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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
It was good but I wished these two would’ve just spoken the truth from the beginning. Trust is a hard thing to find once you’ve lost it.
My Scandalous Viscount is the fifth book in a series. I have not read any of the previous four books and I think I was missing something. Sometimes it's awkward to read a series out of order. A lot of Historical Romance books work well as standalones, as well as part of a series. However, I think I was missing a lot of backstory in this one, which made it hard to follow the storyline.
That was just my experience. I'm sure anyone who has read the rest of the series will love this one. It follows the romance between Beau and Carissa. I didn't really get into their love story because the plot wasn't grabbing me. Which again, probably had a lot to do with not reading the previous books in the series.
I'm sure fans of Gaelen Foley will love this. I just felt like I was missing too much backstory and it affected my reading experience.
(Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion)
That was just my experience. I'm sure anyone who has read the rest of the series will love this one. It follows the romance between Beau and Carissa. I didn't really get into their love story because the plot wasn't grabbing me. Which again, probably had a lot to do with not reading the previous books in the series.
I'm sure fans of Gaelen Foley will love this. I just felt like I was missing too much backstory and it affected my reading experience.
(Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion)
A successful entry in any series has to do a number of things. It has to hold up the theme of the series, introduce elements (e.g. characters, plot, settings) from the previous books to satisfy previous readers) while not alienating new readers. It has to have a standalone story. If it’s not the finale of the series, it has to introduce characters or plot threads that will keep readers intrigued enough to pick up the next book. And if it is the finale, it has to satisfy everyone.
Gaelen Foley’s My Scandalous Viscount does all the things a successful series is supposed to do. Foley has been teasing the story of Carissa Portland and Sebastian Walker, Viscount Beauchamp, for some time, and for the most part, I walked away satisfied. The action begins immediately–Carissa and Beau are swept up in a comprising situation that will force them to marry, Beau learns the fate of his team, lost months earlier in the Loire Valley all on the same night. Beau is dealing with the Home Office investigation begun in a previous book, an interesting time for him to tackle marriage to a “lady of information” as Carissa terms herself.
I was a quarter of the way through the book before I realized it was happening somewhat simultaneously as the events in My Ruthless Prince, the previous book. I would have been a lot happier had the chronology been clear from the start. I was also not that thrilled with the immediate change in the relationship between Carissa and Beau after the wedding. They had been somewhat antagonistic (though always flirtatious) but after the ceremony, that switched off immediately. I thought that rang false.
However, those are two small details in an otherwise, extremely satisfying book. Carissa and Beau had well-written back stories that worked well with their characters–Carissa keeping track of gossip and wanting to be accepted, Beau’s libertine ways made sense. Their relationship, after that initial stumbling block, worked. That Beau would want to protect her, that Carissa would want to help and risk their relationship to do it, was well-done. The actual story–the Home Office investigation and the setup of Beau’s team was intriguing and set up the next part of the series.
Foley writes to the reader at the end of the book that she intended this one to serve as a bridge to the next part of the series. I think that she has. I’m, at the very least, interested in reading more. Which makes this very successful indeed. If you’ve never read the first four books in the series, I recommend them. They’re all vastly entertaining, and this one is whipped cream on top. If not for the
small stumbles, I would have happily rated it five stars.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and Avon for this ARC!
Gaelen Foley’s My Scandalous Viscount does all the things a successful series is supposed to do. Foley has been teasing the story of Carissa Portland and Sebastian Walker, Viscount Beauchamp, for some time, and for the most part, I walked away satisfied. The action begins immediately–Carissa and Beau are swept up in a comprising situation that will force them to marry, Beau learns the fate of his team, lost months earlier in the Loire Valley all on the same night. Beau is dealing with the Home Office investigation begun in a previous book, an interesting time for him to tackle marriage to a “lady of information” as Carissa terms herself.
I was a quarter of the way through the book before I realized it was happening somewhat simultaneously as the events in My Ruthless Prince, the previous book. I would have been a lot happier had the chronology been clear from the start. I was also not that thrilled with the immediate change in the relationship between Carissa and Beau after the wedding. They had been somewhat antagonistic (though always flirtatious) but after the ceremony, that switched off immediately. I thought that rang false.
However, those are two small details in an otherwise, extremely satisfying book. Carissa and Beau had well-written back stories that worked well with their characters–Carissa keeping track of gossip and wanting to be accepted, Beau’s libertine ways made sense. Their relationship, after that initial stumbling block, worked. That Beau would want to protect her, that Carissa would want to help and risk their relationship to do it, was well-done. The actual story–the Home Office investigation and the setup of Beau’s team was intriguing and set up the next part of the series.
Foley writes to the reader at the end of the book that she intended this one to serve as a bridge to the next part of the series. I think that she has. I’m, at the very least, interested in reading more. Which makes this very successful indeed. If you’ve never read the first four books in the series, I recommend them. They’re all vastly entertaining, and this one is whipped cream on top. If not for the
small stumbles, I would have happily rated it five stars.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and Avon for this ARC!