and danger—until not even Charles himself is safe.

In this world where love is no more than a game, and power the ultimate aphrodisiac, only one woman holds the key to it all: Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine, Duchess of Cleveland, and the royal harlot.


The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II

As the queen of the Restoration stage, vivacious Nell Gwyn had already risen far from her penniless birth to capture the hearts of all London. But the one heart she wanted most belonged to the king who desired her above all others.

The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II, will be released by New American Library in July, 2008.