A Lady's Guide to Scandal

A Novel

By: Sophie Irwin

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

“Sophie Irwin is an exciting and original voice. She's a must-buy author for me.”―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back

Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another delightful, escapist historical romance, led by an audacious heroine who has suddenly inherited a fortune—but it has strings attached…

When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza wanted.

Now, ten years later, Eliza is widowed. Suddenly, she is left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. She’s always lived by society’s conventions, but now, Eliza has resolved to do as she wants. And what she wants is to head to Bath with her cousin Margaret, pursue painting, learn to drive, and flirt with Bath’s most alluring new resident, the infamous Lord Melville.

But when the ripples of Eliza’s behavior reach her late husband’s nephew—who broke Eliza’s heart, years ago--Eliza will learn that freedom does not come without consequences. The only way to ensure she can keep her fortune is to avoid all scandal—but where’s the fun in that?

©2023 Sophie Irwin (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Praise for A Lady's Guide to Scandal:

“Brimming with wit and scandalous hand-touching, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin will make you yearn for the wrong earl to happen into your life at exactly the right time. An artfully slow burn!”
―Ashley Poston, New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics

“Sophie Irwin is an exciting and original voice. She's a must-buy author for me.” ―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back

“Light and enchanting....It’s a fun, unexpected ride from city ballrooms through country gardens, with a diverse cast, witty repartee, and plenty of laughter to go along with the love.” ―Publishers Weekly

loved it!

Excellent writing and unexpected story. The main and secondary characters' stories were all well developed and compelling and just beautiful.
Looking forward to more from the series.

Excellent!

Loved it from the first line. Unusual and intriguing story line I haven’t heard before - great twists. Wonderful narration!

Enjoy

This book was a fun listen. I enjoyed the people and all the drama and delights.

So Clever and Fun

This little gem is fresh. Fresh and clever and fun, with tropes turned on their heads, beginning with a widow rather than a young virginal protagonist. I won’t tell more so that you can discover the rest, but suffice it to say that Regency England never had it so topsy-turvy and it’s about time.

Very Enjoyable!

I really enjoyed listening to this book! At first, I thought the story was going to be predictable and formulaic, and it started out a tiny bit slowly for me. Over time, however, the story unfolded in a way that I really enjoyed. Some of my favorite books are Jane Austin novels, so I can really appreciate that the tone and style of this book are so similar to those. Yes, there are some themes in this story that might not have been written about in the day of Jane Austin, but I would not consider them to be out of place in this book. Did women of that day and age have the same hopes, desires, and dreams that the characters in this book had? Absolutely! And I think the author did a great job of addressing them in a way that felt authentic to how they would have been handled during that time.

Imogen Church did a really great job with the narration. She brought a lot of emotion to the dialogue. I will be looking at other books she has narrated.

Overall, this was a good read - well worth the credit.

A sheer delight!

I adored this story with all of its ups and downs and surprises. It was delightful and the characters were, too. I cannot wait for more!

The only drawback is the narrator. It was terribly overacted. Not every word people speak is so over wrought! But it doesn’t taint the story.

Stylistic deviation from the first book

First off, the narrator is excellent. Superb performance. And the author's writing style is immaculate.

That being said, the contrast in storytelling and story development between this and the first book by this author is quite stark. In the first book, there were obvious stakes for the FMC, and the love story felt like it developed naturally out of her own character put into a very difficult situation -- within the confines of the culture and convention of her time. This creates tension for the MCs, and more than a "will they won't they" scenario, ups the ante with a "can they should they will they". The cast of side characters was also well developed, each on journeys in their own right. All in all, a very well developed story (as first books often are). It was reminiscent of Georgette Heyer, which is high praise indeed.

In the second book however, the FMC seems apathetic, the MMC's quite dull with numerous red flags each, so the tension between her and the two MMCs was weak. I didn't want her to end up with either of them. There was very little consequences to her flouting convention and society, other than potentially offending one particular family. But the consequences, had she truly gone against convention (and some women of the time period absolutely did), would have been far more dire. If this story had been about how she found herself and solidified herself in society standing on her own two feet, it would have been more compelling in terms of the stakes and the consequences of her behavior/choices.
Also conversely, the side characters ended up having more of a life than the FMC did. And while I appreciated the representation of queer characters during this time period, their story felt modernized and underdeveloped. In reality, it would have had higher stakes and a bigger payoff than the FMC's own storyline, which presents complications as a subplot.
Overall, the strictures of cultural and historical convention were less obvious and the MCs personalities less established within the conventions, which led to less tension and lower stakes. If you were hoping for a book similar to the style of Georgette Heyer and/or the first book by this author, you'll probably be disappointed. If this is your introduction to this author, you'd probably find it a decent read, and be delighted by the first.
Was I disappointed by the second book, yes. However, I will probably still listen to whatever this author puts out next, because their writing is excellent and I'm curious to see how their career and storytelling continues to develop.

A twist!

It was great! All the characters were compelling. I enjoy the genre and liked how this book mixed things up a bit. Looking forward to more books by the author.

Fun & Lighthearted

Very enjoyable, a fun read for some Jane Austen fans I would think. Would recommend!

Just wonderful

A terrific story that develops beautifully and not always according to expectations. I loved the characters and the narrator was excellent,