I’ve been looking forward to this book for some time – I put it aside because I felt that I couldn’t give it a fair reading after I’d heard so much about it. I wanted to wait until I could read it for itself, not for what everyone else was saying about it.
Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
(2009, Regency Historical)
Grade: 4.5
Three years after they first met, the Earl of Banallt is still hopelessly attracted to Sophie Evans. They are both widowed now, but Sophie is wary of trusting her husband’s former drinking companion, a man linked to numerous women and many scandals. Can Banallt show Sophie that he has changed and that he’s worthy of her trust and love?
This was definitely an interesting book. It was very well written and the characters were well drawn and interesting to read about. However, it left me just a little bit cold. The book kept me turning the pages, and I was definitely caught up in the story. The characters were more sophisticated and deep than many romance characters. But it lacked the emotional sweep of my favorite romances – it felt much more intellectual than heartfelt. (There were a few significant gaps in the story as well, particularly involving Banallt’s past.) This is probably one of the best written books I’ve read this year, but it wasn’t quite a keeper. I feel like I ought to have liked it a little bit more than I actually did.
Even though this book wasn’t a perfect read for me, I will definitely look up more books by Carolyn Jewel – for some reason I thought I read one of her early books, but I can’t remember now. I have one of her older books in my TBR and a newer one on my TBB list.
Karen Wheless
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