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A review by onthesamepage
A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes:love V/triangle, second chance romance, clean romance
Steam level: none
It takes a skilled author to write a book centering a trope I dislike 99% of the time, and make me love it. I really liked A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting, but this one was on another level, and it makes me so excited to see what Irwin's next book is like. This can be read as a standalone without reading the first book in the series, since it follows new characters.
I think the characters and the relationships are a huge part of why this worked so well for me. It's very easy to root for Eliza, our heroine, whose much older husband died and left her a small fortune, hers to spend as long as she behaves with propriety, as judged by the new Earl of Somerset—the man she once loved and hoped to marry. This new, financial freedom allows her to cast off her family's restraints and expectations, and flee to Bath with her cousin Margaret. But she still finds herself struggling between what she wants, and what people expect of her, and of women in general. Luckily, she is aided in this by Margaret, who often encourages her to throw caution to the wind and follow her heart. I loved the strong friendship between them, and the way they supported each other throughout the story.
Tropes:
Steam level: none
It takes a skilled author to write a book centering a trope I dislike 99% of the time, and make me love it. I really liked A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting, but this one was on another level, and it makes me so excited to see what Irwin's next book is like. This can be read as a standalone without reading the first book in the series, since it follows new characters.
I think the characters and the relationships are a huge part of why this worked so well for me. It's very easy to root for Eliza, our heroine, whose much older husband died and left her a small fortune, hers to spend as long as she behaves with propriety, as judged by the new Earl of Somerset—the man she once loved and hoped to marry. This new, financial freedom allows her to cast off her family's restraints and expectations, and flee to Bath with her cousin Margaret. But she still finds herself struggling between what she wants, and what people expect of her, and of women in general. Luckily, she is aided in this by Margaret, who often encourages her to throw caution to the wind and follow her heart. I loved the strong friendship between them, and the way they supported each other throughout the story.
That night, they stayed up into the early hours of the morning, spilling all their thoughts into the darkness between them, small and large and myriad—confidences so grand that not another soul could be trusted with them, trivialities so small that not another soul would be interested in them. And if no conclusions were reached, no solutions divined, then at least by the time they closed their eyes, unable to fight sleep any longer, it was safe in the knowledge that whatever tomorrow brought, they would face it together.
The first love interest we meet is Somerset, and this relationship delivers all the angst. If you're a fan of Jane Austen's Persuasion, you can definitely see the similarities in the setup. Eliza feels tortured over the decision she made to marry Somerset's uncle for the benefit of her family, and she is sure that Somerset still hates her for it. It becomes clear very quickly that he's not over her decision, but also not over her, and now that she is a widow, there is an opportunity for them to rekindle their romance.
Whereas in A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting, Kitty was the one delivering the snark and humor, this book gives us Melville, who was a delight. The initial meeting between Melville and Eliza quickly turns sour when Eliza overhears him delivering a few cutting insults (very reminiscent of Elizabeth and Darcy, so of course I approve), but he quickly redeems himself, and they strike up a friendship (and more) while Eliza paints Melville's portrait.
Melville appeared to regard the floor in some astonishment. “Do be careful where you step, Caro,” he said. “There are a great many names upon the floor.”
It's very easy to root for both love interests, and they have different things going for and against them. The conflicts that arise within the story honestly took me by surprise, but I ate it all up. I found myself favoring one over the other quicker than I expected to, but in this case I wouldn't have hated the outcome either way. I was very happy with the way the book ended, which is all I'll say. If you want to find out who she ends up with, read the book. ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism