Review
A Taste for Scandal is a delectable historical romance that will leave the reader sighing with delight (and with a craving for chocolate biscuits).
Richard Moore, Earl of Raleigh, is charming to everyone in London – except Jane Bunting, bakery owner. Their first meeting is a giant misunderstanding. Richard believes he is rescuing her and she believes that he is attacking her beloved cousin. Their second meeting ends with insults traded on both sides. The sparks fly between these two characters on every meeting and the attraction is obvious to everyone but Richard and Jane.
When Richard, intent on repaying Jane for the damage he caused to her shop, insists on baking lessons, Jane is sure that he won’t follow through. He surprises her and she grows more and more attracted to the man. Richard can’t stop thinking about Jane and starts to wonder if there is a place for her in his world and for him in hers.
I loved this couple. What starts out as a very contentious relationship grows into one so romantic. Richard is able to give Jane something that no one else has been able to because of the death of her parents and the responsibilities she had to take over so young. He gives her a chance to be carefree and live in the moment. There is one scene in particular that stayed with me. Richard takes her for an early morning picnic and they waltz together. Jane’s feelings are so perfectly written.
So this was what it was to be in heaven. Bathed in soft pink light, held tightly in a strong embrace, free from any worry or fear.
If only they could go on forever. Dancing nearly cheek to cheek, oblivious to the world and all of the responsibilities that normally anchored her feet so firmly on the ground. His imperfectly times, murmured waltz caressing her ears as his citrus scent swirled quietly around them like a memory.
The forbidden romance angle between Richard (a peer) and Jane (a commoner) adds a sense of desperation to the final quarter of the story. Will Richard be able to move past what he thinks he should do and fight for Jane? The author does a fantastic job of writing the story and not making the decisions either character faces easily solved. Their actions have consequences and sometimes they are painful. I loved that not everything that happens in this book was perfect. But, I also loved that in the end there is a happily ever for the couple that is more satisfying because of what happens before.
Erin Knightley is an author who has found her way onto my auto-buy list and her books will remain on my keeper shelf.
Reviewed by Carrie