ARC Review: Every Scandalous Secret by Gayle Callen

I admit that this book was a little hard for me to get through at times. I just loved the beginning of this book. I am a big fan of banter between characters and this book was chocked full of it in the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Leo and Susanna go back and forth with each other. But once I got to the middle it's where things seemed to slow down for me significantly. It just seemed to drag on for a few chapters and there wasn't anymore of the banter between Leo and Susanna. By the time I got to the last third of the book everything picked up again I really began to enjoy Leo and Susanna again.

I honestly love the character of Leo. He's just so forth-coming and honest about things. He isn't ashamed of his past and he doesn't make excuses. I really enjoyed watching him pursue Susanna at the house party. We also saw a different side of Leo in this book. In previous books he perceived as a Rake who doesn't really give a damn about anything, but in this book we were able to see that he's actually very intelligent. I secretly love it when the ton rake turns out to be a hidden scholar. I just love a smart and intelligent hero!

As for Susanna, I had my ups and downs with her. I loved her in the beginning of the book. She is a bluestocking and isn't ashamed of it. In fact, while at the country house party she is giving painting lessons. She seems so confident and self-assured. Then, all of a sudden when her and Leo get together she loses all of that. She becomes sort of a downer and is constantly questioning her actions and whether Leo's feelings are real. What happened to the confident self-assured woman I came to love?

As I said before, my favorite part of this book was experiencing all of the banter between Leo and Susanna. I just wish we were able to see more of it throughout the story. I did enjoy Leo and Susanna together as a couple and I think that they both balanced each other out quite well. They both brought out the best in one another and that is always refreshing to see.

**ARC copy provided by Goddess Fish Promotions Blog Tours**

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