I adored Alexandra and Theo's story! It was so much fun watching these two find their HEA! I can't wait for the next book in the series!

A fun and steamy historical romance with memorable motif and lovely dialogue and description. Eager to read more from Megan!

So this is a hard one for me to review…I don’t enjoy the ‘I’m in love with my daughter’s intended’ trope. I’ve read it once or trice already this year and it just never sits well with me. Another thing I don’t really enjoy in my books are rudely independent women. I understand Alexandra was in a very smothering first marriage and is thrilled to be able to have an opinion and ‘relative’ freedom as a woman in Victorian society, but, she clearly loves Theo and he treats her a thousand times better than her husband ever did, she refuses to marry him! She was a jerk to him several times in the story and that broke my heart for the poor, orphan that just wanted a family! Theo would have (and did!) do anything for Alex and she just walked right over him. Again, it might just be my personality and personal opinions, but I couldn’t see pat those factors to truly enjoy the book. I felt sorry for Theo and I really hoped Alexandra would get it together, but she didn’t give in to a relationship with Theo until she was backed into a corner!

Not as good as the first, but not terrible. Interesting twist with who he courts. It’s nice to see an older heroine.

This was pretty good. I love a good age gap romance and it's even better when it's the herione who's older. I did feel that it got a bit repetitive with Alexandra always lamenting about wanting to have choices and make her own decisions. I get it, I just didn't want to read it every page or two.

DNF.. I was just not vibing with the writing and nothing engaged me at all in the first 20% - not something for me unfortunately which is a shame since I absolutely loved book 1's plot/couple dynamic.

This book was fantastic, in particular I loved the characters and the romance. It was a really fun read, however, the dynamic between the main characters was a bit contrived at times. Aside from that I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This one felt like a historical romance I had already read before, so I didn't find it as compelling as other Megan Frampton books I have read. I also felt the relationship was too insta-love-y without giving enough of a compelling reason why the two could not be together. I did like the age gap trope (because she was older) and I think that was the main unique twist this book had.

Megan Frampton's new series "A School for Scoundrels" will follow the exploits in love of 5 London gentlemen. "His Study in Scandal" tells the engaging story of Alexandra and Theo. Alexandra is a widow who is done with mourning her deceased husband. Theo is the chosen groom for her stepdaughter. While resolving this complicated scenario, the two fall madly love.

What does a Duchess do when she finds herself falling for one of her stepdaughter’s suitor. She fights it at first then gives into Theo’s insistence. A great read!

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

I found this book disappointing. It just didn't capture my interest.

Now widowed and the Dowager Duchess of Chelmsworth, Alexandra is determined to shed her mourning for the husband who wasted her dowry and ignored her when he wasn’t belittling her. Encouraged by her outrageous stepdaughter to try something new, Alexandra visits the notorious Garden of Hedon where she quickly finds herself in the arms of a mysterious man. They don’t exchange names, but she drinks in the pleasure he offers her, with neither of them ever expecting to cross paths again.

So, Alex is shocked when she learns her mystery man is Theo Osborne, the wealthy businessman her stepson is trying to convince to marry his half-sister, none other than Alex’s daughter, Harriet. Thanks to her stepson’s financial ineptitude, the estate needs the money this deal would bring, but Theo makes it clear he’s only interested in Alexandra. She, however, is determined never to enter anything permanent with a man ever again, although it rapidly becomes obvious that whatever is going on between herself and Theo is much more serious than an anonymous night of passion.

I was so excited for this book, especially when it jumped into a very steamy scene early on and had a large age gap with an older heroine. Unfortunately, my interest began to wane around the 30% mark when Alex was so upset and bitter that no one had ever stood up for her, but then she immediately bristled when Theo wanted to do so. She just seemed to keep spiting herself and I actually put this down for over a month before returning to it and getting it finished.

When I picked this book up again, I was quickly reminded of why I put it down. Alex was determined to never marry and place herself under a man’s control again, and yet she was very much under a man’s control even in her widowed state since her stepson controlled all her resources. It was very frustrating to me that she didn’t seem to want to admit this since that would mean admitting to herself that she truly would be better off with Theo.

Also, as seems to happen so often with the feminist themes that are so on trend in HR at the moment, we’re inundated with Alex’s repetitive inner monologues about her repression at the hands of the men in her life and she makes very little distinction for Theo, which I found very unfair and smacking of misandry. I get it. Women are oppressed. I live that every day and don’t need to be reminded of it in my escapist romance reads and this heroine just beat that topic into the ground.

Theo’s utter obsession with pleasing Alex was adorable but, quite frankly, I was left feeling like she didn’t really deserve him. He certainly didn’t deserve her erratic treatment of him. For instance, she was adamant in her refusal to give him any kind of commitment or to allow him to commit to her, yet she stressed over the thought of him with anyone else, even as she toyed with him and kept him at arm’s length. The whole thing just had me puzzled and hating how unequal their relationship was. It was super unfair that Alex forbade Theo from speaking to her of his feelings, then turned around and used the fact that he hadn’t spoken of his feelings as a way to convince herself that he saw their relationship as nothing but temporary. It was like she was continually setting up these weird, manipulative tests for Theo that he was always going to fail, enabling her to justify her warped views and gaslight him.

I think Alex was supposed to seem noble and self-sacrificing, but for me she just came off as stupid and immature. She was way too wishy-washy and willfully ignorant of all logic. Theo did everything he could to support her choices, but all she could do was rail about her independence. Even when she did actually need rescuing, she was too blinded by her own stubbornness to see or admit it. For me, she ruined the whole romance of the relationship and the deliciousness of the age gap. She was so determined to be independent that she spent the whole story keeping herself from what she actually wanted, all the while continually forgetting that her independence was nothing but an illusion. She never could seem to recognize that Theo wanted to give her more freedom, not take it away, so it really seemed like she had no concept of anything.

I’ll try not to be spoilery, but you do run that risk from here. Y’all know I hate the third act breakup anyway, but most especially the faux noble ‘I love him so I can’t marry him’ line. What a load of hogwash. In the end I wanted it to be her who went to him and her who groveled, though of course we were never going to get that. She persisted in criticizing how he loved her and thinking he needed to change when he was the one deferring to her whims the entire time. I also loathed the plot device deployed in the last chapter. It was wholly unnecessary and kind of ruined the age gap allure for me a bit.

To me, misandry isn’t sexy or romantic, so the mood of this book was pretty much brought down. Love is precious and rare, and Alex didn’t give it nearly enough respect or cherishing. Especially after how much I adored the first book and how highly I’ve been anticipating the stories of this adorable guy group, this one wasn’t really what I was hoping for.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alexandra, the Dowager Duchess of Chelmswich , 40 years old has been doing what she has been told to do most of her life. Her parents told her who to marry, and her much older husband told her what to eat, what to wear, who to talk to….you get the picture. She had a terrible marriage to an unfeeling man. Now that her morning period is over she’s ready to bust out and she is never going to let a yo e run her life again. I loved the first half of this book. We see Alexandra literally cutting “her widow weeds” dress from her body at the dress makers and be fitted for a new wardrobe. You see she has her daughter, Harriet’s season to manage. But before that all starts she has one thing she needs to do. She wants to have some good, anonymous sex with someone at the Garden of Hedon. Theo Oswald, 28 is a self made man, orphaned but raised by a kind businessman man he has come up in the world and enjoys life to the fullest. But there’s one wish of his adopted father he has yet to fulfill: Marry into society. Well wouldn’t you know that Theo has made an arrangement with the new Duke of Chelmswich, Alexandra’s son-in-law, to marry her daughter. He goes off to the garden to have one last hurrah before meeting his intended. He happens to meets Alexandra right away and they have a good old time. Alex goes back to planing her daughter’s come-out now sexually enlightened. Well you can imagine when they meet again, that this is going to be interesting, but Theo’s a good guy and there’s no way he will marry the daughter of the woman he just banged and let’s Alex know that. Unfortunately the new Duke needs Theo’s $$ in exchange for some parliamentary privileges for Theo’s business so the Dukes having none of this. And Alex is pissed because here’s Duke Jr. forcing her daughter into a marriage just like she was. I want to say that I was pretty engaged with this book for about 60% of it. I like that there is a reversed age gap and that the author doesn’t harp on it and make that the central issue to the MMCs not being able to get together. I also enjoyed a few of the side characters. But after 60% I started to loose interest, I just wasn’t really feeling any chemistry between the two, and by 80% I just skimmed to the end. The author threw a few plot twist here and there but they just seemed forced and then the ending was just so predictable that it was disappointing that it was used. It’s too bad as I really enjoyed the first book in the series and like the other side characters enough to continue reading this series, but this book was just meh.
I was kindly given this book as an ARC by NetGallery for my unbiased review.

All that I can say is, holy hotness!! Megan Frampton’s 'His Study in Scandal' from the School for Scoundrels series brought me to life and gave me all the feels. Our heroine Alexandra, the Duchess of Chelmsworth is middle aged and right out of morning from her piece of garbage husband who left much to be desired and certainly was nothing to brag about in the bedroom. Enter our hero Theo Osborne the hot, virile younger man who has no qualms about showing Alexandra what she had been missing for a wild night of passion at the Hedon garden. But oops, Theo turns out to be the gentleman who is presented as a suitor for her daughter Harriet, what dilemma, what spice! Frampton strikes again is all I can say.

VERDICT Frampton follows up the first “School for Scoundrels” book, Her Lessons in Persuasion, with another scorching pairing. Recommended for romance fans who like it hot, hot, hot.

This is the story of Alexandra, the dowager duchess of Chelmsworth and Theo Osborne a commoner who is being sought as a husband for Alexandra's daughter, Harriet, unbeknowst to her. After Alexandra and Harriet finish their mourning period, they shed their mourning clothes and move to London to begin Harriet's coming out season. Alexandra is very close to her stepdaughter, Edith, who talks her in to attending a pleasure garden to enjoy herself for once in her life. Alexandra meets Theo at the pleasure garden and they enjoy a night of passion. She therefore is pleasantly surprised when she finds out that Theo is the man her stepson, the new Duke of Chelmsworth has chosen for Harriet's husband. While Harriet has other plans for her future, Theo and Alexandra must come up ith a way to either go through with the marriage or convince William, the Duke of Chelmsworth, that the marriage is not the best course for Harriet or Theo. This is a very steamy love story with a happy ever after. I was a little taken aback by the age gap but the author did a great job with the story and the age difference became just another obstacle in the course that Alexandra and Theo had to tackle.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Megan Frampton is a historical romance author who is always consistent and comforting. Frampton's writing has an ease and accessibility to it that is easy to understand and a perfect place to start if you are new to the historical romance genre. His Study in Scandal is Frampton's second book in her new series, A School for Scoundrels. Frampton novel is fun and light hearted and has a sensual undercurrent which is not always found in her novels. Frampton also uses the age gap (heroine is older), and daughter's intended as a way to explore a mature romance built on attraction, secrecy and the forbidden.

While this is not a new idea in the historical romance genre, I did really enjoy Frampton's exploration of this type of story. Frampton builds upon this one night stand and truly uses this as a driving force for the heroine to explore what it means to be a widow on her own terms and her new found freedom. Our heroine in finally in a place in her life where she can make decisions soully based on her wants and needs and when love becomes a complication to her perceived freedom, she must decided how she is going to explore her future. In this novel, I found that Frampton really opens herself to explore the way physicality can influence and encourage a relationship. She shows that in these stollen and forbidden moments when the hero and heroine are in their base form that they can be vulnerable and open with each other on a level of clarity and equality.

If you enjoy Megan Frampton, I believe you will also enjoy this novel. If you are looking to explore Frampton's work this series is a delicious place to start. Her novels have a lightness and softness to them which make them charming and sweet reads and the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.

I have just finished reading His Study in Scandal, my first Megan Frampton novel.

I went into this not realizing this was an age gap romance, which is one thing, but then when I found out that it was between a man and the mother of the woman he is supposed to marry, I had to keep reading. Luckily this was much better done than the whole Stacey's mom situation that I had feared.

This is an age gap historical romance between a widowed Duchess and a very wealthy but untitled businessman. The conflict is set up right from the beginning after the duchess goes to a pleasure garden and the owner spends the night with her to make sure she has a good time.

THEN THE PLOT THICKENS. The man that Alex has been with shows up at her house because he is caught up in some issue with Alex’s step-son and is roped into marrying Alex’s daughter. Luckily for all of the parties involved, the daughter does not have feelings for Theo and everything works out in the end.

What I didn’t like was how cleanly everything was wrapped up after the conflict escalated so much. And the conflict escalated over nothing. Alex and Theo really had no reason they could not be together. Besides the awful step-son mismanaging money. But Alex was stuck on the fact that she did not want to be married and Theo was stuck on the fact that he did want to marry her. It was so boring, I honestly can’t even remember who caved and how the book ended.

I also did not like the fact that the daughter-in-law was a very one dimensional evil-woman archetype. She had no depth to her. I really dislike when female characters are made out to be the bad guys. The story then revolves around the good and the bad women and it really took me out of the story.

There was so much in this novel that I loved, however, like the fact that the daughter ran away with the friend and sister to Paris, and they had to travel there to find them. And how Alex and her step-daughter got along so well because they were so close in age. That was so fun to see the complicated trauma relationship and how it turned into friendship for these two. I think the best parts of this novel is all about the friendships--between Theo and his bros, Alex and her step-daughter, and finally Theo and Alex. It was really endearing and heartwarming to see that grow between everyone.

Alexandra, Duchess of Chelmsworth, is tired of pretending to mourn a husband who squandered a fortune and never bothered to give her the time of day, much less any attentions at night. So, the still-beautiful duchess cuts up her mourning gowns, deciding to experience the pleasures long denied her by daringly visiting the Garden of Hedon. It is there the ton anonymously gives in to their deepest desires, and where Alexandra finds herself in the arms of a mysterious man. She willingly gives in to the passion he offers her, fully believing she would never see him again.
But she is shocked to soon discover he is none other than Theo Osborne, who is continually being pushed forward as a husband for her stepdaughter.
It is funny when mother meets the same man she has an interest in.
This is a witty romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

This was, unfortunately, a big disappointment. The writing style was light and fun as usually, but the story line didn't work for me in so many ways. I never saw any reasons for Theo's immediate infatuation with her, making the whole relationship feel like, "man loves woman due to her magic vagina." Alexandra's growing strength and expression of her own desires was good, but then it was entirely undone by <SPOILER>the pregnancy at the end, which really took away most of her choice by default. Also, the complete lack of any sort of contraception attempt by this man who is supposedly oh-so-good in bed (He tells us MANY times.) is pretty much the antithesis of giving the woman a choice or caring about her future. There wasn't even an acknowledgement by either party, and in a romance novel in 2023, I expect better.<END SPOILER> Pretty much the only things I like about the book in the end were Edith and Harriet and Fenton.