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4.0 out of 5 stars
A Rare Surprise: A Sequel Which Improves on the First of the Series, December 22, 2010
I bumped into this book a while back and thought it sounded like it had potential, but I resolved to read the books in order and started with The Notorious Lord instead. I would probably give the first book about 3 1/2 stars. The characters were multi-dimensional, the archeology twist was fun, and the relationship between the protagonists seemed to move along in a natural way. Still, I had to deduct some points because of the way the last few chapters played out.
This book, however, kept all of the good points from the first book, without carrying over any of the same flaws. It was a warm and easy read, and I would recommend it. I love the honesty between the characters, and I love how honest they are with themselves. Their affection for each other grows in a believable manner. We aren't just told that the leads are growing to love each other; we see it happening for ourselves. I also like seeing the hero be honest and vulnerable without turning into a gushy, besotted wimp.
Though the first one was not quite as much to my taste, I would still recommend you consider reading it first, as the thread that weaves through the series can be a bit convoluted if you come in in the middle. This author handles secondary characters well, including Ross and Olivia here, so it is best to let yourself get wrapped up in the overall story arc of the community.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Second in the "Bluestocking Brides" napoleonic romance trilogy, January 13, 2012
"One Night of Scandal" is the second of three romances set in Suffolk in 1803, which was a time when Napoleon had an army ready to invade England at any opportunity and Britain was very exercised with the question of how to repel any such attack.
The three books in the trilogy and their main romantic protagonists are
1) "
The Notorious Lord (Historical Romance)", Rachel Odell and Lord Cory Newlyn
2) "One Night of Scandal," Deborah Stratton and Lord Richard Kestrel
3) "
The Rake's Mistress (Historical Romance)" Rebecca Raleigh and Lord Lucas Kestrel
The whole of the trilogy is slightly greater than the sum of the parts as the espionage story and a couple of additional romantic sub-plots build through the three books.
(I am told that there are two more stories in the saga of the Kestrel family and their friends, which are:
4) "The Pirate's Kiss" which is a short story in the collection "
Christmas Wedding Belles: The Pirate's Kiss\A Smuggler's Tale\The Sailor's Bride (Harlequin Historical)," and
5) "
The Last Rake In London (Historical Romance)," which is about to be republished as "
Dauntsey Park.")
The British government believes that Napoleon has a spy operating in the "Midwinter villages" area of the Suffolk Coast who is sending details of local defence arrangements to France. They believe that the spy may be a woman, but do not know her identity.
It is never explained how the government knows this: the reader is left to guess that perhaps a British agent in France has learned that Napoleon's invasion planners have an intellence source in Suffolk and has reported back to London. The espionage elements of all three books in the trilogy are rather contrived and implausible, but this does not matter too much because the stories are largely romances and the spycatching aspect is mostly there to provide an initial excuse for the heroes to be interested in the heroines.
The government ask Justin, Duke of Kestrel, whose family seat at Kestrel Court, is in the area where the spy is operating, to investigate. The Duke ropes in his brothers, Lord Richard Kestrel and Lord Lucas Kestrel, and his friend Lord Cory Newlyn, to help him investigate.
(Pedant alert: this is a minor boo-boo. Kestrel is supposedly both a ducal title and the family surname. None of the english Dukedoms take their title from the family's name, all refer to a place, usually a county or a county town in the UK.)
The Duke believes that the spy may be one of the literary circle run by his tenant and old flame, Lady Sally Saltire, so he encourages his friend and brothers to court the ladies of this circle and, while so doing, keep their eyes and ears open for anything unusual which might lead them to whoever is selling secrets to Napoleon.
The first line of this book, referring to Deb Stratton's thoughts as she reads a letter from her father, is "She had overplayed her hand."
One of the ladies in Lady Sally's literary circle is the Honorable Mrs Deborah Stratton, a pretty young widow who was introduced in the first book as a cheerful and happy extrovert, full of life and enthusiasm. However, at the start of this book we learn that some of this happiness is an act. Deb's short marriage was a sham and a disaster and she has no wish to marry again: unfortunately her father, Lord Walton, cannot understand or accept this.
In a vain attempt to persude her father to desist from matchmaking on her behalf, she had written to Lord Walton claiming (less than truthfully) that she is now engaged. Needless to say this produces precisely the paternal response which, if she'd had any sense, Deb should have anticipated: an invitation for Deb and her non-existent fiance to visit the family seat near Bath so that he can pay his respects to her father and formally seek her hand in marriage.
As the late Neil Stratton left Deb a number of liabilities when he died while on active service abroad with the army, and no money whatever, she needs the allowance her father still pays her, and she cannot afford to defy Lord Walton. Which means that she needs to find a gentleman willing to act the part of her fiance - fast.
There is indeed a gentleman who would almost certainly be willing to do so - but Lord Richard Kestrel, brother of the Duke, has the reputation of being one of the most infamous rakes in London. Deb had been highly insulted when he previously asked her to be his mistress. And yet she is not entirely indifferent to his attentions ...
The second, much more serious implausibility in the story comes in at this point: both Lord Richard and Deb's brother in law, Lord Marney are former Royal Navy officers, in fact Ross Marney used to be Lord Richard's commanding officer. There is a major problem here ... it's the word "former".
Remember, this book is set in 1803, and as the author herself points out, at the height of an invasion scare. Britain's survival depended on keeping Boney from crossing the channel: Napoleon had assembled an army on the other side of the channel and said "let us be masters of the straits for six hours and we shall be masters of the world."
Having laid off half the navy a couple of years before during the brief Peace of Amiens, the Admiralty was frantically putting ships back into commission and assembling what soon became by far the largest navy the world had ever seen. Britain's build up of the Royal Navy was massive and unprecedented, with around 500 ships of war at sea including nearly 200 major units such as ships of the line. And the Admiralty was absolutely desperate for officers and men to crew them.
The press gangs were scouring every port to find sailors for the navy. Any able bodied man convicted of an offence was more likely to find himself sent to serve on a warship than sentenced to prison. Officers who had been beached on half-pay found themselves employed again if they were remotely competent (and in some cases, if a position could be found where they couldn't do too much harm, even if they weren't.) And, if they were reasonably fit and well regarded, former naval officers who had left the service during the Peace of Amiens would be under enormous pressure to re-enlist.
We are told in the story that Lord Richard left the navy due to an injury, but from the descriptions of his body and from other events in the book it seems clear that he must have recovered from that injury without serious long-term effects. It is also apparent from the book that both he and Lord Marney are reasonably strong and fit, both are patriots, and both were well regarded in the service, rather than being a coward or otherwise having left in the kind of disgrace which would prevent them getting their commissions back. As a peer and the brother of a duke respectively, both would have more than enough influence to get a command or a decent posting, and neither appears to have any really vital job ashore.
So why on earth are neither of them back in the Navy? I can't see either Lord Ross Marney or Lord Richard Kestrel as described in this book as being likely to stay at home in Suffolk when the country was in danger rather than joining up again.
Oh well, it's only a story, and an enjoyable one.
As this indicates, the period background in this trilogy is a curate's egg, with some very good nuggets and some rather false notes. However, the characterisation and buildup of romantic tension is well done.
Reasonably entertaining if you like period romances.
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