Saved by Scandal

by Barbara Metzger

Abandoned at the altar, Lord Galen Woodbridge decides to stir up a scandal—by wedding the London songstress, Margot Montclaire. But in saving his pride, he never planned on losing his heart.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Regency Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Barbara Metzger is the author of over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. She has also been an editor, a proof-reader, a greeting card verse-writer, and an artist. When not painting, writing romances or reading them, she volunteers at the local library, gardens and goes beach-combing and yard-saling.

Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.

Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...

Reviews

[Miranda Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be experiencing Metzger fatigue, I went on a binge reading her novels and have gotten inured to her charms. I'll finish this but I'll need serious palate cleansing before I delve into Lord Heartless, which sounds great and I want to enjoy it, without feeling deja-vu all over again.

Why fatigued? A personal peeve is authors recycling plots and characters, changing names and shifting some elements around but not really forging fresh stories or fresh personalities in stand-alone novels. At this point, I've gotten too used BM's repertory company of characters: the endangered, physically ill or harmed (poisoned) person in jeopardy (can be heroine or heroine's relative); the gallant hero who backs into the role but plays it well; the undisciplined, fang-baring dog of indeterminate breed; the loony relatives/friends; and the conniving bitch spoilsport. I mean, each story I've read so far has these types. Without fail. Sigh. In this novel, there were very droll twists of common sayings that opened each chapter and that helped but...

I know there are plot points that differ but overall there was a sameness that even her wonderful wit and slapstick situations cannot redeem. Also there is the same dearth of emotional content, of romance, and I miss it. I love to laugh but I love to feel a growing connection between hero and heroine. BM seems to let the romance get lost in the frenzy or in this case, it's just anemic and underfed, like the heroine's brother (who was being poisoned).

[Mary - Buried Under Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off well, with the trademark Metzger puns and witticisms, but somewhere close to midway goes into a withering heap of superbly annoying secondary characters, unfounded doubts, that mar the main couple's budding love and affections. I have to admit, by midway, even the book's humor was not enough to prevent me from skimming pages till the end.

Not a recommended Metzger.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, I read this. After reading Jane Austen in my early teens, I was happy to read the closest things I could find. This was a particularly bright one. It has a charming chapter conceit (that I still remember years later), with each chapter starting with "whoever said..." and continuing on with a famous quote that is to be the theme of the chapter. Metzger is lighthearted, witty and mischevious, and is more apt to make fun of romance than indulge in it- apart from the requisite small vignettes of the characters discovering how they feel. Perfect summer afternoon book to leave you with a smile on your face and with as much energy as the characters have.

[Saby Reads All Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metzger at her delightful best, as always! Her zany, fast-paced plot lines, adorable MCs and comical side characters make for such escapist fiction. ❤️

[Ann Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

priceless

I’ve become a big fan of Barbara Metzger, and I loved every minute of this book! Touching, romantic, and so funny! Just what a great Regency should be.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost feel like I could give this book 3 stars for surprised expectations, but I can't in good conscience give this one three stars. What I found unexpectedly delightful was the comedy of characters that distracted from the usual style of these books. What I found boring was the comedy of characters that distracted from the usual style of these books...
No, that isn't quite right. I truly did appreciate that this book never went rated R. In fact, it was annoying at PG13. The main hero and heroine are two perfect people placed in absurd circumstances to fall in love with one another. It is the ole 'marriage of convenience' and the 'husband wooing his wife'...old but good stereotypes.
Along for the ride comes an almost Georgette Heyerish cast of secondary characters, including a rebellious younger sister, sickly younger brother, dull witted cousin and heir, and spurned former lover. It ought to have been delightful and amusing. It tries to be delightful and amusing. And I was amused. I just didn't...laugh.
I like books with ridiculous characters doing ridiculous things. I love it when you expect one thing and something totally different happens. This book tries to channel that type of quirkiness, but unfortunately it also tries to channel the usual hero-wants-heroine stuff and it just doesn't work. It isn't one or the other, but awkwardly and heavy-handedly both.
The chapter introductions are clever and memorable. The characters amusing. I will probably remember the setting of the drapes on fire for a while. But overall, I can't say more than "it was okay." Because it could have been funny, or it could have appealed to trashy romance readers, and instead it settles somewhere awkwardly inbetween and succeeds at neither.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Galen Woodbridge has been jilted at the alter - twice - by the same lady. This time, Lady Floria has run off with a fortune hunter leaving Galen to nurse his wounded pride. Galen decides that an even bigger scandal will save him from the gossip mill. The only thing to do, he decides, is marry the lovely opera singer Margot Montclaire. He enlists the aid of his drunken clergyman friend "Skippy" Skidmore to purchase the special license and assumes all will be smooth sailing from there. Wrong. When he arrives at the singer's boarding house he can't get past the front door. First there's a growling mongrel, then an old crone and yet another old woman who won't even give Galen the time of day. Determined not to be thwarted in his scene, Galen continues his pursuit with bribes (including losing his gloves to the mutt, Ruff) until he meets Margot. To Galen's surprise and delight, Margot reveals she is a real lady, the daughter of a Baron who made a love match with a French singer and displeased his family. Galen and Margot lay all their cards on the table: she agrees to a provisional marriage in name only (for six months) and Galen agrees to provide a home for her sickly little brother Ansel, the dog, Margot's dresser Ella, rescue Ella's husband from jail and thwart Margot's wicked uncle from seizing Ansel's rightful property. Galen readily agrees and they are married three hours later. Galen is convinced he has done the right thing and that Margot will grow to love him in time. To prove his love for her, he rushes off to rescue the young Baron while Margot is left to finish her contract at the London theatre, charm the ton, plan a wedding party, deal with all the invitations and wedding gifts that arrive, and hire a new staff that isn't afraid of Ruff. Then Galen's hoydenish little sister arrives in town and another unexpected visitor arrives hot on her heels to further complicate matters. Will Galen ever return home? Can Margot live up to his expectations and rise to the occasion?

This story is very different from the typical marriage of convenience plot. The plot follows more along the lines of a "sweet" style romance. The story has all the hallmarks of a classic Barbara Metzger book: a loyal animal companion, comic characters, a no-nonsense heroine and a sweet romance. The characters are all appealing, except, of course, for the villains. My favorite character was Ruff, the dog. He stole every scene he was in and is an integral part of the plot. Galen is a perfectly swoonworthy hero. His nickname, "Sir Galahad," suits him and if I were in Margot's situation I would have married him too. I would have married him even if I weren't in Margot's situation. Margot is beautiful and innocent but she's not spoiled and she's not a wilting flower. She's intelligent and strong and handles all the crazy situations thrown at her with good grace. Skippy is a great sidekick. He provides a lot of laugh out loud moments in the story. For those keeping track, there's very little sensuality in this story. Galen is attracted to Margot and there are some serious kissing scenes but the prose doesn't go beyond the fact that their clothes were rumpled.I loved this novel and recommend it to those who enjoy comedy of manners plots, screwball comedies and sweet romances.

[KP Pryce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anyone who checks my Goodreads page will see that I read an average of eight books a week. What's more, I read every word of a story - no skimming. You never know what gem you'll miss if you skim. If an author goes to the trouble of crafting a story - wordsmithing for my entertainment - then I will read every word that's offered.

On rare occasions, even I cannot bring myself to finish a book. I did finish this one, but while there was plenty of evidence in the writing to suggest that the author has talent, the story content was disappointing.

This story was barely a romance. It read more like two people becoming friends or allies against a menagerie of dysfunctional folk - and truly, there was hardly anyone around this pair who could - by any stretch of the imagination - be certified as normal.

Somewhere in that quagmire of nutcases, there was a dog that seems to have been big, ugly and like the humans around him -socially dysfunctional. I will give credit where credit is due, however, and note that when the chips were down, the dog saved the day.

But overall, this story seemed frenetic. There was no elegance; none of that magic something that makes a Regency a Regency? Not in this story.

There was a young lordling - and to be honest, the hero's nursing of the boy on their journey to London was probably the only truly engaging part of the story. It was during the hero's efforts to see this boy through withdrawal from opium addiction that I felt that I was actually getting to see into this man. Then he reverted to superficial form when he arrives back home.

In a nutshell: Hero gets jilted, so he introduces himself to a popular stage singer he's never met before, and three or four hours later, they are married.

Then there's the Hero's friend Skippy - and every time he came into the story, I swear to God, the overiding thought in my head was 'you can tell a lot about a man from the company he keeps!'

The fiancee who originally jilted the hero just turns up and moves right into the newlyweds' London home and refuses to leave. No evidence of breeding or good manners there either.

Then there's the hero's sister - and five minutes with her, and you know damn well you weren't imagining it - this family was not raised to be even slightly well-mannered or genteel.

And don't forget the heroine's uncle - someone who seemed to be a rat's whisker away from being a truly feral animal lifeform.

Add to the character issues the fact that the story was sort of flung at you in a ceaseless bombardment of information; often in a way that made you wonder whose point of view you were in now - and I'm talking from one paragraph to the next - and it was like being on an out-of-control rollercoaster; but worse than that - when you look up,you realize there's no-one driving the damn thing!

Did I enjoy the story? No. I have read far better works from this author. This one didn't live up to the promise of the premise, and I was very glad to get to the end of it. At that point, all I felt was thoroughly exhausted from the experience.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been one for reading romance novels but after reading 'A Worthy Wife' (recommended by reviews on Goodreads) I am really enjoying Barbara Metzger's style. I found 'Saved by Scandal' to be light, witty and thoroughly enjoyable. Both 'Saved by Scandal' and 'A Worthy Wife' start with the character left standing at the altar so I'm hoping her other books have different storylines.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

leído en Enero 24

Muy entretenido, gracioso y con buenos personajes!!


ESCANDALOSOS

CONTEXTO: Inglaterra, Regencia
PROTAGONISTAS: Margot Montclaire y Galen Woodrow, Lord Woodbridge.

ARGUMENTO:

UN NOVIO HUMILLADO EN EL ALTAR

Galen, vizconde de Woodbridge y heredero del ducado, estaba comprometido para casarse con lady Floria Cleary desde la infancia. Dos años antes, ella había cancelado la boda una semana antes que el evento tuviese lugar. Galen la comprendió y el compromiso continuó . Pero eso no es nada comparado con lo que Floria acaba de hacerle. Ella ha dejado literalmente plantado a Galen en el altar en frente de cientos de invitados de la alta sociedad para escaparse y casarse con un apuesto cazafortunas. Un escándalo!

UN ESCANDALO TAPA OTRO ESCANDALO

Encerrado en su casa recuperar su orgullo herido , Galen descubre que su corazón no está roto. Pero su orgullo ha recibido una terrible paliza. Y que lo único que no puede tolerar es convertirse en el hazmerreír de la alta sociedad londinense. La única solución que se le ocurre es crear escándalo mayor para que el episodio del plantón sea olvidado. Y no se le ocurre mejor idea que ofrecerle matrimonio a una estrella del teatro londinense, la bella cantante Margot Montclaire.

Y LOS ESCANDALOSOS SE DIVIERTEN HASTA ENAMORARSE ...

A diferencia de la mayoría de las cantantes y actrices, Margot se ha negado a complementar sus ingresos convirtiéndose en "la protegida" en uno de sus muchos admiradores. Pero cuando Galen aparece en su puerta y le ofrece casarse con ella, Margot se siente muy tentada. Aunque la madre de Margot fue una actriz, su padre era el barón de Penrose y ellos , contradiciendo lo que afirman los chismes, estaban legalmente casados. Sus padres han muerto y su hermano es el nuevo barón. Pero su tío , quien ambiciona el título y la propiedad, ha echado a Margot de su casa . Margot teme por el destino de su hermano Ansel. Cuando Galen acepta rescatar a Ansel de su malvado tío, Margot sella un pacto con él. Ambos protagonizarán un casamiento que provocará un verdadero escándalo!

Hacer una sinopsis de la trama de un libro de Barbara Metzger no siempre es fácil, porque suceden tantas cosas y todas tan divertidas. Aparte de la trama de aventuras, el romance de Margot y Galeno, ustedes disfrutarán de un entretenido elenco de personajes secundarios, que incluye un perro llamado Rufián que se roba las escenas.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a 5

I liked the characters. They were an implausible lot but that's usually the case in a Barbara Metzger story. But what didn't jibe at all to me was the ex fiancee Floria. Two adults could not figure out how to get this obnoxious female out of the house. I wanted to scream at my kindle CALL HER FATHER. He was an earl for God's sake. There was no sign he didn't love her. NO doubt he would have dragged her home by the hair of her head. Harriet the duke's daughter was tstl. Not my favorite type of character.

On the other hand. Liked the H/h. Liked the child. The dog. The servants. Liked the fact the villain got his comeuppance. So 4 stars for me.

[Barbara K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing I can say about this book is that it's funny. The second thing is that it has a Regency era setting, though that isn't always obvious or important. The third is that it's a romance. It's very lighthearted. Some of the characters are absurd, some dangerous, some lovable, some just plain dumb as rocks. There are aspects of it that become a bit tedious, such as the "whoever said ..." platitudes at the beginning of each chapter. Some of the characters become irritating, so much so that I wanted to knock their heads together. But the ending is a riot, and the story wound up satisfactorily for me. So I got exactly what I expected, and would recommend it to anyone with a penchant for Regency romance who wants a little light reading.

[Flo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a Good Regency

I could not like anyone in this irrational love story. I did not understand why he chose Margot, a singer, to marry. Why he included a six month no touch clause. Why Galen had no sex appeal at all. I could not read this colorless regency.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lord Galen Woodbridge has been dumped by the same woman for the 2nd time although this time it was actually at the altar. In order to deflect the ensuing scandal away from his very public humiliation he cooks up a plan, while drunk, to marry the elusive Margot Montclaire, a sexy songstress of the stage. Galen is titled and very rich as well as dashing and handsome. For Margot he is harder to resist than any of the others who have tried to be her protector. She agrees to marry him on the condition that he spirit away her younger brother from the hands of her dastardly uncle. Galen agrees, the bargain is struck and they are married by special license only a few hours later. Each are comfortable with their part of the bargain, but soon they learn that there is more to life than mere comfort when they fall in love.

Galen is a knight in shining armor and Margot is a delight. The uncle is a true villain and the other characters are fun to read. When Galen’s ex-fiancée shows up I wanted to beat her about the head and shoulders then kick her out, but Margot isn’t me. *sigh* And his sister? Oh boy! What a piece of work that spoiled bitch is. It all works out in the end, but I’d sure like to get my hands on that uncle for what he did to Margot’s little brother. Grrrr! All-in-all an excellent afternoon read.

[kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Galen Woodbridge just got left at the alter, so he decides that marrying the ~scandalous Magnificent Margot is just the ticket. Lo, she's actually a baron's daughter! So marrying her isn't really that scandalous at all! But she's kind of cute, and why the hell not, right? They end up facing off against ALL the mis-adventures, and finally FALL IN LOVE. End book.

Here's the thing about Metzger: she's a knock-off, PG-13 Heyer. None of the farcical bits have the snap and bite of Heyer, and even the ~naughty bits seem tame to modern eyes. There's humor, absolutely, but it's not timeless enough to make these books truly stand out.

That said, I do enjoy the light-hearted nature of them; I know what to except and that makes these good, distracting summer reading material.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 5 stars but there were a few body part references. It was clean in that no "bedroom" scenes were written. Very fun, fast paced and witty. Loved the characters.

[Zel Polev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The cast of characters are likeable and their own little stories are interesting. I thought it was a pleasant story.

I really love that Galen set himself apart from Margot's numerous suitors by offering marriage. Other gentlemen would love to have her as his mistress but Galen wanted her as a respectable wife. I thought it was a great beginning.

The story revolves around Galen and Margot. Galen was left at the altar by his narcissistic fiancee. The fiancee ran off with her fortune hunting beau. Galen was an object of pity but he had a plan to avoid that. He decided that he would be husband to the most desired woman of the ton, Margot.

Margot was a singer. She had a ton of offers to be a mistress but Galen offered her a respectable marriage. She agreed because she saw a lot of benefits. She needed his money to take her sickly brother away from their unscrupulous uncle.

They had a six month agreement to see if they would suit. They married but they didn't consummate it.

Galen took her brother from the uncle. The brother was about to die after being repeatedly drugged from opium. Galen nursed him back from the brink of death.

Meanwhile, Margot was dealing with Galen's hoyden of a sister. Additionally, the narcissistic fiancee sprung up and muscled her way in Margot's household. The fiancee initially wanted to fulfill her engagement with Galen after she found her beau wanting. When she found out that he was already married, she opted to stay to get her dowry back.

The fiancee wreaked havoc whenever she can before and after Galen returned. When it was made clear to her that the dowry was now part of Margot's portion, she plotted revenge. She wanted to ruin Galen's sister in retaliation. It gets squashed by circumstances, such as Galen hiring Margot's servant's husband, who was recently freed from prison and was very grateful for his release.

The other villain was the uncle. He wanted to kill his nephew so he could get the title instead. When it became apparent that his nephew was recovering, he travelled to the city himself. His attempts were squashed.

The book ended with Galen wanting to end the terms of their marriage. He told her he couldn't wait the initially agreed upon six months. Margot pounced on him.

[Leonora · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more berserk Barbara Metgzers I've read so far, which is saying something for her as she does love a good mayhem.

The ML is jilted at the start by his long-time arranged fiancé, she runs off in a carriage instead of going down the aisle where he's waiting. The ML takes off to convince a sought-after singer/actress who has refused all offers for protection from gentlemen to marry him because what's one to do other than cause a bigger scandal?

She says yes as he agrees to help her out with a nasty family situation (saving her brother from an evil uncle, essentially) and we're off to the races encountering large ravenous dogs, returned ex-fiancés, hare-brained friends and troublesome family members.

Everybody contributes at the end for a grand guignol with more spilled wine than blood before our couple gets to take a rest. A rollicking fun time.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

To say this was not the author's best work would be an understatement! A major disappointment.

The book started out good. I liked both the h and hr. They had great chemistry. What ruined the book was Galen's sister and his ex fiancee. Both were spoiled and selfish human beings. Galen allows his brat sister to continue to disobey him. His ex barges into his home ruined and wanting her dowry back. All he does is threaten them. His ex should never have been allowed in the home.

The rest of the characters were great. This would have been a good book but was sadly ruined by 2 characters.

[Kathryn Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and Lively

A wonderful screwball comedic love story with heroics and antics for all. In the style of Georgette Heyer or Eloisa James, it’s a lovely romp through Regency England and a satisfying love story without most of the angst and with all kinds of action. I can’t wait to read another by this author!

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Barbara Metzger all the time, but this particular story was one of her strongest ones. She made sure include plenty of villains performing at varying levels of villainy, so that it was that much harder for our married couple to fall in love with each other and grow closer. A very entertaining read.

[Karen Lawsing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metzger her writes with a delicious sense of humor. I enjoyed her use of time worn adages to start each chapter; if I say more on that, I might spoil a bit of your fun. The antagonist is dastardly, exes are eye rolling and teenagers are teens. Love triumphs. Perfect for a rainy afternoon by the fire with a cup of fortified tea.

[Jupiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta es una historia muy graciosa, como me reí cuando aparecen los “ladrones”, que satisfacción me dio.
Aunque me frustro demasiado la hermana y la ex, aguaron mi lectura, solo quería que alguien ya les diera una lección.
Ah y mención especial a Skippy, con ese nombre más lo que decía o hacía eran más momentos de risa.🤣😂






🌧📚☔️

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible
I really liked the hero and of course Pippa Rathborn is an amazing narrator. It's difficult to see the horrible abuse the child suffers and it's nonsense that they don't physically remove the ex from their house. But still an entertaining story.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time I've read this. Fun read

[Renn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Metzger's books can always be relied up for a fun, punny read.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean reading ,comical characters .

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Nothing too serious. Almost a parody of both romance novels and more serious historical novels.

[Audiobook Accomplice (Gillian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One o’ Metzger’s romp-iest romps… and whazzis: A bit of inCREdible depth? >sniffle<
My Full Review →

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars