Second in Brower's new series centering around students at Havenwood Academy. A finishing school for unmarriable, scandalous and troublesome misses according to the Ton. We met Miss Georgina Williams, only she is none of those things. She's only guilty of being very shy and her father sends her away out of concern for her future, not because he doesn't love her. He hopes she gains the confidence she needs in order have another season and not remain a wallflower.
Adrian Carter, Earl of Foxmoore is a rake and a rogue. He's also bored with life. We met both of these characters in Book 1, One Scandal too Many, I love that this book is happening simultaneously with the 1st and 3rd books. The relationships portrayed between the male leads and female leads are fun, witty and heartwarming. Georgina and Adrian think they are so very different, apart in feelings and worth. How they come together and overcome their 'daddy issues" is a blessing. Brower weaves a tale of love, trust and a new found confidence in themselves and each other. Really looking forward to Jaclyn's story and I'm hoping Melisande maybe gets her due as well.

Thank you NetGalley. Georgina was very shy so suddenly her father decided to send her to the Havenwood Academy. It is off season all of the students except two have gone home. She finds that she makes friends with the two easily and soon realizes that she was lucky to go there. On the estate next to the school is an Earl and his friends who the girls meet whenever they are outside. The Earl's mother has a house party as she is getting him to marry. Emmeline meets Adrian who is quite a rouge but falls in love with her. One of her friends also weds. Her father comes to take her home when he finds she is wanting to stay because of Adrian. Will she be able to marry?

Georgina is incredibly shy and it hindered her popularity when she made her debut, relegating her to sit with the other wallflowers. Her father decides to send her to a finishing school in the hopes that she’ll be able to overcome her shyness and have more success after. She’s dubious and reluctant to leave, but when she’s greeted by her new friendly roommates, she realises this might be her chance to break out of her shell. When she meets the handsome Adrian, Earl of Foxmoore, things are looking even more promising.
Adrian is instantly drawn to the shy and innocent Georgina. He’s a notorious rogue but Georgina immediately makes him want to cease his rakish ways and consider a different future, with her.

Georgina was a good FMC - I like it when a shy FMC is able to make progress to overcome some of the worst of their shyness, without changing themselves and I think the author did a good job with this. She doesn’t change, she just grows in confidence and is able to let more of herself shine.
Adrian was a charming MMC, but he was a little two dimensional. We don’t really know much about his life, other than that he’s a notorious rogue and disappoints his father.

Look, I don’t mind instalove, especially in a novella, but this was too much for me. After their first meeting, Adrian is thinking about how she’ll never know pain again and he’d protect her with his own life. They’ve exchanged about 10 sentences at this point. It was also pretty inconsistent - at one point he’s thinking about how he’ll court her and then a few chapters later he’s shocked that he’s thinking about courting her…It was quite frustrating and repetitive to read.

The romance was sweet but felt shallow. They didn’t really have meaningful conversations until they were declaring their love for each other, so it didn’t feel terribly believable.
This book had promise but it didn’t live up to it for me, but others might find it more enjoyable as I didn’t find it without merit entirely.

This was my first time reading anything by Dawn Broker, and I have to say—I really enjoyed "Kissed By A Scandal". It’s one of those books that doesn't try too hard but still manages to pull you in with its charm and heart.

The story follows Georgina Williams, a shy wallflower who gets sent off to a reformist school so she can “come out of her shell.” There, she meets Adrian Carter, the Earl of Foxmoore—a total rakehell with a reputation for being trouble. You’d think he’d go for someone flashier, but nope—he falls for quiet, awkward Georgina. And honestly, it’s kind of adorable. What I liked most is that, underneath all the historical romance tropes, both Georgina and Adrian feel real. They both carry the weight of disappointing their fathers in different ways, and that shared feeling adds depth to their relationship.

As someone who’s definitely more of a Georgina than the other female characters, I can really relate to her. The way she gets overwhelmed in crowds or doesn’t always know how to act—I’ve been there. I usually end up finding a quiet spot somewhere too, just like she does.

That said, a few parts felt a little slow, like the story was dragging its feet a bit. But it wasn’t a dealbreaker. I still found myself turning the pages and wanting to see how everything would play out.

I also liked that the book gave some time to the side characters. It wasn’t just all about Georgina and Adrian—there were little glimpses into other relationships and friendships that made the story feel fuller.

If you’re in the mood for a cozy, feel-good historical romance, this one’s worth picking up. Would recommend for anyone who loves a cozy romance, shy heroines, and reformed rakes.

Huge thank you to Dawn Broker, NetGalley, and Dragonblade Publishing for the e-ARC.

#NetGalley #DawnBroker #KissedByScandal #DragonbladePublishing #eARCreview

Georgina is one of those beautiful but extremely shy young woman who are often overlooked and ignored. I found I could fully identify with her. Adrian is instantly smitten but recognized that like a very cautious animal, Georgina needs to be persuaded to trust him. A lovely story of both scandal and the need to build trust when someone has been horribly treated or is terribly afraid. I'd highly recommend reading this story if only to gain a better understanding of how shyness can completely hinder people and that extreme patience is definitely necessary.

I initially chose this from the catalog because I resonated with the heroine: shy, overlooked, and unlucky in love. I did like Georgina from the beginning, but it seemed as if she was too skittish. She barely acknowledged Adrian's advances towards her. Look buddy, the hard part is over. He's already interested in you. Say yes, I wanted to scream! The earl was incredibly quick in his adoration of the heroine, but hey I've never complained of a quick romance timetable. It was hard to gauge the ages of the characters considering they were attending an academy yet they still maintained impressive titles in the gentry. Make it make sense.

This romance was very sweet albeit incredibly slow. Adrian was ready to get the show moving while the cautious Georgina dug her heels in like a nervous pony. This book highlighted young, gentle love whereas my tastes have lately leaned toward more mature, faster-paced romances. While this wasn't my speed, I can applaud the slower nature of this book. I don't believe I'll continue with this series, but it was nice to see a kindred spirit in the heroine. These two were Kissed by Scandal, although I prefer my books to have a bit more tongue.

This tale is intertwined with Book 1 and the author does a wonderful job of doing so. Seeing the same setting from different points.of view gives me a better understanding of what is going on with each character. Georgina is a girl after my own heart with her shyness and watching her bloom was so beautiful . Adrian’s character was a bit all over the place, but his love and desire for her was very realistic and precious. Would have loved to have had a scene between Georgina , Adriana and her father, as I think that would have been more satisfying .(At least more fireworks!) A good story, that dragged a little in places , but overall a very enjoyable read.

I received this story for free and these are my own views.

I enjoyed this novel even more than the first one in the series, as Georgina Williams is exiled to Havenwood Academy, “for her own good”. Crippled with shyness, it takes removing her from the gilt and glitter of London ballrooms for Georgina to safely explore her options. Her roommates are her perfect foil, drawing her out of her shell whilst respecting her privacy. However, due to their antics, the girls come face to face with three London rogues from the neighbouring estate. At least, according to their reputations, they are rogues, but when the Earl of Foxmoore lays his eyes on Georgina, he is immediately attracted to her quiet demeanor and gentle spirit. She is very different from every other woman he knows, but he is also aware that she cannot be his latest toy. Adrian gently entices Georgina out of her shell and gives her the affirmation she so desperately needs. When Adrian is finally sure of his heart and intentions, he makes his move, bringing the novel to a delightful conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Dampened by instalove and all around dullness from the characters, and I typically love a shy character. The writing itself was good.