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A Lady’s Guide to Scandal

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A Lady’s Guide to Scandal

By: Sophie Irwin
Narrated by: Imogen Church
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Summary

‘Sophie Irwin is an exciting and original voice. She's a must-buy author for me.’ Taylor Jenkins Reid

‘A delicious Regency romp for fans of Bridgerton.’ Red

‘Scandal, art and romance – this is the best Regency romp set in Bath since Persuasion!’ Good Housekeeping

A lifetime of duty

Widowed at just seven-and-twenty from her marriage of convenience, Eliza, now Countess of Somerset, is bequeathed a fortune, hers to keep – provided she can steer clear of scandal.

The promise of love

The last thing she expects is to be torn between two very different men – a face from the past, whose loss she’s always mourned, and a roguish poet, who scorns convention.

A taste of freedom

But a lady’s reputation is fragile and with jealous eyes on Eliza’s fortune, it will only take one whisper of gossip for her to lose it all…

Escape with the most delightful, historical romance of the year from the Sunday Times bestselling author Sophie Irwin!

‘A very modern sensibility, witty and fun’ Adele Parks

‘Fans of Bridgerton will enjoy this well-observed Regency story with a plucky protagonist.’ Candis

‘A delicious Regency romp for fans of Bridgerton.’ Red

Readers are LOVING A Lady’s Guide to Scandal:

‘LOVED this’ *****

‘An excellent, delightful, refreshing Regency Romance’ *****

‘What an absolute treat’ *****

‘Inhaled it. Loved it’ *****

‘Fun, light and romantic’ *****

‘20 stars out of 5!! This book was a balm to my soul’ *****

‘It is going to become a go-to favourite’ *****

‘An absolute must read for fans of Regency romance’ *****

‘So enjoyable, unpredictable, wonderful characters, just SO GOOD’ *****

‘Sophie Irwin – she is such a fresh, fun, witty writer in this space. I'd read anything she wrote’ *****

Sophie Irwin's book 'A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 09-05-2022.

©2023 Irwin Editorial Limited Historical Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction

Critic Reviews

‘Witty, enrapturing and deliciously improper – I was entirely seduced.’ Beth Morrey
‘A perfectly pitched blend of collar-tightening tension, hilarious societal rules and a will-they-won’t-they that echoes the golden age of the romcom. Sophie Irwin is a genius’ Ore Agbaje-Williams
‘It is just joyous. I feel bereft to have closed the pages and realise the characters are not real. Wonderful, warm, funny and joyful.’ Cesca Major
‘What a complete joy this was to read! Everything you could want in a regency romcom, written with real affection for the genre, intelligence, and style.’ Niamh Hargan
‘An absolute delight from beginning to end, immersing readers in a masterfully crafted Regency world brimming with loveable characters and laugh-out-loud wit!’ Felicity George
‘I absolutely loved this book. It gave me all the delicious feelings I want from a Regency romance, and more! I simply could not put it down till I was finished.’ Emma Orchard
‘Sophie Irwin continues to lead the charge for Regency revival with this fabulously witty, unputdownable and oh-so-swoonworthy follow-up to her debut. I adored Eliza’s story.’ Jessica Bull
‘This sparkling novel has all the elegance and charm you could hope for in a 19th-century romance – but also a very modern sensibility, it’s witty and fun, which makes it relatable.’ Adele Parks
All stars
Most relevant
I loved Irwin’s first book. This one is enjoyable but it’s much slower to get going and doesn’t feel like it hits the heights that the first did. Still, I eagerly await her next work.

Enjoyable

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This was a most enjoyable story to listen to, I could barely stop listening! Extremely well written, witty, funny, will make you laugh. I found the heroine irritating but enjoyed how she blossomed into a confident and charming woman. I enjoyed the love triangle tension and the characters were beautifully imagined. The narrator did a wonderful job of using different voices for each character - how she did not get them mixed up is truly amazing. The ending was entirely satisfying and I couldn't have been more pleased. Overall, a very enjoyable read if you can grit your teeth and have patience along the way with the heroine.

A very satisfying ending

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Lively and witty romance with a twist. If you enjoy regency romances, you will love Sophie Irwin novels

Lively and witty romance with a twist.

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I was really disappointed. This story had so much promise being a complete contrast to the fabulous first book of the series, but the longer the story went on, the more I found Eliza to be an emotionally immature and oblivious woman of 27, possessing a personality of extremes. Meek when she should've been assertive and sanctimonious when laying blame when she should've owned to some of her own.

She really needed to spend some time taking a long hard look in the mirror, growing up and learning to embrace the new opportunities given to her with grace and dignity. But alas, this was not to be Eliza's story but one of pent-up emotions, firy outbursts, and tiresome one-woman pity-parties.

Sommerset got the rough end of the stick but was a bit of a stick in the mud himself. I don't feel that Eliza deserved to have her cake and eat it too. The rest of the cast were as unlikeable.

Give this a miss if you were hoping for a heroine with similar self-awareness, smarts and wit as Kitty in book 1 - it's the complete opposite.

Struggled to finish because I disliked Eliza's personality

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Love the author, hated the story. The HEA was wrong for lovers of Persuasion (which this was based around)

Not for me

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