I always love a Tracy Sumner book. She has a way of drawing you in to the characters and making you hopeful good things.
This is part of a series where friends fall in love before marriage, which for the aristocracy of that time, was very u usual. Marriage was a business arrangement. For money, lands or title. Very prosaic. Nice if you happened to get along, but not essential. As long as the heir, and preferably, the spare, arrived in good time. Which of course, happened as often as not, childbearing being dangerous in those times.
I also like her heroines. They have character, and are not afraid to show it, no matter how unfashionable it was.

January 17, 2022
I should have loved this book, but I only liked it. Regency era enemies to lovers with a reluctant nobleman who wants to collect fossils and a spirited woman business owner who doesn’t need anyone. Sign me up.

Roan’s youthful infatuation with Hellie is ruined when he says something thoughtless and damaging to her business and she can never forgive him. Ten years of off page sparring pass before we see them again, him still besotted and her angry but attracted.

But all this potential was lost with massive telling rather than showing. If their backstory had been woven in rather than info dumped, it might have caught my interest at the beginning, but many key aspects of their character arcs and experiences were just told to us and we never got to experience them.

One scene the POV jumps needlessly to the hero’s sister to set her up for a future book. And our heroine is a shipping magnate but also is a talented midwife? Mary Sue alert. And the word chit was so overused that I started counting.

This one is formulaic, but if formulaic regency romance is your comfort read, you’ll probably like this one.

I received a review copy from NetGalley

Previously read & Reviewed via Netgalley 😉
This is an entertaining and enjoyable series from Tracy Sumner - recommended.
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📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher/author for allowing me the opportunity to review. Reviews are usually cross-posted to social media, goodreads, Bookbub, and blog. 🦄

This story is complex and fun at the same time. It spans over 10 years and has history and the promise of a future. I love that the characters are realistic. They aren't perfect, and their life isn't golden. I enjoyed it tremendously

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy of The Scandalous Vixen by Tracy Sumner in exchange for a review.

With a promise of enemies to lovers that's set in the beautiful regency period of the 1800s, there is little not to love about this read. A charming book that is fast paced (albeit a slow start), purposeful and encompasses all the best elements of regency romance with heated debates and real-world issues.

If you love stories that have:
- The male MC falls first.
- Relationships of convenience.
- Class difference.
- Steamy passion.
- LOADS of chemistry.
- HEA
- Strong female MC
- Misunderstanding trope
- Third person POV
- Comedic tones.

Then you best run to pick this up!

I really enjoyed this fake engagement / class difference story - especially because we know how these stories always end up! Roan and Helena’s relationship was filled with misunderstandings, passion, and respect. I loved that Roan supported Helena’s dreams and didn’t try to take that from her. *swoon* Their chemistry was believable and you will root for them to end up together!

I enjoyed this historical romance story with all of the characters. The two main characters were Helena Astley and Roan Darlington, Duke of Leighton.

Helena Astley has been control her father's shipping business. That is until something happens that change her life.

Roan Darlington, Duke of Leighton needs to find a Duchess. There is only one person that he wants. So when he is caught with the woman that he's been wanting for ten years in a ruinous situation he offers her a deal.

This was a fun story to read. It had adventure , action, and drama. It had a few funny things throughout the story that had me laughing or giggling. It does have some steamy parts to.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley, BookSiren, and Hidden gems. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

When a shipping heiress and a Duke meet sparks are certain to fly. Both an outsider, Roan, literally an accidental Duke, who's father a low Baron with so many debts when he passed away left Roan to clean up his messes. A love for fossils he couldn't exactly relate to society ladies. He has his own little group of misfits according to society but loved by him.
Meet the shipping heiress Helena, who has more money then most of the realm. But is treated like an outsider when her father passed away she took over and the rest is history. Unfortunately she was never accepted by polite society. But they had no issues doing business with her. Oddly enough- so when the Duke is smitten, with her and challenges her to a kiss and they get caught she has no choice but to say yes. But would he accept her flaws and all? Would she accept him?


This book took me a bit longer, I think because I'm reading the third in the series and the characters were a bit confusing, my recommendation is to read the first one, first.
The writing is beautiful, I just wish there was a bit more of a introduction to the other characters we were supposed to already know of in the previous book.
The book lacked a bit of adventure or something. As much as I love the romance, but I needed something a bit more.

Oh I love this next volume in the Duchess Society series. With a heroine styled as "Lady Hell", I just knew... I was going to love this story. She is Helena and wow, all she did was just be an independent woman running a shipping business passed down by her father. Unfathomable. Well, anyway, she's doing it, and well. She doesn't need a husband... but... like a bad penny....here comes Roan. He's a Duke and had previously said some pretty stupid things in the past and yes, she's still mad about it. He did the grown up equivalent of pulling her pigtails. Of course, he's going to need to grovel.. A lot. What a yummy read! Can't wait for the next in this series.

This was a captivating story told by a masterful storyteller.
Many thanks to WOLF Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a delightful and charming second edition to The Duchess Society series from Tracy Sumner. I found this to be such a lovely, soft and sensual romance. I love a romance with a pining hero who has loved from afar, and this is a sweet take on that trope from Sumner. I think Sumner's writing in this second novel finds a nice stride and wit, making it even more compelling than the prequel and first installment on this series. Sumner crafts a fast paced romance about two people falling in love and learning to understand each other past their initial meeting of each other.

Roan, a Duke who care little for society, who is studious and inquisitive about the world around him, fell head over heels upon first sight of Helena, a young woman who lives life by her own rules and her ambitions to run her father's shipping company. Their first meeting did not go as Roan planned, but now years later they meet again, and when they are found in a bit of a ruinous situation they embark on a "fake engagement".

This novel takes place mainly around the Christmas holidays, but it is very much in the background and can easily be read at anytime of the year. This novel is also advertised a bit like an enemies to lovers, which I would not entirely agree with, Roan has been pretty much in love with Helena since he first saw her and he sees her as a miss opportunity. Helena is independent and business minded, so has very little thought about marriage or wanting to impress a Duke so she brushes Roan off. But when these two are brought within each others circles they find that they are drawn strongly towards each other and a new world of sensuality is opened to Helena. I found Roan and Helena's chemistry to be sensual and delightful, Sumner really steps up her game in the steamy scene of this novel. I really enjoyed that we watch Roan and Helena meet each other on the base level of attraction, that grows into a understanding and awareness of what the other person truly needs and desires. I love that this romance has a class difference between a Duke and a working class woman. And I love that this class difference is never an issue for Roan, he loves Helena for who she is and what she desires.

I really enjoyed this second novel in this series, I think that Sumner's series is getting better and better and I am looking forward to the next installment in this series! Sumner has definitely done a lovely job with teasing our next couple. I would definitely recommend this book and this series and I do think that when read in order you have a nice understanding of all the side characters that Sumner has been building and developing on.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars. This was a bit tedious to get through. There wasn't anything offensive to me about it, there just didn't feel like there was much substance really. (Many people enjoy a bit of fluff more than I do though). But not a lot happens. Usually I enjoy lots of inner dialogue, but it seemed like they just went around and around in the same meandering thought patterns for most of the book. And there really wasn't much keeping them apart to begin with! A previous slight, a class difference between a title and an heiress... *eyebrow raise* Ten years of heart flutters and attraction and verbal sparring, 'really, what are you even waiting for??' lol. So all the pondering and feet dragging just seemed unnecessary. And even very late in the story, way after it's too late to go another route, one of them still hasn't entirely committed to the relationship. It felt like they were just making things harder on themselves without merit, and at a certain point I start to wonder if maybe they don't even deserve a happily ever after. lol. Silly characters.

Things I did like about it- it was nice to see the previous couples still being cute together. =) And the level of steam was higher than average, which is a plus with me, and there was nice variety to it. (The scenes are done well, but it is heavily weighted to the second half, so it felt a little bit like 'not much, not much, every other scene!' *shrug*) It was also nice to have the slightly self made/blue-collar character be the heroine, when it's more often the reverse.

The Scandalous Vixen is book 2 of the Duchess society series by Tracy Sumner and follows with the characters we met when introduced to the “mad matchmaker”. Our lovelorn character is Roan Darlington, The Duke of Leighton who wished he had picked his words more carefully the first time around when he met his heroine, Helena Astley aka Lady Hell. Helena Astley is not your average lady, she is as smart, as she is delectable and takes her career as a shipping heiress seriously. The difference in their social status was the only thorn for this couple because the heat between them, literally scorches the pages, without many sex scenes, now that’s talented writing.
As with the prequel and book 1, you come to love and cheer on the characters which are richly developed and nurtured. Roan keeps on trying to make up for his careless words and be forgiven by Hellie. When they are caught in their compromising position, you literally want them just to give right in. I love the fact that you continue to see and interact with the other couples as supporting characters in this book as well, making the friendships, banter and ultimate life and love success for the couples that much richer. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! My review was given on the ARC copy received from the Publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion, happy reading!

This is the second book in The Duchess Society series by Tracy Sumner.
I really love this series and have devoured all of these books so quickly once I start reading them.
This is the story of Helena and Roan. Helena is the owner of a very successful shipping company that she inherited from her father. She is a very unique women who thinks she will go through life never marrying. Roan is a Duke who on the day he met Helena managed to insult her, starting a decade long feud with each other.
Both of them have a strong animal desire for each other that they both keep locked up and hidden until circumstances give them an opportunity to let fate intervene.
I really enjoyed this book. It incorporates the characters from the previous books and sets the scene for the next book in the series. The characters are all very strong will and independent but they are also charming and captivating.
Can't wait for the next book in the series!!!
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Wolf Publishing for my complimentary eARC copy.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. I am familiar with this author and always enjoyed her books. This book was a page turner enemies-to-lovers for a historical romance. Basic premise Roan loves Hellie but the past gets in the way. This book was about 2nd chances. Roan hurt Hellie years ago when he was young and immature. Helena (Hellie) must figure out if she can trust him with her heart. While both have issues to overcome. The supporting characters were enjoyable. I like the back-and-forth chemistry of the H&H. The story was good but at points felt like it was too wordy. I enjoyed the 1st book in the series called the Duchess Society. This is the 2nd book but can be read as a good standalone book. I would recommend this to other people because this author is good and worth getting to know.

Damn, this book is good! I called Roan (the MMC) the "naughty Duke", because he was using every trick up his sleeve to win Helena (the FMC) over after 10 YEARS of pining after her. I respected him for not giving up and even him playing a little dirty to get what and who he wanted. I mean, can a girl really not fall in love when a man pries a splinter out of an independent, strong, business woman's finger and makes her blush? Especially if they have a little enemies to lovers thing going on? If you said yes, you're definitely stronger than I am.

Even though I really liked both MC's, there were some aspects that made it harder for me to love this book even more.

For one, as a newcomer to the historical romance genre, I am not familiar with all the do's and don't's of society and I felt like I was missing a lot of clues. Thankfully I have made good bookstagram friends who tried and succeeded to give me quick lessons and put the naughty Duke's antics in perspective. When that happened, I remember the part of the story I'd already read took on an entirely different meaning, thus giving birth to the "naughty Duke" nickname!

Secondly, the writing is superb. I think it may have been the finest writing I've read up to now, but that's also part of my problem. As a third language (thus not native) English reader, I found it difficult to grasp what was happening at times. I've been reading in English for about 10 years now, so I'd say my English is pretty good, just not up to this level of prose. I felt like I had to read each word of each sentence carefully because if I dared to blink, I'd miss a crucial word or sentence and the whole scene would make no sense afterwards.

All in all I really liked this historical fiction story though! You should read it if you like an enemies to lovers historical romance with a strong FMC standing up for herself, an MMC who's trying to rise to his crushes level so she'd even consider him as a partner whilst trying to use ever trick up his sleeve to seduce her, and all of this while both are experiencing loads of angst about not being enough for one another. Makes for the perfect love story, doesn't it?

The Scandalous Vixen is the 2nd book of the Duchess Society series by author Tracy Sumner. I haven't read the 1st book in the series but still I was able to follow the story quite well; the book can be read as a stand- alone as well.

Helena Astley and Roan Darlington have been at cross purposes ever since Helena bore a slight, from Roan, during a party. The have both had a competitive and contentious relationship since then. A new found half- sister prompts Lady Helena to accept Roan's proposal to join him in his house- party with his friends in exchange for providing company to his sister.

Do Helena and Roan get to know one another? How do they resolve their differences in opinion?

The characters of the book were sufficiently well drawn. And their conflicts are very real. But I felt there is not enough said about the people; instead there were more intimate scenes than was necessary according to me. The book was very slow to pick up and neither did it spend enough time with the people of the world. Moreover, I couldn't connect with the story- telling style of the author nor with her prose; most of the time, it was an effort for me to make sense of what a character was feeling or thinking. I felt that, the book would have been much more engaging had the author paid more attention to the story. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC. I have gotten the ARC on exchange for an honest review.

This steamy and tension filled book is just the ticket for historical romance fans. If you are into the enemies to lovers storyline, this is for you, as the relationship between Roan and Helena just grips you. The beginning was slow for me but I did find the characters and the dynamics between them really got me. The glove scene alone! It’s a delightful read even if the holidays are far away so I suggest giving it a go.

A gloriously captivating read. It may take a little while to get used to the writing style as it is quite different from the modern stories I’ve been reading. But the characters are well developed, the scenery evocative and the story entrancing. I enjoyed how both MCs were unwilling to bow down to the dictates of Polite Society, to forge their own paths. This is a reoccurring theme in this series. And the steam between them just burned the pages! Can’t wait to read Macauley’s story!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit

Should I read in order?
Sure, why not?? There are characters here that make appearances throughout the series. Though if you don’t mind not knowing other characters backgrounds this one is okay to jump into as a stand alone.

Basic plot:
Lady Hell (Helena) spends her time running her father’s shipping business and attempting to thwart Roan (Duke of Leighton) out of sales he desires. An experience 10 years ago has created this tense relationship but they cannot seem to leave each other alone and it soon results in a fake engagement during the holidays.

Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency period – 1823
- Half in London, half at the hero’s country house (or maybe ¼ and ¾)
- Much of the story takes place around Christmas
- Medium steam – 3 full scenes but this book has a touch shorter page count so may feel hotter
- Class differences – hero is a duke, heroine was raised on the docks
- A touch of fake relationship and enemies to lovers – neither really lasts long
- You love a lot of focus on the relationship development – no villain or mystery going on here
- Ruined heroine!

(Hero is around 31/heroine around 27?)

My thoughts:
Tracy Sumner is doing something amazing with this series! Each book has been so romantic with unique characters and some playfulness mixed in.

Here we have Roan, the Duke of Leighton, who has wanted Helena since first sight. He’s never been able to get into her good graces, as rumors of his escapades color her opinions. Watching him chase after her and ever so sweetly beat down her defenses while taking nothing of her away was uber sweet. Also, Id like to point out that he’s left handed so woohoo for finally seeing one of my kind in a historical romance.

And our heroine, Helena, Lady Hell to the ton, and Hellie to Roan. She’s so strong and independent, but endearing because she lets you into her heart and her fears that she will just never be enough as a duchess. She knows what she can do and what she’s comfortable with, which is running her business on the docks – so seeing her go out of her comfort zone for her love of Roan and him supporting her every step of the way was beautiful.

I really enjoyed this story, though I must admit I loved The Brazen Bluestocking just a touch more (just a character attachment!). There’s something about Sumner’s writing I just find so poetic and I find myself continually highlighting everything because it’s so breathtaking I want to capture it. Its filled with romance, and longing, and little touches and thoughts. Her intimate scenes are a wonderful mix of character thoughts and emotions, the pull towards each other, the explosion of passion as well as the details.

Each title has a short description/phrase, almost like a chapter title and I LOVED that. I can’t remember who I used to read when I was much younger that did that regularly, but I always enjoyed that part of books and I haven’t seen much like that since then.