A solid Regency romance. Marriage of convenience as the central trope. Loved Parish's writing style.

Not so much a romance as Benedict's struggle with balancing his abhorrence of the aristocracy with the reality he has married the daughter of an Earl and in fact, will be one himself one day. He feels the weight of responsibility for the well-being of the entire village even though the villagers are starting a violent class war. He's the grandson of a Marquess but the son of a footman. Richer than most of the ton. It begins as Benedict saves an unconscious Amelia during a snowstorm. Her father and fiancé barge into the remote cabin where he is trying to save her life and warm her up. They say she is ruined and he must marry her. Her fiancé since childhood no longer wants to marry her. With no other option, they marry. Amelia has been told by her father all her life that she is worthless, the only value she has is the influence she will marry into as a Duchess. She begins as selfish, vain, and judgmental. He is uncouth with the manners of a goat. He and his sister live in just a few rooms of the large home, dusty, dirty, a poor cook, and old furniture. Benedict wants no sign he is rich and privileged. This is where he gives her a list of chores and treats her like a child. They quickly somehow fall in love but the book veers again into Benedict's steam engine, and his stress of trying to provide for the village. Where Amelia changes and takes over the household, organizes his factory, turns his sister into a lady, and realizes how snobbish she was, Benedict is childish, violent, and cruel. (She keeps saying how kind he is?) At a low point he tells her she is as worthless as her father said she was. A large part of the story doesn't even have Amelia in it. I would have liked more about the two of them. I really liked Amelia, flaws and all. I think she deserved better. I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I don't think How to Survive a Scandal worked for me. I found the heroine to be a bit much at times. I tried this one back in July and paused it, yet never picked it up again to finish. I may try Parish's next book, but this is a DNF for me.

I really enjoyed this debut and look forward to the rest of the series and anything else Samara Parish will write. I liked both our hero and heroine and the growth they experienced, the wonderful cast of side characters, and how each element of the plot was woven together to make it all feel well-balanced. The setting was also really fun, going mostly between Benedict’s estate and the factory where he worked to build steam engines for an important deal with the Americans. I really enjoyed the sexual tension between Amelia and Benedict leading up to steamier scenes, however I was disappointed this was a closed-door romance as the chemistry between them was so promising. This was my personal preference, though, and other readers might not mind this. Overall, I would recommend this book and can’t wait for Wilde and Fiona’s story in book #2!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lady Amelia has been told her whole life that her only value comes from the marriage she can make to a Duke. She has dedicated her life to crafting the perfect persona and while her work has landed her at the top of the ton, it has also made her into a seemingly cold and cruel person. That is certainly the perception of Lady Amelia that Benedict Asterly has and he is no to pleased when he is forced to marry her after being caught in a compromising position. Amelia is dismayed by the marriage as well which will see her stuck in the country married to an untitled gentleman and unsure of her worth. As Benedict's business is threatened and tension between the aristocrats and laborers grown in their country village, it may be that these two opposite people can provide the only solutions to the growing unrest.

This is a historical regency romance that plays with the trope of forced marriage and opposites attracting. While I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to fans of the genre, it will not make the cut of favorite novels. Lady Amelia was quite difficult to like for some time and I think there needed to be more background details provided on both her and Benedict to further their emotional depth. The book moves quickly and at times seems to speed over details. I would have been interested in knowing more about Benedict's close ties to those in the village and the growing unrest among the villagers. I did enjoy Benedict's younger sister and thought the moments in which she appeared were some of the highlights. Overall while we got our happily ever after at the end it felt a little rushed.

I am still pretty new to historical romance but I thought this was a great one. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. I loved Benedict and Amelia and was honestly sad when it ended. I definitely recommend it!

The debut story for author Samara Parish is one that quickly grabbed my attention and kept me reading from cover to cover. The MCs were both well developed and although the marriage between the H/h starts as one of convenience, the spark between them slowly turns into a flame. There is a lot of growth for each character as the story unfolds, and of course there are ups and downs during their relationship. This made the story more realistic in my opinion because good and bad are a part of life.

I am eager to read the next book in the series and hope we will finally learn the past between a certain Duke & Fiona. I also hope we will see more of Benedict & Amelia as they settle into the new chapter of their lives.

Overall 3.5 stars | 3 Flames

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love marriage of convenience books. I've read tons of them. And this one ranks right up at the top!

How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish is the First book in the Rebels with a Cause Series. This is the story of Benedict 'Ben' Asterly and Amelia Crofton.
Ben has no use for the troubles of the nobility lifestyle after seeing how his parents acted after they had married. Amelia has been engaged to a Duke for a long time and it appears that he is putting the marriage off so she runs out to confront him but ends up needing saving. Ben is the one that comes to her rescue and they are caught in a compromising position that leads them to be forced into marriage. Things start off wrong between them but love always wins. Enjoyed their story.

How to Survive a Scandal is a great book to jump start a series. The characters Amelia and Benedict have a fun dynamic where they each bring out the best in each other. From the very beginning I was hooked! The scandal happening right away was a great way to grab my attention. I literally couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to see how everything played out! I gave the book 5 stars but I’d say it’s more like 4.5 because I was left with some unanswered questions: Why did Amelia randomly leave London without a chaperone? When did Amelia and Ben first meet? How did Benedict become guardian to his younger sister?

Maybe some these will be revealed in the next book though? Regardless a huge thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an arc copy to review!

Half way through the book, I could no longer tolerate Lady Amelia's insufferable personality and behavior. Alongside the disastrous lead, the characters and romance lacked that oomph, the story dragged and became too tedious to read. Perhaps it was just me, but it seemed like a whole lot of nothing was happening. There was barely a plot to hold my interest. All in all, if I could go back in time and unread this regency romance, I would.

This was a fun start to a new series. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't anything special. The 2nd book in the series sounds good.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it a good debut. The story flowed well and was easy to read. At about halfway, however, it started to lose steam.

The h&h become engaged when Benedict rescues Amelia in a snow storm. In the process of getting warm, they are caught in a state of undress by her father, her fiancée and a spiteful lord gossip. When her fiancée, a duke, refuses to marry her due to the scandal/gossip, Benedict offers for Amelia. The difference in their upbringings and social stations is a source of major conflict throughout the book.

This book takes place a few months after the Peterloo uprising, and Benedict is decidedly on the aristocracy-is-bad side of things. Amelia was brought up to marry a duke and everything that entailed. She is a snob and is resentful for her drop in status and significance. They butt heads in the beginning quite a bit, but eventually form a tentative bond and way forward where both give some to meet the other on level ground. Amelia embraces Benedict’s business ventures and helps in meaningful ways, and Benedict allows Amelia to manage their household by hiring staff and redecorating dilapidated areas. Outside forces that came in the form of local threat of an uprising, important business ventures falling through, and society snubs threatened that tentative bond.

This is a fade-to-black book, which was surprising considering how the lust and early intimacies are described. I prefer no love scene to a poorly written one, but I do think one or two would have helped this story, particularly with keeping some tension in the second half. I think it could have helped with character depth, though their were other threads that could have been delved into more to help in that area too, such as flashbacks to their previous meetings or insight into Benedict’s relationship with his father.

Resolutions to conflicts in this tended to be based on compromise. Both needed to be less judgmental of the other social and also make steps to fit in with each other’s worlds. That didn’t work great, in my opinion, because in the end they were both straddling an unstable line. Based on what was show of the Amelia’s fair weather friends, I was surprised she didn’t get to a good riddance point on society. Ultimately, I was hoping they would pave their own path more, rather than bow to pressures on both sides.

I plan to continue this series with the next book. I really liked the planned heroine of that book in this book, and despite some issues, I liked the writing style and thought this book an easy read.

<I>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

Honestly, I just couldn’t get past the use of “chit” and “rutting” in the first few pages. Also had some issues with the paragraph formatting.

Benedict finds Lady Amelia freezing and nearly dead, abandoned in her carriage. So he rescues her and takes her to his barn where he tries to warm her up and save her. However, when her father and fiancé, the Duke of Wildeforde show up, they find her partially undressed and alone with a male… i.e. she’s been compromised, and the duke calls off the wedding. Her father insists Benedict, a land owner and businessman, marry his ruined daughter, much to the dislike of both Benedict and Amelia. However, when her father offers a large dowery, Benedict figures marrying Amelia is worth the hassle.

How to Survive a Scandal is an entertaining story. I always enjoy strong-willed women who defy societies norms, and Amelia is definitely one. She starts the book trapped in the in between. She was raised to be a duchess and feels like a failure because she believes her value is in who she marries. Yet once she settles in, she loves her new life. Her ties to both worlds cause conflict, as she cannot figure out where she wants to be and refuses to let go of either life. I love that she truly wants to make Benedict’s life better/successful, and she works hard to get him the advantages he will need to be successful, even if he refuses to see the advantages.

Benedict has a major chip on his shoulder. His mother, the daughter of a marquess, never recovered from her ousting from the ton after marrying a footman for love. Benedict both refuses to forgive the ton and believes Amelia could ever be happy with him. It took me a while to warm up to Benedict because so often I felt he refuses to try or compromise. His anger clouds his better judgment, and although he eventually makes a grand gesture, it takes a long time.

Benedict and Amelia’s romance has a lot of ups and downs as they learn to trust one another. The problem is Benedict can’t let go of preconceived notions, even when they have been proven wrong. Meanwhile Amelia remains torn over wanting both the aristocracy’s and the village folk’s acceptance. The couple has periods of happiness until something pokes at their bubble, causing their relationship to backslide. While it takes some time, the pair come to find true love and happiness.

My rating: B

Engaging, romantic, and entertaining!

How to Survive a Scandal is a dramatic, spirited tale that features the hardworking, laidback Benedict Asterly and the favoured, beautiful Lady Amelia Crofton as they navigate a compromising situation, a marriage of convenience, opposite backgrounds, being shunned by the ton, and an attraction that’s too hard to deny.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are tentative, supportive, and passionate. And the plot is a push-pull tale of life, love, trust, expectations, respect, determination, familial drama, and class division.

Overall, How to Survive a Scandal is a charming, seductive, delightful debut by Parish that is a promising, enjoyable start to the Rebel with a Cause series.

OMG I totally loved this story!
How to Survive a Scandal by debut author Samara Parish is fresh and fun and I loved this unusual take on a regency romance. Here we have Benedict, a duke who shuns his title and lives the simple life of a mere country Mister and Lady Amelia who has been groomed since birth to be nothing less than a high society wife.
When these two unlikely characters are forced into a shotgun wedding, the sparks fly and everything they believe about themselves and 'the other half' are sorely tested.
Ms Parish is a fresh, new voice in regency and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I am not trying to say that I am judging but damn that woman got some nerve. I know that Lady Amelia was not expecting to marry a businessman but who the hell told you to be out in the cold. He was trying to save you mofo but no, you are being so bloody judging and cruel to him because you have to marry him. Benedict definitely did not want to marry Lady Amelia but he went to the program since they were in scandalous situations. It was how society was back in the day. You can't blame him, Amelia. You definitely need to fix your tune. No one likes your attitude and personality.

Benedict Asterly has rescued an unconscious woman he found in an overturned snow-covered carriage. He takes her to a cottage nearby, building a fire and trying to warm her up. He feels uncomfortable removing some of her wet clothes but he needs to wrap her in a warm blanket.

Amelia Crofton is the daughter of the Earl of Crofton and has been the fiancé of Edward, the Duke of Wildeforde for the last 10 years. She has been waiting patiently for him to finally say it’s time to marry but he always has an excuse.

Benedict is part of the wealthy Abingdale Asterleys, but he does not claim them as family. His grandfather is the very wealthy Marquess of Harrington. His mother had been born into the aristocracy but chose to marry a footman. Benedict is a self-made man and his company has worked to develop a better-performing locomotive and is ready to sign a deal to produce them.

When the Earl of Crofton and the Duke of Wildeforde discover Benedict and Amelia in the cottage, they both insist that the two marry. Neither of them do not want to do this but they finally relent and marry.

Amelia is accustomed to living a life of luxury and is surprised at the sparse home Benedict and his 12-year-old sister, Cassandra, live in. Benedict tells Amelia that she is expected to contribute to the chores that need to be done in the home.

As Benedict and Amelia slowly work together to find a compromise in their life together, things improve until Amelia insists on having a house party inviting many of the ton who despise Benedict. That’s when they reach disaster.

I understand that this Samara Parish’s debut novel and I applaud her for her work. I look forward to her next novel. Welcome, new novelist. Your book is lovely.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.