Reviews for A matter of scandal

The average rating for A matter of scandal based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-11-03 00:00:00 Luis Ossa My problem with this story is the sexual mores in it. I find it very distressing that a young woman who is completely dependent on her position as a schoolteacher would risk her livelihood by dallying with a careless lord, including having a sexual encounter in her schoolroom. I spent the whole book waiting her someone to catch her and for her to get fired. I was disappointed that she had such reckless decision-making and also at the hero for being so selfish as to pursue an affair with a woman who really had to be careful about her reputation. I guess I need to lighten up, but this really affected my ability to enjoy this story. I didn't find it very realistic for the times. Yeah maybe this was a hot duke, but a few moments of passion isn't worth losing your job and being thrown out on the streets and destitute. Not to mention she is trying to set a good example for the young ladies she is teaching. Nowadays, a single woman who is a teacher can probably have an affair and it's not a big deal. But back in the Regency period, a woman's reputation was very important and extremely fragile. She had little means and no family. It was very jarring and unrealistic. I realize this is romance and it's fantasy, but when I spend the whole time thinking of the the consequences of a character's actions, and not the romance, that's not very romantic to me. Otherwise, it was enjoyable. I liked Emma. I thought she was a good heroine, although her behavior struck me as reckless and foolish. I didn't think much of the duke, and my opinion didn't change much because of his actions towards Emma. He had nothing to lose, and she had everything, but I'm not sure that occurred to him. There was some funny parts, and sparkling dialogue. But a selfish hero like Greydon is not to my taste.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-26 00:00:00 Carl Bradley I won't bother with a long review as this book did not really create a strong, lasting impression. There are a lot of stupid arguments between Emma and Grey, but what's worse is how Enoch manages to squeeze in sex scenes (mandatory, of course) in a scenario of a virtuous headmistress being seduced by a duke. One would really need the headmistress to set a good example for her charges, after all, and some of her problems seemed to have been caused by insta-lust. I particularly did not enjoy the very last minute marriage proposal/love declaration - while it may be understandable in some stories, it rings false in this case, almost like a last desperate scheme to set the world right by romance-novel standards. Ultimately, while some of Enoch's novels are worthy of being keepers, unfortunately her novels are just not on the same level as Kleypas, but occasionally, even less than Hawkins, whom I consider to be a middling author. It is a shame, but alas, there are only so many rare talents in this genre and the perfunctory sex scenes do often hinder the actual romantic developments that is the focus of romance novels.