Invitation to Scandal [Paperback]

Bronwen Evans (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2012

Her secrets are coming undone...

Plagued by scandalous rumors, Rheda Kerrich will stop at nothing to restore her reputation and make an honest living for herself-and she's determined to do it without a husband. But times are hard, and smuggling is a risky though profitable trade. So when a dashing agent for the English government catches her in the act, she desperately resists his charms and conceals her illicit profession. Until she realizes he may be the key to her ultimate freedom-and unbridled passion...

Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore, has never had trouble beguiling the ladies of Kent. When his search for "Dark Shadow," a cunningly elusive smuggler, leads him to alluring and headstrong Rhe, her objections to his amorous advances merely incite a tantalizing game of cat and mouse. Soon, they'll find the very secrets driving them apart could ensnare them in a love they can't escape...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

New Zealander BRONWEN EVANS loves story-telling - gobbling up movies, books and theatre.  Her head is always filled with characters and stories, particularly lovers in angst.  In 2007, encouraged by a close friend battling a deliberating illness, Bronwen finally started down the path to publication by joining RWA, The Beau Monde. RWAustralia and RWNZ. Bronwen's first manuscript, INVITATION TO RUIN,  was completed late 2009 and was sold by her agent, Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency, to Kensington Publishing early 2010, in a two book deal. Her debut novel, INVITATION TO RUIN, received a 4.5 star rating from RT Book Reviews and has been nominated in the 2011 RT Reviewer's Choice awards - Best First Historical. Invitation to Ruin was also well received in Publishers Weekly - Evans's debut Regency is filled with sizzling romance... Strong characterizations, smooth plotting, and plenty of explicit sex will appeal to fans of modern Regencies. (Mar.)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Brava; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758259212
• ISBN-13: 978-0758259219
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,674,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi from Wellington, New Zealand.

I'm an author and lover of romance novels. I love reading all genres but in particular historicals. I write dark, gritty and sensual Regency historicals for the Kensington Brava line. Here's my bio...

New Zealander Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She's always indulged her love for story-telling, and is constantly gobbling up movies, books and theatre. Her head is filled with characters and stories, particularly lovers in angst. Being able to write her characters stories is never work, it's a dream come true. Is it any wonder she's a proud romance writer.

She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Her debut Regency romance, Invitation to Ruin won the RomCon 2012 Readers Crown Best Historical and was an RT Reviewers' Choice Nominee Best First Historical 2011. Her novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield, was a finalist in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance Book of the Year 2012.

Look out for her first Entangled Publishing Indulgence release in Fall 2012, The Reluctant Bride.

When not ensconced in her study writing her characters thrilling journeys to their happy ever after, Bron can be found on the golf course.

Readers can contact Bronwen via email at [e-mail] For more information on all of Bronwen's books, including updates on novels yet to come, visit Bronwen's website at www.bronwenevans.com


Want to learn more then visit my website and blog - http://www.bronwenevans.com/bronwen-blog.html

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great characters but the hero is a bit lacking. June 28, 2012

By BookLover

Format:Kindle Edition

Miss Rheda Kerrich is secretly known by the local villagers of Deal as the smuggler, Dark Shadow. Rhe gives the smuggled goods to the local widows to sell to support themselves since many of the men have died at sea. With her own smuggling profits, she has paid off all of her father's massive debts and is managing to run of the estate. Now that her brother's is old enough to step up as the head of the household, Rhe is hoping to end her life as a smuggler and concentrate on her horse breeding which will allow her to remain an independent woman.

After years of watching her mother's unrequited love for her unfaithful father, a man who tossed away his fortune on mistresses and leaving nothing for his family, Rhe has vowed never to enter into matrimony, and the whispered scandal that surrounds her, keeps her away from those prospects anyway.

Rufus Knight, the Viscount Strathmore, is investigating the smuggler known as Dark Shadow. He believes Dark Shadow is a traitor who is smuggling more than just goods to France. If he can bring Dark Shadow to justice, he may be able to clear his father's name. The Strathmore name has been stained since his own father was wrongly accused of treason, and it has been Rufus's sole mission to clear the family honor.

When Rufus arrives in Deal and finds Rhe trapped by a barrel of smuggled brandy, he decides to seduce her for information to find the notorious smuggler.

The story itself was very exciting with several antagonists that we knew and several that we did not. There is even an intriguing set up for the next novel.

I liked the character of Rheda. She was smart, headstrong and determined to fulfill her dreams, no matter what she had to do.... She even refused to use her neighbor and friend for his title and fortune after her father's death when he proposed to her, refusing to taint his good name with her scandal. She opted for smuggling rather than the loveless marriage.

My hesitation on this story was the character of Rufus. Rufus is determined to clear his family name. He has a well-bred daughter of a friend picked out to be his future wife; a woman who is mousy and quiet and who could not possibly cause any further blemishes on his family honor. YET - Rufus is a well known womanizer, so much that even Rheda who never spends time in society and lives in the country knows exactly who he is and his well-earned notorious reputation. Soooo, I guess it is okay to be a rake in regency England and still clear your family name, as long as you have a proper wife picked out?? Not only has Rufus been traumatized by his father's scandal, but he also fell in love with a woman who turned out to be working for the wrong side, and who stabbed him and left him for dead.

First of all, when he first sees Rheda she is in an old dress so he assumes she is a local girl and since she looks in her early 20s, he assumes she must be willing for a little "fun," and he takes a lot of liberties with her, putting his hand up her dress to massage the feeling back into her legs, "oh and as long as I'm here" keeps reaching up; and even going as far as pulling the front of her dress down and fondling her. Seems that that is okay to do when you're a Lord and the local girl keeps saying "stop it!" When he finds out who Rheda really is, he quickly believes all the whispers around her, basically because he wants to get her in bed and he certainly doesn't want to marry a woman surrounded by scandal so it is in his best interest to believe she a wanton woman so his behavior towards her is okay. Whenever they take a step forward in the story, Rufus then takes two steps back constantly reminding himself of the last woman he trusted and no matter how much he appreciates Rheda's spirit or her determination, he is still just looking to get under her skirt and looks down on her and jumps quickly to the wrong conclusion.

I had high hopes for this story when I started, but the downfall in this story is the character of Rufus. He isn't my idea of a hero. I would like a chance to read Invitation to Ruin and the next story due out in this series since the other characters were great and the mysteries of who was the real danger to Rheda and the Town was intriguing. Rufus's attitude rubbed me the wrong way. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it! May 17, 2012

By Alphalover

Format:Paperback

The hero is 32 year old Rufus Knight. He's got brown hair and brown eyes. The heroine is 25 year old blonde and green-eyed Rheda Kerrich. Boy, do they have an interesting first meeting! He's attracted to her from the start and she, him. He's in town to find out who a smuggler, who goes by the name Dark Shadow, is. After meeting Rheda he believes she knows who that person is.

Rheda is involved with things she shouldn't be. She's trying to be independent and earn her own money. She has turned down Christopher's marriage proposal several times because she doesn't want to be dependent on any man. She confides important things to him and it comes back to haunt her.

There's also a dark sexual and sinister subplot involving a terrible person and I enjoyed that part a lot. It came to a head at the end of the story and I felt the author could have handled it better, made it less obvious who the bad person was, made it someone else. I'd guessed it early on.

I was unexpectedly happy with this story. Wasn't sure I'd like it since I didn't like her previous novel but it sounded good so I gave it a shot. I really liked both lead characters and thought they were a perfect match.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark, dangerous and erotic July 8, 2012

By Kati

Format:Paperback

***original review posted at Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance***

Rheda Kerrich has been keeping her family and the town of Deal afloat with a bit of smuggling. She refuses to marry even though a friend has asked a few times. Independence, a horse breeding business and making sure poor people of Deal have enough to get by are her top priorities. She will stop at nothing and bend to no one to get all of it accomplished.

Enter, one dashing, Rufus Knight. Since his father's death, he's been chasing leads trying to clear his father's name. His father was thought to have sold secrets to France and paid for it with his life. His quest brings him to Deal and he's on the hunt for the Dark Shadow. Somehow this man, who is a known smuggler, is connected with the mystery of his father's death.

Temptation comes in the form of one golden-haired angel who sets his blood on fire. Finding her pinned to a tree by a barrel, he's intrigued. Both with the lady and her barrel. No slip of a woman could have moved it but somehow she did. Until it backfired on her. The attraction is instant on both sides. Rufus is intent on seducing the information out of this mysterious woman after finding out she is the sister to a baron. Seduce her discreetly of course.

Rheda will have none of this. Between trying to mate her mares in the dead of night with Rufus' studly stallion, trying to deny her primal and carnal attraction to Rufus and keeping the secret of Dark Shadow safe, Rheda isn't ready for this onslaught of feelings for this randy rake.

Rufus was betrayed by a woman he once loved and he vows it will never happen again. The lovely Rheda is starting to get under his skin and worm her way into his heart. Denial, thy name is Rufus....

The question becomes: Will Rufus and Rheda allow themselves to push aside their fear of falling in love because of events in the past before something keeps them apart or will secrets fester to the point both of them live unhappily ever after? And who IS Dark Shadow?

A woman with an independent streak, a man on a quest to clear his father's name and an attraction that sizzles and steams the pages with danger lurking where you least expect it makes Invitation To Scandal a must read. This book is dark, dangerous, erotic and kept me reading from the first page until the last. This was my first Bronwen Evans book but it certainly won't be my last.

***review copy provided by publisher for honest review*** Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Invitation to Scandal~ April 24, 2012

By Lisa Wolff

Format:Kindle Edition

Rheda Kerrich thinks her days of smuggling are going to come to an end when she is trapped against a tree from her latest smuggle, a barrel of wine. She is sure one of the men on patrol will find her and question her and then a magnificent horse appears with a mysterious man on his back. Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore, is on the hunt for the elusive smuggling ring leader, Dark Shadow and knows he has stumbled upon a woman who must be in the ring and will surely lead him to the answers he desires to clear his late fathers name. Being a master of seduction, he attempts to seduce the surely un-innocent woman and is roundly put in his place and Rheda manages to escape without revealing her true identity. She tries to put the man out of her mind but she finds it hard to do but has a harder time putting the magnificent stallion as he is the last piece of the puzzle she needs to get her horse breeding business going. Rheda cleverly thinks up a plan to 'borrow' the stallion but is unfortunately caught and forced to agree to a bargain with Rufus, otherwise her latest scandal will be told to her brother. As Rheda tries to protect all her secrest, Rufus is intent on uncovering them all and at the same time, these two attempt to deny the smoldering attraction between them. Who is the elusive Dark Shadow and will Rufus and Rheda be able to let go of the past to find a future together?

I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't sure if I was going to like the whole smuggling aspect of it as that really isn't my preference, but there was so much more to this story! I loved that Rheda wanted to start a horse breeding business and we got to see a bit of what it takes to do that...and at the same time see the attraction bloom between our couple during a lesson.... Rheda is determined to never be controlled by a man, like her mother was, determined not to fall in love with a man who does not return her love and it has made her bold, impulsive and fiercely protective of her heart. When Rufus arrives, determined to prove that his father did not betray his country and give his sister and mother back the social standing they lost, she is intrigued and drawn to this dark, protective man but knows that once he knows the full truth of her past, Rufus will want nothing to do with her and her heart will be lost. There is also a secondary, smaller, storyline that involves the disappearance of young boys that leads to a villain written so vile, it adds another layer to this wonderfully layered story.

Overall, this was a well-written, smoldering, sexy story that was a pleasure to read! Rufus and Rheda were perfect for each other and overcame the obstacles to their hearts in a true manner, all without jumping into bed together at the first opportunity. There is humor, heart and plenty of hot action that will leave you flipping the pages long into the night. The added twist of the vile villain adds a bit of unease but was also unexpected and leaves a bit of an opening for a follow up book that I am eager to read! Recommended for fans of stubborn heroes and heroines who fall hard for each other, but it takes a life or death situation to bring all the feelings to the surface, mixed with supporting characters that add wonderfully to the storyline with a good dose of passion and some humor. 4 solid stars. Read more ›