The Book of Scandal

I thought this was so well written.
It conveys with very realistic feelings, whether you agree with the way the hero and heroine react it not, they both make mistakes but it's well written and honest.

There is cheating in their separation.

He is numb so cheats with random women who of course don't mean anything.

She feels rejected by her husband, feels he hasn't offered her support but instead has sought comfort from another woman. The other woman is married and has only offered a shoulder to lean on but to the heroine it feels like a betrayal so she doesn't cheat but finds herself developing feelings for another man in her time away in London and considers a physical relationship with him.

I don't find the actions of either particularly show more surprising. I do not agree with the cheating but of course men of the time this is based often engaged in extramarital affairs and there is an immoral spirit at court in London that the heroine is immersed in, so she does well to not have succommed earlier considering the temptation and opportunities.

There are no intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
The story is about reconciliation even if when they first reunite that may not have been the intention.

I found some of the writing very emotional. They split originally due to not dealing well with the loss of a child, that situation is hard in this day and age with all the understanding, counseling and even offer of medication for things like depression but of course in those days this sort of support network didn't exist and wasn't understood for the mother or the father.

I liked both the Hero and heroine, I could see how hard it was for both.
I did feel the Hero's cheating was sort of excused even though his reputation was widely known, even if it was accepted at that time I would have liked more redemption or discussion how that was not acceptable. show less

I did not think that I would rate The Book of Scandal as highly as I did, after the way it started. The author did a fine job of bringing me around, for the most part.
My main problem was the hero's infidelity. It wasn't just that he was physically unfaithful (and the author is a little fuzzy with the details), but also had a whore on his lap when the story started, and it is clear with his reputation, that this was a regular occurrence. So, he had been unfaithful, with a capital U. He never apologized, although the heroine did (for everything she did), even though she was not physically unfaithful. I felt a little gypped that she did not get an apology from him. The rest of their past history or lack of maturity or whatever, did not show more really matter to me.
The hero was clearly in love with the heroine, and they did work it out, but that initial impression of him stayed with me throughout the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 show less

This book just irritated me. A society marraige that couldn't bear the strains of life's real pains - that's a great concept, but these characters didn't work and annoyed me. Nathan Grey, Earl of Lindsay virtually kidnaps his estranged wife from her place in court in London and the entire world lets him b/c men have all the power, not a theme to please, but even that theme Evelyn just seemed petulant and whiny. And we were expected to believe that the marriage was okay before their infant died, but they knew so little about each other, that I don't think they ever had a relationship. I didn't believe in them or in their relationship and ended up skimming.

I'm actually quite fond of Julia London's writing, so it's sad that I kind of hated this book. I say 'kind of' because it wasn't until more than halfway through that I realized I couldn't stand Evelyn. So, definitely not one of London's better books.

I found this book to be realistic. The general plot line was similar to ones I have seen before. A husband kidnapps his wife and they somehow reconnect and fall back in love.
But this wasn't the average romance novel. The tale of these two people went much deeper when it included the loss of their child. I found myself sad for them. I felt thier pain and Julia London did a wonderful job showing the reader how each parent dealt with the loss, how it was equally devastating to both. I look for books that make me feel something. This book I will remember because I felt what they were feeling. I have read hundreds of romance novles but this one will continue to stand out as more that just the usual fluff.
That beign said at time sI found show more the heroine frustratingly whiny and found myself rooting for the hero and wishing she'd knock it off.
The historical information about the attempted royal divorce was an interesting way to introduce this series. I recommend getting all the Scandal books. show less

Another wonderful book from Julia London. She develops her characters so well, you feel their joys and heartaches. The added authenticity of overlapping real historical events makes the story even richer. This one's a keeper.

What stands out for me in this book is the ravages this marriage goes thru, this is more in depth than most novels of this ilk.