Scandal Becomes Her

After an accident left her damaged by society standards heiress Nell Anslowe's life changed dramatically. The beautiful heiress was left lame, abandoned by her fiancée and plagued with nightmares that continuously haunted her over the ten years since the accident. At twenty-nine Nell didn't think any man would want to marry her until Lord Tynedale requested her hand. In her refusal Nell never expected Lord Tynedale's desperation to save his failing fortune would lead to him kidnapping her. During a storm Nell escaped her captor and took refuge in an abandoned hut. Her safe haven was soon disrupted when she woke to find that she was no longer alone. Thrown from his horse, Julian Weston, the Earl of Wyndham took shelter in the same hut where Nell was hiding. When Julian attempts to physically show Nell that it was not safe for her stay in the hut all alone, Nell's rescuers choose that moment to come to her aid. To save Nell's honor she and Julian are forced to wed. As major changes occur in her life again, Nell's nightmares do not stop. As her nightmares become more frequent and much more vivid Nell begins to realize that her dreams may be based on reality. Scandal Becomes Her is a sweet historical romance amidst a gruesome psychological thriller. I really liked the fact that Julian listened to Nell and didn't dismiss her nightmares as something that would pass or tried to explain them away. The plot was well thought out and the entire book was very engrossing. Scandal Becomes Her is a story of deception, suspense, murder and of course love. I found it highly entertaining and I'm certain other readers will too. Ley Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book was fabulous! This is the first book by Busbee that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised. The twists and turns in the plot make this book impossible to put down and the characters compliment each other perfectly. I would have read it all in one day if I could have. I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a good romance to read.

Ten years earlier, Eleanor "Nell" Anslowe, a beautiful wealthy heiress was once betrothed to a Duke's heir. That was before the `accident' which left her lame and haunted by nightmares of hideous brutality - always the same perpetrator who remained in shadows, but different victims. Firmly off the shelf at twenty-nine she agreed to accompany her father to London for the season where she is looked at as the answer to the nefarious Lord Tynedale's way out of debt. Rebuffing his advances, Tynedale later kidnapped her with the intention of rape and forcing her to wed, but due to a storm along the way, Nell escaped and found shelter in a nearby hut. Fate stepped in when on that same stormy night, Julian, the Earl of Wyndham was racing to prevent his step-sister from eloping to Gretna Greene. Thrown by his horse he also found shelter in the same hut as Nell and when Nell's father and brother discovered them Julian - who had vowed never to re-marry - did the honorable thing and offered marriage. Their marriage would blossom into a sensual and powerful love that would last forever....or until they could discover the identity of Nell's `shadow man' before he destroyed them both. *** I was completely swept away from the very first pages of this tremendous Regency Romance mystery and read it in one sitting. The author combined all the elements I look for in a romance with two ideal lead characters truly meant for one another; after the requisite initial problems of conflict over their hasty marriage. Julian is kind, honorable, considerate, and in lust with Nell until he finally realizes he's fallen in love with his wife. While Nell's initial qualms over being married without love to a complete stranger are worked out in a reasonable amount of time, she has also fallen in love with her husband, but feels that his heart is bound to his deceased wife. At first I was wondering why the author opened up the book with Nell's nightmares and then as the romance progressed the author simultaneously directed the intrigue towards the horror that Nell's nightmares were based in fact! As Nell's nightmares which Julian was trying to soothe away became more and more real, an event happened to make her realize that her initial nightmare of a man being killed was not a nightmare at all but a real event. At this point, Nell realized she was actually looking through the eyes of the madman. The author then built up the suspense with the introduction of legitimate and illegitimate cousins, uncles, and by-blows from Julian's rakish grandfather and uncle, giving the reader a wide range of possibilities as to what face belonged to the "shadow-man" from Nell's dreams, especially when the features of all the relations were so similar to one another. Thrilling with an edge-of -the seat climax, the author kept up the suspense right up to the spine chilling ending. This was my very first book by the esteemed historical romance author Shirlee Busbee but it surely will

This book was everything and more. Great storyline, characters and kept your attention with the suspense and romance. Due to an accident, nineteen year old, engaged to a future Duke, Nell Anslow has lost everything in her future. Engagement called off and cripled from a fall from a cliff, Nell,still a great heiress,but cripled, has come to the attention of a desolute rake, gambler and fortune hunter ten years later. He kidnaps her, but things go wrong and by coincident,she meets Julian, Earl of Wyndham,and is caught in compromising position by her family searching for her. Julian, proposing marriage, does not expect to fall in love and not wanting to marry again marries Nell, who also does not want to love someone who does not love her, but they have no choice but to marry and settle into a convenient marriage. Nell has been plagued by horrible nightmares since her accident and they have gotten worse. She dreams of young women being brutally slashed and killed, but can't quite make out the identity of the murderer. She can describe a dungeon in detail, but not the location where the murders take place. Julian learns of the nightmares and the plot thickens when the fortune hunter takes up residence with one of Julian's cousins. There's been uneasy truce between cousins and this adds to the tensions. Strange mutilations start to occur on the estate, Busbee builds her story from there and you will not want to put it down. The book was very good and well worth the read.

Oh boy did this take me back, when the story where what we wanted to read. No villans, chases, plots just good old romance, I have missed this.