Laura Lee Guhrke does it again! Excellent story! Well-developed characters! Interesting throughout!

Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

Laura Lee Guhrke has a knack for writing smart, independent, sassy heroines, and Delia is no exception. While the hero was a bit rigid and one-dimensional, the characterization of Delia and the rest of the hotel staff more than made up for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the arc. This was a fun historical romance about Delia Stratham and Simon Hayden, set in a luxury hotel located in London in the late 1800's. Delia is a thrice widowed Countess, in charge of scheduling major events in the Savoy Hotel. Simon is a newly titled Viscount, tasked with investigating possible fraud taking place in the Savoy Hotel. There is a lot of information provided on the running of a luxury hotel in the late Victorian era. Titled clients and guests are feted and enticed to book their events and stays in the hotel, not really expected to pay for their events and stays because they bring cache to the establishment. Eventually, though, these methods eliminates profits to the hotel owners, and that's what's happening at the Savoy Hotel.

Some titans of the hotel and culinary industry are mentioned in this book, namely Cesar Ritz and Auguste Escoffier, and it was fascinating reading about the ins and outs of running a hotel, but I felt it overshadowed the romance between Delia and Simon. I loved Delia's character: pragmatic and fun-loving, even though her life has been very challenging. She cares about everyone around her, and always wants to do her best. And Simon is a very honorable gentleman, trying to get used to being part of the gentry, while making sure to stay true to his convictions of running profitable businesses lawfully. Delia and Simon feel instant attraction to each other, but both fight against it because they're both suspicious of each other's intent, not just with each other, but with the business of running the Savoy. But once they allowed themselves to feel the feelings, it was wonderful. And, the sex scenes were steamy, once they finally got there. All in all, a great story.

There are TWs for miscarriage, suicide, and death of loved ones.

I loved Bookshop cinderella by this author so had high expectations for this read. Even though I enjoyed the story, though, I did not enjoy it as much as I did the first book in this series. Delia is a strong female character (which I love) - and I always enjoy a grumpy character. I felt that the relationship between Delia and Simon changed too quickly and suddenly - as did the resolution of the story. I still will pick up the next read by this author.

3.5. This was an enjoyable story I liked both of the main characters. Delia works at a hotel and Simone is brought in to take out the garbage so to speak. At first they are adversaries as change is always hard and her loyalties lie with the previous management. Simone’s sister is named Cassandra soooo I am biased and she was amazing and the best character in this story. I am interested in who the next book will be about I did not read the first book and had no issue jumping into this story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️

I am a big fan of this author’s story telling. I loved the first book in this series, Bookshop Cinderella. I thought I would love this story because it has a mature heroine and a no nonsense hero but the chemistry is missing between the protagonist. The first half of the book is very slow and had a lot of information about the Savoy hotel and the worker’s discontent which I found boring.
The internal dialogue slows the pace of the book. The book picked up when other characters like Lady Kay, Devlin and Cassandra were introduced which moved the story forward. Overall, this is a well written book.

Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC.

Loved reading the amazing and awesome romance story. When Simon, the man in charge of making the Savoy Hotel profitable, meets Lady Delia Stratham, Simon has a difficult time keeping his attraction for her under control. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story.

I love when a historical romance includes characters who fall on the margins of the ton, so of course I loved Lady Scandal.

Delia is a 3 time widow who works as an event manager at the Savoy hotel in London. Her world changes abruptly when the financially conservative and newly titled Lord Calderon takes over the Savoy and starts cutting costs and staff. Delia and Simon butt heads over and over as they navigate the necessary changes being made at the Savoy, and the more they fight, the closer they come to falling helplessly in love.

The progression of the romance in Lady Scandal feels very natural, and I enjoyed the way that Laura slowly turns Simon and Delia toward each other as they go from being rivals to allies in the Savoy's changes.

I highlyly recommend this book for historical romance fans who prefer reading stories about working people to reading about those who sip tea and play cards all day.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing a digital galley copy for me to review.

This was a fabulous read, just because of the setup. A Lady with a job, a newly minted lord who runs a hotel and the fact that the story takes ppace at thr Savoy. It was a refreshing, to have a thrice widowed heroine speak her mind, be creative and run events at the hotel with a ti b ht fist and great taste. It was also amazing to have a hero who fights with workplace conflicts. He's her boss, he's investigating her and he's very very attracted to her. His fight to do what was right was portrayed well.

Ahh!! I LOVED this book so much! A workplace romance but make it historical…what more can I truly ask for! The writing was beautiful and the storyline simply perfection. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book once it releases!

This was just ok for me. I struggled to connect with the main characters though I did enjoy the fact that Delia was a working woman which was a nice twist. I found myself more interested in the intrigue of the hotel vs the relationship between Simon and Delia.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Laura Lee Guhrke's latest installment in the Savoy series is another refreshing and delightful read. Set against the backdrop of a battle for Savoy management, the story follows the journey of Delia and Simon, whose relationship blossoms despite Delia's tragic past marriages. Their dynamic is both funny and heartwarming, with a satisfying conclusion where Simon fully appreciates Delia's capabilities. Guhrke's storytelling prowess shines through once again, delivering a perfect romance that earns a solid five stars.

I love a workplace adversaries to lovers situation but I’ve never read it in a historical romance and it did not disappoint!! Delia, Lady Stratham works for the luxurious Savoy hotel in London planning lavish soirées, events, weddings, etc. the more extravagant the better! She has had free rein to do whatever she wants in the name of luxury for their hotel guests and has never bothered to consider things such as cost. But when the hotel hasn’t seen a profit in several quarters the board and investors send in Simon, Viscount Calderon to cut costs and manage things in order to get back on track. Simon and Delia butt heads immediately. It’s a constant steamy battle of wills between out two lovebirds. With and investigation into the fraud and corruption of hotel staff Simon fights his feelings for Delia but in the end their love can’t be denied. I had a lot of fun reading this book. I loved that both characters were in their 30s, which is rare in historicals for a FMC to be over 30. I also loved reading the authors notes and finding out that many of the events in the book were based on a true story. This book is an absolute delight! Totally recommend!

5/5
A Haughty, newly titled viscount and a widowed countess and determined event planner butt heads over the management of The Savoy Hotel, courting scandal and unexpected romance as they fight to get their way. Reading Lady Scandal was simultaneously the best time ever and renewed my faith in the historical romance genre. Everything about this book from start to finish is sheer perfection, from the flowering wit to the punchy back and forth between leads Simon and Delia. Guhrke certainly knows how to elevate the chemistry to deliver an outstanding love story with characters that feel like they could leap off the page. Lady Scandal is a refreshing testament to the genre and an excellent addition to the Scandal at the Savoy series. I really just had the best time with this one and will absolutely be keeping up with the next book from Guhrke.

My review will appear in a blog post closer to publication.

Ohhhhh…this was a delightful romp through scandal and sexy times. Delia Stratham is a Countess who has been widowed three times. She is now a party planner at the Savoy, one of London’s nicest hotels. Viscount Simon Hayden shows up one day as Delia’s new boss and is revamping business practices and secretly investigating embezzlement. It’s unusual for Delia to be working because she is a rich lady. However, she does it to be social, to not live alone in a big house and to have something to occupy her time. Simon comes from a poor background and feels like an outsider with his new newly acquired title. They are both committed to their jobs and what is best for the hotel. Secrets are uncovered as the investigation progresses and even Delia has to admit that the hotel profits should be more than they are. Simon is very particular about not mixing business with pleasure. Delia doesn’t care as much because no one is paying attention to a widow. She can be as scandalous as she wants. Their attraction definitely heats up. Simon cannot resist Delia and goes against his better judgment. Will their attraction to each other be enough to sustain a relationship? I love their conversations. Their intellect is on the same level and leads to some funny quips. Delia is like a social butterfly and Simon is more straight laced and up tight (at first) He is usually pretty confident with his business decisions, but Delia has him thinking twice with his approach to some things. This is a super fun, engrossing read. A definite must for any historical romance fan. This book is out June 18, 2024. I chose to read this ARC on netgalley.

10/10 should read!

I really liked this book!! I laughed, I cried, I swooned… it was excellent. It was really awesome to learn that some of the characters mentioned in the book were actually based off of real people and that the plot of the story actually happened! So fun! I definitely recommend reading if you like a period romance with some suspense thrown in.

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

I read the first book in the new Scandal at the Savoy series last year and enjoyed it quite a bit. Book 1 gave us some glimpses of the Savoy even though the actual plot wasn’t so much focused on the hotel. I was happy to see that Lady Scandal was fully immersed in the hotel so we got to see the employees more and learn how our FMC Delia actually ended up working there despite being a countess who wouldn’t need to or be expected to involve herself in *gasp* a trade.

Delia’s backstory is intriguing and sorrowful, and I thought the author did a great job at giving us her past in bits and pieces until the FMC herself felt like being vulnerable to the MMC and readers. Delia was a bit of a stock character in book 1, with her devil may care, “I’m off to Rome darling!” vibes but the sequel did an excellent job at rounding out her internal and external world so we see the woman underneath all that. She still doesn’t lose her charm and spunk which I appreciated.

MMC’s was an outsider to the nobility - I thought it was an interesting foil because Delia is accepted in the hotel but the nobility looks down on her despite her bloodline and marriages - while MMC is a tradesman, looked down on by the nobility as well, yet does not have the acceptance of the Savoy workers. A good dynamic to work their enemies to lovers story off of. I appreciated that there wasn’t any cartoonish attempts at sabotage, and that after a fashion they did try to see things from each others’ perspectives, and grew less rigid in their beliefs. One thing I noted about the prequel was that there wasn’t a contrived separation - this one does have a separation but I’m happy to report it wasn’t contrived and felt fully in line with the MCs motivations and values.

The steaminess of this book is perhaps unmatched when compared to recent releases. It is sparingly used but so effective, and does the double whammy of showing us the heat behind Simon’s stern facade without betraying the core of his character.

The book also did a good job at setting up book 3, a second chance romance from what I can tell, and certainly one I am excited to pick up based on how positive my response to the first 2 books has been!

Notes for editor:
Repetition of descriptive words, action words, phrases too close to each other
Helen was the name of the lady Max was courting in the first book - I assume the isn’t the same?
In chapter 7 Simon says “and who is Molly?” But there’s no mention of a Molly

This was really enjoyable. I liked how both characters were working & how their jobs impacted their relationship development. I think the story is mis-marketed a bit though. It says it is grumpy & sunshine but the hero really isn’t very grumpy, & the heroine doesn’t actually do anything particularly scandalous, but I don’t mind because their characterizations were still good. It is a very slow burn, which I also enjoyed.

I’m excited for the next one!

This book was really refreshing. For one thing, the heroine was in her 30s, which is kind of rare for romance it seems. Also, Delia always spoke her mind (typically if this is seen in romance, the heroine only speaks her mind in regard to everything but the romantic plot, but Delia was very vocal about her interest in Simon and had no regrets). One thing that bothered me is that Delia was the one who made the grand gesture at the end, when the whole conflict was Simon's fault (it was understandable conflict and it worked, but it was still his conflict). Laura Lee Guhrke's books are just so accessible as historical romances and I flew through this one as quickly as I did Bookshop Cinderella.

This is literally everything i want and need in a historical romance book!!
It was a lot of fun to read because of the banter of the MCs and it was a total enemies to lovers book (which happens to be one of my favorite tropes).
I absolutely NEED MORE of these in the future!!!