Sore Thumb (Cvnl)

Amethyst Goldsmith is as beautiful as the jewelry she creates, but her passion for her craft does not extend to the dull apprentice her father has arranged for her to marry. When the devastating fire of 1666 sweeps through London, Amy believes she is rescued from this fate, only to land in the arms of the dashing, unattainable Colin Chase, Earl of Greystone. In the aftermath of disaster, the rules of society are temporarily abandoned long enough for a shopkeeper's daughter and a nobleman to discover their shared destiny . . . yet not long enough to erase the past, or the broken promises only love can heal. . . .

Lauren Royal became interested in the Restoration period at the age of 14, when she snuck a valuable first-edition copy of Forever Amber out of her great-uncle's library. Luckily she survived the ensuing warfare and, having decided she'd grow up to be a writer after winning the "Why My Mother Is The Greatest" essay contest in the third grade, began amassing a collection of history books and taking copious notes with the intention of someday writing novels of her own. A fourteen-year career as the CEO of her own jewelry store chain delayed those dreams, but she never forgot them.

Lauren is a Southern California native. When she's not at home in front of her computer, you can find her at a rock concert, at a hockey rink watching one of her husband's or two sons' games, or at a Scottish Festival watching her daughter compete in Highland Dance. A laptop has been surgically attached to her body. She was born without a housekeeping gene. She likes to think she's into scrapbooking, but she never finds time to actually put anything in her albums.