Margo and her sister have been turning the ton on their heads from the moment they made their debut. They’ve had no issues pushing boundaries, and Margo will take her pleasure when she sees fit. However, when her sister sets out to elope, Margo decides to stop her. For that, she needs the help of family friend Henry. Nothing can ever be easy though leaving them with a slew of complications to hamper their mission.

I went into this book solely based on the title and cover without reading the synopsis at all, so I had no idea what to expect from Vasti’s story. I must say this book is utterly delightful, and I’m so glad it was recommended to me. I love how unapologetic Margo is - she decides she wants to do something and then goes for it. Then there’s Henry who’s such a sweet cinnamon roll with an unexpected wild side. These two play off each other so well making their misadventures fun to experience. For a shorter book, there’s a delightful amount of spice bound up in these pages, and I’m here for a ton woman going all in on getting her needs met. The audiobook narration for this was absolutely great. The narrator did an amazing job at holding my attention while bringing the characters to life. There was plenty of emotion put into the characters as well. Just a note — I listen to audiobooks at 2x speed. If you’re looking for a quick steamy read that you can knock out in one sitting, this is definitely your book.

🎧 In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vasti 🎧

Alexandra Vasti's novellas are some of my favorite romance books of all time, so I'm just going to be honest and tell you I was so scared that the audio wouldn't be as brilliant as the writing is...but NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT IT'S PERFECT!

I don't believe I've ever listened to this narrator, but she brought these characters to life exactly the way I read them in my head. I hope she narrates all of AV's future books!

About the book:

Is he hot, or is he just unbelievably STARCHY?! He's both, in this case. And he's also a secretly pining, brother's best friend, so..... 🥵🥺🥵🥺 I love him. And Margo! I love her too. She's very wild, a bit reckless, flipping adorable, and funny. And she needs Henry to go with her on a desperate road trip chase to try to stop Margo's twin sister from marrying someone she believes isn't right for her.

You could not wipe the smile off my face while listening to this if you tried! I absolutely adored it. It was 100% perfection.

Book Review: "In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation" by Alexandra Vasti

Alexandra Vasti's "In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation" whisks readers away to the scandalous world of the Halifax Hellions, where the most outrageous ladies in London turn the ton upside down. Narrated by the talented Mhairi Morrison, this Regency romance delivers a refreshing twist as Margo Halifax takes center stage, defying convention and stealing hearts along the way.

With a story rating of 4 stars and an audio rating of 4.5 stars, this novella proves to be a delightful and satisfying read. Vasti skillfully crafts a tale where the roles are reversed, with Margo taking charge and Henry Mortimer, her brother's best friend and secret admirer, swept along for the ride.

The characters are well-developed, with Margo's personal growth and her relationship with Henry unfolding beautifully throughout the narrative. Despite the shorter format typical of romance novellas, Vasti manages to deliver a fully developed story with satisfying character arcs.

Mhairi Morrison's narration adds depth and charm to the tale, capturing Henry's reserve and longing, as well as Margo's exuberance and playfulness with ease. Her pleasant tone and natural delivery bring the story to life, making it a joy to listen to.

Overall, "In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation" is a delightful romp through Regency London, filled with humor, heart, and a touch of scandal. Fans of historical romance are sure to be captivated by this enchanting tale.

#BookReview #HistoricalRomance #AlexandraVasti #MargoHalifax #RegencyRomance
#InWhichMargoHalifaxEarnsHerShockingReputation #NetGalley

I did not expect the plot to unravel the way it did - at all! This novella was refreshingly packed with plot, I was not left bored for one second.

When Margo's twin sister runs away to elope with her newly found and entirely unsuitable lover, Margo sets out with her brother's best friend Henry to convince her not to throw away her life like that. Only problem is that Henry has been infatuated with Margo for years now and cannot hold himself back for much longer. On their journey to find the couple, Margo and Henry encounter more trouble than they can afford and get to spend some quality time together at last.

Immediately we are thrown into the plot and we get to see the story from both Henry's and Margo's perspective which worked fantastically for this story. The prose was just beautiful, the setting in 19th century England was ethereal and the romance was burning with a fiery passion. I especially LOVED the narration. Mhairi Morrison did the most astounding voice acting ever and with her stunning accent she created the perfect atmosphere for this novella.

The only pity is that this story could've been expanded a lot more, towards the end the storytelling felt rather rushed. So if this was a complete novel, I personally would've loved this to be a little more slow burn and also a little more of the historical parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure, I did not realize this was part of a series of other very short audiobooks when I requested it. That being said, it felt very rushed to me which is a shame because this would have made a much better full length book. I wanted to know more about Margo's family! There is a lot that, I'm sure, will be explored in the other books in this series but I am very curious as to why they didn't do a longer series. I would have been much more invested if I knew where their parents are, why were they raised by an aunt? Where is the brother?

I look forward to when the author writes a full length novel.

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was okay. I didn't realize it was novella-size until I saw the runtime---and you can feel it while reading. Most of the development between the couple is off-screen history and having graphic sex. I liked both Henry and Margot, and they had chemistry, but I barely knew them. The narrative needed less sex and more character development---more story, period. Other things could have gone wrong during their adventure, they could have just missed Matilda once or twice more.

Overall, it's a good "abridged" version of a story but really could have been fleshed out. I'd love to read more in the series (though I do tend to skip the graphic sex) but I'd expect less than a full story.

This was simply adorable. This was probably the most invested that I’ve ever been in a novella! I wanted to write down practically everything that came out of Henry Mortimer’s mouth because HE IS SO CUTE!!! After loving her from afar, watching his chance to be with her is so heartwarming!! There was also so much angst and tension, it was great to read!

📖 𝙄𝙣 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙤 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙖𝙭 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖 𝙑𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞
🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙈𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣

“‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.’ 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳. ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. ‘“

Margo Halifax is in desperate need of someone to accompany her to Scotland to stop her sister from eloping. She immediately goes to the one person that has been a constant in her life the past seven years, her brother’s best friend, Henry.

Henry has been obsessed with Margo from the first moment he met her. He has pined after her from a distance for years but when she shows up at his doorstep asking for help, he’s not sure how he will resist his attention to her confined to a carriage for weeks. He knows there’s more to Margo than just the rebel of the ton, and he’s ready to find out.

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this novella! It had everything I could possibly want in a love story. The characters were well developed and I absolutely adored Margo and Henry. The audiobook was phenomenal. Seriously, the narration by Mhairi Morrison was perfect. I cannot wait to read the next novella about Margo’s sister, Matilda.

Tropes:
🕰️ Historical Romance
🫶🏼 Brother’s Best Friend
🥺 He Falls First
💞 Dual POV
🔥 Spicy (2.5🌶️)

Alexandra’s novella will all be released on audiobook on February 27th, all narrated by the wonderful Mhairi Morrison! Thank you to NetGalley for my early copy of the audiobook so that I could share this honest review!

I requested this not realizing it was a St Martin's Press title, so my apologies -- but I will be withholding my review in solidarity with the SMP boycott. (review is written and ready to post if/when boycott ends.

This novella was a perfect little snack. After a couple of heavy reads, I was in the mood for something quick and swoony. Alexandra Vasti absolutely delivered with Margo Halifax. The plot is a cheeky gender-swap of the classic regency trope of the reformed rake and the wallflower, pairing the scandalous heiress Margo with her brother's steadfast and virtuous best friend.

Margo is a bisexual disaster with a notorious reputation, and Henry has been in love with her for seven agonizing years. When Margo's twin sister makes the sudden decision to elope to Gretna Green with an older, much more experienced marquess, Margo begs Henry to help her track down her twin. This sets the two off on a whirlwind, high-heat, forced proximity romance packed with longing and, ultimately, some literal bodice ripping.

Quick and sexy, this little book understood all the conventions of regency romance but did not, as so many historical romances do, take itself too seriously. I quite enjoyed it and was utterly charmed by Henry as a love interest.

I'll be saving the next two novellas for the next time I need a little pick-me-up.

I loved the narrator and the writing was so good and these two had amazing chemistry. I am seriously so excited to read Matilda’s book and I can’t wait for more books by this author.

It was short but satisfying. A great introduction to the characters had a bit of adventure and some sexy times.

I liked the deviation from the more common regency era plot (that the men were the rakes in the other stories), but in this one, the ladies were more promiscuous. I wish this story was longer, because I feel there could be more depth to the character’s past, as well as greater build up of their growing feelings, at least in Margo’s case. Overall cute read. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to read this book.

I’ve adored Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation since I first read the free version back in 2022. I never dreamed that I’d one day get to read it via audiobook!!! After listening, I’m delighted to inform you that it was EVERYTHING. The narrator was great and even did a bit of an accent for Henry 3rd person POV section? Not quite sure what that was—it kinda sounded Scottish?—but it was hot.

I just finished listening to this gem yesterday and LOVED it! I don't know why I waited so long to read this one. It's got a race to Gretna Green, a carriage crash, a cozy cabin with only one bed, hikes to waterfalls, and so much more. I can't wait to read/listen to the other novellas in this series and, of course, to read much more from Alexandra Vasti!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me an early read of this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not accept money for reviews.

This book is giving me all the regency romance feels and I am here for it! Such a quick listen, it’s three and a half hours, the perfect small road trip listen. It is quite spicy, so beware if you are traveling with others.

This book does go zero to sixty in terms of plot, there is no time wasted, and it’s not a turn off. The two main characters have know each other for seven years at this point so there’s really no need for intricate a back story.

I was entering into a bit of a romance reading slump, but this book might’ve pulled me out of it!

This is a very modern feeling, trope filled historical romance, that was wonderfully written but failed to dig deep enough into the characters and their motivations to make an impact. The premise of a buttoned up solicitor and a scandalous woman of the ton racing to Scotland to stop her sister from eloping feels very familiar, but the wit and writing style SHOULD have been enough to make it shine. However, we never get enough. Enough of her motivations for stepping over every convention and ruining her reputation. If you read popular historical fiction, you know how valued a reputation was, and we get no explanation. Besides, she's horny and near the end, we get a throw-away line about being property. We also never get a reason beyond her beauty for this hard-working, soft-spoken man to love her. I wish the editors had pushed her to delve just a bit deeper. We spent more time on her sister's supposedly unseemly sexual proclivities and not enough on what drives the characters.

This story was such a fun time! We have a starchy, buttoned up pining, Virgin hero (Henry Mortimer) , a scandalous, vivacious (queer!) heroine (Margo Halifax), and a mad dash to Scotland to try and rescue the heroines twin. This novella also contains the best friends sister and only one bed (and cabin. and horse) tropes, which are always a favorite. And the spicy scenes are H.O.T. For such a short story, this novella packs quite a lot in! I felt like the author crafted a fully formed story and world and it didn't feel like the plot or character development was lacking. I highly recommend this book, and can't wait until I can read the rest of the series.

I listened to the audio for this book, and it was great! The narrator was highly engaging, and kept my interest throughout.

This short (3hr and minutes) little novella is a steamy delight. Margot and her twin Matilda have been scandalizing society for years since the death of their parents. Nicknamed, "The Halifax Hellions," the two are infamous in London as wild and uninterested in settling down. It;s when Matilda seemingly falls in love and runs away to elope that the fun starts.

Margot begs her brother best friend to accompany her on a trip to Scotland to stop the marriage. Along the way there is plenty of hijinks and a scene close to a Nicholas Sparks book. If you like opposites attract, historical stories and strong woman, this is an audiobook for you!i Best yet, this is only book 1.
voiced by Mhairi Morrison, it is an absolute delight!
#dreamscapemedia. #inwhichmargohalifaxearnshershcokingreputation #alexandravasti #mhairimorrison

I listened to this book on Audio and was provided the copy as an ARC in exchange for my honest review from NetGalley.

Firstly, I LOVED this narrator and would listen to more audio with this person in the future.

This was such a fun historical romance novella, featuring a pair of wild sisters, one of which is chasing the other in a quest to keep her from eloping. Along the way, Margo enlists her brother's best friend to help who (who just so happens to be in love with her) to assist her in this journey.

-One bed in one cottage
-Need to keep each other warm
-Friends to lovers after pining away for many years

All of the above are a part of this book and some of the most favorable qualities! The spicy scenes were steamy and I loved how frantic they felt.

I wish this had been a full length novel instead of a short novella, but otherwise, this book was such a great read!