I loved this book! I've enjoyed this whole series.

book 3 in the a season for scandal series is utterly delightful, and given that i hadn't read books 1 or 2, it also stands very well on its own. alexander lavoie is intrigued by the woman who comes in to his club to gamble and who does so successfully while trying to attract the minimum amount of notice. 

between the devil and the duke, may relate to angelique archer's difficult circumstances. you could also say she's between a rock and a hard place. her father's fortune has gone missing, her idiot brother is drinking himself silly, and her only way of maintaining some form of food on the table is to chance the vingt et un tables. although chance may be a stretch, since angelique has a unique talent for maths and a memory that allows her to remember the cards. she's always tried to hide her abilities, but alex catches on quickly after an evening at the tables turns sour when one of the gentlemen she plays against becomes aggressive. 

once alex figures out her talent he is intent on using it to his advantage. he also wants to know what her circumstances are, because for some reason he is intrigued by angelique, he wants to help her, he wants to keep her close. 

the chemistry between alex and angelique is undeniable. they can't keep away from each other, even when angelique is suspicious of his motives and distrustful of his ability to help, she can't keep him away, and soon she can't stay away. the secrets of angelique's family are the key to figuring out her present circumstances, and once she realizes she can trust alex with everything, her secrets, her livelihood, her heart, everything gets swoonworthy.

alex is an amazing lead. its funny because he refuses to admit his love for angelique even though every other character calls him on it, even when his actions speak so much louder than his words. and while that is occasionally frustrating, how perplexed he is about his feelings for angelique are entertaining. and i mean, it's just so obvious how head over heels he is. 

i really enjoyed this story. angelique is such a strong female lead, likable and independent, but not so independent that she gets annoying. she's not stupid. and she's definitely not single-mindedly stupid. which is a welcome thing. and alex, again is just a great foil for angelique. he truly appreciates her gifts, and that is just so damn sexy.

Do you like strong female characters who don’t need a man to solve their problems?  Do you like historical romance?? Are you a fan of intrigue with a little mystery???  Then you NEED these books by Kelly Bowen.  I am a huge fan of not only Kelly Bowen but this series, Season for Scandal.  I must put the disclaimer out there that before Kelly Bowen I didn’t really read historical romance at all!!! *gasp*

However after reading Kelly Bowen I may be branching out in the romance world.  Well at least with her books😉  The Season for Scandal stories follows an office called Chegarre & Associates.  This office can help you cover any scandal that may happen to you or a loved one. It’s really amazing what this group of people can pull off at a moments notice.

This book follows Angelique Archer who is down on her luck but has been pulling through on her own without the help of family or friends.  Not that she has many friends… Angelique has been frequenting Alex Lavoie’s club to make money.  Not in the way you are thinking, she is playing cards and doing it very well. You see Angelique has more than one asset, the main one being her brain.  She is a wiz at the game vingt-et-un (aka blackjack) because she is a genius with numbers.  However when things go south and Alex makes her a proposal she may not be able to pass it up to save her family.

Having seen Alexander Lavoie in previous books I must admit I was kind of super excited to read his book.  I was not disappointed, he is just as amazing as I thought he would be. Not only is a gentleman even thought he tries to act like a scoundrel, he is an amazing humanitarian.  You wouldn’t be able to tell by the cold demeanor he puts off but he would help anyone in need not just Angelique.  However after watching this mysterious women work his club for weeks he is super intrigued as to who she is and what motivates her in coming back again, and again.

The characters in Kelly Bowen’s stories are amazing!! I can’t handle how much I love the fact that even during this time period she doesn’t write delicate wall flowers! These women are quite the opposite.  Angelique is doing everything in her power to help her family, she didn’t ask for help she does what needs to be done.  Not only is Angelique a strong character but Alex recognizes that she wants to do it on her own.  Does he manipulate her slightly to get her to accept his help here or there yes.  Could she have done it on her own definitely. Kelly writes strong men to back up the strong women. While you can tell Alex wants to take over and protect Angelique he realizes what an amazing strong woman she is and just assists her when needed.   While all of the Cegarre & Associates may be on the shady side of town none of them are actual shady characters.  Well except maybe King…. (is his story next???)  Also every book I have read by Kelly has been a slow burn romance, it isn’t at all insta-love which is fantastic!!!

All in all I highly, highly suggest this series to EVERYONE!!