Hers by Summer's End
(2026)(The second book in the Society of Scandal series)
A novel by Kat Sterling
A boxer no proper lady should ever root for…
Drew Sutton has built his reputation with quick fists, quicker smiles, and enough knockouts to keep all of Seattle talking. But while society dismisses him as a rough-edged pugilist, Drew’s true talent lies far from the ring—in cultivating prize-winning blooms. His foremost contender? A loud-mouthed spinster with wild curls and a grin that never fails to send his pulse racing. Their rivalry has always been good sport—until he unthinkingly transforms their private feud into the scandal of the summer. Now it’s war over dahlias, but Drew can’t shake the feeling that the only thing worth winning has nothing to do with horticulture.
A spinster determined to leave him flat on the canvas…
Cecelia Townsend has cultivated her battle with Drew Sutton as carefully as her prize dahlias. There’s something delicious about the man who tends fragile shoots with bruised knuckles, and she’s long enjoyed their harmless flirtation. But when their rivalry becomes the city’s favorite spectator sport—complete with public sparring and brazen wagers—the stakes between them flare into something all too real. As the competition—and their chemistry—heats up, Cecelia becomes consumed by a far riskier ambition. Victory, and the Fighting Florist himself, will be hers by summer’s end.
Hers by Summer's End is part of A Society of Scandal, a multi-author collaboration aiming to highlight the joy of reading historical romance and escaping to the past in this wondrous genre whilst cherishing openness, inclusivity, and equality.
Genre: Historical Romance
Drew Sutton has built his reputation with quick fists, quicker smiles, and enough knockouts to keep all of Seattle talking. But while society dismisses him as a rough-edged pugilist, Drew’s true talent lies far from the ring—in cultivating prize-winning blooms. His foremost contender? A loud-mouthed spinster with wild curls and a grin that never fails to send his pulse racing. Their rivalry has always been good sport—until he unthinkingly transforms their private feud into the scandal of the summer. Now it’s war over dahlias, but Drew can’t shake the feeling that the only thing worth winning has nothing to do with horticulture.
A spinster determined to leave him flat on the canvas…
Cecelia Townsend has cultivated her battle with Drew Sutton as carefully as her prize dahlias. There’s something delicious about the man who tends fragile shoots with bruised knuckles, and she’s long enjoyed their harmless flirtation. But when their rivalry becomes the city’s favorite spectator sport—complete with public sparring and brazen wagers—the stakes between them flare into something all too real. As the competition—and their chemistry—heats up, Cecelia becomes consumed by a far riskier ambition. Victory, and the Fighting Florist himself, will be hers by summer’s end.
Hers by Summer's End is part of A Society of Scandal, a multi-author collaboration aiming to highlight the joy of reading historical romance and escaping to the past in this wondrous genre whilst cherishing openness, inclusivity, and equality.
Genre: Historical Romance