4.5 Stars
Julia Bishop has led a very sheltered life & because of her disability, she stays hidden away in the country. She longs for more, but she knows she’ll never experience any of those things.
That is, until one day out riding she takes a tumble from her horse & is rescued by Jasper DeVere who’s left London to grieve his grandfather’s death privately, away from the prying eyes and gossips of the ton. Seeking solitude at Nick & Amelia’s country manor, who happen to be Julia sister & brother in law
This was very different from the normal romance as it dealt with a disabled heroine. Jason however only ever saw Julia as a beautiful, fun loving, brave, strong woman which endeared him to me. Jason deals with upset & difficulties by hiding himself away & running from them but in order to win Julia he has to grow up & face his responsibilities. This book could be read by itself however to fully understand the scandalous Bishop girls I’d recommend reading Amelia’s story first. A very well written, lovely novel of facing adversity

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is interesting, sweet, romantic, amusing and engrossing. Jasper is charming, funny, romantic and insecure. Julia is brave, bold and stubborn. Almost from the minute they meet, Julia is determined to seduce Jasper. He's her only chance at romance. But of course the irresponsible rake decides to be a gentleman with her. He's determined that they marry, she's determined to just have a fling. They end up playing a game of who's going to get their way. Then the real drama and twists begin. It's an amazing story and should be added to your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

I am so pleased to have read this book. I was a little hesitant to request it because I had such mixed feelings about the first book in the series, but I’m so glad I decided to go ahead and request it. It is well plotted, the writing is excellent and it is filled with lighthearted humor and one-liners. I kept picturing Lucy and Ethel (from I Love Lucy) with a smattering of Wonder Woman thrown in. The Bishop sisters are true terrors. They defy convention and do their own thing – especially the older one who is featured in this book. The hero fits right in with the wit and charm of the sisters. What a perfect match.

I have to applaud this author for doing something I almost never see (have I ever seen it?). She featured a heroine with a serious, debilitating, life-threatening disability and she made her strong, intelligent, witty and very interesting. What a delightful change of pace.

Julia Bishop has had many great and wonderful adventures in her life – all in her imagination. Julia was born with spina bifida (although it isn’t specifically named in the book) and has miraculously survived to adulthood. That just never happened back then and the treatments were excruciating (that is true) because they injected iodine into the exposed spine. She still suffers from very frequent infections, etc. because of the disability. Julia and her sister are their father’s pride and joy and he spoils them rotten – but the mother is a real piece of work. She’s consumed with social climbing and if you read the first book, you know what she did to her younger daughter – so NOT motherly. Mother Bishop always kept Julia in hiding – away from any interaction with other people. She didn’t want others to think they were ‘tainted’. Julia’s only companion was her very much loved sister Amelia and they were so close they could barely stand being separated. How Julia managed to grow up to be as headstrong and well-adjusted as she is, just amazes. She knows who she is and isn’t afraid to tell or show anybody what it is she wants or thinks. Just imagine her delight when a real-life adventure rides right into her life.

Jasper DeVere has just insulted Queen Victoria by running out on the ceremony to induct him into Parliament and confirm his title of Duke of Albemarle. He didn’t mean to insult her – he just panicked – so he ran away. His grandfather and hero had just died and Jasper didn’t feel in the least competent to fill his shoes. Jasper flees and basically steals a horse outside the building – he has no idea where he is going – he just rides as fast as the horse will go for as long as it will go. He has no idea where he is and when he asks someone he realizes he is near the home of his friend Nicholas, so he heads toward his home expecting to stay with him and his new wife, Amelia, for a while.

As Jasper is riding up the drive toward the house, he spots a woman on a runaway horse and gives chase to save her. Julia is incensed that someone is stopping her horse – she’d given the horse its head and was allowing it to run with the wind and she was loving it! His stopping the horse causes her to be thrown from the horse – and when she sees that wonderfully handsome adventure just waiting for her to claim it – well – who could blame her. She knew who he was as soon as he gave his name – she’d dreamed of him for years, but she’d never met him because her mother didn’t allow her any interaction with anyone outside the immediate family. She also knew he’d know who she was if she gave him her name. Julia immediately became Juniper – Amelia’s cousin. After all, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and maybe somebody would pay a little attention to her as a person rather than seeing her only as her disability.

Amelia and Nicholas are off on a trip and that leaves Julia (Juniper) and Jasper all alone on the estate. Their time together is magical and they come to really care for each other – but what will Jasper do when he discovers she is really Julia and not Juniper? The answer – love her for who she is!

I won’t give a blow-by-blow of the story because I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, but I will tell you it is full of fun and whimsical entertainment – and heartbreaking angst – and love and an HEA. After getting almost to the end of the book I was thoroughly miffed and was thinking I’d give the book 2-stars at best because I didn’t consider that a happy ending. Then – more magic happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and hope you will too!

There are some exceptional secondary characters in the book. Nicholas and Amelia, of course. You met them in the first book and they have a sizeable role in this one as well. I particularly liked Julia’s father because he loves and supports his girls unconditionally and spoils them rotten. I also liked Julia’s maid, Nora. She definitely had her work cut out for her! I had mixed feelings about Jasper’s sister, Ruby. I think I’d like to see a third book in the series that gives Ruby her HEA as well.

See my review of the first book – The Importance of Being Scandalous

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Publisher's Description:

Julia Bishop has led a very sheltered life. Protected by her family from those who might ridicule her for her secrets, she stays hidden away in the country. But she longs for more, if only for an evening. To kiss a rake in full view of the stable boy. Unchaperoned picnics. Romance. But she knows she’ll never experience any of those things.

That is, until a handsome duke with a mysterious past of his own arrives…

Duke Jasper DeVere left London to grieve his grandfather’s death privately, away from the prying eyes and gossips of the ton. Seeking solitude at a friend’s country manor, he’s surprised he finds himself drawn to the company of the shy beauty determined to present the epitome of proper behavior.

That is, until the mysterious woman makes an indecent proposal…

Julia can’t believe what she’s suggested to the duke. Nor that he agrees a distraction is what they both need. But what will happen when Jasper must return to his duties and leave Julia behind? Will the memories of their time together be enough for a lifetime of solitude for either of them?

Because Julia can never leave her country haven and a duke can never stay…

Each book the Tale of Two Sisters series is STANDALONE:
* The Importance of Being Scandalous
* A Scandal By Any Other Name

My Thoughts:

I have read both books in this series and although they are somewhat connected by characters they are still standalone novels.
This book kept me in stitches with it's sometimes humorous dialog. I had problems putting it down but had to go to work so I had to take a 5 hour respite from this delightful and sometimes sad book. I still finished the read in less than forty eight hours.
It has the feel of a true to life romance rewritten to make it fiction although I know it to be a totally fictional work.
Jasper has recently inherited the Dukedom upon his beloved grandfather's death. He just wants to get away to grieve. His queen has other ideas though. So Jasper takes fate in hand and leaves during the ceremony to bestow the title upon his head.
Arriving at his friend's country manor he fiends himself drawn to the shy beauty, Julia.
Will this attraction lead to love? Will the Queen condone the match? These are questions that will be answered in this can't put it down book.
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames for heat. Even though some of the scenes are more mysterious in nature some have a graphic nature.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Devastated by his grandfather’s death, Jasper DeVere leaves town instead of attending the ceremony in which the new queen Victoria proclaims him duke of Albermarle. He’d rather not be a duke and have his beloved old man alive. He wants to mourn alone and rides like a madman with no specific destination. But of course fate plays tricks and by the time he’s exhausted and decides to stop he finds himself in the vicinity of his best friend’s estate. Unfortunately Nicholas and his wife are from home but that won’t be a real problem, surely Nick’s servants or relatives will give him shelter.

Julia is staying at her sister’s home waiting for her arrival. One fine day she decides to go for a ride with her maid. Being on a horse gives her a feeling of freedom, at least for a moment no one will call her “a cripple” but when she’s returning to the house she has an accident with another horse rider and she falls from her mare. That rider is, of course, Jasper.

Julia already had a crush on Jasper but he never noticed her. For him, she was only Amelia’s sister, they were never properly introduced. So he doesn’t recognize her and she, thinking that if she introduces herself he will know about her condition, pretends to be somebody else.

THINGS THAT I LIKED

• I would like to focus on something that is very personal to me and which took me years to come to terms with. It’s in the novel so perhaps you might find it related. But it is the reason why I found this novel, well, specifically its heroine, relatable. Julia has a condition on her back that is not only painful for her but also makes her limp. It is on the premise of the book so I’m not giving details away, this is not spoilers. I myself have a body with some conditions, one of which is on my back (first reason why I find it relatable), but also my legs and other parts. As a result I earned a lot of scars over the years, just like Julia, and I also have in common with our heroine the lack of patience with new doctors to whom you have to explain everything that’s happened to you over those years. And there’s the fear of people knowing (reason number 2). So I can understand why she invented a new identity if only for a while. For a moment she wants to be free, as free as you can be from yourself. You want to lead a “normal” life although what is normal anyway. What I mean is that sometimes forgetting what you’re dealing with is a blessing. It takes time, confidence and a lot of struggle to accept your scars (the visible and the invisible) and be ready to show them without worrying or caring about what people might say. This is in the book, it is represented in the book and it’s done properly, from my point of view, that is.
• Nora’s dryness when speaking to Julia. She’s her nurse and maid combined so she should be complacent but when Julia is cross or isn’t in the mood for her needed therapy Nora won’t have it. She’s honest and blunt sometimes, but she’s like that out of love for her mistress. I loved Nora.
• Amelia and Nicholas teasing Jasper and Julia. That couple are so brilliant together.
• I loved the fact that Jasper is more than ready to fight the whole world if needed be for Julia. His support and concern for her needs is heart warming.
• Add to the previous point the willingness and determination of the couple for face anything that might come their way; illness, duchy responsibilities, loss, family issues or the opposition they might get from the... let’s say, highest peers of the realm. I can’t be more specific. Spoilers!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

• Prejudices even if in a condescending tone; surprisingly on her part. She is aware of his notoriety and his roguish manners and plays them to her advantage. That is, until she gets to really know the man, but she never apologises for it.
• I found the first few chapters a bit odd; they are way too... playful. She has a crush on him since she was very young in the manner of a fangirl and her hero. They behave a bit like children in my opinion.
• I felt disengaged from their love affair at times and that lasted during the first half of the book, more or less.
• There was a general lack of dialogue devices ie: he said, she asked, he explained, she reacted to his words... nothing like that. The dialogues were confusing because I struggled to know who said what. It was simply hard to tell.
________________________________________

After struggling with the first few chapters I found it easier to read this book but for the confusing dialogues. I’d suggest this book be revised and corrected. The story is sweet and has so much potential that a bit of revising and editing would undoubtedly perfect it.

Jasper inherits a Dukedom after his grandfather dies and runs away from the responsibility. He runs quite often instead of facing crisis and is known as a complete rake only pursuing pleasures. Then he meets Julia who has health issues and the romance begins. Julia lies about who she is at first but then admits the truth. She wanted the chance to have a real affair. Julia is strong and has spunk but it is hard to believe that Jasper falls in love so quickly and is serious. His personality does not really seem mature enough and the romance part not as developed as it could have been. Also at that time the family would not have been so permissive to allow so much contact with the couple unchaperoned. I did like the story but it was rushed and missed conventions of that time.

Jasper De Vere doesn't do sad. Ever since the death of his parents, he’s devoted himself to life’s many pleasures—while making sure to avoid attachments. It’s difficult to avoid your own grandfather though, especially when you’re the heir to his Dukedom. Unable to sit by and watch one of the few people he cares about wither away, Jasper flees to his friend Nicholas’s country estate.

Julia Bishop leads a life of glorious excitement—in her head. The spinal injury she was born with makes her a permanent pariah in society, so despite being the daughter of an earl, she's spent her life in the country with just her family to keep her company. When her brother-in-law’s flirtatious—and devilishly handsome—friend mistakes her for an untroubled debutante, Julia isn’t about to let an opportunity for some real, live adventure slip away.

Delicious distraction and flirtation turn into an all-out affair, and slips dangerously close to something more when family intrudes. Can Jasper and Julia return to their separate lives in isolation, or will they take a risk and choose each other?

Jasper is distraught over the death of his grandfather - the man who raised him. He feels that he can't live up to his grandfather's legacy and right before the ceremony (with the Queen) that will officially make him the Duke of Abermarle, he does a runner. He decides to head to his friend Nicholas's house in the country - not realizing that Nicholas isn't back from his honeymoon. He runs into Nicholas's new sister-in-law, Julia, but she tells him that she's a cousin and her name is Juniper. Jasper is instantly attracted to Juniper and wants nothing more than to bed her.

Julia has never had adventure. She's got spina bifida and has been sheltered her whole life. When Jasper shows up and doesn't know who she is she sees it as her opportunity to be someone else and live an adventure.

This book. I'm not even sure how to state my feelings on it. First of all, the blurb led me to believe that Jasper couldn't avoid his grandfather, who was alive. I mean it says "it's difficult to avoid your own grandfather" in the blurb. More like it's hard to avoid his legacy, cuz the man is dead!. Anyway, when Jasper runs from his own ceremony I lost some serious respect for the man. Then he shows up and acts the complete rake and fool with Julia. I found it annoying.

Julia, I could understand, wanted to live a little. Ok, I get that, but she acted so incredibly immaturely that I couldn't help but yell at my kindle for her to get her act together! LOL Her sister let her just do whatever, even after being caught and I couldn't understand that.

Later in the book Jasper finally completes the ceremony but by that time I truly didn't care whether Julia and Jasper were ever together. I guess I felt these two immature beings were perfect for each other but frankly, I wasn't interested in their HEA.

When you put the book down when you've only read 13% of it, it's a sign I should have see with red flashing lights. I had to force myself to go back to it and then barely got through it. I wish I could say good things about this one but it did nothing for me.

Rating: 1 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
bookbinge.com

First of all, I'd like to thank Jen from Book Avid for the recommendation. They had posted many times about the importance of the book and about the heroinE, Julia.

The story takes place in the Victorian era, in the early days of the Queen's reign. Julia Bishop is the daughter of a wealthy family, she is beautiful, educated and has a loving family. But she is shunned by the 'good' society because of her 'issue'. You see, Julia was born with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord (as dear old Google says).

To live like this at THAT time period had to be horrible and despite the liberty, the author takes, which she also mentions in the end of the book, it must have been horrible to have children and not being able to save them.

Then Julia meets with Jasper DeVere, soon to become a duke, and sparks fly between them. Despite the book being the second in the duology, it felt like a good stand-alone and I really enjoyed it. Also, Jasper deals with grief and the need to have someone who can understand him, so the couple dynamic worked very, very well. Also keeping in mind the social forms of the era, the author weaves a heated romance, which evolves in quite the love story.

I want to have more books like that. There is a presence in the YA world but in this genre, it would also become a strong breakthrough. Truly recommended!

Im not sure how I feel about this book. The future duke makes a run for it at the very start of the book. It was a childish action. The rest of the book followed the same kind of plot. Nothing was serious. It was like reading a novel about two young teens trying to find a way to force happiness.

This novel could’ve been entitled How to Tick Off a Monarch, because Queen Victoria has more than one reason to be displeased with her cousin, Jasper DeVere. Since his father passed away when he was only six, Jasper has lived the majority of his life as the heir to his grandfather’s title of the Duke of Albemarle. Now with his grandfather’s passing, it’s time for Jasper to take over the dukedom. Seconds before he is supposed to be presented to Queen Victoria and take over the title, he bolts leaving not only the Queen, but his very angry twin sister, Ruby, in the lurch.

Jasper runs off and ends up at his best friend’s estate where he discovers the enticing Julia Bishop. Julia’s sister, Amelia, married Jasper’s best friend, Nicolas, yet the two have never met. A little bit of deception on Julia’s part has her getting to know Jasper better with outrageous flirting and misguided determination. Julia was born with a mild form of Spina Bifida which has caused her spinal and foot deformities. She wants nothing more than to have a passionate romance with a man she’s admired from the shadows for months.

I loved Jasper and Julia separately in the first novel of this series, The Importance of Being Scandalous. Bell took these two leaps and bounds further and gave us two characters to laugh and cry with. They couldn’t be more different to fit so perfectly together. Bell had me shedding tears in more than a few chapters. I also snorted my way through one chapter that highlighted a dinner party from hell that ended on the perfect note. Another five star read!

While the stories of the Bishop sisters and their struggles to find romance have come to an end, I pray Bell will write a story for Ruby DeVere, Jasper’s sister. She was a strong secondary character in both novels and I would dearly love to read a story of her happily ever after!

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Im not sure how I feel about this book. The future duke makes a run for it at the very start of the book. It was a childish action. The rest of the book followed the same kind of plot. Nothing was serious. It was like reading a novel about two young teens trying to find a way to force happiness.

Sorry to ruin the string of good ratings, but the behaviours of the protagonists were just too inane for me to enjoy. The blurb is inaccurate. Jasper De Vere did not avoid his grandfather, the Duke of Albemarle. He avoided accepting the title of Duke of Albemarle after his grandfather's passing. He did so by bolting minutes before the formal ceremony presenting him to Parliament! Not the most dignified impression on this reader at the start of the book. He was 26 years old, a man who should have been prepared and trained for this role for years by his beloved grandfather. Running away from his responsibilities was not the way to honour his grandfather's memory. His excuse was lame - because he could not be the great duke his grandfather was, so he chose not to be a duke at all. His actions would have shamed the esteemed family name his grandfather worked hard to elevate further.

Then we've got Lady Julia, the daughter of an earl, who behaved in shockingly wanton manner. She was supposedly born with spina bifida (see below addendum) which has resulted in a limp, scarrring of her back and slight back deformity and a propensity for bladder infections. Despite all her disabilities, she did not allow her medical condition to hold her back and retained her adventurous spirit. All good and well and commendable, except that does not justify throwing dignity and decency to the winds by throwing herself openly at Jasper, because he might be the only opportunity for her to experience passion. Even when she was caught by his sister, almost naked on his bed, she still had no shame and decided, if his sister thought her his harlot, then she was going to dress like one also. Well, how's that for misplaced attitude! And she was caught in inappropriate compromising situations with Jasper by his sister not just once, so how can Julia blame the sister for thinking so of her, given the conservative behaviour and strict decorum expected of well-raised young ladies in those days. And noone from her family attempted to rein in her overtly outrageous behavior or protect her virtue.

Then we go back to Jasper's stupidity for leaving her without an explanation to back to London in order to finally accept his Ducal title and responsibilities. He didn't want her to be hurt by the knowledge that the Queen refused to endorse their marriage, so instead he crushed Julia's heart by allowing her to think he abandoned her for good! He never did make good on his pledge to be the best Duke he can be, because after being dragged by his sister reluctantly around London while moping forlornly in order to acquaint himself with his peers for a few weeks, he ran off again with Julia. I so hate useless, spineless heroes who contribute little to the welfare of others! And what happened to observing the prerequisite mourning period for his grandfather, not just socially expected but appropriate as a mark of love and respect for the deceased?

Additionally, I don't get how Julia's limp resulted in, not only her complete and utter social ostracism like a leper, but to the point where ordinary village people were pointing at her where ever she went and children were left fearful of her! Surely there were other people walking slightly awkwardly around for various reasons, like acute injuries, war and accidents.

I did like the dialogues between the characters. There were some witticisms and Julia's maid/nurse, was a gem. The author writes well, but the antics of the main characters just were too infantile for me to enjoy.



Addendum. This does not impact on the story itself, but the author wrote in her endnotes that Julia had spina bifida occulta. Spina bifida occulta is called that because the patient is usually asymptomatic (i.e. Normal gait, no bladder problem)and the only outward sign of very mild incompletely/abnormally formed spinal cord apparatus is a small hair tuft or dimple in the lower back. Julia most likely had a mild form of spina bifida itself (mild meningomyelocoele) treated with the iodine injections in the past, that the author referred to.

It is a great historical romance. I loved reading it and would definitely recommend it to all readers.

A Scandal by Any Other Name is a lovely story , The romance between Julia and Jasper is very sweet and the concept good. However the story lost pace and it seemed to go nowhere, which was my main reason why I didn't like it 100%.Overall, it was an interesting story!

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This is the second book in the “Two Sisters” series and I loved it. After being introduced to Jasper and Julia in the first book I couldn’t wait for them to get together in this book and I wasn’t disappointed. Julia has suffered a debilitating condition all her life but instead of giving in she fights back and grabs hold of life with gusto. Jasper has some serious self-confidence issues in spite of his wicked sense of humor. Together they are a couple for the age, but will they overcome their secrets and shyness to grab what is waiting for them?

Each book in this series is a standalone but to enjoy them fully I encourage you to read both books one right after another. You will have your heart warmed and enough romance to last until Ms Bell treats us to another fine romantic novel

A Scandal By Any Other Name (A Tale of Two Sisters, #2)
by Kimberly Bell
Anna Swedenmom's review Jan 08, 2018 · edit
really liked it

A wonderful story. From page one on the only problem I had was somewhat with the pacing. I loved her characters. I enjoyed the fact the heroine was handicapped. I liked the way the author handled the handicap as well as the way she wrote the heroine and hero in personality and emotions. Each time I have read this author it just seems to get better. I was engrossed in the story and only had a small difficulty with the pacing which is why I took four instead of the five stars. I found all in all this deserves the title of a good read! I was given this story in return for an honest review via netgalley. Anna Swedenmom

Enjoyed this story. Believable characters and love story that was just romantic!

Good book. I enjoyed it Fun and steamy. Lovable characters. Great story.

This story unfolds slowly at first, as the H is overwhelmed with grief at the loss of his grandfather and his own inheritance of his title and dukedom.. He escapes to the country. We then meet our h, who is in the country, escaping her own situation, which seems like a scandal, but really isn’t, and eventually is revealed to be health issues which result in her having been shunned and kept safe at home by her family. Her family is very caring, and she was well loved, just kept safe. She longs for just a touch of passion and seizes the opportunity our H presents when he appears unannounced at the home of her sister and BIL, where she is staying. Initially I had some misgivings, I’ve read several books which were aimed at making disabilities too trite in stories. This book was not just a story built around that theme. It was a delightful romance where the h has learned to live with her health issues, and eventually to share herself fully with a wonderful man, who sees her as the wonderful person she is. Very interesting and entertaining book!