Romance

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

Karen Wheless

I’ve had mixed results with Loretta Chase. I’m one of the few people who didn’t love Lord of Scoundrels – I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the be-all and end-all of romance for me. But I’ve had a pretty good track record with her books on the whole – most of them have been enjoyable at least. I started reading this book a couple of months ago, and was so intrigued by the first chapter that I decided to set it aside for a time when I wasn’t so distracted by other things. And then I didn’t get back to it until now.

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase
(2008, Regency Historical) 1/11/09
Grade: 4

Francesca Bonnard has lived on the Continent since her divorce, taking lovers and scandalizing society. But when the British government wants secret letters incriminating her ex-husband, they send James Cordier, a spy who is ready to retire and live a normal life. But there’s something about Francesca that makes him forget about all that…

This book was fascinating from the first page, and featured unique characters and a terrific setting of Venice. I especially loved the heroine, who was intelligent and fun, and far from the usual romance heroine. The hero was more typical, but I loved the way he appreciated Francesca for who she was, instead of trying to turn her into something else. The setting was almost a character unto itself – I was swept away by Venice, without being lectured (as so many authors do when they use exotic settings). However, despite all the good points of this book, I wasn’t drawn into the romance as much as I would have liked. The book was so plot-heavy, it didn’t leave a lot of time for exploring the character’s emotions. We’d get a hint, and then we’d be swept along on the next twist and turn of the plot. So, I’d call it very good, rather than great – but definitely worth reading and unique.

I only have a couple of books left from 2008, and it’s nice to end on a good note (rather than my last couple of reads – the Guhrke that was so disappointing, and after that, three or four books that I couldn’t even finish. Hopefully those last remaining reads from 2008 will be worth the effort.

Karen Wheless

I've been reading romance since I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss at age 12. I love all kinds of romances, especially emotional and angsty stories. I finally cut back my TBR pile from 2000 books to only 400, but I still have lots of books left to read!

Latest posts by Karen Wheless (see all)