The Maiden's Court: Book Review: The Importance of Being Scandalous by Kimberly Bell & Giveaway

The Importance of Being Scandalous by Kimberly Bell
Book 1 of The Tale of Two Sisters series
ARC, e-Book, 250 pages
Entangled: Select Historical
July 25, 2017
★★★★☆

Heat Rating:

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Received from publisher for review with Tasty Book Tours

A horse race in trousers on Rotten Row. Visiting a gaming hall in a dress that would make her mother faint. Sneaking an invitation to a masquerade ball attended by only the wickedest, most debauched members of society…
None of these things are scaring off bookish but strong-willed Amelia Bishop’s stuffy, egotistical fiancé.
The only thing left is to entice childhood friend Nicholas Wakefield into a truly engagement-ending scandal. The Wakefields are the height of propriety, and Nicholas’s parents have made it clear a wife from the neighboring Bishop family would be unacceptable…
But Nicholas would give up his family and his fortune if Amelia would ever see him as more than just a childhood friend. He’ll go along with her scheme, even if it means ruining them both, because he’s got a plan that will change her mind about him being merely the boy next door.

Well, this book was awkward for me from the start, but not because of anything about the book itself. The main character and my husband share a name and that made for some awkward reading moments! Otherwise, I found The Importance of Being Scandalous to be a fun romantic romp!

Nicholas and Amelia have been in love with each other for as long as either of them can remember, but the problem is, neither one of them realizes that the other feels that way – actually they both are sure that the other only sees them as a friend. This and the fact that Amelia is in an engagement that she wants out of makes for an entertaining series of events. While this could certainly feel a little contrived or oft-done, Bell makes it feel fresh here because of her side characters, particularly Amelia’s sister Julia. Julia is one hot ticket and a good foil for her sister. And Nicholas’ good friend, Jasper, is a hoot and a half. He is the grandson of a Duke and is really the most scandalous of them all, and he doesn’t care for his reputation! I loved how Julia and Jasper participate in the attempts to get Amelia out of her engagement. Each attempt just gets more and more challenging and madcap. This was a fun and quick read that I think a lot of you will love. There are romantic moments, but it was more about an adventure.

I’m assuming that the second book in this series will be about Amelia’s sister, Julia. While there is no information available yet on the book, the series is called The Tale of Two Sisters, so I’m thinking it might be a safe assumption, and if so, I’m excited to see Julia in her own novel.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Kimberly Bell:

A Convenient Engagement (Countess Scandals #1)

A Dangerous Damsel (Countess Scandals #2)

A Ballroom Temptation (Countess Scandals #3)

A Scandal by Any Other Name (The Tale of Two Sisters #2)

Find Kimberly Bell: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Check out this awesome EXCERPT I have for you all!

Nicholas tried to stay close to Amelia when they insinuated themselves into the crowd around Lady Chisholm, but Amelia kept insisting they should stand apart. He strongly suspected she was trying to insulate him from the scandal she was about to cause. He had no one but himself to blame for her thinking that way. Their whole lives, he’d let his family name hold too much sway. Somehow, he would have to convince her things were different now.

“I rather like the new styles from the continent,” some young miss made the mistake of saying.

“Nonsense,” Lady Chisholm barked. “They stray much too far from tradition.”

From the other side of the group, Amelia spoke up. “I don’t think they stray nearly far enough.”

“Excuse me?” Lady Chisholm gasped.

“I said I don’t think they stray nearly far enough.”

“I heard you, Lady Amelia. I only hoped I was mistaken.”

Amelia frowned. Nicholas thought she might give up, but then her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin. “Are you mistaken often?”

“Rarely.” Montrose’s aunt peered at Amelia. “And what do you imagine might be appropriate attire for a young lady?”

“Trousers,” Amelia announced.

A murmur went up through the crowd. It was everything Nicholas could do to hold in a laugh. All the more so because he knew Amelia was being honest. In this regard, he was on Lady Chisholm’s side. He’d seen Amelia in trousers a number of times and he knew how distracting it was. Were it to become a popular trend in women’s fashion, the entire country would devolve into anarchy inside a week.

Tour Wide Giveaway

As part of the tour, Entangled Historical Romance is sponsoring a giveaway for a Tea Time Basket: Includes a teacup and saucer set, tea sampler, and 4 historical romance paperbacks from Entangled Select Historical. Open to the US Only. Entries can be made via the Rafflecopter widget below or on any of the participating blogs. If you have questions, please contact the tour coordinator, not me as I have no control over the giveaway. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour: