Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Review - Some Like it Scandalous

Author:  Maya Rodale
Series:  The Guilded Age Girls Club #2
Genre:   Historical Romance
Publisher:   Avon
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  368 
Date of Publication:  June 18, 2019
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
They are sworn enemies… 

Theodore Prescott the Third, one of Manhattan’s Rogues of Millionaire Row, has really done it this time. The only way to survive his most recent, unspeakably outrageous scandal is marry someone respectable. Someone sensible. Someone like Daisy Swan. Of all the girls in Gilded Age Manhattan, it had to be her.

Pretending to be lovers... 

Daisy Swan has plans and they do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. But when a devastating family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, suddenly a fake engagement with Theo is just the thing to make all her dreams come true.

And now it’s time to kiss and make up… 

Daisy Swan aspires to sell cosmetics that she has created, but this brainy scientist needs a smooth talking charmer’s flair for words and eye for beauty to make it a success. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.


MY THOUGHTS:

When they were children, Theodore Prescott the Third, of one of the richest families in Manhattan, called Daisy Swan a horrible name. It was so bad, in fact, that she has never forgotten it - nor forgiven him. Theo has recently experienced an incredible scandal and the only way to save face is to marry someone with respect. The best woman for this, encouraged by both families, is none other than Daisy. Her family is facing scandal, but most are unaware of that fact.

How can the two of them work this out? It is more than clear that they still hate each other all these years later. However, Daisy has taken on a huge endeavor, and it seems that Theo is just the man that can help her with it. She has developed a product for women. Daisy is a brilliant scientist, but not very creative when it comes to marketing, so Theo is sure with his ideas, he can get her business off the ground.

Theo and Daisy come to an agreement. They will pretend to be in love and engaged to quiet their families. This will obviously further her business, while at the same time helping Theo overcome his scandal. It doesn't take them very long to realize that there is indeed a thin line between love and hate and that, just maybe, they might be attracted to one another. Are they indeed suited to be a couple slated to find true love?

When attraction and a few sizzling kisses are getting in the way, Daisy maintains that she does not actually want to marry. At some point, obviously, she begins to rethink her decision. At the very least, she would like to finish getting her degree. As a woman in the 1890s, this is rather unusual, but yet it is something that Daisy excels at. Getting married might put that goal in jeopardy.

Just like the first book in the series, A Duchess by Design, the rights of women are explored. I definitely enjoyed watching both women in this series work towards achieving personal goals despite the limits of society. One scene that really grabbed my attention is that where a group of women go to dine alone. In that day and age, it simply wasn't done. At least one man had to accompany women. Watching the women stand up to what they felt they had a right to was just a sampling of what this book deals with.

The third book in the series, An Heiress to Remember, is set for release in March, 2020. I look forward to the next heroine in the series and learning even more about the Gilded Age.

Many thanks to Avon and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maya Rodale began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence. She is now the bestselling and award winning author of numerous smart and sassy romance novels. A champion of the genre and its readers, she is also the author of the non-fiction book Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation Of Romance Novels, Explained and a frequent contributor to NPR Books, The Huffington Post, Bustle and more. Maya lives in New York City with her darling dog and a rogue of her own.

11 comments:

  1. I love hate to love romances! This sounds like a good one!

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  2. Great review. This sounds like a fun read.

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  3. Awesome review! I adore enemies to lovers stories and this one sounds like it would be worth the read.

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  4. I love the enemies to lover romances! I might have to give this one a try, thanks!

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  5. Great review! Hate turning to love in a story can always be a lot of fun - if it's done right, which is sounds like it is here!

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  6. This sounds interesting! Great review.

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  7. Ah, enemies to lovers, on of my favourite tropes. This one sound like it was a good read.

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  8. Great review. I'm not much of a fan of haters to lovers but the book does sounds interesting.

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