This book was an absolute blast to read! Extremely addicting, I could not put it down!

I came into this book expecting a lot of romance, but that’s not actually the main focus of our story. This book is mostly about Eliza, about a woman finding her voice and discovering herself after spending 10 years in an unhappy marriage.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I was taken aback by the love triangle and the fact that the book's pace is a little bit slow, but overall this was a lovely, light and clean read.

The fact that the story takes place in Bath makes it extremely special for me. Bath was my first solo trip and like Eliza it was where I could discover myself and achieve my independence. It's a place I hold very dear in my heart, so watching our heroine grow and find herself in this wonderful city gave me the feeling of having a real connection to her. 

I loved the writing style, it truly felt like a period piece, and for that I applaud the author.

this is not what i was expecting whatsoever. but seeing that, it did manage to surprise me and im sure if it was all quite positively

there’s a really interesting love triangle that i just don’t think i could get behind, but the side characters truly make this book and i had an enjoyable time reading it

Actual rating 3.75/5 Stars

Prim and proper Lady Somerset is known to follow duty over the whims of her heart amongst her peers. After learning that her late husband left a fortune to her, she suddenly finds herself in control of her future for once in her life.

Although, I did find the resolution to the story’s central conflict a bit lacking, this book is quite charming, laugh out loud funny, and Eliza’s character development was superb. I loved Caroline and Margaret as side characters for their frankness and how they challenged Eliza. This story is definitely for the historical romance lovers out there!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

Admittedly, I really did not like the first book in this series, but I had hopes the second would be better.

Alas, I was disappointed.

I will say that Sophie’s prose is quite nice and the dialogue feels very true to the time, however, like with the first book, I was bored to tears. I found the FMC to be so much of a doormat that it was unbelievable (I realize that was her arc, but it was extremely over the top, and especially at the beginning), and the love triangle did not work for me at all.

My biggest complaint with the first book was that I didn’t think the romance was earned, it felt like the main characters were simply two stick figures shoved together, and I feel the same way about this one. The payoff wasn’t enough for me to feel strongly about either love interest, and to be honest, I think it would have been much better served if it had either been a second chance romance ONLY or a wallflower/rake romance. It feels like Irwin tried to shoehorn tropes into the story that just didn’t feel genuine.

I definitely don’t think this author is for me.

I’ll be honest, I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book and had to force myself to keep going several times. This Bridgerton-esque story had potential and I thought for sure I would fall in love with it at the introduction of Melville’s character but I just wasn’t able to.

I love the character development of Eliza and Margaret but unfortunately that’s where the love stopped for me. I think strong fans of period dramas will enjoy this one, but a casual fan like me, may have a hard time getting into the story.

Sophie Irwin’s writing is magical! She kept her dialogue true to the era the story is set in, yet still managed to keep me engaged. This story has it all! Girl power, societal norms of the time, wealth, and of course, love! I so enjoyed Eliza’s character growth as the story progressed. I am going back and reading the first book in the series now! Thank you for the opportunity to read this before its release.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

5/5 stars

I love, love, love this book! Thanks to a GI bug, I’ve had a lot of time at home and crushed this book in one afternoon.

Eliza becomes a widow at 27 and is subsequently reunited with an old flame, Somerset. Somerset, unfortunately, is the newest heir after Eliza’s much older husband passes away.

Never in charge of her own destiny and now with a fortune, Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin, Margaret. There, she makes new friends, including the enigmatic Melville and his sister, Caroline.

In Bath, Eliza begins to grow as a person. The question is… will she give up her new life for Somerset?

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I'm not much for historical romances but this one was rather easy to follow. I enjoyed it alot more than I thought I would. It was fast paced and steamy. Just how I like it! Would definitely recommend!

This book is incredibly enjoyable and I was captivated by Eliza’s story. Her journey of self-discovery was compelling and the interactions between herself and Somerset is full of heat and tension. It was amazing to follow her development into a woman she never knew she was capable of becoming. There were, however, some pacing issues and a love triangle which left more to be desired. But overall, I was very pleased with this novel and would highly recommend it to any fan of historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I loved Sophie Irwin’s first book so I was really excited to get an early chance to read her second (unrelated) book. The story was a bit slow going in the beginning but it really picked up in the second half and I ultimately loved the very satisfying conclusion. I love a regency romance and this one did not disappoint. I loved witnessing the growth of Eliza, the main character and I enjoyed the side characters as well. I look forward to Sophie Irwin’s next book.

This book was incredibly enjoyable to me. I was surprised by how much I appreciated the pacing and indulgence getting to know the characters. I love how Eliza's character grew stronger and more confident as the story carried on, I saw a lot of myself in her. Would definitely recommend!

A steamy and suspenseful historical romance with a twist. I couldn’t put it down! I love a good historical romance book like this! Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher, I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Eliza, who after being wed to someone twice her senior at age 17, is abruptly widowed 10 years after marriage and bequeathed a large fortune. This is a story of her journey to finding herself and the space she wants to hold in this world.

I’m going to say that I wasn’t enthralled with this book but I think it’s the writing style. I was intrigued and enjoyed the premise of the story, but I found myself skimming pages to try and get to the end. While rooting for Eliza to get the happy ending I felt she deserved, I just really struggled to connect with the writing and then the pacing seemed super sluggish to me.

As this is the second book I’ve read by Sophie Irwin, with similar feelings, I don’t think I’d read anything else by this author again. However I would recommend this series to folks who are interested in a historical/regency/time period romance, because I think the storyline/plots are there it is just wasn’t for me.

Eliza wasn’t the heroine I had expected, at least at first. She was timid and always bending to the will of her family or husband. After the will of her late husband’s was read, a twist in fate left her, for once, able to determine what she wanted to do.

The character development of Eliza was superb. I love how the author made Eliza’s progression slow as it was more realistic. By the end, Eliza had taken back control of her life, and I was rooting for her like crazy. The side characters were all lovely, and I thought the author was somewhat Jane Austen-like in her descriptions of their mannerisms. That being said, I loved it.

The romance was somewhat unexpected but the ending was perfect. The conflict kept me flipping through the pages but I was never annoyed (as I am with miscommunication tropes rip). If you enjoy historical romances but not the spice, then I’d highly recommend this book as well as the author’s other one, A Lady‘s Guide to Fortune Hunting.

Like Eliza, I went on a journey with this book, what initially seemed like a Persuasion-esque romance turned out to be something even more delightful: Move over Second Chance Love here comes Second Chance at Life. It was very refreshing to experience our heroine working past her initial tendre and growing up. Whom amongst us is the same as who were 10 years ago? I do wish Eliza's self-confidence was more gradually built throughout the novel and that there had been a more nuanced series of discussions with her parents and in particular her mother. Everything else is as you would wish to be; the romance swoon-worthy and witty Mr. Melville earns more than his fair few chuckles. The secondary characters feel as though they have their own internal life and I would honestly adore a novella starring Margaret and Caroline.
Time, like the pages, flew by. A quick and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Sophie Irwin has done it again! A pleasure to read another great story from Sophie.

Her historical English romance are just so refreshing and enjoyable.
Still in line with the culture and customs of the Victorian era, but her characters are a break from the typically mould. (British version haha)

Timid Eliza, Countess of Somerset, is in mourning after the passing of her elderly husband. She inherits many properties upon his death and becomes highly wealthy. Outrage from her in-laws and gleeful from her controlling family, Eliza is tired of always being proper and lifeless. When her cousin Margaret encourages her to be spontaneous and free, they escape to Bath, a sojourn from all the expectations and demands.

But she has to be careful for there was a clause that stated she must be proper and free from scandal during her mourning period or she will lose everything.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the growth of Eliza. How she became strong, independent, and will-minded.
She blossomed in Bath and found true love. I also like the nice touch of LGBT representation that was not to in your face but felt authentic. Wit and humor I know from Irwin shines well here!

A very good historical romance book!

She did it again. This book is so fun and sassy and everything you want in a regency romance. I loved every second of it. Sophie is slowly convincing me regency is my new favorite romance drama. I loved all of these characters and how they developed. It was funny, fun, and I’m obsessed.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin will be published on July 11, 2023.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

I read this book in two days and couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen novels, you will have no shortage of references in this book. I was smiling as I recognized them, excited to see a book remind me of Persuasion meets Pride and Prejudice but with a heroine who is newly widowed, wealthy, and wanting to figure out how to be her authentic self for the first time in her life.

Her two love interests (yes, there is a love triangle) are members of the aristocracy with wildly different standing in society. Will Eliza choose Somerset, the handsome second chance love interest or Melville, the scandalous writer? Will she find herself or succumb to society’s expectations for women?

Things I liked:
- The Austen references
- The banter between the characters
- The description of Bath
- Those regency hand holding moments
- The supporting characters. They were so fun, lively, and fit well into the overall book.

This book has a bit of spice, but it’s definitely a closed door romance. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it for a fun and heartwarming closed door regency romance. I’ll be adding more of Irwin’s books to my TBR.

Much thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A Lady Guide to Scandal" by Sophie Irwin. I wanted to root for this book because the cover, title and I'm a fan of Sophie Irwin's first book and I was excited to read this. But after the first two chapter, it was very hard for me to go through some of the chapters. The biggest surprise for me wasn't the main two characters but a character that really stolen the story to itself. But overall, it was spicy, delicious and a fun ride to read. There's some chapters I could do without but when I finished it, I realize why it was important for the story. Overall a fun, witty and just hilarious book and I really love that she added "true love" to it, because real love don't define who you are and who you chose to love.

4 stars for me!

Thank you for this delightful book!

I just reviewed A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin. #ALadysGuidetoScandal #NetGalley

I LOVED IT SO MUCH! I’m not normally one for love triangles of any sort but I feel like this one was done really well and I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I need to be up for work at 4 and I stayed up till 1:30 to finish it. And the time period it was set in didn’t make it hard for me to enjoy the book like it normally would be. It was so quick and easy to read. I’m for sure gonna go back and read the first one in this series now that i know how much I love this authors writing.

ALSO MELVILLE IS MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK BOYFRIEND