Do You Want to Start a Scandal

by Tessa Dare

Overview

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit . . . and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062349040
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Series:	Castles Ever After Series , #4
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tessa Dare is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of more than a dozen historical romances. A librarian by training and a book-lover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children, and a pair of cosmic kittens.

Editorial Reviews

2016-11-06
When she tries to warn a marquess to stay away from her at a house party where they'll be guests for the next two weeks—because she knows her mother will try to set them up in some embarrassing way—Charlotte Highwood winds up compromised. In trying to prove her innocence, she falls in love with the man, who's sworn he'll never love anyone.When Charlotte follows Piers Brandon, Lord Granville, into the Parkhurst library to warn him about her mother's schemes, the conversation is interrupted by another couple meeting for a tryst. Thinking quickly, Piers hides them behind a long curtain, where they endure listening to the assignation. They're discovered leaving their hiding place, leading people to think it was she and Piers making love. Piers quietly offers to marry Charlotte, who resists. She wants a marriage based on love and trust, not convenience. Convinced she can evade an engagement if she finds the "tuppers," Charlotte embarks on an investigation even as she gives her heart and body to Piers, who finds himself incredibly willing to share long-held secrets with his would-be fiancee—considering he's a spy who's spent a lifetime learning how to hide them—without realizing he's falling in love, too. Dare delivers another winning historical romance, with sparkling dialogue, an effervescent heroine, and an emotionally inhibited hero who falls for her even if he can't admit it to himself. There is much to love in this title—which entwines the author's popular Castles and Spindle Cove series—and Dare brings her typical combination of humor (with an extra dose of lightheartedness thanks to Charlotte's irrepressible spirit), unexpected yet spot-on matchmaking, and soul-satisfying romance. However, a few anachronisms and missteps mar the story. For example, wouldn't Charlotte still be compromised if she uncovered the trysting couple? A gratifying romance despite some flaws.

Kirkus Reviews

With its free-spirited heroine and honorable hero, Dare’s latest is a riotous romance. Her signature humor sparkles (I’ll never look at a peach and cucumber the same way again) and when combined with a mystery that turns into a Regency game of Clue, readers are captivated.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“Artful diversions, a clever heroine, and intense passion are all brought together by Dare’s smart writing and spot-on matchmaking….The irresistibly provocative, classy love scenes set the bar high for other historical romance novels.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Do You Want to Start a Scandal is good. It’s so, so good. [...] It worked perfectly for me. [...] This book is funny, it’s charming, and the romance works so beautifully.” — Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (A Grade)

“An irrepressible, independent-minded heroine and a responsible hero who’s leading two lives fall for each other in a rollicking and passionate romp that is just what Spindle Cove fans will relish.” — Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

With its free-spirited heroine and honorable hero, Dare’s latest is a riotous romance. Her signature humor sparkles (I’ll never look at a peach and cucumber the same way again) and when combined with a mystery that turns into a Regency game of Clue, readers are captivated.

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

Do You Want to Start a Scandal is good. It’s so, so good. [...] It worked perfectly for me. [...] This book is funny, it’s charming, and the romance works so beautifully.

Smart Bitches