This is a great choice for readers who prefer less/non-spicy romance, don't want something to be entirely predictable and are looking for a protagonist to grow into herself throughout the story. It is Not for readers who don't want a love triangle, or are sensitive to family members steamrolling over others to get their own way.

Here is the set up: Lady Eliza Somerset has been recently (and blessedly) widowed, now that the family has all gathered her late husband's will is read. In it Eliza learns that she has become the richest widow in England - PROVIDED that she leads a life completely devoid of scandal. This quickly becomes difficult as she and her cousin retire to the quiet town of Bath only to be caught up in the company of the notorious Lord Melville and his sister Lady Caroline. Add to this that Eliza's past love (who she snubbed to marry his richer and titled uncle) has returned as the new Lord Somerset and proclaimed his love. Eliza must decide who she wants to be with and more importantly who she wants to be.

My thoughts: The characters throughout gave me a modern twist on the ridiculousness of the neighbors found in an Austen novel. Everything from the confident artist to the impossibly forward/rude neighbors. The community of Bath was lovely and always makes me want to retire to a country side for a lovely time of taking the waters and just meandering about the town.

I loved that there was so much growth in Eliza. It's understandable to put your family's needs above your own. And to do it for so long you begin to wonder who you are. I loved the spirit that we see grow and found it to be a sweet and lovely read through out. I did read the books out of order and now have the first in the series on order. I find this to be delightful and plan on reading more of Sophie Irvin's work.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Irwin writes some of the best witty banter I have ever read.

In this story, a young widow who has spent her whole life making herself small for others, now has the means and independence to finally live her life on her own terms. But after years of thinking, doing and saying only what is proper and acceptable by Society, she struggles to discover what it is, exactly, she wants for herself.

I was absolutely fascinated by the deep dive into the "mourning period" required of widows during this time. The Persuasion-like second chance romance that turned into a love triangle was not what I was expecting at all, and even thought it caused me a great deal of stress, I loved how it resolved.

Sophie Irwin's writing is now some of my favorite in this genre, and I am excited to read whatever she comes out with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Genre: Regency Romance
Age Level: Adult
Content: kisses

Sophie Irwin is the queen of regency romance. I think I, like everyone else these past few years, is going through a love of regency romance whether it be on TV or through books. This book is the second in a series, and can be read as a stand alone in my opinion. Recommend to those looking for a fun, mindless, regency read!

I received an advanced copy of a Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin from the publisher Penguin Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Ten years ago, Eliza Balfour married the Earl of Somerset out of duty, giving up her true love for his younger uncle. Now ten years later, Eliza is widowed and still titled and is benefited more funds than she previously thought. Finally, she has her freedom, and she decides to live out the remaining time of mourning in Bath with her cousin Margaret. Suddenly, Eliza is following her passions but could this lead to her losing her fortune?

What I Loved: This book sounds like a retelling of Persuasion, right? No! It’s not and that’s what made me love this book, I found so much joy in the journey this book. Eliza was forced into a marriage that she never wanted and came at the cost of her choices. She is finally free from that marriage and she wants to be the person she dreamed of being. Yes, this book is a romance. This book has a love triangle. But it’s so much more than that, it’s about a woman finding herself and also a story of friendship. I also loved the side romance and would read a whole book on that.

What I Didn’t Like: I wish perhaps that we got to know some of the quirky side characters.

Who Should Read It: People who are looking for a unique historical fiction read.

Summary: Newly widowed but still titled, Eliza takes to Bath to live her life.

4.5 stars
This was a delightful romp in Regency-era England with plenty of will they/won't they love triangle energy. I loved Eliza, the main character, and how she chose to stand up for herself and what she wanted. This is a really great romance for those who don't usually like all of the spicy bits, like myself. The best way I can think to describe this is Bridgerton with the door closed. If you want your romance spicy, this is probably not for you.
I absolutely adored the entire story and since I missed out on the first in the series, I plan to go back and check it out. I think Irwin is completely delightful as a romance writer, and she will be on my list to watch out for her next book!
Thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for the advance copy.

If you enjoy historical romances that take place during the Regency period in England, don’t miss A Lady’s Guide to Scandal. You won’t be disappointed, particularly if you enjoy stories with strong female characters and interesting supporting characters. I really enjoyed this book and am eager to read the first in the series. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal is clever and witty and made me laugh out loud through the charm that leaps off the page. Both Margaret and Melville had such perfect one liners and perpetually put a smile on my face.
Both of Sophie's books have come to me at the right time and place in my reading mood. I equally adored them. Scandal is just as full of a fun cast of characters with Bath and Lonfon as the perfect backdrop.
Eliza has recently been widowed and left with a considerable fortune. At the urging of her cousin and confidante, Margaret, Eliza ignores convention and expectations, departing for Bath and a life of leisure.
I loved the development of the love triangle and all of the love stories. With multiple HEA's, my romance loving heart was more than satisfied. Between the romances and the humor, I have no complaints.
Thank you to Penguin Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal did not go the way I was expecting it to go. I am all for a straightforward romance, so I think it speaks to Sophie Irwin's skill as an author that she was ultimately able to sell me on the ending. A Lady's Guide to Scandal was much more romantic than her debut, but it still contained plenty of wit and commentary on the British upper class. Eliza Balfour begins the book as a submissive widow, and I enjoyed watching her come into her own throughout the course of the novel. Irwin also created a love triangle with two appealing options, which is rarer than you may think. Fans of Mimi Matthews and/or Irwin's debut novel will enjoy this one as well.

Thank you Penguin books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my review.

Have you ever met that person that you think you will be good friends with but you just don’t connect? That was this book for me. I wanted to enjoy it. I wanted to be invested in the characters. But I wasn’t. I found some of it awkward and hard to read. But I’m willing to take the brunt of this and say it’s not you, it’s me…this book and I were just not meant to be.

After thoroughly enjoying A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4745186644) last year, I was so excited to see Irwin's latest release on NetGalley. I haven't read a lot of historical romance lately, so I was excited to dive in to this one. I described the first book as a series of fun capers that didn't necessarily add anything new to the genre but was the escape I needed. The same was mostly true for this one, too! In A Lady's Guide to Scandal, a young widow is left titled and wealthy when her much-older husband dies -- but must adhere to a strict morality clause in order to retain her fortune. The plot didn't appeal to me as much as the first, but I did enjoy the heroine's love for portrait painting and the way she finds her own voice and will. There were hints of Austen's Persuasion in the romance, but with a fun (to me) twist involving a love triangle. I liked that I wasn't quite sure who the heroine would choose! Having visited and loved Bath, the setting was one of my favorite elements. But the story itself moved a little too slowly, especially in the beginning. It felt like it took me a long time to get invested, and then I remained a bit detached once the pieces started falling into place in the second half. I don't regret reading it and So Liked It, but it just fell a bit flat for me overall.

The pacing is slow for my taste, but I appreciated the plotting overall. Eliza is a well-written main character, and I loved seeing her live her best life after spending ten years in a loveless marriage (plus it gave Sophie Irwin an excuse to include more of Margaret, who is a sarcastic delight). I usually roll my eyes at love triangles, but I actually enjoyed this one because it resolves in a creative way. The chemistry between Eliza and her eventual husband is also solid and full of witty banter.

I haven't read Irwin's previous book, but I think I'll pick it up!

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #ALadysGuidetoScandal by Sophie Jordan in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this closed door romance. Watching Eliza come out of her shell and learn to stand on her own was very satisfying. I'm always iffy when it comes to love triangles but this one was handled pretty well. For at least part of the book, I wasn't sure which person I wanted her to (or even which one she would ) end up with so as it was all revealed, I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with how it all played out. I also love it when an author squeezes in another love story in the background especially when neither couple suffers from sharing space in the book.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal is book 2 in Sophie Irwin's A Lady's Guide series but it is definitely readable as a standalone if you didn't happen to pick that book up.

Eliza is our fmc and we find out that she was forced to marry a man not of her choosing and twenty years her senior. While not out of the ordinary for ladies of her station, it wasn't truly what she wanted as she had already fallen in love. When the story begins, we find our her husband is dead and Eliza has become a very wealthy lady but there is one caveat. Her inheritance comes with a morality clause and those who were expecting to get the inheritance originally are those that are determined to see how they can make her lose it. And just to add some complication, the new Earl of Somerset is the man she was formerly in love with.

After living under the strict guidelines of society and her husband, Eliza is determined to make her own decisions (within reason) and do what SHE wants to do so she decides to head to Bath with her cousin and it's there that things get interesting.

I admit, I didn't love the love triangle that occurs with Eliza, Somerset, and Melville. I wasn't truly expecting it either based on Eliza's past but in the end, I think it helped to tell the story more so I get it. I'm not going to say much here but I enjoyed the end so I won't hold it against the book or the author.

I definitely look forward to more books from Irwin. I loved her first book in this series and hope to see more along similar lines. Her stories are well-written, have solid characters, and a story that keeps me turning the pages. Pick this one up if you can.

Having read Irwin’s first book, and having it be one of my favorite reads of 2022, I was thrilled to read an ARC of her sophomore book.

I’m sad to report that this book was a miss for me. The first half started out so strong and then a little past 50% it went downhill very fast.

Cute story - just enough tragedy, comedy and romance.
And it follows the romance rules....
All ends well......

I think I loved this novel even more than I enjoyed Irwin's first novel. I love anything to do with Bath, so of course the setting made me incandescently happy, but I think I loved the plot itself, too. Eliza's maturity and self-growth were refreshing and inspirational. I loved the plot twist towards the end AND the way that it was resolved - no mean feat! It was refreshingly feminist without sacrificing historical accuracy or romance and a happy ending. A highly diverse and enjoyable read.

I love Sophie Irwin’s debut and wanted to love this book, but some of the “ALC to Fortune Hunting’s” magic was missing.

While I love that this book was inclusive, daring, and attempts to be surprising, some of these variables feel muddled and forced. I truly struggled to root for these characters. The strength of Book 1 is such that I will continue to root for Sophie Irwin even as Book 2 missed the mark for me.

Sophie Irwin has such a delightful writing voice and style! I genuinely enjoyed her second story and can't wait to see what she does in the future!

When a widow with no love for her recently departed husband comes into a surprisingly large sum of money...she decides to throw caution to the wind and invest in herself for once in her very unmemorable life. Now caught up in the excitement of town, and tangled up between her old flame and a new fancy...will she be able to navigate her new life without causing a complete scandal?

This was just so much fun. I listened to this one on audio and found the narration added extra depth and frivolity to each of the characters. I fell in love with one love interest right away and luckily he was end game. My favorite parts were the ones with him in it! I loved how Sophie took a widows historical plight and turned up the antics with it. There was some pretty witty banter that had me laughing to myself and I found myself invested Elizas story!

This book has a wonderful wing woman, pursuing ones passions, a love triangle (haters gon hate but it was a good one), race discrimination, lgbtq handled true to the time, and so much fun banter (had to put it twice). There was a little bit of lag in a few areas for me but overall a very enjoyable experience!

I wonder what guide Sophie will put out next!

4 1/2*STARS*
A little quirky and unexpected love story of a young widow deciding she's had enough of someone controlling her life. First it was her mother, then her husband, the earl who was twenty-five years her senior. Free after ten years of marriage, Lady Eliza is ready to spread her wings, but once again her husband's will and her period of mourning put restrictions on how she conducts her life. Enter the new earl, the man she loved and had to gave up to marry his uncle. Oh, dear! He's in control of her inheritance! Taking small steps, Eliza and her cousin move to Bath. She decides to pursue her passion, to paint...in oils no less. Her subject is a man with a notorious reputation. That's just the start of the new Eliza! What happens when you fall in love with two men? A clean romance with witty humor, embarrassing moments and opportunities that only have to be taken.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

A Lady's Guide to Scandal was such a fun read!

Eliza was forced to marry a man much older than her that she didn't love so that her family would achieve better social standing, but she was really in love with someone else. She always had to follow the strict rules and be the perfect wife, but to her surprise when her husband passes away he leaves her his fortune and everyone is shocked to say the least.

Eliza decides to mourn in Bath with her cousin Margaret and they have a lot of fun along the way, meeting a fun group of characters and discovering who they truly are and what they want for themselves.

I enjoyed the book, banter, the angst, and yes there's a bit of a love triangle! The characters were fun and definitely added a lot of dimension to Eliza's story. I loved that the story was centered on Eliza, her dreams and what she wanted for herself and how she was still kind to everyone while still figuring things out for herself. At the beginning of the story she lets people control her and by the end she is a whole new Eliza who believes in herself and is confident in what she can do!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

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