A grand crystal chandelier hanging from an ornate, gilded ceiling in a luxurious, historic interior.

COMING WINTER 2026

Ebook cover titled 'Two Can Play' by Heather Varlow, featuring an illustrated romantic scene with a man holding a woman in an embrace against a decorative green and gold floral background.

Cover art by Tina Marie Carbone of Palesile

Two Can Play

Book One of the All Love’s Luxuries novella series

A New Year’s ball and house party is the perfect event for Sarah Milbourne to bid Baltimore society goodbye and make her mark on a bigger playing field. As the only daughter of a powerful railroad magnate and a society beauty, her path to victory in the marriage mart is assured. But Sarah has her own ambitions, including conquering New York’s infamously elite high society.

Dr. Owen Brightwell has risen from humble means to become one of New York City’s most skilled surgeons, with a reputation for innovative methods and audacity. After a professional setback throws his rising star into doubt, he reluctantly accepts lifelong friend Thomas Milbourne’s invitation for a small New Year’s house party back in Baltimore where he can weather the scandal and recalibrate. 

As a New Year’s superstition throws Sarah and Owen into one another’s path, neither finds their immediate attraction convenient when their pride, prejudices, and futures are in play. Theirs is a battle of wills amidst multi-course meals, stilted conversations, parlor games, and a sudden cold snap. But when a harrowing accident disrupts the holiday celebrations, the doctor and the debutante find themselves on the same side…and in even closer quarters.

The tension is thick, the class divide formidably wide, and all cards are on the table.

Two Can Play moodboards

Sarah Milbourne &
Dr. Owen Brightwell

Collage of various images including a large pink mansion, a woman with long dark hair wearing traditional attire, a close-up of a woman holding pink playing cards, another woman with long hair and makeup, a woman in a pink dress, a woman with short hair with soft lighting, and abstract pink bokeh lights.
A collage of various images including a glass of whiskey, medical tools and supplies, a person in a suit carrying a black bag, a close-up of a handshake, a man in a suit with a coat, a woman with curly hair, and a bookshelf.

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Oh, hey: I haven't done a Scents + Sensuality post in six months. But here I am, back on my bullshit, because that's what happens when a new hyperfixation enters the villa. I never thought I'd do one of these posts for @rachelreidwrites' Game Changer
Look what just landed on my doorstep. Thank you, @happilyeveraftersociety and @chandrawickephotography!
Good morning and happy December! If you’re interested in reading the first chapter of my upcoming Gilded Age romance novella, Two Can Play, you can subscribe to my newsletter and get it right this very moment! Head over to my brand spankin&rsqu
She’s here and she’s gorgeous. My Hidden Legacy special editions by @ilona_andrews just arrived from @the.arcane.society and I am in love. These COLORS. The CARNATIONS. What better time for these to arrive? #CoverLustFriday
Sarah replayed the kiss in her every waking moment, her body a bundle of sparks barely contained by her skin. No more did she lay in bed and diligently list out New York’s most prominent families and eligible bachelors, instead taking inventory
I’m not sure where November went, but December somehow draweth nigh and that means my newsletter drops next week. What is time??? What to expect: - Goth winter holiday playlist + a favorite winter perfume - The fragrance and flavor of fear i

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Elegant chandelier with small lampshades hanging in a dimly lit room with ornate moldings and wall sconces.

ABOUT HEATHER VARLOW

Close-up black and white photo of a woman with long wavy hair smiling with her eyes closed.

Heather Varlow has followed bands all over the country, co-founded a website and co-written a few books about a vampire TV series, hosted a darkwave radio show for seven years, and now is a freelance website designer by day and a historical romance author also by day because she’s in bed with a book by 9pm. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband, their son, two pitbulls, and a lot of perfume, books, records, movies, and vintage teapots. You can find her on Instagram and Threads at @deep.read.belle. (Yes, like the Neko Case song.)

Close-up of a decorative, dark wood cabinet with gold trim. A small chandelier with a candle-shaped light bulb and hanging crystals is attached to the cabinet door.

CONTACT

heather@heathervarlow.com