Widowed Countess Alicia Lindsay finally has the freedom to voice her opinions, and she does so in the form of anonymously written political articles. Those very articles are thorns in the side of Niall Campbell, Marquess of Inverray, who is seeking the position of Prime Minister. But when a compromising situation arises with a too-close waltz and a torn dress, the two are forced to marry.

This is the fourth book in the Once Upon A Scandal series. The characters from the previous books appear, but the story can stand alone. This is the first time I am reading this author and I didn't feel like I missed anything, but definitely want to go back and enjoy the other couples.

Despite an initial attraction and marriage to save both their reputations, Alicia and Niall are sinking in relationship quicksand. She's struggling with the secret writing she's hiding, and he's weighed down with his ambition and ego. I like the way this story developed and how "messy" their union was. It took the Alicia and Niall time to find their footing, all the while the reader is waiting for the relationship bomb to drop.

I liked the political backdrop of the story, and I also really enjoyed the author notes at the end! (4.5 stars)

Tropes: Widow, Compromised, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Job

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #ToTemptAScandalousLord #NetGalley

To Tempt a Scandalous Lord is a historical romance where a wardrobe malfunction involving a brooch results in a marriage of convenience for our hero and heroine. The wardrobe malfunction turning into “we must marry now” was definitely a new one for me and it was fun to have a different reason for the couple to be shoved into a marriage together.

This book really dives into the politics of the time and I found it refreshingly fascinating to have so much of the story center around that. Niall, Lord Inverray, is a Scottish marquess currently running for Prime Minister. He has spent years trying to find support for numerous legislations to help his fellow Scots and is now poised to grab the party leadership. His political success is being threatened by an anonymous writer of chapbooks (political tracts/pamphlets) who has been critiquing his campaign. His goal when the story starts is to find the writer and silence them, but he gets a little distracted by an alluring widow in the meantime...

Alicia is a dowager Countess who has enjoyed her freedom of being a widow and being able to voice her opinions, anonymously, in her political tracts. When she ends up married to Niall, the man she’s been writing about who is set on finding her identity as the writer, well things get complicated. This is a slow burn romance between Niall and Alicia, even though they’re married early on into the book, they really don’t know one another and I appreciated the time spent on them becoming friendly and really starting to respect one another. I did want a little more with the couple’s romance as I didn’t feel their chemistry as much as I wanted to. But the story really spends a lot of time on the politics and I appreciated a heroine so smart and capable of holding her own against the men. Alicia and Niall’s focus is on child labor reform and appreciated how well thought out and researched the topics came across. The author’s note at the end with added history and facts was so fascinating and I appreciated those detail. This was my 2nd read from this author and I really enjoy the writing & stories being told.

Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. To Tempt a Scandalous Lord will be published June 21, 2021.

This was my first by this author and I am excited to go and request the rest of the books in this series. The story of Alicia and Niall is a romance with many of our favorite tropes. Romance fans will get a well-written dose of marriage of convenience, secret identities, Scottish heroes and a twist of political intrigue. The research really shines in this novel. All the period appropriate political movements and events show the author has done the work for historical accuracy. All together a solid romance in what appears to be a great series.

While I enjoyed this book it wasn’t as good as the pervious books in the series. I had much higher hopes for Inverray, I wanted to know more about him and why he stayed away from Scotland. And while it was teased we never get the full story. Alicia was an interesting love interest but overall I was kind of bored with their romance.

Firstly, Liana De La Rosa writes amazing stories. I find they are always unique. I also love how well she fleshes out a character. One of my biggest pet peeves in a historical romance is the lack of backstory. It drives me crazy.

Now, for the review. Niall and Alicia are an amazing couple, and what brings them together is one I've never heard before: A broken brooch. You'll see why. Anyway, Niall is a Scottish marquess who is running for Prime Minister. He is extremely analytical-minded, and has absolutely zero time for women and the distractions they bring. Alicia, a widowed countess, secretly writes political chapbooks (kinda like pamphlets) about--you guessed it--Niall. She is never overtly critical about HIM, but she has no problem critiquing his politics (even if she admits he has done a few things right.) Because of a broken brooch--trust me on this--they have to get married. For Niall, this is 100% a marriage of convenience. He has no need for her. In fact, the author had me scared for a moment because Niall is RUDE. Very rude. So rude that I was wondering just how he was going to turn around. Alicia, while extremely practical and pragmatic, goes into the marriage hoping that he will at least show SOME affection or fondness for her at some point. He, of course, eventually does. The marriage they end up having is swoon-worthy.

Now I'm going to share a few things that made this novel top-notch:

1. Alicia. This woman is amazing. This is the first heroine I've ever seen who was so politically-minded and could more than hold her own with the men about this subject. In fact, I would argue that she's actually SMARTER. I love her personality and the love she has for Niall, despite his mean streak. She is a warrior when it comes to taking care of him when he gets cholera.

2. The historical research. The author puts very detailed historical touches in this story. I really appreciate that level of commitment to historical accuracy. The politics, the cholera, the marriage issues. It was all really well done.

3. Small spoiler ahead!

What turns the tide on their relationship? What changes him from asshole to loving husband?

Sex! Some might say that this is a weak way to change his tune in the marriage, and could be construed as sort of misogynistic. I argue, however, that De La Rosa uses sex to break the ice in their marriage to show sex positivity between the couple (and in this genre.) Sometimes the tension just has to be broken, and I thought the author showed how intimacy can help a marriage.

Overall, Liana De La Rosa is an amazing author, and her historical romances are unique and well-researched. I have all of her novels, and I look forward to more!