I enjoyed this Regency romance more than the author’s first offering (A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting). The situation the main character finds herself is more realistic and the plot is entertaining. The characterizations are a bit shallow, but I would read the author’s next book, looking forward to watching her grow as a novelist. Rating is 3.5.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC.

Lady Eliza Somerset isn't exactly a merry widow, but her husband's death and the portion of his fortune and estate she receives means she's the most independent she's ever been. His passing also means the return of the new Lord Somerset in her life, a former flame who has haunted her ever since she ended things with him ten years ago.

Eliza can finally explore her own interests - her own life - when she and her cousin, Margaret, take up residence in Bath. Among the many people they meet are the Melvilles, and the handsome, but notorious Lord Melville. When Eliza takes on her first ever commission to paint his portrait and put her artistic talent to use, her newfound life becomes more complicated than she ever bargained for, and she's forced to make sacrifices she never anticipated to keep hold of her exhilarating new freedom.

Such a fun read! Irwin writes tension really, really well. And great dialogue. I also loved the secondary storyline between Margaret and Caroline, which I thought was handled beautifully. It added so much depth to the characters and the overall story. Like with her first novel, Irwin grounded this romance in reality in a way not many other authors are successfully able to for me. That's what I've loved most about both her books, and what I'm learning to look forward to with each new release. Already can't wait for the next one!

"A Lady's Guide to Scandal" by Sophie Irwin is a book I've been eagerly waiting for, especially after thoroughly enjoying the author's previous work. Having read and adored both books by this talented writer, I'm excited to dive into another of her enchanting tales.

Irwin's writing style is a true pleasure, blending wit, charm, and emotion seamlessly. Her ability to transport readers to historical settings while crafting characters with depth and authenticity is something I truly admire. I'm eager to see how she weaves her storytelling magic once again.

With "A Lady's Guide to Scandal," I have high expectations for a narrative that's rich in romantic tension, engaging plot twists, and characters that come to life on the page. Irwin's talent for crafting compelling relationships and evoking emotions promises a reading experience that will linger in my thoughts long after I've turned the last page.

In conclusion, my excitement for "A Lady's Guide to Scandal" is palpable, fueled by the enjoyment I've found in Sophie Irwin's previous works. With her track record of delivering engaging and heartwarming stories, I'm confident that this novel will be another double delight that I'll treasure.

I loved the second installment in this series. It’s a wonderful modern spin on historical romance. I enjoyed the setting in Bath. The heroine takes charge of her life and forces her to re-examine people in her own life and what she’d like her lifestyle to be. Five stars!

I really enjoyed the premise behind this book. Eliza is recently widowed - - but the marriage wasn't a love match so her grief is minimal. And her new future, while a bit unsure, is full of new possibilities.

She may have the chance to revisit a future with an old love or she may have an opportunity to pursue something entirely different and much more outside of her norm. Eliza will have to decide who she wants to be going forward and exactly what she's willing to risk to be that person. She also has to learn who she can trust in this new future she's trying to create for herself.

A fun and fresh read. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed it. I didn’t like the way the love interests were handled. It took a while to enjoy the book again after I realized the direction it was gong, but I got there.

This was an enjoyable story but it was a little hard for me to get invested. I think part of the reason was the love triangle. I would rather feel emotionally connected to the couple throughout the entire book, whereas in this book I wasn’t even sure who the main couple was for quite a while.
Sophie Irwin’s writing style is unique and fits the historical very well, but it is definitely not an easy read. Sometimes that perfectly fits my mood and is great!
If this sounds like it’s up your alley then this book is for you!

Star Rating: 3.5/5
Tropes: Love triangle
CW: Death, toxic relationship

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another delightful read from Sophie Irwin! The second of her novels, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal is a delight!

After Eliza’s husband dies (with no love lost) and she comes into a large sun of money, Eliza seeks to find the freedom she has always wanted and the life she couldn’t have. An old flame? A new fling? Eliza has to reconcile who she was and who she wants to be!

I had to slog through this book - it’s my first regency era romance, and I have to safely say it will be my last! The language (not by this particular author’s fault) is hard to casually get through. On top of that, the pacing of this novel is ridiculous. I feel like absolutely nothing but exposition and character background info was given in the first 50%, and by the time the love triangle actually had any development in the second half, I was skimming pages and not rooting for any of the main characters to get together, especially when the love triangle’s ending was spelled out plain as day from the beginning. Eliza as a main character is supposed to come off as meek-young-girl-who-follows-her-mother’s-orders to matured-woman-fighting-for-her-own-ambitions, but really she just came off as irritating. The chemistry between her and Melville came off as disingenuous because of how Melville’s past is painted.. and Somerset as a love interest is almost laughable the way he treats Eliza. You as a reader are only rooting for Margaret (a side character), but by the time you’re 75% into the book, you have a really good idea of her ending anyway! So what’s the point of getting through this book! Truthfully, if this was not an advanced reader copy, it would have been an easy DNF for me but I wanted to finish it fully to give my whole, honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to get A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin as a galley. Was even more excited when I found out I could read it as a standalone because my copy of A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting has been languishing on my shelf since last year’s Bookstore Romance Day.
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This novel tells the story of a young widow whose husband (from an arranged marriage) leaves her a sizable fortune. But that comes with strings attached… she must not have any scandal associated with the family name. The person judging how she does with that has an interesting history with the protagonist. I won’t say more so as not to spoil it.
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This is a story of a woman coming into her own, a complicated family story, and a love triangle. It’s a historical romance with some interesting plotting. Definitely worth picking up if you are looking for something along those lines. I will be picking the first novel off my shelf soon.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal
If you like books featuring…
Coming of age story
Regency romance
Love triangle

Great for fans of…
Pride and Prejudice
Olivia Atwater
Downton Abbey

I love a great Regency romance and this second chance romance didn’t disappoint.

I liked that there were two potential suitors vying for Eliza’s affections and it isn’t clear which one the reader should root for. In fact, the storytelling was so convincing, I was rooting for the wrong suitor for about half the book! My favorite part was the person Eliza became once she had the freedom to be herself.

This book had many unexpected features, I was not sure how it would turn out. Happy that there was a happily ever after.

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal was a treat! I enjoyed the all of the characters and thought they all brought a certain something to this book. This was a great historical romance that I think many people who enjoy Julia Quinn and India Holton would enjoy. If you’re looking for new read this fall, check this one out!

Honestly this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. The pace was incredibly slow. I had a horrible time getting attached to any of the characters. Maybe it would have been better if we had seen her life before her marriage then time jumped? I don't know. The real kicker for me was the love triangle and basically cheating relationship. That was both a turn off and a deal breaker in my opinion. Not a fan and probably won't try more of her books. It lists that it is kinda like Jane Austen's Persuasion... it's not.

This was my first book by Sophie Irwin and I throughly enjoyed it! It was throughly engaging. I have always enjoyed regency stories that include an older heroine trying to find her place in a world that hasn’t always been nice to them! Great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review! The pub date was July 11.

This book is just as hilarious as Irwin’s previous work A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting but is more grounded, leaning into the MC’s complicated and tragic circumstances in a more constant way. Scandal and Fortune-Hunting both put a cynical spin on the regency setting and feature female MCs that are victims of it, but while Fortune-Hunting’s MC is a master of manipulating the system in her favor, Scandal’s MC isn’t. Eliza starts off timid and beaten down and has to learn how to become herself in a world built on toxic expectations and customs guilting people into ruining their lives for the sake of others. It got me emotional more than once.

There’s still plenty of regency social politics going on though, even if Eliza doesn’t start as an expert in them. Eliza is trying to figure out how to play the game (or if she even wants to), characters like Melville are disrupting the social norm as often as humanly possible, others are just trying to further their own agendas, and the “normal” ones are judging everyone else and revealing their true colors in the process. It’s delightful.

The characters were great, with people I loved and others I loved to hate. There’s a certain larger-than-life but still real and complex quality to Irwin’s characters that I love in books.

Now, the romance. This was a brilliantly executed love triangle that didn’t ring my moral ick bell like love triangles usually do. It starts off tragic in such a genuine way, and watching the relationships morph as Eliza grows and the context shift as we see and learn more about Lord Somerset… Top marks.

As a final note, this book is technically set in the same universe as Fortune-Hunting because they mention the love interest’s name once, but that’s it. Don’t go in expecting any familiar faces, but also feel free to read the books out of order.

I just loved this sweet historical romance!

Eliza married the elderly Lord Somerset to please her family and secure their social status and wealth. But now that he is deceased, and they had no children, she isn't sure what to do. She'll have to move back into her parents' house, and the thought depresses her. When his will is read, she is surprised to hear that he has left her some property. For once, she can make a decision that pleases only her. But there is a morality clause, which means that the new Lord Somerset, with whom Eliza had a tendre in their youth, is charged with judging whether she is meeting the clause.

She and her cousin Margaret go to Bath and rent a house. They meet new friends, including Lord Melville and his sister Caroline. Eliza begins to paint again and find herself, after spending years being downtrodden by her late husband. The Melvilles are artists as well - published authors - and run in a faster crowd. Melville flirts shamelessly with Eliza, and she can't say she encourages him. But she also can't say she discourages him, either! She enjoys his repartee. Somerset arrives in town, and Eliza thinks she might have a chance with him again. He is disapproving of her friendship with the Melvilles, but her asks her to bbe engaged to be engaged. But she doesn't give up the friendship with the Melvilles. She doesn't say no when Melville asks her to paint him. And she decides to submit that portrait, anonymously, to the Summer Exhibition at Somerset House in London. She knows Somerset won't approve, but is what she is doing so bad?

The romantic tension between Eliza and Melville is very enjoyable, and so is the, are they or aren't they, tension between Margaret and Caroline. This is a chaste romance novel, and all the more entertaining for it, because the dialogue shows how the couples are falling in love.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This is truly a delightful regency era romance and a fine follow up to the first Lady’s Guide book. Sophie Irwin did a wonderful job of portraying the characters whether main or side in such a likable way with her charming writing. The banter was so much fun and kept me wanting more! Fans of Jane Austen works or Bridgerton would love this book! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: A decent entertainer

A shy Eliza Balfour got married to Earl of Somerset, twenty-five years her senior. Almost a decade ago, it was the match of the season, even if Eliza didn’t gain much from it.
Now, a widow with no child, Eliza is rich and free, thanks to her dead husband’s will (never mind the morality clause). Determined to enjoy her new-found freedom, she travels to Bath with her cousin Margaret and has the time of her life.
However, the news reaches the current Lord Somerset, a young man she knew as a debutante. Soon, she realizes that her freedom has come with strings attached, and she could lose it all if things went out of control. But should she resist the opportunities that come her way?
The story comes from Eliza’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
How you like this book will depend on a few elements – whether or not you read Persuasion, your opinion on love triangles, your tolerance levels for a mousy heroine, and how good you are with rushed endings.
For me, it was a mixed read as I did not read Persuasion and didn’t compare the books. I also didn’t compare this book to any other historical novels, which made it easy to read the book for what it is. I don’t like love triangles, and things are a bit tricky here (more on this next). The heroine's 50-50 for me, and I dislike rushed endings.
First, good things – The writing style is easy to read. It is light with the right touch of depth expected (based on the cover). Even the tough topics are handled with a certain ease, which keeps the overall tone lighthearted.
The book has good humor and strong second leads (Margaret and Lady Caroline). Sometimes, they outshine the FMC, which, I think, is intentional to show her growth from a demure pushover to an assertive woman.
Melville is an interesting character. I liked him a lot (and not just because he is half-Indian). I wish he could have been explored in depth, though we see glimpses of it.
The racism is well done. Must say I’m glad it has not been whitewashed in the name of bringing ‘diversity’ to a book. They never liked us (and many others), and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise.
There's a mandatory LGBT+ track too. It's done well and doesn't take over the main plot, so that's fine.
Now, we move on to the not-so-good aspects of the book. The pacing is uneven. The first half takes too much to establish the premise. The last quarter packs so much that events trip over each other. The reader doesn’t even get the satisfaction of seeing the couple together before the book ends. And there is NO epilogue. WHY? (I would have rounded the rating to 4 stars if there was an epilogue.)
The ‘love triangle’ is there, yet not really there. This one had so much potential, but the whole thing is rushed, and Eliza’s thought process just doesn’t make the impact it should. Some of it might border on cheating, but I wouldn’t call it that, either. Still, I wish it was better written. It could have been.
Anyway, I never liked that guy and couldn’t see why Eliza was well… so sure of it until she wasn’t. This forms the crux of the plot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get enough space. Let Eliza explore her feelings in detail. Let her interactions with parties play in her mind. Let her realize things without the next event breathing down her neck.
Despite everything, the book is pretty quick to read, and I approve of Eliza’s choice. Of course, the other option wasn’t even an option considering the developments afterward, but they are justifications to prove her right. There was this one point Eliza knew who/ what she wanted.

To summarize, A Lady's Guide to Scandal is a decent read and a quick entertainer with a bit of family drama, personal growth, love interests, and some twisty reveals at the end. It is a complete standalone too.
Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.