3 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Endeavour Press for Auto Approving me on Netgalley, therefore allowing me to get a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
It was a nice little romance… a little slow in places for me but all in all ticked all the right boxes to make it a decent little historical romance.
And, I have to say, you can really feel Ms Elliott’s love for the location and era this book was set in through her descriptions of people, places and even times of the days. It was a lovely connection and rather reminiscent of the late great Elizabeth Peters works set in Egypt.
As for the storyline? Well, as I said it was a little too slow for me, but I feel the fault lies with the reader and not the book. There are likable protagonists – heroes and heroines, villains causing scandals, mysteries, tension (both sexual and political/cultural) and the much needed HEA – Happily Ever After – this sort of romance requires and did well.
I will say that the formatting of the ARC I read wasn’t that good. Words ran together, paragraphs began mid-sentence, full stops were often missing. But I did not let this affect my score as I knew full well it was an ARC I was reading and so will assume the final eBook format is much better.
Would I recommend this book to others?
I would. It’s a nice little historical romance – not too heavy on any topic – that was very enjoyable to laze away my Christmas break reading. If someone wanted something that wasn’t too hot and heavy, too emotional or too troublesome, I would recommend ‘Scandalous Lady’. It has just the right balance of everything to be the perfect afternoon read.
Would I buy this book for myself?
I might… but only as an eBook and only if I knew the eBook formatting had improved since the ARC. It was a fun little read that I could possibly see myself drawn back to from time to time… but really, right now, something I would see more as a book I would borrow again and again from the library as the mood took me. Though it has made me interested to see what other works Ms Elliott has written.
In summary: A good little historical romance to be enjoyed with your feet up, a hot drink and some choccies.
Until next time,
Janis.
Janis's Journal 