A Scandalous Pursuit

Scandalous #3

by Ava Stone, Stevie Zimmerman (Narrator)

Even the most ruthless of rogues live by their own code of honor, and for Alexander Everett, the wicked Duke of Kelfield, his includes not seducing the ward of his oldest and dearest friend. However for a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, the lure of the forbidden fruit is enough to drive him wild. When he finds himself under the same roof as the enchanting Olivia Danbury at a summer house party, he discovers the temptation of the lady is more than he can resist. Olivia, on the other hand, has the rest of her life all mapped out. When her fiance returns from the Peninsular Wars, they'll get married, settle down in the country, start a family, and live happily ever after.

The sinfully sexy Duke of Kelfield was not in her plans. But when she stumbles headlong into a compromising position with the passionate duke, her carefully constructed life quickly begins to unravel. In no time, Olivia must choose between the life she's always planned and everything she never knew she wanted.

©2011 Second Wind Publishing (P)2013 Ava Stone

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

Audible Audio

First published February 13, 2011

About the author

Ava Stone is a USA Today bestselling author of Regency historical romance and college age New Adult romance. Whether in the 19th Century or the 21st, her books explore deep themes but with a light touch. A single mother, Ava lives outside Raleigh NC, with her son and two black and white tuxedo kitty cats. She loves classic movies, researching history, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.

Feel free to visit her at www.avastoneauthor.com and www.desolatesun.com

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me preface this by saying the first 56% of the book was 5+ stars. I loved both Olivia and Alexander, not to mention the sizzling attraction between the two of them. The antics they get involved with while at a summer party made me laugh and swoon at the same time. I love it and couldn't stop reading.

Then I hit the 45% mark and things take a drastic change. Suddenly, the witty dialogue falters and the chemistry between the two is about as exciting as watching paint dry. It was so disappointing, I wanted to cry. The ending, which was solid, made up for the massive skimming. So, it gets a solid 3 stars.

My Rating: 3 stars

[Fiona Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. Alex and Olivia have great chemistry from the beginning. This is definitely a writer to look out for!

[Ki · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Original Full Post at Doing Some Reading)

More like a long summary of the whole book~)

So I've had the chance to get an audible version of this book too and I got to say Stevie Zimmerman is amazing at her voice acting and narration! She has done it again and I love her!

So this is Book 3 in the Scandalous series and I happen to have also read/listened to Book 4 back in..... November of last year. A Scandalous Past with my super long review of it also. LOL

But anyways, this is the story of Olivia (Livvie) Danbury the best friend of Cordy from A Scandalous Past. If I haven't already read Cordy's book this would have been a great introduction to Cordy's and would have been a super fantastic surprise into what happen to each of them but of course they were great reads as standalone. But just as a heads up, Cordy's book starts or happens at the same time Livvie is going through her story so many scenes will be connected but from different points of views.

So here we have Livvie and the Duke of Kelfield, Alex, whom were found in a compromising situation, by accident, while at her cousin's house party one summer under his guardianship. Sadly Alex is also friends with Livvie's said cousin so that must have been a difficult position to have been put into, but what caused that compromising situation to occur was very funny and very scandalous!

It all started when Livvie had to steal a button off of Kelfield's waistcoat!!! And not just a button but his gold button with his family crest on it!

So on she goes feeling confident and nervous but why feel nervous when all of the men were out? Well well well, she found out the hard way I suppose. After some troubles and sneaking about she got the button and was on her way out when footsteps approached the door and the next thing she knew, the door knob was turning and female giggling! She must have been freaked because in the speed of light she ducked right back into that armoire where she clipped off Kelfield's button!

And of course it was the rogue himself Kelfield with a maid! And well, you know what happened, Livvie witnessed a very scandalous and naughty scene of which she should never have seen in her 18 years of life as an innocent! But of course it roused her curiosity and she couldn't help but be fascinated and well, disturbed at what was happening outside that armoire. But she got to see some very nice....behind and legs of Kelfield!!!

But of course we can't forget that they were compromised and how did that happen? As a matter of fact, Livvie just happen to sneeze while Alex was getting himself ready to "climax"~ Heaheahea Sorry for being naughty and scandalous but this was within the first Chapter! So there's no spoilers here. ;)

But yes, she was found out by the ruthless rogue and you guessed it, Compromised indeed! Well, not really because no one actually saw them and everything was fine for a couple more chapters~ But they did have a very awkward and tense chat after her discovery in his armoire. But all was well and nothing were to come of it if not spoken of till, Bam! Someone did see them, well heard all of Alex's romps which then saw Livvie leaving the hallway of which Alex's room was located an hour or so later. Gasps!!!

And so, they were forced to marry even if they both argued against it that nothing happened and even if Livvie had a fiancee. Yes she had a fiancee!! I know we dealt with this in Cordy's book but I was still very sad for Phillip. Fighting in the war and only surviving with the thoughts of coming home to his Livvie~ :(

Oh and then Livvy found out Alex had a daughter. An illegitimate daughter, Poppy. Livvie was surprised but she took it in stride and was very caring and loving towards her step-daughter. Their friendship turned mother daughter relationship was very sweet and Poppy is just an angel!

You see, Poppy's mother was an actress whom had cared for her in a small town house with regular visits from Alex. Her mother then abandoned her to Alex when she ran off to become a Countess and moved to France, all the while Alex had no clue about it because he was at the house party. So it was a total surprise for both Alex and Livvie to find Poppy at his resident but he won't throw Poppy out, he's very protective of her even to the point of not wanting Livvie to get close to his daughter for fear of her rejection of Poppy. But that doesn't happen.

At this point we also find that Livvie is all alone. Cordy has been banned from visiting or seeing Livvie due to her hasty and scandalous nuptials to a rogue with a illegitimate daughter, so Livvie was very much alone to her own thoughts. But, Alex have friends with wives who accepted her into their little circle of having married scandalously and to men of reputations among the ton. Of course her cousin Caroline have a huge role in this book as she did in Cordy's and I believe in the whole series, so it was great seeing her in action again meddling in others affairs and such but also being there for Livvie in time of need.

But the happiness doesn't last long as for we know from Cordy's story, Phillip, Livvie's childhood love and fiancee returns from war to heartbreaks abound! At this point Alex starts to come to terms of what was happening and that his marriage to Livvie was just a game. She had never wanted to marry him so with Phillip's return he made up his mind that Livvie's love will always be with Phillip. Therefore he went into a rage and left Livvie to mope and drink himself senseless when he found her reading a letter from Phillip one evening.

And so, with Phillip's return and heartbreak he challenged Alex to a duel for taking another man's intended in which was accepted because Alex was so vexed that Livvie would still act as though she cared or knew not of what she had done to him. But of course Alex didn't accept the challenge to fight for his love of Livvie (so he thought) but just to get his anger out and to let Phillip take his anger out for his loss.

But even after the duel Alex didn't return to Livvie, he hid himself from her and Poppy and drank away his days. Livvie on the other hand was sadden and at a lost at what to do because Alex wouldn't listen to sense and ran off into the night! She wasn't going to just let him give up on them so she enlisted the help of Alex's coachman to drive her to all of Alex's previous locals of adventure just to find him. Scandalous that was! She even talked to his mistress before their hasty marriage so that was determination!

But when she found him it wasn't to find and bring him home but to tell him she was leaving. Not for Phillip, but with Poppy into the country side to his family estate there.

Now there's a back story to that too. Alex's family estate in the country side was where he grew up and where he never returned to after he was sent off to school as a boy. It brought on bad memories and even nightmares for him because of all the pain he'd suffer from their and of the memories of his mother's pain at the hands of his father. You see, he blames himself for her torture and pain because he'd done something wrong which got him sent to school and away from his mother. So for Livvie to go there was just torture in itself for him to live with. But there are more secrets to tell after that too~

So, in all this was a very fantastic listen!!! I super love how we got to see different points of views again from multiple reoccurring characters from the series and of course of scenes we got from other books but now we get to see why and how it came about.

I super love that we got a whole different view of Cordy and how different it would have made us feel and think about her if we haven't happened to have read her book first. I mean, I super love her and seeing her in scenes with Haversham in this book really built up for her book. I would never have guessed what would have happened to her if I just didn't read her book first! I really do regret that. It would have made for a super fun and intense read. But I still love it nevertheless.

A con I have for this is......Kelfield's voice. I love Stevie but her voice for Kelfield is just not to my liking. Yes he's to sound snotty, arrogant, a care for nothing jerk, and haughty snob but I just hated it!!! It just really got on my nerve and it didn't make me picture him as a hot sexy Duke that he should be. I know he is but when he opens his mouth and starts talking it's like, "Oh no, just don't talk for him and just narrate what he said so I can see him in my head the way I want to see him sound!"

Not hating but that really made it hard for me listen too. But I really liked her other voices for the other gentlemen so that's just weird.

Another thing was Livvie never thinking of Phillip. I felt very mad at one point when her mind didn't even registered him up when it did at the beginning of the book! Like if you really did love the man it should always be there right? Unless you were put in her shoes up against Alex but still, Phillip should have crossed your mind more than just right when he returned! And it wasn't even that long ago when they got married and she stopped thinking about Phillip and stared drooling for Alex.

But yes, both Livvie and Alex are amazing characters and I love how much they change from the beginning to the end. Livvie most especially went from demure and mild to a very strong and fearless young woman. Though she wanted to be respected and accepted back into the ton and society, she also wanted to challenge society of their haughty rules and even the rules of Alex by roaming the streets of London's notorious gaming halls and brothels to find him. Alex on the other hand didn't change much but I really love how he started opening up to Livvie about his past and childhood and even emotional wise with his actions towards Poppy and Livvie.

So yup, this is another great read from Ava and I can't wait to get Phillip's story!!! And of course Cordy's Avery brothers~

Rating: 4/5

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wrong from the start.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★ What a fun, fast read! Nice storyline and it made me smile several times. If you loved a book stuffed full of dialogue, reading about a rake's reformation, all set in Regency England, then this is the book for you. There were a few times I thought the characters spoke in modern day tone, and I found it a stretch to believe the threat that a duchess would be shunned; still, I enjoyed the read and will be looking for more books by this author.

[Melody May (What I'm Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone who knows me would know that the third book in the Scandalous Series is my all time favorite book. Come on my favorite scoundrel is in this book. I'm so excited to be writing my review about A Scandalous Pursuit.

Well, it all starts out at a house party at Prestwick Chase and if you remember it's mention in A Scandalous Charade. The house party is not going so well, and the young ones are bored. A lot can happen when the young are bored, most of the time it's not good. Which it is are good fortune that trouble is a brewing. Alexander Everett, the wicked Duke of Kelfield hears something that leads him to his wardrobe. Of course the wicked Duke would be naked when he opens the wardrobe and out comes a wide-eye innocent Miss Olivia Danbury. What a fun way to start a book? Alex has decided to make it his goal to capture Olivia's heart before the rumors of her ruination hit the fan. Too bad things never go according to plan. Now they need to marry in haste to save Olivia reputation. Is that really enough, who knows? With a marriage of convince, will it work and will the wicked Duke and his wife find love in the process? Who is to say?

However, what you will find in the book is a hurried marriage to a very wicked Duke, which makes it oh so fun. Olivia's ex-betroth coming home from France, yes that can make things a little complicated. You have to love finding a duel in the book. I'm afraid if I say anymore I might tell you the whole book, because I love this book. As I said at the beginning this is MY FAVORITE book in the series. So, I hope you are getting a chance to read this series and will continue on.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The male leads of romances - especially historical ones - are often deeply problematic. The one in this (Alex) actually gets off to a better-than-normal start when he tries to woo the woman he knows he has inadvertently 'ruined' to a a misunderstanding, but promptly squanders that goodwill by the positively stalker-y way he goes about it, and his general complete idiocy throughout the rest of the text.

On the female lead side, Livvie is fine, though despite the book's insistence on it, it failed to convincingly show that she loved Alex. Lusted for him, sure: there's plenty of evidence for that. But the emotional element is thin indeed.

Routine stuff.

[CheerfullRain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, I just wished it was longer. I thought there was more story to tell and felt the whole thing wrapped up too quickly and neatly. I wanted more of the nitty gritty of emotions and felt like I got a glossed over summary.

On the plus side though, I found both characters likable and the dialogue was biting and snappy. I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read by her so far and I look forward to reading more.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is definitely my kind of story. It has everything, love, sex, rogues, misunderstandings.
I always enjoy Ava Stone's books, and this one is delicious.
I loved it!

[Linda J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no respect for either of the main character's. We meet the H when he is receiving pleasure from a maid and the h witnesses it. She was on a search for an item, goes in his bedroom and when he comes in hides in the dresser. His morals don't improve either.

The h is betrothed to a man in the military. Granted at first she makes it known she only care for her friend (betrothed) and waits for his return shortly. This lasts just a few nights and she is letting the H give her some pleasure.

The author does try and make the H seem caring and honorable, because he takes care of his illegitimate daughter and her mother. He sees the daughter every few weeks. This did nothing to raise my opinion of him. I didn't care our easily the h forgave him. She doesn't ask if she will be the only one, after learning he has had a mistress.

There are interesting secondary character's. I read book 1 and enjoyed it. Didn't read book 2 and now this one, so you can read out of order, but since a series, does have crossover character's.

Lovemaking (act), within marriage, descriptive - heat level 4.5 out of 5 at least. No cheating (I don't think), no cliffhanger for H/h but you will wonder about friend(s), nice epilogue, HEA and little on romance - mostly lust. There is a part about her military betrothed showing up and something happens, but it is dropped. We have no idea what his future held. (ljb)

[Virginia Tican · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful hilarious read with heart~warming family reunions and revelations as well as the conflict represented by the reappearance of a lost love. Except for the use of some Contemporary words and phrases that I think DO NOT belong to the Regency timeline, the well~written storyline and the very relatable characters are this story's saving grace. The inappropriate (as to Timeline) words and phrases maybe regarded as editing flaws BUT may I please point out to the author if these words belong to the Regency by virtue of Historical probability, usage and context?:

1. Chapter 3 ~ 'moral fiber' ~ 1873 (Victorian not Regency) in connection with the soldiers' state of mind? still its common usage and popularity would still be unlikely
2. Chapter 4 ~ 'from here on out' ~ Contemporary American expression
3. Chapter 7 ~ 'even the playing field' ~ 1970's business term
4. Chapter 19 ~ 'telling' from the word 'foretell' maybe? gypsy fortuneteller during a village fair? I still think it is in present day usage and context and could not be part of their regular conversations

The presence of these anomalies may render the story inauthentic and imply that the author did not do her research and/or did not properly edit her work. But if the story is as well~crafted as this one; talent, wit and being a Gifted storyteller can also cover a multitude of offenses or lapses.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Duke of Kelfield is one of the most notorious rakes in London, and Olivia Danbury is an innocent miss just trying to have a little fun at a country house party. These two could not be more different, but when they are caught in what appears to be a compromising position, they decide to make the best of it and get married. Complications abound, what with former fiances, former mistresses, and an adorable daughter thrown into the mix. Do they have a chance at a happy marriage? Each is determined to give it a try. There are a lot of emotions in this story, from the giddiness of falling in love, to the heartbreak of betrayal and memories of a troubled past. Plus there is plenty of steamy romance. The duke is a hard character to like sometimes, but it's easy to see why the sweet Olivia would be his perfect duchess.

I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed this book in Ava Stone's Scandalous series. The Regency characters really come to life with Stevie Zimmerman's narration. She did a good job with all the characters, both male and female. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, so it was quite a feat.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been enjoying the Scandalous series, but there is a slight discrepancy between what Goodreads deems the order of the series and what Amazon does. On Goodreads, this is book 4 and Amazon book 3, oh well, I will read them all anyway. The cover is also very different on Goodreads and not as appealing as the cover on Amazon...just saying.

I enjoyed Kelfield and Olivia's story. There were some moments I was disappointed in, but others I liked immensely. Kelfield, overall, was an appealing character. Yes, he was arrogant, self-absorbed and selfish but thaose are all the characteristics of the typical rogue. I felt as though Olivia was too understanding and willing to accept his behavior. I didn't think that was realistic, even when his behavior was more or less explained by his past. The chemistry was good between them and the steamy heat generated in the passionate moments was scorching.

This was an entertaining historical romance if you can get past Olivia's doormat tendencies and the contrived misunderstandings.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars for this book, Ava Stone did not disappoint in the Duke of Kelfield's book. He seduce you and then broke your heart with his arrogance and pain.

I could not put this book down, the pages just kept flying past as I read one sentence to the next to the next. Missed my sleep before work because I had to know what happened next. Loved the setting, the characters, and the interactions. If you like Regency era romances with arrogant Dukes and strong will women, and if you have read any of the Scandalous Wives series you seriously need to read this one. It will not in any way disappoint.

Thank you, Ms. Stone, for sharing this story with us.

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not like me not to finish a book, but I read 14 percent and then the book that started well and very promising became ridiculous. No sensible woman engaged to another man would go to the room of a rouge seducer rake at his request especially when she doesn't like him. So say all in the name to save her from scandal. Would of been better to call his bluff.. . Could not read any more, and her poor heroic fiancé in Frances fighting for her country. While a good for nothing rake ... bullies his fiancée with the aim of compromising her, when he already has a mistress and has already sampled the houses maids... A big thumps down for me....

[Angela Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scandalous Pursuit

Yet again in this series I was totally unable to put this book down. Kelfield and Olivia have popped up regularly in the previous instalments and I was dying to read their tale. Every time I think to myself that this will be the last one I read, as I already have a huge list of books to read on the kindle, and every time I get to the end and have to snap up the next one!

[Kyra Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Scandalous Pursuit (Scandalous Series)

I really enjoyed this romance. It was very well-written. The plot worked on many levels. The characters were beautifully presented(even the unlikable ones!) The love story was stellar. I have two criticisms: The editing was sometimes spotty, and the protagonists were often idiots( although
The plot explained that as the story came to its conclusion. I will read more books in this series.

[Debbie Borthwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, and I definitely recommend it if you like reading historical romances. A little too steamy for me, but still a good read. I enjoyed this book very much, and would love to read the rest of the Scandalous series. The characters are a lot of fun and I like how they show up in each others stories.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. I really didn't like the "hero" of the story. Even if they were happy in the end, it didn't give him reason to push her into a relationship with him while she was engaged to another. I felt the resolution of her previous engagement was handled poorly. I have a fairly decent idea on how something like this would have panned out in reality, but it felt too forced by the man.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outrageous story of Livvie who while on a treasure hunt ended up being compromised and forced to marry Alex. He is a Duke and used to getting what he wants, however a wife was not something he had wanted. He does try to get Linnie to want to marry him instead of being forced to marry him. A good book.

[Ann Marie Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scandalous!!

This was a sexy, fun story. From the first part in finding Livvie in his wardrobe to the last part in getting him to go after her out at his estate in the country. It was fun and hard to put down.

[Wendy Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex and Livvie

Can a reformed rogue truly make a great husband? Livvie doesn't want to know. Alex, reputed to be one of the worst rogues in England, accidentally gets snared by Livvie, only to find out he does love her.💓💓💓❤❤❤

[Kitlina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm, this could have been a LOT better.
I didn't like Alex. And I didn't like Olivia much.
It was era appropriate but not very realistic for my tastes. A little forced. I don't know, it just didn't do it for me. I found myself skimming through the book.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SCANDALOUS PURSUIT : Finally ! This is by far the best historical romance I’ve read in ages. Hero and heroine are witty and sexy. The story lines are strong and there is more than one. Do treat yourself !

[L JONES · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

This story is not unlike the others in the series but I like that the previous characters turns up, one main character throughout is Caroline Stavely. This plot is deeper involving a damaged complex character.

[Frances Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scandalous pursuit

Another great read in the series this was Olivia and Alex‘s story it was a great storyline lots of twists and turns and also nice to catch up on past characters.

[Patricia Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching

I so love it when someone is able to be healed with love. This series is so good that I can't wait for the next one. Happy Reading

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle copy

[kattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Scandalous Pursuit

I loved this story, I recommend everyone to read this book, I look forward to reading more of her books. Kattie

[Nancy cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy reading good story line