The Jilted Countess

Harper Perennial January 13, 2026

Loretta Ellsworth, author of The French Winemaker’s Daughter, delivers The Jilted Countess: a new novel based on the true story of a desperate and penniless Hungarian countess who, long before reality TV made dating a competitive sport, arrives in Minnesota after WWII to find her GI fiancée already married, and with only two weeks to avoid returning to war-torn Europe, enlists a local newspaperman to help her find a husband in this richly detailed, unforgettable tale, sold by agent Marly Rusoff to Sara Nelson at HarperCollins.