This is a follow-up to Mismatch of the Season which I have also read and enjoyed. In this story, Phoebe's sister Sophie is making her debut and is expected to make a good match. After all, she's the good girl in the family and follows all the rules. Except Sophie has ideas of making a love match and, when put in the path of Lord Rotherby, a well-known rake, she makes a wager that she will indeed marry for love. When Sophie tried to stop Aurelia (basically mean girl from the first book) from making a terrible mistake, she ends up compromised and eventually finds herself travelling to France with Rotherby.

One does wonder why Sophie feels so obliged to protect Aurelia from disaster. Of course, this story has no legs without this misstep. I mostly liked Sophie, but her missteps become a bit numerous through the story and that does take away from her a bit. That said, people do make stupid mistakes and continue to make them despite surely having learned one's lesson. As to the romance, I think there's a decent spark between Sophie and Rotherby from the start but I'm not sure it carried through as much as it could have. There's some great banter between the two throughout, though, which may make up for that to some extent. I felt Sophie's interest in fashion design was given rather uneven attention. It was such a passion for her at the start but seemed more a very much side story by the end. The villain of Weston is expectedly lovely on the outside but a nasty piece of work inside. It does all work out in the end, but I did feel there was a bit too much madcap in the latter part of the story.

Overall, I did enjoy this, but it wasn't quite as strong as the previous book. I give it 3 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the free advanced reader copy. My feedback in totally voluntary.

3.75 Another madcap adventure. Sophie, the usually prim, rule-following sister is very good at getting herself into increasingly difficult situations. She’s trying to do the right thing each time but she keeps making things much worse for herself and others. I was a little frustrated with Sophie from the middle to the end. I could forgive the first few miscalculations but it was continuous. Slow down & think for a second. It made her seem selfish & thoughtless that she didn’t seem to learn from her mistakes. And Aurelia again? Phoebe should have warned Sophie about what a viper Aurelia could be. I did enjoy the story moving to France. That was a nice change. Overall a fun comedy of errors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried hard to like this one—Regency setting, Bridgerton vibes—it all sounded like the perfect escapist read. But unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with the story or the characters at all. I found myself confused about who was who, the writing didn’t draw me in, and both the FMC and MMC felt flat and forgettable. About halfway through, I ended up DNF-ing it and just skimmed the rest.

I wanted to love this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I loved the banter in the beginning but that quickly got lost as the book progressed. I feel like there was a log of potential here but it ultimately fell flat for me.

This novel promises a love story wrapped in intrigue, courtesy of our heroine Sophie and somewhat charming Lord Rotherby. The opinionated and reckless Sophie is set on marrying for love, and she’s thrown into a wager with the arrogant and notorious rake Lord Rotherby who thinks love is a farce. It sounded good; however, while the theme had my hopes high, the journey left me a bit underwhelmed.

First off, let’s chat about chemistry. Or, rather, the lack of it. Sophie and Lord Rotherby had all the makings of a classic enemies-to-lovers scenario, but the sparks were lacking. When I read a romance, I want to feel that electric pull between the characters, something that makes me root for them and their romance. Instead, I found their emotional connection missing, which made their evolving relationship feel flat.

I didn’t mind the dialogue and the fun banter at the beginning. However, as the story progressed, that engaging back-and-forth disappeared, leaving me with prose that just didn’t make sense. It almost felt like the book was trying to overload me with misadventures and filler information about historical facts at a time where I wanted to see the simple beauty of a well-told story. Don’t get me wrong I love reading about history, but it was at an awkward time in the book.

Despite my misgivings, the idea of a love wager had real potential. That’s an intriguing hook that could have led to something truly special, but I felt it needed something more. If you’re a fan of regency romances that play with interesting themes, you might find some enjoyment in this. But if you’re looking for something with deeper connections and compelling characters, you might want to pass this one by.

Thank you to Michelle Kenney for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Thank you to Harper Collin’s, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of the Bridgerton books and shows, I was really excited to read this book. It had the makings to be an enjoyable and entertaining read but it fell completely flat. The FMC and MMC just didn’t hit and I found the writing hard to follow. I really wanted to like this, but I just found myself annoyed by the characters and lack of development and consistency throughout.

Sometimes you just need a good regency romance romp and this delivered! Sophie was such a lovble character and Lord Rotherby ….🥵🥵🥵

Would recommend to fans of Bridgerton or Evie Dunmore books! Look forward to more in this series!

I picked up (requsted on NetGalley) The Scandal of the Season by Michelle Kenney because the synopsis promised a charming Regency romp with a headstrong heroine, a notorious rake, and a juicy wager at the heart of it all. Plus, the cover was too pretty to resist and the premise seemed tailor-made for fans of Bridgerton and Jane Austen. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the promise.

Sophie Fairfax is described as the most logical of the Fairfax siblings, but her actions throughout the book repeatedly contradict that. She makes impulsive decisions, enters into reckless situations, and seems to lack the self-awareness that the story implies she possesses. As for Lord Rotherby, his sudden shift from scandalous rake to hopeless romantic felt too abrupt and underdeveloped to be convincing. I found myself wishing for more depth and a more gradual emotional arc for both leads.

The tone of the book leaned too heavily into the exaggerated and whimsical, stretching believability and making it hard to connect with the characters. The pacing also felt off, and the overall plot lacked the kind of substance that usually makes Regency romances so satisfying.

While I really wanted to enjoy this, and I do think it had the ingredients for something delightful, it just didn’t come together for me. The characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and the story leaned more silly than swoony.

Sadly, this one was a 2-star read for me.

The Scandal of the Season by Michelle Kenney is such a good story. I loved every single second of it and I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

Huge thank you to Michelle Kenney and One More Chapter for sending me an ARC to review! 🩷

I loved the early 2000s regency movie vibes of the first book in this series, so of course I was excited when I saw another Fairfax sister was getting a book! Once again, the vibes were immaculate. Sophie Fairfax is stubborn but levelheaded, until she meets and makes a wager with Dominic. Then she manages to derail all of her plans with one rash midnight excursion.

This had a little more focus on the romance instead of the family in this book, which I enjoyed. This is still a clean romance, despite the opening scene taking place in a brothel 😅. I loved the dynamic between Dominic and Sophie while they travel especially, and the ending was literal perfection. This book has a very unique take on the classic “oh no I’m compromised” historical romance trope that I loved. I wish we had gotten a bit more buildup to the conflict, because the big event happens 50% in and lasts till almost the end of the book. I would’ve preferred more focus on the tension and yearning, rather than such a drawn out conflict.

Michelle Kenney is definitely turning into my go to author for a sweet little regency romp. 4/5 stars ⭐️

First off… this cover is gorgeous! I absolutely adored this book! Full of charm, interesting and relatable characters, and of course a swoony love story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars!

The Scandal of the season was a lot of fun! I think fans of Bridgerton will find a lot to love here.

This is the second in a series, which I didn’t realise but it worked really well as a standalone and I never felt I was missing key information for the story.

What I loved in particular:

- Dominic Rotherby, he was a swoonworthy main character if a very grumpy patient ( in his defence he was shot in the arm).
- The highly addictive and readable writing style, I read this in a single morning while off sick and it was the perfect choice for a quick cheer me up read.

I will definitely check out the first book in this series when I next need a quick feel good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sophie Fairfax is determined to marry for love, even if it means tossing proper society rules out the window. When she makes a bet with the charming but definitely not husband material Lord Rotherby everything spirals into a whirlwind of drama, secret trips to Paris, duels, and more scandal than one debutante can handle.

This book had its charming moments and sweet chemistry, but it tried to do a lot all at once. Between Sophie’s many questionable choices, a very chaotic plot, and characters I wasn’t always rooting for, I found myself wishing for a bit more focus. I also really struggled with the writing style. It just didn’t click for me.

Still, it has some cute banter, a masked ball (always fun), and a classic enemies to lovers vibe. A good pick if you're in the mood for a light historical romance with some wild twists.

Sophie Fairfax is the one Fairfax sibling most likely to make a fortunate match on the marriage mart. After her sister Phoebe's adventurous journey to marital bliss, Sophie is supposed to stick to the more convenient methods of attracting a husband; balls and strolls in the park. Yet, Sophie has slightly different ideas. She's not only interested in fashion and would love to design fashion for a living, she is also determined to make a love match. Enter Lord Rotherby, a notorious rake, who's definitely not interested in Sophie at all.

This could have been so good, but the romance gets lost in lots of naive decisions, plots by scheming debutantes and rakes, encounters with revolutionaries, and travelling to and around France at breakneck speeds. It felt like the novel wanted too much and could have benefited from another round of editing.

Unfortunately the writing style for me was the biggest let down. The old-timey writing was quite jarring to me and I kept zoning out or not taking things seriously. I understand this book is a period piece and set in the past but how it was written felt like a mocking british accent.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. I felt the writing was too dense and I just couldn’t buy into the characters or the writing.

The heroine, Sophie Fairfax, was just too stupid. She wants to marry only for love, but decides to risk her entire reputation to try to stop a catty debutante who has plans to force Lord Dominic to marry her by traveling with him when he goes abroad to Paris. Why Sophie wants to help the terrible debutante and why she ends up getting into his coach and being taken away to France is totally unbelievable. It’s very similar to the storyline from Georgette Heyer’s classic story, Devil’s Cub. And the hero in that book is also named Dominic. And there is also the storyline of trying to find a Protestant cleric who could marry the couple. But that book was so much better written and made it easier to suspend disbelief. The heroine was smart and courageous instead of Sophie who is TSTL.

Add in that the hero of this story is very charming, but somehow has fallen for Sophie. I can understand his being willing to marry her because he doesn’t want to violate his own personal honor code, but what was there to like about her?

My advice is to find a copy of Georgette Heyer’s Devil’s Cub and enjoy that.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Whew this one was way better than the second but our Heroine Sophie Fairfax was a bit much at times! Her naïveté lost its charm very early on!
We also have Lord Dominic Hugo Rotherby who also a very unlikely hero starts off in a brothel with not one but two companions!?
There are several loose ends for me but I still can’t fathom how one debutante could muck up her reputation so thoroughly!? Sophie was involved in the previous story yes she is young but not stupid!? But to trust anything that Lady Aurelia Carlisle is not and never will be a friend to any Fairfax!
It isn’t until much later that Sophie admits to why she not try harder to stop Dominic mid flight out of the country but of course it’s way too late and her reputation by that time is totally shredded!
I did understand Dominic much better after his horrendous childhood!!
Dominic makes no apologies or mention of why he would have been fleeing with a mistress!
It is totally in contrast to a letter he wrote to his aunt!? That mystery was never resolved to my satisfaction!
But there is a duel, a masked ball a forced elopement (thwarted) and unnecessary reappearance of Lady Aurelia! Do try to keep up when reading this!
It is nonstop action and a huge leap of faith that Sophie is resolved to only marry for love! It took two rollercoaster ride and international intrigue to get to her HEA! Bravo

After Sophie Fairfax sister married for love now that is a debutante on the Season she wishes to marry only for love and on her first night at Almack's she makes a wager with Lord Dominic Rotherby about it . When she tries to stop an other young Lady from a scandal of her own making she sets herself into an adventure and an scandal with Lord Rotherby . Will she win her wager ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publisher as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

The Scandal of the Season had all the ingredients for a fun Regency romp—societal expectations, romantic intrigue, and a heroine determined to chart her own course. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the promise for me.

Sophie Fairfax had moments of charm, and I appreciated the novel’s attempt to blend humor with a commentary on the constraints placed on women during the period. However, I struggled to stay engaged with the story. The pacing felt uneven, and I found myself disconnected from the emotional arcs of the characters. Some of the dialogue and plot points also felt a bit forced, making it hard to fully immerse myself in the setting.

That said, readers who enjoy a lighter historical romance with a modern tone might still find enjoyment here. It just wasn’t the perfect fit for me—but I can see how others could appreciate its charm and spirited heroine.