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A review by loverofromance
Lady Scandal by Laura Lee Guhrke
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: ποΈποΈποΈποΈποΈ
World Building:πππππ
Cover:πππππ
Hero: π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»
Heroine:π¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈ
Intimacy Level: π₯π₯π₯
Relationship Building: πππππ
Heart & Feels:πππππ
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: πππππ
Page Turner Level:πππππ
Narration:π§π§π§π§π§
Ending:π§§π§§π§§π§§π§§
Overall View: β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨
First Impressions
Lady Scandal is the second book in the "Scandal at Savoy" series. After enjoying Bookshop Cinderella, I was looking forward to this one here. But what really convinced me to read this one was Plottrysts on Instagram who convinced me how good this book was and after realizing it had some vibes that were similar to "Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas" type of connection I just knew that I had to pick this one up. I am very grateful that my buddy reader "Brianna" decided to explore this beautiful story with me. I just couldn't get enough of this story. It had delicious banter, a great forced proximity and loved their connection.
First Line
I cannot Madame Contesse. You ask the impossible.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Simon Hayden
The Heroine: Delia Stratham
Summary
Lady Scandal brings in the unconventional heroine, Delia Stratham, who helps run a prestigious hotel in London and helps organize many of the events and handles the decor and levels of quality for those of upper level class that use the hotel. But when some of the investors in the hotel, start losing money, the bring in a financial shark...Simon Hayden who is a hotel magnate and will be able to discover what is seeping from the hotel. Delia is furious that she will now have to answer to Simon when she doesn't understand the issues that is very problematic to Simon's eyes. He does see that there are many issues, but despite their attraction, he is determined to keep it professional and handle Delia despite how much she disagrees with his methods. But there is a connection that is forming between Simon and Delia, but Simon may not be able to protect Delia from the fallout of his investigation no matter how much he is fond of her.
What I Loved
Lady Scandal was such a phenomenal read and I had such a blast in the reading of this one. I am very picky about historical romance, and this story just completely worked for me. I couldn't put it down and I especially adored the setup for this couple and what we see them handle and go through together. The hero was a true delight. I just wanted to gobble him up, I just love a starchy, solid in goodness type of hero. You don't always see them at this level as much as I would like to see, so if you love a green flag hero, look no further than Simon. The way he interacts with Delia was perfection, she really needed a firm hand and he balances that firmness just right. I could really see where Simon was coming from and he was firm but also gentle in how he handled Delia. The romance that builds between them was quite enchanting. Its more slow building, but Delia really goes after what she wants and it was quite fun to see her go after Simon. I understood why Simon was so reluctant and I admired the way he handled the situation and how well he was trying to be fair and true to her. Such a white knight of a hero that I couldn't get enough of.
What I Struggled With
The heroine is the only negative aspect to this story. She was self absorbed, flighty and too consumed into buying expensive things. So at first I wasn't sure what I thought about her character but she ended up really working for me because I think Simon had a firm hand that allowed her to calm down and think through things a little bit better.
Narration
I actually did this in Audio mostly and the audio was actually SUPERB. I just didn't want to put this one down at all. And yes I give ALL the credit to the narration. While I did have to slow it down a bit, it really kept me interested in the story and that is more rare in historical's these days.
Overall View
I found Lady Scandal to be a read of tantalizing characters, sexy banter that will leave you consumed by for days, a fun set of circumstances to keep you invested and a romance to cheer this couple on towards!
Favorite Quote(s)
βBy the way,β she said, glancing over her shoulder at him as she paused with her hand on the knob, βsince I am to be working for you for the foreseeable future, thereβs something you should know about me, something you might not yet have observed.β βWhatβs that?β Steel glinted in her eyes, like a duelistβs sword in the sun. βI donβt respond well to being lectured. Iβm a woman, you autocratic bastard, not a naughty child.β Before he could reply, she had walked out, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the painting on the wall. βWoman?β he muttered in the wake of her departure. βTornado is more like it.β
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, Victorian Era-England
Character Types: Working Heroine, Aristocracy, Alpha Male, Strong and Sassy Heroine
Themes: laughs and giggles, angst, Witty Banter
Tropes: Boss and Employee, Enemies to Lovers, Office Romance
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A blend of both
If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Lisa Kleypas
Lorraine Heath
Julie Anne Long
Song This Book Inspires
Labyrinth by Taylor Swift
Recommendation For Reading Order
No, you can read these books as standalone
Steam/Spice Explanations
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Narrators:
Marisa Calin
Book Evaluation:
Plot: ποΈποΈποΈποΈποΈ
World Building:πππππ
Cover:πππππ
Hero: π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»π¦Έπ»
Heroine:π¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈπ¦Έπ»ββοΈ
Intimacy Level: π₯π₯π₯
Relationship Building: πππππ
Heart & Feels:πππππ
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: πππππ
Page Turner Level:πππππ
Narration:π§π§π§π§π§
Ending:π§§π§§π§§π§§π§§
Overall View: β¨β¨β¨β¨β¨
First Impressions
Lady Scandal is the second book in the "Scandal at Savoy" series. After enjoying Bookshop Cinderella, I was looking forward to this one here. But what really convinced me to read this one was Plottrysts on Instagram who convinced me how good this book was and after realizing it had some vibes that were similar to "Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas" type of connection I just knew that I had to pick this one up. I am very grateful that my buddy reader "Brianna" decided to explore this beautiful story with me. I just couldn't get enough of this story. It had delicious banter, a great forced proximity and loved their connection.
First Line
I cannot Madame Contesse. You ask the impossible.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Simon Hayden
The Heroine: Delia Stratham
Summary
Lady Scandal brings in the unconventional heroine, Delia Stratham, who helps run a prestigious hotel in London and helps organize many of the events and handles the decor and levels of quality for those of upper level class that use the hotel. But when some of the investors in the hotel, start losing money, the bring in a financial shark...Simon Hayden who is a hotel magnate and will be able to discover what is seeping from the hotel. Delia is furious that she will now have to answer to Simon when she doesn't understand the issues that is very problematic to Simon's eyes. He does see that there are many issues, but despite their attraction, he is determined to keep it professional and handle Delia despite how much she disagrees with his methods. But there is a connection that is forming between Simon and Delia, but Simon may not be able to protect Delia from the fallout of his investigation no matter how much he is fond of her.
What I Loved
Lady Scandal was such a phenomenal read and I had such a blast in the reading of this one. I am very picky about historical romance, and this story just completely worked for me. I couldn't put it down and I especially adored the setup for this couple and what we see them handle and go through together. The hero was a true delight. I just wanted to gobble him up, I just love a starchy, solid in goodness type of hero. You don't always see them at this level as much as I would like to see, so if you love a green flag hero, look no further than Simon. The way he interacts with Delia was perfection, she really needed a firm hand and he balances that firmness just right. I could really see where Simon was coming from and he was firm but also gentle in how he handled Delia. The romance that builds between them was quite enchanting. Its more slow building, but Delia really goes after what she wants and it was quite fun to see her go after Simon. I understood why Simon was so reluctant and I admired the way he handled the situation and how well he was trying to be fair and true to her. Such a white knight of a hero that I couldn't get enough of.
What I Struggled With
The heroine is the only negative aspect to this story. She was self absorbed, flighty and too consumed into buying expensive things. So at first I wasn't sure what I thought about her character but she ended up really working for me because I think Simon had a firm hand that allowed her to calm down and think through things a little bit better.
Narration
I actually did this in Audio mostly and the audio was actually SUPERB. I just didn't want to put this one down at all. And yes I give ALL the credit to the narration. While I did have to slow it down a bit, it really kept me interested in the story and that is more rare in historical's these days.
Overall View
I found Lady Scandal to be a read of tantalizing characters, sexy banter that will leave you consumed by for days, a fun set of circumstances to keep you invested and a romance to cheer this couple on towards!
Favorite Quote(s)
βBy the way,β she said, glancing over her shoulder at him as she paused with her hand on the knob, βsince I am to be working for you for the foreseeable future, thereβs something you should know about me, something you might not yet have observed.β βWhatβs that?β Steel glinted in her eyes, like a duelistβs sword in the sun. βI donβt respond well to being lectured. Iβm a woman, you autocratic bastard, not a naughty child.β Before he could reply, she had walked out, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the painting on the wall. βWoman?β he muttered in the wake of her departure. βTornado is more like it.β
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, Victorian Era-England
Character Types: Working Heroine, Aristocracy, Alpha Male, Strong and Sassy Heroine
Themes: laughs and giggles, angst, Witty Banter
Tropes: Boss and Employee, Enemies to Lovers, Office Romance
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A blend of both
If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Lisa Kleypas
Lorraine Heath
Julie Anne Long
Song This Book Inspires
Labyrinth by Taylor Swift
Recommendation For Reading Order
No, you can read these books as standalone
Steam/Spice Explanations
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Narrators:
Marisa Calin