Customer Reviews

A Dash of Scandal

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just the book to curl up in front of the fire and snuggle into a warm blanket to lose yourself in Regency England. The dialogue is witty, the pace fast, and the Shakespeare quotes from Lord Truefitt's column that begin each chapter are so clever! One of my favorite books of the year!

A Dash of Scandal by Amelia Grey
Grade: C

"Can a startle be good?' she asked.
"Yes."
"How so?"
"I'll show you sometime, but in order for it to work you can't have a guilty conscience."

Millicent Blair never thought she would have a season in high English society, The Ton, after twenty years earlier her mother was driven from London by scandal and never returned. An unfortunate accident involving her dear aunt, her aunt's dog and a flight of stairs make it impossible for her aunt to go to society parties and listen for the gossip that she then uses for her Lord Truefitt's Society Daily Column. Millicent now has to be her aunt's eyes and ears at parties and in ballrooms and been instructed to stay far away from three men known as the Terrible Threesome, three famous rakes, who happen to be Earls she may find herself in way over her head.
Chandler Prestwick, the Earl of Dunraven, and a member of what the Ton calls the Terrible Three, has one goal this season and that is to find the person who stole a priceless heirloom from his estate after a party his mother hosted. Soon the gossip pages are filled with news of the Mad Ton Thief who just happens to be a part of the high society he or she is stealing from. and Chandler searches for clues at society parties and balls looking for the thief. At one such party he stumbles across newcomer Millicent Blair who always seems to be in hidden corners. Millicent is unlike any woman Chandler has ever met and he soon finds himself forgetting all about his family heirloom and spending time finding out all he can about Millicent Blair.
Chandler and Milicent are very typical historical romance characters: he is an Earl who has never had to worry about anything but getting into a compromising situation with a young lady and having to marry before he decides to grow up, where she has some scandal in her family's past and has some how gotten to come to society but know one can know who she truly is. They meet, fall in love although it's not a good match and somehow everything turns out perfectly. If that paragraph sounds cynical or like I've read too many books from this genre you might be correct but that didn't stop me from enjoying A Dash of Scandal anyway.
Even though Chandler and Millicent are typical characters I found that I liked both of them very much and found their banter to be very clever and funny. I did find it annoying at times that Chandler seemed to go out of his way to try to ruin Millicent's reputation even though she begs him over and over to leave her alone. I got even more annoyed when later on Millicent begs Chandler to ruin her reputation after she fought so hard to keep it in tack. These two issues are the main reason that I didn't give the book a higher grade. I felt that both characters were being selfish and I didn't enjoy either of them behaving this way.
I loved that at the beginning of each chapter there is blurb from Lord Truefitt's Society Daily column and in the blurb Mellicent has added a Shakespeare quote. I found these entries to be something that I looked forward to at the beginning of each chapter and I looked forward to seeing of I could identify the quote that was used. It was very clever little things like this that made me enjoy this book and set it apart from others in it's genre. The Mad Ton Thief was another one of these clever things that I looked forward to and I wish that there had more focus on catching the thief then on Chandler and Mellicent going on and on about her reputation and him being a rake. I was very surprised that I couldn't guess who the thief was and even more surprised when it's revealed who it is.
I know from one of my earlier paragraphs it may have sounded like this is just another typical historical romance novel and if you've read these novels before this is just like all the rest of them and in parts this is true and parts its not. If you are looking for characters to break out of the historical romance lord and lady this is not for you but if you are looking for a clever story, a little Shakespeare and a mystery that will keep you guessing to the end this is the historical romance novel for you.

A DASH OF SCANDAL by Amelia Grey is a historical romance set in Regency England.It is the story of the dashing,handsome,sexy,Chandler, Earl of Dunraven and Millicent,a gently bred lady who is in London to help her aunt,who writes a gossip column for Society's Daily Column as Lord Truefitt.It has witty dialogue,with mystery,a clever scheme,vivid characters,sensual tension,romance,thief,and a spice of love. This is an engaging story full of charm,set at a lively pace that is sure to appeal to any historical,romance,mystery and Regency readers. "A Dash of Scandal" is a dash of spice in a world there there is upheaval,a thief,uncertainity and a few complications.A great,light read full of charm and characters that will capture your heart. Received for review from the publisher.Details can be found at Sourcebooks Casablanca,an imprint of Sourcebooks,Inc. and My Book Addiction Reviews.

It was originally published by Jove Books in 2002.

Delightful and charming, those are the words to describe this book. It was just so sweet and wonderful. I had a grin on my face while reading and I just could not read fast enough. At the end I truly feared for them, even though I know that of course there would be a HEA.

Millicent, our lovely heroine comes to London to help her aunt, who writes a gossip column in secret. But she needs Millie's help and so Millie gets her season but tries to stay under the radar. But what would the book be if she was not spotted by someone. Oh yes one of the most notorious rakes in the city, one that is always in the papers for this and that. But Chandler is never such a rake (ok he is ;), but most of all he is nice and he wants to pursue her. Sure he has women in his past, but the gossip always makes more of a thing that it really is. Still, I truly enjoyed these two together, because Millicent tries to stay away from him, but he keeps showing up, at balls, and in secret. I do love a man who does not give up even though she tells him to.

I think the only thing I did not like was thesexscene. Sure it was good, but up to that it was just so sweet and I liked it sweet since I went to "oh no! her virtue is gone" mode after that scene. But for the rest of you, yes things will heat up once . These two can't stay away from each other. And I still really liked it.

As for the story, it was fun, she writes gossip, he is trying to catch a thief and gets the wrong idea. There are misunderstandings and plots, and most of all, two people falling in love. And he does not want a wife, and she does not want a rake. Yes they are perfect for each other in the end.

Conclusion:
Like I said, it was a delight to read this book. It was sweet and fun and I read it in a heartbeat with a smile on my face. I need to read more by Amelia Grey, she does not disappoint.

Rating:
I recommend it

Not only scandal, but love, laughter, secrets and mystery abound in Amelia Grey's latest delightful Regency historical, A DASH OF SCANDAL.

A mysterious thief has invaded the ton, stealing priceless objects d'art, including a gold raven sculpture from the Earl of Dunraven. Then the earl meets Miss Millicent Blair, who always takes notes at parties and secretes herself in dark corners. Could this charming young lady possibly be the thief? Not helping Dunraven's quest to retrieve his property are the daily doses of scandal offered by the ton's favorite gossip columnist, Lord Truefitt, who has the uncanny knack of skewering the rich and famous, especially the earl.

Millicent despises dashing young men of the ton--one of them ruined her mother. She wants nothing to do with the earl, even though he's the only man who has ever stirred her heart. But she also guards a secret not her own she must keep from him.

Ms. Grey has written another of my favorite type of story, romance plus. I prefer romances that contain another element in addition to the love story, and this one has plenty of mystery and humor to enliven the action. I also like honorable main characters, especially ones who are evenly matched, and Dunraven and Millicent are wonderful. Millicent, with her witty, spirited repartee, is the formidable earl's equal. And Dunraven honors her as a worthy opponent, even as he seeks to unravel her secrets.

Fresh and fast-paced, with abundant doses of humor, plenty of deceptive appearances, and a mystery to tantalize us until the end, A DASH OF SCANDAL has everything.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its delightful & amusing characters. The humorous dialogue between not only the two main characters but the Terrible Threesome as well had me smiling. I enjoyed the book so much I went & ordered it in hardcover as well which is something I try & do with my favourite books.

Yes it is a light read but such an enjoyable one I found it hard to put down.

Millicent and Chandler are well-developed, likeable characters who carry the uneven plot and writing of this book higher than it would otherwise be. Although Millicent easily loses her head around Chandler, their attraction is realistically portrayed and is a strong element of the book. Chandler's realization that he has finally grown up and truly wants to settle down is given the perfect touch.

On the other hand, the author includes characters and situations that seem to have little real purpose and, therefore, become distracting. For example, the appearance of Chandler's old mistress is nothing more than an obvious occasion for jealousy and doubt. Millicent's work as a gossip columnist should have created more tension in her relationship with Chandler. The gentleman is also supposed to be "obsessed" with finding the thief, but he seems only interested. Such things add up to wasted potential for additional conflict. In addition, there are a large number of typographical errors, and the ending is, frankly, lame. It does not carry the intensity of attraction that the rest of their relationship does.

I usually enjoyed the book a great deal, but it wasn't of the highest quality. Had Chandler and Millicent not been such good characters and their relationship not been such a strong element, I would have had to rate it lower. It's a 3 & 1/2 star read.

By the Ton, Millicent Blair was considered a poor young lady from the country whose ailing mother imposed on an old acquaintance to give her daughter a Season in London in hopes of making a good match. They could not have been more wrong! Millicent wanted nothing to do with London. She was in town at the request of her aunt. Due to an accident, Aunt Beatrice was abed. Instead of helping Aunt Beatrice with house duties, Millicent found herself slipping into a role she detested.

Beatrice was an anonymous column writer for Society's Daily Column. Everyone loved to read the gossip section by Lord Truefitt, but no one knew his true identity. Millicent was made to understand that her aunt depended on the income she made as Lord Truefitt. Therefore, no matter how much she hated it, Millicent attended all the posh parties and listened for tid-bits of gossip.

Chandler Prestwick, Earl of Dunraven, was one of the trio dubbed as the Terrible Threesome. History proved him to be a notorious rake. At least one of the trio made the gossip columns daily. Lately, it had been Chandler. He had been a victim of a robbery by a thief known as the Mad Ton Thief. The Raven, an Egyptian artifact that had been in his family for over a hundred years, had been stolen! Chandler was obsessed with unveiling the thief. At the same time, he was attracted to Millicent.

*** This story has a good plot and a heroine with a level head on her shoulders, except when the hero is around. During those times she seems to lose all her maturity. I did not know whether to admire her or strangle her. I found the novel to be perfect for anyone who wants some light beach or vacation reading. ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

When Lady Beatrice Talbott tripped over her dog and suffered severe injuries, she sends for her niece Millicent Blair, but not to nurse her back to health. Instead Beatrice assigns Millicent to continue her Lord Truefitt's gossip column in the London Daily Reader. Though she loathes spreading gossip, Millicent would do anything including writing this column for her aunt.

Millicent reports that the Mad Ton Thief stole a priceless golden raven from the collection of the Earl of Dunraven, Charles Preswick, while the aristocrat hosted a social event. Charles meets Millicent and is very attracted to her wit and intelligence, more so perhaps than her understated beauty. Charles, frustrated by the poor performance of Bow St., begins his own investigation into the identity of the Mad Ton Thief with Millicent helping him sift through the clues. Working in close proximity and courting too, Charles and Millicent fall in love, but she worries what will happen to her beloved aunt if he learns who Truefitt is.

Fans of Regency romantic romp will relish this amusing tale highlighted by Lord Truefitt's commentaries that borrow from classic literature to describe individual members of the Ton. Even with a semblance of an amateur sleuth investigation, the story line never takes itself seriously, but except for the column never quite attains a sense of irony or powerful suspense. Instead the audience receives a delightfully cheerful "All's well that ends well" tale starring two engaging protagonists.

Harriet Klausner

By the Ton, Millicent Blair was considered a poor young lady from the country whose ailing mother imposed on an old acquaintance to give her daughter a Season in London in hopes of making a good match. They could not have been more wrong! Millicent wanted nothing to do with London. She was in town at the request of her aunt. Due to an accident, Aunt Beatrice was abed. Instead of helping Aunt Beatrice with house duties, Millicent found herself slipping into a role she detested.

Beatrice was an anonymous column writer for Society's Daily Column. Everyone loved to read the gossip section by Lord Truefitt, but no one knew his true identity. Millicent was made to understand that her aunt depended on the income she made as Lord Truefitt. Therefore, no matter how much she hated it, Millicent attended all the posh parties and listened for tid-bits of gossip.

Chandler Prestwick, Earl of Dunraven, was one of the trio dubbed as the Terrible Threesome. History proved him to be a notorious rake. At least one of the trio made the gossip columns daily. Lately, it had been Chandler. He had been a victim of a robbery by a thief known as the Mad Ton Thief. The Raven, an Egyptian artifact that had been in his family for over a hundred years, had been stolen! Chandler was obsessed with unveiling the thief. At the same time, he was attracted to Millicent.

*** This story has a good plot and a heroine with a level head on her shoulders, except when the hero is around. During those times she seems to lose all her maturity. I did not know whether to admire her or strangle her. I found the novel to be perfect for anyone who wants some light beach or vacation reading. ***