Historical Romance Book Club discussion

Discussion thread for the Second BOTM of August 2021. Please remember to use the spoiler tags when necessary! (Please see 'some html is ok' for instructions.)

Happy Reading!



A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran


In gritty, working-class London, she does what she must to survive…

When Nell Whitby breaks into an earl's house on a midnight quest for revenge, she finds her pistol pointed at the wrong man—one handsome as sin and naked as the day he was born. Pity he's a lunatic. He thinks her a missing heiress, but more to the point, he'll help her escape the slums and right a grave injustice. Not a bad bargain. All she has to do is marry him.

A notorious ladies' man could take her from poverty to opulence…but at what price?

A rake of the first order, Simon St. Maur spent his restless youth burning every bridge he crossed. When he inherits an earldom without a single penny attached to it, he sees a chance to start over—provided he can find an heiress to fund his efforts. But his wicked reputation means courtship will be difficult—until fate sends him the most notorious missing heiress in history. All he needs now is to make her into a lady and keep himself from making the only mistake that could ruin everything: falling in love…

Praying my library gets this one or author puts it on sale!

I got this from the library and someone is waiting for it so I only have it for a few more days. This is more a refresher since I just read it 1/21.

I plan to read this--but I don't think I'll get to it till the end of the month. Have another group read or 2 going right now.

@Sam I post my thoughts in the spoilers as my book has to be back in 4 days. I have read all the books for this month previously. I didn't realize how much I liked this theme lol.

Merry Jewelhound wrote: "@Sam I post my thoughts in the spoilers as my book has to be back in 4 days. I have read all the books for this month previously. I didn't realize how much I liked this theme lol."

I know! It's kind of like forced proximity with formality

I have read chapters 1-5. Not giving much away as it is laying out the background to the characters. It mainly describes in more detail what is on the back cover.

This has been on my tbr for quite a while. I've read most of Duran's other HRs. I will start this one soon.

Chapters 6-8 remind me of Pretty Woman or My Fair Lady. No spoilers here. Fun reading.

Enjoy ladies! I would have joined you, but I read this just a month and a half ago :(

Since this is such a recent reread. I knew how things would play out. I have really no spoilers to write about as the writing is what makes the book so enjoyable. I finished it and it was an enjoyable well written book that my rating stays at 4*.

I just got it from library and will be joining you guys soon. Never read it before. I love the cover though, promises to be little darker...

Started this one just now. Liking it so far.

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ The depiction of the hard, cruel life of the poor feels quite real. The revelations about Nell having a noble father/sister are setting up an intriguing story. So far this aspect is reminding me of the May BOTM The Proposition by Judith Ivory, which I enjoyed.

Nell's stepbrother is horrible but you still feel a certain sympathy. So many would have drowned their sorrows in alcohol, and it did have unfortunate effects. (hide spoiler)]

I'm nearly half way through now - part way through Chapter 9. I'm still liking it OK, including the non-cliche main characters and how they react to each other.

But I'm ready for something to happen now! I feel as if it's 'marking time' or lagging a little bit. (view spoiler)[ e.g. they need to get married, or meet the twin and her guardian, or something... (hide spoiler)]

@Jan I understand where you are coming from. After reading your comment I have to agree.

I just finished! I thought it was good.

jan and merry, I felt the same way. it was lagging but it does pick up.

I do plan to join this one! Hopefully within a few days I’ll get started.

Havn't yet read any book by this author. Will start reading this in a few days after I finish my current Scarlett Scott.

Well that was a bit 'meh' for me.

I thought that the story idea was great, but not particularly well executed. I also think the book would have been enhanced with some development of the side characters, more plot development....and less of the continual angst from the heroine
- (view spoiler)[why did the book start with the hero at a debauched house party?
- Nell turning up at the house with gun to shoot the Earl, when she really had no idea what his relationship had been with her or her 'mother' seemed very strange
- what really was the story with the mother
- there was talk about the hero's mother and his relationship with her , but then this went nowhere
- I wanted to understand the sister better - there was a lot of opportunity there (hide spoiler)].

In addition, while there was obviously chemistry between the hero and heroine, I did not feel that there was enough there for a long term relationship. (view spoiler)[He saw it as a way to get back at his family and get some money and she wanted the fairytale ending (hide spoiler)].. I give them 6 months...

I think this may have been my first Meredith Duran. It has not put me off trying others, as I suspect that perhaps it was not her best. Sometimes these authors are churning out book after book to appease their publishers and I think they suffer as a result

I wanted a light Sunday afternoon read, and it fit the bill. So not all bad.

@Susan I agree with all your points. I had not thought of them till you mentioned it. But I think it would have given the book better flow. But I am a sucker for this theme as I had already read all three of the BOM. prior to their nomination.

I finished the Balogh novella and am starting this one next.

Oh my god, what a chore. I expected a unique plot, ended up with high angst drama and an idiot, insecure & unaware heroine. The worst combination. The plotlines were so convoluted, they failed to connect with each other apart from a single thread of social divide.

Susan wrote: "Well that was a bit 'meh' for me."

Thank you for going into the details, I did not enjoy thinking about this book even to write down what did not work for me. I did hammer out a review/ rant though.

I agree with every point you have illustrated apart from it being a light read, I am nursing a headache :(

I am still unsure whether to give Duran books another shot. Any recommendations?

'The Duke of Shadows' us my favorite MD

Lauren wrote: "'The Duke of Shadows' us my favorite MD"

Yeah that's a good one. I also liked Luck Be a Lady.

I'm three quarters through this one and have kinda lost interest a bit and gone off to read other books :(

I do plan to finish this one though. Maybe it will pick up again for the last section.

I am up to chapter 10. I read both of Jan's spoilers. Her thoughts are pretty much mine at this point.

So... I liked the book, the plot and the characters. I didn't stop reading and wanted to know the end of it. Nice, but not amazing! Sometimes it was hard to read. I don't if that was because it's not my home language, I don't think so, because I never had that problem with the all the other HR books I've read.

Which part are you at?

Susan wrote: "Well that was a bit 'meh' for me.

I thought that the story idea was great, but not particularly well executed. I also think the book would have been enhanced with some development of the side cha..."

Great points! I just finished and had already forgotten how it started. Seems like a scene with the court case about the inheritance would have made the more sense and given more insight of the threat/greed of Grimston and who Katherine was. Perhaps followed by a society event that showed how scandalous he was.

I think I bought into their love a bit more than you but agree it was a bit tenuous.

It’s not my favorite Duran, and I do love her writing. But they are not always wins for me. Her stories tend to be different and ambitious and not necessarily easy. But they can be so rewarding. This one was one of her least angsty IMO.

Darbella wrote: "It started out ok--then I am at a point where I have tried several times but the part where I am at is meh. Can anyone point me to which chapter where it picks up again. I am considering skimming t..."

Me too. I'm 70% through and don't really care what happens next much. I will finish the last 30% over the next couple days; but when I go to start reading, I frequently find myself picking up whatever other book I have started instead (finished two other books since I started this.)

Mariana wrote: "I'm 70% through and don't really care what happens next much. I will finish the last 30% over the next couple days; but when I go to start reading, I frequently find myself picking up whatever other book I have started instead (finished two other books since I started this.) "

Mariana and Darbella, I feel you! I've been sitting at 76% for a couple of weeks and just don't feel motivated to pick it up again. I don't hate it, but yeah, just not caring that much now, although I quite liked it at first. I've read some other books in the meantime too, Mariana.

I don't want to dnf though. I guess I will just have to pick it up again and push through. maybe today, even. I want to get this thing done before the end of the month. LOL.

OK I went back and finished it. I didn't have as much to go as I thought, because my kindle copy finished at 94% to cut to a sample of another book. So to my surprise, I finished it very quickly.

In the end I went three OK stars. I liked the first half better. Overall I didn't really feel the chemistry between the leads as much as I wanted to. Not my fav book by this author, but not horrible.

Darbella, for me it didn't really pick up that much in the last part. Felt a little forced and convoluted. I'm glad I finished it, but may not ever reread. Never say never, I suppose, but it didn't really grab me that much overall.

I finished as well.

Jan, I'm with you - 3 stars.

I thought it started stronger than it finished. I felt the despair of the poverty in the beginning and empathized with the heroine. There was too much melodrama and back and forth with indecision near the end.

Mariana wrote: "I thought it started stronger than it finished. I felt the despair of the poverty in the beginning and empathized with the heroine. There was too much melodrama and back and forth with indecision near the end. "

Exactly my thoughts. Not Duran's best.

Merry Jewelhound wrote: "Chapters 6-8 remind me of Pretty Woman or My Fair Lady. No spoilers here. Fun reading."

So of course, I'm late but 8 thought it reminded me of My Fair Lady as well.

I'm so glad ya'll were not happy with this one as I'm having a hard time getting through it. A lot of unfamiliar wording keeps throwing me & I have to either figure it out because of context or I use my kindle dictionary. Plus it seems to just have no emotion.

Jan wrote: "Mariana wrote: "I'm 70% through and don't really care what happens next much. I will finish the last 30% over the next couple days; but when I go to start reading, I frequently find myself picking ..."

I'm thinking of DNF. To many great books out there for me. I may come back in a few days & see if reads different to me.

Mamacita aka MawMaw wrote: "I'm thinking of DNF."

I understand. I considered it myself, although in the end I did push through. But the ending wasn't that great anyway, so if you dnf you won't be missing that much IMO.

Jan wrote: "Mamacita aka MawMaw wrote: "I'm thinking of DNF."

I understand. I considered it myself, although in the end I did push through. But the ending wasn't that great anyway, so if you dnf you won't be ..."

Rofl! That's Def good to know!