Author: Delilah Marvelle
ISBN-13: 978-0373775545
Publication Date: February, 2011
Publisher: HQN Books
Book Length: 379 Pages
Acquired by Me: NetGalley
Description Courtesy of Goodreads:
“If there is anything Tristan Adam Hargrove, fourth Marquis of Moreland, has learned to avoid, it's scandal. For the dark and dashing lord is not only an honorable gentleman who would never seduce a woman for his own gain, he is also the author of How to Avoid a Scandal, the infamous red book that has swept like wildfire through the better part of London society.
When a raven-haired beauty arrives as his new neighbor, he knows better than to succumb to the desire he feels. He knows little about her—only that she is high born, a protégé of the Crown and completely unsuitable for the base passions he hides from the world. If only he had never glimpsed the vulnerable beauty one fateful night. If only her lips were not so ravishingly red. If only it were not already too late to save her and himself from the untamed passion he is about to unleash in the name of love.”
My Thoughts:
The title fits the tone of this book perfectly. The Perfect Scandal is a scandalous book like no other. More on the risque¢ side than I am accustomed to…I had my doubts after starting the story. However, while Delilah Marvelle is creative with her scenes, she didn’t jump too far over the edge with her writing, keeping me mollified and not overly shocked. Although—some may find her hero, Tristan, to have too bizarre of a…er…past time that it becomes an insurmountable obstacle to his character. (I waffled on this personally, but then again: I am a prude when it comes to my reading)
Having said all that, the story was well written and it was fun to watch Tristan’s repressed self come up against Zosia’s forwardness. Both are interesting characters that are fairly complex in their compositions. There is no sugary sweetness to them, rather they are deep souls with dark pieces of truth that slowly come to the surface as their relationship grows. There is a serious undercurrent that permeates throughout the book—strong enough to keep the interest going until the end. That Zosia has been created as an amputee gives another dimension to the story. How she lives with her disability and how others perceive her is an added bonus to the commentary. I do enjoy when authors blend topics like this with the traditional romance theme. It gives us, the reader, food for thought and allows us to see other options for strong lead characters. The heroine/hero doesn’t have to be perfect, they only have to be interesting and engaging.
I should note, another great aspect of the book was how the story was fleshed out with interesting historical and political details. You can expect to learn a lot about the Polish Revolution reading this book. It is a credit to Marvelle that she has found a way to incorporate her personal family history in these pages. She makes good use of her research and applies it in a balanced manner.
Overall, I think these particular points in Marvelle’s writing have allowed her to create a very atypical storyline. Everything about the book is unexpected and I don’t think I can compare her to another author easily. She has found her own niche within the historical romance genre. I’m keen to try her other stories; however, I’ll have to research them further in order to find the tamer writings.
I recommend this for historical romance lovers who aren’t afraid of a little self-indulgent edge to their stories and who find eastern European heroines fascinating.
The thoughts expressed in this post are solely based on my personal opinion and have not been influenced by any other entity or being. Use of my statements may not be reproduced without permission from me, the author of Fall In Love With Books.
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