I am about 30% into The Importance of Being Scandalous.  This is my second Kimberly Bell book. I loved A Convenient Engagement and am enjoying this book, as well.  But,

Nicholas is speaking with his friend, Jasper.  Jasper's words, "with a properly deviant partner, it can be quite ...." in response to Nicholas's statement of about leaving Paris in time if sodomy was involved.  ---  This is not necessary in a book of this type.  Please leave such topics for those who want more hard core erotica or for LGBTQ.  Thanks!
 
I will continue reading, but if this topic comes up in more detail, I will not finish your book or place a public review.  Thank you for allowing me to be honest with you.

I have completed the book and just so you know I am not a prude, the Sinner's Ball seemed appropriate for the book.  Just consider leaving out specific mentions.

My Review - 
The Importance of Being Scandalous takes you on a journey with two mischievous sisters.  Amelia is engaged to Lord Montrose.  He is still in love with his deceased fiance, but now that he has Amelia, he will not let her go.  Julia has a disability that affects her tremendously, including fevers that could cost her  life.  These two delightful ladies grew up with Nicholas, a neighbor and younger son.  Nicholas and Amelia are in love, but she has allowed herself to become engaged to Montrose during Nicholas’s absence.

Amelia and Julia’s family is considered ‘tainted’ by Julia’s disability.  Nicholas’s mother does everything she can to keep him away from them, including sending him away.  Now her husband is ill and she needs his help.  She does not want to bother his brother, the heir, in dealing with her husband’s illness.

Amelia’s mother is no better as she is a social climber and has missed being part of the social scene.  She sees Amelia’s marriage as an opportunity to better her place.  Amelia’s father seems to be in the dark about what is going on in his house.  

Nicholas is a gentleman beyond what could be expected, but he loves Amelia.  Yet, over the years he has done whatever it took to make his parents happy.  I was glad to see him step out of his comfort zone and take his life back.

Amelia and Julia decide to find a way out of the engagement through any means possible.  Thus, the importance of creating scandal.  Of course, things do not always turn out as they would like.  As a secondary character, Jasper, Nicholas’s friend, is a huge help in assisting Amelia with creating scandal.  He seems to thrive on being scandalous, too, with the exception of knowing when to set up boundaries when it is truly important.

This is truly a good book with a sweet love story.  Just a bit of a warning – there was one brief conversation that could have been left out.  It did not add anything to the story.  Had it not been there I would have loved to see a future for Jasper and Julia.  But, not after that couple of paragraphs.  Once you get past that, it continues to be a read worth your time.  The H & h are precious getting to their HEA.

I am quite partial to a good historical romance, and this one more than met my expectations. Part of the main topic being about the Heirs and the Spares is a real bonus. "The way it used to be"! 

Nicholas is the second son in the Wakefield family. His parents are the epitome of the snob tons and everything has to be done to perfection. For the family name. Nicholas has spent some time in Paris, where he met Jasper, a noble, who is now his best friend. He is "summoned" to return home and although he is not too thrilled to be back in the family fold, he has a something to look forward to. Rekindling with his neighbour! 

Amelia Bishop is from a prominent family who has been shunned by society, including the Wakefields. Her sister, Julia has a disability which is very much frowned upon. When Amelia receives a proposal from Embry, Lord Montrose, her family, mainly her mother sees this as an opportunity to get back into the good grace of society. 

Upon his return, Nicholas is informed of Amelia's engagement and he is disheartened as he has been in love with her forever. He has never been brave enough to tell her and even if he intended to reveal his feelings, he is a little too late. They have been best friends since childhood and he has to respect the situation. 

Embry starts showing signs that he is not who he appears to be and Amelia wants to rethink her decision. He doesn't take the news very well and refuses to listen to anything she says. Instead he resorts to blackmail! The Bishop sisters protect each other and together they go through various plots with the help of Nicholas to deter Embry but, it's like water off a duck's back. The mother doesn't help as she doesn't want to lose the opportunity of staying in the limelight . She does her own plotting with Embry! 

I love the camaderie between Julia and Amelia. Some of their mischiefs are hilarious and had me in stitches. As for Amelia's mother, I felt like screaming at her for the way she discards her daughters' happiness. Disgusting! I love the interactions between Amelia and Nicholas. The ideal couple. Friends turn into perfect lovers. It's a heartfelt story with tons of fun, despite all the unpleasant situations. Jasper makes a wonderful contribution to the whole story and I hope that we get to read his story. With Julia maybe? That would be quite something. 

I was kindly issued with an eARC from the publisher and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Amelia's family have been outcasts in society since her older sister Julia was born with a disability. That didn't stop Nicholas, the second son of Lord and Lady Wakefield, from becoming friends with both sisters. Nick and Amelia have always liked each other but were both too afraid to admit it. Now Nick has been summoned home after two years abroad to find his father losing his mind and Amelia engaged to Embry. Amelia thinks Nick could never be attracted to her and is surprised when just being near him gives her tingles. She doesn't feel that way when she is with her fiance. Speaking of Embry, he is older and was previously engaged to the woman he loved but it ended when she tragically died. He is trying to make Amelia fit the image of his beloved and will go to any means to marry her including blackmail. Amelia tries to call off the engagement after Embry insults her sister but he will not have it. What follows is hilarity at its finest with several attempts at causing a scandal to become single again. Of course Amelia will need help from her sister, Nick, and Nick's friends and we also get introduced to Jasper, the heir to the Duke of Albemarle, who is quite scandalous himself.
 
I really loved this cast of characters except for Embry and Lady Bishop but seeing as one is the villain it's not surprising. I felt that Amelia went through a lot during her engagement and I loved when she finally put her foot down and stopped letting her family tell her what to do. Nick was quite swoon-worthy but could be a real jerk at times. He was dealing with a lot as well though and did eventually fix his wrongs. Julia was so fascinating. She didn't let anyone pity her and if they tried she made sure they saw the error of their ways. I cannot wait for her story. I loved Jas and hope to see more of him in the next book.

Thanks Entangled Publishing, LLC. and netgalley  for this ARC.

Sometimes a lady is her own worst enemy. This romance has lots of humor, awkward moments, and hurdles to jump to get to its HEA.

I have no words to describe how much I adored THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WICKED. Having never read Kimberly Bell, I requested the book on a whim and now I have no idea how I’ll endure waiting until JANUARY 2018 for the next book. 2018! Gahhh.

This adorable friends to lovers tale features witty protagonists, secondary characters you’ll want to devour, antagonists you’ll want to murder, and a lusty romance that requires fire-proof undies.

Amelia Bishop wants out of her engagement to the overbearing and stuffy Embry like a bat out of hell, but the man won’t take no for an answer! She has no choice, with the help of her best friend Nicholas Wakefield, she concocts a scandalous scheme to scare the man off. Unbeknownst to Amelia, Nick has a plan of his own—to show her he’s more than just her childhood friend.

Nicholas is back after a two years of fun in France with his new—and my new book boyrfriend—pal Jasper and boy has he grown more handsome! It was so cute watching him wax poetic about his love for Amelia, even if he was a bit cowardly at first. I understand the pressure of family obligation and the need for parental approval, but sometimes I just wanted to smack him until he saw reason. Thankfully, he grew up and discovered his balls the courage to fight for his happiness.

Where Nicholas is more reserved and modest, Amelia is bold, curious, and anything but subtle. She’ll stand up for her loved ones and fight for what she wants at the detriment of her reputation. She was wonderful and entertaining as hell with all the shenanigans she caused in the name of “carrying out her plan.” (At some point, you know she started to enjoy herself.)

Our main characters were not the only memorable, beloved characters:

We have Julia, Amelia’s sister, partner-in-crime, and social pariah of the Bishop family. She was easy for me to relate to as we both have life-threatening illnesses, albeit mine are less visible and dramatic. She’s witty, sarcastic, and a character I wish was real. The two sisters were a riot! I wanted to join them on their mischievous adventures.

Then there is Jasper, Nick’s only friend outside of the Bishop sisters. He is wicked, self-indulgent, and nonchalantly heroic. He spent much of the novel matchmaking and teaching Nicholas to be himself and live on his own terms. He’s a walking, talking, oxymoron and I would love to see him and Julia paired up. Imagine the trouble they would get up to!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WICKED was a hilarious, incredible romp that I recommended to all historical romance lovers/romance fans who enjoy lots of laughter with their love stories. I predict many re-reads in my future. I have already added The Tale of Two Sisters series to my auto-buy list, and I expect I’ll be gobbling up her other books in the meantime.

Where oh where do I begin...As of late, I've been in a serious Regency Romance binge and I don't foresee an end in the near future, especially since I adored this story! Some authors can make this genre feel 'stuffy' but Kimberly Bell created a story that was utterly entertaining, action-packed & plum-full of swoon-worthy chemistry between Amelia & Nick! 

This book involves one of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers! Amelia & Nick have known each other since they were children and I couldn't be happier with the progression of their relationship! Of course, nothing is easy; enter Amelia's fiancee (whom, of course, I detest!) who throws a nice, healthy wrench in things. I mean, what would an entertaining romance be without an egotistical fiancee to get in the way of true love? To sum it up, the plot is wonderfully entertaining!

I can't forget about Amelia's sister, Julia. She's an absolute riot and I have a feeling that the next book will be her story! In fact, (even though I love Amelia's character) if I had to choose between Amelia or Julia, I'd have to choose Julia. I just loved her personality. 

My favorite scene was the horse race on Rotten Row. The scandal that Amelia stirs is thoroughly entertaining and I couldn't have been happier on how she handled herself during the race! 

All in All: This book of chock full of charming characters (in the vein of Julia Quinn's characters), hilarious scandals, a romance between two characters with undeniable chemistry and a perfectly-paced plot!

How can anyone not love a heroine, smart enough to know what she wants and brash enough to set about trying to get it? Strong women characters are a huge plus for me, because so many times they are portrayed as secondary, more than the stars that they are. Amelia is a stunning example of independence. She's strong enough to follow her own rules and wise enough to listen when her heart comes calling. Nicholas is just the icing on the cake. He loves her strength and despite her a scandalous behavior, she owns his heart. The Importance of Being Scandalous wins my vote for a wonderful and empowering tale.

The story was a bit quirky which I like however it had too many unanswered questions. Why did Embry really want to marry and why was Amelia’s mother in alliance with Embry? On the upside, I did like that Amelia and Julia were a tad bit different and did not allow society dictate their actions. Nicholas is not an alpha hero, strangely enough until the end. Jasper. Now he is a character perfectly written. He is funny, sarcastic and a fantastic character. Overall the story was nice.

I received this book from net galley for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 3.5 

The Importance of Being Scandalous is a romance novel set in the Victorian era, following Amelia Bishop and Nicholas Wakefield as they begin to cause bigger scandal after bigger scandal in the hope of getting Amelia’s slightly undesirable fiancé to call off her engagement.

I read this book on a friend’s recommendation, mostly because of the character of Julia, a disabled character with spina bifida. I also really like romantic relationships in historical novels, although I don’t often read straight romance novels like this so it was fun to explore a different genre for a while. It was a really quick, fast paced read that I couldn’t put down – it was exactly what I needed, and I think I finished it in around four hours. 

Unfortunately, this book doesn’t feature very much of Julia for a large section, as she in confined to her home while Amelia is in London, but I’m promoting this series because I’m hopeful that due to its name (A Tale of Two Sisters) this probably means the second book will follow Julia’s romantic life (with Jasper? Please say with Jasper…..)

TW for ableist language – Julia’s disability is often described as a ‘taint’ on the family, etc. due to historical attitudes.

Things I liked about it:

Although, as a romance, there’s obviously a lot of focus on Nicholas and Mia’s relationship, the second most important relationship in the book is the strong familial bond and friendship between Julia and Amelia. I liked that their female-female friendship was at the centre of both characters’ motivations, and wasn’t sacrificed for the love plot.

I think both Amelia and Nick had a lot of character development in a very short period of time – I felt like they had both grown over the course of the book and that journey was interesting.

I liked that Amelia got called out by Julia for her initial and apparent ungratefulness. I think that often the drama in romance novels – particular heterosexual ones – can be a bit frustrating because at the end of the day a lot of the characters are white, able-bodied and incredibly privileged. I liked that Julia got to voice her quite valid opinion that, in comparison to her, Amelia’s life was going quite well and it could be quire exasperating to watch her. I thought this was a realistic and interesting source of conflict.

Things I didn’t like about it:

NOT ENOUGH JULIA . I definitely understand why this book chose to focus on Amelia, and did so deftly without detracting from Julia’s own struggles and character development. It is certainly paving the way to greater intersectionality in romance. But literally she was the most interesting character and I just wanted to see more of her, so this isn’t really a ‘things I didn’t like’ as ‘reasons I want the sequel now.’

Montrose, Amelia’s fiancé, is quite a one-dimensional character. Although I didn’t like him and definitely wasn’t rooting for him, I never really understood his motivations and I felt they weren’t explained particularly well – there’s some illusion to his former fiancée, but its never gone into in depth, and although obviously continuing a non-consensual marriage is Not Cool, he also doesn’t really do anything horrible until the final few chapters, and by then it feels a little forced like you’re trying to be gotten on side. I think work could’ve been done to flesh out his character, if only to make him a more formidable and threatening villain – because most of the time he felt less like an obstacle and more like a plot device. 

I personally like a little more historical accuracy from my period settings – a little more detail like that which is included in The Dark Days Club and The Jane Austen Project. Although this is just me!

I think this book was well written but not as revolutionary as I was hoping it would be. I’m super excited for that sequel though!!

A sexy smoldering read that will leave you asking for more. So much fun and whitty banter.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.  Loved the book.  Amelia and Nicholas have had a lifetime of friendship and love.  The story is well written and interesting, especially the antics of Amelia and Julia.  There is a HEA but only after Amelia's mother and Lord Montrose are outsmarted by the two sisters.  I highly recommend this book if you like romance books.

Nick and Amelia turned out to be such a cute couple! Nick has been in love with Amelia for years but doesn't know how to tell her. Amelia has been in love with Nick for years but didn't know it until it was almost too late. This is one of those stories where you're like..."OMG-please just talk to each other." But then where would the fun be in that? And because Nick and Amelia were hesitant around each other it made the sexual tension between them so good. I absolutely loved Amelia's schemes to try to get Montrose to break their engagement. I was constantly wondering what she was going to do next! I really enjoyed how the playful innocence of this story suddenly turned sexy and sultry. When Amelia finally unleashed her true feelings for Nick, they start steaming up the pages. When she tells Montrose the things she did with Nick I was blushing and laughing out loud. Just a truly enjoyable regency romance from beginning to end! I hope Julia gets her own HEA!!!

This is my first book by Kimberly Bell, and I have to say that I'm delighted at the prospect of having another brilliant author to follow

Amelia Bishop and Nicholas Wakefield have been in love with each other since they were children, but with the sudden fall to the disgrace that Amelia's family had to face due to the condition of Amelia's sister, Julie, make the two families become estranged. Nicholas was also sent away by his own family and only back two years later, to hear that the girl he always loved to be engaged to someone else. Amelia had never forgotten about Nicholas and she still loved him like she did back then when they were young. One thing stand between them though, and that would be Amelia's fiance, Embry Montrose

Amelia and Nicholas love story is very entertaining to read, because I do love both characters dearly. I feel their connection and their love for each other. Even though at times I think they're too reckless for their own good in their scheme, I still love them nonetheless. They're delightful to read, the pair of lovers who are honest with each other, which is very rare in historical romance, and their declaration of love didn't involve the cliche scene that I somehow dislike. It's all very natural and very enjoyable to follow

The reason I gave it 4 stars would be for two reasons. First, it's too long. Everytime I reach another chapter I feel like I've read that scene before and it's getting repetitive that it makes me bored at some parts. I wished it was much shorter
Second would be about the evil fiance, since he is not even that entertaining to read (along with his awful family). I never expect him to be real bad, but he's just disillusioned for some weird reason that I couldn't understand, so it's hard for me to cheer for the couple to get away from him when he actually prove to be no real harm

But more than anything, I actually love Julia and Jasper, more than I like the main couples for some reasons. I want them to be in a scene together, and even have this strange vision about them being together as a couple in the next book. Could I safely wait for their story to unfold in the second book? I really hope so

I gave this book a solid 4 stars for being enjoyable and easy to read, since the villain is quite ineffective but since he brings the couple together, I have to give him credit for his evilness. Lady Bishop also didn't delight me with her behavior but Lady Wakefield redeemed it for me. Friends turn to lovers is also one of the genre that I like in romance, and this book gave me all the things that I like. Childish infatuation that actually become true love, friends that stand for each other whenever wherever, and the feelings that never change for years. This is why I gave this book a favorable review and I hope that I would find the same enjoyment in the second book

Publisher's Description:

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.

My Thoughts;

This is the first book I have read by this author but it will not be the last. I fell in love with the writing style and characters almost from the start.

This friends to lovers historical romance is wonderfully written and an enjoyable read.

Amelia Bishop is not an adventurous sort of young lady, but she is strong-willed. She is currently stuck with a stuffy fiancé not at all to her liking. She will do almost anything to get rid of the cad. These things have included a horse race in trousers on Rotten Row, going to a gaming hall in a dress that would make her sainted mother faint and sneaking an invitation to a scandalous ball  Nothing she has done so far has scared off the unwanted fiancé who seems more determined than ever to wed her.

Nicholas Wakefield was her closest childhood friend. He has been secretly in love with Amelia for a very long time. He wrote his feelings in letters to her that he never sent. His family is the height of propriety and his parents have stressed to him that a wife from the neighboring Bishops would not be acceptable… Will he participate in Amelia's scheme of a truly engagement-ending scandal?

Will he defy his parent's edict and marry the woman he loves?

I gave this book 4.75 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4.5 of 5 flames.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I loved this story. Loved Nicholas who was not alpha, but lovely and romantic and loved Amelia with a wonderful steadfastness since childhood. Also loved his best friend, Jasper and hoping for his story soon.
I received an ARC copy of this book from netgalley.

The Importance of Being Scandalous, by Kimberly Bell is an entertaining historical romance, and the first book in the Tale of Two Sisters series.

After two years, Nicholas Wakefield has returned home, and he is finally planning to romantically pursue Amelia Bishop - his best friend from childhood whom he has loved for years. However, she's already engaged!

Even though her parents encouraged her engagement, Amelia isn't ready to marry, and she'd rather spend time with Nicholas instead of her fiance. After finding out about her fiance's true unappealing nature, Amelia (along with her sister's assistance) unsuccessfully tries to end their engagement in various ostentatious ways. 

Due to the captivating characters, enjoyable conversations, and entertaining situations, I'm looking forward to eventually reading the next book, A Scandal by Any Other Name, in this series.
 The Importance of Being Scandalous is recommended and geared towards those who prefer reading historical romances.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I think 3.5 stars for this one

This is my first book by Kimberly Bell. I’m sure Julia’s story will be next and I definitely want to read it. It will be interesting to see where the families progress in their relationships and acceptance of each other. 

This is the story of Nick and Amelia who were lifelong friends and neighbors, but who secretly loved each other. Nick does his continental tour (for two years) and Amelia gets engaged while he’s gone. Amelia spends most of the story trying to get un-engaged and does some pretty outrageous things to make it happen.

The characters:
•	Nick – He has been in love with Amelia forever and acknowledges that to himself, but never tells her. While he is away on his grand tour he works up the courage to finally tell her – except when he gets home, he finds she’s engaged. Nick was raised by very cool and aloof parents and that is, in part, why he is insecure in relationships. Luckily his brother is a loving man. Nick is basically a wuss but finally finds his spine.
•	Amelia – She is devoted to her older sister who has always been looked down upon because she has a physical infirmity. Amelia’s engagement is supposed to save her family from being ostracized socially since she’s engaged to an Earl. She doesn’t really love the Earl, she actually loves Nick but has a hard time admitting that to herself.
•	Julia – Amelia’s sister. She was born with a spinal defect that also caused her legs to be turned and has caused her to have several crises over the years. She absolutely NEVER goes out in public and stays in her room when a visitor arrives. To say she is reclusive is putting it mildly.
•	Amelia’s Mother – she is a real nasty person. She’s always in hysterics and is so smitten with the idea of her daughter marrying an Earl that she will do anything, even sacrifice her daughter, to see it happen. 
•	Lord Montrose*** -- Amelia’s betrothed. He’s a good, honest, honorable, caring man – except he isn’t. Somehow, in his mind, he’s superimposed Amelia with his first fiancé who died. He cannot see that Amelia is very different from XXXX and he will do absolutely anything to marry Amelia – even collude with her mother. 
•	Amelia’s Father – he is a real sweetie and loves his daughters unconditionally. 
•	Nick’s Parents – they brought Nick home from his tour because his dad is suffering from dementia and it is getting progressively worse. They didn’t do it because they wanted to spend time with Nick – no – they did it to make things easier for the older son. They are very cold and unfeeling – especially the mother.

Most of what I say following this will sound like a negative review – but please don’t take it that way. I did enjoy the story and I became invested in the characters and laughed and cried right along with them. Most of what bothered me were ‘technical’ kinds of things – things that just didn’t ring true for the time period. So, if those things don’t bother you – you’ll absolutely love the story. If they do bother you, then you’ll just have to put your blinders on in order to enjoy the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the lengths to which Amelia was willing to go in order to break her engagement. However, I must say that if I were to base my rating on the first 10-20% of the book, it would be much lower. Amelia and Julia come across as very, very juvenile. I was glad to see that they didn’t continue in that vein. Yes – they did continue to have some back-and-forth, but it sounded like normal sister-to-sister yammering. Nick is also a complete wuss and you wonder how he’ll ever become the hero of the story. 

One spoiler for me was that from the very beginning Amelia’s family was completely ostracized by society because their older daughter, Julia, was born with a birth defect. Something to do with her spine that left her with a twisted leg/foot and therefore a limp. I can understand some people being narrow-minded and unaccepting, but not everybody and not to the degree described. So, when it started out with that premise, I had a hard time getting into the characters and caring for the rest of the story. Now, I’m talking total and complete ostracizing – even the servants work there as a last resort.

To my view, if an author is going to write historical romance, they should absolutely research and thoroughly understand the accepted societal standards of that period, the correct forms of address and primogeniture. I do not feel this author has a clue and that definitely took away from the story for me. Some examples:
•	Nick’s father is the Marquess of Wakefield, but Nick’s name is Nicholas Wakefield. That would not be the case. They would have a family name different from the title. Jas also calls Nick ‘Wakefield’, which would be incorrect – his father, the Marquess, would be referred to as Wakefield.
•	Then – there is Lady Amelia. Her parents are also referred to as Lady Bishop and Lord Bishop. That would indicate that her father has a title – yet – there is no mention of that title and it is mentioned in a few places that he made his money in business. Also, in some places, she’s referred to as Lady Amelia and in others, she is Miss Amelia.

I won’t cover the story in a blow-by-blow because you can see the gist of it in the book-blurb.

"I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

This story had a solid and engaging concept, however I feel like the execution could have been done better. 

To begin with, I am curious as to just why Nick's parents, his mother especially, feels the way she does about Amelia. It is hinted that she is unsuitable for Nick, in fact his mother insults her on more than one occasion. However, the reader is never told why. If Amelia's family have some deep dark scandal that makes her inappropriate to marry a second son, how does she end up engaged to an Earl? It is implied that maybe Nick's family is simply afraid of scandal to their own name, and while Amelia's sister does have some sort of spinal issue, it does not seem like to should be enough to keep the couple from being together.

I also felt that Nick could have shown more of a backbone where it came to her. When he comes home to find her engaged, he suddenly wants to tell her all the things he never could before? He had letters that he had written her every day that he was abroad, but yet he never sends them. If he had, this entire debacle could have been avoided. Instead of friends falling in love, this read more of a "I only want her now because someone else has her". In fact, I enjoyed Nick's friend Jasper much more than I enjoyed Nick, even if Jasper was at times a bit over the top. 

Then we get to the topic of all the off putting, scandal calling, society shun worthy things that Amelia does in order to attempt her fiance to call of the engagement. And for what? If she was considered wholly unsuitable before by Nick's family, what would they think when society completely shuns her due to her openly scandalous behavior? 

I will say that I enjoyed the risk the author took in portraying Nick's father's dementia. It isn't often that historical novels delve into things like mental decline, and I felt the author did an amazing job portraying the breakdown of his mind. 

Overall, I do think this novel will still appeal to those who enjoy a "friends to lovers" historical romance. I would read more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I have agreed to give a fair and honest review in return for the privilege of reading this book.  Sometimes familiarity does not bread content and sometimes absence makes the heart grown fonder and newness is not always the best answer and sometimes a scandal is just the thing.  This story has all of that and more.  Somehow I think (hope) that Lady Julia has a story to come yet.  Definitely worth a read.

This book did not work for me.  I usually like the friends to lovers trope, but I was disappointed with this story.

Amelia "Mia" Bishop and Nicholas "Nick" Wakefield have been friends forever - along with Amelia's sister Julia.  The three of them were inseparable as children and for his part, Nick has been in love with Amelia for as long as he can remember, but his family does not approve of hers (this was my first bone of contention - the author never explains why Amelia's family is shunned - it is implied that there was some scandal and it is also implied that it is because of Julia - but it is never clearly explained to the reader).  He leaves for his grand tour without ever telling Amelia of his true feelings.  He writes to her everyday that he is away - but never sends the letters.

Amelia misses Nick, but she is content to stay home with her sister Julia.  Julia was born with some sort of spinal issue and has a limp - I am not sure why, but it seems that she is part of the reason her family is shunned and she has been kept out of society.  Amelia is fine with that as well, but things change when she becomes engaged to an earl.

Nick returns home after two years to find things have drastically changed, first his father is suffering from dementia and his mother doesn't want Nick's brother (the heir) to know and he learns that the love of his life is engaged to marry another man.

Nick and Amelia reunite, and she is confused by the feelings she has for him.  Nick still hasn't told her how he feels and is sort of a wuss.  He is willing to keep silent and wallow in heartbreak until his friend Jasper "Jas" shows up unannounced.  Even with Jas' prodding, Nick will not tell Amelia how he feels.  

Amelia begins to have second thoughts about her engagement and when her fiancé refuses to stand up for her sister, she tries to break things off with him.  He threatens to sue her father if she does not marry him and she decides that she must make him break things off with her.

The rest of the story is Amelia with the help of Jas trying to do outrageous things to make the earl dump her.  

I really didn't care for this book, I thought Amelia was immature, Julia was a whack-job, Nick was a wuss and Jas was over the top.  The writing was ok - but some of the banter between the sister was just annoying and there was a lot of modern verbiage.  The story moved at decent pace and the idea of the story was good - but the execution combined with the fact that the author clearly doesn't understand nobility titles or correct formal address and didn't give the reader enough backstory to understand why Amelia's family was shunned, just ruined the book for me.