A Proper Scandal

This woman was going to cause trouble in London. She might not be malicious, but with that kind of beauty, she was bound to break more than a few foolish hearts.

Synopsis

Grace Sinclair has been callously cast out of her home. Despite the vicar and his wife's kindness in taking Grace in years ago, her unsurpassed beauty makes it impossible for her to remain in their household any longer-with two daughters of their own about to enter Society, they see Grace as nothing but competition. Thankfully, Grace's estranged Aunt Bell from London has agreed to care for her. But soon after her arrival at

the Bell residence, Grace learns her situation has just gotten much worse.

It takes only a moment's acquaintance for Grace to ascertain that her aunt has married a destestable rake. The only thing keeping her safe from his advances is his plan to marry her off to a man who will alleviate some of his debts. Grace has two weeks to win the heart of the man her uncle has chosen, but with no experience in the art of attracting a husband, she quickly realizes that a worthy suitor may not be so easy to ensnare.

Thoughts & Feelings

I love, love, love this book! I was hooked from the very beginning and struggled to put this book down. I read the first four chapters in the morning and then picked it back up after my kids had gone to bed. There is no exaggerating when I say that I was up until about 2:30 am reading because I could NOT put it down. It's that good! I cannot wait to dive into the rest of this series. But for now let's focus on the magic of A Proper Scandal.

My favorite things are hard to narrow down because I loved this novel so much. This story is told from a two view points, which I absolutely loved. We get to see the story from Grace and Nate's viewpoints. What made it so great was the viewpoints allowed us to see into each of the main characters lives which let us get to know both characters really well. We get to see the interactions between Grace and her caretakers/family and get to see her thoughts and struggles as she attempts to "catch a husand." I loved getting to see how she coped with all that is thrown at her during this story, and there is a lot of it. From Nate's viewpoint we get to see into his railroad business, how he fits into society, and all his thoughts on avoiding being caught. And of course, we get to see most of the interactions between Grace and Nate from both viewpoints. YAY! Knowing each of these characters independently makes their interactions so much better because you understand the motives and actions/reactions from both people. Their story is so funny, cute, and heartbreaking and it just wouldn't have felt the same with only one perspective.

I also loved the friendship between Nate and Richard, his business partner and best friend. Throughout the novel we get to see their business relationship but we also get to see the close friendship that they have as well. My favorite moment is around the middle of the book. Nate is having some serious doubts and Richard does such an amazing job building him up.

"Barton, if you ask me, you shortchange yourself, and you shortchange her by claiming she couldn't possibly be interested in you because you use your brain and your hands to improve the country and your own interests. I think you should snatch that girl up."

Don't you just love it! I love when authors let us see these close friendships instead of just the competitiveness and backbiting members of the ton.

I truly cannot say enough about this book or adequately express how much I love it. You need to pick it up for yourself and experience the amazingness.

Book Tags

Language

clean

Steam Level

clean, multiple kissing scenes (they will give you butterflies)

Content & Trigger Warnings

The death of a parent/parents is mentioned and discussed a few times.

Grace experiences unwanted advances multiple times. These scenes are clean but advances are made and a gentleman tries to put her in a compromising situation.