I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I think, when I saw the title, I was sort of disappointed - I'm used to the snappy, punny romance titles! I know, don't judge a book by it's title (or cover). I'm glad I read it!

Allie and Declan (YOU SHOULD ALL KNOW HOW I LOVE THAT NAME) were so cute together. I liked the slow build, where they acknowledged their childhood friendship and built on it. There were times where Declan felt a bit predatory, and sometimes the dialogue was a bit stilted. And there was a certain word used to referenced someone who is of mixed race (a word that I won't use), so maybe a content warning on that. I understand it was acceptable during the time period the book takes place, but I still hate the word.

Favorite part? De La Rosa managed to get "Nevertheless, she persisted" in there. Brava! I loved that.

Thank you the Entangled and to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I'll be posting a full review on my blog tomorrow!

I really enjoyed this book about two people, Althea and Declan, who were childhood friends but whose families' animosity over an incident caused them to be kept apart for years.  Now both are back in London again, and are involved in an intrigue based on that same incident from years ago.  But now the two are adults and the full force of their feelings and attraction to each other has come to ahead and they have to decide what to do.  
Great story filled with interesting characters and a dark scenario.  I would like to read on to see if Althea's twin, Finlay, has a story of his own, as he was one of those characters.  I recommend this book to romance readers who enjoy some mystery and heat with their hea.

4.5 stars, this book was almost perfect and I really enjoyed the story.

Declan Sinclair, The Duke of Darington aka Dec has returned to England after 12 years.  He was sent away after his father committed suicide and has been forbidden to return, until now.  But this will not be a happy homecoming for Dec, he returns to find his beloved older brother Albert is dead and he is the new Duke.  

Dec is determined to find his brother's murderer and clear his father's name, but when he reunites with his childhood friends, Lady Alethea Swinton aka Allie and Finlay Swinton, Viscount Firthwell, his single-minded pursuit of justice is in danger of derailment. 

This story is not what I expected, I was thinking it was going to be a straight up friends to lovers story and in some senses it was, but it is so much more!  

Allie is overjoyed to see Dec again, but she is cautioned by her father The Earl of Rockhaven to stay away from him as he is considered scandalous.  Allie seems to crave her father's acceptance and has only recently returned to England herself - she has been in Scotland for the last three years caring for her mother - when her mother passed away, she stayed on in Scotland, only returning at her father's request.  Her time in Scotland changed her, she is no longer content to be an idle lady of leisure.  But she still has a strong desire to make her father happy, which seems to stem from her contentious relationship with her mother.  But the pull of Dec is too great to ignore.

As Dec and Allie renew their friendship, Allie learns the reason Dec has returned and offers to help him.  Dec is reluctant to draw Allie into his investigation for many reasons, the primary one being, he believes her father is involved.  He tries to keep his distance and ignore his growing attraction to her, but like Allie, the attraction is too great to ignore.

The story is gripping and well written, it is packed with surprise revelations, steamy interludes, life altering secrets, ruthless villains and a little heartbreak before finally culminating into a sweet, sigh worthy HEA.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars is there are some unresolved questions, like why did Dec get sent away and why was he forbidden to return?  There are also a couple of minor inconsistencies and period related errors (that may actually be corrected before the publication, this was an ARC) but were glaringly obvious to this reader.  But even with these issues, I really enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it and look forward to reading more by this author!

Publisher's Description:

Driven into exile years earlier, due to family scandal, Declan Sinclair is called home, devastated to discover his brother has been murdered and he’s the new Duke of Darington. When clues point to the man he blames for both his exile and his brother’s death, Declan resolves to ruin the culprit. If only the daughter of the man’s business partner, lovely Lady Alethea Swinton, didn’t tempt his resolve.

Lady Alethea Swinton has cultivated her pristine reputation in the hopes of winning her father’s praise. When her childhood friend returns, Alethea finds she’s willing to court scandal and defy her father to help the handsome Declan uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. Until she realizes Declan’s redemption will mean her family’s ruin.

My Thoughts;
I can not find other books by this author so maybe this is her debut.
Declan and Alethea have known each other since childhood. 
Declan was sent away after the scandal that lead to the death of his father and the subsequent inheritance of the Dukedom by his older half brother but very young sibling.
Now years later Declan is summoned home by his brother only to find upon arriving that his brother is dead also and he is now the duke.
Declan with his mixed blood and dark coloring will never be accepted by the ton as the new duke.
Alethea has spent the last three years in Scotland where her mother died and she has only recently returned home. She is one of the few friends that Declan has and although her father pretends a friendship with the young Duke he has sinister thoughts and plans for the man.
Will this childhood friendship turn into a very adult love and relationship? Will Alethea's father allow it to happen?
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 4.0 of 5.0 flames. The build up to this relationship is sweet but becomes more heated along the way.
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 accepted this ARC to read with the promise of a fair and honest review.  So much intrigue.  Can love withstand it all?  You will really need to read this book to find out.  Good read.

It's an interesting story. When a 'scandalous' returns to London after years everyone starts talking about him. There is sadness and mystery revolving around Declan Sinclair's life. By sending him away his family had tried to protect him from everything that followed the scandal of his father committing suicide. But now that he is back it appears that things are not much different. People still remember everything that happened so many years ago but more than that he is still driven to prove his father's innocence and find out the truth behind his brother's death.
Lady Alethea and her twin are Declan's childhood friend. He wants them to be just that once again. Apparently it won't be that easy. There is too much between their families. They will never be carefree children that they were once upon a time. In addition to this now that they're grown up he realizes how attractive he finds Alethea, unfortunately he has no plan to stay in London long enough to do something about that.
Alethea realizes that Dec has changed. He is no longer the same person but she still loves him as much as she always has. Only if there was a way for them to be together....
I quite enjoyed reading this book. I loved the story, I think it's perfect combination of romance and mystery. It's well written and characters are all likable. I think any historical fiction fan will enjoy this story of scandal, mystery, and mayhem.

4.5 stars
Driven into exile twelve years earlier, due to family scandal, Declan Sinclair is called home by his elder brother Albert. On arriving back in England he’s devastated to discover his brother has been murdered and he’s the new Duke of Darington. When clues point to the man he blames for both his exile and his father’s & brother’s deaths, Declan resolves to ruin the culprit
Lady Alethea Swinton has cultivated her pristine reputation in the hopes of winning her father’s praise. When her childhood friend Declan returns, Alethea finds she’s willing to court scandal and defy her father to help the handsome Declan uncover the truth behind the deaths in his family. 
A page turning roller coaster of a novel, which I found very hard to put down. The pace of this well written story was very good & the pace quickened to the climax. The characters are well developed & have plenty of depth. Declan & Allie are very likeable, their attraction sizzles & becomes hotter with each meeting. I was a little confused about the diary entries at the start of each chapter but all is revealed. I hope Finley & Fiona have their stories as they were also intriguing characters. If you like mystery, murder as well as romance then like me you’ll love this book.

I received a copy from the publishers in via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Description from the book:
Driven into exile years earlier, due to family scandal, Declan Sinclair is called home, devastated to discover his brother has been murdered and he’s the new Duke of Darington. When clues point to the man he blames for both his exile and his brother’s death, Declan resolves to ruin the culprit. If only the daughter of the man’s business partner, lovely Lady Alethea Swinton, didn’t tempt his resolve.
Lady Alethea Swinton has cultivated her pristine reputation in the hopes of winning her father’s praise. When her childhood friend returns, Alethea finds she’s willing to court scandal and defy her father to help the handsome Declan uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. Until she realizes Declan’s redemption will mean her family’s ruin

This is the first novel by author Liana De la Rosa. For a first attempt, the author did exceedingly well. There are some inconsistencies in regards what would have been acceptable in historical England but overall the story is well written and develops at a nice pace.

Lord Declan Sinclair, Duke of Darington, has just returned from being away for twelve years. Lady Alethea Swinton has just returned from being away with her mother's people in Scotland. Declan's father had committed suicide when he was accused of a fraud and a lot of people lost their money. His older brother was murdered.
These are just a few of the strings to this complex tale of murder, fraud, lies, and other surprising secrets. The characters, descriptions and dialogue give the story depth and help keep your interest. The plot has been woven with a master touch to make this a mesmerizing read. You are grabbed from the first page and are unable to put it down, until the end. I loved the relationship between the twins, they not only loved each other but they trusted each other, as well. I highly recommend this wonderful book. 
I received this ARC and voluntarily reviewed it.

Lady Alethea Swinton, her twin brother, Finlay, Lord Firthwell and the second son of the Duke of Darlington, Declan Sinclair were childhood friends. Their friendship was fractured by tragedy and scandal involving their fathers. Declan disappeared from England, his absence fuelled gossips and speculations from the ton.
Declan resurface after over a decade, now the new Duke Darlington. They manage to rekindle their friendship despite their old wounds but face fresh gossips and scandals. 
Allie and Declan's affection and passion for each other has grown and stood the test of time and their separation. 

Friends-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes and Liana de la Rosa has written this triumph- against-all-odds story beautifully. The characters are interesting and the repartees are witty. There are plenty of emotions and actions in play: loyalty, friendship, power, greed, betrayal, deceit, murder, kidnapping, family drama, secrets, vengeance, forgiveness, lust and love. 

This is an excellent read. Five stars.

I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley, This is my impartial review.

To Love A Scandalous Duke is a great, steamy romance that I enjoyed reading. The chemistry between the H and h was perfect and I always enjoy the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. The little excerpts from the diary at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch and I kept wondering whose diary they were from. Also, the mystery of who killed the duke's brother was also interesting, although the h's refusal to accept facts at first about the villain's involvement was frustrating.  But this was not enough to distract from the story or enough to make me lose enjoyment. I noticed a few grammar errors and it was sometimes hard to figure out who was talking, but these issues were minor for me. All in all, it was a pleasant read!

** spoiler alert ** 3.5/5. Good effort from new author. There are a few anachronistic terminologies, but not enough to really bother me too much and her prose is quite good and flows well. The start of the book was definitely quite promising and tantalising, teasing out the background story slowly. Declan, the new the Duke of Darington, has finally arrived home after leaving English shores 12 years earlier following a scandal that resulted in the suicide of his father. His older brother for reasons unknown had advised him to stay away, but had recently called him back home only to find upon his homecoming, that the brother has been killed under suspicious circumstances and that Declan is now the title holder of this ill-lucked dukedom. He is determined to solve the mystery of his brother's death, right the wrong of his father's shameful passing and restore the good name of his family. He never intended to fall for his old childhood friend, Lady Alethea, the daughter of his father's business partner and former good friend. She has her own skeletons in the family closet to fight through, but their interactions, although a bit wary at the start, never got hostile, and trust and love soon blossoms. I do like it when the main characters have a past connection, giving their relationship greater depth and interest. 

My issue with this book is some inconsistencies in the plot. I don't really understand why Declan had to leave England after his father's death and remain in exile for another 12 years, considering he was only a young boy then, and since his brother had to stay behind to take over the dukedom, why couldn't Declan stay also? Why did he insist on leaving England again as soon as possible when he had been asking his brother for years to allow him to return? Alethea thought of her father as loving and doting despite the fact that he often brought her anxiety and tears in his frequent disapproval of her. She continued to defend her father against Declan's accusations, knowing that he attempted to have Declan murdered as well as forcing her to marry a man older than himself. Oh, and Alethea was described as diamond of the first water even though she must have been at least 26 years old and considered over the hill in those days. I also found little true tension between the leads as the parallel mystery plot line took the main focus of the book. 

The author does have great potential. If only she continued the momentum of the first 1/3 of the book it could have been quite a terrific read. I will certainly try her books out again in the future.

This novel was a nice read. The author was able to incorporate romance with some mystery. There was a twist that I did not even see coming. Discovering the truth can cause many different reactions. How those reaction and knowledge are handled is what defines who the person is.
Lady Alethea Swinton and Declan Sinclair have known each other since they were children. Their fathers had an investment plan and were friends. All that changed when Duke of Darington made "wrong" investments, which caused Declan into exile. Years later, Declan returns as the new duke and to solve the mystery of his brother's death.
Allie is a diamond of the first water in London society and has a pristine reputation. All that changes when Declan returns and brings out the woman Allie longs to be. She is smart, but knows her limitations as a woman and is frustrated by that. Declan remembers the girl Allie was, but sees her as a woman and wonders if that adventurousness is still there.
Declan tries to figure out why his brother was murdered and it involves the Earl of Rockhaven, Allie's father. Allie realizes she is in love with Declan, but her father has other plans. She tries to keep some distance between them to avoid scandal, but both her and Declan are attracted to each other like moths to a flame. Declan and Allie both discover evidence about the truth behind the investments, which outs them in awkward positions due to the feelings of love they have for each other. Allie wants to protect her brother from the scandal. Declan wants revenge on her father. This causes a divide between them. However, when Allie goes missing, Declan knows he is the only one that can find her, but will it be too late?