{"id":30680,"date":"2023-10-24T09:35:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=30680"},"modified":"2023-10-24T09:35:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:35:07","slug":"review-the-duke-starts-a-scandal-by-sophie-jordan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/24\/review-the-duke-starts-a-scandal-by-sophie-jordan\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f The Duke Starts a Scandal by Sophie Jordan"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-30680\" data-postid=\"30680\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-30680 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_gzoz212 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_fvmr212 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_2v7n212 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=640%2C1013&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-30681\" title=\"the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\" alt=\"the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?w=948&amp;ssl=1 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=190%2C300&amp;ssl=1 190w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=647%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 647w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=768%2C1215&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=400%2C632&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_w3al213 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong><span class=\"a-text-bold\">A duke with secrets.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove\u2014 to himself, his family and the\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-italic\">ton<\/span>.\u00a0Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can\u2019t keep his eyes\u2014and thoughts\u2014off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he&#8217;s constructed to protect his sisters&#8217; future from the demons of his past&#8230;but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist.\u00a0While Susanna\u00a0may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-bold\">A woman with a past.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">As the housekeeper to one of the grandest estates in England, Susanna Lockhart has worked determinedly to become all that is proper and efficient, and she\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-italic\">never<\/span>\u00a0steps over the line. Romance is an indulgence for the upper class, not for her\u2014and most especially not with her employer. But every smoldering glance from the surly, handsome duke calls to the long-buried reckless wanton inside Susanna. A love between them can never be, but will Lucian and Susanna risk being together\u2026<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Even if it starts a scandal&#8230;\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_vi74213 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_9xgn213  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16466 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts-1.jpg?resize=135%2C44&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Oct 24, 2023<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong> <em>Duke Hunt<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>4<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>I wanted to love this, but in the end, it was just okay.<\/em><\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Jordan<\/strong> has always delivered in two areas: conflict and steamy historical romance. If you\u2019re wanting more of the same stuff that makes her books great, this definitely hits the mark in steamy but falls a little flat everywhere else.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">We have <strong>Lucian<\/strong>, our duke, who is an unlikely heir and is now forced to be respectable for the sake of the dukedom and his sisters\u2019 future. Of course, he has this unwanted attraction for his housekeeper, <strong>Susanna.<\/strong> Susanna herself has a past that she doesn\u2019t want revealed. She\u2019s cultivated a life of propriety, but Lucian tempts her beyond all reason. Add in a house party and two match-making sisters, and things are bound to get out of control.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">There was plenty of opportunity for grade-A conflict, but the reality is that both hero and heroine suffer from severe lust and little else. The conflict felt forced rather than natural, with barely any interactions that didn\u2019t move quickly to the physical. Add in a villain that is there to fill page space and secondary romance to take up the remaining, Jordan seems to have no love lost for Lucian and Susanna\u2019s story.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Overall, this book felt a bit all over the place. While all the elements were present, great characters, fabulous setting, trope heaven, and plenty of conflict opportunity, it left me unimpressed. It should really only be 2.5 stars, but I\u2019m giving it 3 because it still has the author&#8217;s voice.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2bur213 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4967xFe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3Fv2eS8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\/1142972626?ean=9780063035768\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sophie_Jordan_The_Duke_Starts_a_Scandal?id=d_OoEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A duke with secrets.\u00a0Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove\u2014 to himself, his family and the\u00a0ton.\u00a0Craving spotless respectability, he must find [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,106,112,48,1],"tags":[146,305,307,406],"class_list":["post-30680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avon-books","category-harpercollins","category-landra","category-reviews","category-uncategorized","tag-3-stars","tag-historical-romance","tag-historicals","tag-regency"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f The Duke Starts a Scandal by Sophie Jordan - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg\" title=\"the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\" alt=\"the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?w=948&amp;ssl=1 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=190%2C300&amp;ssl=1 190w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=647%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 647w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=768%2C1215&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan.jpeg?resize=400%2C632&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A duke with secrets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove\u2014 to himself, his family and the\u00a0ton.\u00a0Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can\u2019t keep his eyes\u2014and thoughts\u2014off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he's constructed to protect his sisters' future from the demons of his past...but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist.\u00a0While Susanna\u00a0may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires.\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0A woman with a past.<\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the housekeeper to one of the grandest estates in England, Susanna Lockhart has worked determinedly to become all that is proper and efficient, and she\u00a0never\u00a0steps over the line. Romance is an indulgence for the upper class, not for her\u2014and most especially not with her employer. But every smoldering glance from the surly, handsome duke calls to the long-buried reckless wanton inside Susanna. A love between them can never be, but will Lucian and Susanna risk being together\u2026<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Even if it starts a scandal...\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Oct 24, 2023<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong> <em>Duke Hunt<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>4<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>I wanted to love this, but in the end, it was just okay.<\/em><\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Jordan<\/strong> has always delivered in two areas: conflict and steamy historical romance. If you\u2019re wanting more of the same stuff that makes her books great, this definitely hits the mark in steamy but falls a little flat everywhere else.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">We have <strong>Lucian<\/strong>, our duke, who is an unlikely heir and is now forced to be respectable for the sake of the dukedom and his sisters\u2019 future. Of course, he has this unwanted attraction for his housekeeper, <strong>Susanna.<\/strong> Susanna herself has a past that she doesn\u2019t want revealed. She\u2019s cultivated a life of propriety, but Lucian tempts her beyond all reason. Add in a house party and two match-making sisters, and things are bound to get out of control.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">There was plenty of opportunity for grade-A conflict, but the reality is that both hero and heroine suffer from severe lust and little else. The conflict felt forced rather than natural, with barely any interactions that didn\u2019t move quickly to the physical. Add in a villain that is there to fill page space and secondary romance to take up the remaining, Jordan seems to have no love lost for Lucian and Susanna\u2019s story.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Overall, this book felt a bit all over the place. While all the elements were present, great characters, fabulous setting, trope heaven, and plenty of conflict opportunity, it left me unimpressed. It should really only be 2.5 stars, but I\u2019m giving it 3 because it still has the author's voice.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4967xFe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3Fv2eS8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal-sophie-jordan\/1142972626?ean=9780063035768\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-duke-starts-a-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sophie_Jordan_The_Duke_Starts_a_Scandal?id=d_OoEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30680"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30687,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30680\/revisions\/30687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}