A Lady’s Guide to Scandal
If you like books featuring…
Coming of age story
Regency romance
Love triangle

Great for fans of…
Pride and Prejudice
Olivia Atwater
Downton Abbey

I love a great Regency romance and this second chance romance didn’t disappoint.

I liked that there were two potential suitors vying for Eliza’s affections and it isn’t clear which one the reader should root for. In fact, the storytelling was so convincing, I was rooting for the wrong suitor for about half the book! My favorite part was the person Eliza became once she had the freedom to be herself.

This book had many unexpected features, I was not sure how it would turn out. Happy that there was a happily ever after.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal was a treat! I enjoyed the all of the characters and thought they all brought a certain something to this book. This was a great historical romance that I think many people who enjoy Julia Quinn and India Holton would enjoy. If you’re looking for new read this fall, check this one out!

Honestly this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. The pace was incredibly slow. I had a horrible time getting attached to any of the characters. Maybe it would have been better if we had seen her life before her marriage then time jumped? I don't know. The real kicker for me was the love triangle and basically cheating relationship. That was both a turn off and a deal breaker in my opinion. Not a fan and probably won't try more of her books. It lists that it is kinda like Jane Austen's Persuasion... it's not.

This was my first book by Sophie Irwin and I throughly enjoyed it! It was throughly engaging. I have always enjoyed regency stories that include an older heroine trying to find her place in a world that hasn’t always been nice to them! Great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review! The pub date was July 11.

This book is just as hilarious as Irwin’s previous work A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting but is more grounded, leaning into the MC’s complicated and tragic circumstances in a more constant way. Scandal and Fortune-Hunting both put a cynical spin on the regency setting and feature female MCs that are victims of it, but while Fortune-Hunting’s MC is a master of manipulating the system in her favor, Scandal’s MC isn’t. Eliza starts off timid and beaten down and has to learn how to become herself in a world built on toxic expectations and customs guilting people into ruining their lives for the sake of others. It got me emotional more than once.

There’s still plenty of regency social politics going on though, even if Eliza doesn’t start as an expert in them. Eliza is trying to figure out how to play the game (or if she even wants to), characters like Melville are disrupting the social norm as often as humanly possible, others are just trying to further their own agendas, and the “normal” ones are judging everyone else and revealing their true colors in the process. It’s delightful.

The characters were great, with people I loved and others I loved to hate. There’s a certain larger-than-life but still real and complex quality to Irwin’s characters that I love in books.

Now, the romance. This was a brilliantly executed love triangle that didn’t ring my moral ick bell like love triangles usually do. It starts off tragic in such a genuine way, and watching the relationships morph as Eliza grows and the context shift as we see and learn more about Lord Somerset… Top marks.

As a final note, this book is technically set in the same universe as Fortune-Hunting because they mention the love interest’s name once, but that’s it. Don’t go in expecting any familiar faces, but also feel free to read the books out of order.

I just loved this sweet historical romance!

Eliza married the elderly Lord Somerset to please her family and secure their social status and wealth. But now that he is deceased, and they had no children, she isn't sure what to do. She'll have to move back into her parents' house, and the thought depresses her. When his will is read, she is surprised to hear that he has left her some property. For once, she can make a decision that pleases only her. But there is a morality clause, which means that the new Lord Somerset, with whom Eliza had a tendre in their youth, is charged with judging whether she is meeting the clause.

She and her cousin Margaret go to Bath and rent a house. They meet new friends, including Lord Melville and his sister Caroline. Eliza begins to paint again and find herself, after spending years being downtrodden by her late husband. The Melvilles are artists as well - published authors - and run in a faster crowd. Melville flirts shamelessly with Eliza, and she can't say she encourages him. But she also can't say she discourages him, either! She enjoys his repartee. Somerset arrives in town, and Eliza thinks she might have a chance with him again. He is disapproving of her friendship with the Melvilles, but her asks her to bbe engaged to be engaged. But she doesn't give up the friendship with the Melvilles. She doesn't say no when Melville asks her to paint him. And she decides to submit that portrait, anonymously, to the Summer Exhibition at Somerset House in London. She knows Somerset won't approve, but is what she is doing so bad?

The romantic tension between Eliza and Melville is very enjoyable, and so is the, are they or aren't they, tension between Margaret and Caroline. This is a chaste romance novel, and all the more entertaining for it, because the dialogue shows how the couples are falling in love.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This is truly a delightful regency era romance and a fine follow up to the first Lady’s Guide book. Sophie Irwin did a wonderful job of portraying the characters whether main or side in such a likable way with her charming writing. The banter was so much fun and kept me wanting more! Fans of Jane Austen works or Bridgerton would love this book! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: A decent entertainer

A shy Eliza Balfour got married to Earl of Somerset, twenty-five years her senior. Almost a decade ago, it was the match of the season, even if Eliza didn’t gain much from it.
Now, a widow with no child, Eliza is rich and free, thanks to her dead husband’s will (never mind the morality clause). Determined to enjoy her new-found freedom, she travels to Bath with her cousin Margaret and has the time of her life.
However, the news reaches the current Lord Somerset, a young man she knew as a debutante. Soon, she realizes that her freedom has come with strings attached, and she could lose it all if things went out of control. But should she resist the opportunities that come her way?
The story comes from Eliza’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
How you like this book will depend on a few elements – whether or not you read Persuasion, your opinion on love triangles, your tolerance levels for a mousy heroine, and how good you are with rushed endings.
For me, it was a mixed read as I did not read Persuasion and didn’t compare the books. I also didn’t compare this book to any other historical novels, which made it easy to read the book for what it is. I don’t like love triangles, and things are a bit tricky here (more on this next). The heroine's 50-50 for me, and I dislike rushed endings.
First, good things – The writing style is easy to read. It is light with the right touch of depth expected (based on the cover). Even the tough topics are handled with a certain ease, which keeps the overall tone lighthearted.
The book has good humor and strong second leads (Margaret and Lady Caroline). Sometimes, they outshine the FMC, which, I think, is intentional to show her growth from a demure pushover to an assertive woman.
Melville is an interesting character. I liked him a lot (and not just because he is half-Indian). I wish he could have been explored in depth, though we see glimpses of it.
The racism is well done. Must say I’m glad it has not been whitewashed in the name of bringing ‘diversity’ to a book. They never liked us (and many others), and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise.
There's a mandatory LGBT+ track too. It's done well and doesn't take over the main plot, so that's fine.
Now, we move on to the not-so-good aspects of the book. The pacing is uneven. The first half takes too much to establish the premise. The last quarter packs so much that events trip over each other. The reader doesn’t even get the satisfaction of seeing the couple together before the book ends. And there is NO epilogue. WHY? (I would have rounded the rating to 4 stars if there was an epilogue.)
The ‘love triangle’ is there, yet not really there. This one had so much potential, but the whole thing is rushed, and Eliza’s thought process just doesn’t make the impact it should. Some of it might border on cheating, but I wouldn’t call it that, either. Still, I wish it was better written. It could have been.
Anyway, I never liked that guy and couldn’t see why Eliza was well… so sure of it until she wasn’t. This forms the crux of the plot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get enough space. Let Eliza explore her feelings in detail. Let her interactions with parties play in her mind. Let her realize things without the next event breathing down her neck.
Despite everything, the book is pretty quick to read, and I approve of Eliza’s choice. Of course, the other option wasn’t even an option considering the developments afterward, but they are justifications to prove her right. There was this one point Eliza knew who/ what she wanted.

To summarize, A Lady's Guide to Scandal is a decent read and a quick entertainer with a bit of family drama, personal growth, love interests, and some twisty reveals at the end. It is a complete standalone too.
Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Eliza married Lord Somerset ten years ago—despite him being twenty years her senior, and despite her being in love with his nephew—but when he makes her a widow at 28, she becomes titled and wealthy. Surely now she can be with the new Lord Somerset, except he acts as if they were never in love and had never promised themselves to each other! Eliza retreats to Bath with her cousin and dear friend, Margaret, and has vowed to live her life the way she wants to (or at least, as much as she can while she’s still in full mourning). This includes returning to painting, not forcing herself to be polite, and allowing the charming and witty Lord Melville to flirt with her. Somerset, however, vehemently dislikes Melville, and finds himself in Bath to dissuade Eliza from spending time with the man. Oh, how I love a love triangle!

I think fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton will really enjoy this book, and I would also love to see this adapted (not right now, of course, #WGAstrong) as I think it would make for an excellent movie or miniseries! There’s one scene in particular that I could see clearly (as someone who generally can’t picture scenes while I’m reading) where Eliza and Melville are dancing at a party. Eliza is still in full mourning, which means she can’t dance, but Melville leads her out onto the terrace and dances with her privately. I mean just imagine! The shot would be split so the dancers are on one side of the screen, gowns twirling in the golden light of the candles, while Eliza and Melville would be dancing alone on the other side of the wall, bathed in moonlight as they gaze into each other’s eyes. The edits and the gifs of that scene alone would take over the entire internet, as it should.
This book also includes a sapphic side plot that I really enjoyed, as well, especially since I wasn’t expecting it. When the seeds started being planted I was like, “hang on a minute, am I reading into this, or is this legitimately queer?” Friends, it’s legitimately, blessedly queer.

In conclusion, I’m still screaming about this book and telling everyone I know and everyone I don’t know to read it. I have never loved a historical romance more, and now I need to go back and read Irwin’s first book, A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, which I’ve already checked out of the library. Then all that’s left to do is go to film school and marry rich so I can steamroll the Lady’s Guide to Scandal adaptation!

Alert! Alert! Alert! This sequel confirms that Sophie Irwin is one of my favorite historical authors. Not, *new* favorite. Just favorite - full stop- I adore her writing style and characters. The fear with a great debut is whether an author is a one-hit-wonder and will keep replaying the same troupes over and over again (cough- Ali Hazelwood - but PNR to come omg) . But not Miss Sophie - she crafted an amazing widowed heroine with TWO love interests. I have NEVER read a love triangle where I couldn't tell who was going to be the winner.....but here I truly could not tell!! This is a must-read for all historical lovers

This may be my favorite book of the year. I don’t want to say too much, because part of why I loved it so much was the way that Irwin subverted my expectations. What I will say is that I adore Eliza and all of the supporting characters and I think that this book was so ridiculously well-written. I will be buying everything this author writes from now on.

Regency books are my favorite to read and this one was delightful. It was well written and flowed nicely. I read book one just before this and it was equally well done. It is not necessary to read that one first - they are stand alone books. I will definitely read more from this author.

This is a great choice for readers who prefer less/non-spicy romance, don't want something to be entirely predictable and are looking for a protagonist to grow into herself throughout the story. It is Not for readers who don't want a love triangle, or are sensitive to family members steamrolling over others to get their own way.

Here is the set up: Lady Eliza Somerset has been recently (and blessedly) widowed, now that the family has all gathered her late husband's will is read. In it Eliza learns that she has become the richest widow in England - PROVIDED that she leads a life completely devoid of scandal. This quickly becomes difficult as she and her cousin retire to the quiet town of Bath only to be caught up in the company of the notorious Lord Melville and his sister Lady Caroline. Add to this that Eliza's past love (who she snubbed to marry his richer and titled uncle) has returned as the new Lord Somerset and proclaimed his love. Eliza must decide who she wants to be with and more importantly who she wants to be.

My thoughts: The characters throughout gave me a modern twist on the ridiculousness of the neighbors found in an Austen novel. Everything from the confident artist to the impossibly forward/rude neighbors. The community of Bath was lovely and always makes me want to retire to a country side for a lovely time of taking the waters and just meandering about the town.

I loved that there was so much growth in Eliza. It's understandable to put your family's needs above your own. And to do it for so long you begin to wonder who you are. I loved the spirit that we see grow and found it to be a sweet and lovely read through out. I did read the books out of order and now have the first in the series on order. I find this to be delightful and plan on reading more of Sophie Irvin's work.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Irwin writes some of the best witty banter I have ever read.

In this story, a young widow who has spent her whole life making herself small for others, now has the means and independence to finally live her life on her own terms. But after years of thinking, doing and saying only what is proper and acceptable by Society, she struggles to discover what it is, exactly, she wants for herself.

I was absolutely fascinated by the deep dive into the "mourning period" required of widows during this time. The Persuasion-like second chance romance that turned into a love triangle was not what I was expecting at all, and even thought it caused me a great deal of stress, I loved how it resolved.

Sophie Irwin's writing is now some of my favorite in this genre, and I am excited to read whatever she comes out with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Genre: Regency Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: kisses

Sophie Irwin is the queen of regency romance. I think I, like everyone else these past few years, is going through a love of regency romance whether it be on TV or through books. This book is the second in a series, and can be read as a stand alone in my opinion. Recommend to those looking for a fun, mindless, regency read!

I received an advanced copy of a Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin from the publisher Penguin Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Ten years ago, Eliza Balfour married the Earl of Somerset out of duty, giving up her true love for his younger uncle. Now ten years later, Eliza is widowed and still titled and is benefited more funds than she previously thought. Finally, she has her freedom, and she decides to live out the remaining time of mourning in Bath with her cousin Margaret. Suddenly, Eliza is following her passions but could this lead to her losing her fortune?

What I Loved: This book sounds like a retelling of Persuasion, right? No! It’s not and that’s what made me love this book, I found so much joy in the journey this book. Eliza was forced into a marriage that she never wanted and came at the cost of her choices. She is finally free from that marriage and she wants to be the person she dreamed of being. Yes, this book is a romance. This book has a love triangle. But it’s so much more than that, it’s about a woman finding herself and also a story of friendship. I also loved the side romance and would read a whole book on that.

What I Didn’t Like: I wish perhaps that we got to know some of the quirky side characters.

Who Should Read It: People who are looking for a unique historical fiction read.

Summary: Newly widowed but still titled, Eliza takes to Bath to live her life.

4.5 stars
This was a delightful romp in Regency-era England with plenty of will they/won't they love triangle energy. I loved Eliza, the main character, and how she chose to stand up for herself and what she wanted. This is a really great romance for those who don't usually like all of the spicy bits, like myself. The best way I can think to describe this is Bridgerton with the door closed. If you want your romance spicy, this is probably not for you.
I absolutely adored the entire story and since I missed out on the first in the series, I plan to go back and check it out. I think Irwin is completely delightful as a romance writer, and she will be on my list to watch out for her next book!
Thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for the advance copy.

If you enjoy historical romances that take place during the Regency period in England, don’t miss A Lady’s Guide to Scandal. You won’t be disappointed, particularly if you enjoy stories with strong female characters and interesting supporting characters. I really enjoyed this book and am eager to read the first in the series. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.