What's not to love about a romance with some scandal!!! A tightlaced Marquees, scandalous spinster, blackmail, passionate tension, and a little more scandal make for a fun read!! I loved Rory's strong nature to stand tall even against a society who shunned her and Lucas is an honorable man who wants to do the best for his title....boy do these two collide!!!

The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake is book Six in the "Cinderella Sisterhood" series. This is the story of Aurora Paxton and Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell. I have read the previous book but feel this is easily a standalone book .
After a terrible mistake Aurora was shunned from the town and her family. But now she is being called back home to help with an issue that has come forward. It seems her step mother is being blacked mailed and her much loved half sister may be hurt by the scandal if not stopped.
Lucas was a hard hero to love for sure. He is out to get himself a heiress to save his estate but yet he keeps going toward Aurora. But at the same time he is really harsh with Aurora. But through it all they do end up finding their ending.
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I received an ARC copy from Netgalley for my honest review


The Scandalous Flirt was an outstanding book and the characters with their problems

Aurora (Rory) Paxton return to London after a years Long exile discovering her step mother is being blackmailed.Aurora returns to find out who’s is blackmail her step mother and her sister but not everything is that it seems

Lucas and Aurora find to who’s blackmailing and then things happen

Won’t ruin anything else for you guys

I was delighted to find that The Scandalous Flirt was a bit of a unique take on common historical romance tropes. You have a dash of matchmaking magic/fairy godmother, a hint of scandal and a possibly ruined woman, a cheating lady, a broke lord, and a mystery!

Rory (Aurora) is a enchanting heroine. She had her debut in the Ton and then promptly engaged in a scandalous outing with an Italian diplomat. As quickly as it started, her season ended and she was shipped off to a coastal town to live with an aunt. 8 years pass and Rory has made peace with her life. She is called back to London to help her awful stepmother, who is being blackmailed. Rory isn't inclined to help the woman who has been so cruel to her, but its a chance to get some much needed money and possibly save her sister from a horrible marriage proposal. This gets her mixed up with Lord Dashell and things get interesting. Dashell, a marquess who inherited his rakish father's gambling debts, has to marry for money. He has found the perfect mark, but just hasn't asked for her hand. He remembers Rory from her 1 partial season and still finds her very alluring. They form a tentative partnership to find the blackmailer.

The plot is filled with so many facets! Celeste, Rory's sister, is engaged to an awful man so you are hopefully Rory will find a way to save her sister. Then there is the blackmail. Who is it? Why? Next you have this mysterious 'fairy godmother' type with her magic slippers who is a renowned matchmaker. Add in Rory's super sketchy stepmother and the staff at the house and you have lots of mysteries and entertainment! The slow burn between Rory and Dashell is delicious as well, even though he is a jerk to her early on. If you enjoy historical romances which have a smart heroine who isn't perfect, you will adore Rory. She recognizes how naive she was during her first season. She has accepted that her actions were a mistake and she has found a way to be happy with her life; maybe even happier than she would have been had she stayed in London and married! Dashell wasn't my favorite heroine. He is ready to marry a girl for her money, his is quite cranky and dour, and he isn't swoon worthy. However, his brother Henry was hilarious! He is the total opposite of Dashell-Henry is charming, light hearted, and suave.

Bottom line: The Scandalous Flirt was a refreshing historical romance with a well crafted plot and interesting characters all around!
Link Live on 10/30/17

It’s been some time since I have read a book by this author. This is book 6 of the Cinderella Sisterhood series. This is easily a standalone story. Thanks goes to the publisher and Net-Galley for an advance copy of The Scandalous Flirt.

While the pacing is good, I struggled with it. The plot is a bit weak and heavy on mystery and weak on romance. For most of the book, they detest each other and only tolerate being together because they are trying to solve the mystery of who is blackmailing Aurora’s silly step-mother.

Aurora’s character did not come across as a flirt at all to me. I guess the title reflected the scandal she was involved in during her first season. While Aurora doesn’t like her step-mother, she loves her half-sister and doesn’t want her touched by scandalous as it had her in her first season. That is an admirable goal, but other than that, I did not care for her character very much.

Lucas is not a hero I could love or even like. He is rude to Aurora, and it makes no sense that he was in love with her eight years before. If that was the case, why did he forget about her? I found his character very disappointing. All through the book, he is pursuing an heiress so he can save his estate from ruin, not an admirable aspect of his character.

The romance is practically non-existent. At 60% into the book I was still waiting for the first kiss! At that point, I expected this to follow along the pattern of older, traditional regencies with the kiss being the climax to the love story. Imagine my surprise when they end up in bed toward the end of the book. For me, there was no chemistry between this duo.

Now, the mystery aspect of the story. While did keep the pacing going, it was a bit predictable to me. There were a few surprises along the way, but not enough to support the book.

The most enjoyable part of this tale is the friendship between Rory’s aunt and Lucas’s mother. They added a delightful touch to this story. The banter between these two ladies is enchanting and lively.

Nonetheless, The Scandalous Flirt is well-written, so I was able to give it 3.5 stars. If you’re looking for a mystery with a splash of romance, then this book may appeal to you more than it did for me. Happy reading!

Aurora has been unfairly labeled as a Scandalous Flirt and, as punishment, banished to her aunt’s home at the back of beyond. She may be down, but she isn’t out! Olivia Drake writes a charming Cinderella tale of a step-daughter who is visited by a kindly godmother. All this Cinderella needs is a little help, though. She is perfectly able to rescue herself, and her prince charming, and several beloved family members at the same time. Great fun!

The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake
Cinderella Sisterhood #6

Loosely based on a number of fairytales I noticed:
*Magic Slippers (Ruby Colored)
*Spinning wheel with sharp finger pricking spindle
*Evil stepmother
*Stepsister (not as evil as Cinderella’s)
*Fairy Godmother type person
*A woman that reminded me of the bedridden woman in the Pollyanna movie
*And perhaps more

This story was entertaining but not terribly deep with Aurora “Rory” Paxton being banished to the country for an indiscretion. She was away for almost a decade before being brought back to solve a mystery. She finds her sister betrothed to a person she has no business ending up with, the clueless stepmother, the guy that is not really prince charming but an okay guy, a few balls to attend, the man she was indiscreet reappearing, a blackmailing plot…and more…I did not relate to any of the characters…not really…but did finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

Our matchmaker, Lady Clarissa Milford has found another young woman who needs the special slippers.
Miss Aurora Paxton was sent to the country in disgrace eight years ago. Now she has been asked to help the very woman who sent her away.
Lucas Vale, the Marquess of Dashell has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He desperately need a large infusion of funds. The only way he can see through it is to marry an heiress.
Our heroine is a very intelligent lady with a mystery to solve. Being back in London is going to bring many memories for her, some better than others.
Our hero is trying to sort out his finances, the last thing he needs is more trouble.
A marvellous historical romp. Lots of fun and adventure for our characters and us. It is part of a series relating to the shoes, but each is a stand alone story. I now need to go a find the others. I loved every page. A beautiful lighthearted read.

This is a fair and honest review in return for the privilege of receiving this ARC. Who defines what is scandalous? So many things can be misconstrued and often are. Really nice story which could continue unless I miss my guess. Definitely worth your money and time to read.

This turned out to be a delightfully unexpected story. First of all, the sexual tension in this book was off the charts! It reached a point where it was almost unbearable and it made the romance between Rory and Lucas absolutely sizzle! Their few stolen kisses were better than some sex scenes that I've read. On top of the romance was a great mystery! I loved the suspense surrounding Kitty's blackmailer and the intrigue that it gave this book. I absolutely adored headstrong Rory and swoony Lucas. Both were strong, well developed characters. The secondary characters were also fabulous and rounded out this story perfectly!

During her debut season, Aurora was involved in a scandal that nearly ruined her family. Rushed off to the country, she’s made a life for herself with the new ‘limited’ options, even as her tendency to speak her mind hasn’t changed much. But, a new scandal threatens her family, and she’s brought back to London to see if she can’t find a solution. Hired as a companion to the suspected blackmailer’s mother, Aurora will be singularly placed to find the culprit.

Lucas, newly minted Marquess of Dashell is struggling to keep things on track, with an heiress he’s courting and a rather mercenary approach to marriage and his own happiness being unimportant – he’s a bit of a cold fish, and not particularly engaging. But, it’s also very clear that he’s not the blackmailer that Aurora was led to believe, and their cooperation to find the real culprit is now aided and manipulated a touch by his mother and her aunt.

The second I’ve read in this series – the references to Sleeping Beauty are far between and more emotional in nature – the two are closed off from their emotions. He’s believing that emotion has no part in his life, hers are rather immature and erratic – and the two together have some moments that are clever –but miscommunication, his bad behavior and the overall feeling that these two were thrust together without really establishing either as a viable primary character was the overwhelming feeling I was left with. Both Rory’s aunt and Lucas’ mother were far more intriguing as people, and their determination to see the best for the couple was apparent – if not always apparent to readers. Quick reading, solid descriptions and clever twists to unveil the blackmailer, this was a decent read, but not imbued with the feeling that would leave me believing that love would conquer the differences between them, or that they were meant to be together forever.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appared at <a href=” http://wp.me/p3OmRo-9qy/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

It’s magically delicious! Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. I had read some very negative reviews of this book so I started reading with some trepidation. Imagine my delight to find that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I didn’t interpret the things others had complained about in the same way they did. Yes, there were some things that weren’t acceptable for the Regency period, but she was ‘in disguise’ and she was already a ruined woman anyway.

Eight years ago, Aurora Paxton was a beautiful, lively, intelligent, romantic and very naïve young woman in the middle of her first season. She was always surrounded by a horde of admirers – until everything changed in the blink of an eye. She was caught in a compromising position with a man who had pursued her relentlessly – professing his love. Then, when they were caught and her father demanded marriage, they found out he was married. So, she was banished to live in a small cottage by the sea with her aunt. She was totally banished from society and her family as well.

So here I have to say that I think her father was a huge hypocrite. Aurora always speaks of him as being loving toward her, etc. but I cannot reconcile that with his treatment of Aurora. I can’t explain why I call him a hypocrite with spoiling a part of the story, but his treatment of her just didn’t ring true.

Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell, is deeply in debt thanks to his profligate father. All of his life he has done his best to distance himself from acting any way at all like his father. Most people viewed him as stodgy and cold because of his always perfect behavior. He also admired Aurora in that season, but from a distance, because he knew she was too lively and undisciplined to be the right woman for him. So, when the scandal engulfed her and she was shipped off, he wrote her out of his life.

The book blurb makes it sound like Lucas had concocted some wild scheme to bring Aurora back to London so he could rehabilitate her reputation. That is NOT the case. Lucas had nothing to do with bringing her back – he has to marry for money and had already picked out the heiress he planned to make an offer for.

In the first couple of chapters you have – a fairy godmother, a prick from the spindle of a spinning wheel, ruby slippers, and a wicked step-mother. What a mixture of fairy tales. But – after that, those references clear up and it is on to a nice story.

I liked Lucas and Aurora, but Lucas drove me nuts sometimes. I do understand why he kept clinging to marrying the heiress – she was the only way to pay his debts, save his estates and provide for his mother and brother. The poor boy really was caught between a rock and a hard place!

There was an HEA for Aurora’s younger sister included in the book and that was nice. What I wish had also been in the story had been an HEA for Lucas’ brother – maybe with the heiress Lucas was planning to marry and an Epilogue set a year or two later. It would be nice to see the couples and their growing families.

"I requested and received this e-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."

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Scandalous Flirt isn't the first book in this series that I have read but one of the things that I enjoyed about this book was that you did not need to read the previous books of the series to be able to enjoy this one. The series centers around an older leader of the ton and how she wants other women to improve their situation and find their true love. After letting the heroine of the story borrow a pair of enchanted shoes that she herself was gifted by a gypsy, she subtly manipulates the hero and heroine into crossing paths and let's them take over from there.

The heroine Aurora has been banished to the country after being compromised by a man who could and would not marry her. She receives a letter from a stepmother asking her to come back to London after being gone for years because her stepmother is being blackmailed. To help her stepmother and to protect her sister, she gets a job working for the hero, Lucas, as a companion to his bed bound mother. She is a smart, strong and likable heroine who I instantly enjoyed.

Lucas is a strong hero who is trying to save his family by marrying a rich heiress until he meets Rory. Their attraction to each other, that has always been there for him, is nicely paced and I loved reading these two fall for each other. They both attempt solve the mystery of who is blackmailing her stepmother and to fight their attraction to one another but are unable to.

I loved the secondary characters in the story, especially his mother who is ornery and has a sharp tongue for anyone who comes near her, and Rory's aunt who is blunt, motherly, and kind. The only issue that I has was (view spoiler)

I have to start off by saying I LOVE reading romance novels set back in Europe. There is something so fantasy like about imagining A lady and a rake, or a lady fallen from grace and an honorable high society nobleman. This story did not disappoint. A woman cast out of society for being a little naive and thinking she had fallen in love returns to the place she was banished from to help solve a crime. This return creates tension and romance with a nobleman who was attracted to her before her fall, but can't have her now because he has to marry for money. Through heated exchanges and trials the two must work together to solve the puzzle to the crime. Will their attraction be enough for this man to give up luxury to be with her, or will it be a short lived passion?

Great read.

The Scandalous Flirt was a delightful romance with a scandalous heroine, a mysterious honorable hero and the blackmail scheme that brings them together.

During her debut season, Aurora Paxton was banished to the country to live with her aunt after she was caught up in a scandal that nearly ruined her family. After being informed that her stepmother is being blackmailed and her sister is engaged to a man twice her age, Aurora returns to town to get to the bottom of things. When her stepmother claims Lucas Vale Marquess of Dashell is the blackmailer, Aurora becomes a companion to Lucas's mother to find out what he could possibly want from her family. Aurora quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems and when someone from her past returns, Aurora will have to decide just who she can trust in her journey for answers.

Aurora made a life for herself in the country despite being banished and I admire that she stayed true to what she wanted in life even when told her options would be limited due to her scandalous past. She has a tendency to speak without thinking which does get her in trouble occasionally. Her relationship with her aunt is wonderful and in her she found the mother she didn't have. The relationship she has with her stepmother is the exact opposite and I would have enjoyed her being ruined if not for Aurora's sister.

Lucas has recently inherited his title and is working towards securing his family's future. For a large portion of the book, he's courting an heiress with the hope of marrying her to pay off his family's debts. Lucas is willing to set aside his own happiness for the sake of the family and marry someone despite being in love with someone else. I understand where Lucas was coming from here and it was an admirable decision, but it did prove frustrating at times.

Aurora and Lucas team up pretty early on to locate the blackmailer as it's apparent nearly from the start that it isn't Lucas at all. The two have some great scenes while searching for the blackmailer and they both let their guard down during these scenes which was great. I liked how much fun they had together and the banter was excellent. There are a number of misunderstandings that occur which could have been fixed sooner if these two would have just sat down and talked. The book is pretty light on the sexier scenes which I was not expecting. There are a few kissing scenes, but the one and only sex scene happens 92% of the way into the book. I like my romances more on the steamier side, so that is my only complaint about the romance.

The Scandalous Flirt ended up being a really fun read and the mystery aspect was well done and kept my interest. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great historical romance and you can read it without having read the others in the series as it stands well on its own.

“The merest breath of scandal can ruin a lady” - Miss Cellany.
This book has a definite fairytale quality to it. A fairy godmother, magic slippers and a finger pricked on a spinning wheel are all woven into the first two chapters. Add to this a young woman who has been banished for 8 years having been duped by a married man; blackmail, radical opinions, gambling debts, a Duke and a Marquess. An enthralling read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Eight years ago Aurora Paxton was a sought-after debutante until a scandalous mistake ruined her. She was shunned by her family & banished to live in disgrace. She’s been living with her Aunt in Norfolk until she's summoned back to London by her stepmother Kitty, who is being blackmailed over some incriminating letters which she believes were stolen by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquis of Dashell.
Lucas is someone Rory's known for years a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. Rory becomes Lucas’ mother’s companion so that she can search for the stolen letters but things, of course don’t go to plan.
A well written very entertaining book. The characters are well drawn & the plot very well paced. I felt sorry for Rory, she’s been shunned for eight years for being ruined but she’s had all of the pain but had none of the pleasure. Lucas has the demeanour of an aloof icy Marquis but underneath he’s any but. The pair decide to track down the thief & blackmailer which leads to some lively encounters, there’s also a runaway, a cantankerous mother & a newspaper column thrown into the mix. I ejoyed the book & look forward to more from the author

Publisher's Description:

Scandal begins with just one kiss. . .

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season—until a scandalous mistake ruined her.Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years—a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her—and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?

My Thoughts:

This is the third book I have read in this series. I found it impossible to put down. It wash an equal to His Wicked Wish and in this reader's opinion better than Bella and the Beast.
The undeniable mystery and blackmail scheme caught my interest from the start.
Lucas is the first person that Rory's stepmother suspects is her blackmailer. After all the missing letters were written by his now deceased father and he was present in her home when they disappeared.
Rory devises a plan to infiltrate Lucas's household by becoming his mother's companion.
This diversion works initially, but not for long.
This convoluted tale takes us on many twists and turns before finally leading us to the culprits. Yes there is more than one person responsible.
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5.0 flames. Having been burned before our heroine doesn't immediately become intimate with our hero and he is too gentlemanly to force the issue.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I found this book while poking around on NetGalley looking for something new to read. The cover caught my eye – the blue dress is just luscious and the red pop from the shoes seemed to fit the title – The Scandalous Flirt. Yeah, with shoes like that, I bet the heroine IS a scandalous flirt! So, I requested the book and was delighted to receive an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. When I started the book, I quickly realized that it is the 6th book in a series in which I have already read numbers 1, 2, 4. I’m a sucker for a fairytale retelling and enjoy that each of these books works well as a stand alone novel. Though, Lady Milford played more of a fairy godmother/Cinderella in this book than she had in the previous books. She is, however, the only character that carried over (to the best of my knowledge/memory), so it still works very well as a stand-alone book.

And, in general, I liked this book! It is an obvious retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The heroine is named Aurora (Rory to her friends and family) and she even pricks her finger on a spinning wheel. After a rough first season, she has gone through several years of spinsterhood, dormant in the country, and the hero is a past suitor. The plot teams them together to solve a rather silly mystery, but it works as a plot device. Though, really, if either of them were as worried about scandal as they say they are, they would NOT have been posing as lovers all over London, using his real name and an obvious nickname for her, spending time in gardens, or taking the carriage trip at the end of the book. All of those situations would invite scads of scandal. But, otherwise, the plot is full of fairly standard writing tropes, almost comforting in their familiarity, that are cobbled together into a story that works. These included the aforementioned silly mystery to solve, the heroine as secret published author, jilting one lover for another, a night at an inn during a storm, and a swarthy, foreign, villain that has done our heroine ill.

The reason this book gets lower marks from me (3 stars, indicating "I liked it") is for two reasons. The first is because the romance was very poorly paced. They go from being distant memories, to apparently disliking each other, to awkwardly sneaking looks at each other, to all the sudden being in a bed together when they'd barely had a first kiss. For the first 80% of the book we aren’t even sure if they like each other at all. The hero is determined to marry someone else until maybe 94% into the book. Right up until the end, the heroine thinks he only wants her for a mistress. And, for what it is worth, the schmexy scene is very tame. It isn’t very long and involves lots of euphemisms. The second reason is for the “mystery” itself. As we saw in previous installments in the series involving a mystery or theft, the way the blackmail in this book worked out was a bit predictable because of the one-dimensional personalities of an almost mustache twirling worthy villain and the other possible suspects.

So, in general, I liked this book as a bit of fluffy fairy tale retelling, but it may be lacking for someone who is looking for a more traditional historical romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I was tossed on this book for liking vs meh until the end. Rory is sent away for 8 years for an "indiscretion" that ruined her name. She has a step-mother named Kitty (seriously?) who for all intents and purposes hates her and a step-sister (Celeste aka Ce-Ce) that Rory adores. Kitty has some letters stolen that could ruin the family and Celeste's chances of marriage to a duke twice her age if found out. Lucas is trying to bring the family back from financial ruin the only way possible, marriage to an heiress. The story line was cute and did hold my attention, but the amount of detail the author went into with descriptions of everything (places and feelings) had me skimming paragraphs as I read through. Of course we have an HEA at the end with everyone sorted, I just wish the protagonists would have suffered a bit more.