Scandalous by Minerva Spencer sends sparks into flames! I enjoyed reading this romance novel so much I had to tell my inner circle about this book! I look for great characters, enticing scenes and heartfelt romance that plays into a well thought-out plot and this book nailed it! I look forward to reading more from this author and I would recommend all readers of romance to read this book!

Interesting historical romance book involving slavery, romance and some darker moments.
It was different for me, but I really enjoyed this different read.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in this series by Spencer, however it is not necessary to have read the other books to understand and enjoy this one. I loved the first two book in the series and this was no different. Martin was irritating and his treatment of Sarah was just wrong frequently but his tragic past accounted for a lot of it. However, there were definitely times where the reader has to wonder why Sarah actually likes him especially when she doesn't know a lot of what the reader knows. The plot and the characters are highly engaging and seeing the couples from the first 2 books was great. Overall this is a captivating read and I look forward to Gabriel's story in the next book.

Minerva Spencer's this was my first reading and will not be my last. Martin, a freed slave, was a very compelling character, with a lot of the emotional scars. His book-wide growth was mesmerising to read. Sometimes you want to headbutt him and sometimes you just want to give him a hug and tell him that this is all going to be alright. Mary, the Missionary with an iron backbone and that's how I like my protagonists! This experience gave me everything I hope for in a novel, a strong narrative, memorable characters, and beautiful romance. What else could you hope for? I know the book is the third in the series but I didn't have any trouble enjoying it as a separate novel. Do I recommend? yeah!! I will surely touch on Ms Spencer's backlist and look forward to seeing her next book!

This is the third book in a series, but each book can be enjoyed as stand-alones.

Martín Étienne Bouchard is a short-tempered former slave who reinvented himself as a corsair. Sarah Fisher is the strong-willed daughter of a missionary who has been kidnapped to be sold in the slave market. When these two collide, sparks fly (not just romantic ones - Martin seems to have a short fuse, and even Sarah's kindness provokes a reaction in him). While his personality has been shaped mostly by his negative experiences, Martin definitely came across a little too brashly and reactive; that was my biggest complaint about this story - I felt like he could have been a little less volatile at times, though that probably would have significantly shortened the book :) I have read all of the books in this series to date and enjoyed them, though I would rank this one as my least favorite, though still a great read and worthwhile.

Scandalous by Minerva Spencer is a very dark, sexy book. This book has dark subject matter such as slavery and sex workers. Minerva writes an amazing story despite the dark subject matter. If you like historical and hot steamy bedroom scenes this book is for you.

I just reviewed Scandalous by Minerva Spencer. #Scandalous #NetGalley

Can't put this down, literally. The story swept me from Africa to England, in a ship full of intrigue. Jealousy, passion, new found love .......... you name it. Ms. Spencer surely knows how to tell a wonderful story.

Orphaned Sarah was captured with the slaves on a slave-trader ship, that was seized by a privateer, Captain Bouchard. Using her wits and willpower, Sarah has to face this abnormal captain. Their banters were fresh and amusing.

I enjoyed this book, even though it does have some dark subject matter. I would be interested in reading the first two books in the series too.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Scandalous (The Outcasts Book 3) by Minerva Spencer
A beautifully written and extraordinarily moving story. It’s everything I look for in a historical romance and more!
The character driven storyline weaves the tragic life of the hero born into slavery and sold into unspeakable depravity, until he was saved. He then devotes his life to finding and bringing slave traders and human cargo smugglers to justice which is where he meets the very sassy pistol borrowing and wielding Sarah. Sarah moved to Africa with her missionary parents who had recently died due to an illness that swept through the village. Slave traders came and captured everyone in the village to be sold including Sarah who was not of similar ethnicity as the villagers she lived with. The slave trade was not swayed by ethnicity, color, gender, nor age. This story is gripping, engaging, charming, and heartbreaking with an entangled and spicy romance. The creatively twisted plot and the great cast of witty characters will enrage you and touch your heart and warm your soul.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I was not disappointed! I’ve found another gifted A list author.
I recommend this book to everyone who loves a rich, gut wrenching, and emotional historical that takes you back to the time of slavery while you watch the characters relive their traumatic experiences, and witness their transformation to a happily ever after you won’t soon forget!
Happy Reading♥️
Content Note: Adult Content
Genre: Historical
Content: Steamy romance with explicit open bedroom door scenes.
Dark subject matter of slavery, prostitution, etc.

Sarah has lived her whole life in Africa. Her parents are missionaries and she has lived her life helping others. When she is picked up by a slaver and dumped in the hull with the rest of the members of her village, she knows that she will do anything to save the people she loves. Evan if that means giving herself to the captain of the ship that shaves them from the slaver...

Martin has brought himself up from a slave to a captain of his own ship. There is nothing he hates more than a slaving ship. He is surprised to find a well bred white woman that was taken with the other captives. When she offers herself to him, he accepts. While there seems to be an attraction between the two, he is trying to outrun his past. Can she still love him when she knows the whole truth of what he is running from?

I absolutely loved Sarah and Martin's story!! We've met him in the earlier books and he a a cocky, young man. Not much has changed, but we learn why he acts the way he does. I loved watching them slowly fall in love and how Martin slowly learns that he deserves the love that Sarah is offering him!

This is the third in Minerva Spencer’s Outcasts series and third I have read by her. She is a without a doubt a good writer. Her writing flows and is engaging and I applaud her efforts in attempting to create unique stories and characters in a flooded market. They do stand out in comparison to many other books in the genre. That being said, I didn’t enjoy this one much. It started out well enough, but the romance was a big let-down, especially when the two leads were interestingly intricate characters.

Captain Bouchard is on a quest to catch slavers. Sarah has been a missionary in an African village all of her life and gets caught with her village folks by slavers. Bouchard captures their slaver ship and there is immediate tension between the two. It felt like a recipe for a great story. The problem was the back and forth, will they/won’t they, romance. I just didn’t have the patience for it. Besides Bouchard devilish good looks, there seemed very little reason for Sarah to like, let alone love, him. He was rude more often than not, and frequently crude and degrading, and very rarely kind or even temptingly flirty. Maybe this was reasonable behavior for his character, but it did not make sense on what drew Sarah in. I needed more to believe the connection between these two.

All-in-all this was my least favorite of the series. If you have enjoyed this series, both couples previously featured are fairly major players here, and it was nice to see them. It was an easy read. I just wish the romance had been more satisfying.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in Spencer's Outcast series, but can be read as a stand-alone. In this installment readers meet Sarah Fisher, daughter of missionaries in Africa and current prisoner, and Martin Bouchard, former slave turned privateer and captain of The Golden Scythe. In an attempt to save herself, Sarah offers her body to Bouchard in exchange for freedom. Romance ensues...

Here is what I liked: the heroine's independence and determination. I didn't find her solutions to her to be the most original, but her grit kept me interested.
Here's what I didn't like: Martin Bouchard's hardness and immaturity at the beginning of the story. He did grow on me, and once I understood his backstory, he was more appealing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this title.

Scandalous is a fantastic continuation and third The Outcast series. I was already taken with Martin from the previous books, Dangerous and Barbarous. Just the title indicates this is not going to be a typical, historical romance. Ms. Spencer keeps the lives of the characters from the previous books involved in this current one. You know from the title this is not going to be light-hearted. The premise is more about slavery but does not ‘preach’ at you about this awful situation.

Sarah, along with members of her community, were taken from their homes to be sold into slavery. She was dumped in the hold of the ship, and basically, forgotten until needed to help the captain just before being attacked by Martin’s ship. She was born and raised among the Ouidah people by missionary parents. Theirs was a true calling of which Sarah believed and lived a life of Christianity. She was willing to give whatever it took to save a person. She may have been misguided when she offered herself to save a mutineer, but she truly believed in doing whatever was necessary to save someone.

Most of the book I did not like Martin Bouchard. His defense mechanisms seem to be a form of self-destruction and cruelty to others, particularly of whom he cared. Martin did not seem to feel worthy of love and friendship. He constantly hurt Sarah no matter what she did to help him. He went out of his way to make sure she did not become attached to him.

I loved Sarah’s heart, her ability to forgive and to give of herself. Some may think she did too much to win Martin, but had she not, they would not have reached their HEA. Martin’s self-loathing caused by his horrible upbringing needed a woman like Sarah to help him see that he was redeemable. So, although I did not care for his life-style, it was what he knew and where he felt he belonged. Sarah knew differently.

Scandalous can be read as a stand-alone, but I liked being able to read in sequence.

Scandalous by Minerva Spencer is the much anticipated and awaited third installment in The Outcasts series. The hero, Martín Etienne Bouchard is a character that has intrigued readers of the series for a long while. Martín is exotic in a way that is hard to put into words (Spencer has no such difficulties), but there is an impact his character makes on you from the very first moment you lay your eyes on him.

It is during one of Martín’s missions that he comes across the strait-laced Sarah Fisher, who has been brought up in a religious household, who had basically found her calling in helping the less fortunate. Sarah has never known anyone like Martín and she does not particularly understand why it is difficult for her to keep her wits about the man.

24 years old and with relatively zero experience when it comes to pleasures of the flesh, that does not stop Sarah’s inquisitive mind from wanting to explore more when it comes to Martín and the way he makes her feel. However, that is not entirely possible given that Martín would like nothing better than keeping her as far away from him as possible.

Martín tries hard, and I mean really hard, to fight the spell that Sarah seems to have cast on him, to no avail. Giving in however does come at a price, at the cost of his past which makes a comeback, putting all that he holds in danger, and perhaps in the process make all his nightmares come true.

When I finished turning the last page of the story, I could understand some of the reviews that I had skimmed through, before this book landed in my hands via Netgalley. Martín is a character that has fascinated most readers like myself, who have gone through the last two books in the series. Yet, in his own book, Martín materializes to be half the man he has been projected to be, the man I have pictured in my mind for so long, especially when you connect the dots together.

I did enjoy the bits and pieces in the novel where Sarah was driving Martín mad with want and jealousy. There is a special kind of anticipation that runs through you when an author gets the tension factor just right and for the most part, Scandalous delivered that in spades. I also understood why Martín felt that the likes of Sarah weren’t for the likes of him, a man who has a sullied past, a past that shames him, even though it has in a large way shaped him to be the man he is.

My disappointment in the story stemmed from the fact that Martín and Sarah spends so much more time apart than they did together throughout the story. The second book in the series, Barbarous was so wonderful in this regard, and perhaps my favorite installment in the series altogether. Now that, proved to be a breathtaking read, and to catch glimpses of the couple in this story was just as good.

But the moment that a couple from a previous book does more to a reader than the actual protagonists of the story is where things start to head south in my opinion. For a man like Martín, who is a hedonist in many senses, to read a book where he fell in love with a woman with whom he had very little contact in the physical sense, someone whom he tried to keep at a willful distance all throughout was a bit jarring.

That was out of character. Perhaps that was what Ms. Spencer was going for and if that is what she intended, she has achieved what she set out to do. But for me, I like a character who keeps true to his nature, someone who does not start doing the opposite of the very thing that is in his nature to do from the moment the heroine/hero enters their life.

Though Sarah was crafted in a way that should have made her a favorite, she just did not elicit the kind of love and warmth in my heart for her she deserved, because I quite could not relate to her on anything. While she seemed lovely and driven by noble causes, I just could not seem to muster up the enthusiasm that was required to fall for her. Perhaps once again this circles back to Martín, I always saw him as someone bolder than what he was in this novel and envisioned him ending up with someone who is his equal, in every sense of the way. I failed to see Sarah as that in the long term.

Even though Scandalous (which turned out to be not so much) did not live up to my expectations (perhaps this is where everything went downhill), I am still excited about Gabriel’s story. I hope Gabriel materializes to have the fire, humour, and warmth of his mother, and dominance that comes from his father’s lineage, without the cruelty in the mix.

Final Verdict: While Scandalous delivered on many fronts, what I had hoped for Martín did not materialize from within. I wanted more for him. Much more.

Favorite Quotes

“Do you even know what bargain you made?”
“I am not ignorant in such matters. I know what I have agreed to.” Her voice was low and breathy and made him throb.
He chuckled at her bravado. “Oh, I doubt that, mademoiselle.” He tongued the tender flesh between her neck and collarbone before stopping over the pulse that pounded at the base of her throat. She was so fine-grained and smooth; he had a burning need to consume her.

The rough pad of his thumb rested against the satin seam of her mouth, and her lids flickered open, her eyes wide and confused. He pressed and her lips parted. Her chest rose and fell in ragged jerks, and her eyes became almost black. Martín held his breath as he waited, wondering what she would do.
The first touch of her tongue was so light he barely felt it, but the slight graze of her teeth as she took him into the incredible softness of her mouth made him gasp. Her eyes never left his, and the sight of her fragile pink lips stretched around him made him so hard it hurt.

A hand grazed the bare skin of her thighs, and Sarah startled. The voice that had been muffled by desire rose again to the surface. He’d managed to insinuate himself beneath her skirts without her even noticing.
“Captain—”
“Martín,” he murmured, taking her lower lip in his mouth and gently sucking it before running a path of kisses across her cheek, stopping at her ear. “Say it,” he ordered softly.
The name fit him perfectly—exotic and beautiful.

He cupped her sex over the fine fabric, the touch of his hand shocking yet somehow right. Sarah dropped her forehead on his shoulder, a sob of pleasure breaking from her.
“Shh, ma belle, I will give you what you need.” He gently stroked a single finger into her.
Sarah bucked violently and bit his shoulder to keep from crying out.
“You are drenched.” His voice was hoarse, as if he were having trouble speaking.
Sarah felt the same, incapable of saying anything, incapable of thinking anything, incapable of doing anything other than shuddering each time he stroked.

“And this?” He pointed to something else on the page.
His hair was made up of hundreds of shades of gold, each strand so thick she could see the hairs individually.
He turned when she didn’t answer, and Sarah found herself staring into eyes the color of old gold. She would later tell herself that she leaned closer to get a better look at those eyes and he misunderstood the action.
His arms snaked around her, and he bent her body into an almost painful arch with the force of his embrace. He captured her mouth, parted her lips, and stroked into her in one fluid motion. She sucked his tongue deeper and he moaned before tightening his grip on her body until she gasped.

“Sarah.”
She looked up at the sound of her name.
“Take me in your hand.”
She wrapped her palm around him, and they both gasped.
“Bloody hell.” He slumped back against the wardrobe door with a thump. One of his hands closed around hers, making her fingers into a tight fist, far tighter than she would have believed pleasant. He guided her, demonstrating how to pleasure him. A low growl broke from him when he released her and she continued her stroking, her eyes riveted to the sight of so much masculine arousal in her hand.

Sarah wanted to run from the cabin at his words, but his eyes held her in place. She let her thumb drift over one nipple, and it hardened instantly. She gasped at the unexpected sensation of pleasure.
He muttered something and closed the distance between them in a blur. His hot, soft mouth covered the stiff peak, his hands replacing hers. He commenced stroking her far more skillfully than she had with her awkward fumbling, using his tongue and fingers to tease, his teeth to nip, his lips to suck, until she was floating somewhere outside her body.

“I can’t stop now, Sarah,” he gritted, his hands digging into the flesh of her hips. She pushed herself against him, thrilling at the effect she had on his body.
The raw power of his climax was unlike anything she could have imagined. He held her hips in an unbreakable grip, shouting her name before abruptly leaving her body and spending himself in hot ribbons across her belly.

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I loved this, the third novel in The Outcasts series by Minerva Spencer, who is one of my new favourite authors I think. The first book - Dangeroeus featured the tormented Marquess of Exley, Adam, suspected of murdering his two wives, and the Lady Euphemia (Mia) Marlington, kidnapped, and sold into a harem by Barbary corsairs seventeen years ago, back in England, and being married off swiftly by her father. The second book, Barbarous, is about Hugh Danvers, Baron Ramsey AKA One-Eyed Standish, swashbuckling privateer. He reappears from the dead, and is immediately a distraction to his widowed aunt, the Lady Daphne Davenport. This third book is about Martin Etienne Bouchard, Impossibly handsome, irresistible to women, amoral Martin, is a mixed race former slave, who was brutally treated, and forced to sell himself as a young man, he has escaped in difficult circumstances and has been mentored by Hugh, Baron Ramsey, when he was a privateer. We have met him in both the previous books, he was very attractive to Mia before she met Exley, and involved in the rescue of her son Jibril, and was also in book two, where he managed to rub Lady Daphne up the wrong way.

He is a privateer himself now, and is a sensualist, inordinately fond of fine clothing and sex. He is very wealthy, but is also haunted by his past life as a slave, including his lack of education, how he wears the marks of his slavery, and the way he escaped. He captures a Dutch slave ship, which has a group of Yoruba people on board, as well as straight laced Sarah Fisher, daughter of missionaries, who has lived all her life with the Yoruba. She is medically trained, and is tending to the her fellow prisoners when she is summoned to treat the captain of the ship Mies Van Graff. Captain Graff is a weak and ineffectual Captain, and his crew soon mutiny, and in the ensuing melee are captured by Martin.

Sarah is immediately fascinated by the gorgeous Martin, but horrified by the violence she sees in the capture and mutiny. She barters her body for Martin’s mercy for the mutineers, although Martin is quite happy to take what she is offering, he is not prepared for her perception of his issues. He is soon confounded by her gentleness and kindness because he has never experienced it. She is soon tutoring him to read and write, and quickly gains the loyalty of his crew, and he is on the way to becoming infatuated with her. He is increasing jealous, and can’t stop thinking of plain, badly dressed Sarah.

When they finally arrive in London, Sarah is reunited with her father’s family, and Martin past comes back to haunt him with a vengeance. How will they get their HEA?

I loved the way Minerva Spencer evolved Martin’s character, he wasn’t just an amoral playboy, he had hidden wounds and used his looks and his arrogance to hide his insecurities. I felt the way that we were shown he was utterly confounded by kindness because he wasn’t used to it, heartbreaking and bittersweet. They way that Sarah’s character was developed was also interesting. She fought to behave and feel appropriately “Christian”. She lacked confidence in herself and her attractiveness at the beginning, but this grew as the story developed. She was infatuated, then incensed and finally confounded by Martin, but once she understood how the brutality and damage he suffered as a slave had marked him, she became brave enough to fight for what she wanted, and to stand up to him.

Highly recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Posted on Goodreads

I received an ARC of Scandalous from Netgalley. Minerva Spencer has broached the topic of slavery in this book and has done a fabulous job of explaining the intricacy of emotions a branded and then freed slave feels. Martin, a privateer, frees a ship full of people bound for slavery and is then enslaved himself by Sarah, a missionary helping the slaves get their freedom. A beautiful touching love story of perseverance and fortitude, and the power of love.

Another stellar historical romance from the very talented Minerva Spencer.

I was drawn in right away by Scandalous, and I could barely put it down. I finished the whole book in about 24 hours, and though it wasn't without flaws, it's a smart, interesting historical romance that Minerva Spencer fans will adore.

I loved both the male and female MC, and thought the author did a great job portraying them as complex characters. Their individual storylines were fascinating, and I found the plot to be unique amongst all of the romance books I've ever read. I just really wanted to know these two, especially Sarah. Sarah really shown in this story, and I could have read a book just of her (sans romance). She had an interesting life, and I loved her way with people.

Oddly, my biggest issue with this book was the romance. The male MC fought against the romance, tooth and nail, and I found it to be tiresome at times. He was rude and abrupt, and though I often find that to be endearing, I wanted him to grow up and come to his senses. Admittedly, he had a terribly hard life and truckloads of baggage, but it made the romance an awkward match.

Even though the romance left me wanting, the story was so tightly written and with such skill that I could barely put my Kindle down. That means a success, in my book.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Minerva Spencer feels like reading 1990s and early 2000 romance, and I mean that as a compliment. She always writes complex, somewhat archetype-y characters against very dramatic geographic backdrops. To fully enjoy her writing, you have to really suspend your belief. In Scandalous, the tale of a slave turned privateer and a captured missionary, I whiled away a few fairly evenings. Four stars because I was able to put the book down and come back. (Five stars for when I can't stop reading!).

ARC provided by NetGalley--opinions are my own.

When I picked up Scandalous Minerva Spencer was a historical romance author that I had heard of but not read. The first two books in this series didn't really appeal, but the description of Scandalous hooked me, and I can't say that the book didn't deliver. This one was way over the top - kind of reminding me of Kerrigen Byrne - and I really couldn't put the book down until I had finished reading. There were a couple of instances where I questioned my own enjoyment: Sarah and Martin were awful to each other (Martin especially), but the drama and the over-top-aspect of their courtship just worked. If you like exaggerated and unlikely romances (again, thinking of Kerrigen Byrne here), you will absolutely love this one.

Reading Scandalous did make me go back and read Spencer's Barbarous, but wasn't nearly as good as this one.

It's my first book in the series and not sure if i want to read the other two books or not but i did enjoy the writing and i will read other books by the author.
The main topic of the book is slave trade which, i honestly loved to read about and especially in a historical romance is very important for the time settings and events.
The romance topic though wasn't enough for me, i needed more interaction, more moments between them to really feel the growth of the relationship and love.


Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for my review copy.