Customer Reviews

Lady of Scandal (Zebra Historical Romance)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lady Of Scandal by Tina Gabrielle is a delightfully wicked debut novel.

Victoria Ashton is different from the other woman of the Ton. She is crafty and smart. Victoria is very happy with her life but her father's debts are out of control and must me paid. Seems she is the solution to her fathers problems. Blake Mallorey Earl of Ravenspear has made a deal with Victoria's father that has but her smack in the middle.

Blake Mallorey has overcome poverty and childhood tragedies to become a respected member of society. Behind the handsome facade is a gentlemen bent on revenge. Charles Aston drove Blake's father to suicide and his family to ruin. Blake sees a golden opportunity to make Charles pay and get Victoria as his lover. He proposes Victoria be his
mistress for a year and he will extend time to her father to get his affairs in order.

Blake promises not to force Victoria into anything but spending time with her he is seduced by her wit and charm. Victoria is all set to ignore Blake but she is finding many hidden layers to this fascinating man. As they draw closer together, Charles is pressuring Victoria to betray Blake. Will their new found trust survive?

Lady Of Scandal is a wonderful first book by Tina Gabrielle. Its crisp writing and well developed characters will keep you enthralled. I will be looking for more books from this new author.

In order to pay a debt, Charles Ashton relinquishes his daughter Victoria to our hero, Blake Mallorey - she must live with him for a year as his mistress. Blake is attempting to exact revenge on Charles for his cruel betrayal of Blake's father years ago. Despite his vengeful attitude, Blake finds himself softening toward Victoria, and as expected, romance blooms between them.

What I found unbelievable about this story was Victoria's long standing dedication to her father. Charles Ashton was not portrayed as a complex character; I had no sympathy for his character, and as such, I found it incredibly difficult to understand why Victoria remained loyal to her father. Despite his strict attitude during her upbringing, and the fact that he happily gives her to Blake - with no apology - Victoria doesn't seem to doubt her father. She doesn't seem to be at all angry that her father has prostituted her to Blake. I find this very hard to understand.

The story was quite enjoyable aside from this flaw - but I found it tripping me up several times throughout my reading.

It's so difficult to find a Regency Historical Romance, so I grab every one that I can find. This one reminds me of a classic Georgette Heyer regency with a little twist. The heroine is a tough cookie with real life smarts instead of a dupe led astray by a rake. She doesn't stay in the dark for long and works her magic on him. She remembers her childhood hero worship, but he has a lot to learn as he copes with his motives. Her beauty captivates him and no one is more surprised than he is when his vengeance turns to love. It proves that he's got a heart of gold. I enjoyed the way she turns the tables on him. It makes for an enjoyable read.

This was an not a total waste of my time, but not a book I will keep. I too found it very hard to believe that Victoria would continue in her dedication to her horrible beast of a father. That she would choose to assist him against a man who is nothing but faithful to her just left me frustrated again and again.

Lady Victoria Ashton has been secretly helping her brother settle his gambling debts with her wits and intelligence. No one but her brother knows of her ability to invest in the stock exchange and be very good at it.

In comes the Earl of Ravenspar - Blake Mallory, who has been abroad for nine long years. Victoria's father is responsible for his family's demise: his father's suicide and the horrible end his mother and sister encountered in a squalid London workhouse where both eventually lost their lives. Blake has come for revenge and he will extract it from Victoria's father in the form of taking her as his mistress for a year or he will ensure that her father and her family end up in the same conditions that befell his family.

Victoria's father hands her over to Blake without the blink of an eye. His callous behavior towards his daughter is no surprise to Blake - but Victoria agrees with the despicable scheme and goes off with Blake to his country estate to ensure her family's debt is paid off.

Much to her surprise, she finds Blake, a man who has made his fortune, is very caring and concerned to those around him. His kindness towards his tenants and everyone he interacts with is a mystery to Victoria as well as the fact that though she may be residing under his roof - he has made no attempt to debauch her and bed her.

I agree with one reviewer here - it was very difficult to understand the staunch loyalty that Victoria exhibits towards her father - a man who has never treated her with any respect or kindness and cares nothing for her reputation when he handed her over to Blake to be his mistress.

Other than that "flaw" the story was quite interesting and enjoyable. I liked how Victoria finally succumbs to Blake's charm and in turn how he is fascinated by Victoria's intelligence, loyalty and innocence. Even after he finds out that she has spied on his financial deals and reported them to her father - he realizes that he has fallen in love with her courage, spirit and her beauty.

Good story by Gabrielle. Goes highly recommended.

Lady Of Scandal is extraordinary! I am an avid reader of historical romance, and I purchased Tina Gabrielle's debut novel based on the 4 Star Romantic Times Book Review calling it a "tantalizing tale." The review was right on, and the characters are breathtaking.

The plot was unique right from the start and I enjoyed the unparalleled history in this novel. The heroine was extremely intelligent and witty and Blake is tall dark and handsome. What's not to love about the characters! Victoria's mentor is terrific and keeps you wonderfully entertained. As the plot takes it's twists and turns, you are determined to never put the book down.

For a first time author, I absolutely loved the book! A hero to die for! Historical romance at its best. Tina Gabrielle is a fabulous writer, and I can't wait for her next book!

Blake Mallory, Earl of Ravenspear, returns to England after a ten-year absence and encounters his enemy's daughter, Victoria Ashton. A child of ten when he left, Victoria has grown into a beautiful woman. Blake is instantly taken with her, but it is not marriage he has in mind. Ten years ago, Victoria's unscrupulous father caused the financial ruin and resultant suicide of Blake's father, which ultimately destroyed Blake's family. Blake is now an extremely wealthy man and is bent on revenge. He is determined to make Victoria his mistress to embarrass her father and ruin the reputation of the Ashton family.

Victoria's father has borrowed heavily from numerous banks. Blake secretly purchases the promissory notes and then demands immediate payment from Ashton, which he does not have. Ashton is faced with bankruptcy and the very real possibility that he and his family will be sent to the poor house. Blake offers him a deal: a year's grace period on the loan in return for one year with Victoria as his mistress. Ashton callously agrees, despite his daughter's protestations, and she is soon ensconced in Blake's country estate. But nothing is as straightforward as Blake had envisioned...for although he hates the father, his feelings - and protectiveness - towards Victoria are not so easy to sort out.

This book was hard book to put down. The electric interplay between Blake and Victoria hooked me from the start, and the intrigues of their living under the same roof - though often at cross-purposes - kept me riveted till the end. The couple has great chemistry and both leads are very likable. Although Blake starts out forcing Victoria to his will, he is nonetheless an endearing and sympathetic hero. He is an alpha male with a heart, alternately tough and tender. Victoria is very appealing as well, strong and smart yet definitely feminine. I particularly enjoyed the story's business angle, curious to see how Victoria's dual allegiances would play out. My two quibbles are the over-the-top badness of Victoria's father, and the conspicuous absence of friends and servants who might discover/expose Victoria's illicit arrangement. Overall, though, this is an excellent read: good story, well-paced, charismatic leads, and an exciting romance nicely developed. A first-rate debut by Ms. Gabrielle.

Tina's books grab you from page 1 and don't let go. Her characters are strong and intelligent. If you're a fan of regency romance, you won't regret getting this book.

I thought I would like Lady of Scandal because it had a great revenge plot and a really smart heroine, one who has unusual talents in the regency period. But I never really warmed up to heroine Victoria Ashton. Her love interest Blake Mallory was so appealing with a full rich history and the reader could easily see why Victoria was interested in him. I never knew why Blake loved Victoria.

Blake Mallory has returned to London after a ten year absence. He left amidst a terrible scandal due to a business venture gone bad between his father and Victoria's father. Blake's father shot himself and Blake and his mother and sister were thrown into the poor house. He is back to seek revenge against Victoria's father, Charles Ashton. He plans to ruin him financially and has already started that process but he decides to up the ante and demands that Charles hand over Victoria to him. She will be his mistress for a year giving Charles time to settle his debts. He and his business partner nonchalantly agree to this plan and Victoria goes to Blake to save her family.

Victoria used to have a crush on Blake but now despises him. When she sees him for the first time in ten years she is cold and distant, she is angry with him for coming back to London. This barely makes sense as Victoria's family was not rocked by the old scandal likes Blake's whose world was turned upside down by it. Victoria is a shrewd business woman although her father has no inkling of her savvy skills in the stock market. She is a financial wizard.

Victoria is quite open in her hostility toward Blake, rightfully so, her position is not honorable. To put her at ease, Blake assures Victoria he will not bed her unless she is willing and he behaves rather gentlemanly around her. I came to like Blake during this period as he became protective of Victoria's reputation and honor. He very much wants Victoria to like him again. Victoria lashes out verbally to Blake and sometimes her words are beyond mean (she throws his father's suicide in his face and even his time in the poor house is fodder for her anger). She does see a new side of Blake, one who has a generous heart to the less fortunate and he is quite kind to his tenants.

For a supposed smart girl, Victoria has zero powers of reading people and their intentions. She believes the worst of Blake and is naïve enough to believe her father and his greedy partner, even when they have proven to be untrustworthy. The author allows the reader to really know Blake but Victoria never grows beyond a woman who can successfully play the stock market but can't recognize the truth in people's actions. She was not put into many situations that showed her finer qualities and when she did have to make decisions which showed her mettle, she mostly did not choose the right path. Blake started out vengeful but love changed him into a better person. Victoria just seemed to stay the same, a little too stubborn, a little too enabling (her brother is a gambler), a little too angry and a little too reckless.

I really like this genre except for that one little hitch where the heroine's character is portrayed strong and promising but ends up seeming a bit weak and pathetic as the plot develops. Not so with this little piece! I thought the heroine starts out very strong, arguing and holding her own not only against the hero but the world of men (esp. with her realization of the relationship between knowledge and power). Then when the inevitable seduction occurs (come on, that wasn't really a spoiler) she refuses to be ashamed of her immodesty, but rather embraces the intimacy. I liked that her nagging doubts as to whether or not Blake was in love with her was presented intelligently so that it did not weaken Victoria's character. Because let's face it, oftentimes when you're in love you really can't always tell if the other loves you back, even though it's obvious to everyone else.

As to all the father-supporting hate(and occasionally I did say "Really?"), I attributed most of it to how she was raised. You know male-dominated world, strict father, etc. And the fact that she was just at that stage in life when an offspring finally starts raising the blinds from the perfect picture they have of their parents and start seeing them as they really are, while still hoping deep down their parent's real character is more loving, ideal. And she only acted on her father-supporting thoughts when Blake made her mad.

All in all, if you like this genre of Historical Romance, I'd recommend it.