How to Fall for a Scoundrel is a captivating historical romance novel that is both well-written and entertaining. The story is fast-paced, with short chapters that keeping me engaged from start to finish. The novel features a strong and intelligent female protagonist who is easy to root for, as well as a kind and caring male protagonist who adds depth to the story. The banter between the characters is engaging, filled with wit and humor that adds to the overall charm of the book. In addition to the romance, the novel also includes elements of mystery and intrigue that keep me on my toes. The chemistry between the characters is sizzling, leading to a heartwarming romance that culminates in a happily-ever-after ending.

Eleanor Law is one third of London’s premiere female-lead investigation firm, King & Co. When a charming con man pretends to be her fictional boss, Ellie knows he’s lying. However, accepting the scoundrel’s offer of help might just be the key to cracking a new case.

This is the second book in Her Majesty's Rebels series. Studious Ellie is the daughter of the Lord Chief Justice and follows in his footsteps the only way she can: as an "assistant" to the pretend male figure "Charles King." Secretly, she and her two friends are the brains and investigators of the agency but, occasionally, persistent clients refuse their business if they cannot meet Mr King in person. Enter mysterious stranger “Henri Bonheur” or “Harry” as he asks to be called.

Ellie and Harry meet under the mistletoe at a ball. The attraction and intrigue begin immediately, as Harry claims to be King to a potential client. Can Harry be trusted despite his sketchy past...? The ladies of King & Co decide to give him a chance, eventually helping him to solve his own situation. While the events of the original case came together a bit too easily for me, I like how it led into Harry's backstory and investigation. As always, Bateman's writing is fun and engaging and kept me sucked in until the end! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Tropes: Class Difference, Working Heroine, Mistaken Identity

Steam: 4

This one was a fun one. We know I’ll read any Kate Bateman - I wish it had slightly more of a dual POV, though I understand why it didn’t, for the stake of the plot. This still didn’t quite have the magic of her two other series for me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the signature banter, tension, and all around fun that I know that I’ll always get with Bateman.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will always dive head first into a regency romance! This one is sweet and the characters genuinely spark a friendship immediately which I love. Kate Bateman is up there with Julia Quinn for me!

How to Fall for a Scoundrel is a return to form for Kate Bateman, and a fun, romantic read!

I'm a big fan of Kate Bateman's writing, and while I didn't love the first instalment in the Her Majesty's Rebels series, Second Duke's the Charm, I liked the overall premise, and I'm happy to report that this second entry in the series feels more like a vintage Kate Bateman romance.

I think part of what helps this second entry in the series stand out from the first is that the hard work of world building has already been done in Second Duke's the Charm, to the benefit of How to Fall for a Scoundrel. As well, the combination of bookish Eleanor and devil-may-care Harry is a really winning one, and I particularly love how often Harry's charm fails to win Ellie over early in the book, to comedic effect:

His laugh made her stomach somersault. "You have an excellent vocabulary, Miss Law. Are words with three syllables your favourite?"

Ellie glared at him. "Not at all. In fact, here are some shorter ones: Explain, you fraud."

I also love when there is a good spark between the leads which doesn't devolve immediately into instalove, as well as books where our main characters have to work a bit for their relationship; while there is pretty immediate attraction here between Harry and Ellie, their path is not so smooth that all the interesting bits get filed off, which I really liked. My only real critique is that this is quite a short book, and had it been a bit longer, the various plot developments would have benefitted from some additional room to breathe; that being said, nothing in the book felt cut short either.

Overall, the mystery which Ellie and Harry are jointly investigating is ultimately resolved in a satisfying way, the evolution of their relationship is charming and had me cheering their happily ever after, and by the end of the book, I was eagerly anticipating the release of the third book in this series. As a quick, charming romance, How to Fall for a Scoundrel is definitely worth a read!

I received an ARC for this book from St. Martin's Press; all opinions expressed here are my own.

I can always depend on Kate Bateman to deliver a solid historical romance read. And this one was no different. Great characters with good chemistry and an enjoyable plot. This one was set at a really nice pace to where I easily finished in a day! Can’t wait for the next one!

This is the Kate Bateman I adore. I was surprisingly disappointed by the first book in Her Majesty's Rebels, but I've enjoyed many other of this author's works so I had to give How to Fall for a Scoundrel a chance.

Ellie and Harry did not disappoint. They had chemistry, attraction, banter, teasing, mystery and intrigue all rolled up into a fast, easy read. I enjoyed every minute of it.

I'm highly anticipating Daisy's story next.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Intrigue, entertainment, romance—this book has it all! I was captivated from the first page by Ellie and Harry, their blossoming feelings, and also the cases and mysteries they solved! I love that this series features such clever women, and the men who admire them for their brains as well as their beauty!

I'm withholding my review of How to Fall for a Scoundrel in solidarity with the #SpeakUpSMP boycott. Please visit https://r4acollective.org/about/ for more information.

Kate Bateman consistently provides quippy dialogue, sensual romance, and characters you can care about. I love the premise of a thief trying to get one over on women who have been playing shadow games with the ton for a while. An excellent pairing of characters!

The three friends of King and Co are back, and this time Ellie is approached by a scoundrel that piques her attention. With witty banter and loads of chemistry, they work on a case together that leads him to reveal his true identity. It’s a fun read and I look forward to reading the next installment with Daisy’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Kate Bateman is officially on my "I will read whatever she writes always & forever until the end of time" list. The ladies of Charles King & Company are at it again and this time it is bespectacled Ellie who her man. Bateman's characters are always interesting and engaging and Henri/Harry is no exception. A charming rogue with a mysterious past? I mean what's not to love?! I have thoroughly enjoyed the built in mysteries in the series and so much. I can't wait for Daisy's story and to revisit these characters in the next book.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

There's nothing Eleanor Law loves more than proving she's just as intelligent as any man. She and her two closest friends are the founders of King & Co., London's most successful PI firm. While they tell everyone the real work gets done by their boss, Charles King, the girls are the brains and muscle behind the operation. So, when a mysterious man claims to be their fictitious boss, Ellie knows he's lying, but his fib could help them crack their latest case.

Harry has had many names throughout his life, his most recent being Henri Bonheur, but what he wants more than anything is to regain his real name. Harry is ready to ditch his criminal past and reclaim what's rightfully his, but to do so, he needs proof, and for that, he needs Ellie. The pair come to a mutually beneficial arrangement, and soon, their proximity leads to a desire that can't be snuffed out. There's no way Ellie can let herself fall for a conman, but will her feelings change once Harry's past comes to light?

Kate 👏🏻 Bateman 👏🏻 never 👏🏻 misses. She's one of my top histrom authors for a reason. Every time I pick up her books, I know I'm guaranteed a good time. Everything from the writing to the characters to the banter is always on point. I was living for how cheeky Harry was. He was a perfect balance of playful and caring. I loved how he loosened Ellie up a bit. It wasn't hard to piece together his backstory, so I didn't find his big reveal all that dramatic, but it was fun watching it all play out. Another thing I love about this series is the friendship between our three MCs. Ellie, Tess, and Daisy are friendship goals, and I love watching them solve crimes and be total badasses together. If you're looking for a fun, steamy new historical romance series to get into, I can't recommend this one enough.

I read this whole thing in a day and I loved every minute, it was hard not to fall for our MC’s and who doesn’t love a regency romance?!

Delightful, delicious, flirtatious fun! Kate Bateman is my go-to when I want to see a heroine who can hold her own be swept off her feet by a scrumptious man who will tantalize, tease, and only slightly torment her, and this second in Her Majesty's Rebels series is completely adorable from start to finish. Ellie Law, daughter of the Lord Chief Justice and one third of King's Investigative Agency, knows that the rogue who kissed her at the ball gave her an alias from the Puss in Boots story. But Harry also offers to help pose as Charles King to help secure a major client, and Harry's criminal background proves useful in recovering a stolen Book of Hours. Ellie knows she's in over her head when Harry starts bringing out her naughty side--next thing she knows, she's lying, thieving, and playing the role of an experienced lady of the night--but there's a reckoning in store when she learns the real reason Harry has returned to London after all this time. With entertaining supporting characters, though Daisy steals every scene she's in, a rich historical setting--if you've ever toured the Tower of London, you'll be able to follow along with the characters when they visit--and snippets of Italian, which is only my favorite language for scoundrels to croon in a heated moment, this swift, entertaining read is simply FUN. No need to read the first to follow along, but why wouldn't you want to read more Kate Bateman? Her books are an absolute delight.

Kate Bateman does not miss! She is so talented and I would honestly read her grocery list!!! There was steam, a mystery and banter was phenomenal!

Another hit by Kate Bateman! I've really been enjoying this series and the second installment is no exception. Bateman consistently weaves a perfect balance of romance and mystery/action but the heart of the story is always the romance. This book focuses on Ellie, the studious wallflower of our gang of lady investigators. A mysterious -and handsome- stranger steals a kiss from Ellie under the mistletoe and after that he's pretty much impossible to shake off. He convinces Ellie to let him work with them and -later- to take on one of his own mysteries as a case for King & co.
I loved the dynamic between Ellie and Harry -I'm always a sucker for opposites attract and Harry's outgoing scoundrel is a perfect match for Ellie who is level-headed and pragmatic.
I am waiting eagerly for Daisy's story and can't wait to see who her love interest is going to be! (I keep theorizing we've already met him but I'm probably wrong haha)

Big improvement over the first book in the series!
Really enjoyed this one start to finish, had a really good sense of who the characters were, they had good chemistry, and within pages I was also falling for the scoundrel.
It was a fun, light read with a few moments of suspense but overall low stakes.
Bateman is setting up book three real nice, can't wait!

I am a huge fan of Kate Bateman and am always excited to read anything she writes, so I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed this one. I can say that it probably wasn't my favorite of hers, though the bar for a Kate Bateman favorite is incredibly high for me. This has the typical KB components that I love - a smart and engaging female main character, a male main character who is a bit of a rogue but is also obviously redeemable and is delighted by the heroine's intelligence and sense of humor, a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure. My only real complaint with this one was that I wanted the adventure elements to be a bit more developed. This series features King & Co., a private investigation firm that is actually run by three women, and so my expectations for adventure and intrigue are pretty high. It was here, but I wanted more! But that didn't detract from the excellent character development, fun banter between the leads, and, of course, a great romance.

An absolute delightful book!

The owners of Charles King & Company are exceptionally resourceful detectives with a great solve rate. How to Fall for a Scoundrel was Ellie Law & Henri Bonheur’s story that included white hot chemistry between the two and some brilliant capers that lead even hotter celebrations!!

I do love Kate Bateman’s storytelling. Because of her experience as a fine art appraiser and owner of an auction house, Kate shares her wealth of knowledge with her readers. It is a wonderful way to learn just a little more about that period in history.

I can’t wait for Daisy’s book! It absolutely promises to be thrilling and action packed!!