Launch: Carol Coventry’s The Taverstons of Iversley Regency Series: Counting on Love

INTERVIEW BY LESLIE S. LOWE

Carol Coventry is the Romance-writing alter-ego of historical fiction author Susan Coventry. A quarter of a century working in the medical field has taught her that, after any tough day, nothing soothes the spirit like a guaranteed happily-ever-after. After spending so much time escaping to the Regency Era, she felt like a native and began spinning her own tales of historical romance.

How would you describe this book and its themes in a couple of sentences?

In Counting on Love, the odds at White’s are running 16:1 that the elusive Lady Georgiana Stewart and the Earl of Iversley’s charming heir will be betrothed within the month. But while he determinedly courts her, Georgiana, a bored-with-the-ton math prodigy, becomes intrigued by the Earl’s third son, Reginald Taverston, a reserved man whose mysterious “work” involves sorting out his family’s crooked account books. The tight fraternal bonds of the lords of Iversley are strained when Georgiana not only uncovers a devastating family secret, but also falls in love with the wrong brother.

What inspired you to start writing historical fiction and what has been most rewarding about it?

When I started writing fiction, I discovered the adage “write what you know” wasn’t working for me. I needed to write what I love. What I find rewarding in historical fiction—reading it and writing it—is that sometimes, it provides an escape from today’s world, and other times, it puts current-day problems in perspective.

There are many historical romance series available for readers. How is yours different?

Historical romance is, in many respects, pure escapism. Readers know they are going to get to that happily-ever-after ending. But what is acceptable in historical romance is evolving. I touch on topics that have modern day relevance while still grounding the stories in the Regency era. Over the four-book series, I bring the horrors of the Napoleonic wars home to the characters. The fact that homosexuality was illegal and therefore dangerous is emphasized. One of my protagonists lives with a chronic illness. And the threat of miscarriage and infant death is not swept under the rug.

Why the focus on this topic now? Is there a historical event you found in researching that inspired you to write this story to portray a key message for now?

The key historical event in the Regency period is the Napoleonic Wars. I wanted to show that the war impacted the lives of people on the home-front, even the aristocrats. But this isn’t intentionally a message book. If there is a message, it’s that centering love, friendship, and family is timeless.

How do the Honorable Reginald and Lady Georgiana transform within the story over the series? What did that journey mean to you as you wrote it?

Their transformations are similar. They grow beyond conforming to the expectations of others. As I wrote, I got to “see” my cherished protagonists celebrating their differences as something to be proud of rather than something to hide.

How do you think the reader will connect with Lady Georgiana in this book?

Georgiana tries to do what is expected of her. But she blossoms when she does the unexpected. I think a lot of readers can sympathize with that struggle.

How did you balance the research with writing the story? Did you get to do any interesting interviews for your research?

I enjoy Regency Romance, so I’m familiar with the tropes. I studied Regency-era culture and politics, the Napoleonic Wars, even the Hudson’s Bay Company. Most of this gets filed in my “lore packet” as good for me to know in order to shape the story, without trying to pack it all into the book. No interviews, but I wish I could meet Wellington!

There are four books in this series. How are they standalone stories or should they be read in sequence?

They can be standalones, as the Taverston siblings each have their own love story and emotional journey. But the events (historical and family) unfold chronologically, so reading them in sequence would be best.

How have your life experiences been incorporated or assisted you in your writing? What are you currently working on?

I have a medical background and incorporated themes of illness and loss into the stories. I wanted my characters to have true-to-life troubles. I’m currently working on a (non-Romance) novel revolving around the history of medicine in turn-of-the-20th-century United States.

Every author has their own publishing journey. Tell me about yours.

My journey is long. I wrote my first published novel, The Queen’s Daughter, over the course of about a decade. I was working full-time and had two children, so I thought of writing as my hobby. Eventually, I was taken on by an agent who sold my 600+ page adult novel as a YA novel after I cut it in half. That was about 15 years ago. The agent retired. I kept writing. I did get another agent, but the book didn’t sell and we eventually parted ways. Rejection was somehow more discouraging after having been published once.

Finally, I let go of the (self-imposed) pressure to get my second book out there. Writing became a hobby again, something fun to do rather than something I had failed at doing. Recently, with retirement on the horizon, I got serious. I hired a developmental editor for a book I felt strongly about (Till Taught by Pain). During this time, I started writing Regency Romance, mainly to see if I could. At the end of 2022, I retired, and in 2023, things started happening fast. Till Taught by Pain was accepted for publication (Regal House, November, 2025.) I sent my Regency Romance, Counting on Love, to Dragonblade’s Write-Track contest, and won the grand prize. It’s now book one in the series, The Taverstons of Iversley. Currently, I call writing my retirement project rather than my hobby, and that feels like success.

What advice would you give to other aspiring historical writers?

Join a writers’ group and develop a thick skin for criticism. The process of critiquing the work of others and listening to their critiques is a great way to learn.

What is the last great book you read? Why?

I just finished reading Crime and Punishment for a class. We were supposed to be evaluating its themes, but I kept considering it from a craft-of-writing perspective. I’d love to be able to delve that deeply into the psyche of difficult characters.

As the first book in the new series, the e-book of Counting on Love is available on Kindle for 99 cents.

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