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A review by livlamentloathe
A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a rollercoaster journey for me. I began by loving it - I read the first book a week prior and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it; this one started much the same. It wasn't until Eliza and Somerset kissed that I had a lightbulb moment of 'Oh no. He kinda sucks and I don't think her journey is going to align with his. I set the book (ipad) down for a few days to read something more thrilling instead while I wrapped my head back around the plot and Eliza's suitors. I'm very much NOT a love-triangle person. I can be into it if it's an obvious 'The Ex vs. The One' plot but this wasn't really that, so me liking this book at all says a lot for Irwin's writing.
Once I rallied and redirected my focus, I was able to enjoy the second half of the book a great deal. I loved Caroline and Melville very dearly. They were so fun and when you've read so many straight regency novels, characters willing to flout the rules are a breath of fresh air. I also appreciated the dalliance into the racism of the time (uncommon for a majority white genre). And the contradictory rules of the English in India versus Indians in England. Boooooo colonist England.
Anyway, all this to say: this book was a lovely breath of fresh air in the midst of a stuffy genre. I'm VERY much a regency lover (the yearning) but it can get stale easily when there are so many rules, and when the period is infamous for its sexism, racism, homophobia, and so on (sexism is bolded cause racism/homophobia is often left out entirely so while the period is QUITE racist etc., it's not always present in the literary narration).
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a book about a quiet wallflower growing her strength and stretching beyond the reach of "proper ladies." To anyone who loves a sneaky lesbian plotline. Or to those who want to see the colonized win the day. (Wink wink).
Once I rallied and redirected my focus, I was able to enjoy the second half of the book a great deal. I loved Caroline and Melville very dearly. They were so fun and when you've read so many straight regency novels, characters willing to flout the rules are a breath of fresh air. I also appreciated the dalliance into the racism of the time (uncommon for a majority white genre). And the contradictory rules of the English in India versus Indians in England. Boooooo colonist England.
Anyway, all this to say: this book was a lovely breath of fresh air in the midst of a stuffy genre. I'm VERY much a regency lover (the yearning) but it can get stale easily when there are so many rules, and when the period is infamous for its sexism, racism, homophobia, and so on (sexism is bolded cause racism/homophobia is often left out entirely so while the period is QUITE racist etc., it's not always present in the literary narration).
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a book about a quiet wallflower growing her strength and stretching beyond the reach of "proper ladies." To anyone who loves a sneaky lesbian plotline. Or to those who want to see the colonized win the day. (Wink wink).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism