ARC Review: Season for Scandal by Theresa Romain

I loved this book! Season for Scandal is the first book by Theresa Romain that I have read, but it certainly will not be my last. This is a uniquely talented writer. Subtlety and control are two words that come to mind. Romain never pushes the story or the relationship forward. She carefully lets the situations evolve and lets the hero and heroine find their own way to their Happily Ever After. She makes us wait…for…it. Her dialogue is quirky, sweet and a little sarcastic at the same time (how do you do that?). Those who are looking for fast-paced action, impulsive sex and/or perfect characters should look elsewhere. But those who love two genuine people working out their issues together will love this book.

Jane Tindall just cannot seem to find a place to fit in. When she amasses a large gambling debt during her search for adventure she is offered an easy-to-accept solution – marry Edmund Ware, Baron Kirkpatrick, the man she has been secretly crushing on for years. Edmund likes Jane and sees the marriage as an opportunity for a simple solution to his life. He is hiding a major secret and believes that his life may be brief. He needs to leave an heir so that his family will be protected. Jane impulsively confesses her love long before Edmund is ready to accept it. What follows is a series of tiny, faltering steps in which Jane and Edmund figure out their relationship. Answers do not come easily, but there is real communication between them. Edmund is ever sweet and kind, with a heavy dose of self-doubt. Jane is a tough cookie with a heart of gold. Her tongue is almost caustic at times, but there is also an underlying kindness.

Season for Scandal is a perfect example proving that a tried and true trope (marriage of convenience) is as good as the writer that uses it. In this case Theresa Romain portrays this arranged marriage in a different, more realistic light. The whole story was parsed out in small doses. Conversations were realistic and meaningful. The development of the romance was slow, but distinct. The characters were far from perfect, but seemed very genuine. Romain also threw in a nice collection of historically accurate details. The result is a book that is not like every other Regency romance. I say, yes, there is definitely room for another way to approach the genre. The ending lost a little momentum, but I was sobbing through the final scene and regretted that the book was over. Wonderful book.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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