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alexiachantel's review
4.0
A woman’s purse can hold her whole life. Think about what you have in yours right now, what would happen if it were lost or stolen? You might have to call your bank and credit cards, replace a phone or even dare we mention, a kindle. Though most of us would not have anything capable of black mailing us. Lady Maggie had something hidden in hers that if in the wrong hands could destroy lives. Interested yet?
Typically in a historical romance the bastard children are males. Lady Maggie is anything but typical, she is a bastard daughter who has been recognized and adopted by her titled father. Though that fact has a huge impact on her life it is her personality and strength that really set her apart. As rigid as she holds herself together it is exciting to see how she learns to live a little.
Ben has his own secrets, or should we say he keeps plenty of other’s secrets along with one of his own. A crafty way to make money, becoming a freelance private eye. Ben doesn’t need the money so it would appear he does the snooping around and uncovering lies for entertainment or fun. Whatever his motives he is a great character and will have you falling in love with him way before Maggie starts her fall from grace.
Burrowes is a wonderful story teller. She has great characters with very real emotions. And she made sure that there is more story going on than just the hero and heroine falling madly in love then poof the end. Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal has a few mysteries threaded throughout, just enough to keep those pages turning. If you love historical romance and haven’t tried Grace Burrowes you really should think about it.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines:
http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-lady-maggies-secret-scandal-by.html
Typically in a historical romance the bastard children are males. Lady Maggie is anything but typical, she is a bastard daughter who has been recognized and adopted by her titled father. Though that fact has a huge impact on her life it is her personality and strength that really set her apart. As rigid as she holds herself together it is exciting to see how she learns to live a little.
Ben has his own secrets, or should we say he keeps plenty of other’s secrets along with one of his own. A crafty way to make money, becoming a freelance private eye. Ben doesn’t need the money so it would appear he does the snooping around and uncovering lies for entertainment or fun. Whatever his motives he is a great character and will have you falling in love with him way before Maggie starts her fall from grace.
Burrowes is a wonderful story teller. She has great characters with very real emotions. And she made sure that there is more story going on than just the hero and heroine falling madly in love then poof the end. Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal has a few mysteries threaded throughout, just enough to keep those pages turning. If you love historical romance and haven’t tried Grace Burrowes you really should think about it.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines:
http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-lady-maggies-secret-scandal-by.html
saycheeze37's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the way the author revealed this story a little bit at a time. I loved the characters, both main and supporting. The dialog was witty and genuinely historical. I felt like I was in that time period, hearing these people talk about what was everyday to them, but hundreds of years for me.
mnmama3's review
2.0
It was way too long and unfolded really slowly. Conversely, the ending seemed very rushed. I have read a few books by this author. I think I have only really liked one of them. Time to find a new author to read.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't engage me as much as previous works by this author, but still good.
jdeternal's review
4.0
Not a favorite in the series, but still a good read. Featuring a strong female protagonist and a family friend who finds her enticing. She had to learn to let others help her and he has to let himself enjoy family.
drey72's review
4.0
Lady Maggie Windham had the good fortune to be brought up in her father’s household, even though she was born out of wedlock. And she repays that good fortune by keeping her nose clean and her name out of trouble. Then she meets Benjamin Hazlit, and decides to ask him to find something for her.
He’s surprised when he agrees to take on the task. But how could he refuse? She’s beautiful, even if she withdraws from Society. She’s smart as a whip – scandalously so. And she’s hiding something.
I loved Maggie Windham. She is strong yet gentle. Loving and loyal. And worried that she cannot protect her family from her mother’s schemes. Ben is the perfect foil for Maggie, as he tries to unravel her secret while protecting her reputation and her life. Of course, protecting her reputation means that he’s going a-courtin’ to explain his meetings with her… Y’all can guess what happens from the pretend courtship…
Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal is romantic and a bit sassy. I guess when you’ve put yourself on the shelf, you feel a little more freedom to speak your mind? In any case, the dialog is entertaining, and it’s always lovely to watch Grace Burrowes’ characters fall in love.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
He’s surprised when he agrees to take on the task. But how could he refuse? She’s beautiful, even if she withdraws from Society. She’s smart as a whip – scandalously so. And she’s hiding something.
I loved Maggie Windham. She is strong yet gentle. Loving and loyal. And worried that she cannot protect her family from her mother’s schemes. Ben is the perfect foil for Maggie, as he tries to unravel her secret while protecting her reputation and her life. Of course, protecting her reputation means that he’s going a-courtin’ to explain his meetings with her… Y’all can guess what happens from the pretend courtship…
Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal is romantic and a bit sassy. I guess when you’ve put yourself on the shelf, you feel a little more freedom to speak your mind? In any case, the dialog is entertaining, and it’s always lovely to watch Grace Burrowes’ characters fall in love.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
lisajo85's review
5.0
It is no secret that Grace Burrowes' latest Windham novel is scandalously good. LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL is a rare and special treat for historical romance fans.
Lady Maggie has never been one to ask for help. For nearly thirty years, she has let her status as the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Moreland keep her on the cusp of society. Feeling as if she can never truly belong, she manages her own affairs and keeps to herself. Unfortunately, a lost reticule containing secrets Maggie never wants to see the light of day has becomes a problem. So she enlists the help of investigator Benjamin Hazlit to assist her. Pushing away irritating gentleman callers all her life, Maggie is dismayed when Ben insists a clever ruse in which he pretends to court her in order to stay close. Eventually a chaste kiss turns to passion, then ultimately confusion as Maggie and Ben begin to wonder if they are pretending anymore. Ben knows Maggie is in danger, and wants nothing more than to help her, but will she reveal her secrets to him before it's too late?
What absolutely unique and fascinating characters and what a fantastic story. Just when you think Grace Burrowes can't possibly exceed the excellence of her last novel, you read the next and you are completely blown away. This novel focused on a hidden and slow building love that is simply gorgeous in so many ways. It has beautiful characters, sensual passion and stunning description. Grace Burrowes has a prose that is unique in the way its power captivates you and luscious in the way that you simply become absorbed in the story.
There is some drama within the story, but it is really all about the character for me in this one. Both commanded most, if not all, of my attention even though various characters from the Windham family, and previous novels, make appearances. If you have any concerns about reading a series out of order, this probably should not be your first Burrowes novel. The Windham family on which the novel focuses are constant and recurring characters. Still, it would be no hardship at all to read your way through Burrowes' previous releases to this current work. As I have said before, each novel is as beautiful as the next and together make a fabulous series. If you have no problem being introduced to most of the family in this novel for the first time, then by all means, try it first. You will not be sorry!
Since characters are such an important part of this novel, it's not hard to believe that I absolutely loved our hero, Benjamin. He was absolutely breathtaking. Benjamin was an engaging hero to me because he was such a romantic and didn't even know it. Ms Burrowes crafts his character into such a straight-laced investigator that notices everything yet is distracted by nothing. Still, she inserts numerous little details that show his true feelings and you can clearly see Ben thinks nothing of it or at least very little of it. Whether it was slipping a sentimental flower into a book of romantic poetry for safekeeping or fixing Maggie's tea, you see he cares for her and doesn't even realize to what drastic extent his feelings reach. It was extraordinary because being the intelligent, creative man that he is, of course he finally figures it out. Everything to him was simple, a puzzle waiting to be solved, but Maggie was the first thing in his life to perplex and amaze him.
Of course I could not complete this review without mentioning the courageous Lady Maggie. A very beautiful, yet very private woman, you could not help but sympathize with this character. You can tell early on she fights extremely hard for her family's happiness, but underneath it all, she is a very tortured woman. She has convinced herself she does not want anything from life except her privacy, but slowly you see her hopes and dreams come alive. And it is all because of Benjamin. I appreciated her intelligence and determination to maintain her own independence and self-sufficiency. Yet it was those moments when the dreamer and romantic came to the surface that I truly idolized her. She was such a refreshing and heartwarming character.
It is with great pleasure that I can say LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL is stunningly perfect in every way. This is the kind of novel you want to go on forever, long after its conclusion. Ms Burrowes' latest historical is a beautiful, sensual and thrilling romance that you must not miss. LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL is certainly a novel I will cherish for a very long time.
Lisa Jo @ The Romance Reviews
bananatricky's review
3.0
I'm in a quandary. Have I read this before? Or, having read some books out of sequence did I already know the ending? Either way I got to the end and (metaphorically) said "I knew that".
TBH I just didn't find Maggie very engaging. I am O.V.E.R. self-sacrificing heroes and heroines who get a stupid idea in their heads and persist with it despite all evidence to the contrary. Maggie falls into this category and therefore what would otherwise have been a four star book fell back to a three star for me.
TBH I just didn't find Maggie very engaging. I am O.V.E.R. self-sacrificing heroes and heroines who get a stupid idea in their heads and persist with it despite all evidence to the contrary. Maggie falls into this category and therefore what would otherwise have been a four star book fell back to a three star for me.
nicolet2018's review
3.0
I finally get to the Windham sisters. The ladies are hardly mentioned even in their brothers books so I don't know much about them. They didn't seem real because they never appear and did not make an impact on me. I only picked up their books as I read the spin off series, The Trouble with Dukes and wanted to know the male characters better. So I skipped Sophie's book. But after reading about the male characters in The Lonely Lords and Windham Trilogy, I felt the ladies deserve their books.
But Maggie makes her first appearance in the The Duke and his Duchess and I wanted how she grows and changes from that little girl who was abused. Does she carry that trauma into her adult life?
How is it like growing up in a family who adopted you?
Well sure her father is biological but Esther is her stepmother. Is it awkward to grow up with half siblings?
And her hero is Benjamin Hazlit, the mysterious PI first seen in the Heir. I found that this novel like all the other novels written by Grace Burrowes following the same template: the heroine has a problem which she keeps a secret, the hero tries to find out what is it and solve it for her. She cannot marry him because of this problem. Yes, I got it. All the other characters had this issue. Gosh, this is tiring.
Maggie loves her family, is sensible and well read in finance. She was likeable and independent. But the stereotypical perfect woman: big breasts, big hips, small waist and luscious red hair. It makes made It sound so exotic like not other colour was as good. She has a secret wish to find love and start a family which at first made me think it was typically female but then I found that females can have different wishes in life.
I did not like Benjamin because he seems to manipulate the situation so Maggie would marry him and some of the intimate scenes did not sound right to me. He keep distracting her with lust. I know he repeatedly said that she pulled in out of the shadows but honestly, it did not seem that dramatic. I could not really see that change in him throughout the book. He was nice to Maggie when she keeps rejecting him but he stays by her side.
Yes, I know she is aroused but what he says sounds wrong.
"'I don't want...' she squirmed against him, her body seeking relief or greater arousal, she wasn't sure which.
'You do too, and God knows I want, as well' His hand on her knee where it rested above his hip. 'You'll let me do this, Maggie Windham, or I'll go mad. We'll both go mad.'"
Page 112, Chapter 5
"'I am going to look, Maggie, and I'm going to touch, and you're going to let me.'"
Page 129, Chapter 5
Her secret was obvious too and I had to follow along again while the author drags it out to make the story longer. I am not surprised that Cecily did not go away all those years ago.
I did like getting to know the other character more. Like Maggie's sisters and the conversation she has with Esther was so touching. It allows me to see Esther as a mother trying to support her daughter despite the drama. I hardly see scenes with Esther as a person. Most of the time, she is Her Grace and she is portrayed as this two dimensional character who flits in and out of the story.
This is an okay addition to the series. I would recommend it if you don't mind the same thing over and over again but with small changes.
But Maggie makes her first appearance in the The Duke and his Duchess and I wanted how she grows and changes from that little girl who was abused. Does she carry that trauma into her adult life?
How is it like growing up in a family who adopted you?
Well sure her father is biological but Esther is her stepmother. Is it awkward to grow up with half siblings?
And her hero is Benjamin Hazlit, the mysterious PI first seen in the Heir. I found that this novel like all the other novels written by Grace Burrowes following the same template: the heroine has a problem which she keeps a secret, the hero tries to find out what is it and solve it for her. She cannot marry him because of this problem. Yes, I got it. All the other characters had this issue. Gosh, this is tiring.
Maggie loves her family, is sensible and well read in finance. She was likeable and independent. But the stereotypical perfect woman: big breasts, big hips, small waist and luscious red hair. It makes made It sound so exotic like not other colour was as good. She has a secret wish to find love and start a family which at first made me think it was typically female but then I found that females can have different wishes in life.
I did not like Benjamin because he seems to manipulate the situation so Maggie would marry him and some of the intimate scenes did not sound right to me. He keep distracting her with lust. I know he repeatedly said that she pulled in out of the shadows but honestly, it did not seem that dramatic. I could not really see that change in him throughout the book. He was nice to Maggie when she keeps rejecting him but he stays by her side.
Yes, I know she is aroused but what he says sounds wrong.
"'I don't want...' she squirmed against him, her body seeking relief or greater arousal, she wasn't sure which.
'You do too, and God knows I want, as well' His hand on her knee where it rested above his hip. 'You'll let me do this, Maggie Windham, or I'll go mad. We'll both go mad.'"
Page 112, Chapter 5
"'I am going to look, Maggie, and I'm going to touch, and you're going to let me.'"
Page 129, Chapter 5
Her secret was obvious too and I had to follow along again while the author drags it out to make the story longer. I am not surprised that Cecily did not go away all those years ago.
I did like getting to know the other character more. Like Maggie's sisters and the conversation she has with Esther was so touching. It allows me to see Esther as a mother trying to support her daughter despite the drama. I hardly see scenes with Esther as a person. Most of the time, she is Her Grace and she is portrayed as this two dimensional character who flits in and out of the story.
This is an okay addition to the series. I would recommend it if you don't mind the same thing over and over again but with small changes.