Season For Scandal

by Theresa Romain

• ISBN13: 9781420132434
• Publish Date: 1 October 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 25 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Sadly, Season for Scandal was another boring, un-holidayish tale in this series. This time we're following Xavier's cousin Jane and Baron Kirkpatrick, Edmund. He finds her in a dire situation when she gambles away money that she doesn't have. He pretends to be her fiance and that he'll be paying her losses, but then he realizes that getting married for real would benefit them both. He'd get a wife and an heir, and she'd get access to her dowry which can then pay off those debts. Of course their marriage of convenience isn't really that convenient.

Season for Scandal has a great premise, but it quickly went down hill for me. I loved Jane in the opening chapter! She gambles with men and has no fear! Then once she and Edmund are married, she turns into this timid, shell of a woman. I have no clue what happened to her! I expected her to continue to fight for what she wanted and demand respect from her husband, but instead the two just dance around each other and try not to offend. I have never seen two characters who talk so much without actually saying anything!

I was quite frustrated and honestly also confused throughout most of Season for Scandal. Aside from the mystery of Jane's lost personality, there's also this matter of Daniel Turner, or whoever he is. He's someone from Edmund's past, and there's secrets and threats and blackmail, and I don't even know what was going on. Then things happen with Jane and I was like, why?! Then it's Christmas, there's mistletoe, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Season for Scandal was just not very good. The romance was severely lacking, the plot was contrived and confusing. The characters were flat and boring after being awesome in the opening chapters. I really don't know what happened here. Clearly this hasn't been the festive, romantic series I was hoping for.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Season for Scandal is the third book in Theresa Romain’s Holiday Pleasures series. The tale offers up a twist on the marriage of convenience trope with complicated and troubled characters. While this wasn’t my favorite, it was well paced with suspense and mystery that kept me engaged. Mini review: secrets, complicated characters and slow to build romance.

We meet Jane Tindall while in disguise playing a card game in which she gambles too much. Just as she plans to recoup her losses, Edmund Ware, the Baron Kirkpatrick accidentally exposes her costing her a fortune and ruining her reputation. In order to pay her mark, and save her reputation he proposes and surprisingly the head-strong, independent Jane says yes. The tale that unfolds was interesting, with secrets, a little love and danger.

Jane has always been in love with Edmund. She is a curious creature, a plain Jane, who lights up when talking about exotic places she would like to travel to. She is also impatient, stubborn and naïve. Edmund appears to the ton as a kind, noble and caring man. He dances with the wallflowers, helps little old ladies into their coach and has a pleasant ear for anyone who needs to talk. Edmund would tell you this is his atonement for a grave error. This marriage is not easy for them and we feel their struggle. Lack of communication, knowledge and emotions cause turbulence as they attempt to please and get to know each other. Turner is the villain in this tale, a man from Edmund’s past. He is here for revenge, and makes clear to Edmund exactly how he will do it. The man befriends Jane, and under a false identity moves throughout their social circle. Edmund and Jane frustrated me with their lack of communication as a lot of issues could have been resolved if they had confided in each other.

Season for Scandal is not your typical holiday read, and Romain turns the marriage trope upside down, giving us a heavier tale of self-discovery and growth while showing the complicated side of making a marriage work. This was not light and fluffy, but we did work towards our HEA, and the ride to get there was filled with frustration, witty banter and secrets. It is also not your typical swoon-worthy romance; instead it reflects ordinary people and martial problems. While I did not get emotional caught up in this tale, I did enjoy the complexities of the characters, and the message. Romain did a wonderful job of bringing these two together and helping them find their happy.

If you are looking for something a little different, a realistic romance then, Season for Scandal, might be the perfect read for you. While this didn’t wow me, I certainly look forward to reading more of Romain’s work.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer