DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL is book 5 in Tessa Dare's
Spindle
Cove series. All Charlotte Highwood wants is to
be a spinster, free of society's demands, and to tour the
Continent with her friend Delia Parkhurst. The only thing
Charlotte's mother wants is for her to marry a peer.
Having a mother like Mrs. Bennet from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
skews Charlotte's view of men and marriage. Charlotte
approaches Piers Brandon, the Marquess of Granville
privately, at a house party, to reassure him that she has
no plans to pursue him. As a secret agent acting for the
royal family, Piers has bigger worries than keeping away
marriageable young women and their mercenary mamas. While
neither party is looking for romance, both walk away from
the meeting a little befuddled, unexpectedly attracted,
and very definitely charmed.
Despite an inauspicious beginning of getting caught in a
compromising position, being thrown together winds up
being the best thing to happen to Charlotte and Piers.
That first meeting between Charlotte and Piers and the
witty dialogue -- both aloud and internal -- is enchanting
and had me in love with the story from that moment on.
Piers is a fascinating and complex hero. Tessa dare does
a phenomenal job of slowly pulling back his layers and
explaining why Piers is the way he is. While I find Piers
to be sexy, charming, and honorable, he is also a man
haunted by his mother's death when he was a child. I love
how overpowering Piers' feelings are for Charlotte. In
spite of how inconvenient his feelings are in his line of
work, as well as the fact that he thinks he can never be
what Charlotte needs, he fights to keep her connected to
him. Tessa Dare makes Charlotte a clever and imaginative
character who will deliver unexpected fanciful little
monologues, without appearing obnoxious.
DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL is a book that delivers
laughter and longing in equal measure, with romantic
exchanges that will make you shiver. Little Edmund
Parkhurst and his dark suspicions and vehement
declarations about Piers inject a bit of humor at odd
moments to break up the tension. Piers' valet and secret
partner in spying, Ridley, intrigues me and I hope to
read more about him in the future. This book has made me
a Tessa Dare fan, and I can't wait for her next book!
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a
scandalous tryst in the library.
Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss
Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? Perhaps the butler
did it.
All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But
rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover
the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers
Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly
handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace.
When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.
But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers
reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess
can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit . . . and
melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he
guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth
about his dark past.
Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon
Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her
innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?