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The Gilded Age Girls Club #2
Some Like It Scandalous
They are sworn enemies…
Theodore Prescott the Third, one of Manhattan’s Rogues of Millionaire Row, has really done it this time. The only way to survive his most recent, unspeakably outrageous scandal is marry someone respectable. Someone sensible. Someone like Daisy Swan. Of all the girls in Gilded Age Manhattan, it had to be her.
Pretending to be lovers...
Daisy Swan has plans and they do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. But when a devastating family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, suddenly a fake engagement with Theo is just the thing to make all her dreams come true.
And now it’s time to kiss and make up…
Daisy Swan aspires to sell cosmetics that she has created, but this brainy scientist needs a smooth talking charmer’s flair for words and eye for beauty to make it a success. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.
Theodore Prescott the Third, one of Manhattan’s Rogues of Millionaire Row, has really done it this time. The only way to survive his most recent, unspeakably outrageous scandal is marry someone respectable. Someone sensible. Someone like Daisy Swan. Of all the girls in Gilded Age Manhattan, it had to be her.
Pretending to be lovers...
Daisy Swan has plans and they do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. But when a devastating family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, suddenly a fake engagement with Theo is just the thing to make all her dreams come true.
And now it’s time to kiss and make up…
Daisy Swan aspires to sell cosmetics that she has created, but this brainy scientist needs a smooth talking charmer’s flair for words and eye for beauty to make it a success. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2019
157 people are currently reading
3184 people want to read
About the author
Maya Rodale
46 books1,621 followersMaya Rodale is the best-selling and award-winning author of funny, feminist fiction including historical romance, YA and historical fiction. A champion of the romance genre and its readers, she is also the author of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. Maya reviews romance for NPR and has appeared in Bustle, Glamour, Shondaland, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and PBS. She began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence and has never been allowed to forget it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
April 7, 2019
ARC received from publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Daisy is set on life as a spinster. She is one year away of getting her degree in science and finding herself a comfortable spot on the dreaded ‘shelf’. Growing up in a society where women are only praised for their outward features, Daisy has had it difficult. But when she is coerced into an arranged marriage by her mother to her mortal enemy Theodore Prescott the Third she and Theo come up with a plan. Just go along with it to get their parents off their backs and until they can find a solution before their time runs out.
What Theo wants most in this world is his father's approval and to have a purpose. But the only way to gain his father's approval would be to work in the family business of steel.
Together they start a small business and Theo and Daisy become a team. They both come to realise as the days to the wedding date goes by, that it might not be so bad shackled to someone you hate. But perhaps hate is no longer the right word.
A big theme of this book was the rights of women at the time. What was deemed appropriate and not appropriate. I learned so many things that baffled me. Like the fact that women weren't allowed to eat at a restaurant without a male chaperone. Or the fact that it was wanton of a respectable woman to wear cosmetics. That really blew my mind.
By the time I finished this book I wanted to go out and buy some cosmetics myself. I'm not even a huge makeup user (I'm stingy with money that I could rather spend on books and also no matter how many tutorials I watch I just can't freaking get any of it right) but I was ready to fight for the rights of these women.
I found this such a fun and easy read. I really liked Theo's character and Daisy was stubborn in an endearing way. This was exactly the relaxing read that I needed.
Publish date: 18 June 2019
Daisy is set on life as a spinster. She is one year away of getting her degree in science and finding herself a comfortable spot on the dreaded ‘shelf’. Growing up in a society where women are only praised for their outward features, Daisy has had it difficult. But when she is coerced into an arranged marriage by her mother to her mortal enemy Theodore Prescott the Third she and Theo come up with a plan. Just go along with it to get their parents off their backs and until they can find a solution before their time runs out.
What Theo wants most in this world is his father's approval and to have a purpose. But the only way to gain his father's approval would be to work in the family business of steel.
Together they start a small business and Theo and Daisy become a team. They both come to realise as the days to the wedding date goes by, that it might not be so bad shackled to someone you hate. But perhaps hate is no longer the right word.
A big theme of this book was the rights of women at the time. What was deemed appropriate and not appropriate. I learned so many things that baffled me. Like the fact that women weren't allowed to eat at a restaurant without a male chaperone. Or the fact that it was wanton of a respectable woman to wear cosmetics. That really blew my mind.
By the time I finished this book I wanted to go out and buy some cosmetics myself. I'm not even a huge makeup user (I'm stingy with money that I could rather spend on books and also no matter how many tutorials I watch I just can't freaking get any of it right) but I was ready to fight for the rights of these women.
I found this such a fun and easy read. I really liked Theo's character and Daisy was stubborn in an endearing way. This was exactly the relaxing read that I needed.
Publish date: 18 June 2019
July 3, 2019
This was an enjoyable read/listen and I thought the romance was woven into the story better than the first in series.
June 24, 2019
4.5 stars - Historical Romance
October 28, 2021
Fabulous series about love and the women's movement for freedom and power.
This was also an enemies to lovers troupe, and I loved it!!
This was also an enemies to lovers troupe, and I loved it!!
June 7, 2019
I really loved this book - Daisy and Theo are such an amazing couple and I LOVED their banter.
Daisy Swan has never been considered pretty, unlike her gorgeous mother and sister, but she is smart and believes in herself. She has also hated Theodore Prescott the Third since she was 13 years old and he gave her the nickname Ugly Duck Daisy, on that day she decided three things, she will never marry, she will find a way to cut ties with society and she will hate Theo until the day she dies.
12 years later at 25 Daisy is still not pretty, but she is in college and hopes to get a degree in chemistry, be declared a spinster and start a cosmetics company. Her plans are progressing nicely until her mother demands that she marry and not just anyone - Theo the Worst (as Daisy likes to call him) - her mother explains that her father is up to something that is sure to cause a huge scandal and Daisy needs to be married to protect herself. NO - Daisy refuses to even consider the idea and needs to get away - she runs outside and enters the park.
Up the street, Theo has been called into his father's library, his latest scandal is the final straw for Prescott the Second. He demands that Theo marry Daisy or he will cut him off - NO! He refuses and also ends up in the park - only to find Daisy - they exchange words and when it begins to rain they take shelter in a gazebo - she asks what they will do, she thinks they should get engaged to shut up their parents and then find a way out - he refuses to even consider the idea. That is until he learns that his father has suspended his club membership. Theo decides that he has had enough, he wants to be his own man and will need Daisy to help. They agree to pretend to be agreeable and form a truce to reach their common goal of not marrying each other.
Their first outing together is an eye opener for Theo, he never really considered what his cruel words years ago did to Daisy. He apologizes, but she still doesn't like him. But when he learns of her dream to start her own company, he offers to help - Theo knows women and has a gift with words, together, they will be successful. Reluctantly, Daisy agrees to a partnership and begins to respect Theo and Lord Forgive her, even like him. Somewhere between bickering and kissing, they fall in love and just when it looks like they might actually marry, her father's scandal breaks and everything begins to unravel - can Theo forgive her lies by omission? Or will they bend to their parents wishes once more?
What a great book! It is well written (I had an uncorrected arc, that did have some little errors, but I am assuming those will be corrected by publication), the story is unique and fast paced - the banter between them is priceless, there are laugh out loud moments, steamy love scenes, moments of triumph and moments of devastation, but through it all, even when they hated each other, Theo and Daisy stuck together and earned their HEA. This is the second book in the series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone, I loved it and am happy to recommend it!!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*
Daisy Swan has never been considered pretty, unlike her gorgeous mother and sister, but she is smart and believes in herself. She has also hated Theodore Prescott the Third since she was 13 years old and he gave her the nickname Ugly Duck Daisy, on that day she decided three things, she will never marry, she will find a way to cut ties with society and she will hate Theo until the day she dies.
12 years later at 25 Daisy is still not pretty, but she is in college and hopes to get a degree in chemistry, be declared a spinster and start a cosmetics company. Her plans are progressing nicely until her mother demands that she marry and not just anyone - Theo the Worst (as Daisy likes to call him) - her mother explains that her father is up to something that is sure to cause a huge scandal and Daisy needs to be married to protect herself. NO - Daisy refuses to even consider the idea and needs to get away - she runs outside and enters the park.
Up the street, Theo has been called into his father's library, his latest scandal is the final straw for Prescott the Second. He demands that Theo marry Daisy or he will cut him off - NO! He refuses and also ends up in the park - only to find Daisy - they exchange words and when it begins to rain they take shelter in a gazebo - she asks what they will do, she thinks they should get engaged to shut up their parents and then find a way out - he refuses to even consider the idea. That is until he learns that his father has suspended his club membership. Theo decides that he has had enough, he wants to be his own man and will need Daisy to help. They agree to pretend to be agreeable and form a truce to reach their common goal of not marrying each other.
Their first outing together is an eye opener for Theo, he never really considered what his cruel words years ago did to Daisy. He apologizes, but she still doesn't like him. But when he learns of her dream to start her own company, he offers to help - Theo knows women and has a gift with words, together, they will be successful. Reluctantly, Daisy agrees to a partnership and begins to respect Theo and Lord Forgive her, even like him. Somewhere between bickering and kissing, they fall in love and just when it looks like they might actually marry, her father's scandal breaks and everything begins to unravel - can Theo forgive her lies by omission? Or will they bend to their parents wishes once more?
What a great book! It is well written (I had an uncorrected arc, that did have some little errors, but I am assuming those will be corrected by publication), the story is unique and fast paced - the banter between them is priceless, there are laugh out loud moments, steamy love scenes, moments of triumph and moments of devastation, but through it all, even when they hated each other, Theo and Daisy stuck together and earned their HEA. This is the second book in the series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone, I loved it and am happy to recommend it!!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*
June 23, 2019
This second installment in Maya Rodale's Gilded Age girls club takes us back to Manhattan in the late 1800s, where Daisy Swan wants nothing more than to live out her life as a spinster, selling her very own complexion cream. Her mother, though, has other ideas. Not only does she want Daisy to marry, she wants it to be with the pretty playboy who made her teenage years miserable. Theo is the one who dubbed her Ugly Duck Daisy and he's never done anything since to raise her opinion of him. In fact, he is best known for being ornamental and vapid, and is no more interested in marrying her than she is interested in marrying him.
Their parents aren't interested in what they want, so they launch a fake engagement to get them off their backs.
The first half of the book focuses on their begrudging pact; the second half shows them falling for each other, despite their best intentions.
I enjoyed the book, even if I didn't love-LOVE it the way I did the first book in the series. I liked that Daisy's brand of feminism still managed to celebrate a feminine pursuit (like cosmetics/being pretty.) Feminism is about the freedom to be who you want, even if what you want is to be a princess.
What kept it from being 100% for me was Theo in the first half. He was pretty self-involved and was oblivious to the way his behavior over the years affected Daisy. Of course, his arc has him seeing his mistakes and evolving into a better version of himself. But it was hard to root for him as a love interest in the early chapters.
The book does give a satisfying ending--and, for sure, I'll keep reading in the series.
Their parents aren't interested in what they want, so they launch a fake engagement to get them off their backs.
The first half of the book focuses on their begrudging pact; the second half shows them falling for each other, despite their best intentions.
I enjoyed the book, even if I didn't love-LOVE it the way I did the first book in the series. I liked that Daisy's brand of feminism still managed to celebrate a feminine pursuit (like cosmetics/being pretty.) Feminism is about the freedom to be who you want, even if what you want is to be a princess.
What kept it from being 100% for me was Theo in the first half. He was pretty self-involved and was oblivious to the way his behavior over the years affected Daisy. Of course, his arc has him seeing his mistakes and evolving into a better version of himself. But it was hard to root for him as a love interest in the early chapters.
The book does give a satisfying ending--and, for sure, I'll keep reading in the series.
June 27, 2019
Well, this was a delight.
I loved Daisy and Theo. She’s so smart and he’s so charming and together there’s chemistry and banter. I loved their mutual exasperation and how they discussed various ways to jilt the other one at the alter. There are some other ladies as secondary characters and I’m absolutely here for any of their books.
Plot wise, it was nearly all fluff and I loved it. There’s conversation and a natural progression from casual acquaintances to friends to lovers. There is a very small bit of conflict but it’s not between them and it doesn’t last long. Additionally, there’s an entire plot line about Daisy making cosmetics and women bucking societal rules to support her and do what they want for themselves.
Overall, it was quick and fun read. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and I’m sure I’ll be reading it again.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved Daisy and Theo. She’s so smart and he’s so charming and together there’s chemistry and banter. I loved their mutual exasperation and how they discussed various ways to jilt the other one at the alter. There are some other ladies as secondary characters and I’m absolutely here for any of their books.
Plot wise, it was nearly all fluff and I loved it. There’s conversation and a natural progression from casual acquaintances to friends to lovers. There is a very small bit of conflict but it’s not between them and it doesn’t last long. Additionally, there’s an entire plot line about Daisy making cosmetics and women bucking societal rules to support her and do what they want for themselves.
Overall, it was quick and fun read. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and I’m sure I’ll be reading it again.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
October 19, 2021
This was a very enjoyable read and the characters were likeable. A bit of a change from the normal romances related to Gilded Age that I've read. Nice reading.
June 17, 2019
SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS by Maya Rodale is book Two in The Gilded Age Girls Club Series. This is the story of Daisy Swan and Theodore 'Theo' Prescott. I have read the previous book but fee this can be a standalone book.
Theo and Daisy knew each other when the where younger where Theo teased her about her looks. This set in motions her feeling that she would never marry, that she would become her own person and not what society puts on her. But now in the present day her mother is urging her to marry Theo because of a possible scandal. Theo has been taken to task again about his father about another scandal caused by him is his father's last straw, now his choice is to marry Daisy or else.
I enjoyed their story and of course Ms. Rodale's writing.
Theo and Daisy knew each other when the where younger where Theo teased her about her looks. This set in motions her feeling that she would never marry, that she would become her own person and not what society puts on her. But now in the present day her mother is urging her to marry Theo because of a possible scandal. Theo has been taken to task again about his father about another scandal caused by him is his father's last straw, now his choice is to marry Daisy or else.
I enjoyed their story and of course Ms. Rodale's writing.
June 2, 2021
This was just ok for me. The shining star was Daisy who wants to start her own cosmetics business and studied chemistry at university to develop the best complexion cream. The romance however was just meh for me.
June 15, 2019
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
When they were children, Theodore Prescott the Third, of one of the richest families in Manhattan, called Daisy Swan a horrible name. It was so bad, in fact, that she has never forgotten it - nor forgiven him. Theo has recently experienced an incredible scandal and the only way to save face is to marry someone with respect. The best woman for this, encouraged by both families, is none other than Daisy. Her family is facing scandal, but most are unaware of that fact.
How can the two of them work this out? It is more than clear that they still hate each other all these years later. However, Daisy has taken on a huge endeavor, and it seems that Theo is just the man that can help her with it. She has developed a product for women. Daisy is a brilliant scientist, but not very creative when it comes to marketing, so Theo is sure with his ideas, he can get her business off the ground.
Theo and Daisy come to an agreement. They will pretend to be in love and engaged to quiet their families. This will obviously further her business, while at the same time helping Theo overcome his scandal. It doesn't take them very long to realize that there is indeed a thin line between love and hate and that, just maybe, they might be attracted to one another. Are they indeed suited to be a couple slated to find true love?
When attraction and a few sizzling kisses are getting in the way, Daisy maintains that she does not actually want to marry. At some point, obviously, she begins to rethink her decision. At the very least, she would like to finish getting her degree. As a woman in the 1890s, this is rather unusual, but yet it is something that Daisy excels at. Getting married might put that goal in jeopardy.
Just like the first book in the series, A Duchess by Design, the rights of women are explored. I definitely enjoyed watching both women in this series work towards achieving personal goals despite the limits of society. One scene that really grabbed my attention is that where a group of women go to dine alone. In that day and age, it simply wasn't done. At least one man had to accompany women. Watching the women stand up to what they felt they had a right to was just a sampling of what this book deals with.
The third book in the series, An Heiress to Remember, is set for release in March, 2020. I look forward to the next heroine in the series and learning even more about the Gilded Age.
Many thanks to Avon and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.
When they were children, Theodore Prescott the Third, of one of the richest families in Manhattan, called Daisy Swan a horrible name. It was so bad, in fact, that she has never forgotten it - nor forgiven him. Theo has recently experienced an incredible scandal and the only way to save face is to marry someone with respect. The best woman for this, encouraged by both families, is none other than Daisy. Her family is facing scandal, but most are unaware of that fact.
How can the two of them work this out? It is more than clear that they still hate each other all these years later. However, Daisy has taken on a huge endeavor, and it seems that Theo is just the man that can help her with it. She has developed a product for women. Daisy is a brilliant scientist, but not very creative when it comes to marketing, so Theo is sure with his ideas, he can get her business off the ground.
Theo and Daisy come to an agreement. They will pretend to be in love and engaged to quiet their families. This will obviously further her business, while at the same time helping Theo overcome his scandal. It doesn't take them very long to realize that there is indeed a thin line between love and hate and that, just maybe, they might be attracted to one another. Are they indeed suited to be a couple slated to find true love?
When attraction and a few sizzling kisses are getting in the way, Daisy maintains that she does not actually want to marry. At some point, obviously, she begins to rethink her decision. At the very least, she would like to finish getting her degree. As a woman in the 1890s, this is rather unusual, but yet it is something that Daisy excels at. Getting married might put that goal in jeopardy.
Just like the first book in the series, A Duchess by Design, the rights of women are explored. I definitely enjoyed watching both women in this series work towards achieving personal goals despite the limits of society. One scene that really grabbed my attention is that where a group of women go to dine alone. In that day and age, it simply wasn't done. At least one man had to accompany women. Watching the women stand up to what they felt they had a right to was just a sampling of what this book deals with.
The third book in the series, An Heiress to Remember, is set for release in March, 2020. I look forward to the next heroine in the series and learning even more about the Gilded Age.
Many thanks to Avon and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.
November 20, 2019
C- review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/r...
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2020
A cute, progressive, feminist historical romance.
June 19, 2019
New York City 1883 In her youth Daisy Swan was looked down upon by her peers and fellow children of some of the elite of Manhattan because she was not pretty. Unfortunately she was teased and when an incident occurred with her landing in a duck pond due to Theodore Prescott, she knew at that moment she would hate him forever!!
Fast forward 12 years and at twenty five Daisy felt she was still not pretty as her mother and sisters. I felt so bad for Daisy because a lot of have felt this way, but I have to give her credit. She was smart, determined, and about to finish college and would be free and independent. Plus with her studies in chemistry she had ideas about creating and selling cosmetics to women to make them look and feel beautiful!
Unfortunately her plans seemed about to be crushed when her mother brings up Theodore Prescott, yes the hated Prescott and demands she marry him. What? It seems her father is about to bring scandal down on them and Daisy needs to be married and protected. Really? No. She leaves and goes to the park.
Meanwhile Theo's father is telling him that he has done his last scandalous incident and he demands he marry Daisy or he will cut him off. He says NO and runs off to the park!
The adventure begins. The two meet up and begin talking about what they will do and come up with a plan.
A pretend engagement. Yes, that will work. But what is does is open up both of their lives as they help each other!
A delightful story that had me unable to stop reading until I turned the last page. I laughed out loud, sighed and as they bantered back and forth I could only smile. They deserved a happy ever and were meant for each other. Who would have thought it years ago? Really enjoyed.
Fast forward 12 years and at twenty five Daisy felt she was still not pretty as her mother and sisters. I felt so bad for Daisy because a lot of have felt this way, but I have to give her credit. She was smart, determined, and about to finish college and would be free and independent. Plus with her studies in chemistry she had ideas about creating and selling cosmetics to women to make them look and feel beautiful!
Unfortunately her plans seemed about to be crushed when her mother brings up Theodore Prescott, yes the hated Prescott and demands she marry him. What? It seems her father is about to bring scandal down on them and Daisy needs to be married and protected. Really? No. She leaves and goes to the park.
Meanwhile Theo's father is telling him that he has done his last scandalous incident and he demands he marry Daisy or he will cut him off. He says NO and runs off to the park!
The adventure begins. The two meet up and begin talking about what they will do and come up with a plan.
A pretend engagement. Yes, that will work. But what is does is open up both of their lives as they help each other!
A delightful story that had me unable to stop reading until I turned the last page. I laughed out loud, sighed and as they bantered back and forth I could only smile. They deserved a happy ever and were meant for each other. Who would have thought it years ago? Really enjoyed.
June 18, 2019
Daisy Swan is determined to finish her education and make something of herself. She has no interest in matrimony, much less to her arch nemesis Theodore Prescott the Third. Dubbing her Ugly Duck Daisy as children started her lifelong dislike of everything Theo, with his handsome looks and loaded social calendar, so what on earth could her mother be thinking to make Daisy marry him?
There’s more to Theodore Prescott the Third bedsides his best dressed self and booked social calendar. Too bad he hasn’t figured out what that something is...yet. He knows he doesn’t want to work for his father, nor does he want to marry Daisy Swan, regardless of what his father thinks. But what’s a guy to do when said father cuts off access to his pin money, clubs, and life as he knows it?
Daisy and Theo were total opposites, that I honestly didn’t expect them to have such chemistry! Granted, it was a very slooooow burn, but their mutual wonder of discovering deeper feelings for one another made the anticipation so worthwhile!
Another thing I loved about the story was how much women’s history was weaved into the plot! Dining alone, women’s marches, workplace conditions, society’s perceptions that make or break reputations, and of course, cosmetics! Personally, I rarely wear make-up because my skin is so sensitive, but darned if I didn’t commiserate with Daisy’s reasons and her desire to create and concoct her products. I know I’ll also be adding the biographies mentioned in the author’s note to read for sure:)
I find Maya Rodale’s voice very refreshing! The Gilded Age has so much material to offer and I love Rodale’s spin on things. Her characters are strong and unique in their own ways and push the limits of society’s expectations. But it’s the end result I love-that there’s always a choice. One that isn’t based on personal restrictive circumstances or society’s rules, but because an opportunity of their own making allows them to make an unfettered decision about their future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
There’s more to Theodore Prescott the Third bedsides his best dressed self and booked social calendar. Too bad he hasn’t figured out what that something is...yet. He knows he doesn’t want to work for his father, nor does he want to marry Daisy Swan, regardless of what his father thinks. But what’s a guy to do when said father cuts off access to his pin money, clubs, and life as he knows it?
Daisy and Theo were total opposites, that I honestly didn’t expect them to have such chemistry! Granted, it was a very slooooow burn, but their mutual wonder of discovering deeper feelings for one another made the anticipation so worthwhile!
Another thing I loved about the story was how much women’s history was weaved into the plot! Dining alone, women’s marches, workplace conditions, society’s perceptions that make or break reputations, and of course, cosmetics! Personally, I rarely wear make-up because my skin is so sensitive, but darned if I didn’t commiserate with Daisy’s reasons and her desire to create and concoct her products. I know I’ll also be adding the biographies mentioned in the author’s note to read for sure:)
I find Maya Rodale’s voice very refreshing! The Gilded Age has so much material to offer and I love Rodale’s spin on things. Her characters are strong and unique in their own ways and push the limits of society’s expectations. But it’s the end result I love-that there’s always a choice. One that isn’t based on personal restrictive circumstances or society’s rules, but because an opportunity of their own making allows them to make an unfettered decision about their future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 14, 2019
A delightful, fascinating look at women in the Gilded Age of New York. I loved the characters. I loved the story. If you have a drop of feminism in your blood you will love how determined women found a way to thwart, not just men, but the mores of the time. This is a wonderful follow-up to the previous book in the series.
Daisy and Theo were childhood acquaintances and enemies after an incident in which he called her "Ugly Duck Daisy." So things were just awful when their parents coerce them into an engagement. Daisy and Theo agree to a false engagement and begin to plot the end of the engagement. Meanwhile, Daisy struggles to find her own place in the world and Theo struggles to gain his father's respect.
Good stories force the characters to change and grow. This book does that job extremely well. Plus the dialogue between Daisy and Theo is just charming. You will get sentimental tears and want to stand up and cheer by the end. Terrific book!
Daisy and Theo were childhood acquaintances and enemies after an incident in which he called her "Ugly Duck Daisy." So things were just awful when their parents coerce them into an engagement. Daisy and Theo agree to a false engagement and begin to plot the end of the engagement. Meanwhile, Daisy struggles to find her own place in the world and Theo struggles to gain his father's respect.
Good stories force the characters to change and grow. This book does that job extremely well. Plus the dialogue between Daisy and Theo is just charming. You will get sentimental tears and want to stand up and cheer by the end. Terrific book!
July 14, 2019
For as much as I love discussing beauty and skincare, I know very little about the history of cosmetics. Some Like It Scandalous provides a crash course on the history of complexion balm and makeup, thanks to budding entrepeneur and scientist Daisy.
Daisy has no interest in marriage and is solely focused on figuring out how to bring her complexion balm, based on an old family recipe and tweaked thanks to her background in chemistry, to market. Her plans are foiled when her mother joins forces with the father of her childhood bully and demands she wed Theo before disaster falls on her father’s business. Theo, on the other hand, is embroiled in the latest scandal and his father has decided he will marry or be cut off.
I love enemies-to-lovers plots and Daisy has valid reasons for hating Theo, even if he’s befuddled by her reaction to him. They decide to join forces and fake an engagement in order to buy time. And in the meantime, Daisy gets to start selling her complexion balm while Theo puts his marketing genius to good use, which also gives him purpose for the first time. In the process, they get to know one another and truly see and understand the other person, versus the image they’ve both presented to the world.
This series just plain works for me. The women go hard after their dreams and they don’t have to compromise their career for the sake of love. I’ve read some criticisms that Theo’s character is under drawn but I didn’t feel that way or if I did notice it, it didn’t bother me. I really liked Theo and Daisy together and how perfectly they complemented one another.
Plus, the Gilded Age continues to fascinate me. I look forward to where this series goes next!
CW: bullying, financial fraud, abortion for side character
Daisy has no interest in marriage and is solely focused on figuring out how to bring her complexion balm, based on an old family recipe and tweaked thanks to her background in chemistry, to market. Her plans are foiled when her mother joins forces with the father of her childhood bully and demands she wed Theo before disaster falls on her father’s business. Theo, on the other hand, is embroiled in the latest scandal and his father has decided he will marry or be cut off.
I love enemies-to-lovers plots and Daisy has valid reasons for hating Theo, even if he’s befuddled by her reaction to him. They decide to join forces and fake an engagement in order to buy time. And in the meantime, Daisy gets to start selling her complexion balm while Theo puts his marketing genius to good use, which also gives him purpose for the first time. In the process, they get to know one another and truly see and understand the other person, versus the image they’ve both presented to the world.
This series just plain works for me. The women go hard after their dreams and they don’t have to compromise their career for the sake of love. I’ve read some criticisms that Theo’s character is under drawn but I didn’t feel that way or if I did notice it, it didn’t bother me. I really liked Theo and Daisy together and how perfectly they complemented one another.
Plus, the Gilded Age continues to fascinate me. I look forward to where this series goes next!
CW: bullying, financial fraud, abortion for side character
June 20, 2019
Review originally published at Romancing Romances.
3.5*
I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
Some Like It Scandalous is the second book in The Gilded Age Girls Club and it’s an enemies to lovers kind of story.
I had a problem with this story that in a way stopped me from enjoying it as much as I could have.
Theo was a bully, as a kid. But his actions had repercussions until adult life. And who was the target of his mean, hurtful words? Daisy Swan.
Daisy is a great character. She is fearless, intrepid, intelligent, courageous… And Theo…. Theo is lost. He has no idea what to with his life – completely opposite to Daisy, who has everything planned out. Theo is not bad… He just doesn’t think things through, until his father gives him an ultimatum and he has to change his life. And Daisy is backed up into a corner by her mother, who doesn’t want to see her daughter become a spinster.
An amazing chemist, Daisy may not be a beauty, but she does have a gorgeous complexion, all because of a cream recipe that had been in her family and that she had improved. But she needed help to launch it… and here comes another great trope in the romance world: fake engagement.
Theo has a way with words, and Daisy creates amazing “cosmetics”. They become a team, and their relationship evolves from being enemies, to friends, to something else and, finally, to lovers.
Daisy is a fierce woman! She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to go after it. She has amazing friends, that support her even if they don’t completely agree with her – what more can we ask of a friend, right?
And Theo improves throughout the book, without a doubt, but I still didn’t connect with him.
It was a great Gilded Age book, and it had very good characters, with a very pleasant writing style that pulls us into the story, but the fact that I didn’t like the male character kept me from enjoying this book as much as I could have had.
3.5*
I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
Some Like It Scandalous is the second book in The Gilded Age Girls Club and it’s an enemies to lovers kind of story.
I had a problem with this story that in a way stopped me from enjoying it as much as I could have.
Theo was a bully, as a kid. But his actions had repercussions until adult life. And who was the target of his mean, hurtful words? Daisy Swan.
Daisy is a great character. She is fearless, intrepid, intelligent, courageous… And Theo…. Theo is lost. He has no idea what to with his life – completely opposite to Daisy, who has everything planned out. Theo is not bad… He just doesn’t think things through, until his father gives him an ultimatum and he has to change his life. And Daisy is backed up into a corner by her mother, who doesn’t want to see her daughter become a spinster.
An amazing chemist, Daisy may not be a beauty, but she does have a gorgeous complexion, all because of a cream recipe that had been in her family and that she had improved. But she needed help to launch it… and here comes another great trope in the romance world: fake engagement.
Theo has a way with words, and Daisy creates amazing “cosmetics”. They become a team, and their relationship evolves from being enemies, to friends, to something else and, finally, to lovers.
Daisy is a fierce woman! She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to go after it. She has amazing friends, that support her even if they don’t completely agree with her – what more can we ask of a friend, right?
And Theo improves throughout the book, without a doubt, but I still didn’t connect with him.
It was a great Gilded Age book, and it had very good characters, with a very pleasant writing style that pulls us into the story, but the fact that I didn’t like the male character kept me from enjoying this book as much as I could have had.
May 31, 2019
Theodore Prescott the Third, heir to a steel company magnate, has ambition for little else besides attending parties with his friends and wooing women. Daisy Swan has plenty of ambition and plans to remain unwed, forever. When their parents announce they’re to be engaged, Daisy and Theo team up to fake an engagement.
I liked Daisy more than Theo but only because I feel like she was given more personality than he was. I really enjoyed the prologue and their history together. The fact that Theo learned from that history was fantastic. I felt like Daisy learned from it, too.
Probably one of my favorite things about this title was that there was no insta-lust which seems to be everywhere these days. Theo and Daisy don’t even particularly like each other through a big chunk of the book.
I did find the prologue and first 70% of the book more entertaining than the last 30%. I found myself skimming at that point. Once they decided they did indeed like each other (which I realize had to happen sooner or later), I found the events to be less interesting.
Maya Rodale is one of my go to authors so I will of course be reading the next title in this series.
*I received an eARC from Edelweiss, NetGalley, and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I liked Daisy more than Theo but only because I feel like she was given more personality than he was. I really enjoyed the prologue and their history together. The fact that Theo learned from that history was fantastic. I felt like Daisy learned from it, too.
Probably one of my favorite things about this title was that there was no insta-lust which seems to be everywhere these days. Theo and Daisy don’t even particularly like each other through a big chunk of the book.
I did find the prologue and first 70% of the book more entertaining than the last 30%. I found myself skimming at that point. Once they decided they did indeed like each other (which I realize had to happen sooner or later), I found the events to be less interesting.
Maya Rodale is one of my go to authors so I will of course be reading the next title in this series.
*I received an eARC from Edelweiss, NetGalley, and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 21, 2019
Maya Rodale’s one of those authors where I don’t even have to read the blurb of her newest release, and I’ll pick it up as fast as I can. One trope she’s exceptionally good at is opposites-attract (see my review on LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT over here), and SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS captures that talent perfectly!
A scandalous rogue + an aspiring, sensible gentlelady = a successful love story (and business) that’ll make readers’ toes curl.
It all begins with a scandal. As you can tell by the title (which by the way, is a PERFECT fit for this story). A scandal, and an arranged marriage between a man who made up a hurtful childhood nickname and the girl whose nickname it was. What in the world could possibly go wrong?
“Marriage to her must be his penance and punishment. They probably wanted her to reform him. As if she didn’t have better things to do with her time! As if she didn’t have plans and ambitions of her own that did not involve the reformation of wayward rogues.”
Their parents think her staunch personality can reign him down. But Theo? He’s just trying to have fun, on his own terms. It’s hurtful that his father is trying to push his business onto him, but Theo’s trying to avoid it by having all the fun he can. Even if it’s superficial and nonsensical and really, truly, not a contribution to society at all. So what? It’s only expected of him. And Daisy? She ain’t got TIME for no arranged marriage - not when she’s concluding the creation of her face cream that is going to change the name of the game for women in society. The game being: meek and mild. The new name being: bold and empowering. Because Daisy is a woman after my own heart, who’s using her passion to changing the lives of women around her. One end of the party is wasting his life on nothing, while the other end of the party is dedicating her life on - to her - everything. Would it be possible for Theo to learn a bit from Daisy?
“His talents for teasing and name-calling had been finally focused on creating something good. He took her basic product and found the pretty, the style, the spark. He took her science and added magic.”
It turns out, that MAY be possible with the deal they made: HE, with his smooth tongue and good looks markets HER products, with the possibility of a more independent future for women, and - BOOM - profit. Of course, a few kisses here and there won’t hurt. After all, the engagement doesn’t have to go through, in favor of their business partnership. Or does it?
Along the way of creating Daisy’s brand of cosmetics, fighting against the oppressive views of society men, and going against a father’s domineering hand, Daisy and Theo slowly fall in love. And it’s SUCH a satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance that you just can’t help but want more. Daisy’s insecurities about her appearance and her passionate views about women’s rights make her a wonderful heroine, while Theo’s feeling of incompetence around his father - and even Daisy sometimes - makes him a flawed hero. They both are so delightful together, and the chemistry is flaming hot. Finally, the progressive message of cosmetics during the time and the small revolution it caused creates a backdrop that readers will appreciate - no matter if it fits in the historical setting of the time or not (which, considering the fair amount of research Rodale conducted, it did fit).
“‘It’s the suggestion of pride in one’s appearance. It’s a suggestion that a woman believes she is worthy of adornment and feeling beautiful and put-together. It’s the suggestion of money of her own, probably that she earned. It’s not just lip paint. It is a declaration that a woman is not content with what God gave her and she believes that she can do better. It’s a command to look at her mouth and listen to what she has to say. And that is why it’s so shocking.’”
I adored SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS, and it was a wonderful addition to The Gilded Age Girls Club. I know I cannot wait for the next one, even though I’m not even sure what it’s about yet. Rodale’s talent in getting two seemingly different, and yet so alike characters together is flawless, making her books all hits for me. I really would recommend this one to historical romance readers who appreciate active heroines who take a stand against the oppression of the day, and the romantic heroes that support them.
Content/Trigger Warnings: sexy times
A scandalous rogue + an aspiring, sensible gentlelady = a successful love story (and business) that’ll make readers’ toes curl.
It all begins with a scandal. As you can tell by the title (which by the way, is a PERFECT fit for this story). A scandal, and an arranged marriage between a man who made up a hurtful childhood nickname and the girl whose nickname it was. What in the world could possibly go wrong?
“Marriage to her must be his penance and punishment. They probably wanted her to reform him. As if she didn’t have better things to do with her time! As if she didn’t have plans and ambitions of her own that did not involve the reformation of wayward rogues.”
Their parents think her staunch personality can reign him down. But Theo? He’s just trying to have fun, on his own terms. It’s hurtful that his father is trying to push his business onto him, but Theo’s trying to avoid it by having all the fun he can. Even if it’s superficial and nonsensical and really, truly, not a contribution to society at all. So what? It’s only expected of him. And Daisy? She ain’t got TIME for no arranged marriage - not when she’s concluding the creation of her face cream that is going to change the name of the game for women in society. The game being: meek and mild. The new name being: bold and empowering. Because Daisy is a woman after my own heart, who’s using her passion to changing the lives of women around her. One end of the party is wasting his life on nothing, while the other end of the party is dedicating her life on - to her - everything. Would it be possible for Theo to learn a bit from Daisy?
“His talents for teasing and name-calling had been finally focused on creating something good. He took her basic product and found the pretty, the style, the spark. He took her science and added magic.”
It turns out, that MAY be possible with the deal they made: HE, with his smooth tongue and good looks markets HER products, with the possibility of a more independent future for women, and - BOOM - profit. Of course, a few kisses here and there won’t hurt. After all, the engagement doesn’t have to go through, in favor of their business partnership. Or does it?
Along the way of creating Daisy’s brand of cosmetics, fighting against the oppressive views of society men, and going against a father’s domineering hand, Daisy and Theo slowly fall in love. And it’s SUCH a satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance that you just can’t help but want more. Daisy’s insecurities about her appearance and her passionate views about women’s rights make her a wonderful heroine, while Theo’s feeling of incompetence around his father - and even Daisy sometimes - makes him a flawed hero. They both are so delightful together, and the chemistry is flaming hot. Finally, the progressive message of cosmetics during the time and the small revolution it caused creates a backdrop that readers will appreciate - no matter if it fits in the historical setting of the time or not (which, considering the fair amount of research Rodale conducted, it did fit).
“‘It’s the suggestion of pride in one’s appearance. It’s a suggestion that a woman believes she is worthy of adornment and feeling beautiful and put-together. It’s the suggestion of money of her own, probably that she earned. It’s not just lip paint. It is a declaration that a woman is not content with what God gave her and she believes that she can do better. It’s a command to look at her mouth and listen to what she has to say. And that is why it’s so shocking.’”
I adored SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS, and it was a wonderful addition to The Gilded Age Girls Club. I know I cannot wait for the next one, even though I’m not even sure what it’s about yet. Rodale’s talent in getting two seemingly different, and yet so alike characters together is flawless, making her books all hits for me. I really would recommend this one to historical romance readers who appreciate active heroines who take a stand against the oppression of the day, and the romantic heroes that support them.
Content/Trigger Warnings: sexy times
Read
March 27, 2022Review also available at The Smut Report.
Heat Factor: Their first kiss is distinctly underwhelming, but don’t worry! It gets much better.
Character Chemistry: Completely believable, as enemies and as friends and as lovers
Plot: Our parents want us to get married, so let’s have a fake engagement to get them off our backs! Seems like a solid plan.
Overall: Fun AND fabulous AND feminist! Definitely worth reading.
Sometimes, when I read historical romance featuring a really overtly feminist heroine, I find myself frequently annoyed at the anachronisms. Obviously, yes, there have always been women who have shunned the dictates of society - but how many of them have done so thoroughly, and then also married Dukes? (Maybe this is a question for the Duke Project.)
In the case of Some Like it Scandalous, however, the feminism absolutely works, because Rodale balances the activism of her heroine (and friends) with discussions that they have about respectability and the importance of reputation. The women here are absolutely breaking boundaries, but they acknowledge the importance of working within the dictates of society. They won’t just throw off their chains willy-nilly - partially because doing so would make life more difficult, but partially because doing so would make their activism more difficult. It’s much harder to dismiss the respectable wife of a prominent clergyman than it is to dismiss a woman on the fringes.
Let’s back up a bit. Daisy Swan is twenty-five, and almost finished with her degree in chemistry from Barnard. In a year, she will be hopelessly on the shelf, and therefore free to live the life of a spinster and pursue her dream of starting her own business. However, fate intervenes - or, more accurately, her mother does - and she finds herself pushed towards marriage with one Theodore Prescott the Third, a young man about town who jumps from one scandal to the next, and who Daisy happens to loathe with the fire of a thousand burning suns. After all, Theo saddled her with a nasty nickname when they were kids, and even though a dozen years have passed, people still quack at her in ballrooms. You see, this Ugly Duck sadly never became a Swan.
Theo is none too happy about the match either. He doesn’t actively hate Daisy the way she hates him, but he doesn’t much care for her, because he feels like he’s always judging him for being pretty and insubstantial. (Honestly, she probably is.) She makes him feel inferior, just because he likes society and gossip and making people laugh and pretty things. But his father thinks that marriage to a sensible girl will help Theo settle down, because that last scandal was just too much. And if Theo doesn’t - well, he doesn’t need that trust fund any more, now does he?
So Daisy and Theo have a believable backstory as to why they dislike each other. Neither of them wants to get married, but they both face enormous parental pressure to do so. Their solution: pretend to be engaged, so that her mother and his father will leave them alone, and use the intervening time to figure out an alternate solution to their various family woes.
Daisy’s big plan to get out of marriage is to start a business selling complexion cream. She may not be very pretty, but she does have absolutely fabulous skin, so she knows she has a good product. (Old Family Recipe + Training in Chemistry = Magic, I guess.) If she can make a go of it and actually support herself, there’s no need for marriage. The only problem is that it’s a hard sell. Only actresses and ladies of the night wear stuff on their face. A Lady might use a concoction made by her maid, but would NEVER be seen actually purchasing it.
Enter Theo, who jumps at the opportunity to go into business with her. If he can prove himself to his father by becoming a successful entrepreneur, then he won’t need marriage to settle him down. And his skill set is uniquely complimentary to Daisy’s for the purpose of selling beauty products. She is a great chemist, but he knows how to make things appealing to women - he is good at things like pithy taglines and pretty packaging and getting people to like him. They are ideal business partners, and working together gives them a believable transition from mutual dislike to mutual respect to mutual desire and affection.
Let’s circle back around to the question of feminism, because the business angle is where the feminist discussions really work. Since, given the time period, no respectable woman would wear make-up, how can Daisy sell this product and remain respectable? This leads to some impassioned debates among her friends - a society of progressive women, determined to change the world - about the demarcation of women’s space and how to press outward from the boundaries set around them by men. And perhaps make-up, which may make the wearer feel more confident in moving about in public, is one tool in the feminist toolbox.
Theo’s participation in the business also leads to some less overt feminist musings about what industry and entrepreneurship mean, as he confronts the fact that his father - a macho stereotype who, in another romance novel, would be the romantic lead, with his rugged good looks and his steel buildings and his oodles of money and his imperious ways and his dead wife (Erin would love him!) - doesn’t see any benefit to a product that caters to women.
Since this is a romance novel, I should probably comment a bit more on the actual romance. First, I thought that Rodale did an exceptional job of slowly transitioning our hero and heroine from disliking each other to loving each other. Second, I deeply appreciated the fact that Theo and Daisy had to practice a bit before things really gelled for them physically. To be blunt: Daisy trains Theo to pleasure her the way she wants to be pleasured, which is how it works if you want a good sex life. And finally, I did start getting worried at about the 75% mark that Daisy and Theo would end up married through inertia, as they can’t really come up with a good plan to stop the wedding, and neither of them really wants to at this point, and Daisy’s mom is running full steam ahead on the planning - but doing so would mean that they never actually had to fully talk about or embrace their relationship. Luckily, Rodale has some tricks up her sleeve (without resorting to unrealistic melodrama), which meant that the resolution had Daisy and Theo together fully of their own volition.
There are a few hiccups in the writing early on which make the early chapters a bit repetitive. For example, Daisy lists examples of other successful women three times in the first few chapters - “And those were just the ones that Daisy knew” (repeated almost verbatim in Chapters 1 and 3). However, once the story gets cracking and Daisy and Theo start snarking at each other (“How are we going to not get married?... I should think it’s easy. We just don’t do it.” / “You shouldn’t think. It doesn’t suit you. It’ll give you wrinkles on that pristine and perfect forehead of yours.”) and then actually talking to each other and working towards a common cause of mutual disentanglement, I stopped noticing repetitions like this because I was too busy having fun with the story.
And, bottom line: it’s fun. So much fun.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
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Heat Factor: Their first kiss is distinctly underwhelming, but don’t worry! It gets much better.
Character Chemistry: Completely believable, as enemies and as friends and as lovers
Plot: Our parents want us to get married, so let’s have a fake engagement to get them off our backs! Seems like a solid plan.
Overall: Fun AND fabulous AND feminist! Definitely worth reading.
Sometimes, when I read historical romance featuring a really overtly feminist heroine, I find myself frequently annoyed at the anachronisms. Obviously, yes, there have always been women who have shunned the dictates of society - but how many of them have done so thoroughly, and then also married Dukes? (Maybe this is a question for the Duke Project.)
In the case of Some Like it Scandalous, however, the feminism absolutely works, because Rodale balances the activism of her heroine (and friends) with discussions that they have about respectability and the importance of reputation. The women here are absolutely breaking boundaries, but they acknowledge the importance of working within the dictates of society. They won’t just throw off their chains willy-nilly - partially because doing so would make life more difficult, but partially because doing so would make their activism more difficult. It’s much harder to dismiss the respectable wife of a prominent clergyman than it is to dismiss a woman on the fringes.
Let’s back up a bit. Daisy Swan is twenty-five, and almost finished with her degree in chemistry from Barnard. In a year, she will be hopelessly on the shelf, and therefore free to live the life of a spinster and pursue her dream of starting her own business. However, fate intervenes - or, more accurately, her mother does - and she finds herself pushed towards marriage with one Theodore Prescott the Third, a young man about town who jumps from one scandal to the next, and who Daisy happens to loathe with the fire of a thousand burning suns. After all, Theo saddled her with a nasty nickname when they were kids, and even though a dozen years have passed, people still quack at her in ballrooms. You see, this Ugly Duck sadly never became a Swan.
Theo is none too happy about the match either. He doesn’t actively hate Daisy the way she hates him, but he doesn’t much care for her, because he feels like he’s always judging him for being pretty and insubstantial. (Honestly, she probably is.) She makes him feel inferior, just because he likes society and gossip and making people laugh and pretty things. But his father thinks that marriage to a sensible girl will help Theo settle down, because that last scandal was just too much. And if Theo doesn’t - well, he doesn’t need that trust fund any more, now does he?
So Daisy and Theo have a believable backstory as to why they dislike each other. Neither of them wants to get married, but they both face enormous parental pressure to do so. Their solution: pretend to be engaged, so that her mother and his father will leave them alone, and use the intervening time to figure out an alternate solution to their various family woes.
Daisy’s big plan to get out of marriage is to start a business selling complexion cream. She may not be very pretty, but she does have absolutely fabulous skin, so she knows she has a good product. (Old Family Recipe + Training in Chemistry = Magic, I guess.) If she can make a go of it and actually support herself, there’s no need for marriage. The only problem is that it’s a hard sell. Only actresses and ladies of the night wear stuff on their face. A Lady might use a concoction made by her maid, but would NEVER be seen actually purchasing it.
Enter Theo, who jumps at the opportunity to go into business with her. If he can prove himself to his father by becoming a successful entrepreneur, then he won’t need marriage to settle him down. And his skill set is uniquely complimentary to Daisy’s for the purpose of selling beauty products. She is a great chemist, but he knows how to make things appealing to women - he is good at things like pithy taglines and pretty packaging and getting people to like him. They are ideal business partners, and working together gives them a believable transition from mutual dislike to mutual respect to mutual desire and affection.
Let’s circle back around to the question of feminism, because the business angle is where the feminist discussions really work. Since, given the time period, no respectable woman would wear make-up, how can Daisy sell this product and remain respectable? This leads to some impassioned debates among her friends - a society of progressive women, determined to change the world - about the demarcation of women’s space and how to press outward from the boundaries set around them by men. And perhaps make-up, which may make the wearer feel more confident in moving about in public, is one tool in the feminist toolbox.
Theo’s participation in the business also leads to some less overt feminist musings about what industry and entrepreneurship mean, as he confronts the fact that his father - a macho stereotype who, in another romance novel, would be the romantic lead, with his rugged good looks and his steel buildings and his oodles of money and his imperious ways and his dead wife (Erin would love him!) - doesn’t see any benefit to a product that caters to women.
Since this is a romance novel, I should probably comment a bit more on the actual romance. First, I thought that Rodale did an exceptional job of slowly transitioning our hero and heroine from disliking each other to loving each other. Second, I deeply appreciated the fact that Theo and Daisy had to practice a bit before things really gelled for them physically. To be blunt: Daisy trains Theo to pleasure her the way she wants to be pleasured, which is how it works if you want a good sex life. And finally, I did start getting worried at about the 75% mark that Daisy and Theo would end up married through inertia, as they can’t really come up with a good plan to stop the wedding, and neither of them really wants to at this point, and Daisy’s mom is running full steam ahead on the planning - but doing so would mean that they never actually had to fully talk about or embrace their relationship. Luckily, Rodale has some tricks up her sleeve (without resorting to unrealistic melodrama), which meant that the resolution had Daisy and Theo together fully of their own volition.
There are a few hiccups in the writing early on which make the early chapters a bit repetitive. For example, Daisy lists examples of other successful women three times in the first few chapters - “And those were just the ones that Daisy knew” (repeated almost verbatim in Chapters 1 and 3). However, once the story gets cracking and Daisy and Theo start snarking at each other (“How are we going to not get married?... I should think it’s easy. We just don’t do it.” / “You shouldn’t think. It doesn’t suit you. It’ll give you wrinkles on that pristine and perfect forehead of yours.”) and then actually talking to each other and working towards a common cause of mutual disentanglement, I stopped noticing repetitions like this because I was too busy having fun with the story.
And, bottom line: it’s fun. So much fun.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
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June 26, 2019
This book is EVERYTHING I want in a read – a heroine to adore: determined, brainy, unapologetically herself and yet still curious and willing to take chances with a hero who, despite his appearances of not caring is actually kind, considerate and feeling a bit lost and guilty while still trying to gain recognition and approval from his father. But, when the two are pushed / cajoled / prodded together, the sparks fly and oh how wonderful it is to find the thoroughly open set of sensibilities in a man of the time!
Daisy has always been different to her sisters and mother, and even more importantly, she has taken that knowledge and used it to build her own dreams: a degree in chemistry, a life unencumbered by the debutante/marriage mart, and her eventual plans to lead a life that is self-supporting and single. She’s got plans and dreams, and there is nothing that she will allow to stop her. Until her mother, desperate to push her into asituation where she will be secure and her reputation protected from inevitable family scandal, uses the scandalous behavior and latest exploits of Theo (in conjunction with his father) to demand an engagement and marriage forthwith. Believing that the Prescott name and family money will secure Daisy’s place in society, her mother is full on, while both Daisy and Theo are feeling more chalk and cheese, and not at all enamored of the idea.
But something happens: Daisy is not one for holding her tongue, and Theo finds that he appreciates her honesty and clear speaking, and her ideas to create cosmetics (of all things) in an era where only actresses and prostitutes have use of them, death to a reputation of a ‘woman from a good family’ intriguing. And, fortunately as Daisy is a woman of thought and progress, she’s connected with others first met in this series who are, for better or worse, working to propel women’s issues, choices, opportunities and lives for the better. There’s so much for thought here – from Theo’s own issues with his father to Daisy’s curiosity and fragility, to the feeling that the two are so well matched both in temperament best seen in their bickering, that it is a couple that is meant to be together, even when they don’t see it themselves. Rodale has created another couple to love who feel very modern while still taking the opportunity to show the constraints placed on their behavior and choices, making this a historic novel and storyline to adore.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
Daisy has always been different to her sisters and mother, and even more importantly, she has taken that knowledge and used it to build her own dreams: a degree in chemistry, a life unencumbered by the debutante/marriage mart, and her eventual plans to lead a life that is self-supporting and single. She’s got plans and dreams, and there is nothing that she will allow to stop her. Until her mother, desperate to push her into asituation where she will be secure and her reputation protected from inevitable family scandal, uses the scandalous behavior and latest exploits of Theo (in conjunction with his father) to demand an engagement and marriage forthwith. Believing that the Prescott name and family money will secure Daisy’s place in society, her mother is full on, while both Daisy and Theo are feeling more chalk and cheese, and not at all enamored of the idea.
But something happens: Daisy is not one for holding her tongue, and Theo finds that he appreciates her honesty and clear speaking, and her ideas to create cosmetics (of all things) in an era where only actresses and prostitutes have use of them, death to a reputation of a ‘woman from a good family’ intriguing. And, fortunately as Daisy is a woman of thought and progress, she’s connected with others first met in this series who are, for better or worse, working to propel women’s issues, choices, opportunities and lives for the better. There’s so much for thought here – from Theo’s own issues with his father to Daisy’s curiosity and fragility, to the feeling that the two are so well matched both in temperament best seen in their bickering, that it is a couple that is meant to be together, even when they don’t see it themselves. Rodale has created another couple to love who feel very modern while still taking the opportunity to show the constraints placed on their behavior and choices, making this a historic novel and storyline to adore.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
July 29, 2020
Much like the first, this is a delightful romance that highlights female ingenuity and sisterhood. The concept really shines, and the story does some cute trope twists too.
The Gilded Age Girls Club focuses on a group of wealthy women who meet to figure out how to help women entrepreneurs and poor women in need of a job without resources. In this one, Daisy's a woman of wealth, but she doesn't want to wed for stability; she dreams of supporting herself with the money she could earn from her complexion balm, which she has perfected in the lab at her college.
Initially, Theo and Daisy seem like a really terrible ship. He was her main bully when she was a child, creating the nickname of "Ugly Duck" for her, among other cruel things. He comes off as a vapid asshole. What's nice about Theo's transition is that he doesn't change because he loves Daisy. He's starting to change his opinions when he still doesn't particularly like her, because he's actually listening to what she's saying even with the idea of her as an enemy of sorts.
A lot of hate to love makes the mistake of having them hate each other while also passionately longing for each other's bodies (this totally can work, but a lot of the time it feels lazy). For me, if someone's an asshole, I generally don't find them very attractive, even if they objectively are. It was refreshing the way neither of them found the other particularly attractive until they got to know one another better and bonded. I also like that their foundation is built upon their mutual interest in her entrepreneurial efforts, as he ends up doing marketing for her. Love the gender role flip where she's the chemist and he's the one who makes the product look pretty.
While I did have fun from start to finish, my only caveat would be that I shipped it more intellectually than emotionally. I really like the choices that were made, but nothing hit me in the feels. Still, I like this series and would definitely recommend if you like the concept. I especially like the audio, because Rodale's writing style didn't work perfectly for me in the past.
The Gilded Age Girls Club focuses on a group of wealthy women who meet to figure out how to help women entrepreneurs and poor women in need of a job without resources. In this one, Daisy's a woman of wealth, but she doesn't want to wed for stability; she dreams of supporting herself with the money she could earn from her complexion balm, which she has perfected in the lab at her college.
Initially, Theo and Daisy seem like a really terrible ship. He was her main bully when she was a child, creating the nickname of "Ugly Duck" for her, among other cruel things. He comes off as a vapid asshole. What's nice about Theo's transition is that he doesn't change because he loves Daisy. He's starting to change his opinions when he still doesn't particularly like her, because he's actually listening to what she's saying even with the idea of her as an enemy of sorts.
A lot of hate to love makes the mistake of having them hate each other while also passionately longing for each other's bodies (this totally can work, but a lot of the time it feels lazy). For me, if someone's an asshole, I generally don't find them very attractive, even if they objectively are. It was refreshing the way neither of them found the other particularly attractive until they got to know one another better and bonded. I also like that their foundation is built upon their mutual interest in her entrepreneurial efforts, as he ends up doing marketing for her. Love the gender role flip where she's the chemist and he's the one who makes the product look pretty.
While I did have fun from start to finish, my only caveat would be that I shipped it more intellectually than emotionally. I really like the choices that were made, but nothing hit me in the feels. Still, I like this series and would definitely recommend if you like the concept. I especially like the audio, because Rodale's writing style didn't work perfectly for me in the past.
July 9, 2020
This was fine, but it also could have been a lot better. Enemies to lovers can really work for me, but the history between Daisy and Theo was a bit too much so while I appreciated Theo's realizations about how his words and actions weren't just a fun joke for his friends and had real implications for Daisy, their history just made the romance a lot harder. That said, the parts of their relationship that worked were great. I am not immune to grand gestures when said gesture is giving the heroine her own chemistry lab.
A lot of the family stuff was a bit much here. Theo's dad obviously sucks, but the fact that Daisy's father was never on page was a bit strange given that his impending business scandal was part of what set all of this in motion. I had extreme flashbacks to The OC when Daisy's dad's investment scandal broke at her engagement party, which really just made me want to rewatch The OC.
I enjoyed the Daisy's friendships with the women's league, and all in all, I was happy with how the major storylines resolved despite my concerns with everything happening too quickly at the end. Anyway, the basic story here was enjoyable. I think I just wish the writing had been a little bit better and the history between the leads had been a little less harsh.
Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2020: Title is a Pun
A lot of the family stuff was a bit much here. Theo's dad obviously sucks, but the fact that Daisy's father was never on page was a bit strange given that his impending business scandal was part of what set all of this in motion. I had extreme flashbacks to The OC when Daisy's dad's investment scandal broke at her engagement party, which really just made me want to rewatch The OC.
I enjoyed the Daisy's friendships with the women's league, and all in all, I was happy with how the major storylines resolved despite my concerns with everything happening too quickly at the end. Anyway, the basic story here was enjoyable. I think I just wish the writing had been a little bit better and the history between the leads had been a little less harsh.
Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2020: Title is a Pun
June 12, 2019
4.5 stars
It's been a while since I haven't read a great historical romance, and especially one set in the Gilded Age in New York.
Some Like It Scandalous is a beautiful love story between Theodore Prescott The Third and Daisy Swann. They know each other sine teenage years when Theo nicknamed her Ugly Duck Daisy.
Being one of the notorious rake in the town, Theo has to marry someone who will make his inheritance and name a respected one as he gets himself in trouble and his father demands that from him.
Daisy only wants to became a business woman and produce cosmetics affordable to any woman, but due to unforeseen situations, she has to accept a marriage of inconvenience.
They start a pretending courting, or so they think it is, because after spending time together and starting to know more about the other's dreams and wishes, they fall in love irremediably and between kisses and a great banter, a friendship is formed, not only an alliance for business or marriage.
I love this book,it is so well written that you'll definitely read it in one sitting, has great characters and what a banter and chemistry between them. Let's not forget about the pockets!!!
June 21, 2019
Maya Rodale give some of the more fun historical romance that I have read. I enjoy very much picking up one of her romances and seeing where it takes me. I love that so makes the titles feel like something familiar.
With Some Like it Scandalous we get us a pair of enemies that turn to lovers and then so much more. The game of pretend or convenience makes its claim know and staked on the hearts of two very unsuspecting individuals.
Daisy and Theodore Prescott the Third makes to most of their fake engagement. The take full advantage of all the offerings of being respectable in public and behind closed doors things were certainly different.
I can only say that again I had fun with Maya's latest offering. I do very much look forward to more of the friends, family and other characters meet while traveling this journey with Theo and Daisy.
With Some Like it Scandalous we get us a pair of enemies that turn to lovers and then so much more. The game of pretend or convenience makes its claim know and staked on the hearts of two very unsuspecting individuals.
Daisy and Theodore Prescott the Third makes to most of their fake engagement. The take full advantage of all the offerings of being respectable in public and behind closed doors things were certainly different.
I can only say that again I had fun with Maya's latest offering. I do very much look forward to more of the friends, family and other characters meet while traveling this journey with Theo and Daisy.
January 16, 2023
Daisy and Theo were such an interesting couple to follow. I love the feminist aspects and haw Daisy wanted to create makeup that made women feel beautiful for themselves. I also loved the way the relationship progressed.
June 20, 2019
I was really torn about how to rate this one. I loved Theo and Daisy and the way their relationship and business unfolded. But there was so much packed in with the ladies of the club and their protests and activities (toward the end of the book in particular) that the pacing felt strange and on multiple occasions I asked, "What does this have to do with the story?" I think some of the historically-based events needed either a longer book to spread them out or to be saved for another book.
June 17, 2019
4 stars
June 11, 2019
I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review. Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale is the second book in her The Gilded Age Girls Club series. It could be read as a stand-alone but I loved the first book Duchess By Design and highly recommend reading both. Some Like It Scandalous is a delightful romp of an arranged marriage and enemies to lovers story although to be fair to Theodore Prescott the Third was more indifferent to Daisy Swan than actual enmity, Daisy however had never forgiven him for saddling her with the the nickname Ugly Duck Daisy at age 13. When their parents arrange for the two to be married Theo and Daisy decide to pretend to be engaged while plotting a way to get out of actually getting married. Daisy has plans for her life and they don’t include marriage and Theo hasn’t really considered marriage and certainly not to Daisy. The more time they spend together plotting the more they come to like each other. The banter is wonderful and the story will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. The time period of the Gilded Age was an interesting one and Maya Rodale makes the time and the setting come to life. Medium Steam. Publishing Date June 18, 2019 #MayaRodale #AvonBooks #HarperCollinsCanada #SomeLikeItScandalous #Edelweissplus
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