LADY TREMAINE
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family,
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
- St. Martin's Press
- Hardcover
- March 2026
- 352 Pages
- 9781250396341
Buy the Book
$29.00
About Rachel Hochhauser
Rachel Hochhauser grew up in Santa Barbara, California. She attended New York University and earned a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California. Currently, she lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters. Lady Tremaine is her first novel.
Praise
“Splendid…a stirring exploration of maternal instinct and female strength. It’s a winner.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Readers will no doubt find themselves rooting for Ethel as she recounts the life she once had, the love she’s lost, and her unwavering devotion to her daughters. A bold and beautifully written examination of a mother’s love told through the eyes of Cinderella’s “wicked” stepmother.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This Cinderella reframing paints the stepmother in an entirely new light, building a rich backstory with the man she loved, the girl she almost lost him to, and the daughters she would do anything for. Hochhauser’s debut features a fiercely determined heroine, themes of resilience and motherhood, and vivid descriptions that keep the grim in the fairy tale.“ —Booklist
“Feminist, fierce, and wildly fresh: Lady Tremaine is my kind of fairy tale. As we resurrect and re-examine the historical women we’ve maligned, Hochhauser insists we include the wicked stepmothers. Hochhauser’s prose is poetic, her story hypnotic, and her characters will live in my head and heart forever. Lady Tremaine is destined to be one of the biggest books of the year.” —Glennon Doyle, #1 bestselling author of Untamed
“In breathtakingly beautiful prose, Hochhauser unpicks this old fairytale and weaves it into a feminist war cry. Visceral, powerful and stunningly told, Lady Tremaine soars.” —Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward