Once Upon a Scandal by Jule LeMense

Published: June 22nd, 2015

Publisher: Crimson Romance

Copy: Author through Word Slinger

Summary: Goodreads

Lady Jane Fitzsimmons won our hearts in Once Upon a Wager … and now her story is full of even more delightful twists and turns!

Caught up in a scandal of her father’s making, Jane is now an outcast in the society that once prized her refinement. When Lord Benjamin Marworth offers to help redeem her good name, she leaps at the chance.

Too bad his plan requires her very public demise.

To the ton, Benjamin is a dandy and a rake, but that’s merely a convenient disguise to spy for the Crown. Can he save both England and Jane by faking her death and reincarnating her as a French cousin who can ferret out the stolen war secrets he needs? Or will she discover Benjamin’s own dark secrets in the end?

It’s a proposition steeped in scandal if they’re caught — but love just might be worth the risk.

I've been on a bit of a reading slump lately.  You know what it's like when every book you pick up disappoints and nothing is what you want or feel like reading?  Well, along came an email from Word Slinger and I thought it was about time I indulged in one of my secret favourites.  I just love me some regency romances and have done since I was about 17 or thereabouts and I discovered Georgette Heyer. (She is one of the original R R writers and set the bar very high for me.)

Once Upon a Scandal was exactly what I was looking for. A fiesty heroine who takes a leap into the deep end, or as in this case, the Thames, and after a series of adventures comes out smelling like roses and with her love interest in tow.  That is very much an over simplification of the story, but it was fun.  There are some amazing co-incidences that are easy to forgive and some lovely romantic scenes that just set me tingling and while it was never really in doubt that all would work out well in the end - this is a regency romance after all - the journey to get there was fun and extremely enjoyable.  

After a very pleasant 3 or 4 hours with Jane and Benjamin, I ended the book with a smile on my face and a big sigh, wishing that just for an hour or two our society was like that, then I came back to earth and smiled a bit more and realized I'm quite happy it's not.  If you are a fan of this genre and enjoy a little bit of sex (but not too much - about New Adult level) with your history then Once Upon a Scandal is for you.  Now I'm off to find a copy of Once Upon a Wager, which is the prequel to this one.  Thank you Ms LeMense for getting me out of my slump.