Four Weeks of Scandal was... fine. Though it had interesting main characters and an interesting plot, it was so low-angst as to be a bit boring. It dragged in places sometimes and it didn't really have anything special to it. It isn't a bad novel by any means, but I wished for more. a strong positive aspect of it is how much the main characters enjoyed and appreciated each other
3.5 stars.

Octavia and Gabriel are thrown together in a house in the country. They are both convinced that they own the house, and they are both stubborn and not about to back down. When they both refuse to leave, they strike a bargain to stay in the house together and search for proof of ownership. The enforced proximity has the romance reader's expected result.

I though Octavia was annoying for most of the story. I didn't ever really warm up to her. The secondary characters who formed a kind of family were much more likable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Megan Frampton has my number as a romance reader! She writes sparkling prose with rich details, characters with great conflict, and this book is especially sexy, too. I loved the incorporation of mythology and I loved the ending. A sheer delight.

I must admit, that though the characters, and I mean all the characters, not just the main ones, were an interesting bunch, Gabriel was hot. He was sweet and patient and so kind and adored Octavia, who was quite a pain in the butt.

There was lots of angst, witty banter and steamy times but there were times I did feel that the book lagged and did not need to be dragged out quite so much.

All in all an interesting thread for the story to run with. A woman who owes money to a scrupulous money lender while running a gambling establishment and going off in pursuit of what she hopes is something left to her from her deceased father. Only to find love along the way

I really liked this low-angst finale to Frampton's Hazards of Dukes series. Smaller scope, too, what with it taking place mostly at a single house and the surrounding village, and Gabriel and Octavia made for a charming couple in their own right! (I appreciate it when the heroine is the type who will bulldoze her way into a physical closeness because the hero is too intent on being a Gentleman to initiate things himself.) The only, ONLY thing I was hoping for was some good action in that pond, and was a little disappointed we didn't get a love scene, but the rest of the book was so lovely and diverting that it proved more wishful thinking than anything that really detracted from the plot.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What must you do when determined to pay off debt from a loan shark that will kill you if you don't? You go to sell your recently deceased father's home. However, there's a catch. There's a man claiming your father lost the home in a bet, so it's his!

Solution?! You pretend to be engaged and share the home of course. Octavia actually irked my nerves but Gabriel was sweet. There's a little steam and all the secondary towns people make it funny. This book is apart of a series but I feel it can definitely stand alone. It's a fun little read.

The perfect summer read for any historical romance lover, Four Weeks of Scandal does not disappoint. This was my first Frampton and while it took me a while to really buy the conceit, the chemistry between Octavia and Gabriel was through the roof. I have not read the other books in this series but have added them to my TBR. Perfect for Tessa Dare fans!

This is book five in the Hazards of Dukes series by Frampton but I haven't read the other books and was able to follow along pretty well so would say this can be read as a standalone.

I enjoyed this book. When Olivia shows up at her old village to claim her inheritance, Gabriel is there to prove the he is the rightful owner of the property. The characters were interesting and I loved how their relationship developed over the time they were together searching and trying to prove the other one wrong. Of course, they can't stay all alone in a house in the country so they agree (kind of) to be engaged while they search for the proof they need.

If you're looking for a quick and engaging historical romance, definitely pick this one up. I look forward to more from Megan Frampton.

To be honest, I do wish I'd read the back catalogue of this series before jumping into this one! I'm at a 3.5, but probably would have been a 4 had I read more of these. I do love a forced proximity trope, love Gabriel, but thought that Octavia left a bit to be desire.

I received an ARC from the publisher.

I really like the author’s writing style. It is easy to read and has a simple heat woven through it. It was really refreshing to read a historical romance that wasn’t afraid to be steamy and full of longing. I really liked both Octavia & Gabriel. I loved Octavia’s confidence and her ability to ask for exactly what she wants. I liked Gabriel’s willingness to just be along for the journey if it means he gets to spend more time with Octavia. Overall this book was wonderful!

Such a good book! The h/H are forced to live together to figure out who is the rightful owner of a house.
Sparks fly as they try to prove each other wrong. I have always love Megan Frampton's books and writing style, this is no exception.

This was a charming and riveting story that I found delightful. I love a good historical romance story and this one did not disappoint. Gabriel was definitely a swoon worthy hero that I came to love. Overall, I found the story entertaining, and I enjoyed reading the story. It was good from beginning to end.

I’ve enjoyed this entire series and this synopsis sounded like so much fun, but somehow I’m a little disappointed.

I liked Octavia and Gabriel. They’re both stubborn and used to being a bit on their own, so they recognize a sort of kindred spirit, especially with the shared history of their fathers. There’s a big group of secondary characters and honestly? I couldn’t keep any of them straight.

Plot wise, it was okay. I expected sparks to fly from the beginning, but the entire pacing is more of a meandering. There’s no sense of urgency, no tension or build up to anything. What would be considered the conflict was over in a couple of pages.

Overall, this was a good story and I did enjoy it; however it also took me over two weeks to read and was quite easy to set down. I think it was missing a spark that I’m used to seeing from this author.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

This is Frampton's 5th book in the Hazards of Dukes Series, and while it can be read as a standalone, this book features the sister that was portrayed in a previous one, so worth it to enjoy some of the family history that comes out.

Both members of our couple have gamblers for fathers and both have since passed. Each men had a habit of outrageous bets, even one time offering Octavia in payment as wife to Gabriel when they were children.

Now that Octavia's father has passed, she plans to sell her childhood home and pay off his debts once and for all. However, when she gets to the home, she discovers Gabriel, whose father claimed before his death that he'd one the home in a bet. With both unwilling to give up what they believe is theirs, a wild scheme is hatched.

They will live together, pretending to be engaged as both search for a will or document proving ownership.

This book was a quick read with great hijinks - how better to fool the village of their impending nuptials then to show a little (fake?) chemistry exploding between them.

Definitely a fun story, not quite as steamy as Frampton's other books, but I still couldn't put it done until the final page was complete.

My opinion is my own and freely given.

Octavia, Ivy's sister from the first book, borrowed from a moneylender threatening to harm her if she doesn't pay it back. Never making a plan or thinking ahead in her life, Octavia takes off for her childhood home, her absent father having recently died, planning to sell it and pay off her debts. She encounters Gabriel bathing in the pond behind the house. His recently deceased father left him a marker showing he had won the house from Octavia's father. They strike a four-week bargain to search the house looking for a more current marker saying the house is actually Octavia's. What follows is a ho-hum story. Does it really take a month to look around a falling down, filthy house for some papers? They concoct an engagement story somehow making it acceptable for an unmarried woman to stay in the house with him. I just couldn't find it all very interesting.

It took me a while to figure out what to write about Megan Frampton's newest release "Four Weeks of Scandal," then I realized I love the story! The low-angst allowed the two opposites to focus on accomplishing their personal goal while being able to get to know each other in four weeks.

If you enjoy: small town, boss lady, muscular scholar, cinnamon roll hero, dogs, one house, fake fiance/fiancee, found family, Hades and Persephone retelling, wagers, personal growth, and friends with benefits to name a few, then you'll love Octavia and Gabriel's story too!

Octavia arrives in town determined to take possession of a house her father owned at one time. She plans to fix it up and sell it to pay debts. The only problem is the house is occupied by Gabriel and he believes his father won it in a poker game. The two agree to spend four weeks as a pretend engaged couple until they can determine who should own the house. Will the couple get closer than intended and end up causing a scandal? A fun read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving review.

After receiving word of her estranged father’s death, Octavia Holton takes off for the village of Greensett and her childhood home with the intention of claiming an inheritance. She cannot fathom that her father would’ve done anything but leave the property to her and her sister. Octavia needs to fix up the place and sell it as quickly as possible so she can repay the ruthless moneylender she borrowed from. She doesn’t count on the fact that the exceedingly handsome Gabriel Fallon also has a claim on the house.

Gabriel’s father won the house in a bet, but seeing how unprepared Octavia is for a trip, Gabriel can’t bring himself to turn her out. He makes a deal with her instead; they each have four weeks to live in the house and hunt for any documentation of the house’s ownership. The only catch is, given the impropriety of the two of them sharing a roof, they must pretend to be engaged. These circumstances mean Gabriel and Octavia wind up spending quite a bit of time together, but the animosity between them quickly leads to sparks of a different nature and soon four weeks together doesn’t seem like nearly long enough.

There’s a lot to like in this story. The small country village setting was utterly charming, and I liked the found family aspect immensely. Sure, there was plenty of meddling from these characters, but they also wound up being more supportive and ultimately helpful than Octavia’s actual sister did. I really liked the fact that none of our main characters are part of the aristocracy. They’re just regular, middle-class sorts of people trying to get by and that’s definitely relatable. I also really liked Gabriel as a hero. He was just such a good guy, and he definitely had an immense well of patience, but without being a total cinnamon roll; he still had enough alpha in him to deal with Octavia, which he certainly needed.

Now, on to the things that just didn’t do it for me, the main one being Octavia. Gabriel is nothing but honest with her from the start and she is full of nothing but disdain for him even though he’s done absolutely nothing to her to warrant this behavior. She definitely had some nerve demanding that Gabriel help her search for proof that he doesn’t own the disputed house. Octavia was incredibly immature and eager to play games and I just struggled to see what Gabriel saw in her.

I loved this concept with the forced proximity and slight enemies to lovers’ aspect, but I was not a fan of Octavia’s personality or her attitude. She was also pretty oblivious to her own behavior and how she affected others at first, often wondering why Gabriel has a warm look for everyone but her, unable to understand that she’s always snapping and sniping at him and not giving him any reason to look warmly upon her. She tosses her head so much I began to wonder if she was a horse, and I could’ve made a drinking game out of the number of times she lifts her chin. She knows she’s impulsive and doesn’t consider the consequences of her actions, but it is quite a long time before we see her attempt to curb that recklessness in any way. She insists on doing things her own way when she’s clearly over her head and therefore just digs a bigger hole for herself. She does nothing but take from Gabriel, planning this elaborate event and hiring people and arranging food and never seems to wonder about how to pay for it so I’m just left to wonder if poor Gabriel had to cover that too. She always believes herself to be correct and even when she realizes she’s made a mistake, she’s too stubborn to ever admit to it. There were definite sparks of chemistry between these two, but the steamy scenes between them always seemed to love something on the table or feel a bit half-baked. I think them falling in love would've been more believable to me if there had been some deep emotional connection in their steamy scenes, but I didn't really get that and so I was still left wondering how Gabriel had fallen in love with her and unable to really make sense of it.

Octavia is inherently selfish but does have a good heart in there somewhere, even if it does take quite a bit for her to realize she should change and begin to work towards that goal. Gabriel is to be admired for wanting to look beneath Octavia’s layers and consider how her upbringing shaped the person she is. It’s just a real pity that she doesn’t bother to do that with him even though he had similar childhood trauma with a gambler for a father. Gabriel spends most of his time cleaning and improving the house for the good of himself and those around him while Octavia spends hers searching for a will or something to prove the house is hers and benefit basically just her. I think her frequent inner monologues about the consequences of her failing to repay the moneylender were meant to remind us of her reasons for being so single-minded in this search, but they just got a bit repetitive and didn’t make her any more likable. I did like the fact that Gabriel made Octavia want to be better because at least she was beginning to recognize her worst traits and want to do something about them. This was also refreshing because it’s usually the hero who feels the need to improve to be with the heroine, so I enjoyed that role reversal. I do think Gabriel let Octavia walk over him a bit too much, but I loved his protectiveness and acceptance. I still don’t get how he fell in love with her when she was so condescending towards him. All in all, there was quite a lot to like here, but the heroine definitely pulled it down for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Four Weeks of Scandal by Megan Frampton is book 5 in the 'A Hazards of Dukes' Series. This is the story of Gabriel Fallon and Octavia Holton. Octavia along with her sister own a gambling hall that unknown to her sister she borrowed money and now needs to pay it back. Finding out that her father died she runs to claim the house that she could sell to get the needed money but finds Gabriel already there. Gabriel and her father both had a history with the house. This starts their story.

I really enjoyed watching Octavia and Gabriel spend their 4 weeks together. It was so much fun watching their attraction grow while working together to set the disputed home to rights.