Grace Burrowes has a way of sneaking up on a reader. I found this out while reading The Virtuoso. The exact same scenario caught my attention with LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL! In the beginning of the book I felt that I was not as connected to Maggie as I was to Benjamin. Maggie remained mysterious and somewhat aloof from me, whereas I felt that Benjamin's character was much more open and you knew that he was more than he appeared to be.

Once again, Burrowes managed to sneak up on me and I was devouring LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL as much for the love story as for the mystery that was Maggie Windham. Being the illegitimate daughter of a Duke was awful no matter how you looked at it. Being raised by his wife with his family as one of their own just made it even worse. Lady Maggie Windham was expected to act a certain way, be a certain way, and above all never ever give them cause for a scandal. When her reticule goes missing Maggie knows that whoever took it has the makings of the scandal of the century in their hands. The independence that Maggie has fought so hard to gain, her very livelihood is at stake and she will stop at nothing to keep all that she has gained. When a Lady is in trouble there is only one person she can turn to...the notorious and very discreet investigator Benjamin Hazlit.

Being propositioned is nothing new to Benjamin, but being propositioned by the Duke's firmly on the shelf daughter is definitely something different. The woman has not only propositioned him for a job she has piqued his curiosity. As an investigator for respectable members of the ton Benjamin has been forced into some pretty awkward situations.

However, Maggie's only request has left him stunned. Finding the reticule was the bargain, but never looking inside at the contents! Why that is just asking for trouble. Just what it is that the Lady Maggie is trying so hard to keep a secret from her family? Never one to let go of a challenge Benjamin finds that his interest in the case has turned from mere curiosity about information to an extreme interest in the lady herself. It seems that whenever Maggie is in the room the sparks between them simply fly. As a man with secrets of his own, Benjamin knows that any interest he might have in Lady Maggie Windham is more than a threat to his existence it is a threat to his very soul. The more he tries to push his feelings away the more Benjamin finds Maggie to be the most intriguing woman. Maggie would be the perfect woman for him; if only she would stay out of the investigation and let him do his job.

Everywhere Benjamin turns Maggie seems to be there, every stone he uncovers Maggie is there with another one to throw, every step he takes brings him one step closer to uncovering all the Lady Maggie's secrets and maybe one step closer to knowing her heart.

Burrowes kept Maggie's secrets almost until the end of the book and I was genuinely surprised. Along the way of LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL I longed, I yearned, and I was dying to know just what Maggie was hiding. Much to my surprise, my connection to Maggie, as a character, grew even stronger than my connection to Benjamin.