<i>How to Fall for a Scoundrel</i> is a light, entertaining and beyond charming read from Kate Bateman. Being the second book in the <i>Her Majesty’s Rebels</i> series and my first time reading from Bateman, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything from not having read the first book (although I should remedy that now!)

Ellie is one part of King & Co. - the best investigative firm in London that nobody knows is run by three women. Harry is attempting to reform his criminal ways and what better way than to pose as the elusive Mr. King to help Ellie and her friends bring in more cases? And if he and Ellie accidentally fall in love along the way, and his true identity is also revealed?

This was such a fun romance from Page 1 - a perfect summer read in the form of a Historical romp with a Charming Devil of a hero and an intelligent Blue-stocking heroine. Ellie and Harry have incredible chemistry, and watching them investigate crimes, swindle thieves, and save the day for multiple people was a delight. Seeing them get their HEA was even better. Fans of the Historical Romance genre won’t be let down with the quick, delightful and steamy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Eleanor Law and two of high society women friends run King & Co., a Regency London private investigation firm which is very successful. The fact it is secretly run by the fairer sex thrills its owners. No man called Charles King actually exists until a handsome con-man “helps” Eleanor out a party by pretending to be her boss. Ellie goes along with the pretense in order to solve a very lucrative case.

Going by the name of Henri Bonheur as well as several other aliases, Harry insists he no longer is a criminal and only wants to help Eleanor and her friends. What he does not say immediately is that Harry needs their help for a personal problem in return. Ellie is drawn to Harry but knows his trustworthiness is very suspect.

They work well together solving their assignment becoming ever closer. Harry is keeping more than one secret from Ellie having to do with his background and the reason he needs her help. This book is the second one in the Her Majesty’s Rebels series but can read as a standalone.

A perfectly serviceable historical romance with a dash of mystery. There were moments of greatness in the chemistry and banter between the two MCs, but not enough to elevate it beyond three stars for me. I can say that the period detail felt well researched and the dialogue and descriptions never jarred in the anachronistic way that many historicals can fall prey to! I'd be up for giving another title by this author a try.

How to Fall for a Scoundrel by Kate Bateman is a great summer beach read. The second in a series, it can be read as a stand alone novel. This time Ellie meets a conman who says he is the "Charles King" that the ladies' PI firm is named for, although Charles King doesn't exist. However, Ellie finds herself falling for Harry and his ways and somehow overlooks the fact that he's a conman. But love wins out and it's a fun novel. Thank you to the author publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of historical romance books, so I enjoyed this one as well! I loved the added mystery component of solving crimes together, and enjoyed getting to know Ellie and Harry and their building connection. I felt like there could’ve been a little more to build up their chemistry, but overall I liked this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Kate Bateman's books, and her latest series is really fun. Three friends have formed a detective agency, but as they're women, and no one would hire them if it were known they're actually running the agency, they create a figurehead owner named Charles King. Charles King is always too busy to see clients and no one asks too many question.

Perpetual wallflower Eleanor (Ellie) Law is surprised when a handsome rogue kisses her at party. She's even more surprised later in the evening when the rogue introduces himself to a prospective client as the mysterious Charles King.

Ellie is forced to work with Harry the rogue, and as much as she protests, she can't help but enjoy his company. Their romance is really delightful. Ellie tends to feel overlooked when compared with her beautiful friends, but Harry sees her in a way no one else ever has. But Ellie is very much on the side of law and order (her father is the Lord High Chief Justice), and finding herself attracted to a man with multiple names who may be a thief is very unexpected.

This is basically the plot of Remington Steele and it's really fun. Ellie and Harry are very cute together, and the book is really funny. I like my historical romance with a side of comedy and this one delivers.

Kate Bateman's How to Fall for a Scoundrel is a historical romance following Ellie, an investigator and co-founder of a private deteticve agency she operates with her friends. One day, a conman named Henri Bonheur enters the scene and pretends to be her fictional boss Charles King. Suddenly, Ellie finds herself partnering up with the conman to solve cases, falling for the man along the way.

This book is the second in the series and while I didn’t feel it was necessary to read the first, I feel like I would’ve understand the friends a little better had I read it. It wasn’t my favorite romance but I did enjoy the story. I did feel like some of the banter went on for too long and I found myself skimming some of the chapters.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

How to Fall for A Scoundrel is a light mystery with a romance mixed in. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for this advance reader's copy! This is the 2nd novel in Kate Bateman's Her Majesty's Rebels series. This story is about Ellie's adventures as a detective (in hiding/disguise) with her two best friends, who together run the King & Co. agency. There is no Mr. King, and Ellie meets the mysterious self-proclaimed thief Harry at a ball, and he quickly declares himself to be Mr. King. The mystery parts of the story were not my favorite, which is why I gave this book 3 stars. Ellie and Harry have great chemistry and are thrown together in many situations as they work to solve mysteries and crimes together. I enjoyed their story and the rapport between the three friends who work together in the detective agency. Overall a fun Historical Romance.

A great story with amazing characters. I loved Harry and Ellie and the instant connection they had. It’s a fun read with surprises that I was not expecting. It’s well written, very entertaining and I would highly recommend it as a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

Ms. Bateman has crafted an interesting plot to set the stage for a very quick romance. There is a strong supporting cast and the MCs are likable. At times the writing is stilted and there are no real surprises in this spicy love story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC..

This second entry in Bateman's series about what I somehow failed to grasp was a Regency <i>Charlie's Angels</i> story (this volume made it click for me with a throwaway line at the end; I think it's more a me problem than a fault of Bateman's writing) is even more enjoyable than the first. The heroine this time is Ellie, who in a more modern time would have been a lawyer, but since she's living in the early 19th century, she puts her brilliant legal mind to heading up the investigative agency she runs with her friends. Ellie has the lowest social standing (though she's by no means a commoner) and a tendency to hide in plain sight, which is, she believes, just the way she likes it. Then Harry, calling himself by the ludicrous pseudonym Henri Bonheur, enters the scene, and all of her preconceived notions go flying out the window. Suddenly, she finds herself involved with a conman and very much enjoying it, and when he turns out to have a more prosaic identity, well, that's just part of the fun.

Although the plot is definitely on the campier side with overtones of a caper, the characters are so entertaining that it truly doesn't matter. This is escapism, pure and simple, and it reads smoothly and quickly in the way of all the best candy books. Bateman gets bonus points for understanding how women's pockets worked at the time (they weren't sewn into the dress), and my only real complaint is that Ellie is averse to wearing her glasses, because she really seems like the kind of sensible woman who would rather wear them and look like a bluestocking (her words) than not be able to see. You probably ought to have read the first book before picking this one up, but if you liked that one, there's even more fun to be had here.

Kate Bateman is always a sure thing for a great period Romance. I see her name and I request right away. She does the perfect mix of great characters, fun story, clever banter and well written spice. This one is no exception. Love it. Read this sucker in a day!

What a truly entertaining read! This is the first book I have read from this author, but it will not be the last. Great plot to support the romance, the banter was so fun, and the connection was there from the start... although considering the times, i was a little surprised at how quickly she "compromised " herself. I do appreciate that although there was a (small) final conflict, the FMC didn't go crazy over it and complicate they're path to HEA. Prior events were eluded to throughout the story, while they didn't take away from the novel at all, I certainly am interested in reading them to get the whole story.

title: How to Fall for a Scoundrel

author: Kate Bateman

publisher: St. Martin's Paperback

publication date: August 20, 2024

pages: 320

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: Ellie and her friends run a detective agency under a man's name because many people won't hire women, but one night at a party, a handsome stranger first kisser her and then claims to be the imaginary head of her agency. She ends up teaming up with this self-professed reformed thief to solve several mysterious cases. [Note, this is the second book in a series. I read Second Duke's the Charm over a year ago and liked that book, too. I recommend reading the other book first, though this one would stand alone as well.]

tropes:

reformed rake
reformed criminal
lost identity
wallflower who's actually lovely
smart women are sexy

what I liked:

lots of fun banter between the two leads
good mysteries to solve
smart people
good friends

what I didn’t like: n/a

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

What a fun and steamy Regency romp this was! This is my first time reading an historical romance by Kate Bateman, but it definitely will not be my last. I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in this series.

The chemistry for this couple was off the charts, the premise was so witty, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Would definitely recommend for all historical romance lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure I was going to read this because I found out it was an historical romance after I was approved. I ended up really liking it. It was steamy and romantic. I thought the ending was really good. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 from the series where three women run an investigation service a la Charlie's Angels - the 3 of them do the work under a made up male boss, "Charles King" (didn't even realize his name was Charlie until just now - LOL).

In this book, Eleanor Law, daughter of a famous lawyer, meets a man who is looking to prove that he is a missing Earl. He pretends to be "Charles King" and helps them solve a case or two while working towards proving his claim.

Along the way, Eleanor and Harry fall in love. Harry is a great reformed pickpocket/criminal who helps the team while helping himself. The bulk of the story is retrieving a missing aquamarine, and the investigation into Harry's past.

The relationship of the two was kind of typical, but I enjoyed the fact that the story didn't have someone going after a main character or trying to take the Earldom from Harry. It was just basically nonviolent mysteries and discovering Harry's history. Cute story worth a read.

I received a promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

“How to Fall for a Scoundrel” by Kate Bateman
A Fun Read, for sure
For me this was a fun light Regency romp. It kept me well entertained from start to finish, although, I could have enjoyed the story just as well without the details of the spicier scenes. Happy Reading ! !

Sultry Historical Intrigue
Ms. Bateman's tale of three intelligent women finding a way to earn money while keeping their reputations is engrossing/ The ladies run a detective agency, but appear to be assisiants to a man, thus avoiding censure. Ellie ia waylaid by a man with ulterior motives, good thing they are to her advantage too. The story contains sultry scenes, humor and intrigue. I highly recommend.
I received a NetGalley arc gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

This is the second book in Her Majesty’s Rebels series and I enjoyed this lighthearted historical. It’s got a few mysteries, lady private detectives and a spicy romance.

Eleanor (Ellie) and her two friends run a private investigation firm. Ellie is at a ball when a handsome stranger introduces himself as the name they use for their fictional boss (Charles King) and offers to help them with their detective work. Harry is charming and admits to being a thief in the past but he has turned over a new leaf. Ellie doesn’t trust him but he will come in handy as they search for a rare book.

The biggest mystery for them to uncover is proof of Harry’s identity. It’s fun to watch Ellie and Harry as they go undercover and work together to solve mysteries. The pacing slows down when they gaze into each other’s eyes and there are quite a few steamy scenes.

My favorite parts were when Harry uses his con artist skills to help them with their investigations. This is my first book by this author and I thought it stood well alone (even though it’s the second book in the series). Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.