I got this book from NetGalley, and was SO excited to read it. I loved Irwin’s first book.

Overall, this was a strong sophomore novel.

WHAT I LOVED:
-love triangle where I wasn’t convinced for about 70% of the book which way I was hoping it would go
-Margaret is so real, and the kind of friend everyone needs.
-in-text humor being completely on point
-the self-discovery of Eliza
-the old flame coming back…one of my favorite tropes
-the heavy fashion and art - created beautiful images in my mind

WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE:
-the cover. Blah. It pales in comparison to her first cover and doesn’t reflect that undertones of the novel.
-Somerset’s family was so icky, truly villainous.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal is exactly what the title promises--an lighthearted romance in an historical setting. Sophie Irwin's novel is fast reading. Like most novels of this genre, Irwin creates an enjoyable world with characters whose lives do not turn out as predicted. There is no mystery about which man wins the heroine's heart, but Irwin does make the journey to this conclusion an easy read.

The characters in A Lady's Guide to Scandal are of mix of real and contrived. For instance, Margaret and Carolyn, though predictable quite early on, are a joy to get to know. These two ladies easily capture the reader's attention. This is not the case for Lady Somerset, whose choices are exaggerated and predictable. I like a good romance, especially a historical romance, but the best romances provide characters who are more than rebellious. They need a complexity that makes the reader excited. Lady Somerset is much put upon, but lacks the sort of redemption that characterizes the best heroines. It is not enough to create an Austin-like heroine. Readers need to cheer her successes.

In spite of those criticisms about this central character, I enjoyed the diversion that this novel provided. Because I think that A Lady's Guide to Scandal will please readers (shouldn't the title be A Lady's Guide to NOT Scandal), I have bumped up my 3.5 stars to 4 stars.

Thank you to the author and to Berkley Publishing Group for providing this ARC for me to read and review. Thanks also to NetGalley for providing this novel on its lists.

Rating: strong 3.5 stars
A Lady's Guide to Scandal is Sophie Irwin's second Regency era romance, but it stands alone from her first novel with only a bit of character crossover. Eliza married young and was completely dominated by first her parents and later her much older husband. Widowed at the age of 27, she slowly but surely starts to come into her own, realizing that her opinion matters at least as much as the edicts of those around her. With multicultural characters, an intriguing love triangle, and a bit of an LGBTQ side-plot, Eliza's scandalous (thought not steamy) adventures are worth checking out.

Sophie Irwin's debut novel last year turned out to be one of my surprise favorites, and so I was both excited and a little nervous to read her second one. Happily, I enjoyed it just as much as her first, and in some ways maybe more in that it explores a broader array of topics and an expanded cast of characters that all end up connecting back to the primary romance. This second book feels more confident and expansive. It's cunning too in its exploration of the potential options for a heroine who suddenly finds herself widowed, wealthy, and free from an oppressive marriage while still in here twenties. It is hard to know where this story is going for quite a long time, but that was a big part of its appeal for me. On the surface, it seems set up as a retelling of Austen's Persuasion, a notoriously challenging book to portray. The bare scaffolding of Persuasion is here, but this book departs to examine what would happen to a woman who left behind many regrets and missed opportunities and pushed herself forward. One big question is whether the hero from her past is up for the challenge, and that is a question that lingers uncomfortably long, especially with new courtships hovering.

I found this book equally a character study of Eliza as much as it is a plot-driven story and loved her emergence from the staid, lonely young woman in the first chapters to the woman she gradually becomes once she has the freedom to test herself and take chances. The central romance is deliberately obscure because it is enmeshed in the tumultuous changes Eliza undergoes. That isn't to say that the hero is unimportant because he too grows into the best version of himself due to Eliza's influence. The hero of this book is truly wonderful and will undoubtedly be one of my favorite romance heroes this year. But his role in Eliza's life remains unclear for the vast majority of the novel with lots of twists and turns.

I am hopeful that Sophie Irwin represents a much needed revitalization of historical romance after what has seemed like a period of stagnation for the genre. If I have small criticisms, it is that the book takes a while to develop, and so patience is needed at the start, while the end is a little rushed and could have benefited from slowing down. I wouldn't have minded more time with the main couple at the end. The long middle of this book though is fabulous and I enjoyed all of it so much and am thrilled to have a new HR author to anticipate.

4.5 stars maybe. Not a sequel, but 2nd in what I hope is a long series by Sophie Irwin. This one is about Eliza, a very young (17), and timid girl forced by her family to wed an older, titled gentleman instead of the man she loves, who happens to be the lord's nephew. The marriage is not happy, and she is widowed at 27. The nephew inherits the title - can they rekindle the teenage romance they enjoyed so very briefly ten years ago? Widowhood (and a fortune) has given Eliza *choices* - she can now do what she wants, rather than her family and society.

Fun to see this mousy little girl find her backbone and her voice. Brava!

To be published in July 2023. Look for A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (Irwin's first title) while you wait for this one.

This is as delightful as Irwin's previous book. Great characters, light humor, and fun banter. Her worrying reminds me a lot of Georgette Heyer. I will definitely be reading her upcoming books!

The wit and banter in this book are unmatched! It’s is very similar to the classic regency you expect but the author is a refreshingly modern voice that updates the banter to make it even more enjoyable to a modern audience. I obsessed over the debut and was hoping to love this one as well . The dialogue did not disappoint but the same could not be said for the plot development. It did feel slow and repetitive at times. The love triangle is very dominant as expected by the cover although not so satisfactory resolved.

I normally love a light-hearted historical romance with a love triangle but this fell short. It was very reminiscent of Jane Austen's Persuasion and I think that was the vibe the author was going for.

Unfortunately it just fell short. The heroine didn't feel fully realized and the "one that got away" who re-entered her life was just boring (and I know that's the point, but...) I really didn't get hooked by this book and struggled to connect with the story or characters which is a bummer because I think there was a lot of potential here, especially comedy in the scenes at the waters of Bath.

Such a great follow up to book one in this series, i fully enjoyed the engaging story and plot lines. I really fell in love with both characters!

I took a chance on this book, not having read any previous book in this series, and not always loving historical romance books, and I can say I'm glad I did! This was a really funny, cute, story.
I don't really love love-triangles, but I appreciated the way it is written in this story. I also didn't initially love Melville but warmed up to him by the end of the book, and I liked Somerset but didn't really feel that spark with him that Eliza and Melville had.
I mainly loved the side characters. Margaret and Caroline and Perkins are amazing and hilarious and I was invested in their stories as well!
The humor in this book was unmatched, and it alone deserves a whole star. I didn't get the historical romance bug from this story, no matter how much I enjoyed it, only because I always have a problem with the historical problems of racism and sexism that can't be avoided in these books. Nothing wrong with liking them, especially when they openly discredit those notions, just not my cup o tea (so to speak).
Overall, very cute, hysterical read, it kinda was hard to get into because I felt it was kinda throwing me all over the place until like the last 20%, but I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the ARC!!!

If you love Bridgeton or any of the classics like Pride and Prejudice or Little Women amongst others then you’d thoroughly enjoy A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin. Set in 1819, Eliza is a 27-year old widow to the Earl of Somerset as a obedient and conservative wife and of course there was no love between the two. Originally, she was to marry his nephew who she found herself in love with. Her late husband has given her a fortune in his will and she decides to break out of the shell that she was placed in.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books for this advanced copy.

What did I like? Everything which in a way is surprising because I started this book a week ago and couldn’t get past the first page. I think I really am a mood reader these days. I love this classic tale with a bit of a twist. I love all the characters especially Lady Caroline and how comedic the story was. It was a fluffy read filled with a growing love triangle in the mix. I was absolutely hooked and adored it endlessly. It seems it’s not hard to get a five star out of me.

Chapter one of this book had me worried. I worried for our main character and the 10 years she spent miserable and married to some guy 25 years older than her, but we soon she Eliza on her way to happiness as she embraces the silver lining of her husband's death - she's rich.

I'll be honest, I've never read any of Sophie Irwin's other work and didn't know there was a previous book in this series, but as soon as I finished I went and put a hold on the first book.

I loved Eliza's story. She was constrained by society but learning to be her best self and speak her mind, and I was hoping for that twist, but honestly wasn't sure it was going to come. I was suprised, but I'm so glad with how the story turned out. I can't wait to read more of Irwin's work. It was delightful and grounded. She walks a very fine line between what is allowed at that time and what would be impossible for modern day readers to accept.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I picked up and put down this book several times before I became invested in the story. If the author could change anything the intro needs more of an impact. This is Eliza's story of a 17-year-old girl married to a man 20 years older than her with a family whose only interest in her is what she can do for them. Many of the confinements that woman of the time faced are written about here such as the lack of finances, duty to family over one's own desires. Eliza is widowed and decides to lead her own life.
A bit of a love triangle and a strong secondary storyline (multiple plot twists). I enjoyed the woman Eliza grows into. I liked the writing a great deal but did not connect with characters as much as I did with Irwin's first book.

First and foremost: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ARC.
This book was undeniably cute. I enjoyed the writing style the most! My one and only negative comment is really my own fault: it has a love triangle. I loved love triangles when I was a teenager, but it gets to be a bit old and haggard the older you get. Ok, I lied one more thing I hate is the insults dressed as witty banter. At some point you are just being rude. Overall it was fun, but I would warn those that don't like Love Triangles to stay away.

I found this one to be a bit different from the usual Regency romance. It was well written, but there was some question about with whom the MFC would end up. And the telling of how she got there was entertaining. The only thing I really didn't like was the "woke" circumstances of the close female friend. It's unnecessary to the plot or character development, and I may be the only one who found it annoying. Nevertheless, good book. Deducting one star for what I didn't like. Thanks to #NetGalley for the book, and I leave this review without any inducement. #ALady'sGuidetoScandal

Book 8: Thanks to @netgalley and @penguinbooks for the chance to read this #advancedreadercopy. I love #janeausten but I have not been able to get into the #bridgerton series or other #modernretailing of Regency and Georgian era tales. So this book was not my #cupoftea but it was an enjoyable read. Bridgerton fans should plan on picking up this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ novel when it’s published in #summer2023. 📚📚📚 #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreviewer #bookstagram #my2023readingchallenge #netgalleyarc #aladysguidetoscandal

This was my first read by Sophie Irwin and it was a light and funny read!

Based on the title of this book I expected there to be more of a romantic aspect, but given the story is set during the Regency Period, the romance flows very sweetly and doesn't venture too much into the steamy side.

The protagonist, Eliza journeys into her newly found life as a widow, but starting to fall for the new Earl of Somerset, who also happens to be her first love. Tensions flare soon after Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin Margaret, and encounters Lord Melville. Both men engage in a romantic triangle with Eliza.
Each main character in this book has an extremely bold personality which makes each of them likable, especially when it comes to rooting for a spouse for Eliza.

Overall the book was extremely funny and i felt myself smiling throughout the book. Along with the humor, there is also has numerous twists and turns which kept me on my toes for the entirety of the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me preview this book!

I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, but this one had me on the edge of my seat.
Through the course of the novel, I rooted for both Somerset and Melville – sometimes at the same time! – but for Eliza most of all.
More than a standard romance, this was a story about a woman learning to stand her ground and speak her mind – and go after what she wanted.
I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely be reading the other book in this series now!

I am obsessed with Sophie Irwin! A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting started my obsession and A Lady’s Guide to Scandal cemented it. Eliza and Melville are super precious I absolutely adored them. I was surprised by how much I liked Melville and Caroline they were both super fun and likable and I loved their relationship with Eliza and Margaret. I love Eliza’s relationship with Margaret was super cute and loved how accepting they both were with each other. I also love that Eliza’s dedication to following the rules had a real reason, she very much had a very valid reason to stay in her shell but I adore that she decided to risk rebelling instead and actually carefully tried to figure out who she is. I also was rooting for her and Somerset it was very reminiscent of Persuasion by Jane Austen however as kind and gentlemanly as Somerset was and despite all of the pinning, I had myself rooting for Melville. Rather than a love triangle, I thought it had the potential to be a way to choose with both Melville and Somerset but after reading more I realized Somerset would never go for it. Honestly Eliza deserved the whole world so I am glad she finally goes for it. I also loved the side characters and the ending. Meville is my newest book boyfriend he was so much fun, and I am going to be rereading it very soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How much scandal can a young widow get into? Enough. It did start a little slow, but after getting going, it was a fast and fun read. It was a tale of ladies who were ahead of their time, and it had a love triangle done perfectly. If you're a fan of women finding their voice and regency romance, I think you'll be pleased with A Lady's Guide to Scandal.

Now I need to read Irwin's A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting!