This was fun, but a little drawn out. Will Repton is a famous explorer that collects plant seeds from far away places. This may not sound all that glamorous, but he's brought back several species that were completely new to Europe and is quite famous for it. Traveling through strange lands isn't nearly as glamorous as people seem to think. Will harbors some dark secrets and a quest to go back and try to make some things right.

Charlotte on the other hand, seems to be the belle of the ball. Everyone in the ton loves her and the men are all hoping to win her hand, if not her heart. But when she meets Will, she has eyes only for him. Unfortunately those eyes are clouded with dreams of a hero and explorer that will fall hopelessly in love with her and they can make moon eyes at each other for the rest of their days. She is not a silly girl at all - but she does come across as one many times.

I really enjoyed the dialog between Charlotte and Will. They were both very intelligent characters with strong opinions - that didn't always agree. With such different personalities it's hard to believe they could ever come together, but this is romance with an amazing HEA scene. The only part I didn't like was there was almost too many different conflicts surrounding the couple. There were at least four major issues that came and then went one after the other. There was so much going on that I had a hard time really feeling the danger/tension that any one of the created.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

1.25 stars! I'm finished! Finally and this is the worst historical romance book I've ever read. Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

The heroine, Charlotte, has a big personality that takes most of the focus of this story. She’s innocent, lively, a dreamer, sunny and forthright. She has a tendency to go after what she wants and like the old child’s toy, the Weebles, she wobbles but she won’t fall down and stay down. She comes back every time because she’s willing to fight for what she believes is worth fighting for. The hero, Will Repton, is the man she’d been searching for and as soon as she sees him, she ‘knows’. The conflict rests with Will’s nightmares, the reason for them, and his way of dealing with his internal demons. He’s noble, honorable to the nth degree and is out of his depths when dealing with the heroine. The plot is basically Charlotte wearing down Will enough for him to look beyond the reasons for his nightmares, understandable as the case may be, and see that he does have a future, and that future includes both of them together. It takes the whole book with quite a few dramatic twists and fine secondary characters to get him to see the light.

Hugh is a secondary character that plays a role in the plot conflict. At first he seems like a nice, harmless yet earnest suitor. In the end, he’s turns out to be quite stupid. I’m totally serious. I think about his character and I roll my eyes. Still, as a plot mover and shaker, he did his job.

I enjoyed the dialogue, the descriptions, the relationship between Charlotte and her family, and even Will with his own family. Both protagonists come from loving households and the author did a wonderful job of sharing that with her readers.

I think the most well-written of scenes, where the author described it so perfectly, I could visualize the exchange, is when Jacob’s “stare was like a magnet”. I actually thought Will’s reaction to the 4-yr. old rather hilarious. It was also endearing in a way, completely charming.

I’m very satisfied with the happy ever after ending, and the epilogue was awesome. The part about her drawing brought forth a chuckle – a wheelbarrow – too cute! Also, I never in a million years would have guessed who George was. What a thrilling way to induce a reader’s curiosity into looking forward to the next book in the series.

All in all, In Search of Scandal was a fine read, provided great entertainment and was a fun romance story. Definitely worth checking out.