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It Started With a Scandal
384 pages
A deeply tender, slow-burn romance where a ruined woman and a battered prince find unexpected sanctuary in one another.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a quiet, sunlit room after a long storm. It is a deeply intimate, character-driven romance that thrives on the delicious tension of forced proximity and stark class differences. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, allowing the emotional walls between a formidable, wounded prince and his resilient, socially exiled housekeeper to crumble with agonizingly beautiful slowness. Julie Anne Long's prose is both lyrical and razor-sharp, capturing the quiet dignity of survival and the terrifying vulnerability of learning to trust again. The atmosphere is cozy yet crackling with unspoken yearning, making it an utterly absorbing read for anyone who loves a tender, slow-burn story about two battered souls becoming each other's ultimate sanctuary.
- Mood
- intimate
- cozy
- melancholic
- romantic
- Tone
- witty
- tender
- yearning
- earnest
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- healing from trauma · class disparity · finding sanctuary · vulnerability and trust · redemption
- The writing
- Lyrical and emotionally astute, balancing sharp, observant wit with moments of profound, quiet ache.
- The arc
- Two guarded, socially exiled individuals slowly dismantle each other's defenses to build a fiercely protective and passionate partnership.
- Who it's for
- Fans of slow-burn historical romances who crave deep character studies, class-difference tension, and wounded protagonists finding their safe harbor.
Content notes
- social ostracization
- past trauma
- classism
About the book
Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword, and a stone-cold conviction: he'll restore his family's fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach—when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.
An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. She is shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, and her survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.
The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe's barricaded heart... and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.
Description from Open Library.
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