A Lady's Lesson in Scandal

5/5 Stars

“A Lady's Lesson in Scandal” by Darcy McGuire is a fun historical romance that combines espionage, love, and humour. Set in Victorian England, the story follows Millicent Whittenburg, a secret agent (sort of still in training) for Queen Victoria, who tries to escape a marriage she doesn't want by publicly ruining her reputation and making herself unmarryable. Her unknown victim and collateral damage is Major General Beaufort Drake, a man known for avoiding marriage and hating women. However, Millicent's plan goes awry when the battle-scarred veteran (and secret private investigator for the Prime Minister), proposes marriage for his own reasons.

McGuire's storytelling is compelling as she blends romance and mystery. The chemistry between Millie and Drake is palpable from their first meeting, and their relationship grows as they deal with their imminent engagement. Both characters are interesting and well-developed. Millie is a strong, possibly plus-size woman (she is called fat by a character, but the book cover doesn't show this) who challenges societal norms of feminine weakness and stupidity. At the same time, Drake's tough appearance hides a more sensitive side and trauma that is both mental and physical.

What makes this novel stand out is the powerful mix of romance and mystery tipped in favour of romance in the first half of the book, and mystery in the second. As Millie and Drake secretly work on supposedly separate missions to uncover a sinister plan, their paths cross. The intertwined storylines keep the pace engaging. Their playful banter is delightful and the spicy scenes are realistic and enjoyable.

A romance needs some spice, and McGuire delivers a good amount of it. The intimate scenes strike a lovely balance between sensual and sweet. The tension between Mille and Drake builds wonderfully, making their moments together even more rewarding.

“A Lady's Lesson in Scandal” is a must-read for anyone who loves historical romance (and isn't too much of a stickler about historical accuracy), with a bit of mystery and strong female leads. It's perfect for both newcomers (like me) and seasoned fans, offering captivating characters and a plot that keeps you intrigued until the last page.

It was a real struggle not to read this book all in one go, I could barely put it down. “A Lady's Lesson in Scandal” is a fantastic addition to the historical romance world and leaves you excited for more in The Queen's Deadly Damsels series. I will absolutely be reading the rest of this series.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Net Galley for my eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

2.5/5

I liked the first half of the book much better than the second half. I enjoyed Millie getting training with Phillipa but then the author chose to drop trauma casually with no warning whatsoever. Main character being whipped by her stepmother? Check. Her best friend being sexually assaulted by her father (which was really a throwaway line?)? Check. Sexual trafficking of young girls? Check. I mean what? Seriously? What the hell, author. There was NOTHING to point in that direction before this scene with Ivy. And I'm just supposed to... What, congratulate you for trauma dumping your readers with no warning? Absolutely not.

It was supposed to be a silly romcom and turned into I don't even know what. And the way the author didn't deal with ANY of that and just brushed it off... Am I supposed to be happy?

So the two members of the Devil something society (?) were caught and killed. Does it stop the group from kidnapping any more young girls? Is queen Victoria informed? Is Prime Minister? What does Beau think about the betrayal of his closest friend? Or the fact that he was killed in self-defence by his bride? Who knows? Certainly not the readers cause the author chose to not reveal any of that. As though it wasn't important.

If it wasn't important then why include it in the book, that's my question. If you're not going to round up the plot and the reader has more questions than answers, then the plot wasn't really all that good in the first place, was it.

I struggle to find any things I liked about this book. The evil stepmother trope is so overdone and here it was just too much, and to see her not suffering any consequences was just frustrating. The other woman being a bitch and not getting her due either was anticlimactic as well. Why include her in the first place if you're not going to do anything about it? There are better ways of making your Maine female character jealous. Better ways.

I'm just frustrated and disappointed by this book. It could use sensitivity readers for sure. I mean so much trauma with no resolution whatsoever? And why would I care about the main characters happy ending if the whole trauma dump just sucked all the enjoyment I had of this book? Seriously.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me the ARC.