This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Loved the mix of romance, intrigue, drama, and a few added twist to the story! Rory comes back to help her stepmother and sister which is orchestrated by Lady Milford, a notorious matchmaker. She finagles Rory into a position at Lucas's home as a companion for his mother.

It is great to see the change in Lucas's mother, a little bit of life for Lucas, and a step toward Rory being accepted back into the ton. The progression of their growth is fun to read as Rory continues to challenge Lucas and he keeps aggravating her.

I did wonder how Lucas could end up with Rory when he really needed the money from a marriage to Alice. The way that was resolved was a surprise to me and I loved it! This story had a great HEA.

The Scandalous Flirt is the sixth book in the Cinderella Sisterhood series. I have read other books in the series and enjoyed them all. In each book the mysterious Lady Milford identifies a deserving girl to help. In this case it is Aurora Paxton. Rory was seduced by a married man when she was young and impressionable. She was essentially exiled to the country for her misdeeds. Lady Milford brings her back to London to help her step-mother solve a blackmail situation. Rory becomes involved with Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell. Lucas is contemplating marriage to a wealthy girl in order to repair financial damage of his father. Lucas and Rory know they are all wrong for each other, but that doesn't stop them from falling in love.

This was an enjoyable read for me. The story had a lot of twists and turns to keep my interest and I really cared about Rory and Lucas. The book was well-written. A solid 4-star book.

An ARC of the book was provided in return for an honest review.

This is book six in the series. It is the first I read and found it worked fine as a stand alone. This was a love story tied in with a mystery. I enjoyed this well written story and getting to know the characters. This book kept me turning the pages. The small twists and turns in the story were great. And they lived happily ever after.

Scandal begins with just one kiss. . .

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season―until a scandalous mistake ruined her. Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years―a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her―and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?




Review:




This was a week of historical romances for me, don't know why but it just worked out that I read four this weeks releases.




I had not read this Author before and really enjoyed her storytelling. Not a lot different in this historical romances than in others. A few things that made it interesting and kept me engaged with the story and its characters were... I liked the whole Cinderella/fairy godmother aspect to the shoes and getting Rory back into society. I liked the mystery behind the missing letters and the bribery. Rory, her Aunt and Lucas' mother were fun to read. Lucas comes off as kind of a jerk, I get where he is coming from, but for most of the story I did not like him alot. Good story, entertaining and quick to read, good for curling up when the weather is bad.




Like I said I had not read this Author before and of course I started out with book six in the series....I always seem to do this. I will say I was never lost and reading out of order did not hurt my liking of the book. I am curious to see if the red shoes are all the way through the series or not though. I will have to go back and start at book #1.




3.5Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Another great addition to the Cinderella Sisterhood Novel. Lady Milford is at it again. Loaning her magical slippers to a young lady who deserves the love of a good man.

Aurora Paxton has been in exile in Norfolk for the mistake of believing she was in love. She was caught with her presumed lover prone on a settee in her father's library. It turns out he is married and she banished to live with her father's sister and never sees her father again. He passed away and her step-mother did not inform her he was ill, so she never had a chance to make amends to him. Aurora is stunned to see Lady Milford at the door of her Aunt's cottage. It has been 8 years since she has seen anyone from Society.

Lady Milford tells Aurora that her step-mother is being blackmailed and she needs Aurora's help. Aurora wants nothing to do with that woman but she would love to see her younger sister. She agrees to go to London to help find the blackmailer. On one condition, her step-mother must give her a reward for her help. Aurora wants to make improvements to her Aunt;s house and secure her future.

When she arrives in London her step-mother is positive that the blackmailer is Lucas Vale, the son of the man she had an affair with. The blackmailer is in possession of love letters that she wrote to the late Lord Dashell. Aurora remembers Lucas as a judgmental prig.

Lucas Vale needs to marry money. His late father gambled and whored away his families fortune. Lucas is a very private person who keeps his thoughts and feelings hidden beneath a proper Gentleman's facade. He wants no one privy to his personal life. He is constantly trying to live down his father's reputation as a wastrel. He has picked an acceptable young lady who will never cause a scandal and brings 50,000 GBP to the marriage.

The only problem is his attraction to Aurora Paxton. He has never been able to forget her. Seeing her again after just one dance eight years ago has brought his feelings for her back, but he must resist she is not the woman he needs to restore his family's reputation. Besides being a walking scandal she has no dowry.

Aurora and Lucas team up to find the blackmailer and what follows is a truly splendid journey of redemption and love.

This was a fun book to read, full of adventure, mystery, and witty dialogue. Olivia Drake writes wonderful, lovable characters who will steal your heart. I have four of the six books in this series and will be going to Amazon to buy the other two.

The Scandalous Flirt is a story that I truly was looking forward to. I have really enjoyed this series so far, and so I was curious to see this story unfold and see how it compared with earlier books in the series. I will have to say that I had a great time with this book but I had a major issue with the heroine, an issue I am seeing way to often in historical romance and honestly she would fit more in a contemporary romance than an historical. There is no way that this type of heroine would be in 1800’s England. So that is why my rating is lower because this really detracted my enjoyment of the story here.

The story unfolds with Aurora Paxton, who has been in living in the country because she was caught up in a scandal when she was compromised by a foreign married man. So she has been staying with her aunt ever since. But when she hears that her step mother is in desperate need of her, she returns to London. Only to find out, that her step mother had a affair and is being blackmailed with letters from her lover, and she wants Aurora to find them out for her, and gives her a name of the man she believes to be responsible. So Aurora goes undercover in the Marquess of Dashell’s home to try to find the letters. But soon Lucas finds out what she is up to, and they start to work together to uncover the truth.

The Scandalous Flirt is a story that you can come to really respect at times. Olivia Drake is one of those authors that just always pulls me into her stories. I NEVER EVER have a hard time getting into her books, however there is something to be said for content and authenticity. Now there were times I almost had to double check to make sure that this was a historical romance. This is part of her fairy tale series (that focuses around Cinderella). But I will say that this book I liked the least out of all the series. My biggest issue of course was the heroine. Just some of her sayings were so not of the historical era that is the setting. I understand that many readers want more modern heroines in historical’s (although I have no idea why since these are historical romances) and really it wasn’t small things….it was some big problems that it was so obvious that the author wasn’t even trying to hide. I also felt like her personality was pretty annoying at times. Now our hero I really had mixed emotions about. Sometimes I liked him but he really was horrid at times to Aurora. Some aspects just didn’t quite add up with his character and even though he redeems himself in the end, definitely not a hero I will be wanting to remember or read again.

The romance that was supposed to be in this story just didn’t exist in this story. I felt at times it was a bit lacking and not what I expected to find from this author. And even though I did enjoy the plot and the pace was pretty steady and consistent, I can’t say that I loved this book. Although I did really like it in moments, just the final outcome of this story wasn’t what I was expecting from this author. But I still love this author and I adore the way she can always pull me into a story and keep me enthralled!!

This is the first book I have read of Ms. Drake. It was full of intrigue and humorous which keep me turning the pages. This was a very enjoyable read and love the characters. I will definitely be reading more of her books from this series.

This is a very good romance(not Christian). This is a fast read. I really enjoyed reading about Rory and Lucas. I love reading about independent women. You do not need to read the first 5 books in the series to enjoy this book. I received this ebook from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Exiled after a scandal that nearly destroyed her family, Aurora Paxton returns to London upon learning her Stepmother is being blackmailed. Lucas Vale offers his assistance as well as friendship to Aurora. I enjoyed the comedic relief and friendly banter given by family members. Definitely going back to read the previous books in the series! I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book by Olivia Drake. Aurora and Lucas are interesting characters and I did enjoy the authors style.

The Scandalous Flirt

I love Olivia Drakes books, her writing style is fabulous, and always keeps me intrigued. This particular story "The Scandalous Flirt" has a slightly different formula from the others. I enjoyed the mystery and the plot, but in my opinion, there wasn't even a smidge of chemistry between the H/h. I am not even sure I liked Lucas, the hero. While he cared deeply for others in the story, he was reluctant to admit his feelings for Rory, the heroine, for almost the entire novel. "The Scandalous Flirt" was fun to read, however, I am not sure I would choose romance as the first classification of this novel.

A pleasure to read this Cinderella inspired book, it was funny and entertaining.
Aurora Paxton has been banished to the country living with her aunt. She was a flirtatious young woman during her season which got her in trouble. Now her step mother is in a bit of a pickle and has summoned Aurora to help her avoid ruin. Which puts her in the home of Lucas Vale the Marquess of Dashell.
Lucas and Aurora don’t hit it off but the sparks are flying they’re both aware of the sexual tension surrounding them. He’s moody and snappy and so sensual.

An enjoyable read with lots of intrigue, a blackmail plot with witty banter keeps the whole story moving quickly. The characters are engaging and witty. You connect from the beginning of the story. This is a new to me author and I totally loved her. Will be looking for more of her books.

I received a complimentary copy by the publisher through NetGalley for my honest unbiased opinion.

This is both the first book I have read in this series as well as the first book I have read by Olivia Drake. The book can easily be read stand-alone though I am looking forward to going back and reading the earlier books in this series to see the back story on the slippers.

I started the book expecting an historical romance (which it delivered) but was really surprised to find that it had a wonderful mystery embedded as well. That brought together my two favorite genres in novels and did it very well.

Aurora (Rory) Paxton is summoned back to London by her step-mother to help recover some letters which have gone astray – directly into the hands of a black-mailer. Rory was sent from Town in disgrace eight years prior. She would not have come back except to help her half-sister (though what Rory considers help and her step-mother considers help may not be the same thing at all.)

Rory finds herself in the home of Lucas Vale, the Marquess of Dashell, when she is informed that he is the black-mailer. It turns out that Lucas had a bit of a crush on Rory back in the day but never spoke a word of it.

I don’t want to include any spoilers but suffice to say that there were many twists and turns and more than a little romantic tension along the way. I especially liked the cantankerous Lady Dashell, a querulous old woman who gets her way – at least until Rory becomes her companion.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Should someone offer to lend you a pair of red slippers - go for it, they might change your life forever!
At least that's what happens when Rory accepts the enchanted slippers from Lady Milford after having been banished from London and her family for eight years.

Returning to London, she does not only have to find some missing letters but she also has to help her sister to avoid a marriage of duty while trying not to fall in love herself. Fortunately, she fails on several accounts and in the end, it is love that wins over duty and second chances are given where they were never expected.

I loved to see Rory find her way back into society, her interactions and her chemistry with Lucas are amazing and, well, those two are sweet and just right together, despite him being on the verge of....well, let's forget about that. Or not? When money, or rather the lack of it, is involved, it is not always easy to do the right thing and follow your heart...

A very enjoyable and entertaining read, romantic and funny, full of action and a great story - I loved it and will definitely check out other books by the author!

This is another fabulous story in the Cavensham Heiress series and was just as good as the other, there is a bit of mystery, intrigue, a compromising situation, an impromptu marriage, such a lot to get your teeth into

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley and voluntarily leave my own opinion

Completely charming!

This was a beautifully-written twist on the classic, Cinderella fairy tale. I loved the hint of mystery interspersed throughout this Regency romance. Rory and Lucas were enchanting characters that you couldn't help but love.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this story through NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Cinderella Sisterhood meets Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

So continues the exploits of an enchanted pair of shoes helping young women trapped in less than stellar circumstances.
Lady Clarissa Milford is keeper of the shoes and faerie godmother, bestowing these magical 'elegant dancing slippers ... fashioned of rich garnet silk and covered in tiny crystal beads that sparkled in the daylight,' as she sees fit. As Lady Milford explains, they must be returned when no longer needed.
With half a mind to refuse charity of any sort, Rory tries the shoes on and 'Softness enveloped her feet as if the shoes had been stitched by a master cobbler expressly for her [she is] ... buoyed by an irresistible sense of lightness.' The shoes lure the person in it seems and then mould themselves almost parasitically to the wearer. Magical!
Aurora (Rory) Paxton was banished to the country for eight years after being caught in a compromising position with an Italian diplomat. The cad turned out to be married. Her disgrace seems to have been a handy excuse for her stepmother to keep Rory away. She wasn't even notified of her father's death until after the funeral.
Now, eight years later Rory's stepmother Kitty needs her help. Kitty is being blackmailed over a packet of love letters from years ago. Just as Rory's half sister Celeste has become engaged to a wealthy Duke, old enough to be her father. Mmm!
Kitty is fearful that should the letters become public the Duke will be frightened off.
Of course Rory is still treated like a second class citizen by her stepmother. When she goes to investigate a likely suspect, Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell, by becoming his mother's companion, things take an interesting turn.
And we mustn't forget Rory's secret life as the women's rights broadsheet contributor, Miss Cellany.
A regency romance with a difference.

A NetGalley ARC
(October 2017)

Lady Clarissa Milford, the widow of an Earl, is going into the bank on this chilly day to get her tiara to wear to a soiree at St. James Palace. As she is leaving the vault in the bank, a woman drops a strand of diamonds on the floor. Immediately picking them up, the woman scurries away but not before noticing Clarissa and addressing her as My Lady. Clarissa recognizes the woman and remembers her name - Mrs. Kitty Paxton. Although she doesn’t know the woman personally, she does know that she is the mother of two daughters and is a bit of a gossip. Clarissa confronts Kitty who admits that she is being blackmailed.

Kitty's stepdaughter is Aurora (Rory) Paxton, a lovely girl who made her debut 7-8 years ago. She became involved in a scandal which left her banished and has not been seen again. Clarissa wonders what happened to Rory as she also knows what it is like to be at the mercy of a stepmother, so she decides to find her and help her.

Rory is living with her tightfisted but kind aunt. Rory enjoys writing essays about modern society under the name, Miss Cellany. Clarissa shows up unexpectedly and tells Rory that her stepmother is being blackmailed. Kitty believes that Lucas Vale stole some love letters from her and is now blackmailing her. As much as she does not care for Kitty, Clarissa agrees to return to London. The big reason she wants to be there is because she wants to help her sister who is to wed the Duke of Whittingham and she doesn’t want to see the scandal of blackmail ruin that for her sister. Before leaving for London, Clarissa gives Rory a pair of elegant dancing slippers telling her that she is only to borrow them for a time.

Lucas Vale, age 32, the fifth Marquess of Dashell, has decided to ask Miss Alice Kipling to marry him. She is a lovely young woman and quite rich. Lucas needs her money to settle his debts.

Rory calls upon Lucas requesting the position of companion for his ailing mother. Aware of her misdeeds, he refuses. But knowing his mother’s bad temper, Rory convinces him that she can handle her and gets the job.

After searching his home, Rory realizes it is not his handwriting on the blackmail notes. When Lucas catches her and she confesses why she is there, they agree to work together to find the real blackmailer. But can they work together without falling in love? What was the scandal that ended up banishing Rory for so many years?

Rory is a bit of a twit thinking she can do what she wants without getting harmed in some way. This “tough woman” attitude is a bit of a turn off for me.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"The merest breath of scandal can ruin a lady"

Aurora Paxton was once the Belle of the Ball, but her impetuous way made her involved in a scandal and to lessen the damage, since she had a half sister, she was sent to live in the country with an aunt.
Many years have passed when Aurora finds herself obliged to return to London.
Her stepmother, Mrs Kitty Paxton, was being blackmailed because of revealing letters. Celeste, Aurora's half-sister, was betrothed to a duke and a new scandal could ruin this advantageous marriage.

Aurora would have to face the same people who in the past did not spare her from speaking bad about her, but she had an ally, Lady Clarissa Milford.

Lady Milford had a very special pair of red shoes, and she lends it to Aurora, so she can face the people with confidence and find out who was blackmailing Mrs Kitty and why.

The culprit seemed to be the current marquis of Dashel, Lucas. To get close to him, Aurora would work as his mother's maid.

But it was not only Mrs Kitty who had a secret.
Since being banished to the country, Aurora has been without any financial help and for some time now she has been doing something to raise funds and get a place to live alone.

Many secrets to be revealed and one single certainty: the right shoe takes a woman anywhere ...
Sleeping Beauty

5 stars

The Scandalous Flirt is the sixth book in Olivia Drake’s Cinderella Sisterhood series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but I always enjoy discovering new authors.

Aurora- better known as Rory- has been living in exile from Society for the past eight years as a result of a scandal during her debut Season. Rory is summoned back to London to help her stepmother Kitty, who has managed to become embroiled in a scandal of her own. Rory needs to retrieve some incriminating letters from the Marquess of Dashell’s house. She happens to know Lucas from her Season, and she has a hard time reconciling the exceedingly straitlaced gentleman with his alleged penchant for extortion. As Rory renews her acquaintanceship with Lucas, she discovers that there is much more to him than she could have possibly imagined.

I enjoyed reading this book. The mystery portion was quite satisfying, and I found myself surprised by the “big reveal”. Rory and Lucas have great chemistry, and I loved the way their relationship developed over the course of the novel. Of course, I have to add that Lucas’ mother the Dowager Marchioness stole the show with her acerbic commentary.

I would recommend The Scandalous Flirt. I don’t think readers have to read the other books in the series before reading this one. I thought the fairy tale element was rather subtle, and that the novel had the perfect mix of romance, mystery, and humor. I’m certainly looking forward to reading the other books in the Sisterhood series.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.