This is such a delightful series. I’m always happy to revisit the inhabitants of the Grand Palace on the Thames.Readers can share the same deep affection that they have for each other.

The growing relationship between Catherine Keating and Lord Kirke is lovely to read. I so enjoyed the humor that they shared with each other. Catherine is a sweet girl from the country, but she has a sense of realism and honesty that is very attractive. And Lord Kirke is witty. The author shows his biting wit in almost every interchange rather than just telling us that he’s witty. When he gives his passionate speech, she gives the entire text of the speech so that we will be as moved as were the people hearing it. Too many times, authors just tell us that people were moved and that the speech was brilliant, but Long as the talent to show us rather than tell us.

My minor quibble is that I can’t believe that the daughter of a poor Yorkshire doctor would be invited to the ton parties. And I find it hard to believe that a poor Welshman would rise to being granted a title for some undefined service to the country. It seems that his main service is to speak passionately in Parliament for labor reforms to end child labor. Given that the Factory Act limiting the labor of children under 9, he hadn’t achieved his goal yet.

But I happily suspended my disbelief to enjoy the conversations among the characters in this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

The Palace of Rogues is a favorite series of mine and I loved being back at the Grand Palace on the Thames. My Season of Scandal can be read as a standalone, but a variety of previous characters appear (and have a fair amount of page time), so I feel it would be best enjoyed if read in order.

Read if you like:
- age gap (MMC is 35 and FMC is 22)
- forced proximity
- opposites attract
- slow burn
- hilarious and lovely secondary characters and one of the best found families out there
- quiet and tender actions that show care
- an "I hate everyone but you" stern brunch daddy hero
- a quick witted and kind hearted heroine that speaks her mind
- witty banter and scorching sexual chemistry (those "show me how" scenes always get me!)
- a grand declaration that will have you swooning

I did feel that there was too much OW/OM drama and I was taken out of the story every time a new detail about Dominic's mistresses/previous lovers was revealed. I get it. He was a rake. I was glad Dominic and Catherine spoke honestly with each other about his past, but the reveal left me feeling a little icky.

***** SPOILER *****


It just felt weird to me that his son was only 5 years younger than the heroine, but I understand that's a me problem and many readers won't mind.


***** END SPOILER *****

The ending felt a bit rushed, but that grand gesture/flower reveal was very sweet. I loved that we got a nice look into the future too. I'm still waiting for Pike and Dot to get their HEA and can't wait to see who shows up next at the Grand Palace on the Thames!

CW: death of parent (past), grief, mentions of house fire, accidental pregnancy (past), discussions about: child labor laws, poor working conditions, death

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

*𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴.*

𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍
𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖/𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
This was beautiful! I became emotional after finishing it before bed. It's one of those great romances that leaves you feeling everything afterwards and lingers with you. I woke up in the morning in such a melancholy state. And trust me when I say that I binged this in one sitting before bed.
Can you expect anything less from Julie Anne Long? I don't think I'll ever get over just how perfect she is at what she does.
Everything is so breathtakingly charged between Dominic and Catherine. From their conversations to those moments when they finally touch. A dance, an embrace... It hums in your skin during every word you read. It makes you smile and it keeps you turning the pages. Eager for the next witty conversation. For when they'll give in and do something purely out of their denied mutual desire for each other. There is pining like no other in this and it ate me alive.
But oh my... did it make me laugh and squeal like nothing else! It is imaginably cute and endearing even while the slow burn heats up your insides like a veritable boiler room.
I don't need to explain the plot to you. I'm sure you know it if you're reading this review. But what I will tell you is how beautiful this story is, which as a long time JAL reader came as no surprise to me. It's the sort of beauty that makes you long for an embrace, and makes your body ache for those quiet stolen moments in the dark at night where touch and pleasure fill your body with bliss. It is achingly sweet. It's the kind of romance that stamps itself upon your insides. Deserving of way more recognition than you know it will unfortunately ever get, as many romances do. It's a special kind of story that has all of the trappings you could want in a romance, but written in just a way that rarely any author can ever portray it... exactly the way your heart truly desires.
Believe me when I say that if you haven't read this book, or any JAL books, you're doing yourself a disservice and the moment that you finally do will be one of those "kicking myself because why did I wait to do this" moments. Pick up the book. Read it.

And if you need all the tropes to garner what's inside, I got you:
- Age gap (not too big, and it's beautiful)
- Humor, the wittiest dialogue
- CHEM-IS-TRY
- Heated stares
- A forbidden-esque love
- A hero with a complicated, sad past...a bit of a secret as well
- Emotionally unavailable hero
- "I can't stay away from you"
- Angsty tension
- Sensual slow burn
- "Fight our feelings"
- Friends to lovers
- EXPRESSIONS FOR DAYS
- Head I over heels in love
- Hero realizes first
- Sort of forced proximity
- Garden tryst
- Hot dry humping
- Heartbreaking love letter
- Sigh worthy "I Love Yous"
- Innocent heroine

I'll stop but I can go on and on and on.

As always, I'm ever so thankful to be on your ARC team Julie and to be able to read these stories early because they are life. They are the reason I find reading, and reading romance in particular, to be the most beautiful thing. And such an important thing. That makes you feel, and changes the way you see things and brings something almost secret into your life that when you are near others you feel like you're a part of something they will never have the privilege of. Unless they pick up the book...
I adored this beyond imagining. It's going to stick with me and hover in my mind for a long time.

𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒:
•𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦
🔥🔥🔥/𝟓
•𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/𝟓
•𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡
🤣🤣🤣/𝟓
•𝐂𝐫𝐲
-/𝟓

*Ratings are not determined solely by the amount of content in a book but also by how it affected me as a reader.

"𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸! 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳/𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴! 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 @𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺_𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵_𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.


𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳: 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."

Another favorite by Julie Anne Long. I loved both the innocence (in ways of the world) of the heroine and the imposing presence of the hero. The connection between these two was magical, the banter perfection, full of teasing and realizations and finding someone who understands you in a stranger. The book is mostly set in ballrooms and I loved that! jAL is so clever in this series with giving us the “home” of the boarding house and comfort of all our favorite recurring characters, but having our couple feel fresh in a new setting with their relationship growing outside of the sitting room of the GPOTT. That being said, there are still plenty of sitting room scenes with hilarious back and forth between favorite characters. It was a delight. The entire book was a joy.

The Queen of the slow burn, Julie Anne Long, has done it again with the seventh book in the Palace of the Rogues titled My Season of Scandal. The world at the Palace of the Rogues has been tightly crafted with well developed characters and romantic plotlines. There are supporting characters from previous books and of course, the owners of the Palace with their husbands.
As it begins, we meet Catherine Keating, a 22 year old young woman from county side of Northumberland and Dominic Kirke, 35, of Wales and member of Parliament in the House of Commons. They are both new guests at the Palace of the Rogues and have unexpected meeting after retiring to their respective rooms, Let the attraction and fascination begin!
July Anne Long loving creates complex characters and Dominic is no exception. He is a world weary public servant fighting for the ones who have no voice and leaves no space in his life for meaningful friendship or relationships. His reputation such that women wanted to grab his attentions. He is direct and curt with everyone but is still respected. Dominic is multi layered and as the story unfolds we get glimpses of the core of the man. Moving revelations that explain the stalwart fighter for justice and an ice covered heart.
Catherine is beautiful, wholesome and completely caught off guard by the actions and comments of the TON. As a the only child of a county doctor and his now deceased wife, she was surrounded by her parents' love and care, She is visiting London to be sponsored by a friend of her Aunt Keating so she might find a husband,
A bit starstruck but still firmly planted in who she us and what she wants in a husband, She tends to be honest in her conversations but is intelligent and witty enough to couch her comments into proper society expectations, Unexpectedly, Dominic becomes a secret friend who helps her navigate the Ton. These meeting create a friendship and need to know more about each other.
As the book progresses, the chemistry sizzles between them. Angst, longing and denial of feelings are woven through the dinners and social hours at the Palace of the Rogues as well as the various balls of the season. She holds her own in conversations with him and often leaves him astonished with her courage along with her insights. Julie Anne Long has a way with her characters that makes them feel unique and interesting. I will admit that I cried when he gave his speech in Parliament and explained his love of Clover! That broke my heart open! She has a way of pulling those emotions from her readers.
I hope she continues to write more about The Palace of the Rogues, but if she does not, I will be happy to read any of her new works.
I read an Advanced Reader Copy and am leaving a voluntary review based solely on my reading experience,

What a terrific couple! I took longer than usual to read this book because I had to keep stopping and savoring the story. I think I highlighted half of it. Catherine is such a lovely character -- young but wise for her years. She has a few things to learn, though, and Dominic is the teacher that fate chooses for her. Dominic is jaded and driven. He has a few things he needs to learn, and Catherine will be his teacher, too. I loved their dynamic and their honesty. I cried like a baby at Dominic's grand gesture. I knew it was coming, and I was still surprised by how it grabbed me. We're talking Wentworth's letter to Anne unforgettable. I loved every page of this book.
I adore getting to see glimpses of the residents of the Grand Palace of the Thames. Mr. Delacorte, Mrs. Pariseau, and Dot never disappoint. And I love seeing Delilah and Tristan, Angelique and Lucien as their marriages develop. Those scenes are like visiting with old friends and are so satisfying. This was another beautiful addition to the series.

Catherine is the daughter of a country doctor in London to find a husband and has an optimistic outlook for the Season while staying at the Grand Palace on the Thames. While it seems unlikely that she’ll get along with the grumpy Dominic while he’s also staying at the boarding house, he admires her cleverness and wit when they converse in secret alcoves at various balls. He’s got a sordid history and a scandalous reputation, despite his well-spokenness at Parliament defending the rights of young laborers. He’s grumpy and jaded and is definitely too old for Catherine, but he cannot help being drawn to her. Despite his own reservations, he continually finds ways to protect and care for Catherine. And his ultimate grand gesture is one for the ages here.

Possibly my favorite in the palace of rogues series. These books have a quiet romantic quality where you get to know these characters and watch them fall in love in the best way. So witty, fun, romantic. All the things you would want. Highly recommend! Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for approving me to read and review this ARC. I cant wait to read more from this author.

I read the previous book in this collection last year despite picking it up mid series. I had seen this author's books at multiple sales but never felt inclined to read them. This book was sweet, but I don't care for ensemble novels that constantly skip to multiple perspectives, especially in a romance. Perhaps because I'm not as familiar with the other couples, but I like to personally only focus on one relationship at a time. I understand this takes place at a hotel nevertheless I don't need the 411 on every single room. I'm willing to learn the tea from the bellboy and even that's pushing it.

My Season of Scandal was a cute romance, even if it was obfuscated by several other couples trying to steal the limelight. Keating and Kirke were two temporary residents of the Palace of Rogues who gradually grew closer together during their stay at the love hotel. I loved the way they addressed each other by their surnames. That's a cute feature and even cute little nicknames make me so happy when I see them in romance novels. I did like their courtship but I don't believe I'll continue with this particular series. There were too many characters to keep track of and I wasn't fond of the fact that our main couple had to share the stage of love.

My Season of Scandal had its moments, but it's not one I'll remember in the next few months. I do like the author's writing and her chemistry between characters, but this series isn't doing it for me. I may revisit her when she does a different collection, but only time will tell. I'm grateful for this opportunity and NetGalley still remains the bountiful gift that keeps on giving. I'll pass on this Season of Scandal, but you can find me at the hotel's free continental breakfast buffet.

"Read this book!" That is if you crave beautifully written prose, well developed characters, and depth in a story. I savored it and am anxiously looking for more from Julie Anne Long. This is not a fluffy tale of romance, nor is it about what my curmudgeonly husband would call, 'slaking and oscillating'. Like any worthy adventure, "My Season of Scandal" teases and hints before reaching beyond a mere HEA. The reader is drawn into the story through artfully portrayed support characters and the details of the period. Good, bad, and sometimes ugly, human behavior doesn't seem all that different today. Let's hope that we all can master our own HEA's as well as Julie Anne Long has done here.

I have been a fan of Julie Anne Long for years since I picked up the first book in the Pennyroyal Green Series. This series of the Palace Of Rogues is equally entertaining but while I found most of the books so far high 4 or 5 Stars I have to give this an even 4 for some of the slowest pacing of any of her books. This one almost had me yelling at him to do SOMETHING but we spend an excessive amount of time in the characters heads IMHO. Make no mistake, I loved the book and will continue to support the series unless something terrible happens but a bit more action even with slow burn romance would have added a bit to this story. So bottom line is a great story told slowly but immensely entertaining in the end and a good epilogue which should be a requirement for all historical romance writers.

Safe to say, no one writes characters the way that Julie Anne Long manages to: with heart and with a certain uniqueness that it never feels like you've quite read this character before. She always manages to elevate tropes that you would think would be familiar by really honing in on the specific characters that she's writing and this one was no different. I absolutely loved Keating and Kirke, their bond was so well done and just a perfectly executed slow-burn. What I adored about it most was that when they said that they had become each other's best friends, you really saw how that journey came about. How many romances can you point to where you get to fully see the inches that lead the two characters into becoming absolutely bowled over by each other?

This one also boasts a top tier love confession that genuinely made my heart ache and at just a few chapters later, made me burst out laughing at the final line of the book. I will happily read anything that Julie Anne Long decides to write and I hope that she stays writing in the Palace of Rogues for as long as possible!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"My Season of Scandal" (The Palace of Rogues #7) is the second book in this series that I have read and truly loved by Julie Anne Long. The heroine, Catherine is very much the adventurer, but she is sweet and fun coming from a background of being a country doctor’s daughter. She is offered a chaperone of Lady Westerling for her London season while staying at the Grand Palace. The hero, Lord Dominic Kirke is known for his oratorial at the House of Commons finds himself in need of a place to stay…Grand Palace, when his home was damaged due to a fire. During his stay, he is captivated by Catherine’s honesty, intelligence, and lack of fear when conversating with him on topics not commonly spoken by ladies of the ton.

Both characters appear quite the opposites for me…Catherine a charming and spirited but relatable individual against Dominic who is very complex with underlying layers. There is chemistry between the two at their first meeting that eventually evolves into much more. Through the limelight of the season filled with balls and unexpected meetings, both characters are true to their feelings and most of all true to who they are as individuals. The story was a bit confusing for me early on as it did not capture my attention. However, after further reading, it became a page turner for me and had me glued to find out what the end would be like for the main characters. A wonderfully written and somewhat loveable story that had its complications. It is well paced likeable main characters and sub-characters that bring additional humor to the story. The plan is to finish this series and hope the others are just as good as this one. Highly recommend the read of this fun book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Avon and Harper. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publishing: April 23, 2024
Series: The Place of Rogues #7
Pages: 384

I am a huge fan of Julie Anne Long. Everything she writes, including The Palace of Rogues series, is well done. Wonderful characters, accurate settings and suspense filled plots make reading her stories a joy.

My Season of Scandal had everything I expect from the author and the series. I always love revisiting our proprietors, the staff and guests.

Catherine is fun. She's fresh, upbeat, sweet, curious, adventurous and brave. She's bold about enjoying events while her sponsor is completely stepped away from her chaperone duties. Most of her encounters with Dominic are questionable by the standards of English society though completely innocent. - well initially. He's not chasing her but he's good enough to watch out for her because he's noticed she's basically left alone at event after event. He's at the galas strictly for business, definitely not looking for a wife. Expect Catherine if beguiling.

It's fun watching these two dance around each other and dance with each other, ha. They are both likable and though their path to each other is tortured I was routing for them all along. There is enough suspense, outside stressors and differences between our couple to add lots of interest to the story. Readers will enjoy this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute read. A little too slow at the beginning but it picks up the pace later. Although it was sweet, I had a hard time feeling the chemistry between Lord Kirk and Catherine. I also couldn’t figure out how Catherine or everyone else for that matter knew the love letter was about her—I didn’t see the correlation. The epilogue was a nice touch though a bit confusing.

Another great story from the residents of the Grand Palce. This is easily a stand alone but all the more interesting to revisit old characters. Catherine Keating has come to London for a season. She is the daughter of a country doctor. Lady Westerling has offered to chaperone her but Catherine is stating at the Palace. Dominick, Lord Kirke is staying at the Palace after his mistress began a fire in his home. This is a very sweet story of two people who find their HEA.

I have enjoyed Julie Anne Long's other works before, however for some reason I could not get into the groove of the story. As I get older the age gap of 22 and 36 becomes extremely uncomfortable for me so perhaps that stopped me from being able to enjoy the couple completely.

I really loved this book! I mean, I love the series as a whole anyway, but this was definitely one of my favorites so far to the point where I've been putting off leaving a review because I want to have something substantive to say other than that Julie Anne Long continues to be at the top of her game, and if you've been putting off checking out The Palace of Rogues you should stop sleeping on it. More specifically I'll add that I especially adored the hero here! And as she did in What I Did for a Duke, Long once again demonstrates how good she is at writing the kind of age difference romance where despite being younger and less experienced than the hero, the heroine is never naive or boring, and--leaving aside the inherent imbalance in power dynamics of the historical setting--shows you how the two end up being perfect for each other.

This is number seven in the Palace of Rogues historical romance series of which I’ve been privileged to read its six predecessors.

Catherine Keating is a young woman, the daughter of a country doctor, who is encouraged to journey to London for a season by her father, whose health has begun to fail and is anxious that she be wed and settled soon. She is spellbound by the city, and as she is chaperoned by a lady who is enamored of the card table, she is left mostly to her own devices. So unfortunately, as a newcomer to the city she could use some steering to navigate the ins and outs of the elite society.

Enter the enigmatic and renowned House of Commons speech-giver, Lord Dominic Kirke, a man who is temporarily staying at the Grand Palace on the Thames in a room just above Catherine's own. Kirke is arrested by her sharp wit, honesty and intelligence and is drawn in by her fearlessness to converse with him on any topic as others are often intimidated by him by his sly intelligence. As he secretly becomes her "chaperone" in the absence of other guidance, they become friends and seek each other out to spend time with at society events. As Catherine develops a crush on the man she has discovered has a whole other side from his public persona, Kirke endeavors to distance himself from her to spare her heart as he is guarding his own heart and harboring a secret that endlessly torments him.

While this one started a little more slowly for me than some of her others, it quickly picked up as the mains came alive and displayed their unique and vibrant personalities. This is a romance that is usually not one of my favorite tropes (older man, 35 and younger woman, 22), but in the hands of Long, I found myself not overly concerned with this...I felt this was more of a cerebral romance than I usually find and found that both refreshing and intriguing. Catherine, who is a wonderful and endearing revelation, is a young woman wise beyond her years, who meets the cynical, brutal honest and sometimes a bit arrogant Kirke on her own terms, bravely and unflinchingly. And Kirke, for his part, is often taken off guard and captivated by her spirit, her simple honesty and her refreshing originality. These two souls shine together as they slowly grow closer. And Long draws out the tension and expectation of intimacy in just the right way…this is not your typical "heavy on bed sport" romance (the physical intimacy is less prolific) but rather a sweet meeting of minds and understanding.

I’m never disappointed with a Long romance, and this one is particularly singular in its concept and characters. Very well done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing the free early arc of My Season of Scandal for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

A slow burn historical romance novel that will have you pining for more! I don't know if this is part of an interconnected series of standalone romances or not, but if it was, I didn't feel like I missed any external context. I was able to confidently follow the love story, and I had a great time. I highly recommend!