A Lady's Guide to Scandal: A Novel
“Sophie Irwin is an exciting and original voice. She's a must-buy author for me.”―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back
Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another delightful, escapist historical romance, led by an audacious heroine who has suddenly inherited a fortune—but it has strings attached…
When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza wanted.
Now, ten years later, Eliza is widowed. Suddenly, she is left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. She’s always lived by society’s conventions, but now, Eliza has resolved to do as she wants. And what she wants is to head to Bath with her cousin Margaret, pursue painting, learn to drive, and flirt with Bath’s most alluring new resident, the infamous Lord Melville.
But when the ripples of Eliza’s behavior reach her late husband’s nephew—who broke Eliza’s heart, years ago--Eliza will learn that freedom does not come without consequences. The only way to ensure she can keep her fortune is to avoid all scandal—but where’s the fun in that?
Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another delightful, escapist historical romance, led by an audacious heroine who has suddenly inherited a fortune—but it has strings attached…
When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza wanted.
Now, ten years later, Eliza is widowed. Suddenly, she is left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. She’s always lived by society’s conventions, but now, Eliza has resolved to do as she wants. And what she wants is to head to Bath with her cousin Margaret, pursue painting, learn to drive, and flirt with Bath’s most alluring new resident, the infamous Lord Melville.
But when the ripples of Eliza’s behavior reach her late husband’s nephew—who broke Eliza’s heart, years ago--Eliza will learn that freedom does not come without consequences. The only way to ensure she can keep her fortune is to avoid all scandal—but where’s the fun in that?
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Community Reviews
This was a delightful little novel! I wasn't immediately hooked because I thought I knew where the story was going but was pleasantly surprised. All of the characters (even the secondary and tertiary characters) were well-rounded and colorful. The dialogue was witty and heartfelt. Even in the 19th Century, Eliza struggles with issues that many young women still go through: balancing familial expectations against living your authentic self and finding and using your voice even in situations where you are considered the lesser.
I did not read the first book in this series "A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting" but I am going to pick that up once I knock a few more books off my TBR.
Thanks to Sophie Irwin, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC.
I did not read the first book in this series "A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting" but I am going to pick that up once I knock a few more books off my TBR.
Thanks to Sophie Irwin, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC.
4.5 / 5 Stars ⭐️
Spoiler Free Review:
We read this for our book club, and all of us had high hopes. We all love period dramas and romances, so we all dove in very soon.
That was until we actually started reading. The beginning is rough, I will not lie. All of us found the book hard to get into, and few of us almost didn’t finish. When someone who was far ahead of us (about halfway through) told us to stick to it and that it gets better, we did. She was right.
The second half of the book is FAR better than the beginning and I usually end up routing for the losing party in love triangles, and I end up not liking the ending. For once, this book picked my pick! And their relationship was far better than I could have imagined. I think all of use finished the last 10 chapters in 1 sitting because we couldn’t put it down.
Great writing, great characters, great re-telling of Persuasion while still being its own original story. My only knock off in points is the beginning lags. If you can get past that, you’ll love this book.
Spoiler Free Review:
We read this for our book club, and all of us had high hopes. We all love period dramas and romances, so we all dove in very soon.
That was until we actually started reading. The beginning is rough, I will not lie. All of us found the book hard to get into, and few of us almost didn’t finish. When someone who was far ahead of us (about halfway through) told us to stick to it and that it gets better, we did. She was right.
The second half of the book is FAR better than the beginning and I usually end up routing for the losing party in love triangles, and I end up not liking the ending. For once, this book picked my pick! And their relationship was far better than I could have imagined. I think all of use finished the last 10 chapters in 1 sitting because we couldn’t put it down.
Great writing, great characters, great re-telling of Persuasion while still being its own original story. My only knock off in points is the beginning lags. If you can get past that, you’ll love this book.
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