Review: A Dash of Scandal

A Dash of Scandal by Amelia Grey


Publication Date: October 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: Paperback, 320pp
ISBN-13: 9781402239793
ISBN: 1402239793


(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


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Excerpt from A Dash of Scandal


Synopsis:

IS SHE STEALING OR JUST HIDING IN DARK CORNERS...

The Earl of Dunraven is obsessed with catching the thief who stole a priceless heirloom from him. When he keeps running into London newcomer Millicent Blair in places she shouldn't be, his suspicions aren't the only thing aroused...


But Millicent's real secret is a far cry from what the earl thinks - and would horrify him much more if he knew. Yet, every encounter increases the attraction between the powerful earl and the lovely, intelligent, and feisty Miss Blair...


Welcome to the sparkling Regency world of Amelia Grey, where the gossip is fresh and a new scandal is always brewing.


Thoughts:


In a re-issue of her book, A Dash of Scandal, Amelia Grey charms her fans with a Regency romance that has a touch of humor and a pinch of mystery. Grey gives readers an engaging main couple, a plot based on gossip and misconceptions and a romantic edge that will have readers staying up long into the night to find out what happens next.


When Milicent is called to London to assist her aunt Beatrice, who has had a fall, she doesn't have a clue that her work will entail spying on the ton in order to write her aunt's gossip column. Under the name Lord Truefitt, aunt Beatrice has made quite a name for herself by providing fodder for the gossip mongers, but when a priceless heirloom is stolen from the earl of Dunraven and Millicent records the deed, the misunderstanding begin to reach new levels. 

Grey is able to provide readers two main characters that could not be more different. Millicent is basically a poor relation from the country, though she has beauty and intelligence she is not one to be noticed by other members of the ton. Chandler Preswick, the earl, however can hardly keep out of their notice due to his every deed being recorded in the papers. Grey uses witty dialogue and humor to develop their relationship and to build a re-pore with her audience. As the story goes on readers will become more and more interested to see if these two engaging characters will actually get their happy-ever-after.


If that weren't enough, Grey also gives readers the added bonus of the mystery of the Mad Ton Thief. When Chandler mistakenly assumes that Millicent's lurking in dark corners and making notes on her dance cards could mean that she is thief, he is beside himself because he can't seem to focus on the crime at hand due to the attraction he feels for her. I liked the whole idea of the story hinging on the fact that Chandler believes Millicent to be the thief, it not only ramps up the emotional and physical attraction between them but also gives the reader a kind of side story to carry their interest. I thought Grey did an excellent job of giving the reader more than one thing to focus on in the novel.


The heat generated between the main protagonist's is both sweet and passionate. Every time Millicent and Chandler encounter each other the intensity is increased until the reader just can't wait for them to quit beating around the bush and get to the point. Readers won't be disappointed when they get to the climax of the relationship either. It may not be the most scorching of scenes but it provides the much needed release that readers have been expecting throughout the book. It isn't too over-the-top nor does it take anything away from the overall feeling of charm and sweetness that pervades the book.


I recommend this one to Regency fans and other readers of Historical Romance. Grey gives readers a book that is fast paced, yet sweet and charming. I think readers will fall in love with the main characters and root for them to figure out the secrets and find their happiness. It is a story that uses a hint of mystery to pull off the main themes of the book and will have readers just as interested in finding the thief as it does wondering if Chandler can forgive Millicent for writing all of those horrible things about him in the gossip rags.

A Dash of Scandal is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Winner of the Booksellers Best Award and the RT Book Reviews Award for Love and Laughter, Amelia Grey's books have been sold in Europe, Russia, and China. Married for twenty-five years to her high school sweetheart, she has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, and now calls Panama City Beach, Florida, home.