Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
Publication Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Avon
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Purchased


Summary (from Amazon):
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake against the wall? Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highroad knows is this: it wasn't her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers' true identity, she'll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she's ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn't got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit...and melt a woman's knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte's safety is the truth about his dark past. 

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte's feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who's sworn to never love?

Review:
When Charlotte attends a house party with her mother, she knows her mother will do whatever she can to get Charlotte engaged to a titled and rich man. So Charlotte meets Piers, Lord Granville, in the library to assure him that marriage is the last thing on her mind, especially to someone so cold and distant. But while they're having this conversation, a couple walks into the room and Piers drags Charlotte behind a curtain to stay hidden so they won't be caught alone. They wait until the couple is done making love on the sofa a few feet away before they can escape, but unfortunately Charlotte's mother discovers them. Piers doesn't want anyone to find out that he's actually a spy and he was in the library to find out information for a mission, so he does the only thing he can—he proposes marriage. Charlotte believes in love, though, and will do anything she can so they aren't forced to marry. She tries to find the real couple that was in the library while they were behind the curtain, but as she does a little spying herself she begins to develop real feelings for Piers. Can Piers open his heart to Charlotte before time runs out and can Charlotte figure out the mystery before she falls in love?

If you're familiar with Tessa Dare, then you know that Charlotte is the sister of Minerva and Diana from the Spindle Cove series, but Do You Want to Start a Scandal isn't set in spindle cover. I was very pleasantly surprised by Do You Want to Start a Scandal and it is now my absolute favorite Tessa Dare novel of all time. Charlotte was so precious. She's was so cute and humorous in the way she rambled and I loved her positive outlook on love. Piers on the other hand was a perfect hero—mysterious, distant and oh so sexy. The two of them together was explosive. From the first page I felt their chemistry and I laughed out loud at so many of the shenanigans these characters got into, including the scene where Piers and Charlotte hid behind the curtain while a couple makes love a few feet away. The writing was also phenomenal. I've always loved Tessa Dare but this one is a step above her other novels—it flowed so well and the writing was outstanding.

I definitely recommend Do You Want to Start a Scandal to anyone looking for a well written and fun historical romance.

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