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planetarypan's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this novel. I wanted the heroine to be stronger than she was -- sure she had an acerbic wit and a honest, blunt way of speaking. She also lived in the shadow of everyone else and worried a LOT about her appearance as the vicar's sister. I hated how ignorant she was, and I got rather annoyed with everyone constantly jumping to conclusions. There was a lot of accuse first, regret later going on. That being said, I actually enjoyed the way the romance blossomed between the two main characters, and I think a couple of the side characters are interesting in their own right (not the vicar, though). The mystery of the baby is what really kept the story moving along. Without it, the book would have been much shorter, and honestly, I do think it could have been shorter and still kept all the main elements.
jasmyn9's review
5.0
This was such an amazing Christmas-time romance. Thea is a great heroine, a spinster and bit of a book nerd - she was just up my alley. When she finds a baby - a real one - in the church's manger scene she has no idea the mystery she's about to be caught up in. When she confronts who she thinks the father is - she really isn't expecting the sparks to fly like they do.
Gabriel is intrigued by the vicar's sister and her fiery personality. They seem to be so opposite, but when it really comes down to it, they both want the same thing. They want to find who left the child and make sure the child is taken care of. This search takes them to some pretty interesting places - and underneath a lot of mistletoe!!
Mistletoe can be a dangerous thing. Feelings start to happen and then suddenly you find out you might be falling in love. Thea's physical response to Gabriel is perfect. It's just what I needed from an older regency woman who has been "put on the shelf." Their romance was a great one - built on shared interests and experiences, and it grew over time into something wonderful.
The mystery of the baby will be solved, but it is a little bittersweet in the outcome. Be prepared for some surprises, because not much is as it seems when it comes to the search. There's a bit of excitement and danger as well that added a very nice touch.
Gabriel is intrigued by the vicar's sister and her fiery personality. They seem to be so opposite, but when it really comes down to it, they both want the same thing. They want to find who left the child and make sure the child is taken care of. This search takes them to some pretty interesting places - and underneath a lot of mistletoe!!
Mistletoe can be a dangerous thing. Feelings start to happen and then suddenly you find out you might be falling in love. Thea's physical response to Gabriel is perfect. It's just what I needed from an older regency woman who has been "put on the shelf." Their romance was a great one - built on shared interests and experiences, and it grew over time into something wonderful.
The mystery of the baby will be solved, but it is a little bittersweet in the outcome. Be prepared for some surprises, because not much is as it seems when it comes to the search. There's a bit of excitement and danger as well that added a very nice touch.
loverofromance's review
4.0
Thea is now at the age that is considered to be titled 'Spinster', and as the Vicar's sister has certain responsibilities. So when she attends a gathering, where she see's Gabriel Morecomb, a man whose tender kisses has haunted her all of these years. She is shocked and even hurt to discover that he doesn't even recognize her. Then she finds an abandoned baby in a manger at the nativity scene at the church, with the only idenitifying item, a brooch with a signia of Lord Gabriel Morecomb. So she is outraged to think that he has abandoned this innocent child, so enraged she storms into his home demanding that he takes responsibility for his actions. Then when certain truths come to light, she starts to become captivated by him once more and she finds herself falling in love with a rake.Whenever I have read a book by Candace Camp I have always enjoyed her stories and A Winter's Scandal is no different. I am always amazed by how well she writes and the way she makes the story and the characters come alive, and are so vividly portrayed. I just feel in love with Thea from the beginning, I really rooted for her when she confronts Gabriel directly and how much spunk she has. Gabriel is a very likeable character, and I liked him even more as the story progressed and we see beneath the surface...and little Matthew was too adorable to resist. Overall a fun and delightful read. It had many aspects that made it an entertaining read. Full of mystery, a tender romance, and a engaging plot. A story that will bring the magic of the Christmas season and true love to life....
quinn_0611's review
4.0
Reading Binges are the best, but one downside to reading one book after the other, is not writing those reviews right away. I’m struggling a bit with my review for A Winter Scandal by Candace Camp because I finished it more than 10 days ago, and I can’t remember a lot of the details. Which, actually, does say something about the book itself. I absolutely really liked A Winter Scandal, but it’s clearly not a book that stuck with me.
Althea is the heroine of A Winter Scandal, and I liked her very much. She’s the village vicar’s sister, and she’s a spinster. Althea has accepted this, but she isn’t happy with her life. She feels even worse when Gabriel, Lord Morecombe, a man she met when she was a teenager, doesn’t even recognize her. But, then she finds a baby, abandoned at the manger at the church. Trying to locate the baby’s (Thea names him Matthew) mother, leads to Thea and Gabriel spending lots of time together and they get closer and closer.
As I said, I liked Thea so much. She’s very relatable, and I love how devoted she becomes to Matthew. I could also relate to her feeling unhappy in her life, but not really having a way to change things. What did frustrate me a bit, though, was her acceptance that nothing permanent could come of her and Gabriel’s relationship. This being a romance, you all realize that she gets together with him. But never does she say to him, after they’ve been together, that she deserves to be a permanent person in his life. And I found that a little annoying.
Not that Gabriel was really going to ditch Thea once they got together. Actually, once Gabriel started helping Thea and Matthew I liked him so much. Even when I wasn’t in love with him, I could tell that he was a genuinely nice guy, if a little arrogant and used to getting his way. He is an aristocrat after all, with a title and a fortune.
I was SERIOUSLY shipping these two. I mean, they were just so darn adorable together. I loved Gabriel's obsession with Thea's wild and crazy curls.
One part that was lacking was the mystery part. I mean, I called it from almost the beginning. Granted, I’m not reading a historical romance for the mystery, but after awhile I couldn’t help wondering how Thea and Gabriel couldn’t figure it out. Or at least have suspicions.
A Winter Scandal, though, was still so enjoyable, and it was a great introduction to Candace Camp, an author I definitely want to read more of.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
Althea is the heroine of A Winter Scandal, and I liked her very much. She’s the village vicar’s sister, and she’s a spinster. Althea has accepted this, but she isn’t happy with her life. She feels even worse when Gabriel, Lord Morecombe, a man she met when she was a teenager, doesn’t even recognize her. But, then she finds a baby, abandoned at the manger at the church. Trying to locate the baby’s (Thea names him Matthew) mother, leads to Thea and Gabriel spending lots of time together and they get closer and closer.
As I said, I liked Thea so much. She’s very relatable, and I love how devoted she becomes to Matthew. I could also relate to her feeling unhappy in her life, but not really having a way to change things. What did frustrate me a bit, though, was her acceptance that nothing permanent could come of her and Gabriel’s relationship. This being a romance, you all realize that she gets together with him. But never does she say to him, after they’ve been together, that she deserves to be a permanent person in his life. And I found that a little annoying.
Not that Gabriel was really going to ditch Thea once they got together. Actually, once Gabriel started helping Thea and Matthew I liked him so much. Even when I wasn’t in love with him, I could tell that he was a genuinely nice guy, if a little arrogant and used to getting his way. He is an aristocrat after all, with a title and a fortune.
I was SERIOUSLY shipping these two. I mean, they were just so darn adorable together. I loved Gabriel's obsession with Thea's wild and crazy curls.
One part that was lacking was the mystery part. I mean, I called it from almost the beginning. Granted, I’m not reading a historical romance for the mystery, but after awhile I couldn’t help wondering how Thea and Gabriel couldn’t figure it out. Or at least have suspicions.
A Winter Scandal, though, was still so enjoyable, and it was a great introduction to Candace Camp, an author I definitely want to read more of.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
svw89's review
3.0
[b:A Winter Scandal|10843373|A Winter Scandal (Legend of St. Dwynwen, #1)|Candace Camp|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416788588s/10843373.jpg|15757782] is a slow starter. It took me a couple of attempts to get into it. There was a lot of information and characters thrown in right from the beginning and it struggled to grab my interest. The whole book is a little too wordy for my tastes - I'm not quite sure why I'm complaining because I generally do prefer more wordy books and this is now the second book in a row where I've found it too wordy! - I feel like there could have been some parts that could have been trimmed down.
I never fully get invested in the relationship between Thea and Lord Morecombe, Gabriel, but they have some very sweet moments and there are numerous scenes where they actually have conversations which I really enjoy. Some of the earlier kissy scenes do come out of nowhere and feel a little pasted in, and I never fully see or feel the chemistry but it could be a lot worse.
Normally I'm not a massive fan of books that involve kids but this was quite sweet. Thea finds a baby in the manger in the church when setting up for the live nativity, believes it belongs to Lord Morecombe so he gets dragged into everything which sets up the whole finding the mother part of the story. There were some very cute moments with Thea, Gabriel and little baby Matthew. The story was a little bit up and down and a bit too long winded but it was mostly enjoyable.
I think I have given this a lower rating than I would have normally, I've struggled recently to get into the books I've been reading, a few 1 and 2 stars in a row, which might have effected my enjoyment but by the end of this book I was really wanting to read the next one. I might look at my rating again at a later date.
I never fully get invested in the relationship between Thea and Lord Morecombe, Gabriel, but they have some very sweet moments and there are numerous scenes where they actually have conversations which I really enjoy. Some of the earlier kissy scenes do come out of nowhere and feel a little pasted in, and I never fully see or feel the chemistry but it could be a lot worse.
Normally I'm not a massive fan of books that involve kids but this was quite sweet. Thea finds a baby in the manger in the church when setting up for the live nativity, believes it belongs to Lord Morecombe so he gets dragged into everything which sets up the whole finding the mother part of the story. There were some very cute moments with Thea, Gabriel and little baby Matthew. The story was a little bit up and down and a bit too long winded but it was mostly enjoyable.
I think I have given this a lower rating than I would have normally, I've struggled recently to get into the books I've been reading, a few 1 and 2 stars in a row, which might have effected my enjoyment but by the end of this book I was really wanting to read the next one. I might look at my rating again at a later date.
prgchrqltma's review
2.0
Characters: Smart woman. Rakish man.
World Building: Parsonage.
Plot: Some external mystery around a foundling.
Sex: Medium.
Read another: Maybe.
World Building: Parsonage.
Plot: Some external mystery around a foundling.
Sex: Medium.
Read another: Maybe.
shopgirl's review
3.0
LMAO, that hasty resolution! I did enjoy this, though to be thoroughly honest I found the romance somewhat thin at parts. BUT YO, A BABY!!! Perhaps the book's greatest achievement is that I'm legit excited to read the next book in the series versus wanting to skip right ahead to the last book (COLD LADY/FLIRTY GUY!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BURY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
Bonus for nerds: there is cunnilingus in this book!!!!!!!! HIGH FIVE FOR TEAM CUNNILINGUS AVENGERS, WE RIDE AT DAWN
Bonus for nerds: there is cunnilingus in this book!!!!!!!! HIGH FIVE FOR TEAM CUNNILINGUS AVENGERS, WE RIDE AT DAWN
yrsa's review
4.0
3.5 stjärnor.
Inte jättetrovärdig men jag tyckte om den ändå. Hela skandal-undvikandet var lite tafatt.
Inte jättetrovärdig men jag tyckte om den ändå. Hela skandal-undvikandet var lite tafatt.
averij's review
2.0
Thea is not my idea of a strong heroine. She has low self-esteem, is immediately swooned by the hero and keeps thinking she isn't worthy of his love. Even when he's going to propose to her she still thinks he's there to reject her. The author tries to portray her as strong, intelligent and well-read, but Thea happily replaces buying books with buying dresses. TO SUMMARIZE: I WAS REALLY ANNOYED BY HER.
Note: I read this in a cheap paperback translation that was probably shortened quite a bit (for example: there were mentions of preparations for a Christmas play but the play itself was never mentioned?).
Note: I read this in a cheap paperback translation that was probably shortened quite a bit (for example: there were mentions of preparations for a Christmas play but the play itself was never mentioned?).