Books › A Scandalous Bargain
A Scandalous Bargain
223 pages
A classic battle of wills where desperate family loyalty collides with the dangerous allure of a notorious rake.
What it feels like
Reading this classic Regency romance feels like stepping into a dimly lit drawing room where every glance is loaded with tension and every conversation is a high-stakes duel. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging pace, pulling the reader through a dramatic enemies-to-lovers arc fueled by desperate bargains and scandalous propositions. The mood is steeped in the delicious anxiety of ruined reputations and forbidden attraction, balancing the heroine's fierce family loyalty with the hero's unapologetic rakishness. The prose is traditional and dialogue-heavy, capturing the formal yet emotionally volatile exchanges of the era. It is a perfect escape for readers who delight in old-school historical romances where a battle of wits inevitably surrenders to a swoon-worthy, passionate redemption.
- Mood
- tension-filled
- swoony
- scandalous
- Tone
- dramatic
- witty
- romantic
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- family loyalty and sacrifice · enemies to lovers · redemption of a rake · the price of reputation
- The writing
- Classic and straightforward, leaning into the formal yet emotionally charged dialogue characteristic of traditional Regency romance.
- The arc
- Moves from desperate animosity and high-stakes bargaining to reluctant attraction and ultimately passionate devotion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love vintage Regency romances where a determined heroine goes toe-to-toe with a dangerous, unapologetic rake.
Content notes
- gambling addiction
- transactional relationship
About the book
LORD JUSTIN CARDYLE HAD RUINED VALERIA'S BROTHER. NOW IT WAS HER TURN.
Valeria Stanton's older but definitely not wiser brother Harry clearly was no match for the Earl of Cardyle -- in drinking or gambling. The rakish Earl had led Harry to consume far more wine than Harry could handle, then to lose far more at cards than Harry could hope to pay.
Now Lord Cardyle's eager hands held Harry's worthless promissory notes and, with them, Harry's good name. The only way that Valeria saw to get them back was to offer her own person in return. But if Valeria was willing to give herself to this man she loathed, she still had one problem remaining. For the undeniably handsome Cardyle could have any woman he wanted, and Valeria had to make him want her....
Description from Open Library.
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