I don’t often read historical romances, but was intrigued about one of the protagonists having spina bifida (although Julia isn’t mentioned in the blurb). The Importance of Being Scandalous is a fun read and I liked the sisterly relationship between Julia and Amelia, especially Julia's representation.

I would definitely read the sequel if it focuses on Julia.

Rating: 3.5

The Bishops have been excluded from society after the birth of their first daughter, Julia. She was born with spina bifida, presumably one of the more severe forms considering she required many surgeries and was immediately recognizable on birth. Basically, giving birth to a child with a disability was seen as a symbol of immorality or impurity and therefore enough of a reason to distance them from the upper classes of society. The only person who doesn’t abide by this is Lord Nicholas Wakefield, their neighbor who practically grew up with the two sisters and who is desperately in love with Amelia. He comes back from his trip abroad, ready to declare his love, but is caught by surprise when he finds out Amelia is now engaged to well-standing gentleman, Lord Embry Montrose. 

As Amelia and Nicholas come to terms with their feelings for each other, Amelia realizes that Lord Montrose isn’t as wonderful as she thought he was. She concocts scandal after scandal to try to scare him off, but he is determined to see their engagement through. With the help of Nicholas and his new friend, the duke heir Jasper Bellamy, she just might be able to be with the man she truly loves.



-I loved much agency Julia has. Her sister, father, and almost everyone who meet her, love her fiercely and protect her at great costs. Although I don’t really understand the implications of being excluded from British Victorian society, families with members that have disabilities do often feel excluded from everyday society so it does parallel. Yet, Julia is her own person that is defined by her disability as much as everyone lets her be. She is shown walking, running, and riding a horse, many things people with back or leg injuries or disabilities are not normally shown doing. She can make her own decisions and sticks by her own morals (even if they are somewhat misguided at times). She is a great character and I would read more things about what happens with her. 

-I also love that there are soo many different kinds of women in this novel. We the typical rude and snobby women and the free-thinking and rebellious women. I particularly liked Ruby’s character and definitely want to hear more about her relationship adventures. 

-I liked Amelia and Nick’s interactions and I do think they have good chemistry plus a long history. I liked that it was a slow burn and that they kept trying to “do the right thing” and weren’t very good at it. I didn’t feel like the scandals helped or were relevant to their relationship. I was getting tired of the random scandals by the end of the book.

-There were definitely several sexy times.

-I hated that I kept waiting for Julia to start her romance and it never came. I was honestly so excited for her to meet Jasper because I think their relationship would be great. Full of wit and spirit and even romance. I’m sad they didn’t have any scenes together.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was ready for a regal in my novels. This centers around Amelia and Nicholas whom take us back in time with this tale. It will be a banter back and forth with seeing this one build from beginning to the end. The way things were makes for interesting reading with her trying whatever but it is to no end. Help will be on the way with this taking us along. I was really attracted to Amelia with her ways of being strong and intelligent for battling the nonsense of the times. Romance builds so sweet in the times which is what lacks some nowadays. Love also has a tall order in many ways in this one.

I absolutely love Amelia and Nicholas together!! I thought that the slow burn and lead up to the characters getting together was worth the wait. It wasn't your mama's historical!!  Thes two have been friends and neighbors since they were very young and secretly love each other, but have just never told each other.  Nicholas goes away for his "Grand Tour" and when he comes back after a few years, Amelia is engaged to a tool.  Amelia really doesn't want to engaged and tries everything to get out of it but her fiance is pretty pushy. Amelia's mother wanting prestige, wants her to marry the Earl. So, she keeps pushing her daughter to marry him. 

What follows is a hero who now knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it...oh I loved that! If you love historical- you'll love this and if you don't, you'll still love this!!

I was provided an ARC from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect anyone else's.

I loved everything about this book! The friends to lovers mixed with the how to lose a guy themes worked really well together as Nicholas helps Amelia create situations that will hopefully get rid of her fiancé. Their relationship slowly develops as neither is ready to admit their feelings for the other, but once it changes it is both sweet and hot. Of course you cannot have a great story without having great supporting characters, and there were plenty of those. I fell a little bit in love with Nicholas best friend, Jasper and I am hoping that he will be the perfect man for Amelia's sister.  Can't wait for the next book!!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.

LOVED IT. LOVED IT. LOVED IT. I can’t seem to say it just once. I loved this read. I loved the boy next door. I loved the unacceptable girl next door. I loved that they were childhood friends. I loved they made it work for each other. I loved they found love with each other. I loved their romance. I loved the way their romance came about. I loved this read from beginning to end. 

The Tale of Two Sisters series has gotten off to a wonderful start. I loved Amelia (Mia) and Julia the undesirable next-door-neighbor-girls. They were beautiful together and separate they still made an impact. The two were mischief, adventurous, and romantics. That made the read feel full of mischief, adventure, romance, scandal, fun and more. Nick being second in line has his own mind. His family wants nothing to do with the neighbors or scandal. 

Getting to know Nick and Mia was fun. Their family dynamics added to the read. The other secondary characters made the read fuller and richer. The writing was smooth, clean, clear and enticing. I want more. I look forward to Julia’s story. I have some ideas. I want to see if they pan out.

Amount of sex 3 / 5
How explicit 3 / 5
Story 5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5
Review: What is Amelia to do? She's has a fiancé who boosts her family back into society after their fall from grace because of Amelia's sister, Julia, had the gall to born with a physical impairment. Then the boy next estate over returns home from being on the continent and gives her all the tingly feelings she thought went away! Ditching the fiancé is not an easy task as for some unknown reason, he really really wants to marry Amelia. Amelia's response - scheme with her sister to seem like the worst match ever.
The importance of Being Scandalous is a fun comedy romance of how to be as out there as possible in society in the 19th century. I mean pants and straddling a horse to ride it is positively over the top! With a great cast of characters - Nicholas (Amelia's true love), Jasper (Nicholas' less than pious friend and heir to a dukedom), and Julia (Amelia's sister) all help Amelia out in her scandals to find a way to leave behind her horrible-in-love-with-a-dead-woman fiancé. I really hope the next book finds love with Jasper and Julia. I soooo want Jasper and Julia to find themselves together despite never meeting in this book. While most of the book is pretty chaste, the last quarter of the book more than makes up for it.
Fall in love with the noble Nicholas and deliciously scheming Amelia!
** Voluntarily reviewed from an advanced copy **

The Importance of Being Scandalous was a fun, historical, friends to lovers tale. It was witty, charming, and I can't give it enough stars! 

Amelia and Nicholas are lifelong neighbors. While Nicholas was away on his grand tour, he's now back just in time to help out his friend. I loved the interaction between the two, their friendship was so important. 

Overall, this book was just a joy to read. I felt so immersed in the story, I couldn't put it down at all. The plot is fantastic, the story just traps you in. It's quickly paced The characters were fun and exciting, I'm so excited to see what comes next! A MUST READ! 

*Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads*

Perfection. This book was darn near perfection.

I'm almost speechless by how much I loved this book. I read the entire thing in one evening and carried it with me all over the house because I just didn't want to put it down. At all. It's rare to find a book that I cannot find any fault with, yet this one earned every sun I could ever give it. Just fantastic.

I'll start with the characters. Amelia was a firecracker of a lady. She was more reserved in the beginning but once she realized there was no feasible way out of her unwanted engagement, she didn't hesitate to put the scandal in scandalous. I was even surprised by her courage and quick thinking in even cringeworthy situations. I fell more and more in love with her with every chapter.

Nicholas was a really great character, too. He was smart and had a sense of humor I admired. But what stood out the most to me was that he didn't try to play the hero, swoop in, and rescue Amelia. Instead, he worked alongside her and valued her ideas and opinion. He didn't try to control her the way everyone else in her life was attempting to do.

That leads me to the plot. Holy guacamole, that was a fun ride. There was more than one villain-ish character causing trouble for Amelia. But the more they suppressed her, the more outrageous her stunts became. I was entertained the entire time I read this book. Amelia's banter with her sister was hilarious and refreshing. I am really looking forward to seeing Julia's story. I'm also curious to see if Jasper's sister ever decides to settle down. 

In closing...
There has to be more coming in this series. I need it, like now. Five scandalous stars!

Full review on blog: https://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/review-importance-of-being-scandalous.html

A scandalous childhood friends to lovers trope!  I immediately connected with Lady Amelia and loved her!  Her sister Julia is also a great character and hope she gets her own happy ending!!  Nick was likeable and infuriating at the same time but in a noble honorable way-overcoming familial obligations is hard in any time period.  Lady Amelia's intend Montrose was indeed a monster and it was amusing to see how scandalous she was willing to get.  With the help of a scandalous Duke (Jasper- I also hope he gets a story!!) and her sister Lady A created quite the talk among the ton. 

reviewed on good reads, amazon, and bn.com (as lady c)

A horse race in trousers on Rotten Row. Visiting a gaming hall in a dress that would make her mother faint. Sneaking an invitation to a masquerade ball attended by only the wickedest, most debauched members of society…

None of these things are scaring off bookish but strong-willed Amelia Bishop’s stuffy, egotistical fiancé.

The only thing left is to entice childhood friend Nicholas Wakefield into a truly engagement-ending scandal. The Wakefields are the height of propriety, and Nicholas’s parents have made it clear a wife from the neighboring Bishop family would be unacceptable…

But Nicholas would give up his family and his fortune if Amelia would ever see him as more than just a childhood friend. He’ll go along with her scheme, even if it means ruining them both, because he’s got a plan that will change her mind about him being merely the boy next door.




Review:




Wow, talk about not talking no for an answer!




I don't know how much more Lord Montrose could have put poor Amelia through in his quest to keep her.  It was a very entertaining journey to read about Amelia and Nicholas and their endeavors to keep Amelia from marrying Lord Montrose.  This historical romance had lots of greats things going for it....  Characters who are interesting and you can really get behind and not just the main couple, but the secondary ones too.  I have to say that I really want Julia and Jasper to be a couple.  The lengths that Amelia goes through a thoroughly scandalous, the wearing of pants and racing horses and going to the naughty ball (sorry I cannot remember the official name) bring excitement to the story.  Speaking of excitement, the intimate scenes between Amelia and Nick are very hot, they also have fun and tender moments woven into them.  Then the dialogue is witty and just fun to read.  Add into all those things a smart heroine, action and intrigue and you have a truly well-rounded story.




I have not read this Author before, but like I said above she created a engaging and well-rounded story.  One last plug for a Julia/Jasper pairing!




4.5Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Lord Nicholas Wakefield has been summoned home by his mother from his grand tour.  He has been having a marvellous time with a friend he made there.  He can't wait to tell his best childhood friend all about his adventures , and let her know how much he missed her. 
Miss Amelia Bishop is the youngest daughter of a very rich man.  Unfortunately the money hasn't stopped them from being shunned by society.  The oldest daughter has a spinal problem so the "ton" class her as defective.  The sisters are the very best of friends and very protective of each other.  Amelia has recently got engaged to be married but is having second thoughts. 
This is quite an historical romp.  Our sisters are so loving, but devious.  Our hero tries very hard to be a responsible member of his family, but his very naughty friends keep throwing him in at the deep end.  I giggled my way through this.  It's great fun.  I think I can see who is going to be the hero in Julia's story and I can't wait to read it.

The Importance of Being Scandalous by Kimberly Bell

What a delightful romp this book was! Friends from childhood meet again when Nicolas Wakefield returns from a few years abroad. He has decided that Amelia Bishop is the woman for him only to find out that she is betrothed to another. His return and subsequent events gives them a chance but only if the betrothal is broken. With Amelia’s mother and Embry the fiancé working together to keep the wedding on track and Nicolas and Amelia doing all they can to derail it the situation is filled with wonderful events for the reader to enjoy. Throw in Jas, a duke in waiting, who is friends with Nicolas and rather decadent but delightful; Julia, sister to Amelia who has a physical problem that has put her on the shelf when all she wants to do is be normal and enjoy life; parents of the H/h that help and hinder; situations Julia helps instigate to help Amelia find herself free…and so many fun interesting things that happen throughout the book and it is one story that if you pick it up you won’t be able to put it down. I really want to know who Jas and his twin sister end up with, who Julia will end up with and…just wonder if this might be the first book in a series? 

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC  - This is my honest review. 

5 Stars

I have previously read Kimberly Bell and was pleasantly surprised by her shockingly forward heroine in "A Dangerous Damsel". Well, Bell has surpassed herself in this new historical in every way, and I am giddy with excitement to see this author burst onto the scene with such a strong offering. 

The Story-
Nicholas is home from sowing his wild oats, trying to forget about the "unsuitable" girl next door to whom he has written daily letters for most of his life. Sigh. And now she is engaged. Add to his troubles a declining father, his own "misplaced" ambition, and an unclear path for his life. Amelia's life has mostly been dictated by her sister's unfortunate birth defect due to society's backward notions. When a legit suitor proposes marriage, it appears to be her best option until her best friend comes back into her life. And the "legit suitor" shows his true colors. Now she has to see exactly what kind of scandal it will take to be free of the engagement.

My Thoughts-
Just like my first Bell book, I LOVED the females. These sisters' interactions remind me of me and my sister, and I loved their wit and sarcasm. Nicholas and Jasper are excellent foils for the girls (JASPER! Swoon). Somehow, Bell has created truly fresh characters in a familiar setting with these four. Even the secondary characters are wonderful: Jasper's sister, Amelia's father, the list goes on. The plot caught me from the beginning, and at a certain point, I was not putting the book down until I was done. Just couldn't stop reading.   The "how to lose a guy" trope felt fresh as it was approached in a completely new way, and the sexy scenes are both hot as fire and sweet and sigh-worthy.

The Bottom Line-
This is an excellent historical that is going to win many fans for Ms. Bell. I can't wait to read book two and wish that there were more in the series. 5 stars!

Loved the romance and also the relationships with friends and family! Overall a lovely book.

I absolutely LOVED Amelia and Nic's story! Nic is a man on a mission to not only help his childhood friend, Amelia, get rid of an unwanted suitor, but he also wants to make Amelia realize that he is the man for her, despite what his snobby parents think. Amelia is a woman who does not want to be married. The lengths to which Amelia goes in order to try to run off her stick-up-the-rear fiancé are not only clever, but more-than scandalous and uproariously hilarious. This cast of characters was vivid and full of life. The plot line was interesting and moved along at a rapid pace. There wasn't anything that I didn't thoroughly enjoy about this book.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Entangled Publishing, LLC in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

'THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SCANDALOUS" by Kimberly Bell is the First Book in the new series "Tale of Two Sisters Series ".   This story is about Amelia Bishop and Nicholas Wakefield.  
Amelia and Nicholas have been friends and neighbors since they were young.  Secretly they both love each other but have never express those feelings.  Then Nicholas went away for his "Grand Tour" but now he is back after being gone for a few years.  But Nicholas feared he is back to late because Amelia is engaged to someone else.  Amelia does not want to be engaged and tries about everything to get out of it but her future husband still seems to want her.  Amelia's mother is set on this marriage to the Earl so that is where she is pushing her daughter to marry him.  Amelia does have a older sister but do to a physical health issue she stays in her room and doesn't come out to see strangers.  Nicholas is having some family issue too.  Amelia is a strong heroine who tries to change her path. I enjoyed reading how these two worked things out to get together.  I hope to read more from this author soon.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Lord and Lady Wakefield of Wakefield Manor are welcoming their second son, Nicholas, home after an absence of two years.  He has been enjoying his tour abroad.  As usual, their welcome is formal and cool.  

Nicholas and his neighbor, Amelia Bishop, have known one another since they were children and have loved one another for years. But even with Amelia’s large dowry, his parents feel that the Bishop family is tainted as they made their money from trade.  Even so, Nicholas has missed Amelia and is ready to declare himself to her…until his mother informs him that Amelia is engaged to Lord Montrose.  

It appears that Lord Wakefield may be sinking into dementia.  The man is aware of it but he and his wife have chosen not to worry their oldest son, Philip, with this as he is busy with his wife, children, and his work in the House of Lords.  Therefore, Nicholas is to act on his father’s behalf until the time comes to tell Philip.

Amelia is not happy about her engagement to Lord Montrose even if he is an Earl.  He is arrogant and already telling her how she should and will live her life.  She begins to try things to turn him against her.

Amelia’s sister, Julia, is a beautiful young woman but feels she is destined for spinsterhood as she is crippled.  But, she is spunky and helps Amelia plot to get rid of Lord Montrose so Amelia and Nicholas can be together.

This is a great book with lots of humor that will keep readers smiling and rooting for this couple.  I loved it and found the characters to beautifully written.  Be sure to read this one.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rate: 3/5

My take: I had the chance to get an early review copy of this novel through Net Galley. As a historical fiction, I give the novel an overall rating of 3/5 meaning that while it was not the best that I’ve read it was also not the worse. Personally,  I think that while the novel itself had a great plot, and character development there were moments in which it broke some areas of “history” which was often seen in dialogue. Overlooking that, I would say Amelia is probably one of the characters that made the novel a decent read. Allowing readers to see Amelia grow from a girl who followed her parents instructions we were able to see her become a strong willed woman. 
Romantically, readers will instantly plunge into the web of emotions that Amelia and Nick feel for each other but fail to express in the beginning. This was a great aspect of the book and kept me turning the pages. There’s lust, desire, fear (in some ways), which made their budding romance one in which one could relate to. I hope that Julia (Amelia’s sister) will also find love as she was often a character in which I felt was ignored romantically due to her physical limitations. 
Overall, I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy a romantic historical fiction and wish to see a wide diversity in lead characters. It’s a good read but personally was not for me. However, I know others would enjoy it due to the romantic and historical aspects.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SCANDALOUS is a monument of elegance, of refinement, with an intelligent plot, characters I really cared for, and stellar writing. The secondary characters are also so well drawn, and Jasper Bellamy, a recent friend of Nicholas’, is fantastic; I cannot wait to read his story. The dialogues are nothing short of spectacular in their historical accuracy and tone. Nicholas and Amelia were marvellous together, so young, vibrant, and lovely, and the sex scenes are some of the most lyrical I have ever read. I expected a peccadillo would provoke Amelia’s need to be “scandalous”, but she had a most valid and most commendable reason. And when things take a serious turn, Oh my! hang on to your reticules! THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SCANDALOUS is simply phenomenal!

in the importance of being scandalous, nicholas wakefield has loved amelia bishop since, well, since forever. but they've also been best of friends since forever. away from england in part to grow up, in part to come to terms with his feelings, nick is intent on revealing all to mia and hoping for the best.

except she's about to announce her engagement to someone else. the thing about mia is that her entire life has been shaped by her sister's disability. born in a time where birth defects were considered a mark of sinfulness, amelia's family has been shunned by polite society due to her sister's infirmity. and now mia has the chance for normalcy and her family is determined that she take it.

but when mia realizes her fiancé isn't as accepting of julia's condition as she had assumed, she realizes she cannot marry him. there's also the matter of her pesky feelings for nick to contend with. she'd thought she'd put her girlhood crush behind her when he left, but now that nick is back, her feelings have returned and they are stronger and tinglier than ever.

the problem is, no matter how hard she tries to get rid of her fiancé he isn't budging on the matter of their engagement. his single-mindedness is fascinating, because initially he doesn't seem like a terrible person, but by the end of the novel it's clear that he isn't firing on all cylinders because why would he want to be with this woman who a) doesn't want him, b) comes from a family that has been tainted through no fault of their own and c) goes out of her way to humiliate and embarrass him.

it takes a while for nick and mia to find themselves on the same page, but once they get all their feelings out in the open, things start to fall into place. one thing that i really enjoyed in this romance is the friendships that the lead characters form. it's not just nick and mia. nick and julia have their own friendship with a rich history. nick's friend jasper is a breath of fresh air, and he proves to be a good friend to both nick and mia. amelia and julia are more than sisters, they are true friends too. and even nick's brother, who one might expect to be disapproving, is supportive of his younger brother and is kind and generous. honestly, the moms are just the worst in this novel. and the fiancé who will not give up.

one thing i wanted to know more about was julia's condition. it's described as a spinal issue, and she walks with a limp. so i wondered if it was spina bifida or something similar. the version i read did not have an author's note explaining things, so perhaps it's something that is pending for a future book, or it was meant to be purposely vague.