Roses in Red Wax

The Darnalay Castle, Book 1

By: Louise Mayberry

Narrated by: Marina Fess, Eden Gabay

1820 Scotland. Amidst the smoke-choked alleys of Glasgow and the untamed beauty of the Highlands, a spellbinding tale of love and rebellion unfolds.

Jane Stuart has lost everything. Her betrothed, her ancestral castle, and her cherished orchard—her life’s work—have all been ripped away. Now, exiled and adrift in the cold fog of Glasgow, she's numb to the weight of her grief, resigned to a desolate future shrouded in loneliness and grey. But fate has a different plan.

Percy Sommerbell is a musician, a free spirit who holds nothing but disdain for his industrialist father. But when familial duty forces Percy to travel to Scotland, he’s confronted with a painful truth—a truth that threatens to unravel the very fabric of his carefree existence. His family’s money, the fortune that funds his hedonistic enjoyment of all life’s pleasures, is generated by the suffering of children in his father's mills.

In the midst of Glasgow's smoke and shadows, Percy encounters Jane, a mysterious Highland beauty whose sad eyes and luscious curves promise both distraction from his guilt and inspiration for his music. Against all reason, Jane falls under Percy's spell. But when the mills become the first spark in a violent radical insurgency, their budding connection faces a perilous trial beyond any they could have imagined.

Roses in Red Wax is the first book in the Darnalay Castle Series, although all of the books in the series can be listened to as standalones. It contains strong language and several spicy open door scenes.

©2023 Louise Mayberry (P)2024 Louise Mayberry

Critic reviews

"This book is not a Kit Kat, its an exquisite truffle from the hands of a master chocolatier. Decadent, nuanced, surprising, and unforgettable." - Heather Hallman, author of Toast of Tokyo

its just a great story

This was a simple, yet awesome story. I've really come to admire the way the author highlights the real issues of normal people during the time period (1820's). this book resonated with me- the MFC loss & denying herself for fear of breaking a promise to a loved one. Great book!