Ann Herendeen

HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-06-145136-2

Andrew Carrington is the ideal Regency gentleman: heir to an earldom, wealthy, handsome, athletic—and with a preference for his own sex. When he decides to do his duty to his family, he wants marriage on his terms: an honest arrangement, with no disruption to his way of life. But in the penniless, spirited—and curvaceous—Phyllida Lewis, a self-educated author of romances, Andrew gets more than he bargained for, perhaps even love. And when he meets honorable, shrewd—and hunky—Matthew Thornby, son of a self-made baronet, Andrew seems to have everything a man could desire, until a spy and blackmailer tries to ruin him and his friends.

Moving from the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the intimate pleasures of London's most aristocratic "madge club," Phyllida reveals a little-known side of Regency life and offers a dishy, wildly entertaining twist on the historical romance.


"Herendeen's book brings a breath of fresh air and creativity to the romance genre and with her humor and ability to entertain, she is sure to woo fans"

--Publisher's Weekly

"Sparkling with Regency wit and panache, Herendeen's debut novel ... is a brilliant exploration of love, sexuality, class, and gender, but above all, it is a wonderful love story. Highly recommended for those readers comfortable with alternative sexual and erotic literature"

--Cynthia Johnson, Library Journal

"Impeccable research, fantastic characters, and even a bit of mystery made this one of the best novels so far for 2008. Be prepared to be shocked, to learn something about the Regency world, and to laugh out loud. Ms. Herendeen writes a dynamite tale. I very highly recommend this clever story and give it a Perfect 10"

--Jani Brooks, Romance Reviews Today

"With caustic wit, some wildly original characters, and plenty of sex, Herendeen creates her own delightfully imaginative and boldly sensual take on the classic Regency marriage-of-convenience plot"

--John Charles, Booklist

"Herendeen takes many plot devices of the traditional Regency romance and turns them, quite delightfully, on their ear.... The final chapter, which features a play on the marriage scene that typically completes a Regency romance, is the perfect ending for this genre-bending novel. While Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander can be enjoyed on many levels, readers ... who appreciate new interpretations of a classic genre will be delighted with the games the author has played in this novel"

--Nanette Donohue, Historical Novels Review

"This witty and fast paced first novel does great credit to the author's training as an English major at Princeton and to her own very well developed talent. Lust, love, secrets, lavish settings and intrigue -- this one has the whole delicious menu for a great summer read"

--Toby Grace, Out in Jersey

"Ann Herendeen has written a Regency novel unlike any that has come before ... Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander comes bursting through a door in Regency romance that previously Diana Gabaldon's Lord John books had only knocked upon politely ... Impossibly, wonderfully, the book has a happy ending. Read Herendeen to find out how, and then keep an eye on her"

--Steve Donoghue, The OLM Blog

"A delightful twist on the Regency romance genre ... a story that will keep you laughing and reading ... a fresh look at an established genre of story, giving it a new vibrancy and excitement ... crafted into a romantic homage to Jane Austen's oft-crossed lovers and comedic misunderstandings. I look forward to Ann Herendeen's next book"

--Danya, Night Owl Romance

"Subtitled 'a bisexual romance,' this well-written novel opens doors to a little-known side of Regency England. With style and wit Herendeen introduces readers to an unusual romance that works perfectly because she's created realistic characters whose motivations drive the story forward. We believe in them and cheer as they find their way to an unconventional love"

--Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

"Herendeen ...writes about romance and history with comedic timing and the kind of dialog that makes you feel you are in the room with the characters ... This book [is] a great love story, beautifully written, with a sense of life and a sense of comedy that is at once exhilarating and impassioned ... If you're not sure if you're reading a Regency romance, a bisexual romance, a comedy or a novel ... Call it all of that or none of it: It's a great read!"

--Opinionhead

"A clever, highly articulate, historically sharp, and delightfully entertaining romance ... Herendeen has a writing voice that matches the tone and restraint of the Regency, and her descriptions and dialogue are fantastic"

--SB Sarah, of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

"A wonderful romance, well-written, exceedingly historically accurate, and very, very sexy"

--Michelle Buonfiglio, Romance: by the Blog

"Humorous and satirical as Herendeen skewers the ethics of the ton (and by implication modern day American hypocritical claims of morality) Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander is a superbly written bisexual Regency romance"

--Harriet Klausner, Amazon.com reviewer

"A little too sweet for my taste, but an amusing and agreeable story. As a reader, I confess that my female sensibilities were quite deliciously inflamed at various passages, and I found Phyllida to be a sympathetic heroine. As a writer, I'm not about to lose any sleep over such a sensational work"

--Jane Austen

"Damn fine. A rattling good succès de scandale. Readers be warned: the author reveals far more familiarity than any woman should have with the conversation and practices of men of a certain sort. She may be, by the evidence of her work, both sane and good, but she is definitely dangerous to know. Still, had the Brotherhood of Philander and the delightful Phyllida really existed, I might have been tempted to stay in England"--Lord Byron


"Shocking and distasteful. No lady—no female of any condition—ought even to think of such sordid scenes, much less put them in writing. To be fair, her style possesses an easy facility, and this lengthy and somewhat discursive novel was very readable. I swallowed 'Phyllida' whole in one fevered nightlong session, and I eagerly await future works as promised"--Sir Walter Scott