Friday, November 20, 2009

SCANDAL by Carolyn Jewel

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: February 2009
ISBN: 978-0-425-22551-6
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Obtained by: Publisher
Reviewed by Dawn


The Earl of Banallt is a rake, plain and simple and he wants Sophie Evans in the worst way. What he gets instead is rebuffed by the one woman he fell in love with long ago. Can he change her mind and show her he is a reformed rake?

Sophie Evans is widowed and even though she had a childhood friendship with Banallt, she refuses to give into his seductions. Her late husband was a rake in the worst way and it has made her wary of risking her heart to the one man who may be able to heal a heart shattered by betrayal. Can Sophie let her heart lead her to the greatest desire she will ever find in the arms of Banallt?

SCANDAL is a wonderfully told story of a reformed rake, a cynical widow and a friendship that spans time. Ms. Jewel sprinkles within the pages pieces of the past as it is woven into the present within SCANDAL and the reader gets a glimpse into how a friendship formed between the independent Sophie and the rake known as Banallt. Full of intriguing secondary characters, a fast paced storyline and some simmering sexual tension, Ms. Jewel delivers a high speed adventure as you read SCANDAL.

I have to say I have never read one of this authors book before so I wasn’t sure what to expect in her latest story. I was pleasantly surprised as her characters are well rounded and the story was a pleasing blend of past memories and the present between Sophie and Banallt. Banallt is one heck of a hero as well. His magnetism lit up the pages and makes you eager for a touch from this rake. He was a delight as he pursued Sophie and tried to show her that he has changed for the better. It was a wonderful thing to see a hero who is forced to show his love that even though he has a reputation of a rake, he has changed for her. It made me root for him to get Sophie’s formidable defenses down and to show her with every action that he was a reformed rake.

SCANDAL is a pure delight and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Jewel’s books in the future. If you enjoy a different take on reformed rakes in regency romance books, then take a look at SCANDAL. It will surely be a keeper on your shelf when you’re done.

THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THIS BOOK. THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED REVIEW.

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