How to Survive a Scandal was a refreshing and delightful read. It was incredibly entertaining right from the start. I loved the crazy situation Amelia and Benedict were in and the ups and downs of them getting to their happily ever after.

I adored Amelia and how completely out of her element she was. I love her internal struggle, battling against who she was raised to be and becoming a woman she truly liked and was proud of. She wasn't always easy to like but she was coming from a good place and she got there in the end. Benedict was such a good guy, determined and hardworking and so not about her ideals when she arrives. This creates a lot of friction and animosity which brings out really fantastic banter. I loved their interactions, fun scenes, and how they both challenged each other. I loved the moments when they start to soften and feelings grow. I thought there was a nice build to the chemistry and sexual tension between them though the heat factor was very low, all but one quick scene is off-page.

I liked the characters introduced and see the possibility for future stories. I enjoyed Benedict's sister Cassandra. She was a sweet addition. There were some villainous type characters in play and drama happening because of the politics between the classes and I enjoyed the conflict it all brought but, in the end, it didn’t feel like it was fleshed out enough and there wasn’t any real resolution. I felt like I was missing closure with those aspects.

I enjoyed the writing and the dual POVs. It was an engaging and charming story and I was hooked the entire time. This was a great series starter and a wonderful debut from Samara Parish. This was a sweet and fun story and just what I needed.

I really enjoyed this story. We follow Amelia, who has been groomed all her life to be a duchess but her life long fiancé has been dragging his feet, and Benedict a working class man who Amelia has nothing but disdain for.

Amelia is set on convincing her fiancé to set a date for their wedding when she gets stuck in a snowstorm all alone. Luckily for her Benedict comes along and residues her; unluckily for her, they are discovered some together and so no they are forced to marry. Amelia must move to the country and give up everything she knows, and Benedict has his life upended by his “upper crust wife”

I love the banter and chemistry with these two. I loved watching Amelia come into herself and her developing relationships with her new family and town. I love how she was able to use her intelligence to help Benedict with his company. And I do love a gruff grumpy hero and Benedict didn’t disappoint.

If you’re looking for a new historical romance author to try I’d highly recommend Samara Parish and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

This debut historical romance novel by Australian author Samara Parish is an absolute delight to read...one for your keeper shelf! I loved the enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience story of the romance between Lady Amelia, born and trained to be a duchess, and Benedict, an unwilling and unusual member of the English nobility. He feels a great responsibility for the people who work for him, including tenants neglected by the local lord, but has no use for an ornamental wife like Amelia. Amelia is difficult to like at first, a bristly, bossy woman who seems self-important. But I really felt for her after the opening scenes, as it dawned on her that her destiny as a duchess wasn’t to be, and that maybe everything she had been brought up to believe was wrong. This is a slow burn romance, as the characters gradually unwind the conventions wrapped around them by society of the time and also get to know themselves and each other. I loved the background of the era, the emergence of steam engines and the class tensions in Britain of the time, which reminded me of the wonderful TV mini series, North and South. Benedict runs a business (shock, horror! A gentleman in business!) designing new types of steam engines. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series which I think will feature a lady engineer (yes, please!).

5 out of 5 stars for this fabulous, well-written debut!

The constant bickering.

Amelia is autocratic and entitled.
When Benedict rescues her, for his trouble, they must wed.
They are separated by class and bad attitudes. The negativity actually really wore me out, plus, no relationship can survive all the constant bickering.

I found I rather liked Benedict but Amelia was harder to like. She just felt shrill and spoilt. Yes, the class thing. She had expected to marry well, not well beneath her.

Still, its worth a read.

When I started this book I wasn’t too sure about it. The set up of the story plot was really contrived and didn’t feel very natural. However, after the first few chapters, I started to see more of our characters’ personalities and more depth to the plot. I liked watching our characters grow, especially Amelia. She was a bit annoying in the beginning but once she began making changes to her behavior, she started to become a really great character. I liked the relationship between our hero and heroine, but I could have definitely used some more intimate moments between them. I really liked the ones we got, but I think a couple more would have more solidly established their relationship before the I love yous were said. I think the cutest relationship was between Amelia and Cassandra, Benedict’s little sister. It was so pure and sweet. The plot of the story outside of the romance was interesting and I was definitely engaged with it. I do think the ending was kind of abrupt. I could have used maybe one more chapter between the last one and the epilogue. Overall though this was a fun book, and I’m definitely interested in reading the next book in the series. 3.75 stars from me I think :)

2/5 stars
DNF at 30%

POV: Amelia and Benedict
Pacing: average

Overall:
I really wanted to love this story, but unlikable characters and missing chemistry made this one fall flat for me. The meet cute between Lady Amelia and Benedict caught in an accidental compromising condition was a good strong start. However, the story fizzles as you get to know the characters a bit more, mainly Amelia who was unlikable and annoying. Their miscommunication and lack of understanding of each other becomes annoying. It is an enemies to lovers romance, however it was missing the angsty, hate you/attracted to you chemistry and banter that should still be there. Overall, I will probably try this story in audiobook and see if a narrator can add more chemistry to the story.

*Thank you so much to Forever Pub and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amelia and Benedict couldn't be more dissimilar. She was raised to be the epitome of aristocratic womanhood, he is a rough around the edges business tycoon. They are innocently compromised into marriage. Samara Parrish does an exceptional job of showing us the wide gap in the expectations of each. Amelia tries to, and succeeds often, be of a help to Benedict. Benedict struggles with his working-man roots and can't accept Amelia's aristocratic ways. Neither is right or wrong. That the author can show us this gap in understanding and accomplishment is the true meat of this book.

I really could not put this book down. There is plenty of action, romance, misunderstanding and yes, romance. I fell in love with both the Hero and the Heroine, both having the “right-of-it”. An HEA was never taken for granted as I read. I look forward to Edward and Fiona's story.

An exceptional historical romance debut!

A winter storm rescue of a half frozen Lady Amelia results in the loss of her betrothal to a duke and her marriage of necessity to Mr Benedict Asterly, her erstwhile hero.

These two are from completely different sides of the social sphere. Lady Amelia has been raised to be a duchess and is the epitome of an aristocratic lady, where Ben has grown up to despise the aristocracy and their privilege. He has made his own fortune and works hard for the rights of the everyday man.

Together Ben and Amelia are like oil and vinegar until they start letting the sparks of their chemistry to ignite! They become lovers at night, but during the day Lady Amelia and Ben are both playing a dangerous game of tug of war to see whose world they will exist in: Amelia’s glittering society or Ben’s small village and ironworks…

I absolutely was in love with this book from the start! Samara opening scene creates an electric starts that she carries forward throughout the book. The upstairs, downstairs dynamic between self-made Ben and privileged Amelia was great fun to watch play out as these two soften towards each other and the circumstances that made them the way they are.

I loved seeing these two opposites find common ground in their home, then at work and finally in their hearts toward each other!

I am eager for the next book in this series- Smara Parish has just been added to my must read author list!

How To Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish is scheduled to release May 25th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#HowtoSurviveaScandal #SamaraParish #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

How to Survive a Scandal
Book 1 in the Rebels with a Cause series
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This was more of a 2.5 read for me.
How to Survive a Scandal is the first book in the series in which we find Lady Amelia and Benedict. They start their marriage not really liking each other, since it's a marriage neither of them wanted to have, but because they were caught in a compromising situation they are now to wed. Lady Amelia has trained most of her live to be the perfect duchess. She's had many lectures on the proper behavior and responsibilities of one, sadly they all have been for naught since at the end of the day she was made to marry a simple mister. Benedict might not have any social titles but he is a very hard working man who's accumulated money due to his enterprises.
I didn't like Lady Amelia at all. Though she kind of redeems a little towards the end, for me it was a little too late. Lady Amelia was too much of an arrogant heroine. Her comments and her thoughts about how now she had to change her social standing in society were too much for me. Benedict was not perfect either. He didn't give her much of a chance due to his prejudice of high society that he had grown up with due to what happened to his mother.
Them falling in love with each felt out of place...since she was trying her hardest to find a place in society again and Benedict was trying to make his business a success while appeasing her and the villagers. I wished there would of been more closeness between them.
( I gasped when Amelia was asked if she enjoyed reading and she said no. )

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

Steam: 🌶🌶.5/5 (some spicy scenes in the first half of the book)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5 Stars

This is the first book in the Rebel with a Cause series. This book was so great and a great start to a historical romance series!

This book has a marriage of convenience and I love that trope!
It also has an enemies to lovers vibe as the two main characters very much dislike each other when they have to wed.

It’s also a marriage of different classes in society. Amelia was set to Marry a Duke since she was six years old but now after some circumstances has a life in the country married to Benedict.

She’s very standoffish and classist in the beginning of this book. Her and Benedict’s banter make for a funny read. They truly do not like being married to one another. That being said, even in the beginning they have a strong attraction/tension with each other.
This book is really well written. Seeing a lady try and adjust to country life is quite entertaining.

I loved Cassandra she was such a cute character. I also loved Fiona and can’t wait to read her book that comes out later next year.

I really like the growth we see in Amelia. It makes for a really good plot.

The reason for 4.5 stars is that some of this book could have been solved easily with communication, felt like some plot points could have been cut down.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I would for sure read more in this series as they come out.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a cute, romantic and steamy historical romance. This book made me smile on so many occasions.

Thanks to Netgalley and
Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review

I WANTED to like this story. But.... so much just fell short and flat for me, that I struggled to finish. While I liked the idea of these two characters together, I didn't believe in their marriage or their supposed love. I would have liked to have seen more chemistry between the pair, and I feel they definitely needed more communication as well.

Amelia is ... a bitch. And while some of her thoughts and behaviors could have been explained away at the start of this novel when she was still reeling from how much her life had changed from what she expected, there is no reason why she should still be acting this why when the novel is almost finished. In fact, for me it was even worse when she realized how much her words and actions hurt people, but still engaged in them to try and impress the members of "society" that even she had found useless and shallow by that point. I also didn't care much for the fact that she went behind her husband's back numerous times because she "knew what was best".

Sadly, Benedict is no better. While he may have had a perfectly good reason for hating the aristocracy when he was younger, he kept fanning the fire of that hatred (and his unreasonable assumptions) even after he claimed to have fallen in love with Amelia (and certainly after he had had the time to get to know her better). Of course, this was all immediately forgotten when he decided to make amends with his grandfather, come to London and partake in everything he hated (attending a ball and dressing in colors) just to try and win Amelia back.

I feel like the separation and many of their other problems could have been resolved had they simply been able to talk to each other instead of falling back on their default behaviors of being cruel to each other. In fact, while I originally enjoyed their banter, it soon grated on my nerves as it seemed that was all they did. With every one step forward they took, they took a dozen back.

Another issue I found with this novel is the fact that the secondary plot overshadowed the main plot on more than one occasion. I understand that his business was an important part of his life and who he was, but it seemed like he made some very questionable choices in this part of his life as well (although it was nice seeing Amelia help him navigate some of those choices).

Despite these things, the author had a strong writing style and I definitely think this novel will appeal to fans of historical romances that don't take place in London, and that involve marriages of convenience. I would give this author another chance.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

A fantastic debut and well worth the read! I liked that the commoner/aristocrat trope was turned on its head by flipping the usual genders. She's the Lady and he's the son of a footman who works hard for his fortune.
Packed with plot and history, I highly recommend this one.

Well, this was delightful and I’m excited to find a new to me author.

I really liked Amelia and Benedict. She’s ever so proper and he’s one of the people and together they have so much potential. I loved reading their relationship progress and how they found their own rhythm. Of course Cassandra was sweet and I really hope we get to see more of Fiona.

Plot wise it was good. There are a few moving pieces here and some of the conflict definitely could have been handled with a conversation. I wanted more scenes of Amelia and Benedict settling into married life instead of the sweet parts getting glossed over. Oh, and the epilogue was short, but effective.

Overall, it was a great start to a new series and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book.

**Huge thanks to Forever for providing the arc free of charge**

How to Survive a Scandal is the first book in the Rebels with a Cause series by Samara Parish. A sexy historical romance that sweeps you away to another place, another time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read How To Survive A Scandal.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this “forced to marry” romance. That is one of my favourite tropes, and I loved Amelia and Benedict, both as individual characters and as a couple.

I’ll definitely want to read the next book in the series !

This book took me by surprise! I was excepting the typical wallflower to duchess story, but HOW TO SURVIVE A SCANDAL was something WAY better.

Lady Amelia was raised to be a duchess. But when an outing goes terribly wrong, her future is upended and she’s thrown into a marriage of convenience with Mr Benedict Asterly. From the highest of society to country living, Amelia and Benedict must find a way to work together or they may lost it all. The slow burn, the character growth, and story line had me flipping pages at lightening speed. I LOVED IT.

The beginning threw me for a loop. I wasn’t expecting Benedict to be the lead and Amelia wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Instead of steaming fitting perfectly into her new life, she wrestled constantly with her upbringing, accepting who she was versus who she is, and her place in her new life. I found myself angry with her lack of adjustment, BUT Parish does SUCH AN AMAZING job of developing Amelia’s character that you shift with her. I loved Amelia by the end. Her & Benedict’s growth as people together and separate was my favorite part of the book (besides the angst of course).

Have I mention that I loved it yet? If not, I LOVED IT & HIGHLY RECOMMEND. It got my out of my 3 week slump.

I really enjoyed that this book had a setting away from the ton & London as the story takes place in the countryside. The hero is a working-man who despises the aristocracy, his mother was born into aristocracy but his father was a footman and his mother despised her life once the ton turned their backs on her. This definitely brings up the hero’s insecure thoughts of his life not being “good enough” compared to London society when he ends up marrying a Lady.

Amelia was raised to be a Lady and had been betrothed since she was a child to a Duke, her whole life she was raised to be the perfect future duchess who only focused on running a household, hosting parties, floral arrangement and embroidery. When her Duke-marrying plans get thwarted and see finds herself married to a common-businessman her life gets turned upside down. I did enjoy seeing her change her way of thought and having to put in actual work in her new life. She really becomes a partner to Benedict which was nice to see.

I do love a marriage of convenience so I was excited to see this story jumps right into that at the beginning. We do get some delightful banter between Benedict & Amelia and see them both start to be more attracted to one another as the days go by. Sadly, this is closed-door on their sexy times which I feel like was a big miss for me...after seeing the couple start to give into their attraction it was definitely a let-down to not have that physical connection on page. I also just wanted more focus on their relationship instead of becoming about Benedict’s business deal so much, some of the emotional moments dealing with Benedict’s past with his mother is brought up to Amelia through other characters instead of her & him having discussions about it. There were a few times/discussions like that where it just seemed like missed opportunities for them to connect emotionally. And since we already don’t get to see their physical connection, I needed more emotionally from them.

Thank you to the publisher (Forever) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. How to Survive a Scandal has a publish date of May 25, 2021.

A rescue from a wrecked carriage leads to dishabille and disaster...

When Benedict rescues Amelia from her capsized carriage, he doesn't think about the repercussions. He just knows he needs to find the closest shelter available and get her warm as fast as he can. She is pale, her pulse is weak, and she's talking nonsense. Of course he still notices how delectable she is. But he ignores that side of his brain because he knows they are complete opposites. She is a spoiled belle of society and he is a self-made man- the result of an affair between a notorious noblewoman and her brawny footman.

She's suddenly issuing commands like an ice princess, and the only way to quiet her down is to pull her into his lap. Of course the moment he is settling in, the door bangs open and they have the attention of an audience. Her father demands they marry - she is on the verge of receiving a proposal from a duke and she refuses. But her duke avoids scandal at all costs -- and he can't afford to wed a woman whose scandalous encounter is on the tip of every tongue. So Benedict does the valiant thing and rescues the reluctant damsel in distress. He assures her that their marriage will be one of convenience, in name only.

Amelia is flummoxed by her handsome husband. She wanted a spouse and a household she could control. She wanted a relationship that didn't make her dependent or weak. And her husband's glimmering gaze definitely makes her weak in the knees. She can't help staring at his biceps, or how he fills out his breeches, She can't help but admire his quicksilver mind and his accomplishments. And she's falling fast.

He can give her the purpose and security she longs for, and she can give him the peace and confidence he needs. But first they have to admit how they feel and simply surrender to it.

I absolutely adored this lush historical romance with all my heart. A huge thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the chance to read it in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty standard when it comes to the tropes used to tell its story. What this book does a good job with is developing our heroine.
After being caught in a compromising position with our hero, Lady Amelia is forced into a marriage other than what she was trained for her entire life. We see Amelia grow a lot throughout the novel, so if you are having a tough time with her early on, just know that she does get better.
I did enjoy our working class hero for the most part. He didn't stand out a lot to me, but he was a decent guy.
All in all, it was fair. I did want a little more smut from it personally, so if you are a low smut person, this may be a good one for you to try.

I love discovering new authors. I freely admit that I picked up this book completely on the title and cover. I was quite impressed when I learned that How to Survive a Scandal is Samara Parish’s first novel as it had some unique moments and was able to tug at my heartstrings.

I think the first thing that stood out about this book was about a lady who ends up tied to a gentleman, not a lord that she was raised to marry. The scandal wasn’t all that unique, but I really enjoyed how she handled it. I also liked the subplot of Benedict’s business. It was able to bring the couple together but also caused conflict between them.

In many ways, Lady Amelia is your typical historical heroine. She’s the daughter of a peer, bred to make an advantageous match for her family. She typically doesn’t think about the servants, other than whether or not they’re doing their job satisfactorily. She doesn’t think of anyone else outside of her circle. So when she ends up married to a mere mister and basically loses all standing in society, it’s interesting to watch how she copes. And how she deals with it. I thoroughly enjoyed Lady Amelia and her growth and development through the story.

Benedict is not quite your typical historical hero. He doesn’t have a title and doesn’t want anything to do with society. Yet he finds himself married to a lady who does, and he’s not sure what to do about his growing feelings. He’s also finding that in order to grow his business, he’s going to have to dip his toe into society, which doesn’t make him happy. I also liked how Ms. Parish wrote Benedict and had him grow over the course of the book. I was delighted to have a character like him to cheer on as he and Amelia figured out their relationship.

I got sucked into How to Survive a Scandal and was thoroughly impressed with Ms. Parish’s debut novel. I furiously turned the pages and read through tears as she managed to toy with my emotions. I can’t wait to read more of this series and would highly recommend picking up this book if you enjoy historical romance.