A Scandal to Remember

This is the first Linda Needham book I've read, and I absolutely love it! The characters were incredibly likeable, and the story line was unique. There was intrigue, mystery, humor, and most of all, great romance. The reader can see why the two main characters fell in love with each other. There was an obvious obstacle that kept the reader guessing. Also, it is not full of gratuitous sex scenes, and yet one felt the sexual tension. I liked the fact that it was not a predictable book at all, but quite gripping. The only problem is that in that day and age, wouldn't the young Princess have a chaperone or guardian or something? But this problem was not enough to ruin the book for me. I read it in one day. Couldn't put it down! I loved the secondary characters as well. I can't wait to read my next Needham book!

Setting - Victorian England 1851 --- In the second installment of Needham's Gentlemen Rogue series, the very sexy master spy, Andrew Chase, Earl of Wexford has uncovered an assassination plot against the exiled Princess Caroline Marguerite Marie Isabella of Boratania. Because he was the one to uncover the plot, his superiors decided that he would be the one assigned to protect her and Drew wanted no part of being a bodyguard to any more spoiled and cosseted royals. What he hadn't expected was for the Princess to be one of the most amazingly beautiful women he'd ever seen and that finding the assassins just might be easier than trying to protect the very stubborn Princess who had a mind and a mission of her own. This was a totally delightful romance from beginning to end. The author immediately engages your imagination with the plausible plot of an exiled royal orphan who was brought up with the dream of one day returning and restoring the looted treasures of her miniscule kingdom back to their rightful place. The fact that the Princess was so adept at regaining Boratanias treasures through whatever means possible made for some very amusing situations. Having recently finished research on Prince Albert and Queen Victorias Great Exhibition of 1851, I totally enjoyed the references to, and prominence it played in this plot. The romance was totally palatable and poignant as both Drew and Caro, so attracted to each other, realized that she had a destiny to fulfill and that their time together would be so short. The many references to Drew's `partners in crime' Ross and Jared, already have me looking for the first and looking forward to the third books in this very well written and exciting Victorian historical romance. Bottom line - With a believable plot, crisp writing, wonderfully developed characters and of course, a perfectly dashing and brave hero, what more could a romance lover want? --- Marilyn Rondeau, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---