A Suggestion of Scandal

Catherine Kullmann's books are the best kind of Regencies, in that they really feel as though they are set in another time -- these are not modern women in corsets and Empire-waiste gowns, these are women of a different time with very different social expectations and rules. In this book, we see again how women have so few choices when hard times fall, in this case Rosa Fancourt. She becomes a governess after the death, first of her father, and then her mother (already in a second marriage with a stepfather who does not welcome a nearly grown daughter to the family). She is a woman alone. Sir Julian Loring is the son of the family, himself with a stepmother who is not exactly his best friend, but he loves his half-sister Chloe. As the family prepares for Chloe's comeout -- and the departure of the governess -- he begins to notice Rosa as a person and a woman. This is a book where events unfold in an almost stately manner; it's never boring, just measured, somewhat as I imagine life might have been, back in the day. That doesn't mean there aren't villains and real danger for our governess, but she manages to work her way out of trouble and find her place. But Sir Julian cannot forget her -- his belief in Rosa, despite circumstances that end themselves to understandable misunderstandings is one of the best things about the book. He is a hero worthy of a swoon. And Rosa is a heroine of her time -- principled, kind, loving and a strong survivor. This is the third book by Catherine I have read and I heartily recommend them all. They are studies of manners, society and of a time so different than our own, without sacrificing characterization and most of all, the romance. Wonderful read. (I received a NetGalley ARC. This is my opinion.)

A Suggestion of Scandal, Catherine Kullmann

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, Historical fiction

I only dip into historical novels occasionally, sometimes its nice to eascape to a different age. I'd say a gentler time, but that really depended on where you stood in life, and of course for women the cards were already stacked, something made very obvoius in this story.
Its a fun read, a gentle romance with a backstory that was engaging, added that bit extra to the Lord meets Governess romance. I really enjoyed the day to day descriptions, the planning what do do for the day or evening that was done. A lady's life was very different then, very dictated by societal mores, and doing the right thing and being seen to do it was so very important. It would have driven me nuts! Having servants for the daily drudge left them with free time that needed occupying, but there were strictures on what they could do.
I loved the characters, Rosa's scenario was very believable, Chloe and her family fairly typical of the time and Julian, ah Julian was a perfect gentleman. Then when they stay at Swanmere we meet his cousin, the widowed Mrs Overton, and her children and their friend Robert. She was such a delicious character, I love ones like her in a story. She's decided Julian will do for husband number two, and is making her play, but thwarted by Rosa, who she sees as an interloper. Determined to get her way she does her best to oust Rosa by whatever means necessary.

I really enjoyed this story, the action, with first the events at The Place which led to Rosa's leaving and then at Swanmere, made for an interesting tale. I learned more about history and how it affected people in their daily life. Not just those above stairs but the staff too had rules, even simple things like Polly being addressed as Lambton. One of the other staff tell her she must get Rosa to call her Lambton, not Polly, as the other staff will regard her differently. From Lord to scullery-maid, everyone seems to have a hierarchy quite rigidly adhered to, and ways of behaving and doing things that were fixed.
The romance was very gentle, as would have been at the time, though I'm not convinced that someone so highly placed in society as Julian would have looked at, or got away with marrying, a governess. Still, this is fiction and I love a downtrodden girl makes good story ;-)
Rosa was a lovely lady but not one of those so sweet they set my teeth on edge. She had a subtle wit and a way of turning round slights thrown her way by Mrs Overton. Those scenes were great to read, I could imagine the genteel gnashing of teeth, while insults were carefully placed, and then cleverly deflected.

Stars: Five, a gentle read, but with action that lifted it from just a lord meets governess simple romance. I'm not sure I'd re-read it but it was a perfect one off story for me.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/a-suggestion-of-scandal-by-catherine-kullmann/)

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library Romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.





Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn (ish)

Relationship dynamics: The Good-Natured, Knighted Gentleman (H) / The Unflappable Governess (h)

Sexual content: Just a smidge. Sex is romantic, “onscreen”, and explicit

Triggers: Some violence against women

Grammar/Editing: There are a couple of typos, but the copy I read was an advance review copy, so hopefully those have been corrected in the published version.

Review: The writing style and speed of the the story feel more era-appropriate than some of the other regency novels that I have read. The author uses different narrative techniques to suggest the urgency (or lack thereof) of situations. Because of all of this, there are sections that feel a bit slow and somewhat dry. This doesn’t prevent investment in the story however, and it is very clear that a great deal of research went into this novel.

Julian and Rosa are very steady, honorable, nigh on unflappable characters. You can’t help but cheer for them. The supporting characters are interesting, and you get a distinct impression of their motivations and characterization through use of multiple points-of-view. Julian and Rosa are the primary points-of-view, but other character points-of-view are also utilized to enrich the narrative and give access to information that the main characters wouldn’t necessarily have access to.

Overall, a sweet story and an enjoyable read.

Character reference version:

Dear Sir or Madam,

A Suggestion of Scandal is a steadfast and reliable narrative. While occasionally somewhat slow, perseverance on the part of the reader is rewarded with the pleasure of a satisfying return on investment.

Yours, etc.

FanSciHist Reviews

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sir Julian Loring has been around Rosa, his sister's governess for the ten years she has been with the family. Now that she is about to leave the family he is thinking about marriage and how she might be the one he is looking to spend the rest of his life loving. Rosa is very concerned about her future and where she will go. She loves Chloe and will miss her. Then a series of events means she is on her won and has been offered a life she never thought possible. Julian wants her to come to help Chloe make the changes in her life. Rosa will do it but only on a temporary basis. Can Julian convince her of his love in that time. Events keep getting in the way. The story moves well and you are always hoping they will find each other.

This is a lovely story of a lady who is not of the ton but a lady, nevertheless. Rosa is orphaned and once out of school sent to be a governess to Chole, Lord Julian Loring's sister. While accompanying Chole on a walk, a rainstorm threatens and they run to an unused hut until the rain stops. Someone happens to be in there and are caught in an intimate act with another's wife. Chole falls and loses consciousness and Rosa is kidnapped. Knowing Rosa would never leave without a word, Lord Julian looks for her and finds that there is a lot more to this story than is what Lady Loring has said. Julian cannot help but see what a perfect woman Rosa is for him. Secrets come out, people who gossip maliciously are all part of the romance between Julian and Rosa. Loved this book. So sweet. I received this book from Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

A Suggestion of Scandal by Catherine Kullmann. Published by Willow Books, Dublin, 2018.

I read this book with pleasure, surprised at how much better it is than most regency romances. Then I read it again to try to understand why I liked it so much and what makes it stand out.

The story line is not unusual. A jealous woman sets out to undermine the main character, a lady who having made her own way without family support has attracted the attention of a strong male lead. Most of the characters suffer from some form of poor parenting. There is a governess, an abduction, marital infidelity and a castle. Despite all of this, it is a positive story. It is well written, easy to read, with historical facts and enough background detail provided on characters and situations to make the story flow. Characters behave in ways consistent with earlier behaviours described in stories of childhood and memories of what happened. The main characters are both likeable and believable and this helps too.

This book is better than 99% of regency romances that I have read. Catherine Kullman is new to me. I After my second read through, I bought and very much enjoyed reading Kullman’s two earlier regency romances, Perception and Illusion (2017) and the Murmur of Masks (2016).

Disclosure: I received a review copy of A Suggestion of Scandal for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I so adored this book! It has brilliant main characters, an excellent plot and it kept me engrossed all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.

Holy surprise twists. I started reading with the expectation that it would be a really obvious, feel good book. I was wrong. This book took me for a ride that I was not ready for. I love when an author doesn’t stick to the obvious and really brings us fresh, well thought out characters. The epilogue gets a little sexy so be advised of that but don’t let that turn you away from this truly fantastic read.

This slow burn of a romance novel, took its time, letting the story unfold in a nice pace. The characters were well thought out and had a lot of depth. The plot was slow moving but not in a bad way. It kept you turning the pages for more.

Charming, funny and uncomplicated-- very much in the style of the books it bases its genre on. Kullman is a skillful and subtly profound writer.