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Scandalous Secrets
392 pages
A comforting, slow-burn Regency romance where a ruined heroine and a stern father find unexpected healing in each other's company.
What it feels like
This classic Regency romance unfolds with a steady, comforting rhythm, wrapping the reader in a world of polite restraint and simmering, unspoken emotions. The mood is gently angsty yet ultimately hopeful, balancing the heavy burden of a ruined reputation with the cozy intimacy of forced proximity in a country estate. The prose is elegant and historically grounded, perfectly capturing the delicate dance of manners and the quiet vulnerability of two guarded people learning to trust. It is a story of second chances and found family, where a fiercely independent heroine and a stern, protective hero slowly dismantle each other's walls. Fans of Mary Balogh and traditional, character-driven historical romance will devour this tender tale of overcoming societal judgment to find a hard-won happily-ever-after.
- Mood
- cozy
- comforting
- gently angsty
- hopeful
- Tone
- earnest
- romantic
- proper
- dramatic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- second chances · overcoming societal ruin · healing from past wounds · found family · burden of secrets
- The writing
- Elegant and historically grounded, focusing on the polite restraint and simmering emotions typical of traditional Regency romance.
- The arc
- A guarded, socially exiled woman slowly lowers her defenses to find unexpected love and acceptance.
- Who it's for
- Readers who adore classic, slow-burn Regency romances featuring mature heroines with a past and stern heroes who soften for them.
Content notes
- societal shunning
- past scandal
- illness
About the book
Years ago, Lady Francesca St. Ives was divorced and cast out of her family--surrounded by rumors of a terrible scandal. Only her beloved Aunt Clarissa and Uncle John stood by her, taking her to their home in India.
Now heiress to a large fortune and known as Lady Fanny Wentworth, she returns to England to make a new life for herself--without the help of a man. But as they board the ship in Calais, she and her aunt rescue a little girl named Charlotte from thieves... and meet the child's father, the very handsome--and arrogant--Colonel Sir Derek Sheldon. Lady Fanny is charmed by sweet, innocent Charlotte, even as she is irritated by the child's father. Then an illness traps Lady Fanny at the Sheldon estate and, as she recovers, sharing close quarters with him, sparks begin to fly. Now Fanny must make a difficult decision--for if she trusts the Colonel with her heart, she must also trust him with the scandalous secrets of her past..
Description from Open Library.
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