Unmasked by Her Lover
by Mary Lancaster

A well written book to finish off an enjoyable Series though all can be read as stand alone.

This is the story of lady Meg the last of the four ladies in waiting a mysterious saboteur tries to ruin. Lady Meg escapes with her childhood friend Lord Harry de Vere to the marital home of her twin sister to draw out the saboteur at their masked ball.

There is a lot going on in this tale but it is worth all the twist that brings this story to a close very enjoyable and suitable end.

Was just really dissapointed. It was interesting at first, but fell after 10% and i did not care for any of the characters.

Engrossing Regency story with all the romance, angst and intrigue you could hope for. Meg and Harry have chemistry from the start. All the books in this series have been very enjoyable reads. I highly recommend the Season of Scandal series.
Thank you Mary Lancaster, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I started this series from the fourth book so I'm a little hazy about the villains of the plot and what happened with the princess and her scandal but it doesn't matter one whit, I adored this anyway. All of it, really. The main couple are childhood friends wondering how to make the transition into something else. The hero, Harry is funny and swoonworthy, and the heroine Meg is clever and quick thinking. Between them, there is witty banter as well as sweet, tempting moments of longing and love. The plot involves highwaymen, potential spies, identical twins switching identities, secret nighttime escapades and a dastardly plot to ruin young women's reputations with gossip, and more.

There's nothing I don't love about this.

I do think it might have been a good idea to start the series from the beginning so I would have known what happened to the other scandalous ladies and their respective gentlemen. I plan to do that later though. This was my first book by this author but it will not be the last.

Historical romance with lots of drama and excitement.. Good characters,good dialogue and interactions with an unusual plot.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the conclusion in the Season of Scandal series. In this series four girls were tricked into being compromised by the evil Baron. This is the last girls story. I have to say I wasn’t in love with this one as much. Meg just was a little boring and I wasn’t in love with it. The story was okay but I wasn’t in love with it.

Heat Factor: It’s like, “electric blanket on a cold day” warm.
Character Chemistry: We have here some childhood friends turned lovers, so it’s comfortable and sweet.
Plot: Last book in a great series--childhood friends reconnect to try to save Meg’s reputation after a scandal. But Harry is all grown up…
Overall: I stalked every book in this series and loved it!!

Lady Meg is the last Lady-in-Waiting in this series to face the orchestrated scandal and the fall out. The whole series is utterly charming and a little suspenseful, and I absolutely loved it.

For Lady Meg, the fall out is relatively mild--her family is a little concerned, but they’re obviously loving and supportive. However; their solution is for her to marry her childhood friend, Captain Lord Harry, whose proposal she had rejected years before, and she’s not really keen to revisit that kind of arrangement. Now home from his service, he’s both a little injured and a little more worldly, and it’s doing things to Meg she isn’t sure she likes.

As a compromise, Lady Meg convinces Lord Harry to accompany her to her twin sister’s manor in the countryside, where she’s positive she’ll be able to claim she was the whole time, thus avoiding the scandal altogether. (The old, “what, me? I wasn’t even there!” maneuver.) But when she gets there, her sister is gone and her brother-in-law is stressing over a house party that’s supposed to start imminently, and so Meg decides to pretend to be BOTH herself AND her sister to save them both from a scandalous mess. How absolutely titillating, am I right?

This is the series finale for all of the players in the Season of Scandal, so the stakes were high for this book--we had to see how the nefarious plotting comes to an end and figure out why on earth this happened in the first place, so I felt this book definitely centered a bit more on suspense and slightly less on the romance, but not in any way that detracts from the love story. Harry and Meg still manage to set the belly butterflies flying, which is true for every book in this series--it’s certainly not a steamy set (there’s hanky panky but not like, intimate details that will make you blush and fan yourself if you read them in public), but it is definitely thrilling to watch these couples fall in love, and I fell HARD for every single hero in this series.

Having read almost every Mary Lancaster there is, I would say that this series is right up there with her others--in my opinion she shines brightest in her more intricate, short-ish series, so I was so excited to see this one released and have followed it closely.

I still feel like the first book was the one that continues to get me right in the feels (I’m 100% Team Joe) but you won’t regret going the distance with this charming series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I received this copy from NetGalley.
I read the story and to be honest I did not find it memorable at all. I love all romances that have mystery and adventure but this one did not make any impression on me. I had read the other books in the series and I just could not connect with the characters. I’m glad the author made an final epilogue for everyone but that’s about all I liked.

This is the conclusion of the Season of Scandal and what an end it is. Lady Meg’s parents decided that the best solution to the scandal is to marry her to her old childhood friend, Harry. But Meg has other plans, and they are unbelievable. She has Harry take her to her twin sister’s estate and make people believe that she has been there all the time. Only one, problem her twin is missing, and she must fill in as her for a house party that is to be held at the estate. What an escapade this turns out to be. I have read all of Mary’s book and I know that this one really held my attention. You will enjoy the whole book and not want to put it down.

Excellent finish to this series! Meg is one tough cookie! Harry is everything you could want in a man. No spoiler here, but love the way Mary wound up the evil Lord Barton's tale.

Secrets, Scandal, and Switched Identities

To avoid scandal, Meg’s parents want her to marry her childhood friend. However, she has another idea. She convinces Harry to help her to flee to her twin sister’s home. When she gets there, she finds chaos. Her sister is nowhere to be found, and Meg finds herself playing two roles.

Harry is in love with Meg. Could he convince her that they should be more than friends? She refuses to marry him to avoid scandal, but she knows her feelings go beyond friendship. The two find themselves embroiled in mischief.

Why would a man ruin four innocent women, and would he finally get his just desserts? There are secrets to reveal, spies to chase, and scandals to avert. Then, there is a missing sister to be found. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to those who enjoy Regency romance with mystery and intrigue.

Mary Lancaster saved the best for last! What a delicious conclusion to her wonderful Season of Scandal Series! All four of the innocent (ruined) ladies-in-waiting are now accounted for and have met the individual who set out to ruin them.
I loved the chemistry and all the interactions between Lady Margaret Winter and Captain Lord Henry De Vere. As a Captain, Henry had the experience to come in and take charge and make sure Meg was safe. For extra fun, Meg has an identical twin sister that compliments the story very nicely.
If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it! It is one of the best series I have read lately.

There is just something about a man named Harry... Plus in this tale he will save Meg, the last of the 4 ladies in waiting to the Princess of Wales, who got caught in a scandal, not of their making! Also the villain is still making mischief and it all comes to a conclusion.

Meg quickly made her way home, hoping her parents had not heard what happened. Of course it was already in the scandal rags and he father immediately summoned Harry, a friend she had grown up with, but not seen in five years due to him being at war.

Harry arrives and Meg diverts him to drive her to her sisters and the fun begins! I love these two and the easy way they picked up their friendship from years ago. Harry had asked her father for her hand before he went off to war and her father would not allow it.

The story pulls out all the stops and all the ladies come together and the villain is revealed. Do not miss this awesome story or any in this series! I adored them all!

I have read all four books in the series and have enjoyed them all, but this one really did make my heartstrings twang! Having been caught in the same situation that compromised the other three ladies in the Princess’ household, Lady Meg makes her escape home, hoping to speak to her parents before the scandal broke. Unfortunately, her tormentor got to them before she did. Although her father had rejected Lord Harry de Vere’s request to marry Meg whilst they were still very young, upon discovering Meg’s plight, he decides that Harry will make the perfect groom for his daughter, especially as he has returned to town a war hero. One look at Meg and Harry decides to entertain her request to take her to her twin sister if only to keep her safe. The novel is fast-paced, adventurous, and witty as Harry and Meg embark on a journey that involves intrigue, defusing awkward situations and hidden identities. Meg thought she could hide at her brother-in-law’s estate, but instead plots within plots evolve and a reunion of all the ladies-in-waiting takes place with interesting results. Once I started reading this book, I was unable to put it down and found myself laughing out loud at times. Harry is a wonderful hero, and despite his background as a soldier, he is a warm and kind-hearted man. Meg’s independence could well be her destruction, but with Harry at her back she makes things happen. I received a copy of this well-written and highly entertaining romance as a gift through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Mary Lancaster is a newish author to me but comes highly recommended by others.  I didn't read the first three books in this series and that definitely affected my understanding of the plot but not my enjoyment.

There is a lot going on in this book. The story starts with Meg, a lady-in-waiting to the Princess of Wales. She's embroiled in a scandal that ruins her reputation and her parents send for an old childhood friend to save her - presumably through marriage. What follows is a trip, a country part, Meg playing the role of herself and her identical twin, some kind of plot to free Napoleon, and a love story. There's also a very elaborate ending that I am sure if I had read the first three I would have loved more. All the characters from the other three who were with Meg join to take down the villain who is after them. 

I chose this book because I thought it was about a masquerade ball and it was but more metaphorically in that each character is forced to look at their past choices and where it has led them. Ultimately they are forced to define what will ultimately lead to their happiness. I appreciated the mature decisions Meg, Harry, and her twin had to make. This wasn't a light fluffy read. With Meg's twin, Martha, we get a glimpse of what happens five years after the happily ever after. And Meg is forced to acknowledge how her twin's choices have affected her own. 

I was definitely rooting for Harry from the beginning. He was almost a bystander in his own story which sort of endeared him more to the reader. Meg was a bit of a tornado and Harry was this steady presence, you could see why they would belong together. I definitely want to go back and read the first three. I am super curious about the other three ladies-in-waiting. 

This book is really well written and is rich with details and side plots. Any other writer couldn't have pulled this off. So well done, ML.

Lady Margaret Winter has been compromised and not by choice. As the fourth member of the Princess of Wales’ entourage who has been outed in the scandal rags, she hurries home to her parents. Her father’s solution is to marry her childhood friend, Harry de Vere. Meg is horrified to think that her friend will be forced to marry her and will eventually resent the union. What she doesn’t realize is that Harry loves her and has for years. Harry may be home from the war, but he is still on a mission. To return a ring to the wife of one of his comrades and to find a spy.
Lord Barden hasn’t been successful with his plans for the other three ladies in waiting, but he has very strong plans for Meg. As the four girls and their significant others plot and plan his demise, will they be successful or will Lady Meg become Lady Barden instead of the wife of the man she loves?

This entire series was just delightful, with the last book a fitting wrap-up to the story of four ladies-in-waiting to the queen who spent the night huddled together away from an orgy happening in the same house. The plot is somewhat complicated but by the final book, the different threads of the story wrap up beautifully. Lady Margaret Winter, a Duke's daughter, was one of the bigger names in the scandal — but even her father is worried about the ruin of her reputation. He wants to marry her off to Lord Henry de Vere, a second son who once wasn't good enough for his daughter. But Harry is her best friend of childhood and Meg doesn't want his life taken out of his hands that way, so she enlists him to take her to see her twin sister, a journey — of course — with plenty of surprises. By the end of the story, the simple story of revenge becomes rich with a missing sister (Meg's twin) and her fractured marriage, Napoleon on Elba, spies and justice for the bad guys. The friends come together one last time for a wholly satisfying conclusion. So much fun! They are best read in order, and you will be glad you did! (I received an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions mine.)

Lady Meg’s parents decide that the best solution to the scandal breaking over her head, is to marry her to her old childhood friend, Harry. Meg will not allow it. Instead, she persuades Harry to take her secretly to her twin sister Martha’s house in Kent to ride out the storm. Captain Lord Harry de Vere, a brave and dashing veteran of the Peninsular war, has never forgotten the enchanting playmate who once won his heart years ago. He is happy to enter one more adventure with her. But this is Meg, and inevitably their simple plan is quickly complicated. Her sister Martha is mysteriously missing. Her brother-in-law. Lord Calvert, talks her into masquerading as Martha. Lord Barden, the architect of the scandal that was supposed to ruin four innocent young women, is expected for Martha’s masked ball. Meg and Harry prepare to bring him down once and for all – and invite the other three ladies and their new husbands to assist.
This is the fourth & final book in the series, it could be read on its own but the whole series is engrossing & builds to this enthralling finale. Things come to a head at the Calvert’s Masquerade Ball, however there’s lots happening before the ball, spies, traitors, deception plus Harry & Meg finding that they’ve loved each other for years. Very well written with strong characters made me burn the midnight oil to finish what I think is my favourite of the series. I loved the chemistry between Harry & Meg & I thoroughly enjoyed their obstacle strewn road to their HEA. The epilogue was lovely & tied the whole series together.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Unmasked by Her Lover by Mary Lancaster is the final book in the Season of Scandal series. We are now dealing with the last of the four ruined young women. Lord Barden has one more shot, as he missed with the first three and they are all happily married. By the time Meg reaches her father's house, they have already had the scandal sheet delivered and have devised a plan to save her from ruin. They would entice Harry de Vere to marry her. Well, she had a better plan. She would go to her twin sister's where everyone would swear she had already been there for several days. She race out the front door and ran into Harry. As she quickly explained her dilemma, he agreed, but insisted upon coming with her. Of they were caught, she would still be ruined-spending all that time unchaperoned with a man. They could pull off this stunt, she was certain of it. By the time they reached her sister's home, they had not only spent the night in an inn (separate rooms), but had picked up guest travelling to her sister's. When they entered the front door, her brother-in-lay, Selwyn, greeted her with a kiss, pretending she was his wife. They could be difficult to tell apart, but surely he could. Everything was at odds and she didn't know what to do. Not only did Selwyn not know where Martha was, but neither did her maid and confidant. What a situation. And Harry was everywhere.

This is a very satisfying conclusion to the series where everyone was included in Lord Barden's comeuppance in a clever plot that they all were able to participate in. Meg wanted a marriage of love but had largely given up on that. Harry wanted Meg, but he didn't want her to be forced. Meg wanted Harry to love her. Could any of it happen? The high jinks they carried on to convince the guests that all was well were totally entertaining. The stern lecture she gave her cheating brother-in-law was priceless. There were so many high points in this story it is useless to point them all out. You will have to read it for yourself. Congratulations Mary Lancaster. You have done well!

I was invited to read a free ARC of Unmasked by Her Lover by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #unmaskedbyherlover

Lady Margaret Winter was one of the four ladies caught overnight in the princess house. They were handmaids to her. Somehow a horrid scandal broke out about the four ladies being alone at a house party with a lot of debauchery going on. But in actuality, they locked themselves in a parlor until it all got quite quiet and they slipped out and went to their safe place.
Lord Henry De Vere, a Captain, had just come back from the war. He had been injured but was on the mend. They had caught Napolean and he was now residing on Elba.
This was an exciting story with lots of twists and turns. He had to defend Meg and he loved her dearly. They really didn't want to admit to the love between them. It was also a tale of revenge, retribution, and traitors still in their midst. It was fast action and the children and animals were wonderful. It kept my attention and I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the characters.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.