Madeline de Lacy, the duchess of Magnus, prides herself on being one of the most sensible young women in England, which is why she can't believe that, in a turn of the cards, her noble father has lost his entire estate -- and her! -- to a stranger. On a mission to salvage her family fortune, she changes places with her cousin and companion, sending the meeker Eleanor to confront the man who had won Madeline's hand. Now, Madeline is free to enter the home of a notorious gambler, and pretends to be meek, humble, and competent with an iron. She is, of course, none of those things; she simply is resolved to win her family's fortune back. Just when she thinks matters can't get worse, she meets Gabriel Ansell, the earl of Campion, and they do. Horribly worse. Four years ago, Madeline was engaged to Gabriel, and worshiped his arrogant kisses. Now, being forced to marry a man she doesn't know pales in comparison to the ordeal of facing Gabriel again, the man who betrayed her -- Gabriel, the only man she ever loved.
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Suffolk, England, 1806: Madeline de Lacy, duchess of Magnus, is handed over to a stranger via her father's lost poker wager. Madeline's hand in marriage --- and, in turn, the family estate itself --- is given to newly wealthy American businessman Remington Knight. Having no intention of giving everything up so easily, Madeline makes the appearance of traveling to meet with Remington, her meek cousin Eleanor along as escort.... but en-route puts forth her plan that Eleanor present herself, posing as Madeline, to Knight --- just temporarily, she assures Eleanor! Meanwhile, the real Madeline intends to crash another high stakes poker game in hopes of finding a way to win back her family's fortune.
Her plan isn't as easily executed as she'd hoped. Madeline finds a way into the poker game while maintaining her disguise, but it means she has to pose as the companion to Lady Thomasin, stepdaughter of Lady Tabard. Tabard is trying to get Thomasin married off to Thurston Rumbelow, the host of the poker tournament. (Sidenote: there is a proposal scene involving Thomasin and another man, that the way it's set up, the dialogue... it almost definitely pulled inspiration from the ick-laden proposal scene between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Collins in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Just sayin'.)
Madeline nearly blows her cover quite a few times, being that she is actually a woman of noble birth, and accustomed to being catered to; her tendency to be strong-willed and outspoken tends not to mesh well with the expected decorum of a servant.
Madeline's plotting also brings an unexpected reunion with her ex-fiance, Gabriel Ansell, Earl of Campion. He recognizes her immediately, but intrigued by what she's up to with the disguise, chooses not to let on to anyone else. He also still has a bit of a flame for her, so the environment proves advantageous for him possibly winning her back. It'll be tough going for him though, since things didn't end great between them and Madeline is still sore about it.
Gabriel also has his own secret plot he's working on. It's believed that Rumbelow is actually a thief / spy hoping to win the favor of Napoleon, and that he has some connection to the suspicious death of Gabriel's younger brother. Gabriel intends to both win Madeline again AND avenge the loss of his brother. Oh, and yeah, win the poker game of course!
Scandalous Again has a nice blend of everything you want in a good light-hearted romance. Madeline and Gabriel's interactions are a hoot to read, very reminiscent of Rhett and Scarlett from Gone With The Wind. And as far as chemistry, they are perfectly suited to each other. There's also extra comedy brought in the form of Gabriel's opinionated, grumbly valet, MacAllister. MacAllister and Madeline aren't on the best footing most of the story, but it's fun to see their bond progress once they iron out their differences.
There's also a healthy dose of action and suspense near the end!
If you get to the end of this one and wonder how things fared for Cousin Eleanor, her story is addressed in the follow-up novel, One Kiss From You.
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* My review for One Kiss From You found HERE.
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