Mercy is reluctant to remarry in this intense and mature historical romance. She eventually comes to understand that Jack is indeed worth the risk.

I really enjoyed this sweet love story! I found the set-up quite compelling: Mercy is a widow who was unable to have a child with her first titled husband, who blamed her for their lack of offspring. When her first husband dies, she resolves to finally take charge of her own destiny. In short order, she meets Jack and they begin a relationship that blends friendship and courtship. I appreciated how Kaye traces the entire arc of their courtship and the pacing felt very realistic to a couple falling in love—they take time to get to know one another and work through their anxieties over starting a new relationship. I particularly liked the scene where Jack and Mercy show her former husband’s family that they can’t control her anymore. Overall, I recommend this book to readers who love historicals, particularly those who like widow heroines and heroes with working-class origins!

Marguerite Kaye’s Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening is a beguiling Victorian tale about second chances, healing from the past and learning to love again.

Lady Mercy Armstrong is finally free. After the death of her autocratic husband, Mercy’s reputation in society had been torn to shreds, but now that she has her freedom and her independence, she is free to reinvent herself unencumbered by her bullying spouse who delighted in chipping away at her self-esteem. Mercy plans to be in charge of her own fate and is adamant that no man will ever force her to do his bidding. Romance is the very last thing on her mind – until a chance encounter with Glaswegian engineer Jack Dalmuir, who slowly – and seductively – begins to dismantle the walls she had built around herself.

Jack comes from a completely different world to Mercy. Having been raised in poverty, Jack had pulled himself up from his bootstraps and made sacrifice after sacrifice to become a wealthy, successful and renowned engineer. Jack has worked too hard to let anyone or anything jeopardize his business, but ever since meeting the beautiful Lady Armstrong, he keeps finding himself distracted.

United by a powerful attraction that simply cannot be denied, Jack and Mercy quickly find themselves giving into the desire that has flared between them. Both agree that their relationship will be purely physical and neither one of them is looking for anything permanent, until their feelings give way to something far deeper than either one of them ever imagined.

Mercy and Jack have fallen head over heels in love, but will they find the courage to admit the depth of their feelings for one another? Or will their fears and doubts end up tearing them apart forever?

Marguerite Kaye writes evocative, emotional and enthralling historical romances and Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening is a spellbinding Victorian tale rich in intrigue, passion and intensity. A beautifully written and wonderfully vivid historical full of exquisite period detail that sweeps readers back in time, Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening is the story of two protagonists from across the social divide who find themselves falling madly in love with one another despite of the obstacles standing in their way.

Mercy is a wonderful heroine who has had many disappointments in her past, but has emerged as a strong, independent and determined woman. I loved Jack because he was a self-made man sure of who he was and of his place in the world who still managed to be sensitive, generous and complex.

Marguerite Kaye is a very gifted writer of historical romance who with Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening has once again penned a wonderful story that’s heading straight for my keeper shelf!

After the death of her tyrannical husband, noblewoman Mercy has no desire to marry again. Businessman Jack helps her understand that she's not to blame for her husband's treatment. They begin a torrid affair, but she can't see a future together. Can Jack convince her to trust again?

This is a sensual and deeply emotional story. Jack helps Mercy experience fun and freedom after years of a cold and loveless marriage. It's a pleasure to see their friendship gradually lead to an affair between two mature adults who know what they want.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

For this second book in her Victorian Era Revelations of the Carstairs Sisters series, Marguerite Kaye returns briefly to her Armstrong family, albeit a generation on, and shows the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the person of the deceased but obnoxious-from-beyond-the-grave Lord Harry Armstrong.  Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening opens on the day of the reading of the late Lord Armstrong’s will at which his two brothers (twins) and his wife, Mercy (née Carstairs), are to be present.  It’s very clear that the Armstrongs’ seventeen year marriage was anything but happy, and that the deceased was cold, domineering and unkind, traits that became more pronounced as the years went by and Mercy failed give him the all-important son and heir. (Because of course it was her fault.)

Not content with being a domestic tyrant in life, however, Lord Armstrong has one last dig at his wife in the most appalling way, attaching a codicil to his will and insisting it be read aloud.  In it, he accuses her of having an “obstinate and determined failure to provide [him] with an heir” and denounces her as “a disgrace to the gentle sex… and not fit to be a wife.  Lady Mercy Armstrong is frigid.  Engage with her at your peril.”  Mercy knows very well that the new Lord Armstrong and his brother will waste no time in making sure their late brother’s words are reported in the press and about society, whose members will no doubt relish the opportunity to gossip and gloat to their heart’s content.

One year later, and Mercy is finally out of morning for the husband who oppressed and belittled her.  She’s spent the last year living quietly in the country with her brother Clement, a scholar, but has decided it’s time to get on with her life.  She’s realised the one of the reasons for her late husband’s spitefulness was because he wanted to make sure she spent the rest of her life alone as a form of revenge – but she’s determined to make the most of her new-found freedom and independence and most of all, have some fun.

A chance meeting with Jack Dalmuir, a successful Glaswegian engineer, seems as though it will offer Mercy just the opportunity she wants.  On the very day her morning ends, Mercy finds herself – somewhat tipsily and very uncharacteristically – sharing some of the details of her life and her husband’s cruelty, finding in Mr. Dalmuir a concerned and sympathetic listener who encourages her in her desire to make a fresh start.

“Enjoy yourself, kick over the traces a bit.  Do some of the things that you’ve always wanted to.”

More than that, he offers to help if he can, proposing to serve as her escort should she need one, and the pair make arrangements to meet again when they are both in London.

Marguerite Kaye is one of the few writers of historical romance around who regularly writes stories featuring non-titled heroes, instead opting to write about military men or men of business and enterprise, of which Jack Dalmuir is one.  He’s a self-made man who runs his own engineering firm, and he and Mercy meet when Jack is travelling to London in order to oversee the installation of the steam engines built by his company into two new water pumping stations.  He’s attractive, intelligent and has a clear life plan mapped out; he’s dedicated to his business and intends to remain so for some years yet before turning his attention to taking a wife – a strong, practical woman from a similar background to his own - and perhaps starting a family.

Jack and Mercy are both single and neither is in the least interested in marriage, so there can be no harm in their going on outings and spending time together.  They enjoy each other’s company and for Mercy, being with a man who does not seek to judge or oppress her is a revelation.  Yet there’s an undeniable attraction between them that’s impossible to deny, and as their association continues, both realise that they’re getting in deeper than they had ever intended.

As is always the case with a Marguerite Kaye book, her meticulous historical research shows itself in the way she so skilfully weaves interesting background detail throughout her stories. Here, we’re treated to descriptions of the London docks, a visit to a Holborn pie stall and to the Scottish countryside around Glasgow, and to discussion of how Jack’s innovations will help to transform lives.  The romance is beautifully written and the chemistry between Jack and Mercy is terrific, the focus firmly on their growing feelings for each other at the same time as Mercy, with Jack’s unwavering support and encouragement,  is growing into the confident, strong woman she was always meant to be.

I’m going to put this next part under a spoiler tag, as it’s a subject that’s come up around here a few times and something readers may appreciate knowing about in advance.

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In the last part of the book, Mercy, who has believed herself barren, discovers she’s pregnant.  It’s not a plot device I particularly like and I confess that when I realised this was the direction the book was taking, my heart sank.  BUT.  Consider sticking with it, because Ms. Kaye actually makes it work better than most.  She makes it clear just how ignorant Mercy was and how she’d been more or less browbeaten into believing her childlessness couldn’t possibly be her husband’s fault.  She doesn’t use the pregnancy as a convenient way to provide the book’s HEA, instead showing the protagonists working through their issues about marriage.  Mercy’s determination never to marry again is well cemented into the story and completely understandable, and the way she’s torn between wanting to preserve her independence and do the best for her child is well articulated.  She could leave town and have her baby somewhere nobody knows her, but she’s fully cognisant of the stigma that would be borne by her child should its illegitimacy be discovered, and also of how unfair it would be to Jack to deprive him of the opportunity to be part of his son or daughter’s life.  There’s also never any question of Mercy not telling Jack she’s pregnant; there are frayed tempers and a few harsh words between them at one point, but otherwise, they talk and act like the adults they are to work things out – and in doing so, to realise how much they really mean to each other.

[/spoiler]

I had a few niggles with the story, mostly relating to the way Mercy so easily talks to a perfect stranger about her marriage, but overall,  Lady Armstrong’s Scandalous Awakening is an intelligently written, emotionally satisfying and sensual romance featuring two engaging protagonists who, while from opposite ends of the social spectrum, are perfect for one another.  I enjoyed it, and am happy to recommend it to anyone looking to read a well-researched historical romance that feels properly grounded in the period in which it is set.

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Right off the bat, I am going to admit that I am likely going to be in the minority here. But that is half the fun when it comes to reviewing books, everyone has their own tastes.

I wanted to enjoy this story, and for a while I did. Mercy and Jack had a very interesting dynamic together. I loved how he backed up her even knowing it would potentially be detrimental to his business prospects to do so. I loved how she was able to not only cast off the expectations of society, but also find a way to flourish under their cold shoulders and vicious lies.

However, the constant back and forth of them both wanting more, yet arguing with themselves (and each other) that it couldn't happen quickly became tiresome. Believe me, as a widow myself, I completely understand Mercy's reluctance to get re-married. To give up her financial and personal freedom again even for the promise of a lifetime with someone she truly cared about. I also understood Jack's desire to throw himself entirely into his business until it was well established before he sought out a wife. I didn't need to have their reasons repeatedly brought up every time it became obvious they had feelings for each other. Nor did I need to read about Mercy "hurt" Jack when she "flinched" at the mention of marriage. These were the moments where I wished I could just smack the pair of them.

Another thing that bothered me was the ending. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed getting that little glimpse into their future together however, after the horrible things that were spread around about Mercy from her deceased husband's family, I would have liked to have seen them get their comeuppance when the truth of the matter was finally revealed.

As I said, I have a feeling that I will be in the minority here, and despite the issues I had with this one, I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Another beautiful, complicated, mature love story from Ms. Kaye. I so appreciate that her characters are not cookie cutter - they have real world problems and honest emotions, they struggle and make mistakes. And all of that makes the inevitable HEA all the more satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.