Customer Reviews

Duke of Scandal

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

 

 

This is only the fourth book by Adele Ashworth that I have read (the others being WINTER GARDEN, WHEN IT'S PERFECT and the first book in this trilogy DUKE OF SIN). While I've generally enjoyed her books, I've never been quite as enamored of her work as many readers who would consistently rate her books in the 4 1/2 or 5 star range. Having said that, I SHOULD have liked this book much more than I did. I liked the hero and heroine, I liked the plot, I liked the character development. Unfortunately, the book simply did not hold my interest like it should (particularly the first half) and I'm not sure I can clearly articulate why. It took me six days to read this book, a period during which I would normally have read two or three books, because I kept putting it down. I found my attention wandering while I was reading it, though that effect did fade as the book progressed.

Olivia Shea is half French, half English and runs a perfume house in Paris called Nivan that she inherited from her stepfather. She is a very competent business woman and is very proud of her accomplishments. Except for the biggest mistake she's ever made - trusting and marrying Edmund Carlisle. She discovered on her wedding night that Edmund had disappeared taking her inheritance with him. Well, he's not going to get away with this. And so Olivia goes on the hunt, finally tracking him down in London. She plans to confront him, right here in this crowded ballroom, and make him return her funds!

Samson Carlisle, Duke of Durham is rather bored with the ladies of the ton. They all look the same, act the same. And so, it is with wary interest that he agrees to be introduced to a "Frenchwoman" who has asked to meet him. His trepidation stems from a scandal from his past which involved a treacherous French woman and his own devious twin brother, Edmund. On meeting Miss Olivia Shea, formerly of Elmsboro, now of Paris, he is struck by two things. The first is that she is incredibly, strikingly beautiful and the second is that she thinks he is Edmund. Sam has not seen Edmund in a decade and their parting was extremely unpleasant. When Olivia discovers that Sam is Edmund's twin, she is shocked, wondering what else she never knew about her husband (what indeed!). When she tells Sam the whole story, he agrees to help her find Edmund and get her much needed funds returned to her. And so they leave for Paris, where Sam will pass himself off as Edmund in order to flush him out.

Time spent together allows this couple to get to know and like one another, and eventually they fall in love. Olivia quickly realizes that, twins or not, Sam is nothing like Edmund. He's honorable, honest, but clearly does not trust easily. He also keeps his thoughts and feelings very close to the vest and so he is not so easy for Olivia to figure out though she's keen to try. For his part, Sam is extremely attracted to Olivia on a physical and intellectual level, but his past experience keeps him from fully trusting her. As they get ever closer to their prey, they find it increasingly difficult not to act on their mutual attraction. And as the night of their confrontation with Edmund arrives, what will happen when the masquerade is over?

Though some readers may dislike Sam, or perhaps find him a bit grim, I found Ms Ashworth's depiction of Sam very realistic. He is a man who was hurt and betrayed and as a result he is wary of people in general. I also liked Olivia whose optimistic confidence in her abilities and judgement is totally shaken by her experience with Edmund. In the end these two are perfect for one another. I just wish the beginning had flowed a little better for me.

Excellent read.

First book I found and read by this author but, certainly not the last.

I found this to be a moving novel with a complex story line and characters but, still easy to follow. The main heroine Olivia was a great combination of wit, intelligent, beauty and charm...living a modern life in historical times. The main hero Samson was a great leading man with a dark and tarnished past but, a warm, loving and complex heart and soul. He was waiting to become the man he was always meant to be and he did this during the evolution of his relationship with Olivia.

I found the background of the vastly different twins - Sam and Edmond - to be very plausible and the author worked in well how Olivia fit into both men's lives and the outcome that was to be found at the end of the book. Some twin stories get too far fetched to be believed (and even now that idea that Sam's old lover Claudette didn't recognize him years later was a little hard to believe but, some people are so simple and narrow sighted even this is possible).

Over-all, the story line kept you intrigued, the tale revolved mainly around Sam and Olivia posing as a couple to seek out Edmond and make him right the wrong he had done to her. Sam helped her achieve this and to eliminate old ghosts he had with his brother as well. The friendship and love that developed between Sam and Olivia over time was warm and wonderful and soon to be tested once they did meet up with Edmond.

This book was exactly as a great love story should be - filled with excitement, passion, attraction, intrigue, a little mystery, conflicts, drama, pain and heartache and then, final resolution. If you want a love story that is not flat and one dimensional (only sex, or only intrigue or only history), than this is the book for you. It had enough of it all and then some.

A few readers felt the dialogue was not historic enough (too many 21st century words and phrases) but, that didn't cause me to flinch as some books do. Many of the scenes were not historical and unlikely (bathing together, always in each others chambers, being found alone room after room to be naughty and no one caught them etc) but...let's be honest...we don't read romances for COMPLETE accuracy. That's for history buffs. Love stories are meant to be a little off, a little different and a lot in tune with our imaginations and less with what the world requires. These minor deviations were a-ok for me.

I'm looking forward to reading some of this author's earlier works and will keep an eye out for new ones as well. She is a solid read and she'll be on my watch list here on out.

Four stars for Duke of Scandal!

In 1860 Lady Olivia Shea and her new spouse Lord Edmund Carlisle are on their honeymoon in Paris when he goes out but never returns allegedly on business leaving her a virgin. When she realizes that he wasted her money leaving her broke and her family firm the House of Niven perfumes in jeopardy she vows to find and expose the cad unless he returns her fortune.

At a London gala, Olivia confronts her husband threatening to expose his actions. She gives him one week and their kiss affects both of them. A few days later Edmund visits Olivia who realizes he is not her spouse. He admits that he is Edmund's twin brother Samson, the title holding duke by three minutes, which his brother has always resented. They have not seen one another in years. As Olivia and Samson fall in love, Edmund remains a shadow between them.

DUKE OF SCANDAL stars two protagonists in love, but a ghost remains between them making a relationship seem scandalous to high society. The fine Victorian romance focuses on the war between Olivia and Samson with the missing sibling ironically serving as the matchmaker. Though Edmund seems to have no redeeming qualities as an amoral scoundrel (perhaps his girlfriend Brigitte can find some), fans will enjoy this entertaining historical tale.

Harriet Klausner

Lady Olivia Shea is seething mad. Not only has her new husband Lord Edmund Carlisle deserted on her wedding night but he has stolen all her fortune and now she is desperate enough to hunt him down so she wont loose her precious Perfumerie, The House of Nivan in Paris.

She arrives in London and attends a gala ball as she has heard that her husband is in London. Olivia is a stunningly beautiful woman - her elegance and poise only adds to her eye-catching beauty. When Samson the Duke of Durham sees her entering the glittering ballroom and immediately notices Olivia in her dazzling gold gown.

Imagine his surprise when she approaches him and tells him that he is her husband. Unbeknown to Olivia - she has just mistaken Samson (Sam) for his twin brother Edmund. Sam is shocked, but more so because he hasn't seen his brother in almost 10 years and Olivia may be the link to finding him since she is the last one that has seen Edmund.

Sam is skeptical to Olivia's claims - he thinks that she may be in cahoots with Edmond to relieve him of his fortune. Edmund and Sam have bad blood between them. Sam fell in love with Charlotte many years ago - a married Frenchwoman. He found out his brother had also been having an affair with Charlotte.

Sam is seeking answers and he will find them through Olivia.

At first he feels that she is a means to and end - but soon he falls under the spell of her beauty and realizes what a shrewd and intelligent businesswoman she is. He is drawn to her more and more - and as they spend time together in Paris trying to find out about Edmund - they are drawn to each other as Olivia realizes that Sam is not like Edmond and she is falling in love with him.

I suppose that the scandal is where Olivia and Sam fall in love but the shadow of her marriage to Edmond is between them. Even though Edmond forged the marriage license and they were never married - Sam feels like he has to prove to himself that Olivia loves him and she is not still in love with his brother.

It is a beautiful love story - Adele Ashford's writes such a seductive and stunningly poignant narrative - where two people meet and instantly drawn to one another - and unlike some other writers, she delves into their feelings with profound insight making you feel the intensity of their emotions as if they were your own. The love scenes are so tender and evocative - passionate and oooohhhhh so beautiful.

Highly recommended Victorian Romance at its best. What a pity that Adele Ashworth has not written anything recently - her book are pure joy and beyond excellent.

This is my first Ashworth book. I didn't like it enough to buy it new, but enjoyed it enough to pick it up if I ever see it in a used bookshop. Interesting characters, decent storyline, good pacing. The only frustrating part for me was near the very end, when Olivia can't seem to move beyond Sam's past, particularly one person in his past. That kind of holier-than-thou attitude from a married woman who sleeps with a man NOT her supposed husband (and worse, her supposed husband's brother) wasn't plausible for me. There might have been a better way to add a dramatic element at that point in the book. But other than that, I found it a fairly decent read. Definitely a "good" book in the sense of something worth reading as you laze by the pool on a warm summer afternoon.

Lady Olivia Shea is searching for her husband. Olivia was married to Lord Edmund Carlisle for only a few hours when she realized that something was wrong. Her husband has disappeared taking most of Olivia's fortune with him.

Lord Samson Carlisle is attending a ball when he is introduced to the stunning Lady Olivia. Then Olivia accuses Sam of leaving her. Sam plays along for a bit just to see what Olivia knows about his missing, deceitful brother, but soon he and Olivia become reluctant allies trying to find Edmund.

Sam respects Olivia's intelligence and ability to run a successful perfume business. He is also very attracted to her, but Olivia is his brother's wife and therefore clearly off limits. Sam and Edmund may look identical, but Olivia finds herself drawn to the differences that distinguish Sam from Edmund. Olivia and Sam 's attraction sizzles to the surface but they still have to find Edmund.

Someone close to Olivia is involved in the scheming, proving the deception goes much further than she could have ever imagined, but Sam is being deceived as well. When he discovers who is behind it all, he is determined to make them pay and bring happiness back to his beloved Olivia.

Duke of Scandal is full of shocking revelations with plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Sam and Olivia are stunning, in both looks and personality. Their moments of intimacy are incredibly moving and sensual, and their emotions are vividly and powerfully expressed; they are brilliant together. The final showdown is everything I hoped it would be. Duke of Scandal is thrilling, suspenseful, passionate, and romantic. It's a wonderful story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This is my first book my this author and I was really surprised at how much I liked it. Particularly since I'd never heard of this author and I'm skeptical to buy books written by authors I'm not even vaguely familiar with. But the same thing happened when I picked up one of Melody Thomas' book. I've read everything else she's written and I'll do the same with Adele Ashworth. The story was moving, the dialogue great and the characters real. I had trouble putting it down to do other things. Sam was a wonderfully, sexy hero and Olivia a wonderful heroine however, I don't think Edmund got his just desserts in the end. All in all, well written and well worth the read.

Adele Ashworth always does a great job of creating interesting characters, and she always keeps the sexual tension high. Good job, Adele! It's too bad Avon won't reward her with better covers. She's certainly one of the top romance writers of the day!

I enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were believable. Guilty pleasure reading with the ending tied in a bow...

I disagree. I thought the dialogue was excellent. I absolutely loved everything about this book from: the poignant love story of an embittered duke hurt by a woman he once loved and his twin brother and a beautiful french heroine you cannot help but cheer for. To the exquisite sexual tension between the h/h when they must team up to find the duke's wayward brother--also Olivia's scoundrel of a husband.

The passion simmers just below the surface as the duke realizes his brother's wife is the one woman he can never live without.

The love scenes are steamy and the emotions are palpable. At times, I found tears welling in my eyes because I could feel their pain. Very well done and a definite keeper. I highly recommend.