This book was okay. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. Enough to keep my attention but was riddle with inconsistencies and anachronisms.

I really like Nathaniel, but his introduction was a bit ridiculous. Grave calling him her uncle? Especially when that uncle is an actually horrible rake? A bit distasteful. Even calling Nate as her brother or cousin is a bit more believable than her uncle. I didn't like tat scene.

As the book went on, Grace's naivety really shown through. She's a beautiful woman but woefully unprepared for the ways of the world, being accosted every which way by unscrupulous men. Did she learn anything? Not really.

This is made worse by her whole goal in trying to compromise herself with Nate and failing utterly. With any other ' gentleman' she would've been ruined and kicked to the curb and left with no reputation and no recourse but the mistress of her uncle or worse.

The plot had merit and the hero pretty very gentlemanly, but Grace and her child-like innocence was over the top and unbelievable.The characters needed a bit more development. When I came back to write the review I had a hard time remembering the plot so may be a bit more depth.

I found that Esther Hatch walked a fine line with this book. In the eyes of others, Grace Sinclair is seen as perfection, presenting this ethereal beauty, causing green envy as well as attracting all kinds of men.
But Grace is such an approachable character. A bit aloof, but honestly she just cares more than the superficial.
I was curious how this character would get herself into "a proper scandal" to free herself from the real attempts to ruin her.

I did read this book.
I did like it, but did not love it for the simple reason... it was a bit predictable and boring at times.
Saying that, I would say it was nice historical romance to read it once.

Grace Sinclair is a beauty with a substantial dowry who wants a husband who loves and needs her, not her money. In A Proper Scandal, Esther Hatch's well-written, clean romance, she must navigate through many detours and obstacles to reach her HEA.

After losing her parents, Grace lived with a vicar and his family but, since she overshadowed the vicar's daughters, she was sent to live with her aunt and step-uncle in London. The step-uncle is a gambler who sees Grace as a means to an end, namely saving his hide from "Mr. Barton" to whom he owes a great deal of money.

With no experience in society, Grace relies on her cousin Georgina for advice on how to go about attracting "Mr. Barton," with comical results. Georgina has her own reasons for "advising" Grace and pushing her toward Mr. Barton.

Nate Barton started a company, built a railroad line and isn't a popular man in Town, as he is a gentleman involved in trade. Despite his attraction to Grace, he is surprised by her continuing attempts to gain his attention and interest when so many more eligible men are around her.

"I can't believe an exquisite creature like her could or would ever love an oaf like me."

Hatch does a great job of developing the relationship between Nate and Grace, but many secrets need to be resolved before their happiness is assured. She also introduces secondary characters that beg for their own story, namely Nate's sister, Diana, and Lord Bryant!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read from this author, and I recommend it and look forward to reading more.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

Sadly, this was just a miss for me. It’s very much a Victorian-lite type of read. The dialogue, wording, behaviors and actions of the characters just came across very modern to me, it really took me out of the story and made it hard for me to enjoy.

I loved A Proper Scandal. I would love to read more by Esther Hatch in the future. I give this one five stars.

Grace Sinclair is no stranger to loneliness and grief. Her parents have been gone for several years, and after staying with the local vicar and his family she is now forced to make a home with her aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, things are made more difficult for her because of how beautiful she is. She has lived for years with unwanted advances and has developed a distrust of men because of it.
After moving in with her aunt and uncle, she learns that her uncle is not a nice man. To get out of his house she agrees to pursue a certain gentleman at his request in hopes that a marriage will occur. She is told by her cousin that she needs to be caught in a scandalous situation with the gentleman so that he will be forced to marry her. She soon realizes that this is easier said than done.
This is a delightful book that is cleverly crafted. Grace is kind and innocent but also stubborn. She stands up for herself because she has had too, but desperately wants a family who will want her around. I could not put this book down and read it in about 4 hours, but I wished there was so much more to it!

This was such a fun and light romance to read. Grace and Nate were adorable and perfect for each other. It was a different approach as Grace was so sweet and innocent and was trying to trap Nate but didn’t know how. The approach she took was so funny and he was so nice about trying to get out of each situation. The ending was an unexpected twist and I hope that Georgina and Aunt Bell get their HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, I love the cover of this book. Second, the title is interesting--how can a scandal be proper? Once you get to know Grace you'll understand. Grace is an utmost beauty, most likely a diamond of the first water, but because she was orphaned and spent the last 6 years living with the vicar and his family she doesn't know the proper ways of London Society, how to converse with men, or how to flirt. Her lack of knowledge about these things leads to many awkward and sometimes hilarious incidents. It also impedes her ability to get a husband in the short time she's been given by her aunt and uncle.

Poor Grace--it seems she can't win for losing. She's forced out of the vicar's home because the vicar and his wife are afraid with her beauty she'll take all the men's attentions and their daughters won't be able to find husbands. Thus she's sent to live with her aunt only to find her aunt's new husband is a rake who owes money to everyone, and he's going to use Grace's beauty to do away with one of his debts that's due. Grace's first meeting with Nate is funny, and her first attempt at flirting with him is hilarious, as is the parasol & hat incident at the garden party.

Grace is sweet, and has been shuffled from one place to another--all she wants is to belong to a family. Nate is such a gentleman, but he was deceived and hurt so he's very protective of his heart, although Grace seems to be able to crack the wall he's built around it. She's unlike any woman he's met in London--she's smart, speaks her mind and is truly interested in his railway project.

I liked Nate's mother and that she and Grace both enjoyed polishing the silver. Who would've thought?! I liked Grace's Aunt Bell and how her life turned out in the end. Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Stetson--such a cute couple. Of course there's at least one awful character everyone hates and we cheer when they get their comeuppance. For all the formalities in Society, a woman really had to watch out which men she befriended back then. I found this to be a lighthearted read mostly because of Grace's antics.

Thank you to Covenant Communications via NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. All thoughts expressed in my review are my own.

For all the books I have read where the characters were trying to stay out of a scandalous situation, this story line of a woman trying to achieve a scandalous situation was delightfully fun! The story line will keep you entertained for hours. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. it!

Pleasant romance about an impossibly beautiful orphan, Grace Sinclair, who is constantly rejected by women because of her beauty and targeted by men for the same. She is forced to leave her village as she is limiting the prospects of the less beautiful vicar’s daughters, and when she reaches her aunts house in London, her step uncle Mr Bell, insists she has to entrap a certain Nathan Barton into marriage, so that his father will forgive his gambling debts. Her aunt and Georgina, Mr Bell’s daughter are keen to get her married off to keep her safe from mr bells advances if she is not successful. She meets Nate, who is trying hard to salvage his encumbered estate by developing a railway line, and he is looking for investors. Deceived by a beautiful woman in his past, he is wary of Grace, and avast at her attempts to entrap him. He is still drawn to her, almost against his will.

Grace is uncomfortable with the things she has been ordered to do to entrap Nate, so she confesses to him. He can’t decide if she is innocent or a wanton, and tries to escape her wiles. Eventually, due to the interference on Mr Bell they are compromised and must marry, however, Nate now believes that Grace is a wanton, who won’t tell him the truth, and only married him to escape something. How can Grace earn his trust, and find the family she has always wanted.

This was a pleasant read, with a lovely hero, the heroine’s behaviour was a bit baffling. She had money and brains so why couldn’t she extricate herself from her aunt’s household? The details about the railway business were fascinating. I did find the use of American terms/grammar rather jarred me out of the setting, we would call it a village shop, not a mercantile, it would be “grazing” not “shepherd land”, we would say at the back”, not “in back” and so on.

Also posted on goodreads

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

As Regency romance stories go, this book delivered a fresh perspective with some unique characters and situations. I enjoyed the constant surprise I felt as the characters didn’t stay in a general mold.

Grace was a fun and interesting protagonist. She is innocent and naive in so many ways, and kept getting herself into odd and comical predicaments. Nate was a great hero- handsome, hard-working, and a true gentleman. I never knew what to expect from his and Grace’s interactions, and despite the unpredictability of the story, I enjoyed their sweet romance.

I really thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This book is the first by this author that I have read but now I want to go back and read her previous book and look forward to more to come. The story was a clean romance with enough chemistry and intrigue to keep the story interesting.

Grace Sinclair was orphaned at a young age and had been taken in by the local vicar and his wife. Because of her extreme beauty, she has become a threat to their own daughters who are ready to come out into society. So, they have shipped her off to her estranged Aunt Bell in London. Her Uncle Bell is a perverted gambler with no morals. He is determined to use her beauty to get what he wants, which are to have his numerous debts be forgiven. They have given Grace two weeks to "snag" a husband. Grace is not wise to the ways of seducing and trapping a man so she kind of bumbles around and bumps into Nathaniel Barton.

Nate Barton is different from his wealthy cousin, Nathan Barton, and is mistaken as the wealthy relative. Grace literally bumps into Nate at the train station when she arrives and is trying to escape the clutches of Lord Bryant. Throughout the book, Grace, is trying to escape her uncle's evil clutches and trying to find a match that would suit her. She is certain that Nate Barton is the one until she finds out he is not the man she originally though he was. Is it possible for them to trust one another to have true love and trust? Will Grace have to step away from the one man she has grown to love but can't possibly have? Will Nate trust that Grace's love for him is real or contrived?

I was given an arc of this book and I willingly offer my honest review. I look forward to another from this wonderful author.

What a charming story! The folks at Covenant Communications really know their audience and what they like. This story has arranged courtships, judgements based on looks, awful attempts at flirting, and true love. Sometimes the right person can come along while you’re not looking, and the thing too good to be true is actually true.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A Proper Scandal is my second Esther Hatch book. I have been pleasantly surprised by both of these books even though neither has been perfect. I'm excited to see more from her in the future.

Usually I start my reviews by discussing the female lead, but this time I'm going to start with Nate. Nate is about as trustworthy as they come. Despite an immediate attraction to Grace, he does all he can to keep interactions between them above board. Even though Grace basically tells him that she plans to trap him into marrying her, he can't seem to stay away from her completely.

Grace was so easy to get attached to. I felt sympathetic towards her situation almost immediately. Her parents are both dead and she's basically being kicked out of the home that has sheltered her for the last several years because she's too pretty. She's very naive and innocent considering she grew up at the vicarage. She longs for a stable home and a family who will love her. Unfortunately, she doesn't get that from her aunt's house either. Her aunt's second husband is barely keeping his hands off Grace. She's not safe in this house. Her uncle only keeps his hands off her because he needs her to ensnare a man whose father her uncle owes quite a bit of money to.

I get a little frustrated with this time period because so much could be fixed between the characters often with just a frank conversation. Yet this is one of the driving conflicts of books from this time period. Grace and Nathan actually do breech etiquette on several occasions with some rather frank discussions. Only they just don't get around to all of the conversations necessary. On the other hand, I love this time period because it's pretty much love stories without the modern day sexual content (although certainly, those books exist as well).

That being said, I feel like the story could have benefitted by Uncle Bell making it a bit more clear that if Grace failed in her task to ensnare a husband that can clear his debts with the man's father then he would attempt to act on his own personal attraction to Grace. I mean I knew he was slimy and all, but I often got confused with why Grace couldn't have found a workaround of some kind. Knowing there was an almost constant threat to her other than innuendo would have done more to help me feel her desperation as much as she did. I understood her Uncle's motivation, but her's felt sometimes unclear. I feel like I'm not explaining this well, but I'm trying to avoid specifics.

A Proper Scandal wasn't a perfect read for me, but it was really close. I didn't want to put it down. I read like 80% in one day which is awesome for me. I can't wait to read more from Esther Hatch as I have a feeling that her writing will just get better and better. A Proper Scandal gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Proper Scandal? What did you think? Let me know!

This was such a cute short clean romance. If you love sweet and clean romance with a regency feel, then you will love this book. This was a quick and easy read for me, and overall an enjoyable read. I did feet that occasionally the situations and dialogue didn’t seem to fit the time period, but overall it was a good read.

Grace was a great leading lady, and I chuckled a few times at the predicaments she gets herself into. I loved Nate and thought he was a great leading man. They make a cute couple, and like most clean romances, they don’t really get together until almost the end. When reading this genre, I seem to always want them to get together sooner so that I get more of them together 🤷🏻‍♀️ Is it just me? Lol

Also the uncle really irked me in this book. Just not a nice human being 😢 But I was pleased that Grace was finally able to break free from that awful situation.

Overall I would recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley, Esther Hatch and Covenant Communications for the free copy in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

I simply love Grace and Nate's story. There was some heartbeaking moments, growth, and learning to love and understand each other. I couldn't get enough of this story and wanted to keep reading beyond the end. I hope to read more books by Esther Hatch soon.

I received a free digital copy of this book. All thoughts above are my own.

A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch is a great, engaging read! I had read The Roses of Feldstone also by Esther Hatch, so I anxiously awaited her new novel.

Grace Sinclair has lived in Portford with the local vicar and his wife since the death of her parents six years. Now that the vicar’s daughters have reached the age to enter in society, the vicar’s wife is not too keen on having the beautiful Maron around distracting suitors from her daughters. Marion is not only beautiful, but she has an incredible voice, and she has a very large dowry.

Marion is to travel to London and stay with her Aunt Bell and her aunt’s new husband, whom she has never met. Her adventure begins as she boards a train to London and is forced to endure the attentions of a rake, Lord Bryant, who shares her train compartment. When she arrives at Paddington Train Station, her aunt and uncle are not there. To avoid the continued attention of the rake, she sees Mr. Barton, a man with “kind eyes,” whom she assesses to be a gentleman and calls him her uncle, so she can escape from the rake.

Marion discovers, that her Uncle has already determined who she is to marry. Her uncle is a gambler and a womanizer, and he is in debt and needs Grace to marry a wealthy man to help get him out of debt. She is told by her aunt that she must marry within two weeks! Her cousin Georgina, who is much wiser as to the ways of London, encourages Marion to entrap the man she assumes her uncle has determined her to marry in a compromising situation.

As Grace is in pursuit of a certain gentleman, you will be treated to her awkward, inappropriate, and amusing attempts to woo and entrap the gentleman. I particularly liked it when Marion gets her parasol stuck to her “ridiculously large hat.” You will appreciate the clever dialogue, action, mistaken identities and twists and turns.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun novel, and I look forward to more from Esther Hatch. I also appreciate that was a clean novel.

I received an ARC from Net Galley.

First, let's acknowledge how COMPLETELY GORGEOUS the cover of this book is! I absolutely adore it! However, I have waffled back and forth over the last day since I finished this novel on how to rate it. I wanted to love it so so much! I appreciated that Ms. Hatch addressed some tough subjects from the time period and she painted a very vivid picture of what Grace's life was like. However, about a fourth of the way through the book I was ready to throw it across the room if it mentioned one more time how incredibly gorgeous Grace was. I get it, she's really beautiful. But her astounding beauty was mentioned so many times that it just felt like Grace had nothing to offer other than her beauty. And the fact that every man within her proximity would immediately want to pounce on her just because she was biting her bottom lip, give me a break. I get it, that's a seductive thing to do, but the number of times I rolled my eyes was giving me a headache with how often this was mentioned. All that being said, the chemistry between Grace and Nathan was vivid and I love how everything tied up. I just think this could have been edited to not have so many superfluous mentions of beauty, lip biting, and men being unable to control themselves because of those two things.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!