London, 1784
Sophia Baneham has lived in the poison of her dead father's shadow for longer than she cares to admit. Now she exists outside of polite society's influence, holding gambling parties for London's most dangerous men. When a man walks into one of her soirees, a compelling mix of charisma and icy control, he offers the lady of sin a wager she can't refuse...
Lord Randolph is a spy in the service of His Majesty, but he's given an oath to protect the daughter of his mentor. Even as his gamble of marriage starts to spiral out of control and his passions ignite, Randolph is determined that he'll handle things his way...
But when danger closes in, Randolph won't just have to protect Sophia from an intended killer. He'll have to protect her from himself
MY REVIEW:
Lady Scandal by Wendy LaCapraMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lady Scandal by Wendy LaCapra is a 2015 Entangled Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lady Vice, the first book in The Furies series blew me away. So, I have been eagerly anticipating the follow up, and I am happy to report this second book is every bit as good as the first one.
Espionage, Spies, murder, intrigue... it's all here in this complex and riveting tale filled with deceptions, double crosses, and heart stopping action and suspense. But, at the heart of the story is Sophia, a woman with deeply rooted fears and complex emotions. She is secretly married to Lord Randolph, a spy, and a man who was deeply entrenched in her father's world, which she was not aware of until much later. This development has infuriated her, and crushed her ability to trust him.
Lord Randolph is swoon worthy in appearance, but is as complicated as Sophia, flawed and conflicted, with a very troubled past. Now he is near hysteria as he attempts to keep Sophia safe from her enemies, a task she makes quite difficult, and cope with his losing battle with denial. He is in love with Sophia, wants her desperately, but feels she deserves so much better than to keep her mired in the murky world he lives in.
“A spine of iron and a kiss like spring. She is a patchwork of opposites, his love. His fingers tightened around her ankle. His love. His. Love.
Perhaps he needn't send her away. Her could keep her for his own – lock her away in one of his estate's medieval turrets. The mad and fleeting hope was useless. She would never come to her jailer with wanton and willing desire. Better to finish this and set her free where she had a chance to be happy.
He'd been wrong . Love was not buoyant. Love was anguish. Love did not make you weak. Love gave you the strength to do things you found unimaginable.”
Wow! Great stuff!
These novels,so far, have shown the underbelly of the regency period, are fairly dark toned, and I absolutely love it! It's about time an author came along and took historical romance, especially regency period, and shook it up, hopefully starting a whole new trend within a genre which is in serious danger of growing stale.
Once again, I can't say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend it, not only for historical romance lovers, but to those who enjoy romantic suspense and mystery thrillers, as well.
Deserving of every one of these 5 stars!!
PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!
Lady Scandal
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Scandal-
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
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I AM THRILLED TO HAVE WENDY AS MY GUEST TODAY! She has been kind enough to write up a guest blog post for us and if you are like me, this post will have you searching your bookshelves for those classic romance novels that broke the barriers for all future historical romance authors- Take it away, Wendy!
A few weeks ago I was browsing a used bookstore, killing time while my husband searched for an out-of-print biography. Not surprisingly, I found myself in the romance section. Almost all my current reads are digital and it was refreshing to run my fingers along well-loved paperbacks and inhale the scent of print. One book in particular caught my eye. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught.
While I must have read this book back in the day, unlike the Rebecca Brandewyne books that I read so many times they fell apart in my hands, I don't recall the story. And, since it is often mentioned as a classic, I thought I should become acquainted with Whitney and the Duke of Claymore. So, I've decided to read it one chapter a night until I finish, just so I can have the time and space to think about what parts of the chapter and characterization were striking. I wrote my first reflection on my Facebook page.
My technical conclusion after Chapter One? Head-hopping (switching the point of view several times within the same scene) has been disparaged for so long, but in adhering to a single point of view per scene (and often limiting that POV to the hero or heroine), the romance writing community has lost a useful tool for making potentially unsympathetic characters more compelling. My conclusion as a long-time reader of Historical Romance? YAY, this first chapter promises so much fun!
My current release, , is fast-paced and modern, but has a character who is, in part, a nod to the richly-written, emotional and meaty classic Flowers From the Storm (1992) by Laura Kinsale. Flowers from the Storm would be on my recommendation list for anyone looking to revisit a classic. My teen self was agog for Rose of Rapture (1984) & Upon a Moon-Dark Moor (1988) by Rebecca Brandewyne, though I've yet to revisit them as an adult.
I'd love to hear if readers have gone back to revisit a 'modern historical romance classic' (ie, something from the 70s, 80s or early 90s) and how they've felt about the read. Did it live up to your expectations? Did it have elements or qualities you miss in historical romance? Did in include elements or qualities that made you cringe?
And, if you were going to recommend a 'modern historical romance classic' what would it be?
GIVEAWAY DETAILS: One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of Lady Vice and Lady Scandal from the online retailer of your choice!!!
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Thank you for hosting me, Julie!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a pleasure! Best of luck with your book!
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