Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Barbara Monajem’s latest release Return of the Scandalous Lady, book four in the Perilous Secrets series, a historical Regency romance. Be sure to read my review. And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Title: Return of the Scandalous Lady
Series: Perilous Secrets, Book 4
Author: Barbara Monajem
Genre: Historical Regency Romance

Blurb: Years ago, Frances Templestone left her husband and ran away to France with a lover. Now she’s back, widowed and more mature, but mostly unrepentant. A social pariah, she stays out of sight while her daughter Julia has her first London season.

Until Julia, who is as impetuous as her mother, sneaks out to a masquerade with an unsuitable man. Frances hastens to the rescue, and when she sees Julia about to get into a coach with a handsome stranger, she accuses him—very publicly—of being a rake who ruins innocent girls.

Soon she learns that Jasper, Lord Canterwell, is a respectable man. He wasn’t at the masquerade seeking an easy conquest. On the contrary—his daughter is missing, and he is searching for her everywhere. Aghast, Frances offers to help him. Rudely, he spurns her.

But Frances is determined and Jasper is desperate. Might a scandalous lady with a warm heart and a lively mind be just what a respectable gentleman needs?

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When Frances, Lady Templestone, realizes her daughter Julia is not at home in bed, she knows where to find her – at a forbidden masquerade with an ineligible man. She hastens to the rescue…

At last, the hackney drew up at the masquerade, just behind a smart-looking curricle pulled by a pair of impatient greys.

And there was Julia, her abundant dark hair out of its pins, but she was masked, thank God. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a black domino guided her toward the curricle, his hand at the small of her back. Julia smiled up at him, chattering away without the slightest notion of what was about to befall her.

“Stop!” Frances cried. She jumped down without waiting for the steps. “Wait!” She picked up her skirts and ran.

 Julia halted just at the door of the fellow’s coach. “Mama!”

The man murmured, “Discretion, remember?”

“Oops, but I’ll fix it.” Julia hurried forward and bobbed a curtsey at Frances. “Oh, my lady, please forgive me. I’m so terribly sorry. I’ll never do it again. Please, please don’t dismiss me.” Which was clever of her, but Frances was in no mood to applaud her daughter’s quick thinking.

“Foolish girl,” Frances said, out of breath. She’d forgotten to don the crimson mask, but it hardly mattered, since she needn’t go indoors. She grabbed Julia’s hand. “Have you no sense at all?” She turned her glare on the man, who was unmasked. “As for you, sir, you should be ashamed of yourself, cozening an innocent maiden to her ruin.”

She tugged Julia toward the hackney, but the girl held back, protesting. “It wasn’t like that, Ma—my lady. He was protecting me!” Julia grimaced. “You were right. I shouldn’t have gone to the masquerade with Lieutenant Sands. Ugh!”

The man doffed his hat politely. “The fellow was forcing his attentions on your, er, maid,” he said in a low, pleasant voice in just the sort of caressing tone a seducer would use. In the light cast by the flambeaux, she saw his face clearly enough—a handsome countenance with a firm mouth and a warm gleam in his dark eyes.

Oh, Frances knew that sort all too well.

“This is Mr. Canterwell,” Julia said, “and he’s a very kind gentleman, but now that you are here, we need no longer trouble him.” She grinned at him. “Thank you, sir.”

“It was no trouble,” he said in that same caressing voice. “I am completely at leisure and was happy to help.”

“Ha!” Frances scoffed. “At leisure, were you? In other words, alone and seeking amusement.”

The man’s eyes had lost their gleam, but he said nothing, merely watching her in a calmly assessing way. He could have denied the accusation, could have tried to explain himself, but he didn’t—not that Frances would have believed a word.

“That’s unfair, Ma-my lady! He was about to take me home, so everything’s fine.” Julia turned as if to offer her hand to the fellow. Clever she might be, but she hadn’t the faintest notion how to behave like a servant.

Frances yanked her wayward daughter away. “That’s just the sort of thing a rake would say. About to take advantage of you, more like.”

Julia burst into tears. “That’s not true!” she sobbed, but Frances pulled her inexorably toward the hackney. As Julia climbed in, weeping, Frances turned to see the tall gentleman still standing there. A number of other people—she hadn’t noticed them earlier—stood about. How much had they heard? Or guessed?

Frances didn’t care. In fact, it was her duty to make sure others knew what sort of monster prowled at the masquerade. She raised her voice. “You, sir, may go back to the devil where you belong!”

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES!

The Smuggler’s Escape
**Start the series for FREE!!**
Perilous Secrets Book 1
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His Lordship’s Incorrigible Wife
Perilous Secrets Book 2
Amazon | Bookbub | Goodreads

The Infidelity Curse
Perilous Secrets Book 3
Amazon | Bookbub | Goodreads

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I enjoy a good historical romance so when this book came up for review, I was in.  The thought of an unrepentant scandalous lady hooked me.  As stated in the blurb, Frances Templestone is back, and willing to accept that she won’t be welcomed with open arms.  Because she refused to settle in a loveless marriage as expected of proper ladies, she sought happiness on her terms.  But she’s paying for it now.  She keeps a low profile so her daughter, who is having her first season, isn’t shunned.  Of course, her scandalous behaviour continues since she owns her own dress-making shop (I’m guessing that was scandalous at the time, poor lady).

Then there is Lord Jasper Canterwell who is desperately searching for his missing daughter.  Some perceive him as stuffy.  He even refers to himself as a bore.  But underneath his façade is a much different man.

Their meeting was a wonderful one with Jasper rescuing Frances’ daughter from the clutches of a horrendous money-chasing rake.  But their first impressions of each other didn’t go over well.  Frances thought Jasper was trying to seduce her daughter, and Jasper thought of Frances as a rude woman who jumps to conclusions.  Naturally, when Frances learns the truth from her daughter, the lord rebuffs her plea to assist him.

But Frances is determined… I must say I enjoyed Frances’ determination.  She refuses to take no for an answer.  Her determination is what helps her unearth the true Lord Canterwell.  I love what she unearthed.  It says a lot about his character.  I won’t say what she finds out because I don’t want to say too much and spoil it for the reader.

I also liked that they are two older people.  Both have grown children, and it was refreshing to read a mature romance between a mature couple.  But just like young lovers hit roadblocks, so do Frances and Jasper.  She doesn’t want to muddy his reputation since she’s branded as a scarlet lady, nor does she want to give up her shop.  She also isn’t sure if she believes in love.  That’s a lot of roadblocks for Jasper to manoeuvre.

I also liked Julia, Frances’ daughter.  She’s as spunky as her mother, and maybe she will get a novel of her own.  The same for Charlie, Frances’ son.  He’s very protective of his mother for a good reason.

The plot is a fun one as the duo does everything they can to find the lord’s wayward daughter.  Not only does the novel take place in England, but we also get to view the countryside, which is refreshing to keep the novel fresh.

The plot is solid.  So is the writing.  I did find the ghost thing a little strange, and will admit that didn’t work for me.  All in all, it’s a great read.  Do yourself a favour and get a copy.

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USA Today bestselling author and winner of the Daphne, Maggie, Holt Medallion, and Epic awards, Barbara Monajem is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas. She wrote her first story at eight years old about apple tree gnomes. After publishing a middle-grade fantasy, she settled on historical mysteries and romances with intrepid heroines and long-suffering heroes (or vice versa). Sometimes there’s a bit of fantasy mixed in, because she wants to avoid reality as much as possible. 

Barbara used to have two items on her bucket list: to make asparagus pudding and to succeed at knitting socks. She managed the first (don’t ask) but doubts she’ll ever accomplish the second. This is not a bid for immortality but merely the dismal truth. She lives near Atlanta with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays. Learn more at www.BarbaraMonajem.com.

Follow Barbara: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads

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