A review by talknerdybookblog
A Marriage Made in Scandal by Elisa Braden

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- the Hero courted the Heroine's sister ~6 years ago and proposed marriage to her (they would've married if the Heroine hadn't been proposed to by the guy she was actually in love with)
- the Hero spends a few instances in the book comparing the Heroine to her sister, where the Heroine is idealized as "perfect" and the Heroine is "wild," ... but, personally, you can tell as the reader that to him the sister simply "made sense" (she fits the mould of a gentlewoman for the time, whereas the Heroine defies that mould)  
- the Hero is terrified about what he feels for the Heroine - and how his feelings don't "make sense" (i.e., he's very passionate), so he attempts to order his thoughts by creating a list ... where he unfortunately compares the Heroine to her sister. Of course, this list is found by the Heroine, and it causes a lot of issues, but the Hero actually apologizes (rip, the bar is so low, even in romance novels).
- It becomes evident that the Hero liked the Heroine's sister for the novelty of what their future could've looked like a warm, loving family, which he had never had before. It wasn't so much the sister as the <i>idea</i> of what their future would've looked like that hurt him after the sister decided to marry someone else. 
• Does have mild OM drama
- an OM at the Heroine's job is smitten with her and his presence around the Heroine <i>infuriates</i> the Hero despite the OM being harmless (and his feelings are totally unrequited) 
• Does have the MCs pushing each other away
• No separation


Possible Triggers: Yes

• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Knife violence
• Recounting of childhood abuse & neglect
• Gun violence
• Threat of gun violence
• Drugging


Ending:
HEA