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Do You Want to Start a Scandal
376 pages
A sparkling, Clue-inspired Regency romp where a desperate amateur sleuth and a buttoned-up spy fall in love over lock-picking and library scandals.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like playing a high-stakes game of Clue in a Regency ballroom, but with significantly more swooning. The narrative moves at a brisk, sparkling clip, propelled by razor-sharp banter and a delightfully absurd central mystery. It balances a lighthearted, comedic tone with moments of genuine, knee-melting romantic tension. The prose is snappy and modern in its comedic timing, making the pages fly by as the icy, hyper-competent hero slowly thaws under the heroine's chaotic charm. It is a sunlit, joyful reading experience that wraps you in a cozy yet thrilling atmosphere. Perfect for readers who devour historical romances where opposites attract, propriety is gleefully abandoned, and the dialogue is as sharp as the hero's hidden daggers.
- Mood
- sparkling
- cozy
- swoony
- joyful
- Tone
- playful
- witty
- romantic
- lighthearted
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- opposites attract · hidden depths · amateur sleuthing · burden of propriety · unlikely alliances
- The writing
- Snappy and dialogue-heavy, infused with modern comedic timing while maintaining a lush historical flavor.
- The arc
- Moves from exasperated reluctance and comedic frustration to a thrilling partnership, culminating in a deeply romantic surrender to vulnerability.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love their historical romance served with a generous side of banter, a dash of cozy mystery, and a buttoned-up hero who is secretly a badass.
Content notes
- sexual content
- mild peril
About the book
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. • Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? • Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? • Perhaps the butler did it.
All 20 year old Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry 30 year old Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.
But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.
Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?
Description from Open Library.
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