Always Proper, Suddenly Scandalous

Scandalous Seasons #3

by Christi Caldwell

Geoffrey Winters, Viscount Redbrooke was not always the hard, unrelenting lord driven by propriety. After a tragic mistake, he resolved to honor his responsibility to the Redbrooke line and live a life, free of scandal. Knowing his duty is to wed a proper, respectable English miss, he selects Lady Beatrice Dennington, daughter of the Duke of Somerset, the perfect woman for him. Until he meets Miss Abigail Stone...

To distance herself from a personal scandal, Abigail Stone flees America to visit her uncle, the Duke of Somerset. She finds herself helplessly intrigued by the hard, too-proper Geoffrey. With his strict appreciation for decorum and order, he is nothing like the man she's always dreamed of.

Abigail is everything Geoffrey does not need. She upends his carefully ordered world at every encounter. As they begin to care for one another, Abigail carefully guards the secret that resulted in her journey to England.

Only, if Geoffrey learns the truth about Abigail, he must decide which he holds most dear--his place in Society or Abigail's place in his heart.

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

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2014

About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling author CHRISTI CALDWELL blames Judith McNaught's "Whitney, My Love!" for luring her into the world of historical romance. While sitting in her graduate school apartment at the University of Connecticut, Christi decided to set aside her notes and pick up her laptop to try her hand at romance. She believes the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and she rather enjoys torturing them before crafting them a well deserved happily ever after!

Christi makes her home in Charlotte, North Carolina where she spends her time writing her own enchanting historical romances, and baking surprisingly good cakes (almost 2 years in lockdown will do that) with her courageous son and twin daughters, each who with their daily antics provides limitless source material.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really not sure how to rate this one.

The first half was absolutely wonderful! It had one of my favorite tropes (prim and proper, stuck-up lord falls for American whirlwind even though he absolutely refuses to be linked to anything even remotely scandalous) and I adored the main characters. Abby (who was send to her English relatives after creating a huge scandal in America) runs into Geoffrey at a ball and knocks him and a servant over, creating her first minor scandal in a society that is already looking down on her (her mother, the sister of a Duke, ran off with a footman). Geoffrey is appalled by her open, sunny nature that causes her to talk too much for his taste and is everything he definitely does not want in a bride.
I loved that both of them had their heart broken in the past (or thought they had) she slept with her brother's best friend and was discovered with him; he wanted to marry a girl but found out she only wanted to marry him because she was already carrying someone else's child. and were trying to never make the same mistake again and be caught in yet another scandal. I loved the way their feelings for each other were just too strong to ignore, how they slowly started to realize the folly of their respective youths and that this was the real thing. It was a wonderful story, and I loved spending time with these two.

BUT...

Then the second half happened. After Geoffrey opened up to Abby about his issues and told her how someone else had left him afraid to ever trust anyone, she continued to lie to him. She knew how badly she was behaving, she knew it would kill him to find that she had kept her scandal from him, and yet she completely ignored this and went "oh but if I tell him, he will hate me, so I better not tell him". I absolutely LOATH this sort of behavior, and when Geoffrey found out at another ball, once again feeling betrayed and like a total fool, I was ready to abandon this story. I wish I had. What followed was everything I hate about as much as lying: a big bad misunderstanding, people siding with the heroine and going "oh you poor thing" even though what happened was very much her own fault (I'm not saying he's perfect, but at least with him I understood where he was coming from and why he reacted the way he did), a near-death experience that serves as a way for both of them to realize their feelings, yet another big misunderstanding when her former lover shows up declaring he was misunderstood and still really loved her (because really, he only abandoned her when they were discovered because her dad kept them apart!), both main characters wallowing in self-pity so much it causes another character to remark that love was wasted on the two of them and they surely deserved each other (which I heartily agreed with), and oh, his horrible mother who kept treating Abby like garbage.. I realize that my dislike for these things are my own problem and not the fault of the book, but I just couldn't enjoy the second half.

So, 4 stars for the first half, 1 for the second... I guess somewhere around two stars because in the end, I really disliked the way the story turned around and there was just one big drama after another, which I really can't stand.

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fallen in love with this series and, in this third book, Christi Caldwell weaves an emotional, passionate and romantic opposites attract story.



Geoffrey was introduced in NEVER COURTED, SUDDENLY WED as the heroine Sophie’s aloof and rigidly proper older brother. Duty and responsibility are his bywords but he hasn’t always been this stickler for propriety. Five years ago, Geoffrey had fallen in love and chosen to put his own desires before everything else… a decision that was to have tragic consequences. It is easy to understand the guilt he has subsequently carried and his overwhelming need to somehow atone for what happened by putting duty and honour above all else. He knows he has an obligation to marry and produce a heir and he believes he has found the perfect candidate in Lady Beatrice Pennington… a demure, polite and respectable young lady. I love the ways in which Ms Caldwell reveals Geoffrey’s desire for an orderly life, like the list he compiles detailing the essential components for wooing a respectable young lady…

Ices at Gunter’s.
A walk in Hyde Park.
Several waltzes
A trip to the theatre.

or calling his dog “Decorum”..

Abigail has come to England to stay with her uncle in the hope of leaving her scandalous past behind in America. This one mistake has resulted in her having to leave her family, home and everything she loves, knowing that nothing in her life could ever be the same again.

Her heart twisted. It would never be the same. She could not regain what had been lost; her virtue, her pride, her good name.

It is easy to feel her pain and regret and understand her feelings of guilt for letting her family down. Her fear that she may never be able to return home is all too real.

Although there is an instant attraction between Abigail and Geoffrey, the actual romance builds slowly. I love the scene where Geoffrey rescues Abigail from the clutches of the lecherous Lord Carmichael. With nothing more than simple touch, Ms Caldwell conveys a wonderful sense of intimacy between them.

As if a man possessed, Geoffrey’s hand came up of its own volition to stroke the silken curve of her cheek.

♥♥♥

“Thank you.” Abigail leaned up and placed her lips along his cheek. “I…just, thank you.” The husky timbre of her voice washed of him.

Abigail turns Geoffrey’s orderly world upside down. Unconventional, bold and outspoken, she is totally unsuitable but he can’t resist her. Propriety seems to fly out of the window! I love his jealous reaction when his friend, Lord Sinclair, shows an interest in Abigail – he wanted to snarl and toss the table aside and bloody Sinclair .

Geoffrey’s rejection of Abigail, after he learns the true reason she left America, is so heart-breaking. I felt for both of them and it was hard to imagine how such a rift could be healed. It takes some straight talking from Lord Sinclair to make Geoffrey realise just how much Abigail means to him. Cue happy ending….not quite because there is one more twist in the story that I certainly didn’t see coming.

I love the significance of the tale of Dionysus and Ariadne and when Geoffrey gives Abigail a certain gift towards the end of the book, it is wonderfully romantic. In the Epilogue, Geoffrey is finally able to shed the guilt he has carried all those years.
.
I like the charming, roguish Lord Sinclair and Abigail’s cousins, Beatrice and Robert, who treat her with such kindness and concern. Of course, it is always a pleasure to see characters from the previous books.

Overall, an enchanting story that is both heart-warming and heart-rending.

REVIEW RATING : 5/5 STARS

Scandalous Seasons series (click on the covers for more details):



This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals blog:

https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 3 out of 5]

JUST OK!!

I was hoping for a twist at the end of Always Proper, Suddenly Scandalous. But nothing new or different in this very typical HR. Young foolish Abigail Stone gets caught loosing her virginity to her brother's best friend Alexander Powers at a dinner party no less. Well they are American so I guess that was suppose to be reason for being dumb. Abigail is shipped off to her Uncle the Duke of Somerset who lives in England to ride out the scandal she has caused in Connecticut. She meets Viscount Redbrooke who we meet in bk 2 Never Courted Suddenly Wed. Geoffrey is a very strict and proper man and he is on the wife hunt for a very obedient wife who would not cause a scandal and didn't have any scandal attached to her name. But he falls in love with the deflowered Miss Stone. The story goes back and forth with all the boring banter and angst of why he is so reserved and her guilt of losing her virginity and she doesn't feel worthy of a decent man like the Viscount. They don't get together until the very end of the book this. The story only has a few kisses and then one very brief sex scene after the HEA. I was hoping for a twist like maybe Abigail and Alexander got caught before the actual deflowering could take place. Something different. But It was not to be. This story was just So So. You could skip it if you wanted to proceed to the next book in the series.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 rounded to 4
Proper hero, concerned about scandals and in look for the perfect English lady to wed finds himself in love with an unconventional American.
The plot is not original, but it is one that I usually enjoy. This time it was ok, but I had some problems with the writing.
As I’m starting to notice after reading a few titles by this Author, all her heroes and heroines bit the inside of their cheeks in the mere sight of stress or angst (that is all the time), I cannot keep myself from imagining how wounded those cheeks look from the inside by the end of the stories.
Another thing that bothered me a little, is the endless repetition of some main facts throughout the book or the use of the same expressions over and over (like her mouth is a cavern).
In spite of those issues, that could be solved with some editing, the story is sweet and enjoyable.

[Eileen Dandashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts: Geoffrey Winters, Viscount Redbrooke is a man who has worked very hard to put his life in proper order. And he very nearly was able to convince himself he was happy living this stoic life of responsibility. He had been a man who smiled and laughed, enjoyed life, but when his father died, all changed for him.

I enjoyed how he made himself lists, because it made him so much more real and I think it helped give him a firm direction in life. It also tickled my funny bone since I, too, make lists. I mean, how many of us live off lists, going through the day, crossing things off our to-do lists?

Geoffrey suffered from a past he wasn’t able to get over emotionally. His way to cope, burying that part of him, was to be proper and in his ‘properness’ and his idea of what the very word entailed was very nearly his undoing.

Abigail Stone, escaping from ruination in America, came to visit her uncle, the Duke of Somerset, hoping to escape her past mistake. When Geoffrey met her at a ball, he was beguiled by her beauty—unfortunately she was American and in his idea of proper, she didn’t belong. He decided to find the perfect, suitable, proper and titled wife. Period. How come Abigail’s face kept reappearing in his mind?

When Geoffrey wanted to avoid Abigail, he could not, for the woman he had picked to woo and court was Abigail’s cousin. It was very apparent that Abigail was not the proper English maiden. She was a vibrant, sensual American woman who turned Geoffrey’s world up-side-down. It was most enjoyable watching him trying to keep to the plan of properness. It soon became the struggle what he should do and what he wanted to do. His chosen path for himself was his own worst enemy.

This story underlines the fact that love is not something you decide on. It just happens. When you truly love, it is not with the head, it is with the heart. Nor is it something that can be ‘switched off’, even when not reciprocated.

Through the story, the theme our lives are a string of events directly related to the preceding one gets reinforced. Where we are and do today, is because of something we’ve done yesterday and that is preceded by the previous days. For example, if it hadn’t been for my love of music, I wouldn’t have learned to play the piano and sing. If I hadn’t learned how to sing I wouldn’t have joined a choir that took a European tour. If I hadn’t been in Europe I wouldn’t have met my husband-to-be.

Geoffrey’s mother, a secondary character, was an interesting personality with surprises of her own. Sophie, Geoffrey’s sister was an extremely spirited woman adding humor to the story. I felt that Lord Sinclair was the kind of friend that Geoffrey needed and surely he has a story of his own.

This is the second of this series I’ve read, however, I am reading them out-of-order. It doesn’t seem to take away the pleasure of the read. Christi Caldwell continues to write entertaining stories with engaging characters in highly emotional conflicting situations, and ALWAYS with a happy-ever-after ending.

[Frances · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. First the author needs a decent editor. Even if Caldwell doesn't know there are 365 days in a year there should be someone checking her writing so it doesn't read 375 days in a year. There is always some kind of numerical mistake in her books. There is a grandfather that can't possibly be that to the hero because of his age, a date that doesn't connect to the plot, or there is a 5 day week. Those issues could be covered with a good editor. The unlikable characters, the underdeveloped plot, the immature writing, and the repetition as if we would forget something from one page to the next so it must be repeated, these can be directly related to the author. How 1,248 people could get this a 4-star rating is what is the most unbelievable part of this entire review. This book is really, really, really, bad.

[Jultri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. Emotional story interspersed with humour about a very proper and rigid English viscount in search of a suitable bride and instead found himself captivated by a bold and totally inappropiate American miss with a secret scandal attached to her name. Both have experienced the agony of a broken heart, but the lessons each learnt from their respective painful pasts were absorbed and applied differently. Let down a bit by the unnecessary return of Alexander towards the end, who did not add much to the story apart from prolonging it by a few extra pages.

[Mey Buentipo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to love this book. I want to give it a 4 stars, but I think there is too much drama. There is so many instances that the author might want to explore the conflicts at hand. Especially for the heroine's part. There is this big opening of the lover coming back. I just hoped that there is more on it. Another is that the hero's mother disapproval of the marriage. There should be more story on how might the heroine win her favor.

The love between the hero and heroine is such a blur. I surprised all of a sudden they realized they love each other after only how many meetings they had. The flow of the story is fast but in a whirlwind motion. I sometimes get confused about it. It seems that there are so many unnecessary part of the story that shouldn't be included.

Inspite of these things, it still captured my attention and wanted to finish it in the end. I am hoping for more in each character, but sadly it is nothing more.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Proper, Suddenly Scandalous 'Always Proper, Suddenly Scandalous' is book Three in the "Scandalous Seasons" series.  This is the story of Geoffrey Winters, Viscount Redbrooke and Miss Abigail Stone.  Geoffrey made a mistake years ago that he felt cost his father his life.  Geoffrey had fallen in love with someone that was after his title and money which had his father come to save him from this mistake but was ultimately killed in an accident.  This has lead Geoffrey to take on a strong motto of not causing any scandal and to only marry a lady that is proper and fits his need for everything proper now.  So Geoffrey thinks Lady Beatrice Dennington would be the perfect wife for him.  But her cousin from America named Abigail Stone is causing him to have feelings for her even though he sees that she is everything opposite of what he thinks he wants.  This was a book I couldn't put down...loved it.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fact: I have yet to read a Christi Caldwell book that hasn't left me completely enchanted. This one is no exception!

I'm a huge fan of the character-driven historical romance. I don't need kidnappings or gambling subplots to be enthralled by a story. I'm much more into stories where you have to imperfect people who just happen to be perfect for each other. For me, this story included some great character development, and some gut-wrenching heartbreak (but we all know things were turn out okay!).

I loved it. Absolutely loved it!

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

London 1818. 3.5 stars.

Finished this 05/11 and forgot to write the review.

Geoffrey at age 25 had been a carefree, witty, rogue until
he met Emma Marsh. Now nearly 30, he came across as
stoic and ever serious. Abigail lived in the US & believed in
Alexandar's love. Geoff (a viscount) & Abby independently
concluded that love had been misrepresented to each of
them.

Abby's uncle a duke hosted her in London. He had a son
and daughter in residence. She did not address Geoff by
his title, which he took as too forward. He was rude in
turn. She verbalized she found fault in any gentleman
incapable of humor. He noticed Abby wrote descriptions
of men on her dance card. The MCs spoke in general of
love which Geoff said "only disrupted a well-ordered world."

Geoff wanted to wed demure Lady Beatrise, not realizing
she was Abby's cousin. Lady B thought him boring,
but Sinclair (an earl): charming.

This had angst. Geoff rescued Abby from a lecher. But he
lectured her-this got old. He'd say sorry and then lecture
again. Towards the end, his hateful words really cut Abby
to the quick, then she had a mishap.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kalau ada tipe heroine yg bikin gw eneg bin kesel bin muak, Miss Abigail Stone sudah bisa masuk kategori nominasi heroine yg mesti dilelepin di samudra Atlantik.

Saya heran bin bingung apa yg dilihat oleh Geoffrey Winters, Viscount Redbrooke pada wanita ini. Tingkahnya lebih cocok masuk sbg drama queen dgn mood swing yg bikin gw pengen tendang dirinya ke Valhalla. Abby ini khawatir terus menerus kesuciannya bakal digugat calon suaminya krn dirinya sudah ternoda. Padahal Abby belum ada calon potensial koq. Hingga Geoffrey yg mendekati sepupunya, Beatrice, barulah Abby spt disundut pantatnya, gelisah udah ky induk ayam kehilangan anaknya.

Sepanjang buku ini yg dibahas cuma itu-itu saja. Soal ketakutan ttg ketidakperawanan, ketakutan Geoffrey bhw Abby spt calon istrinya yg gagal dulu, Emma. Ini diulang-ulang terus-menerus spt lingkaran setan. Plus dramatisasi Abby pake acara terluka segala, Geoffrey merana menyesal di tengah hujan deras dst. Ditambah lagi mamaknya Geoffrey spt ibuk-ibuk antagonis sinetron, melarang keras Geoffrey menikah dgn gadis Amerika itu alias Abby atas dasar bibitnya yaitu anak pelayan. Ya ampun ya gusti, ini novel sangat dangkal walau memang pd zaman tsb bibit, bebet, bobot sangat dipertimbangkan. Tapi gak usah dibahas berulang-ulang udah ky sinetron dong.

Jika kamu penyuka sinetron dramatis (padahal gak ada yg bener-bener menganiaya si tokoh utama), mungkin kamu juga punya tolok ukur toleran utk tipe heroine yg merasa jadi korban, novel ini masih cocok utk Anda.

Masih kzl dgn penggambaran author dari kacamata Geoffrey waktu pertama kali melihat Abby, wanita Sparta.... Sparta apaan? Bisa-bisa wanita Sparta bangkit hidup lagi khusus utk memancung Abby ini.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scandalous American Stone becomes Pearl of English Viscount!

Loved this story. In her series, Christi Caldwell's wonderful characters continue their story. It's a few weeks post the marriage is Sophie and Christopher- and Sophie's brother, the very proper Viscount Redbrooke is being pressured by his mother to snare a proper young lady from the marriage mart to carry on the family's line. The threat is that without an heir from Geoffrey Redbrooke- the Viscount title and the properties attached pass to his Scottish cousin- something his mother simply cannot abide. Determined to do his duty, the 4th Viscount of Redbrooke ticks off a list of what he feels the perfect Viscountess should possess, as well as how he could court her. Once the list is done, he begins to list the probable 'suspects'-- leaving little to chance. Browbeaten into attendance at the next ball, Geoffrey spots the tall and beautiful American beauty- Abigail Stone- niece to the Powerful Duke of Summerville. She is not sharing details as to why she is in London, having been driven out because she shamed herself and her family. She was discovered compromised with the man she loved and discovered he didn't offer for her- a sure sign he didn't love her in return.
Mutual affection between Lady Abigail and Viscount Redbrooke, develops despite both resisting. The destination to a relationship between the two takes the reader through more twists and turns of heartbreak and precipices of 'almost there's' --- leaving the reader alternately grabbing for your heart and the tissues. The end is wonderful and you feel like you've 'made it with them!

Wonderful story.

[puppitypup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historic Romance Pretty good

This is my first Christi Caldwell. After reading the author's note at the back of the book just now, I have a better understanding of what she was going for in the story.

My problem is I'm just too picky when it comes to heroes, and Geoffrey never quite made the bar in my eyes. When a man doesn't even have any friends, that doesn't bode well.

Abby though, I really liked, and I felt for her, stuck between a rock and a hard place like she was.

My other problem with this book is that, due to Geoffrey's serious nature and Abby's nagging guilt, there isn't much humor in the story. And I require a good dose of humor with my romance!

One other minor complaint, there were more than a few misspellings and grammatical errors in the book, although not enough to derail the story. This novel was only released in ebook format, so I don't think they would be translation errors. I would have thought Ms. Caldwell accomplished enough to hire an editor.

3 1/2 stars for this one, the book kept my interest and my feelings were engaged. I will definitely be trying more of Ms. Caldwell's books.

The book is almost clean, the name of the Lord is taken in vain a couple of times, and there is one intimate scene, after marriage, not too many pages and easily skipped.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is thin and poorly thought out from the beginning but unfortunately at the 65% mark it just goes off the rails. It’s where the critical problem, one that no one gave any thought to dealing with other than to fret and hope no one found out, is found out It signals the descent into purple prose and true unbelievability. The one surprising things about this book is the main characters are decently written. It’s not enough, but worth mentioning. BTW to be found wanting isn’t the same as to be found wonting, a non-word, as the female lead is found to be countless times. One wonders where this puts her exactly.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christi Caldwell's Scandalous series. I LOVED Geoffrey and Abby. This was so emotional. I think I bawled like a baby during Always Proper, more than any of her other books so far. I wasn't to thrilled by Geoffrey in his sister Sophie's story....but, I FELL - IN - LOVE with him in his own book. I LOVED how Abby brought a lighter side to the proper, serious, stodgy, young viscount. A very enjoyable book as all of Ms. Caldwell's books are.

[JVM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does anyone edit these books?

I enjoy these stories but there are so many grammatical mistakes. It has become too distracting to continue reading the series. Also the repetition is annoying. I’m not sure there is a piece of furniture left in England that doesn’t have fingernail marks in it.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading each moment the H/h were together the most (before he discovered her scandal, of course).

[Kira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second Christi Caldwell novel I’ve read and I think I should just stop here..

There is nothing wrong with the writing per se other than the fact that I get really frustrated by the unrealistic expectations placed on women during the regency era. Now this is not the first regency romance I’ve read and I do enjoy this genre as a whole but Geoffrey’s character in this one had me dreading Abigail’s future life with him.

His reaction to getting to know about the scandal involving Abigail was so out of place especially since he himself had run away in the past, I mean when he didn’t think about Emma’s reputation back then, why such a huge reaction to this now? It seemed misplaced to me. If anything, I assumed he would be really supportive of Abby and fight for her with the society but nope.

They did get together in the end because these romances mostly do always have HEAs but by then I had lost interest in wanting these characters to be together and their sappy love confessions didn’t work for me a bit.

I had really wanted to love with this one but characters like Geoffrey are just not acceptable. I would have been a lot happier if Abby had ended up with Sinclair lol, that guy was a million times better than our so called hero.

[Tiny Shen 沈帝妮 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroinenya TSTL. Kabur terooosss, dibilang malu2 mau juga bukan. Nyebelin malah iya


Heronya juga lemah bener. Maunya nikah dengan kaum bangsawan, jalannya luruuusss..

Capek hati bacanya. Trus plis kasih tau author ya 1 tahun itu 365 hari, kabisat 366 hari. Mana ada 1 tahun 375 hariiiii.. oh noooo

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sick of the ruined woman and perfect gentleman storylines

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 moving in the right direction

[Kristy Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have some problems with this story. It started out good, I enjoyed it until the end, so do not continue to read if you don't want the ending spoiled. I might be in the minority in how I feel, and really over thinking things but it really rubbed me the wrong way.

Abby is an American who has been sent to London to stay with her uncle, the Duke. She was courted by her brother's best friend and ruined. They were discovered and when it was clear he would not step up and marry her, her parents shipped her off to London. Heartbroken over being used and discarded, she tries to pick up again and joins her cousin for the London season. This is where she meets the stodgy, proper Jeffery.

Jeffery's father died on a rainy night trying to stop Jeffery from marrying a woman who was pregnant with someone else's child, unbeknownst to Jeffery at the time. After his father dies, and the woman confesses to her deceit, Jeffery changes. He decides to make choices that will benefit his family and not himself. He puts a lot of emphasis on being proper, always proper. It's this that originally attracts Abby. Jeffery is so opposite of the man who flirted with her and made her fall in love with him. She wants nothing to do with men with easy smiles.

So jump ahead and Jeffery and Abby finally come together and admit they have feelings for each other. But of course when Jeffery finds out about Abby's past, he feels betrayed again. He says some pretty terrible things to her. THEN Abby's brother and his best friend (the seducer) show up. They tell her that it was their parents trying to keep him and Abby apart and that he has always loved her and does want to marry her. But Abby realizes that she never really loved him after all and loves Jeffery. And this is the part that disappointed me and changed my opinion of Abby.

Up until this point, Abby had been wronged. She fell in love and made a decision that changed the course of her life. Not only that, but she was jilted. She thought the man she gave herself to, loved her and then found out after the fact that he was only interested in her body. Fast forward, to the moment he comes back, on the heels of Jeffery's terrible rejection, although he had come back around by this point and was trying to make amends. The boy who she had known for years and who she loved enough to give her virginity to, to risk her reputation for comes back and tells her he has always loved her and he's hurt that she would believe otherwise. Abby realizes she doesn't really love him after all, she loves her new man Jeffery. What the heck? She looks like such a flake, if she can throw away feelings that had grown over years for a man she has known a matter of weeks... Also she slept with a man that it turns out she doesn't really love him like she thought she did? I just lost a lot of respect for Abby because this made her look immature and flakey. It really ruined the whole book for me. The whole reason she was attracted to Jeffery was because he wasn't like her first "love" but it turns out her first love still loves her. I just don't know why the author added that part. I think it would have been better to go on disliking the guy who jilted her.

[Greselley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it a lot! I don't know why but too proper, well-ordered gentlemen have their own appeal and charm. The Viscount of Redbrooke is the living example (in the book!) of those kind of gentlemen. Though he was once a rogue, because of the death of his father, he now greatly avoid any scandal attached to his name that he sometimes appeared as stodgy. Why, the man even named his horse "Decorum". Everything in his life has to be properly ordered. He has this list of the attributes of his suitable bride and along with it, the corresponding ladies who possessed such attributes. But well, fate couldn't be more ironic than having this American woman, a daughter of a man who was once footman and one who had literally escaped from her homeland because of a scandal, be his match. In short, she was the exact opposite of a suitable bride he is looking for. But the connection between them is too strong to ignore. Yay! I am sure you'll love this book. And I definitely love how the story unfolds nearly at the ending. I just wish a better ending than what was given. Nevertheless, it's a good read!
I expected the Duke of Mallen's story to be the book 2 but I'm wrong. And I have a feeling it would be the last story. Ugh. If that happened as I predicted, it better be good because I will expect more from it as the delay became longer.

[Gilgamesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the hero until his asinine behavior when Abby comes to his house. I really liked Abby. She was vulnerable and strong, my favorite type of personality. The little twist at the end was unexpected and unique. Made the characters more relatable I think.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 loved it. I do love when an American is added to a historical English romance. The dialog is to the point and usually contains some excellent humor. Scandal brings Abigail to London and the stick in the mud Viscount Redbrooke has no idea what hit him.

[Lady Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series!

[Kymnesha Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Christi caldwell"s books, but the things women have to dill with is ridiculous so glad i don't live in that time.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really care for this one. For the first two thirds it was not especially good, but fine, 3 stars, but when I was hoping it might perhaps improve, it instead just got worse as it went along, for me at least. I still finished it, because that's what I do, =D, but if the book had just disappeared from the face of the Earth and I could never know the ending, I wouldn't have particularly cared.

There's a huge secret kept past the point of decency, (or even reason), and those are tiring (and frankly kind of off-putting), and then when it comes out at a super inopportune time, like it's bound to do of course, the characters made it seem like the other person was purely upset about the past incident that had been kept secret and not the fact that it was *kept secret* past the point it should have been. Obviously you can't change your past, but you *can* choose how you handle it, and when you entirely mishandle it and upset the other person, it's lame to act like they're just meanys for not just accepting your past, rather than acknowledging that they're justifiably hurt that you were dishonest with them. Also, the characters just started responding to things like teenagers, where everything is super dramatic and self centered, and goes from one viewpoint to its opposite at the drop of a hat. Kind of pouty. They each have a past incident that really impacted them, which is fine, but those things were referenced or dredged up, what at least felt like, several times every chapter. And I started to feel like '1) I still remember the thing!, and, 2) though definitely unfortunate, it shouldn't be the determining factor in every choice you make for the rest of your life!'.

Additionally, the notion of what's 'proper' or not was absolutely belabored into the dirt, (if you played a drinking game on mentions of it, you would definitely die of alcohol poisoning lol). And although I really do quite enjoy Greek mythology, it felt like it was shoehorned into every possible crevice of the story, to a tedious extent. All of these things added up to make the last third seem like it just dragged on forever. If this were my first book by this author I might be a little hesitant to pick up another, but I genuinely liked the first in this series and enjoyed the second, so I will continue on with the series.

[Princess Kyuhyun · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Aku bukan pengecut, dan aku juga bukan pembohong, My Lord."

Itu kutipan Abigail buat Redbrooke, but guess what. For the entire book Abigail malah jadi pengecut. Ugghh!

Karakter Abigail nya nggak konsisten, kebanyakan maju-mundur. Baru sebentar berani buat show out jadi diri sendiri, eh kena sentil dikit langsung overthinking dan insecure. Batinnya gak mau kejelekan masa lalu terulang tapi kelakuannya gak pernah dipikir dua kali. Hatinya cinta sama Redbrooke tapi berjuang dikit aja ngga mau. Kurang pengecut apa coba?

Redbrooke juga. Awalnya dia lumayan bikin simpati, tapi setelah setengah plot simpati itu hilang. Singkatnya kelakuan Redbrooke ke Abigail tuh kek gini : si Abigail cantik, nikahin deh. Tapi ternyata si Abigail punya masa lalu yang gak secantik parasnya, yaudah maki2 aja deh. Hzzzz

Selain karakternya yang "ngambang", gue ngerasa humornya juga sama, ngambang. Humornya banyak diselipin satire dan sarkasme berlapis. Maybe karena sebelumnya gue baca buku E.H The Serpent Prince yang humornya meleleh banget, jadi pas baca buku ini jadi kerasa anyep. Kayak musti mikir dulu buat nyadar lucunya dimana, tapi pas udah tau ternyata gak lucu2 amat.

So... Yeah. Don't really think I like this book. Terutama karena karakternya yang njelimet dan gak konsisten. Meminjam istilahnya Beatrice di buku ini, "Bahh, cinta hanya sia-sia saja untukmu dan Lord Redbrooke!"