I just couldn't get into this book, i wasn't a fan of the writing style or the old English the author used, and i just couldn't get into the story as a result. While I did love the family dynamics especially between the sisters I just didn't love the romance.

I'll withhold my reviews from retail sites for a few weeks after the release date.

I absolutely loved Kenney's first entry in this series, The Mismatch of the Season, so I was excited to read the next chapter, The Scandal of the Season. We now have Phoebe's younger sister, Sophie, ready to find love on the marriage mart. She's a bit more stubborn than her older sister, but she has a bit more common sense. That is until she meets the rogue Lord Rotherby. Sophie finds herself involved in a wager with the rake, but she also attempts to save her friend from scandal and lands herself in potentially the worst scandal of the season.

We again have a clean romance, unlike Bridgerton, The banter between Sophie and Rotherby is fun to follow, and their evolving relationship is endearing. There's some intrigue and the alternate backdrop of France to make this an entertaining Regency read. I love losing myself in this time period, and Michelle Kenney has a talent for transporting the reader to that time period.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another rollercoaster from Kenney here, of capers and manners all going wrong. Like the first book, of the Fairfax sisters, the plot is a wild ride; this time the perfect debutante accidentally brings scandal on herself, taking her from Devon to London and on to Paris and Rouen. I’m sure the Regency Romance purists will take issue with the plausibility, but The Scandal of the Season is pacy and funny with endearing characters, who I was rooting for.

The Scandal of the Season
by Michelle Kenney

As a devoted fan of historical romance novels, I had high hopes for this book, anticipating a captivating tale filled with intrigue and passion. However, I regret to say that my experience was quite disappointing. The plot felt excessively dull, meandering through predictable scenarios that failed to engage my interest. At times, the scenarios ventured into the realm of the absurd, detracting from any potential enjoyment.

Moreover, the characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult for me to invest in their journeys. I often found myself frustrated by their inconsistent behaviours and decisions, which left me feeling detached from the unfolding story. Unfortunately, I was unable to form any meaningful connection with the characters, as they often felt one-dimensional and unrelatable. Overall, this book did not meet my expectations, and I finished it feeling rather unfulfilled.

Miss Sophie Fairfax is determined to marry for love—not for convenience or status, despite her brother’s wishes. At her first ball, she boldly steps into high society and soon crosses paths with the infamous Lord Rotherby, known for his rakish reputation.
When a daring wager draws them closer, Sophie finds herself flirting with both temptation and trouble. But being caught alone with the dangerously charming lord could turn her bold debut into a full-blown scandal…

Phew, most of this book is so intense! After a short intro, at least 70% of the book is non-stop action, and Sophie definitely gets no peace—it's just drama after drama. I liked how the book immediately gave off a Bridgerton vibe, very much the Regency period experience.

I gave this book three stars because it felt a bit overcrowded—so many events happening in such a short time, everyone chasing after each other... oh my, too much. I didn’t get the sense that there was much visible character growth; Sophie is very dramatic and constantly going back and forth with "I want this/I don’t want this," always second-guessing, and in the end, it was all pretty predictable.

It also annoyed me a little how often characters from the first book were mentioned without enough explanation of what had happened with them—I felt like a big part of the story was missing.
If you enjoy Regency romance, you’ll probably like all the scandal here. I definitely recommend reading the book—but now I have to go back and catch up on the first one in the series!

Book 2, and the story of the Fairfax sisters continues to amaze, bewilder and entertain in equal measures.
Phoebe was the first sister to be married after a series of awkward misunderstandings on the way to finding her true love, and now it is the turn of younger sister Sophie.
Sophie is independently minded, wants her freedom, but doesn’t know how to get it. She wants a love match, but hasn’t yet joined the “ meat market”, also known as the debutante season. She is young, naive, headstrong and easily duped into helping friends who really don’t deserve her well meant endeavours. She makes unaccountable choices in life, but without the helping hand of her elder sister, very nearly comes a cropper in so many dangerous and reputation destroying situations.
Enter Lord Dominic Rotherby, a notorious rake, seducer of women, and yet an honourable man in his own way.
These two people meet at a Ball. Sophie tells him she is looking for true love, he wagers she will marry for any other reason than love, she recklessly accepts the wager. Then follows a campaign of each other becoming involved in unfortunate meetings, incidents, and various misunderstandings, not quite stalking behaviour, but there is an undoubted connection between the two of them that is only realised by a third party in Paris of all places.
Young Georgian women seem to have been quite ignorant about sex and men, they can fall prey to the most caddish behaviour, unless, like Phoebe, you manage to find a tolerant and devoted husband. There are many laughs along the way, some situations make you think of a farce being enacted, but the truth is, you have to kiss many frogs before you find your Prince.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers HarperCollinsUK, for my advanced read, freely given in return for my honest review. I gave this five stars.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

The Scandal of the Season had a lot to love: witty banter, lovely prose, and intriguing characters. And for the most part, I did enjoy it. But both MCs were just really hard to connect with. I can’t figure out if it’s because their characterizations are so different to what we were lead to believe (Sophie is a walking string of bad decisions and Rothersby is a rake that…isn’t very rakish) or if the plot just didn’t give them a lot of room to show real depth. Either way, it was fine! Not my favorite historical I’ve read lately, but not the worst!

Rotherby is a deeply troubled man who lives like a rogue. He is brusque, tells it like he sees it, and does whatever he wants. His only redeeming characteristic is that he avoids debutantes, or at least he used to. He meets Sophie at Almack's during her debut season and sparks fly. Heated words and wagers, that is. It is a fun storyline with lots of action and dialogue that can sometimes be difficult to follow. I received an advance copy for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, One More Chapter and Michelle Kenney for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a refreshingly modern take on the traditional regency novel. It seems to have elements of Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice (I’m thinking of Lydia Bennett), whilst projecting the vision of strong willed female characters that have their own agency. I particularly enjoyed how Sophie was driven by her own values throughout. She wanted her own life, but didn’t feel the need to compromise by having either a ‘career’ or romance.

In drawing her own path of happiness, Sophie encounters a rather difficult and scary journey. Whilst I really enjoyed the story as a whole, the plot was a little long drawn for me personally. There were some beautiful moments, and then other scenarios that I thought were maybe a bit far fetched. However, the conclusion was very satisfying. I liked the inclusion of regency vocabulary.

I haven’t read the first book in the series, but this did not affect the reading experience. The characters from this first book appear quite prominently, but there wasn’t anything that I felt I’d missed in the previous story to need to understand this one. I’d say this is an interconnected standalone.

I love that Kenney has penned her own regency series for the modern audience. It has some great settings and characters and would be enjoyable for any romance fan (particularly those who love Bridgerton).

I am here for all the vibes this book was giving. The two main leads were a delight, Sophie is a smart, determined young lady who wants to let her heart decide. Then there is Rotherby, a rake who is nursing a terrible heartache. He reminded me of a certain Duke from a certain other book in some of his motivations. That being said, apart from the opening scene, he didn't really show much rake-ish behaviour, which made him all the more interesting.

To have most of it set in Paris rather than the usual London was a very nice touch, giving it a little twist and flair that most of these books lack. The 'she looks after him' trope was nicely done and the general twisting of usual tropes made this a real breath of fresh air.

Almost all the supporting characters were great, well rounded, fun characters. Even the 'villains' of the piece were done well.

It's not without its flaws of course, some of the plot was bordering on ridiculousness and while I adore a good miscommunication trope, Rotherby's refusal to explain to Sophie had me wanting to slap him with some gloves and demand satisfaction. So much could have been avoided if he had only explained but no. He does do the grovel at the end which sort of makes up for it, but I was grinding my teeth as he refused multiple times to just tell her. But sometimes a book doesn't need to be perfect to still be excellent.

This was just fun. A fun read, a fun time, don't think too hard about some of the plot points and coincidences. Just allow yourself to be swept along by the magic of the whole thing and enjoy the ride. This is the most fun I've had with a book in a while.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

The Scandal of the Season is a delightful Regency romp that had me grinning from ear to ear. Sophie Fairfax is determined to marry for love, not convenience, but a cheeky wager with the notorious Lord Rotherby turns her season upside down. Their banter is sharp, the chemistry is sizzling, and the societal stakes are high.

If you’re a fan of Bridgerton-style drama, witty dialogue, and slow-burn romance, this one’s a must-read. It’s the perfect blend of charm, scandal, and heart.

3.5 Stars

I really wanted to love this book—it had so much potential! To be honest, what caught my attention, aside from the beautiful cover, was the blurb: "worthy of Georgette Heyer." That’s a big claim, and I was curious to see if it was true. Candidly, I might have enjoyed the book more had that expectation not been ringing in my head.

Although the plot shares many similarities with Heyer’s works, particularly Devil's Cub, it ultimately fell flat for me. It didn’t have the wit or pacing I was hoping for. The beginning was a struggle, but once the plot picked up—specifically, once Sophia hastens to end her friend's plan—it became thoroughly enjoyable. That is, until the story shifts to France, where it starts to feel like the early parts all over again.

However, the Regency aspects were more authentic than in many period novels today, and that was refreshing. The narrative often felt like two separate storylines, with little connection between the characters—especially when the sardonic rake starts acting completely out of character at the end. The road to the HEA felt long, only to be rushed through in the last paragraph.

While this book didn’t quite work for me, I can see how it might resonate with readers who enjoy historical romances with a slower build-up and more traditional Regency elements.

This book is part of a series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun regency romp for fans of Bridgerton. Sophie and Lord Rotherby are hilarious and watching them tangle was a lot of fun.

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book!
I really enjoyed it! The romance was great and I loved the period setting.

This is a first read for me by Michelle Kenney. The Scandal of the Season, although a romance, focused on family unity. I enjoyed the relationships and caring between the sisters and will read the following books about them. The romance between the hero and heroine seemed a drag on. I did not find the additional love story necessary which in turn drug out the main story. Free ARC from NetGalley for honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollingsl UK, One More Chapter, and author Michelle Kenney for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 stars - Regency setting with Bridgerton vibes!

I have to start this review by admitting that this is the first book in Michelle Kenney’s Fairfax Sisters series that I have read. Although not a huge problem, not knowing the sisters beforehand made me feel I was missing some small details or references. That being said… let’s get into the book!

“The Scandal of the Season” is a historical rom-com targeted towards Bridgerton and Jane Austen fans (mainly because the plot and characters of this book were heavily inspired by Pride and Prejudice). Miss Sophie Fairfax, the youngest of the Fairfaxes, is settled in marrying for love and love only. In her first debutante ball, she meets the infamous rake, Lord Rotherby, with whom she makes a dangerous wager.

Now, that’s a preface for sure! I was so excited to read and love this book, because what’s not to love? Sadly, it just felt flat, and I was left extremely disappointed. Let’s start with the characters: We first meet Lord Rotherby at a brothel, he’s depicted as a scandalous rake with no heart, and yet he turns into a hopeless romantic when he meets Sophie. No scandals or libertine adventures to be seen. On the other hand, Sophie was a flat character who kept making horrible decisions, even when she was supposed to be the logical sibling.

In addition, the pacing felt off at times and there were a lot of things happening at the same time in some moments (running away across France, balls, revolutionaries, connections between characters…), which made it difficult to follow the storyline and enjoy the book.

On a more positive note, I did enjoy the writing style. It felt refreshing to read a period piece with period dialogue in it, and the “Period Dictionary” at the end of the book was a nice touch.

Although this wasn’t my favourite book ever, I still had fun reading it, and if you are looking for a light-hearted Regency rom-com with all your loved clichés, you should give this book a try.

I went into The Scandal of the Season hoping for a fun, romantic Regency, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The tone was a bit too over-the-top, and I also found the romance hard to connect with.

I believe that readers who enjoy light historical romances might still have a good time with it, It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, as I love Bridgerton, so when I saw it had Bridgerton vibes and it was a Regency era romance I was so excited. But sadly, this just fell very flat for me, the characters were very intriguing, but I really struggled to connect with them, I found some of the euphemisms used in the book difficult, as I wasn’t sure what some of them meant, and it made the whole reading experience a tad jarring at times. It felt a little cliched overall, and normally I don’t mind cliches in romance books too much, but I think because I struggled to get into this and actually connect with the characters and their stories, it just didn’t keep me engaged.

The Scandal of the Season is a follow-up to Mismatch of the Season, which I also read and enjoyed! That said, I don't think it's necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one. It definitely helped me feel more connected to the characters early on, but I wouldn't say it's essential.

I honestly have mixed feelings about Sophie in this book...
I started off liking her, but her string of poor decisions really piled up as the story went on. I could understand and forgive the first few, but the pattern continued, and it started to feel like she wasn’t growing or learning. She kept making things worse, not just for herself, but for the people around her. It made her come across as selfish and a bit thoughtless, which left me feeling kinda frustrated.

One thing I did enjoy was the dialogue - especially in the first half of the book! The banter had energy and charm, and the enemies-to-lovers chemistry between the leads was promising. Unfortunately, that spark faded as the story progressed. The dynamic that pulled me in early on seemed to lose momentum, which made me feel somewhat disconnected from the romance by the end.

Overall, The Scandal of the Season had some bright moments, especially early on, but it lost a bit of its shine for me. Still, if you enjoyed the first book or love historical romance with a dash of drama, it might be worth checking out.

One More Chapter continues to be my favorite digital publisher. Their books are higher quality because they have big publishing behind them (HarperCollins).

This novel is a fun Regency romance that follows strong-willed Sophie who swears to marry only for love. But when she finds herself in a series of compromising situations, she may have to reevaluate her choices or leave her world behind.

Readers aren’t left wondering if they haven’t read the first book in the series. Recommended for fans of the genre.