A steamy and suspenseful historical romance with a twist. I couldn’t put it down! I love a good historical romance book like this! Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher, I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Eliza, who after being wed to someone twice her senior at age 17, is abruptly widowed 10 years after marriage and bequeathed a large fortune. This is a story of her journey to finding herself and the space she wants to hold in this world.

I’m going to say that I wasn’t enthralled with this book but I think it’s the writing style. I was intrigued and enjoyed the premise of the story, but I found myself skimming pages to try and get to the end. While rooting for Eliza to get the happy ending I felt she deserved, I just really struggled to connect with the writing and then the pacing seemed super sluggish to me.

As this is the second book I’ve read by Sophie Irwin, with similar feelings, I don’t think I’d read anything else by this author again. However I would recommend this series to folks who are interested in a historical/regency/time period romance, because I think the storyline/plots are there it is just wasn’t for me.

Eliza wasn’t the heroine I had expected, at least at first. She was timid and always bending to the will of her family or husband. After the will of her late husband’s was read, a twist in fate left her, for once, able to determine what she wanted to do.

The character development of Eliza was superb. I love how the author made Eliza’s progression slow as it was more realistic. By the end, Eliza had taken back control of her life, and I was rooting for her like crazy. The side characters were all lovely, and I thought the author was somewhat Jane Austen-like in her descriptions of their mannerisms. That being said, I loved it.

The romance was somewhat unexpected but the ending was perfect. The conflict kept me flipping through the pages but I was never annoyed (as I am with miscommunication tropes rip). If you enjoy historical romances but not the spice, then I’d highly recommend this book as well as the author’s other one, A Lady‘s Guide to Fortune Hunting.

Like Eliza, I went on a journey with this book, what initially seemed like a Persuasion-esque romance turned out to be something even more delightful: Move over Second Chance Love here comes Second Chance at Life. It was very refreshing to experience our heroine working past her initial tendre and growing up. Whom amongst us is the same as who were 10 years ago? I do wish Eliza's self-confidence was more gradually built throughout the novel and that there had been a more nuanced series of discussions with her parents and in particular her mother. Everything else is as you would wish to be; the romance swoon-worthy and witty Mr. Melville earns more than his fair few chuckles. The secondary characters feel as though they have their own internal life and I would honestly adore a novella starring Margaret and Caroline.
Time, like the pages, flew by. A quick and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Sophie Irwin has done it again! A pleasure to read another great story from Sophie.

Her historical English romance are just so refreshing and enjoyable.
Still in line with the culture and customs of the Victorian era, but her characters are a break from the typically mould. (British version haha)

Timid Eliza, Countess of Somerset, is in mourning after the passing of her elderly husband. She inherits many properties upon his death and becomes highly wealthy. Outrage from her in-laws and gleeful from her controlling family, Eliza is tired of always being proper and lifeless. When her cousin Margaret encourages her to be spontaneous and free, they escape to Bath, a sojourn from all the expectations and demands.

But she has to be careful for there was a clause that stated she must be proper and free from scandal during her mourning period or she will lose everything.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the growth of Eliza. How she became strong, independent, and will-minded.
She blossomed in Bath and found true love. I also like the nice touch of LGBT representation that was not to in your face but felt authentic. Wit and humor I know from Irwin shines well here!

A very good historical romance book!

She did it again. This book is so fun and sassy and everything you want in a regency romance. I loved every second of it. Sophie is slowly convincing me regency is my new favorite romance drama. I loved all of these characters and how they developed. It was funny, fun, and I’m obsessed.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin will be published on July 11, 2023.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

I read this book in two days and couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen novels, you will have no shortage of references in this book. I was smiling as I recognized them, excited to see a book remind me of Persuasion meets Pride and Prejudice but with a heroine who is newly widowed, wealthy, and wanting to figure out how to be her authentic self for the first time in her life.

Her two love interests (yes, there is a love triangle) are members of the aristocracy with wildly different standing in society. Will Eliza choose Somerset, the handsome second chance love interest or Melville, the scandalous writer? Will she find herself or succumb to society’s expectations for women?

Things I liked:
- The Austen references
- The banter between the characters
- The description of Bath
- Those regency hand holding moments
- The supporting characters. They were so fun, lively, and fit well into the overall book.

This book has a bit of spice, but it’s definitely a closed door romance. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it for a fun and heartwarming closed door regency romance. I’ll be adding more of Irwin’s books to my TBR.

Much thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A Lady Guide to Scandal" by Sophie Irwin. I wanted to root for this book because the cover, title and I'm a fan of Sophie Irwin's first book and I was excited to read this. But after the first two chapter, it was very hard for me to go through some of the chapters. The biggest surprise for me wasn't the main two characters but a character that really stolen the story to itself. But overall, it was spicy, delicious and a fun ride to read. There's some chapters I could do without but when I finished it, I realize why it was important for the story. Overall a fun, witty and just hilarious book and I really love that she added "true love" to it, because real love don't define who you are and who you chose to love.

4 stars for me!

Thank you for this delightful book!

I just reviewed A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin. #ALadysGuidetoScandal #NetGalley

I LOVED IT SO MUCH! I’m not normally one for love triangles of any sort but I feel like this one was done really well and I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I need to be up for work at 4 and I stayed up till 1:30 to finish it. And the time period it was set in didn’t make it hard for me to enjoy the book like it normally would be. It was so quick and easy to read. I’m for sure gonna go back and read the first one in this series now that i know how much I love this authors writing.

ALSO MELVILLE IS MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK BOYFRIEND

I couldn’t take it anymore after getting halfway through and getting sick of the love triangle. I hate love triangles. The story had potential aside from all of the horrible typos and editing issues, but I just couldn’t deal with the dialogue, which was often too modern, and the characters who abruptly changed with the turn of a page.

A good read -- I thought the characters were well-developed and I really enjoyed their dynamic/chemistry.

I was bummed out by this love triangle. That trope isn’t usually my favorite but I can get behind it when it’s done well. But this just wasn’t executed in a way that left me satisfied with it. It was overall a cute story, but it did get a little dull at points.

Review: A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

Countess Eliza Balfour is recently widowed and left a large inheritance by her late husband - but it comes with a catch. She mustn’t behave in any way that would be considered scandalous, and that is to be judged solely at the discretion of her late husband’s nephew and new Earl of Somerset (oh, and Eliza’s first true love). Eliza has always been known for doing what’s proper and right by her family, but this inheritance and a trip to Bath brings freedoms she’s never experienced before including flirting with a notorious rake and poet, Lord Melville.

Fans of Austen’s Persuasion will feel like they are reading an adaptation for approximately the first half of the book. The storyline follows loosely, but it’s worth it. The heat between Eliza and Somerset is so palpable that you feel the pain and yearning that each character feels. When the two meet to discuss their situation, I essentially put the book down thinking what else could there be? While the HEA happens in the second half of the book (and I’m hesitant to say more because of spoilers), the true contentment as a reader comes from seeing Eliza fulfill her dreams and grow into a woman she didn’t even know she was capable of becoming.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of a Lady's Guide to Scandal in exchange for my honest review.

Very good book! Eliza was married to an older man, but is now widowed. She is left with a small fortune but also a stipulation that she must behave. But Eliza wants to finally break free and be herself! It’s a good story about a woman finding herself and what matters to herself and putting herself first. And of course there’s two cute men involved! I thought this was a great book! A must read!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this free download in return for honest opinions. This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed both. There is definably a Bridgerton vibe to these books, which I appreciate. The characters are wise and warm and it's delightful to see them come into their own.

Let me start by saying that Sophie Irwin's first book was a solid 5-star read that I absolutely LOVED. BUT I DNFed this at 73%.

And I am so, so sad to give this a low rating. [See the bottom of the review for an explanation of what 2-stars means for me, personally.]

Persuasion is one of my favorite books so a Persuasion-esque Regency with second chance romance and slow burn vibes - I was here for. This book fell far short and then left-of-center of that.

I'm going to use the CAWPILE rating method to help talk about this book.

Characters... Eliza's been widowed after being married for 10 years to a drudge of a husband. There was no love lost and, in fact, she's been in love with the man she had wanted to marry ... who also happens to be her dead husband's nephew and heir. Awkward. Her character traits are dutiful and compliant until basically deciding not to be. BFF is her cousin who is extremely outspoken (that is her main takeaway trait). Somerset is described as tall and fair quite a bit... and he and Eliza talk about the weather and other mundane things (I guess that should have been a sign that he was not, maybe the HEA intended...). Melville is outlandish, flirty, and he and Eliza share many quips. I think the story here is meant to show much character growth for Eliza but I didn't particularly care for it. This was an issue of pacing and inauthenticity... things were happening either too fast or too slow to feel authentic to the storyline.

Atmosphere... This was alright. The main part of the story takes place in Bath, England and I thought that was a higher point of the book. Hearing about different places of interest, such as the Pump Room, was interesting and helped build a strong setting.

Writing... I like the way Irwin writes and don't have any real complaints here.

Plot... I discussed parts of the plot above and you can see the book synopsis. I am going to give some major spoilers away here so continue reading at your own risk if you don't wish to see them..... I had major issues with plot points and this could be, admittedly, a "me" thing. First, the entire first half of the book is Eliza yearning for Somerset, reflecting on how much she has loved him (based on basically dancing together and other very surface-level stuff). So I guess the case IS built that they don't have much more to go on for their love. HOWEVER, you spent 50% of the book building this romance. Literally at 50% of the book, Somerset and Eliza are declaring their love for one another and sharing kisses in the coach and promising to become engaged when her time of mourning is complete. Then... by 70% Eliza realizes she is in love with Melville. And can she love two people at once?! And what to do?! What a dilemma!?! I don't like love triangles as it is but this one is particularly troublesome for me. I know they weren't *actually* engaged... yet they literally confess their intentions only for her to turn around and realize (quite suddenly... based on her looking at a painting she did of him...) that she is, indeed, in love with MELVILLE too (or only?). Also, around this point, cousin confesses her same-sex love for Melville's sister. This felt SO inauthentic (not inauthentic as in gay people didn't exist during Regency times) where all of a sudden there's this second sub-plot and Eliza is just like "Oh yeah, I totally see that you guys are in love with each other now that you point it out" without any other comments basically. Pretty much all my problems with this book is plot (and pacing). I got to 72% and didn't even want to finish. I had to put the book down because I was so annoyed by all this. I wasn't rooting for Somerset OR Melville at this point. I feel like we had borderline cheating here which I give a 100% NEGATIVE reaction always.

Intrigue/Pacing... I guess the intrigue at the beginning is alright - you really do wonder how it's all going to play out. But the pacing was rough. Very tedious and slow in some parts. Rushed and forced-feeling in others.

Logic/World Building... I don't have much to say here except the regency time period was great.

Enjoyment... Lacked greatly. Even at the beginning, I never felt truly connected to Eliza.

All this to say... I couldn't do it. I wouldn't recommend unless you really love messy love triangles with frustrating characters.

My personal rating system:
2 star rating...
This means that this was better than bad but worse than good. Major issues with something. And, more likely, somethings. Usually a combo of bad writing / characters / plot / content issues. Do not actively recommend.

Fun, fresh, fast read with lots of romance and tugs on the heartstrings. Love the cover art. This would make a great anytime read but it was definitely well- suited to the spring. All around satisfying reading experience.

⭐️=4.5 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=2 | 12/13+

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal follows Eliza, a recently widowed 27 year old who inherits an estate and massive fortune from her late husband. the catch? in order to keep the money, she has to stay, by Regency England standards, ✨morally sound✨. drama ft. her ex (and late husband’s nephew), a dashing rake of a writer, and a sapphic subplot that deserved more page time ensues!!
I adored A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting, so it’s no surprise that I loved this one as well. clever, fun, and extremely witty historical fiction featuring a heroine with an actual arc outside of romantic drama?? respectfully sign me up please and thank you. despite the summary/pitch kind of framing it like a Persuasion retelling(ish) and focusing on the second chance romance aspect (which wasn’t the main point?? embarrassed for the publisher/agent/editor who wrote the blurb and excluded Melville 🤨), I loved the twists Sophie Irwin put to traditional Regency tropes (and romance tropes in general) to focus on the heroine’s story rather than whatever guys are floating around. there’s great chemistry between Eliza and a certain love interest (to reiterate: team Melville🫡) and everything wraps up incredibly well at the end, which is especially impressive considering I usually find issues with properly resolving love triangles. overall just adorable content that made me giggle like a little girl. would’ve loved to see more Caroline/Margaret moments, but I still had the time of my life reading this.

Overall I enjoyed this story in many ways. The writing is a little more modernized than your typical historical romances. It takes awhile for you to figure out which man is best for Eliza, but it does become pretty obvious towards the end. I really enjoyed the side characters, especially her cousin Margaret. She and Eliza had a fun relationship and Margaret pushed her to have fun and grow a backbone, which included her finding the ability to more willingly stand up to her family. I wouldnt have minded a little more insight into her previous marriage, but she definitely got over it quickly lol.

I started reading this book without realizing I had read the author's previous book, which I didn't really enjoy. After I got about 20% into this book, though, I figured out that I was having very similar issues with this book. While I was getting some classic Georgette Heyer-esque vibes from this story, nothing felt fully realized. The heroine felt very caricature-like. She had just endured a long and difficult marriage to an apparently extremely unlikeable man, but one day she just woke up and decided she would "get over it?' I needed more of her working through her feelings about her past and her experiences. I could not connect with her. And I couldn't find anything in the two male main characters to connect with, either. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to like them or not. I know that in a great deal of romance novels the "romantic interest" may not be agreeable or even likable to the heroine, but there should be something there that is intriguing and invites a spark to develop. I just didn't get that here.
I probably shouldn't have read this book given how much I didn't like the author's previous book. It is not a mistake I will make again. If you want a regency romance that feels like Georgette Heyer or Clare Darcy, just reread Georgette Heyer or Clare Darcy...