Ava Stone

A Scandalous Charade by Ava Stone
Book #2: Scandalous Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:

Round two of Ava Stone’s Scandalous Series is an even better read than the first!! A Scandalous Charade follows Lucas Beckford, infamous ladies’ man and confirmed bachelor. Luke has spent the vast majority of his life chasing tail, drinking, gambling and, generally enjoying every second of his life. Luke is wealthy, gorgeous and, has no intention of ever changing his ways.

Lady show more Juliet St. Claire is, without doubt one of the most sought after women in English society. She is beautiful and wealthy beyond belief and has always felt her money will be the thing to protect her from the wretched state of marriage. Lady Juliet has never seen a successful nor happy marriage and as such has no desire to give up her independence and engage in such nonsense. With the start of the new social season, Lady Juliet is quickly seeing the flaw in her plan. With her money and her beauty she is constantly being accosted by fortune-seeking “gentlemen” looking to wed and bed the young lady and take control of her considerable fortune. In her determination to avoid romantic entanglements, Lady Juliet has developed the reputation of being cold and impenetrable – a reputation she both despises and holds dear.

When Luke Beckford meets Lady Juliet St Claire everything in his world turns upside down! Juliet is all Luke could ever hope to have in a woman and most disturbingly, with very little effort at all, she has Luke considering things like commitment and monogamy. Dismissing these horrifying thoughts, Luke hatches a plan that will get him closer to Juliet and keep the wolves at bay. Startlingly, Juliet not only accepts Luke’s proposition but jumps at the chance to spend more time with the dashing Luke Beckford. Night after night, Luke and Juliet spin around dance floors and chat with friends and family in an effort to convince all they are a true couple. Within just a few nights all of English society is buzzing and both Luke and Juliet are mostly thrilled with their arrangement.

If emotions weren’t a part of life, Juliet and Luke may have been able to pull off their perfectly plotted plan. The more time each spends with the other, the deeper each falls for the other. Juliet is willing to accept her feelings and move forward with Luke but Luke is a coward and completely ill-prepared to deal with something like feelings. As one would expect from a somewhat reformed playboy, Luke totally and completely freaks out and leaves Juliet with her head spinning and her virtue no longer intact. As if to add insult to injury, Juliet’s estranged family rears their collective and ugly head and add a considerable amount of danger to Juliet’s already devastating life. With few choices and her life in danger, Juliet also pulls a runner.

The Bottom Line: Lady Juliet and Luke Beckford are absolutely, 100% made for one another but their road to an HEA is disturbingly difficult. Luke is perhaps the most charming and most stubborn of men and totally taken aback by his feelings for Lady Juliet. In an effort to spare Juliet anymore pain Luke runs for the hills causing her more pain than he could have ever imagined. Additionally, the dumbass causes himself a considerable amount of pain when he belatedly realizes just how much he cares for Juliet. The give and take – the struggle – between Luke and Juliet is all kinds of fun with her sharp wit and his charm constantly battling for dominance. Adding to pure enjoyment of this read is Luke’s sister, Caroline whose meddling ways are as delightful as they are devious. Caroline is pure joy and without her, Luke and Juliet would have no chance at all. Thank you, Ava Stone for Caroline  In all, I found A Scandalous Charade to be a most enjoyable Regency read and see it appealing to lovers of this genre as well as lovers of HEAs and light mystery.

P.S. A Scandalous Charade has, near the end some repeated parts from book one, A Scandalous Wife. If you have already ready book one, I highly recommend skimming over these parts as you won’t need the information twice. If you haven’t read book one, the information is necessary and you should definitely pay attention. show less

A Scandalous Wife by Ava Stone
Book #1: Scandalous Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Robert Beckford, Earl of Masten has always been aware of appearances: how he looks, how he is received, how his family is perceived and, above all else, the reputation of he and his family. When Robert’s younger brother, Luke was caught in a compromising position with the young and impressionable, Lydia well, appearances and reputation had to be considered. Luke certainly wasn’t going show more to do the right thing and so, in an effort to save everyone the humiliation and protect the family name, Robert Beckford married Lydia.

For five long years Lady Lydia has been hidden away at Lord Beckford’s Blackstone Manor, safely removed from polite society and any gossip that may tarnish the Beckford name. Determined to come out of hiding, Lydia returns to London to stay with her remaining family and spend the season among polite society. After five years of not seeing nor hearing from her husband, Lydia really couldn’t care less what he thinks about her reappearance. She is bound and determined to live her life and find some happiness, no matter the cost. It takes very little time for Robert to discover Lydia’s presence and if it weren’t for appearances, fireworks certainly would have flown.

Robert Beckford is livid over the presence of his troublesome wife and wants nothing more than for her to remove herself and be gone from his sight. Even more troubling is the fact that his once quiet and unassuming wife has grown into a confident and beautiful woman – a woman who will certainly cause more scandal and bring down the family name. In an effort to get Lydia out of town, Robert calls her to his home and announces he will take her on a tour of his various homes and she can choose her next gilded prison. While Robert’s intention is to be rid of his wife he also knows he needs an heir (his brother certainly won’t do!) and decides he will let her know he intends to have an heir from her and then she and the child can live away from him. What Robert doesn’t count on is Lydia’s attitude regarding family and her refusal to be with a man who doesn’t even like her, let alone, love her.

Robert quickly figures out if he wants his heir, he is going to have to get his wife on board and in order to do that, he is going to have to get to know her. What Robert discovers is a woman who not only knows her own mind, is resolute in her belief that a child should have a mother and father and, she is surprisingly kind and forgiving given her experiences. Robert is surprised to discover his wife is quite likeable and before long he finds he wants nothing more than to forget everything about her past and focus on her future with him. More surprising, Lydia is amenable to Robert’s suggestion and when they arrive at his favored home, both are ready to give married life a true and proper go of it.

Things aren’t always easy and while their nights together are generally enjoyable, the days take some work. Robert realizes his wife is a good woman with a troubled past and though Robert wants to forget the past and move forward, the past has a way of coming back to haunt him. Robert does his best to shield Lydia from as much of the scandal as possible but Robert can’t be everywhere all the time and when Lydia’s life is threatened, he is damn near too late to save her.

The Bottom Line: What a fun Regency read! Stone has paired two of the most unlikely people in Robert and Lydia and “watching” them make their way toward an HEA is as times frustrating, at times humorous, at times naughty and, sometimes even sweet. I rather enjoyed the fact that their road to an HEA isn’t smooth and easy but something each had to work at. A marriage isn’t always easy and when the foundation is shaky to begin with well, there is work to be done, trust to be earned and, love to be found. Lydia’s past is constant bone of contention and as Robert grows to like and even love his wife, he works harder than ever to help her overcome that past. The obstacles provide a good deal of drama and entertainment and work nicely with the characters and the overall plot. With a fine cast of characters, A Scandalous Wife makes for a very good start to this Regency series. show less

Cordelia's the kind of Regency heroine a modern-day reader can enjoy. Smothered by her strict (and even cruel) mother, all she really wants is the type of husband who will give her freedom. She's picked out the perfect rogue, certain that his indiscretions mean he won't be an overbearing husband. Just as she's made her decision, she finds herself the subject of another lord's interest--one the ladies call "Lord Adonis." But although he's devastatingly handsome, Cordelia's certain he's show more exactly the type of man she should stay away from. Before long, Cordelia finds herself the interest of a handsome rogue, a gorgeous and proper widower, a dangerous opium addict, and a former fiancee. Unlike most romance novels, this one does not end with a wedding. Cordelia and the man she chooses must work hard for their happily ever after, and when it comes, it is a much-deserved delight. This novel captured my attention with characters I cared for, an interesting plot with a few nice twists, and a healthy dose of strong sensuality. show less

A Scandalous Secret by Ava Stone
Book #2.5: Scandalous Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Mini-Review:

Chester (Chet) Peyton, Marquess of Astwick has three problems: 1) his meddling mother; 2) his need to marry and; 3) the memory of his first love.

Lady Hannah Campbell has three problems: 1) she is now a widow with two small boys; 2) she is back in England and; 3) the memory of her first love.

Hannah’s return to England is something she thought would never happen and something she show more is not at all comfortable with. The last time Hannah was in England she was a young woman whose heart and dreams had just been shattered by the man she loved. With no hope of reconciliation, Hannah salvages what is left of her pride and accepts the marriage proposal of Lord Campbell. For ten years Hannah followed her husband back and forth across the continent but after his death she had no choice but to return to her family in England. Within days of her arrival, Hannah is face to face with the one man she thought never to see again.

Chet has spent ten long years comparing every woman he meets to Hannah and none have ever come close to his lost love. The moment Chet sees Hannah again during an “accidental” encounter, every feeling he has harbored comes rushing back and he decides that this time, nothing will stand in his way of having Hannah. No matter what he has to do, Hannah Campbell and her boys are his! But first, Chet and Hannah need to clear the air.

The Bottom Line: A Scandalous Secret is quite the introduction to Ava Stone and her brand of historical fiction. This read has a little bit of everything including a long, lost love romance, total misunderstandings and, secrets that were never meant to see the light of day. As this is only a novella length read, everything plays out very quickly. With that being said, my only real complaint about this read is its length. Though everything plays out in a believable way, I would have very much liked to see Hannah’s story be extended to a full length novel. Hannah is a strong and immensely likeable character as is the Vicountess Staveley, the woman responsible for Chet and Hannah’s “accidental” reunion. A little more of each of these women would certainly not have gone unappreciated. show less