A Lady's First Scandal

Lady Cecelia Campbell has longed for the day when Lord Rupert Marlow, Earl of Stanhope, would return to England and declare his love for her. Lord Rupert, however, shows more attention to his fellow soldiers than to her and seems to take her affection for granted. Lord Rupert isn't the only one who has changed in the intervening four years. Lady Cecelia has developed opinions on Irish Rule and women's rights, which leads to her being invited into the May Flowers Club, a group of politically engaged women. When Lady Cecelia rejects Lord Rupert in the most public way, he realizes what he is about to lose. Can he convince Lady Cecelia to give him another chance and persuade her that the independent woman she has become is the woman he wants to spend his life with?

"A Lady's First Scandal" transports readers to late Victorian England and to times of momentous change in the British Empire, creating an alluring backdrop for this tale. While the history is fascinating, and credit to Ms. Farmer for her research on Irish Rule, the romantic plot would benefit from a more substantial conflict. Furthermore, despite Victorian England being a time of strict morality, Lady Cecelia, a young, unmarried woman, along with her family and others appear not to care about those mores. At times, their manners and speech seemed more appropriate to a contemporary novel. There were also too many characters to keep track of at the start. Nonetheless, "A Lady's First Scandal" is a highly sensual and entertaining read that sets the stage for future books in the series!

Tricia Hill