🔅Book Review🔅

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Regency romance is my favorite type of romance to read, however this book wasn’t for me.

Brief Synopsis: Ten years after marrying the Earl of Somerset Eliza is widowed and for the first time in her life is fully in control of her life and future.

Here’s what worked for me:
💫 Eliza finding independence after being controlled the majority of her life.
💫 Finding true love and no longer caring what others think.
💫 Risk taking, and doing what you love!

Here’s what didn’t work for me:
💫 Long, drawn out chapters
💫 Extremely detailed descriptions of dresses everyone is wearing nearly every chapter
💫 A rushed ending
💫 Love Triangle

If this were a novella, I think I would have enjoyed it more. There were a lot of details that I felt could have been left out and the story wouldn’t have suffered. Towards the middle I just started skimming.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal is a delightful romance with interesting characters, general hijinks, and a nod to history. While it's described in one of the blurbs as being Jane Austen's Persuasion rewritten, I disagree beyond it's resting on it's outline as scaffolding .
The story begins when Eliza, coerced into marrying a cold man 20 years her senior a decade ago, discovers she's received a large inheritance at his death. The late earl's family are dismayed, and immediately begin plotting how to get the property back, relying heavily on a clause in the will stipulating that Eliza will lose all but a yearly stipend if she behaves too scandalously. The new earl, her former love who has recently returned from a decade in the navy, is the one doing the judging.
Her newfound freedom and wealth open the opportunity for Eliza grow from an obedient, quiet woman to a colorful woman who stands up for herself and for others she loves. With her steadfast friend Margaret at her side, Eliza moves to Bath. Starting a new life is challenging, given conniving relatives, her feelings for her old love, and her growing connection with her new friends, the Melville siblings, who encourage her to live large, Lord Melville, in particular, helps Eliza find her way to her true self when he persuades her to paint his portrait and they spend hours talking as she paints. This leave Eliza in a pickle - how to deal with her old love while maintaining her freedom and her growing attachment to Melville?
If the rest of Ms. Erwin's writing is as engaging as this was, I'll be adding them to my collection in short order.

The start of this novel was a little slow and confusing because there were so many characters that were introduced, but stick with the story, and I promise the payoff is worth it!

I wished that this wasn't marketed so much as a PERSUASION retelling because 1) it isn't one and 2) it gives readers unrealistic expectations. That being said, I loved the character arc of Eliza, and I thought the modern romance tropes applied to the regency era were such so clever and well-done and added a great element of surprise. The love triangle was also fresh in its execution, and I loved how it demonstrated Eliza's personal growth. Plus, it's such a well-executed love triangle, as Jenny Han said, "A good love triangle is one where you feel heartbroken with either choice."

I was really looking forward to reading this book after finishing Irwin's last novel, A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting. And I felt it was off to a good start, but after making about a third of the way through, I found myself struggling. Eliza was starting to get on my nerves with all of her up and down thoughts and woe-is-me attitude. I felt she just kept rehashing the same worries over and over, to the point that it began to annoy me. I feel like she was going to make a turnaround eventually, but I got bored on the way there. However, I loved Margaret; she was probably my favorite character.

I'm still giving this book four stars because I do want to finish it at some point down the road, and I feel like it will be good when I do. But due to life circumstances, I just couldn't force myself to keep going right now. I would definitely recommend it to others, and have already recommended it be ordered for the library where I work. I love Sophie Irwin's writing style and will pick up her next one without hesitation. Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC of this book!

Sophie Irwin's female leads are delightful! This regency romance is feminist & fantastic! If you're a fan of Martha Waters or India Holt you'll love Sophie Irwin!

This book is hard for me to give feedback for because I think I expected it to be some thing else. Her debut novel A ladies guide to fortune hunting what is one of my favorites last year to read but I expected her to continue the story with the other sisters in the last family. This story was interesting in that it focus focused on a young heroine who is getting out of a loveless marriage when her older husband dies and now can either remarry to someone who she used to love or live on her own as a widow. What’s interesting is it kind of took the novel persuasion by Jane Austen and gave it a twist in that this lady actually has money and can now choose whether or not to marry her former lover. Unlike in persuasion she marries the deceiver as they are more compatible. Overall a good story but not what I was expecting at all.

Recommended: sure
for *scandalous* Regency behaviour, for a rare one not set mainly in London, for some cute as heck scenes that made me smile a bunch

Thoughts:
The toughest thing for me in this book was that I wasn't sold on one of the love interest leads from the first time we met them. I didn't really buy it which made it harder to enjoy the "love triangle" aspect when one just felt like a turd. Why would there ever be conflict about who to choose when one is a turd? Anyway, that did end up resolving itself so it was fine, but originally I was a bit side-eyeing Eliza and wondering about her mental state.

There was also an unexpected realization for me around the middle of the book. It was essentially the point where what I had assumed was the obvious and inevitable conclusion to the story was not actually where it would end up. It's hard to write this without spoilers xD but essentially my own opinions on all the characters ended up revealing what the natural ending would be (because it *is* a book after all). This was fun for me and I enjoyed being caught off guard with a pleasant surprise!

That's about it for surprises though. The reveal towards the end was a little tangled and there were bits that I didn't expect, but overall, I mean, I think the general way the book will end is clear. xD The journey to get there was enjoyable though. There was some delicious tension, and lots of amusing scenes with touches of absurdity. Friendships and other relationships do matter and take up space in the story though, too, so it's not all just romantic pining taking the stage. It helped to give Eliza more depth to learn where she stood with other issues.

Eliza's personality takes a BIG change toward the end of the book and the final few chapters are honestly a wild ride. The whole unraveling of everything is NUTS and I really had to pay attention. xD That feeling where you just want to shout at people in a horror movie making dumb choices? It was a bit like that feeling haha!

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will def be reading more of Sophie Irwin's books as they have so far been totally my flavor. 😊

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I was unable to read it in a timely manner. Therefore, I cannot offer any evaluation of the book. My apologies. because the review requires a star rating, I will give it a 4 because the title and story line appealed to me.

A LADY’S GUIDE TO SCANDAL

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A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting was one of my favorite books last year so I really looked forward to this newest novel from Sophie Irwin. Her voice is fresh for the genre while still maintaining the beautiful nuances of a Regency romance.

Things I liked: The loose “Persuasion” retelling with a few twists. The introduction of a love triangle was clever. Superb writing. A new take on a coming of age story; the main character and the emergence of her true self happened in her late twenties.

Think I disliked: I didn’t connect with the characters as much in this novel. Sometimes the pacing was off; the first half felt too slow and the ending felt rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the eARC!

I enjoy a historical romance and A Lady's Guide to Scandal fits that nicely. Our main character Eliza has become a wealthy widow after the death of her husband who was twice her age. But in order to keep her inheritance, she must conduct herself with propriety. This story has an interesting love triangle where Eliza is torn between her first love whom she did not marry for the good of her family and the disreputable Melville. I enjoyed the authors writing but Eliza's choices took me out of the story. Eliza has been constrained her entire life by her family and her first marriage, and was ready to let go of what is proper and lean into her freedom.

If you enjoy historical romance this one is worth trying.

Thank you Penguin Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this as I enjoyed Sophie Irwin's previous novel set in the Regency era, A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting. I also enjoyed A Lady's Guide to Scandal. Second chance romance for the widow Lady Somerset Eliza and the new Lord Somerset, that quickly becomes a triangle with the charming Lord Melville, in the midst of Eliza figuring out who she is and what she wants to do with this first opportunity to call the shots in her own life. I don't think either book is particularly memorable long term, but I did enjoy going along for the ride while reading.

If you're looking to read a PG version of Bridgerton-style series, you'd enjoy this (and Guide to Fortune Hunting).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I looooooooved A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting last year and was so excited to read Sophie's second book. However I should have known I was not destined to because it not only has a second chance romance, but a love triangle!

Yeah.

Let me talk about what I loved - I loved that Melville was half-Indian and that the book did not shy away from what that entailed then. I enjoyed Eliza coming into her own although I feel she went from 0 to 100 in the last chapters. I really enjoyed the supporting cast, they were all aces. From Caroline to Margaret to Lady Hurdle to Pardle! All the named and unnamed characters were fun, even the annoying ones. Sophie Irwin's writing really sparkles and I adored most of the dialogue.

Where the book falters for me is in 2 of the main characters. I do not like love triangles and this book has not cured me of that. I did like who she eventually ended up with, but I felt it could have been done in a better way? Not like the other Male angle was any better, but I felt he did not deserve what he got.

Huge Thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a digital ARC - pub date 7/11/2023. I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did because it actually has a lot of charm going for it. So I edge higher than a 2 star but not enough to round up to 3. The reason boils down to the same problem I had with Irwin's debut book, though, so I guess that is a yay for consistency?

Basically, her secondary characters are delightful and well-rounded and interesting and I could read a whole book on them... Her actual hero and heroine? Not so much. While the interloping leg of the love triangle Melville is full of charm and depth and has a slow-grow character arc, the other male leg of the triangle Somerset is just plain AWFUL. He has about as much charm as cardboard and as much depth as a puddle and he is a raging hypocrite, to boot. Eliza, on the other hand, as our fairer leg of the triangle is... Let's just say that her character growth feels like it was jammed into the last 20% of the book and in such a staggering way that I was left wondering if someone else stepped in to take her place. She goes from insipid and spineless to "screw you all, I do what I want" in the blink of an eye and at a point in time where it is pure stupid madness to go that far. Though I was relieved that she did grow and she did realize the emotional abuse she had undergone for years and years!

Margaret and Caroline? All day long. Lady Hurley and her beau? Oh, yes, please. Even Perkins the butler was absolutely adorable and sketched out well enough that you felt you knew him.

As for fashion and manners and the location of Bath? Irwin continues to nail her research and describe things beautifully. I just wish her main characters could stand as well as everything else in the book.

Every once in a while a romance comes along that just really captures your heart, and that's what A Lady's Guide to Scandal did for me. I loved Eliza's journey and growth as she navigates life after the death of her husband- someone she married out of duty, in an era where she had little opportunity for independence and learning. I was happy smiling at the end of this book, feeling strongly that she ended up in the right place, and furious at points of the story at positions she was put in. Charming, witty, and captivating.

Such a fun read! I would recommend to fans of Bridgerton. A love triangle that is the talk on the ton!

Sadly, this book just wasn’t for me. I enjoy historical romance, but I clearly prefer bodice rippers rather than more traditional ones.

I don’t mind a love triangle, but when I don’t ever really get to know or understand why we are supposed to love them, I disengage from the story, which is what happened here.

I thankfully got the ending I wanted, but I didn’t enjoy the journey.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know that I was as swept away by this book as I hoped to be. I loved Eliza. I think that she is a fantastic character. One whose growth throughout the book is admirable. Also, her “rebelling” is very tame, though to be fair women had little outlets that they could truly go crazy with within her status. I enjoyed the triangle of love you have going on between Eliza, Oliver, and Lord Melville. Yet I was not really rooting for either guy above the other. I enjoy books where I can pick a clear winner and stand behind them and personally both men felt very typical, and nothing really made one personality shine above the other one. So honestly in the end I would have been okay if she picked either guy, though to be honest I kind of wanted her to stay on her own and do her own thing. It was an enjoyable book, but I don’t know if it will stand out when making recommendations to patrons if they are looking for a historical romance.
Thank you so much to Penguin Group Penguin Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Quiet, complaisant recently widowed Lady Somerset is shocked to discover that she has inherited lands from her husband … but there’s a morality clause. When his heir and her ex-beau arrives on the scene, she sets off to Bath where she sets up a household with her cousin and BFF. There she decides that she does not want to be so compliant anymore.

From the jacket copy, I thought this book was headed in a certain direction, but when I was about halfway through it, I realized that I had to be wrong. Pay attention to how and with whom she spends her time. It would be a truly terrible romance if she spent all her time with one man then married the other! Just saying. I kind of hate love triangles, but this didn’t feel particularly triangular to me.

Anyway, the book was fine. I loved her cousin’s character. She was so sharp and funny. I thought the banter was great. The book has a bit of a slow start, and the ending felt a bit too quick. Overall, it was very enjoyable though.

Title: A Lady's Guide to Scandal (A Lady's Guide #2)
Released: 7/11/23, read 7/5/23
Author: Sophie Irwin, new
Book cover: pretty, captures the love triangle
Format: e-ARC
Page Count: 336
Setting-1819 London and Bath
Genre: Regency Romance
Tropes: love triangle, arranged marriage, 2nd chance romance, slow burn
Representation: LGBTQIA+ ,feminism
Rating: 4****
Source: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Quick summary: Eliza Balfour is recently widowed. At the will reading, the old Earl of Somerset has given her his fortune with a morality clause that the new Earl will oversee. The new Earl Oliver (the old earl's nephew) and Eliza were in love as teens. Enter Lord Melville, new to the scene and smitten w/ Eliza. Who will she choose?

Characters-Main and Minor
Eliza Balfour-27, widowed, married 10 years in a loveless marriage. Loves to paint like her g-father taught her. Agrees to do Melville's portrait.
Lord Melville- new resident in Bath, a flirt
Earl of Somerset/Oliver-old Somerset's nephew, was in love w/ Eliza when they were teenagers
Margaret Balfour-Eliza's cousin, gay
Caroline-Lord Melville's sister, taken w/ Margaret


Conflict: Eliza finally having freedom and what she does w/ it. A love triangle w/ old love and new love. Margaret never married, becoming a spinster. Must hide her sexuality

Resolution: Sometimes old love is just that. Eliza changed from the little mouse she was to a fierce lion, hear her roar!
Complaints: A little predictable, but it is a loose retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. A returned naval officer, staying in Bath, and a 2nd chance romance.

I loved this one! I enjoyed the author's debut, but this one really surpassed my expectations.

The romantic plotline was definitely at the center of this, but a lot of the story also focused on Eliza's journey. I loved seeing her gain more and more confidence, and learn to trust and speak up for herself, as well as others. Her character growth and journey were so fun to read.

There is a love triangle in this which I don't typically search out and I wasn't really expecting, having just read the blurb on the back of the book. But I really enjoyed how it all played out. It made for a fun reading experience and the fact it was a historical setting made each of the guy's pursuit of Eliza a lot more fun in my opinion.

Melville I adored from the start. He had such character and charm, and I just couldn't not love him. The way he helped Eliza come out of her shell and encourage her was so sweet to see. He knows how to push Somerset's buttons which was so entertaining.

I usually have a hard time with second-chance romance, but I was able to understand Eliza and Somerset's situation better and it made sense for the time period and each of their situations.

There was a ton of good banter and I found myself laughing and grinning to myself so many times.

There was one main side plotline with two of the side characters which I enjoyed. The side characters felt like full characters themselves and I enjoyed their characters' trajectory as well.

This might very well be one of my favorite reads of the year! I think it would make such a fun miniseries too.