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Scandal's Child
True love is often scandalous…
As her brother and sister prepare to make their Society debut, Kat Thistlewait vows to sit on the sidelines like a proper young lady. Fate has other plans, though, and when Kat tries to save her mischievous twin she lands herself in a compromising position with battle-scarred and world-weary French nobleman Jules Devereaux.
Knowing that no lady of quality would ever overlook his imperfections, Jules agrees to marry Kat in order to save what little reputation she has left. A marriage of convenience isn’t what either desires, but love can grow from the most unlikely of sources.
As her brother and sister prepare to make their Society debut, Kat Thistlewait vows to sit on the sidelines like a proper young lady. Fate has other plans, though, and when Kat tries to save her mischievous twin she lands herself in a compromising position with battle-scarred and world-weary French nobleman Jules Devereaux.
Knowing that no lady of quality would ever overlook his imperfections, Jules agrees to marry Kat in order to save what little reputation she has left. A marriage of convenience isn’t what either desires, but love can grow from the most unlikely of sources.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
68 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
Sherrill Bodine
13 books48 followersI’m sure growing up in my grandmother’s house, taking care of my developmentally disabled mother, forged who I am, but I don’t believe any one thing defines me. My philosophy of life is that we are all in this together—and we need to embrace one another with as much grace, humor and compassion as we can muster. I see life as big, bigger, biggest, and I want to take everyone along with me on the journey. I not only attend black-tie affairs and work on charity board projects, but I am also just as likely to be taking a grandchild to lunch and a movie. I’m happily married to John, with whom I eloped when I was an 18-year-old freshman in college. It was quite the scandal. We have four beautiful children and 11 grandchildren.
I won my first writing award in the seventh grade in a statewide essay contest about a television broadcast of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. Instead of Silver Skates, they sent real skates, which I enjoyed immensely. I’m only sorry I don’t still have them so they could hang in my office.
While moving 22 times across the country and rearing our children, I sold stories to Fate Magazine, Home Life Magazine and True Confessions. In 1988, I sold my first novel and a week later received a two-book contract from Fawcett. Sixteen novels later, I’ve seen The Other Amanda win the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Write Touch Readers’ Award and Talk of the Town chosen by Cosmopolitan magazine as its “Red Hot Read” for February 2009.
aka: Lynn Leslie and Leslie Lynn
I won my first writing award in the seventh grade in a statewide essay contest about a television broadcast of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. Instead of Silver Skates, they sent real skates, which I enjoyed immensely. I’m only sorry I don’t still have them so they could hang in my office.
While moving 22 times across the country and rearing our children, I sold stories to Fate Magazine, Home Life Magazine and True Confessions. In 1988, I sold my first novel and a week later received a two-book contract from Fawcett. Sixteen novels later, I’ve seen The Other Amanda win the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Write Touch Readers’ Award and Talk of the Town chosen by Cosmopolitan magazine as its “Red Hot Read” for February 2009.
aka: Lynn Leslie and Leslie Lynn
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 9, 2014
Does not live up to the description
I was so you 35% of the way through this book when I asked myself why I was reading it. The premise is absurd. The heroine follows her brother to an inn, goes to his room, and falls asleep? Without confronting him with his failure to stick to his commitments? The hero mistakes which room is his and falls into bed without noticing that it's occupied? Please. That's too silly to suspense disbelief.
I was so you 35% of the way through this book when I asked myself why I was reading it. The premise is absurd. The heroine follows her brother to an inn, goes to his room, and falls asleep? Without confronting him with his failure to stick to his commitments? The hero mistakes which room is his and falls into bed without noticing that it's occupied? Please. That's too silly to suspense disbelief.
March 7, 2014
Had a couple moments that showed potential, but too many characters with pointlessly complicated back stories to stand alone, too many typos, and two key scenes are desperately in need of clearer...it's like the author directed a play by saying "everyone get on stage and step forward when you have a line"
March 16, 2015
It was a free download from Amazon and I decided to give it a go, but I stopped reading after a while as I couldn't like much the characters and the story wasn't very credible.
I mean, a man wakes up in a inn room with a woman he doesn't know next to him with people telling him he should marry to avoid scandal and he smiles and he is happy (?)
I mean, a man wakes up in a inn room with a woman he doesn't know next to him with people telling him he should marry to avoid scandal and he smiles and he is happy (?)
August 5, 2016
This is part of my current experiment in randomly downloading kindle freebies and trying (emphasis on T-R-Y-I-N-G, here) to read them. In this case: utterly impossible. If there was a literary equivalent of the word inedible, it would find perfect use here.
March 3, 2014
It started off cute but didn't really care for the Bodines writing style.
August 14, 2016
Forgettable, bland story with many historical inaccuracies (too much freedom for our heroine as an example)
April 30, 2018
Kathryn and Jules
I enjoyed this book about a young woman always protecting her wild twin brother. It gets her in trouble but makes for a good story.
I enjoyed this book about a young woman always protecting her wild twin brother. It gets her in trouble but makes for a good story.
July 24, 2020
Actually written by Sherrill Bodine and Elaine Sima under the name Leslie Lynn, so the description is wrong.
Okay book, with crime etc.
Okay book, with crime etc.
February 25, 2022
Clean exciting romance Feb 2022
A very good although quite short story with never a dull moment not at all realistic but very entertaining, good characters involved.
A very good although quite short story with never a dull moment not at all realistic but very entertaining, good characters involved.
July 13, 2024
This was a free book on Amazon. It's a light read for a vacation.
April 23, 2014
This was the first book I've ever read by Sherrill Bodine (thanks to it being an Amazon freebie), but it certainly won't be the last! I've already downloaded another of her books, and will be downloading a third when I'm done with that.
This was a story that I was completely drawn into. I loved pretty much everything about it; to start with the characters were well developed and likeable (Kat was my favorite by far) as she is a feisty woman who isn't afraid of doing whatever is necessary to "save" her twin brother Jacko. In fact, her devotion to her brother is the very thing that gets her into trouble in the first place! She takes off after him after learning that he plans to leave, and instead ends up finding herself in a very scandalous position with Jules. Speaking of Jules, he is flawed in a physical and emotional state. He lost his eye over a misunderstanding that not only cost his mother her life, but also caused a ten year estrangement from his brother as well. Speaking of Jules, he is flawed in both a physical and emotional state. He lost his eye years ago over a misunderstanding that not only cost his mother her life, but also caused a ten year estrangement from his brother as well.
The romance was sweet, this is a "clean" novel, meaning their is no sex, but there is lots of kissing with the promise of more. I enjoyed their relationship, seeing them both realize the love they had for each other, and even during a "misunderstanding" of their own, I didn't think it was overplayed, or was turned off thinking "it could have been avoided" (even though it could have been), because it was REAL. The story was written in such a way that you felt the characters emotions, and based on what you know about them made their reactions, and inaction to certain events completely realistic.
Finally, what is any good novel without some suspense and surprise? There was certainly enough of both contained in this story that I was glued to the pages as I tried to find out what would happen next. From being assaulted by "thugs" to a dual with a surprising outcome, I would highly recommend this book!
This was a story that I was completely drawn into. I loved pretty much everything about it; to start with the characters were well developed and likeable (Kat was my favorite by far) as she is a feisty woman who isn't afraid of doing whatever is necessary to "save" her twin brother Jacko. In fact, her devotion to her brother is the very thing that gets her into trouble in the first place! She takes off after him after learning that he plans to leave, and instead ends up finding herself in a very scandalous position with Jules. Speaking of Jules, he is flawed in a physical and emotional state. He lost his eye over a misunderstanding that not only cost his mother her life, but also caused a ten year estrangement from his brother as well. Speaking of Jules, he is flawed in both a physical and emotional state. He lost his eye years ago over a misunderstanding that not only cost his mother her life, but also caused a ten year estrangement from his brother as well.
The romance was sweet, this is a "clean" novel, meaning their is no sex, but there is lots of kissing with the promise of more. I enjoyed their relationship, seeing them both realize the love they had for each other, and even during a "misunderstanding" of their own, I didn't think it was overplayed, or was turned off thinking "it could have been avoided" (even though it could have been), because it was REAL. The story was written in such a way that you felt the characters emotions, and based on what you know about them made their reactions, and inaction to certain events completely realistic.
Finally, what is any good novel without some suspense and surprise? There was certainly enough of both contained in this story that I was glued to the pages as I tried to find out what would happen next. From being assaulted by "thugs" to a dual with a surprising outcome, I would highly recommend this book!
August 4, 2014
Twins, deceit, and the French comte
Twins, deceit, and the French comte
This is a sweet book, full of romance and humor. The main hero is, indeed, a French comte, while the secondary heroes are assorted Englishmen of various stripes. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys lite-hearted humor, old-fashioned romance, or twins who switch identities.
One of the twins is our heroine. The other is one of those assorted young men I mentioned. The two obviously have a more than usual resemblance. This resemblance, and a tendency for the (slightly) older sister to protect her brother begin the comedy of errors that is this book. Things proceed through a marriage of necessity, since she is found in bed with the comte, on through various side romances, all accompanied by a villain who is enemies with the hero and a threat to any decent woman (and probably some indecent ones too). Just how sweet the book is, is probably best indicated by the fact that although there is indeed a duel at the end, and the villain does get shot - he gets shot in the hand and put on a ship out of the country rather than killed.
Twins, deceit, and the French comte
This is a sweet book, full of romance and humor. The main hero is, indeed, a French comte, while the secondary heroes are assorted Englishmen of various stripes. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys lite-hearted humor, old-fashioned romance, or twins who switch identities.
One of the twins is our heroine. The other is one of those assorted young men I mentioned. The two obviously have a more than usual resemblance. This resemblance, and a tendency for the (slightly) older sister to protect her brother begin the comedy of errors that is this book. Things proceed through a marriage of necessity, since she is found in bed with the comte, on through various side romances, all accompanied by a villain who is enemies with the hero and a threat to any decent woman (and probably some indecent ones too). Just how sweet the book is, is probably best indicated by the fact that although there is indeed a duel at the end, and the villain does get shot - he gets shot in the hand and put on a ship out of the country rather than killed.
March 25, 2014
This was a cute little story to pass the time, I guess but I don't think I'd ever read it again or any of the other books in the series. Why? It's forgettable. The story had so much potential, but I really disliked the author's writing. The ending seemed rushed and a lot could have being either taken out because of redundancy and descriptions to provide imagery were poor and seemed rushed also. Due to this flaw of being stingy with descriptions or details, a lot of events ( ie: being attacked by hired thieves out of nowhere) seemed very spontaneous without a gradual buildup of suspense. I found that very off putting, and made me almost feel like I was running around with my head cut off looking for a reason to the sudden shift in scene. The heroine was likeable, but there was a section in the book where the silent argument could have been avoided if both parties actually communicated, just saying.
January 25, 2015
Clean historical romance about a scarred and damaged French lord that is going back to France after fixing his past and getting closer to his English half-brother, but instead finds love by accident.
Miss Kat Thistlewait is used to taking care of her twin brother sincer they were little children so when it is her time to find a husband in her second London season, her brother makes even more mistakes which she runs to fix, but actually gets her self into a bad situation that can only be fixed by getting engaged to Comte Jules Devereaux. So they travel to France and back to England like it is modern times when it should have taken months to make that trip comfortably in the time of horse and buggies. I liked Kat and her craziness is explained by her crazy family and friends which makes sense that she would fall in love with a complicated by honorable man like Jules.
Shortish story that was well written but nothing original.
156 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
Miss Kat Thistlewait is used to taking care of her twin brother sincer they were little children so when it is her time to find a husband in her second London season, her brother makes even more mistakes which she runs to fix, but actually gets her self into a bad situation that can only be fixed by getting engaged to Comte Jules Devereaux. So they travel to France and back to England like it is modern times when it should have taken months to make that trip comfortably in the time of horse and buggies. I liked Kat and her craziness is explained by her crazy family and friends which makes sense that she would fall in love with a complicated by honorable man like Jules.
Shortish story that was well written but nothing original.
156 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
October 11, 2014
I'm not too sure how I feel about this one. It was definitely a sweet story and I really liked our hero... however,
The entire premise of the story was laughable.
For one, if Kat traveled all that way with the intention of confronting her brother for shirking his responsibilities, why in the actual fuck did the girl go upstairs and go to sleep? You're not there to take a nap honey, so what the hell are you doing?
For two, our hero seriously doesn't notice that the bed he just crawled in is already occupied?!?!? Give me a fucking break! Seriously??
Now, once you manage to get over that ridiculous bullshit, the story is sweet, like I said, but also rather bland. There was nothing especially memorable about this book. It doesn't grab you and pull you in, and it definitely doesn't encourage you to go out and read the others in its series.
However, I will give this 3 Stars because I really liked Jules and Kat was kinda funny.
The entire premise of the story was laughable.
For one, if Kat traveled all that way with the intention of confronting her brother for shirking his responsibilities, why in the actual fuck did the girl go upstairs and go to sleep? You're not there to take a nap honey, so what the hell are you doing?
For two, our hero seriously doesn't notice that the bed he just crawled in is already occupied?!?!? Give me a fucking break! Seriously??
Now, once you manage to get over that ridiculous bullshit, the story is sweet, like I said, but also rather bland. There was nothing especially memorable about this book. It doesn't grab you and pull you in, and it definitely doesn't encourage you to go out and read the others in its series.
However, I will give this 3 Stars because I really liked Jules and Kat was kinda funny.
May 8, 2021
An okay book.
I enjoyed the premise but the story was kind of slow moving. Jules and Kat were good main characters. Though I liked that there were some bonus love stories among the secondary characters. And Jules and Kat had some annoying miscommunications that would've been solved so easily if they just shared their feelings. And I think that lack of sharing made the story drag. The conflict and villain was pretty good. He was a trash guy and all was fixed pretty nicely in the end.
All in all, a typical romance novel. Not spectacular, but not horrible. Definitely had it's moments of good writing and story.
I enjoyed the premise but the story was kind of slow moving. Jules and Kat were good main characters. Though I liked that there were some bonus love stories among the secondary characters. And Jules and Kat had some annoying miscommunications that would've been solved so easily if they just shared their feelings. And I think that lack of sharing made the story drag. The conflict and villain was pretty good. He was a trash guy and all was fixed pretty nicely in the end.
All in all, a typical romance novel. Not spectacular, but not horrible. Definitely had it's moments of good writing and story.
March 17, 2015
If you like Georgette Heyer, you'll like this one. Witty, humorous and a good narration style, what more can you want in a light romance?
Taken under the wings of their aunt, Kat and Jacko, the twin, and their sister Maria are expected to make a good catch on the marriage market, which, due do a scandal in their past, they will need. Unfortunately, Kat is not your usual young lady, behaving as society expects. Things just happen to her...
I loved this story and will definitely try to see more of this author.
Taken under the wings of their aunt, Kat and Jacko, the twin, and their sister Maria are expected to make a good catch on the marriage market, which, due do a scandal in their past, they will need. Unfortunately, Kat is not your usual young lady, behaving as society expects. Things just happen to her...
I loved this story and will definitely try to see more of this author.
January 16, 2017
A charming easy to read book. The hero and heroine of the book Jules and Kat are found in a compromising situation and have to marry. Kat has always promised herself she would only marry for love. Each are attracted to one another but neither knows what the other thinks. I would have liked Jules to be stronger than he came across but at least there is a happy ever after.
February 23, 2016
An 'only average' romantic story, with quite predictable plots. Too many typos for my taste, everyone has 'spell check' on their word document, so no excuse. Not one I would want to read again, or recommend to friends.
January 27, 2016
Interesting storyline.
Likeable characters, but on nearly every page I wish Jules had been more of a man shown kathriyn he knew how to be a husband. A little annoying that he didn't take more control in the love making. By the time he got around to do the dead the book ended.
Likeable characters, but on nearly every page I wish Jules had been more of a man shown kathriyn he knew how to be a husband. A little annoying that he didn't take more control in the love making. By the time he got around to do the dead the book ended.
March 9, 2014
I enjoyed this book...although it had no surprises, it was a competent historical romance.
March 12, 2014
Cute story. Main character is a hoot! Well written. I could actually see it all take place in my mind.
September 2, 2016
A little stilted in places, but a nice Regency tale.
March 29, 2014
Free on amazon.com.
156 pages.
156 pages.
April 3, 2014
Great chic read
October 25, 2015
An enjoyable, fast read.
August 16, 2020
This was alright. I liked Kat and Jules. Somewhat ridiculous story line but it's about what you expect from this sort of book. The romance was nice and there were some funny lines. 2 stars.
May 17, 2014
this was sweet.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews