Before the Scandal: The Notorious Gentlemen

Well, this one is really more like 3.5 stars. I read "After the Kiss" yesterday, so I thought I'd go ahead and get "Before the Scandal" done today while the characters were still fresh in my mind. I was a little disappointed that I still have to wait for Bram's story, but Phineas' wasn't too bad at all.

Phineas is estranged from his family. He left home 10 years ago after a horrible accident and his only link has been his sister's letters to him while he's fighting on the peninsula. So he's pretty worried when her latest letter leads him to believe his older brother is on his death bed. He's just plain worried when he quickly returns home only to find out his brother is fine, but the estate is on the brink of bankruptcy. After only two show more days he's pretty sure of two things: the estates troubles are being orchestrated by somebody; and the 'girl he left behind' has become the woman he can't live without.

Alyse is shocked when Phineas arrives home while she and her remaining relatives are dining with his brother and sister. He's just as handsome as always, if not more so in his dashing uniform. But Phineas has always been a troublemaker since they played together as children and she's already been burned before. That's why she's living as a companion to her crotchety aunt, little more than an unpaid servant. She can't deny her growing feelings for Phineas, but will she risk her heart and a roof over her head when she knows it's just a matter of time before he leaves her again?

I didn't like "Before the Scandal" as much as I liked "After the Kiss". All the delightful regency trimmings that Enoch excels at were there, but the mystery wasn't very mysterious and the lack of communication among most of the characters including Phineas, Alyse, Phineas' brother, etc. just irritated the crap out of me. I also didn't buy into Phineas' reasons for becoming a highwayman...that seemed like it came from left field somewhere. It was neat to revisit some of the characters from the last book, and I'm still excited about Bram's upcoming book, but this one just didn't hit the right notes for me and isn't headed for my keeper shelf. show less

I read this book shortly after the first in the trilogy. I don't think this second book was anywhere near as good as the first. The lack of chemistry between between Phin and Alyse was disappointing. I was actually looking for more of a storyline for Phin's brother William as he seemed to be the more interesting character in the book. The Roman baths deception didn't seem to have much thought and detail put into it to make it seem plausible. All in all, it was just an ok story.

I like Enoch but often think she tries too hard or something. But so far, this one is okay. I like the characters -- they're both caught in difficult circumstances and so far seem very natural.


This book is now lost somewhere in my house. How is this possible?

BEFORE THE SCANDAL is the second in the newest trilogy from Suzanne Enoch entitled The Notorious Gentlemen. The first book, AFTER THE KISS, was the amorous adventures of Sullivan Warring, and the third book seems to be the love tangle of the third Gentlemen, Bram. BEFORE THE SCANDAL at times was splendidly interesting, keeping me reading and reading until my eyes burned from lack of blinking. At other times I was so bewildered, I wasn't sure I was reading the same book.

(for the full review please refer to Romance Reader at Heart)

decent trashy novel