As always, I love Jess Michaels. She writes such lovely, complex characters and she manages to build chemistry and tension, even in compact books. My only complaint is (and maybe always will be) this: why can't she write more longer length, "real" novel books? [/whining and complaining from a spoiled reviewer]

This was an intriguing storyline I figured out the plot twist quite early on but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I do normally love books written by this author and this novel had its moments but can I just say that I am sick to death of blonde, blue-eye, beautiful heroines? Where are the stories about the shy, kind, unusual looking heroines who have beauty on the inside that shines through? Where is the discerning hero who looks beyond the physical to the passionate, loveable person underneath? The reason I read this genre is for a bit of escapism, yes. But also to see perhaps a bit of myself in the female protagonist. I couldn’t identify with this one - she was just too one-dimensional. Hopefully the next one will be better.

When you love Jess Michael's novels you have to read this one. It's another great one. Short, a little too short - Jess' books could always have 400+ pages!

A long-time fan of Jess Michaels, Return of Lady Jane is both an exciting and promising debut to a new series. As always, Michaels her trademark masterfully storytelling with dynamic characters who have chemistry. Even if the storyline is nothing revolutionary or mind-blowing, Michaels easily draws the readers in with her skillfully written story and the characters that tell them. With each new release, she further solidifies her rank as a best erotica historical romance writers in recent history.

This book is a great start to a new series for Jess Michaels. If you liked her duke series. You will definitely love this series!

Colin and Janee were really strong characters. This author brought to life the story so vividly. Not only do these two have to struggle to recoup their marriage, but secrets and danger lurk around making the reader remain at the edge of their seat. Bravo!

This is a short romantic novella about an estranged husband and wife. Viscount Colin Wharton and his wife, Jane are separated due a huge misunderstanding on the day of their wedding. Jane has no idea why Colin turned from hot to cold on their wedding day. As she comes back to town for her sister, Colin cannot stay away from her. This was short and sexy story. The villain was predictable and I thought Colin was too easily manipulated. It was frustrating that he wouldn’t just go and talk it out with Jane. It was a little disappointing story as I was expecting a better story from this amazing author. This is book one in the Scandal Sheet series and I am hoping the other books in this series will be even better.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Colin, Viscount Wharton, has just celebrated his marriage to Jane in a most passionate and satisfying manner. This encounter gives Colin hope that perhaps he and Jane will eventually come to love each other and have the kind of marriage he’s always longed for. The newlyweds put themselves to rights, and return to their wedding celebration and guests. Later, Colin ventures outside, only to see his new bride in the arms of her former suitor, sharing a kiss. Because Colin was burned in a previous relationship, he’s already wary of betrayal. He doesn’t want to hear any lies, excuses, or false explanations, so he just banishes Jane to his country home, without giving her any reasons.

Jane is shocked that her new husband is sending her away, especially after the interlude they shared. Colin refused to discuss his decision, and Jane had no choice but to leave. All her letters to Colin are unanswered, and Jane wonders if she’ll ever know the reason for her exile. Six months later, Jane’s sister, Alice, gives birth, and Jane decides that she will return to town to stay with her. She will not contact Colin, and he hopefully won’t even know she’s there.

Of course Colin finds out almost immediately that Jane has returned. Surprisingly, he insists that she stay at their home, and act the part of the happy wife. Colin’s anger and hurt hasn’t abated, but neither has his passion. Though he despises his wife’s betrayal, he can’t help but desire her more than ever. Jane also desires Colin, but she’s not going to be a pushover. She needs answers, and she’s prepared to make Colin work for her love.

There’s an old saying about believing half of what you see and none of what you hear. Had Colin not been so wounded by a previous rejection, his reaction to his wife’s perceived betrayal may not have been so severe. I guessed early on that there was an outsider who had nefarious reasons for not wanting their marriage to work. By preying on Colin’s insecurities, this person was almost successful in destroying a burgeoning love.

I know that Colin had been badly hurt previously, but I couldn’t help but wish he’d handled the situation with Jane differently. He let his pride become more important than his marriage. When the truth comes out, he beautifully tries to atone for his horrible mistake, and I forgave him. I give Jane credit for continuing to try to make her marriage work. I don’t know that I would have been able to keep writing to a man who wouldn’t respond. To me, this showed that she was committed to Colin and their marriage.

THE RETURN OF LADY JANE is a short and entertaining read, though I was greatly frustrated by Colin’s actions. I think it’s easy early on to discover who the snake in their paradise is, but he/she does end up getting the punishment they deserve. I found Colin’s way of trying to make things right totally swoonworthy, and that made everything worthwhile.

Reviewed by Shell~~

The Return of Miss Jane is the first book in Ms Michaels new series The Scandal Sheet. Yes, this is a Novella…but Ms Michaels writing does not let you down.

On what should have been Jane’s happiest of days, her wedding day, it started off well…but other forces had other ideas, and so Jane was banished to the country, without being able to appeal to Colin or being told what she had done wrong.

Then six months later Jane is back in London, to see her baby nephew and at all costs, she must avoid Colin, I mean you just wouldn’t want to see your husband after he did that…but for Jane, she still loves her husband. There was a moment in the book I wanted to give Colin a shake and tell him he has made a big mistake…but luckily for me, Ms Michaels did that (no not shake him), no she showed him the error of his way.

For me this book was a great start to what will be a brilliant series, the characters are well developed and the writing is brilliant as ever.

Poor Lady Jane, what a naive husband she has. One of these stories where you want to shout aloud to. a character ‘no, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick’. This always means a book whose characters you feel involved with, coupled with a mystery and you end up with a very good read.

Viscountess Jane Wharton has no idea what hardened her husband's heart when he banished her to their country estate just hours after their marriage. Now she’s returned to London and Viscount Colin Wharton demands she come live with him and they find there’s still a undeniable passion still between them. I love how the mystery unravels, the betrayal is discovered and how Colin tries to overcome his past betrayals and trust the one woman he’s come to love above all else. This my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

A great first in series, this novella packs a lot into a short amount of time. The villain of the story is easy to discern, but it’s less of a mystery and more designed to further the story. Jane and Colin are both lovable characters and as always Michaels writes some steamy love scenes.

I can’t wait for the next in the series. Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Viscount Colin Wharton is stunned when only shortly after making his bride his, he catches her in another man's embrace. Suddenly, all Colin hopes and dreams for his new marriage go down the drain. He cannot believe he is going through this all over again. Colin does the only thing he can think of, banishes his new wife to the country.

Jane Wharton is heartbroken when Colin sends her away. Jane stays away as long as she can, but she must return to London for her sister is about to give birth. When Colin shows up demanding she return with him to their town home, Jane goes along in hopes that they can begin to repair their marriage. Unfortunately, something is still keeping them apart. Can they put the past behind them or will it be the death of them?

Who doesn't love a good read by author Jess Michaels?! I have never found a book, long or short, by Ms. Michaels that hasn't ensnared me. She has such a talent with her larger than life characters, eye for detail and intriguing plots. I give her novella, THE RETURN OF LADY JANE 3.5 stars. Colin was once duped by a woman he loved. Not only was she cheating on him constantly, but he caught her doing it in his own bed. It has been hard for him to trust so when he sees what he believes to be Jane kissing another man, Colin doesn't question it. He just banishes her to the country and tries desperately to forget the woman he thought he finally had something real with. I have to give Jane credit. Her love for Colin holds steady and true. Jane does her best to fight for them. If it wasn't for her doggedness, her and Colin would have never found their HEA.

Viscount Colin Wharton has trust issues based in part from a betrayal of a lady in his past. When he believes his new wife, Jane, seemingly betrays him, he acts swiftly and banishes her to one of his country estates. Jane has no idea why Colin's affections have turned cold against her and she writes him a number of letter pleading with him to explain his actions.

From the opening pages it was not hard to figure out who the villain was in this novella and the hero Colin was not a favorite of mine. He acted rashly, listening to others, instead of investigating the incident himself. I did warm up to him a bit as the story progressed, but the hurt and damage he caused Jane seemed too great for her to ever forgive him. There is a lot of sex in this novella and while I don't mind sex scenes, there were too many scenes for my tastes.

Viscount Colin Wharton thinks he has finally found the one woman he can trust after he was betrayed by his first love. At their wedding ball, he is crushed when he finds her with her former suitor on the terrace, kissing, his reaction is immediate. Colin sends her to one of his estates, determined to forget her.

Viscountess Jane Wharton has no idea of what happened to make her husband send her away after their wedding ball. She is trying to make the best of her banishment. Six months later, Jane returns to London for the birth of her sister's first child. Colin demands that she stay with him to stop the rumors.

When they discover the secret that has kept them apart, can their love be rekindled?

This was a passionate romance with a huge twist. I loved every minute of this book. There is so much emotion in this book, from Jane's confusion to Colin's betrayal.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

I enjoyed this novella a lot. It packed a lot of heat and drama in a small amount of time. I am looking forward to the rest of this series. For some reason, it felt like this book was lacking something. Perhaps I wanted MORE.

This is a story with a Big Misunderstanding. But, I don’t think it’s the kind of Big Misunderstanding that can be resolved with one conversation (those always drive me nuts!). But a conversation could have at least helped. Or started the way to a resolution.I love a good betrayal plot; I don’t know if it’s considered part of the second chances trope, or if it has another name, but when one character betrays the other, I love watching them come back together. Some people love secret babies, I love betrayals.

Colin and Jane have married and while it’s not a love match, it seems to be leaning that way as they spend more and more time together. But on their wedding day, something happens to make Colin think she’s betrayed him. His previous love had been with any man who looked her way while they were together, so Colin is a little touchy. This sends him in a downward spiral. He banishes his new wife to the country. He pretends that she doesn’t exist. And he misses her terribly.

Jane thought she and Colin were hitting it off nicely, but after their wedding, he sends her away with no explanation. She spends a few weeks crying, raging, everything. But then she starts to write him. She writes him weekly. She wants to know what she’s done and how she can fix it, at first. But after that, she just writes him letters about what’s going on in the house, in the countryside, with her. She keeps it lighter, and tries to win him back.

Then, her sister has a baby, and Colin be damned, she’s going back to London to visit her sister. And Colin finds out through the gossip pages.

He’s all about his image, so if she’s in Town, she’ll stay with him, rather than with her sister. And Jane wants this too because she wants to fix whatever is broken in their marriage.

This is where I felt it couldn’t be solved by a simple conversation. There’s nothing simple about what happened. It’s a lot trickier than a simple Big Misunderstanding. And this is also why I felt this would make a better novel than novella. Colin was not my favorite person for a while there, but then he started answering her letters. You might be thinking too little, too late, but seriously, there are reasons he didn’t answer sooner. I loved this part of the book. I wish this part of the book had been given more pages. More letters. It was wonderful. One of the better grovel scenes, I’ve read. And to me a grovel is more than an I’m sorry, it’s a whole change coming over the person doing the grovelling. Colin changed.

I enjoyed this novella, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

***ARC courtesy of the author via Netgalley

I loved the last book I read by Jess Michaels, so I was so happy to be allowed to read an ARC of this one, the first of a new series. This was a novella instead of a full length book. I normally don't care for novellas; I often feel cheated, like I was missing a full story or character development. That's not a problem here. Ms. Michaels masterfully crafts a full-bodied story without leaving anything out.

Viscount Colin Wharton marries the beautiful Jane. It's an arranged match, but passion and caring are obviously there. Until, immediately after the wedding, Colin spies Jane in what he is led to believe is betrayal. He banishes Jane to his country estate without any explanation whatsoever. For six months Jane writes to Colin, never receiving an answer. She returns to London to see her sister, and Colin learns about it in the scandal sheet. He goes to see her....

This is a steamy, heartbreaking and heartfelt story. It's apparent right from the start who the villain is, but that in no way ruined the story for me. I found Colin to be a weak hero, easily led to believe the worst about his wife. However, when he begins to write letters to Jane, my heart thawed toward him. I spent the last quarter of this book battling tears. Jane is the strong character who drives the entire story. You can't help but admire her. Can't wait for the next book!

I received as ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

The novella The Return of Lady Jane was a delightful read. I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.

Jess Michaels opens with the often used misunderstanding between a couple which could easily be remedied by communicating. These books can be frustrating because I find them unrealistic, but Jess Michael spun this tale in such a way that I continued reading and actually enjoyed it. I was very angry with Colin because of his callous disregard for his wife. It seemed extreme. But once you overcome the initial part of the novel it is fun seeing the couple fall in love.

Book was very fast moving and due to it being a novella you would probably read it in one sitting. But although it was short the story was well developed. I recommend this book.