A Scandal By Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell is book Two in the "A Tale of Two Sisters". This is the story of Jasper De Vere and Julia Bishop. I have read the previous book 'The Importance of Being Scandalous', but feel this can easily be a standalone book.
Julia has spina bifida which has caused her family to be protective of her and others to whisper and say hurtful things about her. With her sister away she has some freedom and takes advantage of it. This leads her to meet Jasper. Jasper takes to avoiding emotional hurt after the lost of his parents. Now his grandfather health is has taken a turn for the worst. So he takes off to his friends property to try and get away from his issues. Jasper and Julia come together to as a distraction for their problems but find that they can't avoid their growing feelings for long.
Really enjoyed their story!

I’m going to run out of superlatives to describe how good this book is. It is, quite simply, the best historical romance I’ve read in ages - and I’ve read quite a few good ones, as you’ll see from my review history.

Lady Julia Bishop is the eldest daughter of a wealthy earl, and as such, she should have too many eligible suitors to count. However, Julia was born with an exposed spinal condition (revealed in the author’s notes to be spina bifida occluda) and is known to society as a ‘crippled freak’. Instead of hiding herself away from the world, though, Julia is determined to live whatever life she might have to the absolute fullest, schedules and medical treatments notwithstanding. Meeting Jasper, Duke of Albermarle, when he accidentally causes her to fall from her horse, she makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to conceal her identity and pretend her severe limp is caused by a twisted ankle rather than her condition, wanting just for once to be treated as a ‘normal’.

Jasper is already head over heels in love with her by the time he figures out she hasn’t told him everything, and to his credit, the only way he allows the knowledge to colour his actions is in the greater consideration he affords her physical limitations when planning activities for them to do together. He was wonderful, but it was Julia who is the star of this story, Julia the fearless, who refuses to accept other people’s restrictions on her free choices, who refuses to be defined by her illness. Her sense of humour and indomitable will were inspirational, and her interactions with her sister Amelia had me laughing my head off more than once. I have sisters myself, and the way they teased each other was so true to life, I absolutely loved it.

If you’re looking for greater disabled representation in romance, seriously, you cannot do better than this fabulous love story set in the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign. I wish I could give it about fifteen stars, but sadly, five will have to do.

I loves this book. I have been in a reading slump lately. Every book feels like every other book. I really enjoyed this one. I did not want to put it down until I finished it. Julia and Jasper were amazing. Jasper was so sweet. Their romance felt natural. The secondary characters: Julia's sister Amelia and her husband Nick were perfect as was Julia's maid Nora.

Jasper DeVere isn't ready to become the Heir to a Dukedom, and instead he decides running away to his friend's countryside property is better than accepting the fact that his grandfather is dead. However, it seems he's not going to get the peace and quiet he was expecting with Julia Bishop in residence. Will Julia give Jasper a chance, or will she believe she's not good enough for the man who is to be crowned the next Duke of Albemarle?

The first book of this series was such an incredible read, and this story was just the same in the way this couple have to overcome several really tough obstacles to be together including a family that doesn't approve of their relationship and the fact that the heroine doesn't think happy ever after is in the cards for her because of her medical condition. Will the hero prove to her that he wants her no matter what anyone says? Will the heroine realize that she shouldn't let anything hold her back from love and happiness?

As for the dialogue, it was entertaining due to the main characters back stories, their growing relationship and everything this couple go through on their journey to happy ever after. It is also entertaining, because the heroine is determined to find a way for the hero to give into their intense chemistry. Will Julia get her way? Really, it's quite amusing the way she acts. I also liked how she handles everything that happens when it comes to her illness and her relationship with Nicholas. Is she willing to fight for her chance at happy ever after with him? Will she finally win the approval of those that she needs approval by to be with Jasper?

While the hero, the loss of his grandfather is crippling and he doesn't know whether he'll ever be ready to take over as the Duke, especially when he has so much self-doubt in whether he'll do as good a job as his grandfather did. I also liked how determined the hero was to win the heroine over, especially when they have so much against them with the heroine believing she's not good for the hero in the long run and the hero's family being so against their relationship. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was the decisions he made, no matter what the consequences.

Overall, Ms. Bell has delivered another exceptional read for this series where the chemistry between this couple is off-the-charts because of their banter and the emotions of the characters; the romance was special and had me glad this couple achieved their happy ever after; and the ending had me so happy that the hero and heroine were willing to do whatever it takes to be together, even if it meant breaking the rules. Will they get the blessing they need? I would recommend A Scandal by Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell, if you enjoy Historical Romance, the opposites attract trope, or books by authors Stacy Reid, Christi Caldwell, Eva Devon and Jess Michaels.

A Scandal by Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell is a very sweet historical romance. It is so refreshing to see the female lead with the disability. We always see the ‘damaged hero’ who finds a woman who will look past his problems. Here we have a ‘damaged heroine’ who finds a man who will see her for who she is rather than her physical disability.

Ms Bell sensitively dealt with a physical disability that is classed as a form of spina bifida. She was able to demonstrate Julia’s courage in managing the physical disadvantages of the condition and these were portrayed with class and dignity but without shying away from the more day-to-day elements of the condition.

Ms Bell had a lovely writing style. Her world building was very good, and her characterisations were excellent. It was too easy to like the characters of Julia and Jasper and hope for their HEA.

I’d recommend A Scandal by Any Other Name for anyone who enjoys a light historical romance with truly likeable characters and a storyline that is just a little bit different, and all the better for it.

Thanks Entangled Publishing, LLC and netgalley for this ARC.

If anyone deserves love, passion, and a imaginative lover its this heroine.

Kimberly Bell knows how to torture me, how to give me a sleepless night till I finished the book! „A Scandal By Any Other Name“ is the second book „A Tale of two sisters“ series and my first by her.

I really enjoyed this different kind of story. Jasper De Vere isn’t read to become the most important duke of England and stands up the queen. He flees to his best friends country house not knowing that the younger of the Bishop sisters is in residence. The older one got married to his best friend.
Julia lives a very restricted life, born with a spinal injury, she has to keep a very strict schedule and society makes fun of her, so she stays more or less hidden, gets spoiled by her family. Jasper was always, thought she has never met him in person, her knight in shining armor.

When he arrives they meet on the meadows but she doesn’t tell him who she is in the beginning because she is afraid that he would act differently towards her he he’d know that she is Julia Bishop. This charade goes well for a little time but when the family returns things change.
She is helplessly in love with Jasper but knows that nothing can come from it because he is a healthy man and she would never undress in front of her man because of her lower back and her feet. But she wants to dream the dream a little bit. Jasper on the contrary falls more and more for her, day by day, and doesn’t care about her not being the healthy woman society loves. Next to all that he neglects his Dukedom because he is not read to take it over. Though he doesn’t want to be found, his sister Ruby finds him and wants to talk him into taking the title, the position and everything that is connected to it.
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It is a different kind of plot in my opinion. Usually if regency writer write about a person with a handicap, the lead is usually a man who came back from the war with e.g. a lost leg or is traumatized by what happened there. Lost a sibling etc. This time it is a woman and she has an illness that you cannot really sure, one that dominates her life – Spina bifida. I really liked this change of scenery.
You have to fall in love with Julia and Jasper but I enjoyed every single character in this book and even the side plot with Queen Victoria was kind of funny though not that realistic but who cares?

Rating: 5 stars

This follow-up to Bell’s The Importance of Being Scandalous matches outspoken, risk-taking, Julia Bishop with roguish, handsome Jasper DeVere. I couldn’t get enough of these two in the previous book, so how thrilled I was to be given an arc to review. Oh Happy Day!

Julia has a secret, a well-kept one considering she’s been sheltered in her home all of her life. She has a very supportive father and sister, but for health reasons, she’s been pretty isolated, only sneaking peeks of guests through keyholes and around corners. The first time she sees Jasper, he becomes the object of her affection and hidden desires. She wants a great love-affair, but she never imagined she’d actually have one.

Jasper is running. He’s not ready to be Duke, so taking shelter at his friend’s home is quite an easy decision, especially since said friend is away on his honeymoon. Jasper expected a little peace and quiet, but what he gets is far better. His and Julia’s chemistry is off the charts, and their witty exchanges intensify their charm.

The story is well-plotted, unpredictable, and believable. I was pleased to have another historical romance that doesn’t spend a lot of time in the ballroom (not that I don’t love those, because I do). This was a nice change of pace just like it’s predecessor. The story concentrates on the couple finding peace within themselves while getting to know and offer support to each other, rather than centering on everyone’s else’s perceived reaction to their union. The struggles are internal and evokes a lot of emotions. Bell has created to very strong, likeable characters with noticeable flaws that makes it easy to relate to them. I rooted for these two from beginning to end. Actually, I started cheering from them in The Importance.

I received an arc of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jasper is running from his responsibilities. He has no wish to inherit the Dukedom now that his grandfather has died. Fleeing to his friend's estate he hopes to forget what he has left behind for a short while.

Julia is lived a secluded life in the country with only her family to interact with. As she was born with an exposed spine she is unwelcome in society. On meeting her brother-in-law's friend she seeks to have the opportunity to be like all other women and have a flirtation with a handsome man.

I appreciated the author giving the heroine a disability which is unusual in historical romance and for it to be spina bifida (exposed spine condition as Julia calls it) is definitely a first. I do, however, have some issues.

First of all, I thought that Jasper took Julia's condition and her fooling him way too well. This would not have fit the time period. Even now someone would not take kindly to being lied to. He got over it too easily in my opinion. There was also some issues with the plotting. the middle of the story loses focus. Another unrealistic point is Julia's family allowing her to consider 'living in sin' with Jasper as the Queen would not give consent for him to marry Julia.

Overall it is a lighthearted read, but it just couldn't hold my interest. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a heroine who is different and are not interested in much plot.

the tale of two sisters duet concludes with julia and jasper's story, a scandal by any other name. julia is not your average victorian heroine. she's bold and ahead of her time in some ways, yes, but she's also very spoiled and deeply sheltered. she's also disabled. she has what is described as an exposed spine condition, one that we know today as spina bifida occulta. an indomitable spirit is the best way to describe her.

she knows the limits of her condition. she's been aware her whole life that due to a condition of birth outside of her control she is destined to live life in the outer edges. but julia doesn't belong in the outer edges. she's so vivacious and bright in spite of everything.

so when jasper de vere first encounters her and doesn't immediately notice her issues, she decides to pretend to be someone else. he flirts with her, and no one ever looks at her with interest. so she convinces the household to pretend she is lady juniper fairchild and throws herself into the pretense of someone who isn't hiding something major.

jasper is lost in many ways. he's recently inherited a dukedom and feels incapable of handling the weight of his responsibilities. he's always done his best not to take things seriously. he's suffered enough loss and pain in his life that he prefers to dwell on the fun and light-hearted parts of life.

being with julia encourages jasper to face some of his demons. his ability to be strong for her gives him the confidence to face the responsibilities he's been hiding from. his acceptance of julia and her condition is remarkable. he doesn't see her as damaged or evil. he just sees a beautiful, fun woman he wants to spend time with because he's falling in love. and there are obstacles around their love. he is a duke who requires royal approval to marry and julia is not a desirable candidate.

but the victorians always love a good love story, and jasper and julia's is definitely a good one.

**a scandal by any other name will publish on january 30, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (amara) in exchange for my honest review.

Kimberly Bell has written a wonderfully poignant, heartbreaking, heartwarming tale of great love.

Jasper DeVere is running away from responsibility and loss. His new title as the Duke of Albemarle is due to the demise of his beloved grandfather and he couldn't deal with the duty and the bereavement.
Lady Julia Bishop craves excitement even her debilitating illness doesn't hamper her pursuit of happiness. When Jasper arrives at her sister's house unannounced, her enthusiasm was stoked.

I utterly adore the story of Julia and Jasper. Their witty wordplays are beguiling. Their sensuality bounced off each other. Julia suffers from spina bifida occulta, a heroine who displays a true strength of character and embraces her life, without an ounce of self-pity. Jasper absolutely admires her for it. Julia's father and her sister Amelia are her stalwart forces.

I haven't read Book 1 yet but this story can definitely hold its own. I highly recommend. Five winning stars.

This is my honest, unbiased review of the eGalley copy from the publisher.

I really enjoyed reading the first book of A Tale of Two Sisters, and was looking forward to this second installment. It's a good storyline, but I have reservations with some aspects of the story.

Jasper had a horrible experience as a child and running away was his way of coping. He is faced with another loss which brings him responsibilities. Being used to a rakish life, he doesn't feel that he has the right disposition for this particular role. His solution is to run away!

Julia was born with a spinal defect and has been through various experimental treatments, but she still has to stick to a strict regime. Despite her limitations and being shunned by society, she makes the most of her abilities instead of dwelling on her disabilities.

Whilst escaping to his best friend’s residence, Jasper meets Julia in a rather unconventional way. She recognises him and she is quick to lie about herself. Telling the truth would give her away. She has been admiring him from afar and this is the first time that they have come face to face. He helps her under the assumption that she has just sustained a mild ankle injury. He is impressed by her quick wit and her general attitude to "propriety". He is a flirt and she intends on making the most of his company for as long as she can. The innocent flirting turns into something more and she dreads his reaction when he learns the truth. A relationship between them would not be well received. His newly inherited title means another possible barrier. Can they find a way to make a life together?

Although, I like Jasper, I was a little put out by the way he ran from his responsibilities. Julia's view on life is understandable due to her past and present struggles, but she takes things a little too much to the extreme. She appears to be spoilt, stubborn and demanding. Her behaviour is also contradictive at times. I admire her relationship with her sister and their funny banters.

There are some lulls in the flow and some parts of the story are difficult to relate to. Overall, it's a fairly good story where the two main characters show unconditional love and triumph against all odds.

I was kindly issued with an eARC and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Jasper DeVere is struggling to come to terms with the death of his beloved grandfather. He is nowhere near ready to step into his shoes and become the Duke . He does just what he did when his parents died, run away to escape from the pressure. His best friend's new estate, while said friend is away on honeymoon will be perfect.
Julia Bishop decided to stay at her sister's home while her sister is away. The peace and the freedom is just what she needs. Julia has a disability that has made her the target of vicious tongues all her life. Her family love her, but sometimes smother her with their protection. The chance of being treated as a normal woman is just to good to pass up.
This Victorian romance is emotional, and will pull you into to our heroine's difficult life right from the first page. Lots of laughs and mischief from both our lead characters.
Very good story and a very unusual romance. I loved it.

This is a story of two people who both have a hard time dealing with their current lives. Jasper De Vere has lost his parents and is about to lose his beloved grandfather and is not ready to take over the Dukedom. So he flees his responsibilities and goes to his friend Nicolas's estate in the country. There he meets Julia Bishop, Nicolas's sister in law who has kept to herself hidden away from society. She was born with a spinal injury and has always stayed close to her family. Although really isolated her whole life, Julia had a great spirit, was smart and outspoken. There is some secrets and intentional mistaken identity that liven up the story and keep it entertaining. But the way Julia and Jasper kept the conversations lively, it will bring a smile to your face.
I applaud the author for featuring the heroine, Julia having a spinal injury in this book. It makes it so much more real and as people through the centuries have had illnesses or problems it is good to see it dealt with here.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more by this author!

I read this title as a standalone and I had high hopes. I love the gutsy heroine very much. Knowing her own limitations and her WILLINGNESS to challenge it and taking it as far as she is able to. Being a disabled person myself, I understand it all too well.

A major highlight early on in the book was Julia owning up to Jasper about lying to him when they first met. That took my breathe away! Seeing how she flirted with Jasper made me very giddy as well. Absolutely divine~ I am swooning!!

The reason for giving this book 3 stars is because I wished to see how she would hold up against Jasper’s own family. So much stories and drama could unfold from there but it was left unexplored.

Having her (future) sister-in-law walk in on her (twice) was bad enough; the tension would have played out well as a sub-plot where Julia and Ruby tries to understand each other despite their differences.

I also felt that Jasper’s own struggles lack the extra depth I wanted to see in a romance hero. I wanted to know more of his inner thoughts! He’d ran off to Berkshire to get away from it all. What then? He meets Julia and at some point he feels he could become a better man than he is now. True, he took the initiative to write to Queen Victoria but it didn’t pan out as expected... but still got their happily ever after!

It’s a good book but didn’t hit all the sweet spots for me!

This is a quote from my review of the first book in this series, The Importance of Being Scandalous:

I’m just going to put this out there and hope for the best, I WANT JASPER AND JULIA TO END UP TOGETHER. From about the 50% mark I got this in my head and couldn’t let it go. I went to Goodreads, no synopsis. I went to the author’s website, no synopsis. I can’t think of a better hero for Julia and I will be so upset if someone else sweeps her off her feet and into his arms.

Welp, I got my wish. The hero in A Scandal By Any Other Name is indeed Jasper and his heroine is Julia. YES!

Jasper De Vere, Viscount Bellamy, has lost his grandfather and is grief-stricken over his death. At the ceremony that would officially have him step into his grandfather’s shoes as the Duke of Albemarle, Jasper panics and takes off. He leaves everything behind and heads toward his best friend’s home in the countryside. With Nicholas and his new bride, Amelia, off on their honeymoon, he should have the time he needs to come to terms with becoming the head of his family. Instead he runs into a tantalizing, interesting woman who happens to be Nicholas’s relative and is staying at the very same residence he is headed toward.

Julia Bishop was born with a rare spinal condition. Her life has been filled with surgeries, and schedules and medications. She’s endured cruel whispers and dirty looks and knows that most people can be cruel about things they don’t understand or about people who they view as different from them. But she has always had the support of her father and a closeness with her sister, Amelia, that has helped her get through all the pain of her childhood. Then one afternoon, while out riding on her sister’s estate, she quite literally runs into her brother-in-law’s best friend. They’ve never formally been introduced, so it’s easy for her to give a false name and pass off her limp as an injury from their horses colliding. She just wants to live in the moment with a beautiful man for as long as she can, this is one adventure she is determined to have.

Hmmm…. I just finished this book about an hour ago and I’m still thinking about what I liked, and what I didn’t. I enjoyed these two characters o very much in the first book. Jasper and his laughing, joking, reckless ways and Julia who is stubborn and defiant in the face of so many people’s scorn. I couldn’t wait to get to their romance! Then in the first chapter Jasper runs away from his duty like a child and I was kind of like hmmmm. That’s… interesting. Then he runs into Julia and she gives a fake name and identity and I was like hmmmm. That’s interesting. Not how I was expecting this romance to begin, but okay.

Jasper and Julia did have chemistry and I enjoyed their back and forth banter. Julia throws herself wholeheartedly into being scandalous, thinking that this may be her only chance at a great love affair. Jasper is into it too, until he finds out that the woman who he has been whispering sweet nothings to is actually his best friend’s sister-in-law, not his cousin. Then he backs off to a degree and tries to do the right thing by her. That is when their romance truly takes off. All of their fears come forward, his about having to live up to the impossible standards of his grandfather, and Julia’s having to trust that Jasper won’t look at her differently when he discovers her scars and the things she views as ugly. I really do think this author handled Julia’s disability well. Julia has understandable fears and hesitancies that force this couple to take it slow and get to know each other. I liked that it was Jasper who put the brakes on full on sexy times until Julia truly trusted him completely.

There is almost no outside conflict to this relationship. This is all Julia coming to trust that Jasper would want something more than temporary with her, and Jasper finally finding something that forces him to have to live up to his responsibilities. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. There were times I set this book aside and thought about picking something else up. As much as I wanted to love it, there was something keeping me from devouring it whole in one sitting. Maybe it was the pacing, maybe it was the lack of outside conflict, I’m not completely sure. I am hoping that despite the name of this series being A Tale of Two Sisters that Jasper’s sister Ruby will have her own HEA soon. She’s an interesting character that I would like to get to know better.

Favorite Quote:
“The world answers to us, Julia. Not the other way around.”

A Scandal By Any Other Name by Kimberly Bell
A Tale of Two Sisters #2

Jasper De Vere is not ready to be the Duke of Albermarle so he flees his confirmation ceremony thus insulting the queen who was in attendance. He ran out, stole a horse and ran away. Why? He doesn’t feel he can ever be the man his grandfather was or as good at the job of being a Duke as he should be. At the end of his day’s journey he “saves” Julia Bishop by stopping her “runaway” horse. Julia, wanting to have a bit of time to be “normal” pretends to be someone she is not and begins a flirtation with the man she has been harboring a secret crush on. Of course her identity will come out, they will fall for one another, there will be ups and downs and obstacles to overcome before a HEA can be achieved for the two.

This was an intriguing historical romance that dealt with birth defects impacting one’s social life, expectations of others and self, limitations and overcoming them, fears surmounted, coming to terms with one’s lot in life, taking responsibility and taking the reins of one’s life and making it what one wants it to be rather than living the life someone else has plotted out for you. It deals with two people that are perfect for one another although imperfect in other ways. It made me wonder then research the condition Julia was born with and though the likelihood of her having lived as long as she is portrayed to have lived in this book or continuing to live a long full healthy life are probably not realistic it did make me wonder and my research was educational. It also left me with the idea that people should live in and make the best of every moment they are given.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

Jasper has two simple rules:

(1) Live life to the fullest.

(2) Get out while you can.

Permanent has no place in his life. Until he meets the one woman who stops him in his tracks. Julia is a dreamer. Excitement is what she craves, but life had other plans for her. When a playboy heir to a dukedom walks into her life and makes her forget her less than perfect existence, she starts to think that anything is possible. However, life has a way of changing the best laid plans. Can these two misfits: the running scared playboy and the less than perfect Earl's daughter find a chance at permanent happiness despite the fears that drive them? Kimberly Bell pens a tale that is full of heartache but thrives on excitement. A Scandal By Any Other Name blends naughty and nice to create a romance that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking.

This was an interesting book and certainly not the type of stories that I am used to reading. I was not horribly written, it was sweet...

I was disappointed from the beginning with our hero, Jasper. Running away from his responsibilities and unaccepting of his grand-father's passing. It was certainly obvious that he loved him very much, but yet he decided to run. He was such a flirt, which made me smile, but certainly not the strong male hero that I am used to. The episode out on the lake made me feel sorry for the guy, but I just had to shake my head as to how much Julia had to step in. As this episode was happening, I just had this weird thought that out of nowhere a brooding, strong new male hero will step in and come out of the bushes. Certainly not something I should had thought about since I was trying to love Jasper and Julia's courtship. I guess it was a good way to paint our hero in a good light and show that he had his flaws, but it just made me shake my head.

Julia was difficult to love. With her disability I know this was her time to live what she so often dreamed about. In many ways it can be heart breaking, I just kept thinking, the lies...it will not end well. I just couldn't find the heart to love her. She did not win me over. Her family also did not help, and certainly tried to appease her. You just wanted to shake everyone.

All and all, it was not a bad read. I just had difficulty loving their story.

A Page Turner
I loved this story, whilst it starts off in lust, it eventually becomes very romantic. Julia is immensely likeable and determined to live her life on her terms. I loved her relationship with her sister and their ridiculousness together and it was interesting to read a story (set in this time period) where the heroine is disabled. There were a couple of terms that jarred my English sensibilities but not enough to stop me awarding this novel five stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.