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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
This exciting Regency romance is the fourth book in the Wicked Dukes Club series by two of my favorite romance authors, Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. While the stories interconnect, each book focuses on one couple and can be enjoyed on its own.
I have really been enjoying the characters in this series, and I appreciate that these books are populated with strong, smart female characters with agency. As in the earlier books, both of the main characters in this story are likable and fun to get to know. I think curious, clever, cross-dressing Viola might be my favorite heroine yet, and Jack was a good match for her.
This is a quick-paced, humorous light read with a bit of mystery and suspense. My only complaint is that everything wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste and I would have liked to see more denouement. I recommend this book and the rest of the series to anyone who enjoys light historical romance or romantic comedy.
Note that this book includes one explicit scene of premarital sex that I actually found more humorous (in a good way) than steamy. Other than that one scene, this is a fairly clean read.
I received an ARC of this book from the author and volunteered to provide an honest review. The ARC I received was well written, appropriately edited, and neatly formatted.
I have really been enjoying the characters in this series, and I appreciate that these books are populated with strong, smart female characters with agency. As in the earlier books, both of the main characters in this story are likable and fun to get to know. I think curious, clever, cross-dressing Viola might be my favorite heroine yet, and Jack was a good match for her.
This is a quick-paced, humorous light read with a bit of mystery and suspense. My only complaint is that everything wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste and I would have liked to see more denouement. I recommend this book and the rest of the series to anyone who enjoys light historical romance or romantic comedy.
Note that this book includes one explicit scene of premarital sex that I actually found more humorous (in a good way) than steamy. Other than that one scene, this is a fairly clean read.
I received an ARC of this book from the author and volunteered to provide an honest review. The ARC I received was well written, appropriately edited, and neatly formatted.
Cross-dressing, secrets, a few scandals, two people who do not intend to marry yet are very attracted to each other.
Again, Felicity, a secondary character, is my favourite.
Again, Felicity, a secondary character, is my favourite.
Darcy Burke does a wonderful job of adding to the Wicked Dukes Club Stories. In this book Viola disguises herself as a man to penetrate the world of men to gather information for a column in the Women's Gazette - which ironically is written totally by men. As Mr Tavistock, she is able to spend time at the Wicked Dukes and get gossip for her column. Jack Bennett is an MP who also frequents the club and who saw beneath the disguise but didn't know exactly which woman was hiding.
The two work together to uncover a scandal so not only does the book contain romance but also mystery. Who is behind the plot to assasinate the Prince Regent and why are they setting Jack up to take the fall?
This book was a delightful addition to the series and continues the collections use of independent women.
I received an advanced copy of this book.
The two work together to uncover a scandal so not only does the book contain romance but also mystery. Who is behind the plot to assasinate the Prince Regent and why are they setting Jack up to take the fall?
This book was a delightful addition to the series and continues the collections use of independent women.
I received an advanced copy of this book.
Jack Barrett is a bright, promising, up-and-coming MP. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, from being a barrister to an MP (in the same seat as them both), Jack has planned his life be being along the same timelines as theirs. He plans to start looking for a wife, and marry, when he is thirty-five just like his father did. Until then, he has no interest in engaging in the marriage mart.
Viola Fairfax, the sister of Duke of Eastliegh, has been a minor pariah for the past five years. Suiting her well, as it has allowed her some form of freedom in society that few woman of her status get to enjoy. Nobody sees her as a potential wife, that is until her grandmama decides that now that her brother Val is married it is about time that she finds a husband. Viola wants to continue her independence, writing as “Tavistock” for the Ladies Gazette and using her male disguise to do so. She believes herself to be wholly convincing as a man, until one evening she is recognised one night as Viola disguised as Tavistock.
Using her persona, Viola tries to find out the truth behind a rumour that an MP had instigated an attack on the Prince Regent. If she can find out the truth she might be one step closer to being able to write about more serious matters. Things of more importance and influence. With the help of Jack, the two might be able to get to the bottom of this mystery. Allowing them to get closer and possibly begin to rethink their lives.
This book was pretty fun to read. I really liked that the main focus of it wasn’t the romance, unlike previous books, for most of the story. There was definitely bits dotted here and there for over half of the story, which laid a groundwork for the romance that featured more heavily later on. For most of the book, finding out the truth behind the rumour and who the MP is and why they helped to plan or steer radicals to try to assassinate the Prince Regent.
I really liked reading about the two of them working together, investigating the rumour. I felt like it really allowed Jack and Viola to grow closer as they worked together and then move towards being friends and then having a romantic relationship.
My only issue that I had was that it felt a little rushed towards the end. So much of the book was about finding out who the MP was, so much so that the last quarter of the book felt a little flat and rushed. This mystery was solved pretty quickly at the end, and I would have liked to have seen more consequences for those involved. This was explained away by the Home Office being involved with dealing with them. So, Jack, Viola and the reader don’t know the full story. We only get to read about Viola and Jack’s investigation and I would have liked them to have had a longer conversation with the Home Office that just delved a little deeper. Or at least that is what I felt when reading this.
I also would have liked more of a development of Jack and Viola’s romantic relationship. With their investigation they are able to get closer as friends, and their romantic feelings do crop up but it wasn’t until Viola accidentally causes a scandal that they have to think about marriage. Mainly because this scandal spreads like wildfire and very quickly reaches Viola’s grandmama’s ears. Who then demands that the two of them get married, to save them both from scandal. But at this point neither of them want to get married, nor have they thought much of any long term possibilities until then.
Considering the time that this story is set, it makes sense that they would be expected and pressured to get married. But I just wish that it hadn’t meant that the mystery and their investigation wasn’t pushed aside as much as it was. It felt like the priorities of the story sifted with little transition. And I would have liked it more if their had been a few more romantic moments that helped lead up to it. But considering the genre it does make sense.
I did enjoy this book, I just would have enjoyed it more if the romance had been less of an afterthought that was tagged on at the end. I would have liked to have seen more throughout the book, and maybe for them to have had more of a discussion about getting married than I felt they did. It all felt very neatly tied together at the end, and I personal I am not a huge fan of that.
Viola Fairfax, the sister of Duke of Eastliegh, has been a minor pariah for the past five years. Suiting her well, as it has allowed her some form of freedom in society that few woman of her status get to enjoy. Nobody sees her as a potential wife, that is until her grandmama decides that now that her brother Val is married it is about time that she finds a husband. Viola wants to continue her independence, writing as “Tavistock” for the Ladies Gazette and using her male disguise to do so. She believes herself to be wholly convincing as a man, until one evening she is recognised one night as Viola disguised as Tavistock.
Using her persona, Viola tries to find out the truth behind a rumour that an MP had instigated an attack on the Prince Regent. If she can find out the truth she might be one step closer to being able to write about more serious matters. Things of more importance and influence. With the help of Jack, the two might be able to get to the bottom of this mystery. Allowing them to get closer and possibly begin to rethink their lives.
This book was pretty fun to read. I really liked that the main focus of it wasn’t the romance, unlike previous books, for most of the story. There was definitely bits dotted here and there for over half of the story, which laid a groundwork for the romance that featured more heavily later on. For most of the book, finding out the truth behind the rumour and who the MP is and why they helped to plan or steer radicals to try to assassinate the Prince Regent.
I really liked reading about the two of them working together, investigating the rumour. I felt like it really allowed Jack and Viola to grow closer as they worked together and then move towards being friends and then having a romantic relationship.
My only issue that I had was that it felt a little rushed towards the end. So much of the book was about finding out who the MP was, so much so that the last quarter of the book felt a little flat and rushed. This mystery was solved pretty quickly at the end, and I would have liked to have seen more consequences for those involved. This was explained away by the Home Office being involved with dealing with them. So, Jack, Viola and the reader don’t know the full story. We only get to read about Viola and Jack’s investigation and I would have liked them to have had a longer conversation with the Home Office that just delved a little deeper. Or at least that is what I felt when reading this.
I also would have liked more of a development of Jack and Viola’s romantic relationship. With their investigation they are able to get closer as friends, and their romantic feelings do crop up but it wasn’t until Viola accidentally causes a scandal that they have to think about marriage. Mainly because this scandal spreads like wildfire and very quickly reaches Viola’s grandmama’s ears. Who then demands that the two of them get married, to save them both from scandal. But at this point neither of them want to get married, nor have they thought much of any long term possibilities until then.
Considering the time that this story is set, it makes sense that they would be expected and pressured to get married. But I just wish that it hadn’t meant that the mystery and their investigation wasn’t pushed aside as much as it was. It felt like the priorities of the story sifted with little transition. And I would have liked it more if their had been a few more romantic moments that helped lead up to it. But considering the genre it does make sense.
I did enjoy this book, I just would have enjoyed it more if the romance had been less of an afterthought that was tagged on at the end. I would have liked to have seen more throughout the book, and maybe for them to have had more of a discussion about getting married than I felt they did. It all felt very neatly tied together at the end, and I personal I am not a huge fan of that.
This book is pretty much perfect. Funny, sexy, well written, interesting, quick, I loved every second of it. The attraction between the characters grows out of a foundation of respect, and their banter is not only wonderful but perfectly leads into a romantic relationship. None of the pining was dragged out any longer than it needed to be, and all of the characters were interesting.
I love that Viola is a journalist and organically comes across the mystery that brings the main characters together, and the mystery itself is high stakes! My one complaint is that the reveal of the villain was a bit anticlimactic and everything after almost felt rushed, but it wasn’t a huge issue.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to read a fun historical romance with a really good connection between the romantic leads.
An eARC copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review, and all thoughts are my own.
I love that Viola is a journalist and organically comes across the mystery that brings the main characters together, and the mystery itself is high stakes! My one complaint is that the reveal of the villain was a bit anticlimactic and everything after almost felt rushed, but it wasn’t a huge issue.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to read a fun historical romance with a really good connection between the romantic leads.
An eARC copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review, and all thoughts are my own.
One Night for Scandal is the fourth installment of the Wicked Duke Club Series co-written by Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley. I have thoroughly enjoyed series so far, though this one fell a little short of the mark for me and I suspect it was due to the short length of the book barring any real attachment to Jack and Viola for this reader. Overall, I enjoyed their characters and the way that their relationship bloomed but I didn’t feel as attached as I did in her brother Val’s story. I love the whole "woman masquerading as a man" trope and my greedy little reader self wishes this story to be longer so I could enjoy Tavistock's bumbling investigations for longer!
My favorite part of this book is the side characters. Of course, I love cameos of old characters but my highlight was how absolutely charming Jack’s father was. We only meet him briefly, but it is clear from that scene as well as Jack’s inner dialogue that man is a loving, supportive father that we don’t see very often in historical romance. Admittedly, the typical abusive father trope may be historically accurate but I truly cherished this change of pace. Additionally, I loved the change in Viola’s Grandmother for this book. We saw her stern countenance in Book Two (Val’s Book) but I felt that you could really see her love for Val and Viola in this book, gruff as she may be.
This series really is fun and perfectly suited for some light summer reading, provided you have a fan to keep you cool as some of the scenes definitely get a bit steamy. Just as a note, this can be read as a standalone but for maximum enjoyment, I highly recommend starting from book one!
**I received an advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley (Thank you!). This doesn’t affect the content of my review; all opinions are my own.
My favorite part of this book is the side characters. Of course, I love cameos of old characters but my highlight was how absolutely charming Jack’s father was. We only meet him briefly, but it is clear from that scene as well as Jack’s inner dialogue that man is a loving, supportive father that we don’t see very often in historical romance. Admittedly, the typical abusive father trope may be historically accurate but I truly cherished this change of pace. Additionally, I loved the change in Viola’s Grandmother for this book. We saw her stern countenance in Book Two (Val’s Book) but I felt that you could really see her love for Val and Viola in this book, gruff as she may be.
This series really is fun and perfectly suited for some light summer reading, provided you have a fan to keep you cool as some of the scenes definitely get a bit steamy. Just as a note, this can be read as a standalone but for maximum enjoyment, I highly recommend starting from book one!
**I received an advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley (Thank you!). This doesn’t affect the content of my review; all opinions are my own.