An immensely enjoyable read with a captivating storyline, though it's worth noting there's a lot transpiring simultaneously. Having not read the first book, I felt somewhat unfamiliar with the characters. While the book stands well on its own, delving into the first installment might have aided in clarifying certain plot points. Despite the chaos created by numerous events and characters, the pacing remained commendable.

However, the rapid development of Tom and Beatrix's love story felt a bit too swift, diminishing the impact of her character's background buildup. Their connection seemed too effortless, making her backstory somewhat inconsequential. Nevertheless, the story maintained a well-paced and intriguing narrative.

This was actually the book that made me take a break from reading Darcy Burke! Not because it’s bad, necessarily, because it isn’t, but I just realised that I don’t love how very angsty her characters often are, and I feel like there’s more external plot than I prefer in a romance. I’m just not a fan of the crime-heavy setting that this particular series is focused on.

A SCANDALOUS BARGAIN is the second book in The Untouchables: The Pretenders series. Though each story will stand on its own, the series is best enjoyed if read in full and in the order or release.

I already loved Beatrix from A SECRET SURRENDER when she was introduced as Selina’s “sister.” This is her story of recapturing her place in society and her fated love. Thomas is an immediately character. I loved how Bea and Thomas met. How they each attempted to protect the other. Ultimately, how they could not deny their futures.

This was a truly enjoyable read full of greed and passion, lost dreams and new ones, beautiful characters and undeniable passion. I was entertained from the first chapter until the end and I cannot wait for the next book. I know the “sister’s” brother, Rafe, must be next to find his true love!

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.


Title: A SCANDALOUS BARGAIN
Series: The Untouchables: The Pretenders #2
Category /Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Grammar/editing: A – near perfect
Received from: Darcy Burke (as an ARC gifted copy)

This novel was so fun and entertaining! The heroine spies on the duke after escaping her bullied life at a boarding school. This begins that fun and wild ride of a relationship. I ate it up!

This is the second installment of Ms. Burke's The Pretenders series. I had missed the first one, but after reading this you can be sure I will be going back and picking that up as well!
Beatrix is the illegitimate daughter of a duke. She has very fond memories of her father, but after her mother died she was placed in a boarding school and no longer had contact with him. Now the toast of the Season, all she really wants is to reconnect with her father once again, albeit quietly. Thomas had endured a scarring marriage, and the death of his wife causes him even more grief in that he is under suspicion for causing her death. He and Beatrix meet in an unlikely situation and form a unique bond and become each other's allies, all the while growing closer to each other. Ms. Burke did a wonderful job of bringing these characters and their story to life. I enjoyed the book very much and hope to read more of this series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Ms. Burke for providing a complimentary copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.

A perfectly cosy read. One that is absolutely perfect when looking for a break from the seriousness of the world. A heartbroken hero, a strong heroine, an adorable child, what more could one ask for from this breezy romance.

This book was hard for me to get into. I don't know if it was the fact that Beatrix was a thief or just that the relationship between Tom and Beatrix seemed to easy. Looking back, I had read the first book in the series and wasn't fond of it. Maybe this series just isn't for me.

Beatrix and Tom’s relationship had a tumultuous start, it was tinged with a whole lot of jealousy, prejudice, and downright meanest, but once again love showed there were no boundaries it cannot scale. An amazing romance that tugs at your heartstrings, simply beautiful.

I loved this one! Darcy Burke wrote a charming and engaging historical romance. I loved the mystery and scandal-this one was steamy and had a great resolution.

A Scandalous Bargain by Darcy Burke
Rating: 4.5 stars
**WARNING: Spoilers below!**
Summary: Tom Devereaux’s wife is beyond the pale. She drinks too much, gambles too much, has obvious affairs, and bore a child that is not her husband’s (while married to said husband). She happens to fall off a balcony with a low railing during one of their fights and dies. Tom is now a widower with a young daughter and suspected of murder (it was clear to all that theirs was not a love match…).
Beatrix Linley is in Tom’s garden the night his wife dies as she is in his tree spying on her father, the Duke who lives next door. Beatrix is trying to earn her father’s regard even though she is a bastard, and he has paid her no mind for many years. Beatrix comes to Tom’s aid after his wife fell and they develop a relationship.
I liked Beatrix quite a bit. She is smart, capable, and goes after what she wants. While she has an unfortunate habit of stealing things when she is anxious, she does not do it out of malice typically, and she has done it in the past to survive, not live a life of luxury.
Tom is a great hero, too. He loves his daughter deeply, even though he is not her biological father. He tried to make the best of his marriage, dumpster fire that it was. He recognizes that he is not perfect but tries to be better.
The story focuses on Beatrix and Tom’s relationship, with a strong plot line of the investigation into his wife’s death and Beatrix trying to win her father’s affections. Both are resolved neatly, but not so neatly that you feel Ms. Burke was trying to rush the ending. It is a great read if you have read any of Ms. Burke’s other books, too, as many of her characters are mentioned or make appearances in other stories, a trait I adore as you get to see past the character’s own novel. Also, I loved the epilogue as it ties into the next story (which I have already started reading).
If you are considering reading this, I would recommend it, especially if you have read any of Ms. Burke’s other novels.
I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very enjoyable read, loved the story line but will note that there is a lot going on at the same time. I didn't read book one so I was unfamiliar with any of the characters but I do feel the book can be read as a stand alone however it might have helped me keep plot points straight if I had read book one. That said, I did find it a bit chaotic with so much happening and trying to keep track of who was who. I also found that Tom and Beatrix although such a sweet love story, fell for each other too quickly, it was far to easy for them to be together. It kinda made the entire build up of her character's back story a mute point with the way he just accepted her and they get on with their tasks. I did find this to be a very well paced and intriguing story. Strong writing and an easy read that took only a few days.
I do recommend this for a great story line and sweet romance.
I received an ARC in exchange for a review

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her mother died, Beatrix Linley was abandoned by her father to a school, and ignored after more. As the illegitimate daughter of a duke, she had been raised in some form of comfort, but at school, was ridiculed for her birth, and only had her friend, Selina Blackwell, to support her. Since then, they have made their way through life, stealing to survive and gain enough in order for Beatrix to have a season as Miss Whitford, the younger sister of the widowed Lady Gresham, so that she can get close to her father, the Duke of Ramsgate, but she's no closer now, and there's only a month or so left of the Season. Stealing away to the home of Lord Rockbourne, the neighbour of Ramsgate, she watches her father from a tree, and overhears an argument between Lord and Lady Rockbourne, in which Thea runs at her husband with a pen knife, and falls to her death from a low balcony. Spotted by Rockbourne in the aftermath, they become friends, and she soon discovers that Tom has been living a life of hell with his now late wife. They think everything is sorted, and once Tom starts to re-enter society, can make their friendship public, but when his mother-in-law starts stirring up a fuss, and claiming her daughters death was murder, it will take all of Tom and Beatrix's wits, and their friends and loved ones, to help them get through to the other side, and possibly be together.

This one was even better than book 1, which I didn't think was possible. I think it was because of the friendship and camaraderie between Beatrix and Tom, and their chemistry and love for each other, that just kept me hooked, and unable to put it down. They just have a connection which is instant, and their start from friends in a difficult situation, to lovers, was a perfect progression. I felt for Beatrix so much too, after being loved by a father who then abandoned her, and ignores her in society, it's hard to imagine that she will be loved by anyone but Selina, but Tom, and his daughter Regan, so obviously do. The whole plot line with Ramsgate was heartbreaking, but it allowed for Tom and Beatrix to meet, and was a catalyst in them getting together. Tom, though, had been tricked into marrying the heartless Dorothea Chamberlain five years ago, and her whole family were wicked. Just weeks before her death, her brother was arrested on his wedding day for extortion, and is due to be transported, so he's well shot of the whole family, but then the mother-in-law decides that she needs to twist the story, claiming he was violent and adulterous - when actually that was her daughter - and ruin his reputation further. Only with Beatrix's new family connections to Harry, can she help, and she does everything she can - even ruin her reputation - to see him go free. I was so invested in their story, and overjoyed at the epilogue, which also helps set the scene for book 3. Another wonderful Regency read.

Action packed, emotionally thrilling roller - coaster adventure filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Was a edge of your seat, highly entertaining journey from beginning to end.

This is a pretty standard regency but some of the starting premises make no sense. A viscount being investigated for murder when his wife is known to be erratic and a lush? A kleptomaniac who spends 10 years stealing but no one recognizes her? If you can get past the plot holes, it's not too bad but it didn't work for me.

I very much enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the layers to the characters who have chemistry. I also found the psychological exploration of kleptomania fascinating. The plot was well paced and there weren't any loose ties at the end. I very much appreciated the cliffhanger and am looking forward to the next book!
Although you don't need have to have read the first book in the series, it is very well written as well and I highly suggest it!

A delightful romance with colorful characters who meet in a very atypical manner left me feeling very satisfied with this novel - like I was served a fresh idea in a genre that often relies on tropes (which I don'tind - it was just nice to see something less familiar!) It was easy to read and over well before I was ready to say goodbye. With characteristically wonderful storytelling, I feel like I was treated to an immersive experience that left me feeling fuzzy hearted despite some of the difficult subject matters.

Another Darcy Burke book that l really enjoyed. There was suspense, humour and romance as well as wondering what is going to happen next. I would recommend that you read this book.

I loved the way that Beatrix and Thomas met wasn’t the typical way characters meet in a romance. The way their relationship developed wasn’t a typical one either and seemed very easy and believable. The struggle between the characters to keep their feelings inside was a tension the reader could feel. I really liked this novel and look forward to more from Darcy Burke.

I was introduced to Darcy Burke's books with the series she did with Erica Ridley, the Wicked Dukes Club and have enjoyed every one that I have read. While this is the second book in this series, it is very intertwined with previous series, with many of those characters either showing up here or at least having their names dropped.

This book is about Beatrix, who was abandoned by her father after her mother died. She had very fond memories of her father and could not understand why he abandoned her at a girl's school, where she was bullied and was miserable, except for her friend Selina. The two girls were so unhappy there, that they left, and became sisters of the heart, struggling to survive until they came back to London in the previous book, where Selina found her brother Rafe and love with Harry. Beatrix became a kleptomaniac at the school and those skills helped them to survive, but now it has just become a habit, that she can't kick. She wants to find her father and have him proud of her and starts spying on him from the tree of his neighbor, Thomas Devereaux, Viscount Rockbourne, but sees more than she bargained for when she witnesses Lady Rockbourne try to assault her husband and ends up falling over the balcony, dying. As Beatrix continues to spy on her father, she and Tom becomes friends. But when his mother-in-law accuses him of murder, can Beatrix speak out as his witness without ruining her reputation and hurting Selina and Harry in the process?

Both Beatrix and Tom have weathered the death of their mothers and cruel fathers, without becoming cruel people themselves. I love the way the author developed the characters and created the situation that brought them together. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series about Rafe.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Selina and Beatrix are back! Selina is marrying Harry, and they both are trying to give up their previous life of crime. Beatrix is convinced that she can be reunited with her father and while spying on him, witnesses the death of Thomas's wife.

They continue to meet and finally give in to the growing feelings between them even while he has to keep answering to the Bow Street Runners who are investigating his wife's death.

The book was filled with lots of action, intrigue, drama, and romance. Some secrets are revealed and a new mystery is presented that hopefully will be answered in the next book!

Those Spitfire ladies are such fun to read about and always look forward to the next book!