Spinster with a Scandalous Past

by Sadie King

Sworn never to marry

Or reveal her secrets…

Staying with her aunt for the summer, hoping to finally put the past behind her, spinster Louisa Conrad meets the baronet of Hayton Hall, Sir Isaac Liddell—a man so broodingly abrasive she’s determined to keep her distance! Until she discovers why he’s that way… With his experiences so like her own, Louisa can’t help but fall for him. She cannot let him closer unless he knows the truth of her past…but telling him risks her losing everything!

Genres: Romance

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 18, 2024

About the author

Sadie King is a historical romance novelist, with Regency romance novels published by Harlequin Mills & Boon.

Sadie also writes historical & contemporary novels under the name of Sarah L King, published via her own Ethersay Publishing imprint. Her novels include a trilogy set during the Pendle witch trials in the seventeenth century.

Sadie was born in Nottingham and raised in Lancashire. After graduating with a degree in History from Lancaster University, she moved to West Lothian, Scotland where she now lives with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, she loves long country walks, romantic ruins, Thai food and travelling with her family.

You can contact Sadie via her website.

Reviews

[Jenny Worstall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Mills and Boon and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A tremendously enjoyable read, with not only a tender romance at its heart, but also a sharp eyed look at the double standards of the time. The characterisation was brilliant, especially of the vile Mrs Pearson and her daughter.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I'd call a gentle read. There was no big drama and over-the-topness about it, and the pace was soft, a bit dragging at time I'll admit because I wanted things to move along quicker, but it was just right for these protagonists and to allow the reader to see how they fall in love and end up being perfect for each other. Especially Isaac - very heroic in a quiet, dignified way, which totally endeared me to him.
I would've wanted to see more at the end, but all in all, it was a very satisfactory read with that perfect happy sigh in the last chapters.

[Mary Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

The writing is good. The story is clean for those to whom that matters. I personally prefer a bit more passion. .It looks like it's the start of a series of two books. I realised that there may be a homage to Cassandra Austen as she like the heroine's aunt inherited a legacy from a fiance. The heroine, Louisa, has a scandalous past that's she's keen to keep hidden. Our hero, Sir Isaac is a widower who two years ago lost his wife and son. His heir, his younger brother (and I think possibly the hero of the next book) is keen to get him back into social life with the end result of making him happy again and possibly another marriage. Isaac is very grumpy with Louisa but once he realises that she wants to be friends and doesn't have any other agenda he relaxes a bit. The aunt has a friend in the village and Louisa acts as chaperone to her daughter. Charlotte seems Ok but her mother is a gossip and a schemer and things go wrong. Sadie looks like a new author and I will look out for more of her work. I thought the hero on the cover looked a bit staid and middle aged but it's probably a better fit with the character of our hero.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Rod · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clean story. A steady read. Louisa looking for some temporary relief from ongoing self imposed reclusivity on the families estate by visiting her spinster aunt. Here she meets Sir Isaac another recluse and friendship commences. I think most people can guess early on why Louisa states she cannot marry. Given she is so careful about trying to protect her fragile reputation why does she so often acknowledge her lack of care, such as meeting Isaac alone frequently, yet carries on doing it. I would have thought she would have kept her maid glued to her side. I am not clear why Mrs Pearson kept her knowledge of Louisa’s indiscretion to herself and inviting her to her house party. As she saw Louisa as competition to her daughter it would have made more sense to ‘dispose’ of her beforehand. It might have been nice to have seen Mrs Pearson’s reaction to their marriage, or even for Sir Isaac to put her in her place following being found in the library by a barbed comment regarding g debts and leaving beyond her means. It makes you wonder how they would afford a season for their daughter, as Mrs Pearson would want it to be ‘the best’. Overall steady but pleasant read.

[Elayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had realised quite early on just how far the scandal went, but nonetheless the denouement was well executed. As was mentioned, what happened before marriage was a well known secret to all, but well hidden. And birth dates were commonly fudged or babies arrived rather premature. But this was more.
I liked reading about Cumbria and a Northern port with the society that was part of it. The divisions between trade wealth and inherited wealth, had to be less as there were so few land owners per town in that part of England.
But the reminder of just how expensive books were, and that lending libraries were so rare was, once again, a shock - as a person who reads a book every day!
More books set outside London and Bath please.

[Mae of Scotland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Mills and Boon and to Sadie King for the opportunity to review Spinster With A Scandalous Past in exchange for a review. A interest regency romance premise featuring a spinster with a scandalous secret past. Nice to see a regency set against a different area, away from the London ton season. A nice cast of character, but I found some of them a likable but little dull and felt the romance chemistry a little dry. Nice read, but it won't be a memorable one for me.

[Leonora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this one out of the library, noticing it was by a new to the line author. Glad that I did. Somber, slow and soft love between two people who face similar hurt in their past but are treated very differently by society because of views regarding men and women. Very heart wrenching, very nice sniffle read.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Mills and Boon and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written historical romance set in Cumbria. Both the h/H are well crafted and sensitively fleshed out. I loved it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enoyed this regency romance with a difference as it was based in Cumbria, far from the usual settings of London or Bath. Louisa has come to stay with her Aunt in an effort to put her troubled past behind her. Howevr that is until she meets Sir Isaac Liddell and his younger brother.
She fight sthe growing attraction between them believing that her past would destroy any hope of a future together.
I particularly like the little historical snippets and descriptions of Cumbrian life at that time. Good plot and nicely drawn characters - and I do like when those who deserve it get their comeuppance. A great start to what I hope will be a series.